[PRP Jauhar] Danger Baby [Ezrah/Kel] FIN

[Fluffesu]

It didn't matter the hour of day or night, always Mahikel found himself outside. There were simply more things to do and see beyond the four walls of their home, regardless of how 'safe' his father or anyone else thought it was. The trees of Jauhar had been Kel's home for his entire life, so there was hardly anything to be afraid of and nothing that could surprise him. Besides, he didn't often go very far, and never alone.

Today, he scaled the lowest, thickest branches of the great tree that held his family's home, picking his way from the bottom up with the practiced ease and fearlessness of someone who knew little else. There were simpler, more traditional ways, yes, but there was something about crawling and clambering from limb to limb that really just made the mundane experience of 'going home' that much more exciting.

And there could never be anything wrong with exciting.

Beaming as he balanced barefooted on a branch that was directly outside of the room he shared with his brother, Kel crept forward. "Eeeezraaaah," he cooed softly, keeping mostly to the shadows the thick canopy leaves offered as he perched outside their window. He didn't dare actually peek through the opening to see if anyone was actually inside, less he find something that would force him back into the building, but if his brother were there, he would hear him, Kel was sure.

"Where aaaare youuuu?" He sang, pinching off a sprouting twig from a limb overhead and tossing it through the window. "If you wanna go out with me," as anyone would, Mahikel was sure of it. "You better be dressed and ready, cause I'm not waiting around."  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

Most generally Ezrah tried to keep up with his brother, but there were times when sheer force of will bent under the alluring siren's call that was sleep. More often than not the little pale bundle would run himself ragged chasing Mahikel until he was so tired he was snippish, and that was usually the time his mother scooped the boy under her arm, all but dragging him to bed.

"You don't have to push yourself so hard, Ez. You'll catch up."

But when?! Kel was so much faster and bolder than he was. His big brother wasn't scared of anything! And while logically, the separation between them boiled down to Ezrah's youth, in his mind it was because he wasn't trying hard enough. Even in his sleep he kicked and groused, often talking when his mind should have been shut down, but in that moment all was calm. Relatively, anyway. The boy's arm was slung over the side of his bed, one leg hidden by a blanket the other propped up against the neighboring wall. His toes flexed against the barrier, pressing until his face burrowed just a little further into the pillow-

Eeeeezraaaahhhh

The boy grumbled and shook his head, burrowing his pale face further into the fluffy goodness. His subconscious wasn't quite lucid enough to make sense of the noise, but he knew it wasn't good. Just a little longer....

"Where aaaare youuuu?"

The lyrical tune woke him up and Ezrah gathered his arms underneath him, pushing his torso up off the bed to look, blearily, towards the window. His hair, loose and wild, was pushed around him at all angles, much like the blankets that were still curled around his waist.

His first instinct was to panic and scream for his parents, but the words that followed helped clear his mind. It was Kel! "Oh, oh, oh, wait, hold on!" Ezrah swung his legs over the side of the bed in a hurry, and promptly fell to his knees. For a second he worried the sound might wake his parents, but...well, he couldn't wait around to find out! He gave a sharp inhale when the twig came flying in and turned a critical eye to the window. "Stoooop. Don't wake them up," Ezrah hissed.

The boy quickly disentangled himself and reached for a pair of discarded shorts on the floor - whether they were his or Kel's, he didn't care. He shimmied into them as fast as a flash, hastily ran his fingers through his hair and, using his bed as a stool, climbed onto the window sill.

At first he couldn't see his brother. Where as Ezrah was a light as the moon itself, Mahikel blended in well with the darkness. Still, there were tell tale signs that he, out of all people, could notice. Subtle movements, little twitches, a breath; things that Ezrah had always been proud to point out.

So, after a brief moment of looking, he spotted Kel in the branches above. "Where are we going?"  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

Mahikel relaxed slightly at the sound of his brother's voice flitting through the window toward him. As a six-year-old boy, it was difficult to explain the 'why' of the instantly at-ease feeling that came with having his sibling near and knowing that he was so, but neither did the reasoning especially matter. All that mattered was that he was content, and the day's adventures would be more pleasing if he had company. The scuttles of movement from inside the house followed.

