|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 4:47 pm
It wasn't funny.
No matter what version of the story he heard, what justifications he heard, or how many times he saw his own reflection it was not funny. One moment he'd been wading out into the shallows, his paws darting after the small silvery forms of the tiny fish being rolled about by the waves, and the next moment his backside had been flipped over his head, water all over him, and in the blink of an eye he was sprawled out with a mouth full of sand and the roaring laughter of his companions gargling in as water drained from his ears.
Baris trudged up from the water, his tail dragging behind him, his mane plastered onto his head, and his ears hanging wet along the sides of his skull. It wasn't funny. He might have died and now he had sand in his mouth, nose, and eyes. A small part of him wanted to curl up and sob. His eyes continued to water but thankfully he had an excuse for the tears. "Shut up, Daegan."
Daegan was crying too, but it was more or less from the ache in his ribs and his shortness of breath. No matter how many times he denied it, Baris had made an a** of himself. His mother had told him again and again never to turn his back on the sea. There was a small part of him that felt almost bad for the cub. He might have died had the wave been a sneaker and had it been strong enough to sweep him out...but he didn't die and now he just looked as silly as he'd been to turn away from the waters in the first place.
"I've never seen a lion backflip before." He managed to cackle between fits of laughter. "You're quite the athlete! Maybe you should be a mummer!"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 5:04 pm
 Percy was... a little more subdued in his amusement at his brother than their friend Daegan was.
... Okay, so it wasn't by much.
He sat there on the dry sand, a full-blown grin on his face. He snorted at Daegan's comment and shook his head at his brother.
"Nah, Daegan, maybe he's some sort of fail catfish and the sea keeps throwing him back," he replied.
Poor Baris couldn't catch a break from them, but it's what he got for doing something so foolish. Percy had enough sense not to walk into the water, at least not at their age. Play in the tidal pools, sure, but never the surf. If something had happened to Baris, Daegan and Percy would have been his only hope before the sea dragged him too far out to rescue, and even then the chances would have been slim. Hopefully their laughing would make him think twice about it.
But then, Percy wasn't thinking about that. He was still amused at how soggy his brother looked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 5:20 pm
"Oh don't you start in too." Baris snapped, his voice sharp but tight. The mane along his head slopped against the side of his face as he whirled on his sibling, his fur pitifully clinging to his small, thin frame. If he wasn't so badly rattled he might have clobbered Percy for his quip. In fact, he should have anyway. His eyes threatened to.
"I was trying to fish. Learn a useful skill. All you two care about is playing around all the time..." He brought a paw up to wipe at his eyes. "I'm gonna be hurting for hours!"
"Just wait till your mom hears. Then you won't be able to sit down either!" Daegan, ever the tactful one, brought himself into another roaring fit of laughter. Baris had walked right into that one though. It was too easy. The cub was so hot-headed half the time that he'd jump into anything without a second thought. Of course, following after he'd dwell and whine about it.
"I got two shells that she looses it. Two shells."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 5:55 pm
"No way, she's my mom, too, I know better than to take that bet," Percy replied with a shake of his head. He had half a mind to walk to his brother and give him a pat to help ease him out of his foul mood, but then Baris would probably just hit him for it.
"You should know better, the hunters will teach us to fish when we're strong enough to learn how." Oh, sure, he wanted to learn, too, but he was smart enough to know at least some of his limits. And the sea was something he didn't want to tangle with. In truth, he wasn't even sure he'd want to chance it so much as an adult.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 6:13 pm
"It's called ambition. Taking initiative! Our father's a great warrior somewhere in the rogue lands. We gotta try to live up to that, remember?" He reached up and began combing the mane back from his eyes. He looked like a right mess! A water-logged sea-kill. There was little wonder why the seagulls weren't already trying to peck him clean.
"Someone in here needs to be brave! The adults keep crying about losing their talking flowers."
Daegan snorted and rolled his eyes. "They're harmless. Like my mum. She can't remember my name half the time." He waved his hand. "I think the threat of going nuts is good enough to keep anyone out of here. If you see a dangerous stranger just start talking to your paws."
