|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:54 pm
The pack was... strange. Strange was the only word that qualified in Bahati's mind as he trekked down the well-used path, heading towards the spot that he had claimed for himself and the runt. It was strange, being surrounded by so many others. It was strange not plotting how he would take advantage of his new pack, strange that he hadn't sunken his teeth into anything but prey. And he could not decide if this was good or bad.
Yellow eyes glowered in distaste, mind wandering. When had he become like this? Surely, he did not mind killing when he first encountered Auni. And he really didn't have time to do much more than petty thieving for food since then. With opportunity all around him, he should be plotting how to benefit the most from stealing and bloodshed before trekking off. And leaving the runt behind.
Eyes fell on said runt and he nearly sighed. No, Auni had saved his life, despite that Bahati still had the warm blood from his parents fresh on his muzzle. He was not one for sentiment and debts but... it was just something he could not ignore. And for that, he had to stay around the brat until he could return the favor.
Plopping down on the grass, he stared at Auni. They had only been there a few days and, looking closely, the food they had received was starting to cover up his ribs. Food had definitely be scarce during their trek. "Aren't pups supposed to be rolling around in the grass like idiots?" he growled, dropping heavily onto his side so he can lounge lazily underneath the shade. "Made any bratty friends yet?" Idle conversation. It was not like he cared. His thoughts started to drift. He had hunted for the pack this morning. It was also strange not keeping everything he killed. His nose wrinkled in slight distaste.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 6:16 pm
 A pack. Never in his life had Auni thought that he would belong to a pack. It was more of a nightmare than a dream. No longer were the days of roaming or living in new lands. Stationary for life. It felt like he willingly tied himself up to a tree with a long rope. But what else were they to do? Food had been running scarce and there weren't any other packs for miles. This had to do. It didn't make him feel any less uncomfortable though. His pace slowed a step, looking up to Bahati. He expected him to leave, or to rage within the pack. The fact that he was cooperating and attempting to get along with others was surprising. Why? He had known the dog for long enough to know that going without a fight was a bit amiss. Was it the starvation or was it something else entirely? The older male looked his way and Auni quickly glanced towards the side. "What?" Uncomfortable didn't begin to explain the feeling that washed over him. He sat down next to him but continued to not look directly at him. His eyes fell on his neck. What used to be a gaping wound was now no longer noticeable. Fur was starting to cover the scar underneath. His gaze pulled away from his neck at the question, and Auni cocked his head to the side. Gingerly, he rolled over on the grass before sitting upright. "....Why should I be doing that?" It wasn't enjoyable nor was it distasteful. Boring, more like it. "Are all pups supposed to roll around?" That wasn't something that his parents ever taught him. Then again,they were usually too busy to do something mundane as "roll around in the grass". He had made very few friends when his mother and father were alive as well. Most of them were much older than he was. Auni didn't classify them as "friends". They were merely others that they helped out. As soon as the job was done, they moved onto the next area. He could barely recall the animals he met and quite frankly, the ones that he could remember he could count on one paw. Making "friends" didn't seem to be his cup of tea. The pup shrugged, recalling the events earlier today. He was asked to play but----It just didn't appeal to him. "Don't know how." Honest truth. It seemed like pups his age were an anomaly here. A numb feeling settled into his bones and he laid his head down. It was going to get lonely if Bahati left.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2017 7:44 pm
The brat was still not comfortable around him. And obvious. Bahati felt his hackles rise for a moment as the blue eyes drifted to his neck, to the very part that had been torn apart by the pup’s parents. Before they were killed. By him. The reminder cooled his temper and he grumpily looked away.
And saw the pup testing out his suggestion. He barked out a laugh, not a kind laugh but very rough and husky, obviously foreign from his throat. What an idiot. But then, all young ones were. Rolling his eyes, he looked towards the sky, watching the leaves lazily shift in the wind. ”Yes, all pups should be. You’re too serious for your age. Brats are supposed to be brats.” For a moment, Bahati eyed the pup before snorting. ”Not that you aren’t one, now that I think about it.”