He crouched down on his branch, angling himself so that he could peer at least a bit through the sliver of window available to him. "No one's gonna wake up," he scoffed with a roll of his eyes and an upward quirk of his lips. Branches and leaves and other various forest droppings fell from the highest canopy all the time. Never mind the other creaks and groans and subtle shifts that their home made just due to the ample amount of growth and life all around it. There were so many things in Jauhar, his wonderful beautiful home and country.

His father disagreed, of course, and was frightened of all the various things hidden in the jungle, including the creaks and groans Kel himself was so fond of.

But that was neither here nor there, and fear didn't limit the amount of space Mahikel had to scamper about in with his little brother. When Ezrah's face appeared through the window, Kel beamed. "Is that important?" He prompted in a low hum.

After another moment, he slipped from his branch, dropping down nearer to Ezrah and settling himself lightly at the edge of the windowsill. "I figure we can go through the town and see who's about... If there's nothing to interesting going on, maybe we can grab a snack and go down to the forest floor and sit by the river and throw rocks, or something." He rolled his shoulders. "If you're too sleepy or don't wanna leave without telling someone, you don't have to go..."

"But if you do, dunno why you gotta ask so many questions for. Just trust me."  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

There was certainly a charm surrounding a boy who feared his parents finding him more than he did falling out of trees that climbed the skies. Ezrah thought little of sitting up on that ledge, legs stretched out in front of him while his little fingers dug through his hair. He wound the long, hoary tresses into a sloppy ponytail; one that he was happy enough with, but that his mother would find fault with.

Mama slept like the dead so Kel was probably right. Nothing short of screaming in her ear could wake her up when she was truly out of it, as Adenah had proved time and time again. It was how his sister got out so much, but if they were caught coming back....or if Papa got them....Still, the lure of being free in the jungle with his brother was too strong; Ezrah couldn't resist if Kel was involved.

"Nope." He would have followed his brother to the edge of the world if he'd asked him too. Ezrah leaned back into the room, fumbling around with his hands for a minute before finding his savings and sitting back up. It wasn't much; a handful of coins, really, but it was more than enough to buy snacks for two boys. He secured the satchel to the waistband of his shorts and gave it a good swat, just to make sure. Last time he'd went on an adventure he lost all of his snacks, and Ezrah wouldn't suffer that pain again!

"You gotta ask questions, though; mama said so. It's smart." He sat up a little straighter, puffing his pale chest up in the filtered moonlight. In all honesty, he didn't do it near enough to constitute using the word 'smart' but at least Ezrah tried.

Taking the initiative for once, Ezrah slipped off the window sill, and onto a lower branch. While he may not have been as adept as his brother, the lad was just as confident and for his youth he was pretty agile. When he was in a good spot, he turned his chin up, waiting for the elder boy to join him.
 

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

"Mmm..." Kel tipped his head, clucked his tongue, and considered his younger brother's assertions. He didn't have anything against 'asking questions,' and he did consider himself to be rather smart for a little boy, but sometimes some things were better suited to being found out under his own power. A lot of words that came from some people's mouths were inaccurate. He didn't want to waste his time and breath on people like that. "No," he decided at last, as he slid down onto a lower branch at Ezrah's side. "You should only ask questions if you know the answer you get will be good and right. There's no point asking if you get an answer that's bad."

He flashed Ezrah a grin, a crescent of white teeth amidst an expanse of dark skin, hair, and clothes. "So I guess you can ask me anything and everything you want." He wasn't sure he trusted most people as far as he could throw them, but Mahikel did know he wanted his little brother to trust him. It was only fair and suitable that he offered the same.

After letting Ezrah move ahead again (since it seemed like it could only be a good idea to have the younger boy in his sight rather than out of view behind him for whatever good it did), Kel followed.

