Dante my dear, may I ask for some of your Ashlion thoughts? Got a craving for their dynamic and your the first person that comes to mind when it comes to them :3
Oh! First of all, I'm absolutely honored--I know I don't do a good job of interacting much over here (I want to fix it I really do) but I also know you see my tags on everything, so...
Anyway the age gap is one of the most fun things to play with, because Lion's generation is one of the most fleshed out in terms of "this feels like we have multiple age groups in the same den" when looking at apprentices, and the interactions between the three litters is really neat.
A lot of the real fun comes from, in my opinion, playing with the culture of the clan and the expectations of those around Ash and Lion, as well as their actual positions. Holly and Lion don't get it, but are generally supportive. Ash can't talk to anyone cause, you know, this is his apprentice, and the son of his ex!
Big fun comes from the pressures they deal with and the necessitated slow burn of it. The real relationship doesn't start till Lion's a warrior, but the yearning to prove himself worthy of Ash, the want to be close to him, the general not wanting to let him down and live up to expectations! On Ash's side, him trying to dissuade these things, just trying to be Professional. Keep the relationship what it's meant to be, but also unable to not be aware of Lion's eyes on him, and... what if Lion does grow out of it? What if it is just an apprentice crush?
And then the eventual courtship. Lion is excitable and Ash and self-conscious and Bramble and Squirrel... I think there's a lot of fun to be had with the courtship rituals and interactions