Matsai led the way to the watering hole, nose to the ground and golden-tufted tail trailing along behind. Mother and Father were back at the den with the other cubs, suposedly, but the twins had slunk off for a little alone time. Well... as alone as the two could get, since they were for the most part always in each other's company.
No emotion moved on Mastailema's face, nor flickered in his eyes. Many delicious smells teased at his sensitive nose, interesting movements in the grass around him caught his emerald green eyes, and his black ears tracked even the slightest noise around him, yet what he thought of this information from his senses... No one could tell, save maybe the nearly identical form somewhere nearby.
-Ahai followed behind a few steps, and while Matsai's attention on the surroundings were all in the senses, his were more in the physical, young claws slashing through the grasses, pausing shortly to watch the small driplets of moisture seep from the wound of the grass. All of which simply brought a smirk to the white and blue maw, before he quickly picked up the pace to fall behind his brother.
Not long into this world and already it was apparent that the elder twin would grow to be something of a brute, young muscles already beginning to form hidden beneath the baby fat. But for now that was forgotten, the young cub taking his brother's side with a wide smirk. He didn't know where they were going, but he was bored anyway. And who knew what you could find when you slipped away from the den.-
Matsai, while showing all the signs of being as much of a brute as his twin, didn't seem to give off the same sort of vibes. He wasn't leaner, or any less muscled... He just kept his strength in check, hidden as the rest of him was. He didn't find as much pleasure in flashing it around like Ahai, prefering instead to suprise other creatures with it when it would have the most effect.
Feeling, more than seeing, his brother move up, Matsai flicked his tail at him, aiming for a smack acrossed his nose if Ahai wasn't careful. It was a bit of a game... see how good the other's reflexes were, and avoid their strikes as much as possible.
-Of course Ahai knew the game, and though he could be caught off guard often enough, his position brought him a soft advantage this time.
Heh, try to get him would he? Ahai had noticed the tail flick just in time to lean back, swating back at the offending appendage in retaliation, before pushing ahead until he was nearly side to side with his twin. Growl rippling through his young throat, he debated barreling into his brother, before the sound slowly faded. No.. if he wanted to play the game, then he should wait until Matsai wasn't expecting it.-
Matsai turned to his brother, a low growl rippling from his throat in return. Was that... a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth? Hardly more than a muscle twitch, really, but what was a twitch with Matsai was a full blown smile on anyone else. His tail swished through the air behind his haunches, a slight threat that next time, Ahai might not be able to dodge so easily. Then, he'd get a face full of Matsai-tail! Oh, yes...
Waterscent was heavy in the blue cub's nose, warning that soon they'd break from the grass onto the banks of the watering hole. Perhaps they'd find something to play with there, or atleast be able to get a cool drink before thinking up some other game to play.
"You're such a slow poke, Ahai." Matsai commented, his tone saying nothing beyond a statement of fact.
-The twitch was enough to bring a full blown smirk to the elder twin, as he plotted out attacks and tests far more henious then a simple tail flick. He'd never really felt the urge or want to actually hurt his twin, not like he often felt for his monster of a sister, or the young freak of the family. But pushing around his weight was far more his forte.
Wrestling perhaps... his eyes shifting in thought, he pondered over the likelyhood of a welcomed response to the action.
Ears twitching, more at Matsai's words then the nearby sounds of the watering hole, he scoffed a little, eyes rolling placidly.- "You're just in too much of'a hurry Matsai."
The younger twin turned his head back to face forward, lifting the broad head to scent the air again. Mmm... zebra, giraffe, hippo... and other scents that had not yet been neatly identified in that fertile young mind. His shoulder's rippled in a shrug as his paws carried him forward, closer to his destination.
"I'm not in a hurry, Ahai. We have no where to be, unless you know something I don't." Matsai remarked placidly, green eyes flicking once to his brother. Much the same thought had crossed his mind, muddling over the idea of springing on his twin and rolling about in the dirt to prove yet again who was the stronger of the two. Inside, behind his mask, Matsai squirmed with impatience, babbling a thousand words a minute in a long string of near nonsense. Inner-Matsai yearned to pounce his brother, but Outer-Matsai kept his smooth pacing forward, appearing indifferent.
"Exactly. So why's it matter how fast I'm moving?" -He almost sounded irritated, though he picked up the pace, padding ahead with head held high to try and spot the water's edge through the grasses.
Blue pelt dissapearing through the grasses he broke through a clearing around the watering hole. Hoping he'd pulled himself far enough ahead, Ahai crouched, waiting for his brother to come through the grasses after him, muscles taunt waiting to pounce.-
Matsai slowed as his brother's form passed him by, watching as the golden grass closed behind the blue body to block it from sight. It didn't really matter, did it? Seems Ahai had caught him out in his little jibe. Inner-Matsai pouted and whined, while Outer-Matsai crouched and slunk forward.