"So." He landed at his brother's side, then made a great show of spending several seconds glances toward the canopy and scuffing the heel of his foot against the bark of the branch they stood, before turning his gaze to Ezrah. "I went out- out," he iterated pointedly. "Into the jungle the other day..." Usually, Mahikel felt comfortable and confident enough with his explorations to confide his activities in Ezrah almost immediately.

But this one was embarrassing, through no fault of his own, and he didn't want to seem inept at anything to his little brother... He also couldn't just say nothing.

The struggle.  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

"Oh," Ezrah murmured. There's no point asking if you get an answer that's bad. That did something like pretty smart advice, but it wasn't what his momma had said. Did Kel learn it from papa? The little hybrid quirked his lips, mirroring the indecisive nature of his mind before he finally pushed it aside. If his brother said this was the way then it must be; Kel did a lot of things he shouldn't but he never did wrong by Ezrah. So, why would he start now?

His little legs made steady pace through Jauhar's thick flora. Ezrah was neither fast nor was he particularly slow; just sure of himself, and always in need of a careful eye. He liked being up high, but the boy was clumsy at times. One too many near miss tumbles had taught him to slow down a little, and maybe, just maybe, double check his steps. It was in one of these such moments that Kel decided to land next to him, causing Ezrah to nearly lose his footing once more.

But he didn't fall! Oh no! He may have puffed up real big, but his cheeks were warm and flushed a dusky blue. Nope, didn't happen, not at all. At his brother's admission Ezrah's eyes widened, and was instantly upset, "You went without me? Again?" Little as he may have been, his pout was a mighty force and one that was being fully directed on Kel. It wouldn't be as bad if this were the first time Kel had gone off without him, but it wasn't, and Ezrah didn't think it would be the last, either. .  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

He might have expected as much. Almost as soon as the admission had fully left Kel's lips, Ezrah turned those accusatory golden orbs on him, and Mahikel had to avert his gaze due to something that felt suspiciously like shame. It was never his intention to upset his younger brother, but he had to go alone sometimes when he went out-out. His papa may be wrong and cowardly more often than not, but he was right in that Kel didn't want it to be his fault if Ezrah were injured. Or worse.

This expedition in particular had been especially dangerous, and it happened that it hadn't gone precisely as Mahikel had intended. So if his brother had come along... Well, it really might have ended up worse. He'd been shot at after all, and if there'd been two of them, they would've made a more hittable target, never mind the warbleroot thorns and his unintentional proximity to them. 'Unintentional' summed up most of the excursion, really.

Besides, it had ended up more humiliating than he'd been prepared for, so even if the danger wasn't present, he was pleased Ezrah hadn't come. His baby brother didn't need to seem him fail at anything. And it wasn't the first time he'd been left behind, so it shouldn't even be that surprising.

Mahikel almost said as much before he managed to catch himself.

"Well, it wouldn't make sense for you- I mean, yes, I suppose I did... But that's not what I was getting at. I got something for you. I wanted to give it to you sooner, but the whole thing is... It's kind of a story- an embarrassing one, and I wasn't sure I wanted to tell you, so I just... Planted the thing I got you so it wouldn't die right away, and I could hide it better..."

It was embarrassing. The more he thought on it, the more Mahikel's ears heated with sting of humiliation. He'd taken the flower the weird Ice man had plucked for him, and planted it near the riverbed. It wouldn't last there indefinitely, but warm flowing water would keep it looking perky longer than being stuffed in Kel's drawer and hidden away would... He had wanted it for Ezrah from the start, though, so it only seemed fitting to at least show him.  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

If Ezrah could have burned through his brother's brain with his glare alone he would have! He hated this, and in showed in the pouty way he walked. It didn't matter what papa said or what he thought was 'right'; all that mattered was that, as brothers, they were supposed to stick together. The girls spent a lot of time together, so why did Kel think he should go out on his own so much? Ezrah certainly thought they had more fun together, or at least, it was a lot better for him when Kel was there.

His parents were nice, his sisters were good, but none of them understood what it was like to be a kid in Jauhar like his brother.