He winked over to Percy. "Or turn you back to the sea."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 6:31 pm
"It's called stupidity. Jump out of the nest too soon and you'll crash before you fly." Wait, maybe that was too subtle for his brother...
He shrugged at the mention of their wayward father. He didn't really think he needed to live up to anyone, at least not in those terms. He had his own ambitions of grandeur, and in his mind it had nothing to do with their warrior of a father. He was out in the roguelands doing who knew what. Percy wanted to be a great warrior so that he could protect his home.
But he was smart enough to know that you didn't start off doing the hardest stuff first. You needed to train your mind and body with easier things.
"If you wanna show initiative, try hunting in the tidal pools. I'll bet Mom'll like that," he added with a nod.
"Some of them are a little weird, but there are plenty of protectors if we needed them."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 6:41 pm
"At least I'm not afraid to take a leap now and then." He grumbled. Percival's subtle jibe rubbed him the wrong way but he couldn't waste his time chiding him. He knew full well that what he'd done was stupid but he'd done it anyway. It had seemed like a good idea at the time and the fish in the seawater seemed a little more lively than those that were in the tidepools. And besides...those pools were filled with stingy-flowers.
...and jellyfish.
He wrinkled up his nose and snorted out another cluster of sand.
"Hey it's no reason to cry..." Daegan rolled his eyes and leaned to one side as an over-sized paw began scratching behind one of his ears. "I'm with Percy. We gotta protect these guys here- and hey it's good fun. The things they say!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 6:55 pm
Percy looked unconvinced, but said nothing as he set about fixing his own mane with his lightning-marked paw. Of his siblings, he was the odd one out. His brothers and sister were all very white, while he was the color of sand. You could see their father in them, if you knew their mother. Baris had his blond mane and Percy shared the lightning-marked paw with Basil, but in the long run Percy was the one who looked most like the rogue.
He did worry about his brother, but if he was going to be stupid, then he deserved to get himself hurt. Percy could only do so much to stop it.
"Okay, Dae, we had a laugh, let's just let it go," he said when Daegan told Baris not to cry. It would just set his brother off again.
"You listen too much to them and it just might rub off on you," he added, sticking his tongue out at Daegan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 6:59 pm
Baris snorted and reached a paw out to shove at Daegan. The raven-haired ghost cub was faltered but managed to hold his ground. Baris had a good set of paws on him, he had to admit. "I'm NOT crying!" He whimpered, his voice wavering. It only earned another sly smirk out of Daegan and a shake of his head. "I just have sand in my eyes... I need to find some fresh water to rinse it out..."
He glanced over to Percy, his eyes red and swollen. "Lead the way? I can't see too well..."
Daegan snorted and flicked his tail. "Well thank you for asking for help rather than demanding it. Not that I don't know where the stream is. Just don't fall in that one too." He rose up off the sand and shook himself off. His rump was covered in sand and it wasn't exactly comfortable.
"Oh psh. Every word out of someone's mouth has a grain of truth in it!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:11 pm
Percy fixed his mane just the way he liked it. He was very particular about his appearance, after all, in case he ran into any pretty little lionesses. Didn't do him much more than frustration in his life, though, as it turned out most of them ended up being relatives in one way or another. The only thing that would ever get him into the roguelands would be to find just one lioness who wasn't related to him, to at least knew they existed!
He could hear the upset in his brother's voice but said nothing about it as he stood and moved to Baris' side, pressing their shoulders together.
"Sand sucks, come on," he said, his voice soft. He took a moment to look over his shoulder at Daegan.
"You coming too, sandy-butt?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:19 pm
Baris saved his own pride by choking down a sobbing word of thanks. Instead he jabbed a paw against his brother's shoulder. He was grateful for Percy but he was a cub of few sympathetic words. Their mother needed someone to be strong for her... without a male in her life, at least not a steady one, she needed some pillar of stability. As much as Baris wanted to be, it was more Percy that filled that particular role.
Daegan smirked and gave a shake of his head. "Nah, you two girls go have fun. I'm going to put my ear back to the ground and listen to what the crazies are going on about today. I'll need a bedtime story to put mum to sleep."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
