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 Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 9:36 am
"I can't!" Ross cried out before realizing the reason he was rolling so fast. They weren't on the forest path anymore and the end of their new destination was at the bottom of the hill....but where was the ground?
The boy yelled as he realized that he was rolling down towards a cliff.
"Why are they being so noisy?" The cattaur rubbed at his temple. Somewhere nearby someone was yelling their lungs out. "Jeez." Alek's curiosity got the better of him and he started walking faster through the forest.
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:59 pm
It was a few moments until Reed could see what they were headed toward and why Ross had started yelling so much more. His heart felt like it leapt up into his head and his legs went rubbery. He couldn't let Ross get hurt! His paws pounded the ground as adrenaline made headway through his body.
"Mommy!" He gasped out, though most of his breath was being used to try to catch his brother. Nearly tripping himself, he stopped trying to yell for help. If he fell as well... No one would be able to help his brother.
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:39 pm
"Reed!" Ross cried and reached out for his brother. For a split second the little cattaur had hope. He could reach him! But his hand faltered and Ross started to fall. Closing his eyes in fear he waited to feel the impact of hitting the ground.
"Jeesh!" A red blur jumped and managed to catch Ross. Rolling over so that he and the boy both rested just a bit from the edge, Alek panted. "That...was close, kid."
Opening his arms he stared down at the shaking child, "You okay?" Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice screamed in recognition, but Alek refused to even consider the thought that this one could be...but then again. He looked up and just stared at the other young cattaur. No way.
"Ye-yeah." Ross squirmed free of the strangers grasp before looking around for his brother. "That was close." He smiled sheepishly at Reed before looking back at the stranger, "Thanks mister." For some reason the boy wanted to say that the male cattaur was familiar, but he just couldn't place why.
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:43 pm
Reed reached his hand out, and reached, but Ross was just too far... When the bright blur leapt in front of his, he yelped and nearly went over the edge himself! His claws dug into the ground, stopping close enough that he could see over the edge. Hollering, his fur standing on end, he jumped from the edge and spun to look for Ross.
Some stranger had his brother! ...The adult had saved his brother... He had failed... "Ross." Wiping tears of shame from his eyes, he ran over and grabbed Ross around his waist and tried to pull him from the adult's arms protectively. "Gimme Ross!" He growled. But, so close to the adult, he caught the scent. Not just any scent though. His eyes widened and he leaned forward, still clinging to Ross, and sniffed the adult's arm. ...Something was different, but essentially, it was his cube. He looked up slowly, finally giving the adult a close look. Could it be-?
He looked at Ross, looked up at the male again, sniffed his chest. Then, in a weak voice. "......daddy?" He wouldn't have given Alek's looks a second glance, having been so worried about Ross... but he couldn't deny that this man smelled like his cube.
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:42 am
"Reed!" Ross wiggled free from the stranger so he could latch onto his brother. Watching his brother with interest the cattaur had to gape at the stranger. "Daddy?" He leaned closer and whispered in Reed's ear, "Are you sure?"
Hearing the names confirmed it. Alek winced as his son called out to him. All he wanted to do was scoop up both of the boys and hug them tightly. But he - he shouldn't. Sadly the cattaur shook his head before forcing a smile, "I'm sorry, were you looking for you father?" He stood and backed away, "I haven't seen any other cattaurs here, but if i see him I can let him know that you two were here."
He swallowed, "Anyway. I'm sure your parents are worried about you. Does your mother know where you boys are at?" Was Ashierra okay? Why were they so far away from where he had left them?
Ross narrowed his eyes angrily, "We don't have a daddy." He growled turning away. "Mommy knows we're out here. She might even be lookin' for us now."
"Oh." Alek looked away, his eyes brimming with tears. "Like I said you two should go home." He wanted to stay. Wanted to talk to them. But if Ashierra found him...would he be able to run away again? Alek sighed.
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 2:10 pm
Reed's eyes grew rather large, looking up at the stranger. His ears flipped back against his head. He couldn't answer Ross. He was sure this man was daddy. His scent... But mommy was always so...
