Another Step

"Come on, baby, come on," Kat smiles at her daughter.

Siria Cruger stares at her mother with large, green eyes. The youngling smiles and grabs at the air. "Ma!"

"Yes, honey, come to Mommy," Kat encourages her young one. Siria sits there, amusing herself for a few more minutes, though. "I know you can do it, baby girl."

"Mama!" Siria cries, this time a little distressed by the lack of her mother's heartbeat by her ears.

"Oh, come here, little one," Kat goes to her baby daughter and scoops her up. Holding the young one in her arms she feels her very core warm with pure love. The darling cub in her grasp gurgles enthusiastically, swatting at the curls Kat has let grow out to sit below her clavicle. "There, there, my darling, Mommy's here."

"Mama!" Siria giggles at her beautiful mother in glee. "Dada?"

"Daddy will be home soon, love," Kat gives her daughter a kiss on the temple.

"Daddy is home now," Cruger chuckles deeply. He loves being a "daddy", and especially loves calling his mate "mommy" in front of his youngling. "Hello, lovely one."

"You mean me, or her?" Kat smiles widely at her husband.

"Both of you, of course," Doggie lays a sweet kiss on his wife's lips before peering down at his baby daughter. She lays her humanoid hands on his large nose, laughing at the wet feeling. He laughs also. "Hello, explorative one. How is my Siria today?"

"Dada!" the child cheers at the recognition of her father's form.

"Yes, baby, dada is here," he takes his child from her mother's arms and holds her as if she would break if he breathed too loudly. "Precious angel of Sirius and Felia, you are."

Kat's heart melts at how Doggie handles their little one. She has never seen him so full of tender love; everything about him just melted when he first glimpsed his newborn. "She's just like you, you know. She refused to let go of my hair until I gave her stew meat instead of fish."

"So, she has good taste," he teases his wife.

"She's stubborn," Kat corrects him as he sets his daughter on the floor. They sit with her and Kat leans on Doggie's shoulder. "I can't believe I get to be her mother."

"It is I who should be in awe of how I have either of you," Doggie says not as seriously as he might have before Siria's birth. Having a precious daughter has brought out a lightness in him Kat can never get enough of. "Isn't that right, Princess?"

"Dada!" Siria throws herself at her father and ends up taking a step in the process.

"Doggie," Kat breathes, hand flailing. "Did—did she just—"

"Come on, do it again, little Princess," Doggie brings his muzzle from his daughters grip and watches her walk straight into his arms, grabbing his coat. As she amuses herself with the buttons he looks at his wife, who is wide eyed. "Kat, our daughter just took her first steps."

Kat just cries in happiness, holding her hands in front of her smile. "She did; oh, my baby."

Doggie also smiles in joy as Kat takes her daughter into her arms, going on vibrantly about their little genius, walking like a big girl. Motherhood is a good look for Katherine, and it does him good to see her flourishing and enjoying life, day to day. She loves being a mother so, and he loves seeing her filled with the natural, maternal love. "Amazing—she is your daughter."

"She's a daddy's girl, that's what she is," Kat smiles, hugging Siria and gazing at Doggie.

"Then I have two girls to love more than anything," he kisses his wife and daughter.