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 Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:55 pm
Good question. Very good question.
Fallyn shushed the obnoxious voice in his head, frustrated with himself and unsure how to answer. "I...well, it's typically if the Alpha steps down or dies...it's a formal situation. When Danel disappeared on the search, well...it wasn't quite as obvious a situation as all that." Still frowning, he lay down, now eye level with the pup with the mismatched orbs.
"There was always the chance that he would come back. We didn't know whether he was gone for good, or just still traveling beyond our borders. No one was quite sure what to do. Rummy always seemed so insistent upon keeping the pack in harmony, that when the ranks began growing anxious and undecided, he stepped up to pull everyone together. They flocked to him, and the pack was united again with a purpose. Perhaps it was better that way..." he trailed off, glancing at the ground. The Brothers never would have banded together under his control like that, afterall. The pack would likely still be in chaos, or scattered to the winds. Then again...were they much better off now? Rummy's disappearance on the all-important search seemed a bit too familiar...
Marrok, quiet for a while now and simply observing the two and their interaction, frowned, realizing Fallyn's thoughts were beginning to wander into unpleasant territory. He crossed, pasting a smile on his maw and planting a paw lightly on the blue wolf's back. "Hey, now. You'd make a good Alpha too, buddy. And who knows? The way things are going, the position might be open again! This might be your chance to show 'em what you're made of."
Fallyn normally would have shrugged the other wolf's paw away, or even responded by snapping at him, but instead, he looked torn, thoughtful. Was this it? Was this what he should do? Did he really believe that the other Brothers would feel the way that Marrok felt?
Not likely. The green wolf was a bit of a nut, obviously. And yet, for some reason, his normally irritating way of following Fallyn about and offering constant encouragement had gone a long way to pull the Heir out of his theoretical 'shell.' Maybe he hadn't even noticed it himself, but Marrok had. Now, he just had to get the fool to interact with someone other than himself, while maintaining his own personality that had emerged. Rather than trying to stick to the shadows and remain unseen by his Brothers. That was how they treated outsiders; not each other.
Fallyn had learned to relax around Marrok, in any case, and that had done much for his self-confidence. But he still had a long way to go.
Had he reached a turning point? No, not yet, perhaps, but one day he might...with a little push. Maybe something like that moment of insanity that occurred not long before Danel's disappearance. Whatever had possessed Fallyn to turn his teeth on the God-Alpha's Weapon, even for a moment, and to have survived the encounter...well, it had offered him just a tiny glimmer of hope in the darkness that maybe he wasn't doomed to die a coward. Not for sure at least.
"Meh, fur and flesh like the rest of you," Fallyn finally answered, just a hint of something not completely hostile in his reply. Did he even start to smirk? "And in any case, mind your words, Brother. Some might consider them traitorous to our new Alpha, missing though he might be."
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Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:18 pm
"Oh."
His brow furrowed. Well, he guessed that made sense. He wondered if this Danel would be mad about this, if he ever came back. But more than that, he wondered what had become of Rummy...and of the other alpha. It seemed very strange to him.
"But where have they gone?" He pressed. "What are they looking for?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:48 pm
So, the pup hadn't heard the stories from the others? Well, that was probably to be expected, considering how deserted the home caves had been as of late. Most of the Brothers were out on the search, with only a few remaining in the homelands, forming a skeleton crew of sorts to handle the normal pack business. Like raising pups.
They'd likely received little training, let alone much in the way of history of the pack. Perhaps they'd had the bare minimum of knowledge laid upon them, but that couldn't be determined without asking them, as Fallyn had little to do with the night-to-night business of pup raising.
Tilting his head slightly to one side, he seemed to look the pup over analytically. "Rorret," he finally said, "Tell me first what you know about our pack and our Brothers."
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Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:57 pm
He perked up, keen to learn. "Not much," he admitted. "I know that there are no mothers. Mothers always leave." David had said that to him when he was found and it had stuck with him. Maybe it always would. His mother had certainly left him, anyway. "And when Elapse brings us meat, it's not like the meat I ate before."
Once, a haunch that looked suspiciously wolf-like, complete with claw-toed paw, had been dropped down for him and Collier to eat. Rorret had a pretty good idea of what exactly they were eating, but he didn't want to say it out loud in case he was wrong. He thought Fallyn might be offended.