For a moment in time, the world wavered and... melted before his startled eyes. The grass parted, and there was Ahai. The lean body tensed and sprung for him...
Matsai's eyes widened and he jerked backwards, upending himself right into the dirt on his back as little claws shot out to stick into the copy of his blue fur... only to meet nothing but air. The cub lay blinking up at the blue sky, absolutely astounded. Where in the world had Ahai gone? He wasn't that agile...
Rolling over and onto his white-tipped paws in a crouch, Matsai glanced around for his attacker. Nothing... "Ahai? Where did you go?" His voice wavered just a touch as he padded forward in the direction he'd seen his brother going before, breaking through the grass onto the banks of the watering hole.
-Oblivious to the his brother's vision and any unease it might have caused in him, though his ears had flicked gently at the loud rumbling of sounds the fall had made, Ahai crouched further. Springing in a fashion that mirrored the vision, he let his body be carried over his brothers, attempting to land on the nearly identical body, teeth immediately attempting to find a place in whatever they could manage.
Call him slow would he? He'd teach him, yes he would.-
Matsai let out a yowl of protest as body slammed into body, twisting around to wrap his paws around his brother as the two fell back into the grass, Ahai on top. It was a strange sense of Deja-vu, but Matsai brushed it off as he writhed and squirmed under his twin, snarling and snapping at his throat in mock-fighting. The unease was lost in the heat of the moment, the cub's surging emotions slowly weaking his grip on emotionless-ness till a full out playful snarl twisted his face.
There was no one here to see it but Ahai, and Matsai trusted his twin like no other. It was okay to let the mask slip a little, as long as it went back up when they were done. The younger twin twisted to try and force his brother over and under him, small baby fangs snapping happily.
-A young roar, far from intimidating escaped Ahai, the rush of adreniline filtering over him pleasantly as his twin writhed and fought from beneath him. Like two beasts fighting to the death over some prey, and yet neither would leave with any injuries. Just practice, sadistic play, and satisfaction. Something it seemed that his twin alone delivered, atleast so far in his young life.
Paws pushed firmly in a raking motion against Matsai's face, trying to keep him from snapping, a motion that would have torn and ripped at the sensitive flesh had they actually been fighting. But his claws were tucked carefully within the pads of his paws, and soon enough his balance was lost, giving way for his brother to overtake him, if he snatched the oppurtunity.-
With a great heave and a snarl of satisfaction, Matsai pushed is brother off and rolled to pin him to the dirt. His small jaws opened and closed again around his twin's throat, mouthing at it in the motions normally used to tear another creature's throat out. A happy growl rolled from his throat as he shook his head violently, pulling at his brother as small paws pushed down on the white chest, now rather gray with dirt.
"Surrender, vagabond!" Matsai crowed as he reared back, shoving Ahai harder down into the dirt. "I have you at my mercy!"
-A huff of air slipped from him as Matsai's weight pressed against his chest, wriggling over dramatically as he tried to keep his twin from his throat, a task that he soon found unaffectitive.
Becoming flustered with the game, and the verbal insults, a growl filtered through his throat, and he began to kick with is hind legs at his brother's stomach, a little harder then when they'd started. A little harder in fact then he'd originally intended to, emotions beginning to get the better of him as he slipped further from their playful aggression.-
The blue cub oofed at the kick to his stomach, rolling off his brother and squirming around to face him, tail lashing the air.
"Hey, that hurt, Ahai!" He growled, his face twisting in a snarl before it ubruptly faded to be replaced by his emotionless mask. "You didn't need to hit me so hard, I would have let go if you'd asked." He said, settling back on his haunches to wash his fur in long strokes of his tongue. It helped to further sooth him and raise that wall around his inner self.
"Don't be such a baby." -A soft growl touched his throat, for the moment consumed in the fact that his ego was hurt FAR more then his brother's stomach. To think of him being beaten by his brother.. when it was already enough that his brother was smarter then him? The fur on his back began to ripple upwards with anger.
But as he watched the 'mirror' before him begin to sooth himself, cleaning and settling back into the normal emotionless cub he was so used to, his mood began to fade, until finally only frown remained. Drawing near he gave a cautious bump of his head against his twin's shoulder, watching cautiously for a swat of some sort in retaliation.- "Come on. It's boring here, and I'm kind of hungy. Let's go home."
Matsai nipped at Ahai as he came within range, then bumped his head in return. All forgiven, and soon to be forgotten, like most childhood squabbles. The little stomach rumbled as if to answer his twin's and Matsai nodded as he rose to his paws.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. I could use some food." With a flick of his golden tail, he turned and sprung into the grass, nose pointed in the direction of home and food, in the form of their mother. Kiuma may have noticed their absence by now, it was more than time to get back to her before her wrath grew too great.