He was feeling too content. Which left his heart in discontent. It was too wrong, to feel secure, to not have to steal or kill or constantly travel. His lips peeled for a second into a snarl in thought. He was going to get fat and lazy. He needed to go hunting again later that night, keep up with his physique for when he finally did leave again.
The words that the pup uttered had him blinking. He had naturally assumed the brat was sullen and serious due to the traumatic experience of his parents death and the obvious hatred for the one who killed them. But... had he always been too grown up for his age? Bright eyes narrowed. ”You don’t? Didn’t you have other pups your age back with... back where you were living?” Bahati asked in a near scoff. That couldn’t be true. The kid was exaggerating. He had to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:25 pm
An unbelievable laugh made Auni jump. Frowning, he tilted his head to the side to look at Bahati, a brow raised. "Why?" Puzzled, the pup moved closer to the adult to better study his expressions. "Are there any benefits to it?" His parents had never told him to roll around in the grass. He had only seen pups do it. Was it some sort of requirement to grow? Auni's stare hardened at the thought, a grim look on his maw. What a terrible way to speed up growth.
The pup tilted his head to the side as he pondered. Too serious. That was the first time he's been called that. He was usually praised for his attitude. In fact, he didn't really understand why or how he needed to be less than who he was.
Yet his mind was momentarily sidetracked at the next words that came out of Bahati's mouth. Auni opened his own to say something but closed it. Best to not to wonder about knowing if that was some sort of compliment or not. It wasn't like he would get a direct answer, nor was it important. It did put a genuine smile on his maw, however.
It didn't last for long. The pup sat down and shrugged. "Sometimes. We traveled." It wasn't like he had much interaction with them, when he did. And as the only offspring from his parents, he didn't get much interaction with others his age, especially with training at such a young age. He didn't blame his parents for that though. It was tough work; healing on the go and having to use the resources available to you. He was thankful for it now. It had surprisingly given him enough knowledge to save Bahati, even if his knowledge was flimsy and a handful of guesses about what to do.
"I don't need any." Finality rang true in his words. Emotions, he realized, made his job more difficult. It was best to not have silly attachments. Even if it was nice to have others around. It was best to keep his mother and father's dream alive. Friendships would only complicate that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 10:34 pm
Benefits? Were there any benefits to rolling around like an idiot. Definitely not. It was stupid and pointless. But, pups did it. And Auni was a pup. And should behave like one. "Yes," he lied in a gruff voice. "I don't know any specifics so don't ask me," he continued in a snap before adding on, "Do it yourself and see if there are any benefits." There. That should do it.
They traveled, huh? Bahati's yellow eyes glanced briefly over at Auni, studying him, before his gaze went to the sky. Then... did Auni truly have a home? A place? He frowned in his thoughts, wondering. And then scolded himself for entertaining such thoughts again. He would never learn. "You do need friends, brat," he replied gruffly, laying on his side and watching Auni lazily. "The world is too cruel and lonely for you to not have anyone." Anyone besides me, he had wanted to add. But he didn't deserve such an attachment. Auni needed to find better. But until he found better, Bahati had a responsibility to him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:00 pm
A frown further pulled on Auni's lips as his question was left unanswered. Of course, Bahati wouldn't know. It was a bad idea to get so hopeful that he would know. The pup wasn't even sure if Bahati was a pup once. Sure, he could gather that once born, that wild dogs grew. He was an example of that. But was Bahati....different? Auni's look became intense as he stared at the older dog, curious. He really wanted to ask but.....his open mouth shut. It was probably best not to ask if he wasn't born. If there was one thing that the pup didn't want to be seen as, it would be an idiot.
Sighing dejectedly, he plopped on the ground and began twisting and turning on his back, paws up. The pup shifted over towards Bahati once again. "How long do I do this for?" He should be able to know that much. If he was the one advocating the practice, then a question as simple as knowing the duration should be readily known.