His head shrunk between his shoulders at Alek's round-about denial of his parentage. And a little more at Ross' statement. He couldn't help himself though. Even as the adult looked away, Reed reached forward and dug his fingers into the thick orange fur and leaned in for another deep sniff, even to the point of pressing his nose into the large leg.
Yes... He didn't understand why, when they were right there, daddy was denying them for a second time... But he wasn't about to choose someone over his brother. At least... At least what? "Mommy might worry if we're out too long." He reluctantly let go, ears and tail low.
Before heading off though, he peeked back around his shoulder. "....Thank you for catchin' Ross." Then he grabbed Ross' hand and started pulling him back up the hill.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:20 am
"Yeah." Ross turned away from the stranger and clutched at his brother's hand. They couldn't waste time here...with this guy. "Let's get goin' then." He tugged at Reed and pointedly ignored the other cattaur, though it was obvious that he kept trying to peek back at him for just one last loook.
"Anytime." Alek whispered before turning around as well, "You kids be careful. You should take good care of your mother too -" He paused and swallowed, "I'm sure she's a good soul." A beautiful, kind, loving, fiery-
But not his.
Not until he could get this figured out. Alek closed his eyes and sighed. Not daring to look back again the male cattaur started for the shelter of trees and quickly dissappeared.
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Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:16 pm
~~Time Skip!~~
It was just a trip to town for supplies. Nothing new. Her pack refilled, Ashierra made her final payment and rechecked her mental list. First aid, special food to surprise the boys, a new brush, a patching kit, and a couple odds and ends. Her pack may be old, but she wasn't about to get rid of it. It had been new when her boys were born...
Petting the worn leather affectionately, she started off to the town entrance, hoping her sons were waiting there already. They had stayed a couple days already, and it was time to move on. She still felt nervous sitting in one place too long. Though she had allowed herself to forget, her subconscious knew why connecting to one place gave her those headaches.
Reaching the entrance, she crossed her arms and glared into the crowd as though that alone would make the two boys appear out of thin air.
Though not waiting, Reed was headed for the rondevous point. Now a lanky teenager, his long legs carried him swiftly as he pawed through his purchases. They didn't live lavishly, but after a month or two of collecting furs from their food, they recieved a fair amount of goods for their trade. He had splurged a little and gotten a small baggie of sweets to share, after making sure he had enough for essentials, of course. Ashierra didn't always approve of sweets, but she wouldn't turn an offering down either. Reed smiled at the thought.
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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:26 pm
Ah, the days spent in towns. The teenage cattaur couldn't help but to enjoy the presence of so many taurs in one place. Even though it couldn't compare to the freedom of traveling, it was definitely interesting. Especially if he found someone to 'talk' to.
"Ross. Wake up." Someone poked him, "Hey, handsome. You have to get moving."
Yawning Ross looked up at a petite, female cattaur who was hovering over him, "Is it time already then?" He sighed before raking a hand through his hair.
"Yesss!" Giggling she pushed at him, her golden jewelry jingling with the motion, "If my Papa finds you here he'll kill me!"
"Why? Not like we did anything like 'that'." Muttered the teen, which was true. He behaved...to a degree. He would never take a female's virtue like that. Never. Too bad the father wouldn't believe that truth.
It was while he was running desperately towards the rondevous point, away from the angry sparks of magic belonging to a certain merchant -also a father of a certain female cattaur-, that he spotted his brother. "Hey, Reed! See you in a minute!" He waved before diving through the crowd and disappearing.
"Free at last." Ross whispered in relief before patting the full bags that hung around his waist. Lately he had found that there were more ways to get things than just saving furs. A lot of it was trinkets (given to him) that he would sell at the next town, while the rest was supplies for the journey ahead.
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:54 am
Perking his ears, Reed looked up in time to see his brother vanish into the crowd. Hearing the shouting words of an angry adult, he put a hand to his face and shook his head. 'Ross... You be careful.'
Pulling out a candy, he popped it in and chewed slowly, meandering toward where his mother would be waiting. He enjoyed looking at the various stalls and what different wares were available. He couldn't imagine owning half of what was available though. Where would it all go? He sometimes thought about having an actual home, but being young, he still loved travelling. Did half of these things actually have a use?