"You're such a jerk, Kel." Ezrah's little, pre-pubscent grouse carried around him, and even though he didn't raise his voice, it was plain enough to hear. He reached above him, grasping at a low hanging branch before pulling himself up and onto the next level. His current 'path' had ended; forcing him to either pick a lower branch, one that was out of his comfort zone to jump, or a taller one that would carry them further.

To little Ezrah the choice was clear; he was still too young, too fearful of falling, to chance that kind of leap.

"What kind of story is it? And what did'ja get me?" For a minute the boy was crouched, craning his neck to look at Kel. "If it's a bad story you deserved it; that's what you get for leaving me behind." Curiosity at him; what had his brother gotten into that was embarrassing? It was almost enough to stop him from being upset at Kel - although, honestly, he wasn't to begin with. Irritated, maybe, but he couldn't stay mad for long. Ezrah was a trusting sort that way; he simply didn't have a vindictive or cross bone in his little body.
 

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

"I. Am. Not," Mahikel retorted indignantly, flippantly waving off his brother's remark with a toss of his head. If he was a jerk, there wouldn't have been any need to say anything at all, but perhaps more importantly, "Jerks don't bring their baby brothers presents." Yeah, yeah, he knew Ezrah was upset now, and if Kel was being perfectly honest, he did understand why. If their roles were reversed, he wouldn't have wanted to be the one left out of anything himself, and he expected that Ezrah maybe didn't appreciate the idea of his older brother left to his own devices alone in the jungle, either...

But the deed was already done, and he couldn't promise it wouldn't happen again. The younger boy was mad now, shooting him those glares and pouts, but he would get over it and be ready for the next adventure soon, Mahikel was sure.

Kel clucked his tongue, trailing behind and lower among the branches than Ezrah as he considered his words. "Not a bad story," he decided after a moment. "And I only brought you a little something." He began the tale, launching first into the motives that had spurred him to travel alone. It had been for Ezrah, after all, his little brother in mind the entire time, specifically to retrieve him this particular flower that he might like. Then the plan because as a Jauhar native, he knew how to handle warbleroot and its toxins.

Explaining this part was no problem. It was the... falling action that made heat climb for his cheeks, even now.

"So I made it down the rope, then... Well, I didn't fall, but there were these two- er, hunters I guess they were, and they thought I was a bug, so they shot at me, and hit my rope of all things, so- Well, I guess I did fall, but it wasn't because it was my fault, or anything." If he thought back on it now, it actually was quite lucky that they hadn't hit him, and instead made a target out of something so much thinner. Still irksome, but he was alive and uninjured, so that was nice.

This wasn't even the worst of it, though. "I hit the ground in the middle of the roots, then calmly explained the situation, and- And..." He puffed up his cheeks because 'wearing shoes' did seem like the simplest of solutions, and one he probably should have thought of when he knew what he was going out for. "Well... One of the guys had to come in and pick me up and carry me out because... Well, you know."  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

"Yes. You. Are." Ezrah tossed back, just as sassy in tone, though much less dedicated in long term goals. "If you have a present then where is it? You said you planted it, but if I'm leading then you probably don't even remember where it is."

The boy was torn. He wanted to argue that if he'd been there then maybe he could have held the rope for his brother so at the very least he wouldn't have fallen into the warbleroot mess. That being said, he wouldn't have been able to stop Kel from being shot at, nor would Ezrah have been much help if he'd been aimed at instead....

"....so it's my fault you were there, right?" His voice was smaller this time, and when he stopped, crouching just enough to look down once more there was a fine sheen of moisture on his eyes. Kel had put himself in danger for him. That had to have been so scary! What if he hadn't come home? He could have been poisoned, taken by that stranger or left for de-

Ezrah gave himself a mental shake. No, he couldn't think about it!

"You're lucky he was there. You're brave but you're stupid, Kel. I don't want some stupid flower if that means I have to trade you for it."
 

