Bath ti at ho had beco a fun program for Ali because Sienna bathed her personally. She always made sure the water was warm, used nice slling soaps and put the toys in the tub. They would sing, or watch so cartoons. All theses were things the nannies and grandma Cadelaria never did before.
Sienna had just finished wrapping a towel around Ali, the little girl was giggling as bubbles from a bubble gun clung to her mother’s cheeks. She wiped her hands, lifted the girl from the tub and passed her to a nanny that was waiting, only to find Eli standing there, in the entrance of the bathroom, glaring at her like a tiny warlord.
"What’s up little spark?" she asked.
He made a little childish growl. "I don’t think I like being called that." He puffed his chest, "I demand that you bathe too, personally."
Sienna raised an eyebrow. "You demand? You sound like the bratty princess and I don’t like it. Ask nicely."
Eli leaped on her, climbing up her body like a monkey would on a tree. He clung to her neck like a stubborn koala, refusing to be put down. He was young, but he knew their relationship was a difficult one. Still, he wanted her attention, but only on his own terms. "Bathe , now," he demanded.
Grandma Byra shuffled in, her cane tapping against the floor. She had been allowed inside the house to help with Suri and Mira, but Ali was telling everyone that Eli was being an to mama again, so she had dared to enter Sienna’s room to help.
"Co now, little one," she coaxed, "let great grandma give you a bath. Your mama is tired."
Eli twisted his head away, his grip tightening. "No! Only her! I don’t want anyone else. She is my mama, she must bathe . She wasn’t tired for Ali, why is she tired for ?" His voice cracked with childish defiance, but his arms were chains around Sienna’s shoulders.
Sienna sighed, dropping her arms because she didn’t need them to hold him. "You’re heavy, you know. And your little claws have started popping out. At this rate, you will take my head off. Why do you want to bathe you anyway, it’s not as if you like . What if I scrub you too hard that all your fur falls off."
He gasped. "You dare!"
Sienna nodded. "I dare, because you are rude. But, if you ask nicely, I will give you bath. Repeat after : ’Please, mama, I am requesting that you give a bath because I am a stinky fox cub."
Eli’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Never!"
Grandma Byra narrowed her eyes and the boy. She almost considered using her own ans to discipline the young one, but she was worried that Sienna would think she had crossed the line. Moreover, she was worried about the claws Sienna had ntioned. Her granddaughter was human, claws were not allowed near vulnerable parts of her body like her neck. "Sienna, maybe you should just give in. He’s only five."
Sienna’s eyes narrowed. "If I give him, he’ll just make more demands next ti. Next, he will order to brush his fur or polish his claws. From there, we are back to ’roll.’ No. He must learn."
"I won’t learn." Eli declared.
The air shifted. A cold wind swept through the bathroom, and the temperature seed to drop several degrees. Eli froze, the stubbornness on his face faltering.
Elias walked in, his eyes sharp as blades. A single tail flying behind him like a mast. He seed to carry the aura of winter itself, chilling and unyielding.
"Elijah, that is enough," His voice cut like ice. "You are not a baby anymore. You are five. A man."
Sienna blinked. She wondered if they were both looking at the sa child. In what way was Eli a man?
Eli trembled, but his grip on Sienna did not loosen. "But Papa---"
"No excuses." Elias’s tail flicked, slicing the air. "You are the next leader of the fox tribe. You cannot be whining for baths. A man bathes himself. Where is your dignity?"
For Sienna, she was torn between supporting her husband and stopping him. Eli looked so downcast, and he wanted to cry. His pride was battling his desperation. "Please, mama." he whispered.
Sienna heart softened, and she touched his small back. She leaned down, pretending not to hear. "What was that? Speak louder?"
The boy’s ears turned red. "PLEASE MAMA!"
Sienna laughed.
Grandma Byra smiled, very delighted.
"That wasn’t so hard, was it?" Sienna asked, carrying him to the tub. She put him down, and started unbuttoning his shirt. "Every mama likes polite cubs, not rude ones."
Elias stepped forward, with narrowed eyes that stared at Eli with so displeasure. "Elijah Veythar, are you going to ignore my words?"
The little one hid his head in Sienna’s neck.
Sienna looked up. "My son is five, he is just a baby. There is nothing wrong with giving him a bath. His nanny still gives him one. We can consider it as making up for all the tis I missed in these years. From now on, as long as he asks nicely, I will bathe him."
Elias turned away, cloak billowing. "Then I won’t say more. However, don’t indulge him too much, he must learn self discipline."
Sienna winked, "Oh, don’t worry. I’ll discipline him by taking pictures of him with a rubber duck on his head for future blackmail."
Elias sulked, muttering under his breath, "I’ll get stronger one day. Then you’ll all regret making say please."
Sienna dunked him into the water with a splash. "Until then, Lord commander Elijah the imaginary villain, your mama will keep making you say please and turn you into a good baby."
She put shampoo in his hair and placed a bright yellow rubber duck on his head. Elias snapped a photo imdiately, as if he had stayed back for only this purpose.
Eli could not believe that she had actually done as she promised. He sputtered and she shot the bubble gun at his face. "Mama! Not fair!"
"What can I say, life is not fair? Who made the mama and you the baby?"
The boy glared at her through the foam, plotting his revenge. He would catch her unawares and put a real duck on her head when he grew taller and stronger than her. He chuckled softly, picturing the look of regret on her face. He would make her say please before taking the duck away.
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