Her paw tapped on the ground, her eyes combing the crowd for her sons. Why weren't they here yet?!
When a voice asked if she was all right, she turned her head and simply glared at the poor innocent man, who quickly backed off and scurried away. She shook her head, resuming her x-ray vision into the sea of taur.
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Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:08 pm
Slipping through another vendor's stand the teen managed to swing past his pursuers and out into a safe street. Another dart around the corner and Ross could finally relax. "Made it." He panted and ran a hand through his matted hair. He was a mess, not to mention his body was throbbing with several new scraps and bruises. Well at least it could have been worse.
And worse could still happen if he didn't hurry. Fearing the wrath of his mother Ross started running again - but this time it wasn't away from anyone but rather towards a familiar female cattaur who could scare him more than any angry merchants would.
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Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:34 am
As he moved along, the crowd got thicker. The sun hadn't reached its peak yet, and the town was bustling with activity. Keeping one hand protectively on his bag of coins and the other on his purchases, he squeezed through the crowd until he could see the pillars that marked the entrance.
He finally spotted his mother, whose cheeks were pink with irritation. Why did she always get mad so easily? They weren't babies anymore. Sighing, he had to shimmy underneath a large centaur to get to Ashierra. "Here." He said with a light smile. Thankfully, after a small 'you're late' look, she returned with a smile of her own. He liked when she smiled.
With one son under her watch again, Ashierra relaxed a hair. One was yet to come. "Have you seen Ross?" Recieving a shrug for an answer, she huffed and went back to scanning the crowd irritably.
That is, until Reed held a soft, chewy candy in front of her eyes, the teen himself wearing a big, glowing grin. Those boys were always full of surprises. Smiling again, she accepted the treat. It was hard to scowl when eating rare candy~
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Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:26 pm
Finally! Ross grinned with relief as he spotted his family. Was that even a smile on Ashierra's face? Oh, please -Please!- don't be angry. With that thought in mind the teen waved towards his brother and mother. "Hey! Sorry about the wait!" He called out, completely oblivious to the crowd that was moving in about him. Including the poor naga who was just trying to slither past the young cattaur. Of course Ross just managed to trip over the naga's tail.
Ross crashed. Right into the corner of the stand where he bounced and landed next to his mother. "Oww." Rubbing his head Ross looked up at Ashierra apologetically, "Good morning?" He chuckled awkwardly before wobbling back up on his paws. Charismatic, usually. Brave and Adventurous, definitely. Graceful, not so much.
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Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:14 pm
Relieved that his mother seemed to be perking up, Reed turned at the sound of his brother; and the sound of startled yelps and a thud. Tilting his head, he merely gave Ross an amused smirk, and then the naga that was tripped over an apologetic wave.
Enoying the sweet treat, Ashierra's head snapped around in surprise as she heard the thump of Ross hitting the ground. Now that her boys were accounted for, add to that the candy, instead of scolding Ross for making a scene, she instead gave a light laugh. "Ross, I swear!" She reached out and smoothed his ruffled hair. "Morning. <3"
Looking around, and then up to the sky. "Well, are you two ready to head off?" Double checking that her pack was secure around herself, she turned and headed for the entrance. She was thinking to head for the ocean today. They tended to travel inland, maybe a change of scenery would be nice?
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:09 pm
Ross made a low sound in his throat at his brother's smirk before sighing. Why was it that he never seemed to see his brother in these types of situations? He looked up at his mother with faint surprise at her actions. She wasn't aggravated at his late arrival? Or for the scene? He glanced at his brother from the corner of his eye - that must be some good candy.
"Yeah. I'm ready. Question is where to now?" Ross replied though his hands went to the packs hanging from his shoulders. Everything felt like it was in place. That was good. Too bad everything else couldn't be shoved into a bag where he could just reach in and take it back. Ross sighed and found himself looking over at a group of kids running towards their parents. What was it like to live like that? He probably would never know so why did it matter? Snapping back to attention the young cattaur grinned over at his brother, "You ready, Reed?"
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