He glanced over at Marrok before continuing. "And everyone can disappear into the dark. And you wear cloaks, like that one." He eyed their cloaks with a bright envy shining in his eyes, and subconsciously rubbed his cheek against the frayed cloth he had draped around himself.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 7:26 pm
Fallyn nodded as the pup shared what little knowledge he'd been granted. So, he wasn't completely in the dark, so to speak...but close enough. "That's right, Rorret," he began as the pup finished speaking. He'd noticed the subconscious action regarding that odd bit of cloth, and he made note of it once more in the back of his mind. "We are Brothers, to each other, and to the very shadows themselves. The shadows provide us with shelter and concealment; we move through the darkness as easily as other creatures breathe the air."
He grinned, a rare action for the ocean-colored wolf, but he didn't seem to notice himself. For all his doubts and the fears, the Brotherhood itself was everything to him. He had no idea what he would be without it, and feared such an existence. Likely, he would not survive, simple as that. So when he began speaking of the Brotherhood as a whole, Fallyn's entire demeanor changed, an inner light shown from his eyes, and an eager strength filled his voice.
"We are the darkness, Rorret, gliding through the night and striking down our foes in complete silence. Our foes are many, yet they quake in fear of a threat that they cannot name. Cannot see. Cannot sense until it is too late. We feed on the lesser, the unworthy, and our prey is plentiful."
It was as close as Fallyn would get to acknowledging Rorret's guesses about their sort of 'prey', but the way he smirked and his fangs flashed could have been enough to confirm the pup's suspicions.
"Our cloaks and the insignias upon our heads identify us as Brothers, united by more than blood. Prove yourself a loyal Brother, Rorret, and you'll receive your own cloak one day. However," he lowered his head and his voice, "we are to remain as secret as the shadows. None are to hear tales of our existence, except as a nameless force in the night. Ever present, ever dangerous, as we are superior to all. Those that would dare betray the Brotherhood? Death is their only reward; and a reward too generous for some."
Eyes narrow, Fallyn continued, "And that is what they search for. One that was once a Brother, but no more. He dared betray our Brothers, telling tales of our kin to strange lands, selling our secrets in return for trinkets and favors from dirty females," he spat, viciousness creeping into his tone. "No price should be enough to cause one to turn on his Brothers...but he will pay for those treacherous deeds, and he will welcome death when it finally comes to claim him." Fallyn had taken on a dangerous air, and even Marrok was eying him oddly from aside.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:34 pm
Rorret was instantly charmed.
The change in Fallyn's manner was both fascinating and a little seductive. He listened quietly and obediently, soaking this in, feeling his heart begin to beat more swiftly in his chest. Yes. He wanted to be one of these -- to be superior -- to become one with darkness. Yes.
More intriguing than all, however, was the way Fallyn spoke. Here was a wolf who, just moments ago, had seemed so diffident...and now, so passionate. Rorret tilted his head. "My mother used to tell me stories about demons," he said, carefully. He didn't like talking about mothers, if he could avoid it, but it seemed smart to do so now. "My brother was always terrified of them. Thought they would come steal him away. I always thought he might be right, but I hoped it would happen."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:42 pm
"Mothers always leave," Fallyn found himself reciting automatically. It was a phrase commonly used around the pups by the omegas these days, especially the newly taken. It was ingrained in the memory of most Brothers for that reason; it was a simple truth, nothing more. He'd heard it passed around a few times recently, perhaps that was why it was so fresh in his mind. Ironic, considering Fallyn had no memories of his own mother anyway.
He focused on the rest of what the pup said, then smirked. "They say to be careful what you wish for; you just might get it. Looks like you got your wish, kid." Still down on the pup's level, Fallyn leaned forward on his front paws with a chuckle. "So, how about it? Do you regret it? Are you surrounded by demons?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:50 am
Rorret shook his head, boldly. "No. Not demons. Just wolves. But...that's not what's important." His mismatched eyes glimmered, and there was something lean and gaunt in his young face, a wisdom beyond his years that was unsettling. "What's important is that other wolves think they're demons. And now they'll think I am, too."
Demon. Nomed. Nomad. Well, not anymore. He was a pack wolf, and proud of it.
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