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

If it were anyone else speaking to him as though he was stupid enough to just forget where he left things, Mahikel didn't expect he would take it too well. But it wasn't 'anyone.' It was Ezrah, and somehow his little brother acting like a little turd was more amusing than it was offensive. He clucked his tongue. "I have told you where we were going," Kel pointed out. "And you know the way just as well as I do, so if you want to lead, I've no reason to stop you." And if Ezrah wanted to go elsewhere, that was fine too. In the grand scheme of things, Mahikel wasn't particularly bothered by his younger sibling's whims.

"But I wouldn't say... Hm, no, I don't suppose anything that happened was your fault-" Ezrah had stopped. Kel stilled on his branch, blinking back at the younger boy in moderate confusion because why...? Except the 'why' of it didn't matter.

For whatever reason, Ezrah was offended beyond just because he was left behind. Mahikel bounded closer and landed at his side before dipping into a crouch that mirrored Ezrah's. "How could it be?" He asked by way of explanation. "I didn't tell you where I was going, so you didn't know anything about it. You didn't ask for anything from me, so... I guess everything that happened was my fault, if anyone's." Though he's gone with a plan that would've worked out just fine if a certain stranger hadn't been there.

Mention that the man was good luck was enough to sour Kel's expression entirely. "There wouldn't have been trouble at all, if he hadn't shot at me, so seems more like bad luck than anything else. I knew what I was doing, and it would've been fine, so... Don't worry too much about it. I'll always be here for you, and I'll always want to bring you presents."

There was, of course, a more selfish element to it, as well. Kel did enjoy his forest explorations, and he didn't expect that would stop even if there weren't trinkets to bring home to his brother. But Ezrah didn't need to hear about that right now.  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

[6/10]

"I don't want to lead, you didn't give me a choice," Ezrah groused. With his brother crouched so close to him there was no way to hide the misting in his eyes, and it was mildly mortifying to him. He gave them a quick swipe. I'll always be around for you. "You better be. You can't leave me with Ani and Ade; I won't make it." He smiled a bit and reached out to pinch Kel before dropping down to a lower branch.

The closer they got to town the more shifts he had to make. In order to get their from their window Ezrah knew he needed to make a few right turns, and as easy as it would have been from the sky bridges they were a little trickier from the bare branches. He had to toss in a few jumps, none of which were made lightly, and each were about as heart pounding as the last. Not that he showed how much it spooked him; nope, not in front of Kel, no way. They were getting closer now, which was good. Ezrah could hear the sounds of mingling souls from here, and though there weren't as much as there might have been, the noise was still healthy enough to promise some sort of adventure. It was enough of a spark to keep him going.

Of course, 'town' in the shifter sense consisted of a colony of buildings scattered throughout the branches. The lower structures were constructed solely by the outsiders who'd managed to drift into Jauhar, but the vast majority of builders were wise enough not to place anything permanent on the moist, jungle floor. Ezrah stopped his exploration when his bare feet touched down on one of the plethora of rope bridges that lined the area, and if any of the shifters noticed, they didn't comment. Most were all too used to their kind dropping down from the trees that the shifting bridge meant little to them.

"I think I can hear some kids, but I don't know if it's anyone we know." Kid sounds were tricky like that; he could hear a cacophony of noise further on, but all the squeaky, excited noises blended in with every other in his memory.  

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

Well, now Ezrah was just being contrary for the sake of being difficult. 'I don't want to lead,' he said as though Mahikel had blatantly refused to go anywhere unless his younger brother took charge of the situation. Silliness, really. Kel knew where they were going and had been the one to suggest they go anywhere at all, so it didn't feel like he ought to be blamed for Ezrah darting ahead of his own accord while Kel mistook his rush for enthusiasm rather than the burden the younger boy made it out to be.

But his brother was clearly distraught, if the watering of his eyes and subsequent scrubbing at his face was anything to go by, so Mahikel decided not to argue. Instead he could only sigh and shake his head as the corner of his lips quirked up in good humor.

