Baby Steps

The young boy gurgled softly to himself, crawling through the castle. It seemed that every time he went exploring, he found himself in a completely different part.

It was exciting to find out more about the place he lived. A tiny grin flitting across his face as he found an intricately decorated door, he moved towards it quickly. Pulling himself up to his feet, he clumsily turned the doorknob, pushing the door open.

His grin only widening as he looked around the room, he was for a moment too caught up in excitement at all the toys around him to go back onto all fours. Instead, he wobbled into the room, hardly noticing that he was walking until he was stopping, hands gripping the table in the middle of the room.

Glancing over his shoulder, a tiny smile flitted across his face as he saw just how far he'd walked. And then he was moving towards all the toys, his head tilted up at all of them.

Following his son silently was one of Basil's favourite activities. Just seeing the boy explore his home and see his enjoyment in discovering more and more made him feel like being a parent was definitely worth it. The little moments with both his adorable babies made it all worth it.

A smile lit up the King's face as he watched Theran open the door by himself and totter inwards. He slipped in the door and watched his boy walk by himself all the way to the table. Basil felt his pride swell at Theran's accomplishment.

"Look at you, little man. Walking all by yourself." Basil's voice was full of pride and encouragement. Sitting just inside the door on the floor with his back to the wall he was content to watch his son wander around the room looking at all the toys. He was there if he was needed and that was the best thing he could offer.

Turning from the toys as he recognized the voice, the little boy grinned at his father, letting out a coo of contentedness. Though walking was a skill he was sure he'd been able to for a while now, he was nonetheless happy to have his father's approval.

Looking back at the toys, Theran hummed softly, trying to decide which one to take. At this point, he'd narrowed it down to two toys. On one of the shelves was a rather large green ball, and he supposed that it would be fun to play with, but there were also a large quantity of blocks.

Why not both?

His grin widening, he grabbed the ball with meaty little hands. Turning around towards his father, Theran glitterported closer to him. Sitting on his knees, he pushed the rubber ball towards his dad.

Basil's mismatched eyes sparkled as he watched his son peruse the toy selection. Maybe the children were a bit spoiled having everything they could ever want or need but he could provide it for them so why shouldn't they have it. All he wanted was for his family to be happy and content with their lives.

Oh, dear. Both children able to use Fae relocation? There was going to be glitter all over the place now. Why Fae had ever developed the characteristic of leaving glitter behind Basil would forever wonder. For now he just pushed the thought from his mind and concentrated on his boy.

"You want to play ball, my boy," Basil asked, not expecting an answer. "Okay. We can play ball. Soon you'll be big enough to play with lots of other toys too." He stopped the rubber ball with one large, slim hand, long fingers curling around the sphere slightly. Lightly he pushed the ball back to Theran, imbuing a bit of magic into the ball, making it change colours as it rolled across the floor to the small tyke.

He grinned at his father's words, nodding his reply. He didn't need to talk; simply spending time here with his father was enough for him. And besides, Theran liked the sound of his father's voice. It's low tone had always been comforting for the young boy.

His eyes lighting up as the ball began to flash colours, changing from green to red and then to grey, he laughed, clapping his hands together. Catching the ball with his knees, he picked it up in his meaty hands, his grin widening as he stared at it. Giggling, he shook it softly, watching it continue to change.

A smile was like a permanent feature on Basil's face when he was spending time with his children. He loved nothing better than making the ones he cared about happy. Leaning back against the wall he hummed a small tune as Theran picked up the ball.

An idea sprouted in the King's head and he cloaked the ball with magic as his son began to shake it, making it tinkle every time it moved as well as making different magical creatures appear on its surface.

"Still playing with cubs, I see" Dansen commented as he slunk his way into the room and sauntered past Basil with a flick of his tail. The ocelot made his way over to the tot and rubbed his head against the child's. "And hello to you, young Prince."

The flashing colours were mesmerizing. The boy couldn't tear his gaze away, his grin only widening. Why couldn't everything change colours like this? Everything would be so much better.

Cooing softly as it began to tinkle, he shook it harder, giggling. Tilting his head slightly as he realized that the ball made the sound in time to his shaking, he slowed down, beginning to shake it in a methodical fashion as he grinned at all the animals appearing on its surface.

Jerking his head up at the sound of the large cat, he grinned, settling the ball down to wave his chubby hands at the ocelot. Wrapping his arms around Dansen's neck, he hugged the cat, cooing softly.