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 Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 5:38 pm
 There was definitely an independent streak in the pup, young though he was; barely eating solid food and hardly capable of defending himself, the child nevertheless insisted on creeping as far from the den as he could handle, adventuring past what was known. Not that doing so was particularly difficult, as his mother seemed to care very little for him or what he did, and that arrangement suited the pup just fine.
Darkness was gathering, and it was this that drew Rorret curiously away from the den, sneaking from his sleeping mother's side to get a good look at the clear night sky. It was cool outside, and clear, and overhead the stars sparkled and invited him to gaze at them for hours. He liked to count the stars, on nights like this; it had a calming effect on him, and allowed him a meditative time which he could use to allow his thoughts to wander.
And so he sat, in his solitary rebellion, maw lifted to the sky, counting the stars and allowing his thoughts to race freely throughout his young mind, enjoying the freedom of the darkness.
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Posted: Thu May 27, 2010 12:33 pm
 Collier would wake to the slightest sound. He'd been that way as long as he could remember. The first words he processed, though he tried to see in them an odd sort of affection, were warnings and grumblings of what lurked in shadow, and they tainted all memory. So Collier was quite aware of Rorret's movement as he crept out of the den that night. And quite terrified.
What could his brother be doing? Collier sat upright and gazed at the still forms about him. Bijou and his sisters slept soundly, but of course, as they were girls, they had nothing to fear. He felt a spark of envy for their rest, their undisturbed dreams. Should he wake one of them? It didn't seem fair. But how else could he ensure Rorret stay safe? If his brother remained alone a demon would whisk him away. What did the demons do with their prey? Gobble them up? Collier shuddered.
No, he would get Rorret back to the den by himself. Quietly Collier stood and slipped out of the den, following his brother's trail, the little pitter patter of his paws on the dirt breaking the perfect silence that had settled in wake of his brother's leaving.
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Posted: Thu May 27, 2010 1:51 pm
His ears flicked as he became aware of the sound of his brother's approach, and immediately his meditative calm was shattered. "Go back to sleep," he hissed, glaring over his shoulder at his brother. So much for solitude. So much for the beauty of the night sky, the infinite possibilities swirling about the heavens! Rorret was very quickly reduced to just a pup, and one with a rather irritating brother on top of things. "What's the matter with you anyway? Have a nightmare or something?" He asked, with a quiet sneer in his tone.
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 1:19 am
"N-n-no." Collier drew up a little defensively, muzzle wrinkled with distaste. The nights he didn't wake pursued by visions of twisted figures sounding eerie howls, like tonight, were few and far between, and he would defend them whenever possible. But with a few more pawsteps he was close enough to clearly take in his brother's disapproving expression, and he shrank from it. "Sorry Rorret... I just wanted to make sure-"
A twig snapped, and Collier's ears automatically swiveled in the direction of the sound as he leaped in surprise. It was probably nothing more than a squirrel, or the wind and gravity finally coaxing a frail branch to earth, but the pup didn't want to take chances. "We should go back to mother," he whispered.
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Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 10:42 am
Rorret sighed. He almost pitied his brother's terror -- almost, but not entirely. He flinched at the snapping twig and immediately chastised himself, mentally berating the infectious weakness. "...I don't think anything's coming for us, brother." He glanced around, sniffing at the air, a smirk upon his maw. "Come...I'll show you." He rose to his paws and started for the darkness between the trees, glancing back to see if his cowardly sibling would follow.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 2:34 pm
Collier was sure he knew what was in the shadows, but Rorret was his brother! He couldn't let him be gobbled up by a demon alone. The green pup's heart pounded double time as he leaped ungracefully after Rorret. He could smell nothing but his own fear, and as he trembled some of the charms on his necklace rattled against each other.
"I- I believe you," Collier bluffed. "Let's go back now."
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 3:54 pm
He looked back over his shoulder, challenge gleaming in his bi-hued eyes. "You scared of the dark?" He asked. "You're such a baby."
Never mind that they were both babies, really. So far as Rorret concerned, he could take on the world with his eyes closed.
But, at the last moment, he demurred. He pulled away from the dark and flashed his brother an uneasy smile. "I think it'd be fun to be stolen away," he said, daringly, almost challengingly. "Get taken somewhere else. Somewhere...exciting."
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 4:57 pm
"Am not," Collier said stupidly. He clenched his tiny milk teeth and swished his tail back and forth in irritation, trying to think of something more clever to say. As usual, Rorret beat him to it.
"Don't say that! You can't mean it." The tiny flash of anger he felt at being called a baby vanished. Collier sat next to Rorret and butted his head gently against his brother's shoulder. He needed to think of something to say, and quick!
"Won't you miss Mother?" he ventured.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 5:17 pm
He laughed -- a cold, barking laugh that hardly seemed at-place coming from such a small maw. "No more than she'd miss us," he said, and because he knew his brother could occasionally be stupid, "She won't miss us at all, I mean. She doesn't even like us. You can tell."
Like. Ekil. Ee-kill. He Kill?
Ah, if only. But he was too small. Maybe someone else could, in his place.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:05 pm
Collier shivered when Rorret laughed. It wasn't scary really, just different from his sisters' laughs, and he thought maybe if it were ever directed at him... Collier shook his head to clear it.
"But we're safe with Mother," he said, returning to his most favorite argument for remaining very close to Bijou. The demons wouldn't hurt her or Nissa or Reggie. "I don't wanna be hurt, Rorret," he whimpered. Maybe Mother hurt them a little sometimes, on her bad days, but the demons would be worse, right?
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:50 pm
He waved a paw, dismissively. "Safe," he snorted, but he knew the argument was fruitless. So far as he was concerned, mother may well end up eating his tail off one of these days (as he was often certain had happened to Regnad) and then what would Collier have to say about safety?
But pointing that out wouldn't help any. Collier didn't see the big picture. Not the way Rorret did, anyway.
"Okay. Fine. Let's go back where it's safe." His sneer was audible.
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:48 pm
"Aww, Rorret, don't be like that." While another pup might have been embarrassed by Rorret's taunt, Collier seemed to know no shame when it came to what his family referred to as his cowardice. It wasn't cowardice to him, just caution, just good, good sense. Instead, Collier's insides squirmed as he thought of how much he must have upset his brother to evoke such a mean tone of voice. He took a long look at the trees, at their grasping, crooked branch claws black against the blue velvet sky and its infinity of stars. That Rorret took comfort in the stars and their possibilities would never occur to Collier. He only saw the dangers of wandering the forest numbered in cold diamonds. A familiar feeling of panic rose in his chest and quickly, before his paws took him back to the den with all the speed Bijou possessed when wolfing down a kill, he spat out his compromise.
"Fine. We can go a little into the forest. Not really far though Rorret, you gotta promise. We can't get lost with the demons about."
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 1:12 am
Rorret's tail thumped, a grin spreading up his maw -- although, even then, it didn't reach his eyes. No emotion ever showed in those strange mismatched eyes other than cold calculation. How the pup had been born with such an old soul was a mystery.
"We'll be fine," he said. Truth was, he believed in the demons every bit as much as Collier did -- but he looked to them with a sort of longing and awe. And why wouldn't he? Smart though he was, Rorret was fearless -- to the point of apathy, perhaps. To the point of foolishness, maybe. He embraced the feeling of invulnerability that many youths have, and allowed it to magnify in his chest.
Collier could worry enough for both of them.
"Besides," he added, logically, "You can yell loud enough that Mother and Reggie and Nissa will hear you and come running if anything happens. Problem solved."
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