For the rest of the trek, Kel match his pace to his little brother's, close enough so that he was neither leading nor being led, though not necessarily following the same path of leaps as Ezrah. Mahikel wasn't daunted by much. He only had a couple years on his brother, but for those few years that he'd spent essentially alone (since he was much too much younger in age to keep up with his sisters in their escapades and he'd never really been positive that he wanted to, besides), Kel had built a confidence that was well beyond rational for someone of his youth. He wasn't afraid of falling or being lost or slipping because for all the stories his parents had told, nothing had ever happened to him.

And so it wouldn't.

He was comfortable leaping between branches and conversing with strangers and facing any demon that stood in his path because why shouldn't he be? He swung from a branch to land with a decisive thud atop one of the rope bridges of their village. His feelings toward people were a bit more complicated than his feelings toward the jungle. They could be sources of interest, and he did think he liked them some days, but they were also... peculiar, and he didn't really need to bother with them while Ezrah was about.

Kel craned his neck and squinted his eyes as if that might help him peer into the square ahead. "We can check it out while we're looking for good snacks to get. C'mon." He gave a roll of his shoulder to encourage his little brother to follow him as Kel sought out some of his favorite vendors.

He didn't know much of what he was in the mood for... Fruit or nuts, maybe? Not meat, he decided, as soon as the thought crossed his mind. Too greasy. "What are you up for, Ez?"  

[Painted Moose]

Fluffesu

Subconsciously Ezrah reached for his brother's hand the moment his elder brother was within range. It was natural instinct at this point, and didn't require much thought; just a bit of physical assurance that he wasn't alone, that he had a partner in this, and that, no matter what, he'd have Kel for the rest of his life.

Ezrah's confidence was steadily creeping upwards as time progressed, but the boy was still too soft to face a lot of things on his own. He much preferred little moments like this, where time seemed to slow down and it was just the two of them. There was no fear of others judging him, or calling him out on things; just the back and forth he openly shared with Kel and then, a peacefully chill day.

He loved it here. The jungle was a beautiful place to go and hang about, but Ezrah was a socially extroverted boy. He may not know all the names of the people in his village, but that didn't stop him from waving to them all the same, smiling as stupidly as one could. His sister Adenah had more than once claimed that all of the smarts his parents had to offer was sucked up by the others and that's why he was a little...off. Ezrah didn't mind though; if he was stupid then at least he wasn't cranky, like she was.

Thinking on it now, he realized that as much as he'd like to see his friends, he also really kind of didn't. Kel likely wouldn't find it that fun, and there was that present.... "Maybe we can just get some jui jui bread and go to the river? That's where the present is, right?" The bread was light enough, with just enough jui jui nuts tossed in to give it a little bit of a kick.
 

[Fluffesu]

Painted Moose

Mahikel hadn't made it but a handful of steps toward the vendors before his little brother was at his side, fingers lacing into his own and holding there. He'd seen how some of the youngsters in their village interacted with their siblings, and had witnessed first hand how some big brothers could be quite unnecessarily callous. To be frank, Kel didn't really understand the merits of that. Ezrah had never done anything to deserve such treatment, and Kel expected those other kids' little brothers and sisters hadn't either. It was just needlessly upsetting to be anything but encouraging to his family, and it felt intrinsically as though being any kind of support was just one of the roles he was born to do.

Kel loved his baby brother, and if it was in his capacity to provide confidence and reassurance and acceptance, why shouldn't he? So he gave Ezrah's fingers a comfortable squeeze, and swung their joined arms out in front of them, then back. "Right," he agreed with a short bob of a nod. "I hope it's still there, I hope you like it, and I hope it's not dead..."

There were, actually, a lot of reasons that one sad, lonely little flower might not be where he'd left it, anymore... But whether it was or not probably didn't diminish the fun of the activities they could do today.

So Kel led the way to the little stall with the plump man who sold the bread. Their village wasn't the largest to begin with, and neither were Ezrah and Kel the most inconspicuous of children. There were some the brothers weren't on the best of terms with, but the bread man was portly and bubbly, with a kind enough spirit that he didn't feel the need to take too much coin from a couple of children.

With snacks in hand, Mahikel grinned and popped a nut into his mouth. "Alright! Let's get going, then!"