Auni shifted uneasily to the side, deciding not to look at the older dog. His frown turned into a surly pout. "I've been able to survive without friends for this long. I'm pretty sure I don't need them." Bahati may have been his elder, but he sure wasn't his father. And..."You didn't have friends when we met." He gave him an accusatory, stubborn glare as he got up to shake himself off. There was no need for the connection. He was positive of that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 4:46 pm
He almost laughed. The pup looked ridiculous, rolling around like that. Smirking, he turned onto his stomach and placed his muzzle on his folded paws, watching Auni. "I don't know. I've never done it," he pointed out breezily.
What the pup said nearly had him biting his tongue. He was going to point out that if he wasn't messed up from killing his parents, Auni would probably not be alive. But that would be a lie. He couldn't kill a pup. Not yet. He wasn't the corrupted yet. "You haven't been alive very long," he pointed out instead, looking uneasily to the side. A scoff escaped Bahati when the pup pointed out his own lack of friends.
"Someone like me can't have friends, brat," he growled, eyes narrowing towards Auni. He didn't deserve friends. "You're not going to be like me. You're going to make friends."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 10:21 pm
In an instant, Auni stopped, paws hanging up in the air still. To an onlooker, it might look comical. Yet to Auni, it was one of the most humiliating things that had happened to him in his life.
The pup immediately rolled onto his stomach while giving the older male a petulant glower. How dare he lie to him. Bahati was not to be trusted ever again. That was the last time he would ever take his advice. "Very funny." There was no mirth in his voice. Not even a slight lilt. Giving the canine one last deadpan look; Auni turned to the side. The male didn't deserve even to be looked at.
That didn't mean he couldn't talk. Snorting, Auni gave the canine a curt shrug. "Long enough." Friendship simply didn't appeal to him in the slightest. His parents didn't have anyone to call friends either, of what he could tell. What did Bahati know?
The ornery one rolled his eyes heavenward. "You can't make me." He shook his head. As if he could ever be like him. He wasn't a killer. "I don't plan on being like you. I can't catch my own meat without it being injured beforehand." As tempting as it was to point out that he murdered his parents, even annoyed, he knew that it would be a touch too much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 10:34 pm
He couldn't stop it. The same hoarse, unused laugh escaped his throat again. It was too much, seeing Auni in that position. And now the pup was mad at him. He smirked. What a brat. No matter how grownup he tried to be, he was still a child.
"Not long enough at all," he replied easily. "Life gets harder the older you get," Bahati added on. <********, was the pup stubborn. Bahati growled in annoyance, put off by the constant refusal. What was wrong with the pup, refusing to make friends. "Look, I don't plan on babysitting you forever and you can't survive on your own. Get settled in this pack, brat," he snapped, anxious. He couldn't leave until he knew Auni was going to be alright. It was the least he could do. He needed the pup to survive in order to redeem what he'd done if only by a fraction.
But the brat was so stubborn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 12:27 am
Usually the laugh would shock Auni, or at least put a genuine smile on his face. Right now, all he felt was humiliation crawl up his skin at each hoarse bark of it. His ears fell flat against his head as he laid it low, ignoring the male. To make it worse, each word that fell out of the male's mouth was uncomfortable and wrong
After all, his life was long enough to see his parents die before they met their prime. He had to deal with near starvation and had saved someone's life. With all that he's been through, Auni thought that life could only get easier from here on out. Especially in a pack. "Maybe for you but not for me." he gritted out finally, stubbornly laying his head on his paws.
He was planning on ignoring him.
He was intending to ignore him. His eyes were closed. Auni was hoping by some slim stroke of luck that he could just sleep through Bahati's lecture.
Yet the male was going to leave him. Eyes are blue as the sky snapped open immediately, his tail instinctively curling in. There. Solid proof. He had known for so long but it was different to hear it aloud. Something alive and electrifying sank into his heart, making it hard to breath. "I refuse," it came out as a snap and much too loud for his liking. The world was too large right now. He needed to be alone. But there was no place to be alone.
Trying to reign in his anger, Auni let out a sigh. "Goodnight." It was far too curt. Yet, right now, the pup didn't care. Couldn't care. Sleep was most likely far off but feigning it was better than being in that conversation. Seeing him leave.
He prayed, hoped to any god and goddesses that sleep would come soon so he wouldn't have to deal with the pain.
But he knew that was far off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
