|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 1:47 pm
The swings creaked loudly as the new fall breeze pushed through them. Teagan crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the van. This place had seemed a lot... Cheerier, when he was younger. At any rate, it was peaceful, and there were plenty of places for him to practice. That was what he needed most, practice. He could run and lift weights fine at home and at the track, but since the gym had been put under renovations he hadn't had a chance to practice his bars.
Not to mention... No, he didn't need to be thinking about that.
Subconsciously, he rubbed his still bandaged wrist, deciding he was going to ignore the injury as best he could. The park was a bit deserted, only a few kids still ran around it, but most stuck to the newer, safer equipment. But for him, the old stuff was the key. It was higher, and metal, so he wouldn't have to worry about slipping off. It only took him a minute or so to grab his bag from the van and wrap up his hands, and then into the air he went. From the top of an old rings bar, the rings had since fallen off, he could see far enough around to tell him that when he swung down hard, his feet wouldn't scrape the ground. Perfect.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:01 pm
"C'mon! Go!" Cole wriggled in the bicycle seat attached onto the back of Raife's bike as the man pulled up in front of the park, tires bumping a bit as he settled the bike onto the grass. They both preferred this park as well. The quiet was nice and Raife didn't have to worry about Cole's behavior around other children. He had to put up with enough of that at home.
Resting the frame of the bike against his side, he unbuckled the catboy, who promptly sprang from the carrier and dashed out into the park before Raife could even get a handle on the situation.
"Cole, hey! Cole! Stay where I can see you!"
Fumbling with the clunky kids' discman strapped down to his waist as it threatened to pull his pants down with them -Cole hated to go anywhere without music blasting in his ears- he paused to shoot a glance back at Raife, as if to say, Are you kidding? I'm free now! Keep up if you can, old man!
Scampering onto an old jungle gym, one of those domed numbers, he settled on the top for a moment to give Teagan a quizzical glance. Wasn't he too OLD to play in the park? And what was he doing?
It didn't really look like fun.
But bothering him sure did.
Darting around behind the boy and his swinging legs, he waited for his opportunity to pounce.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:13 pm
Tea let himself drown down to hang from the bar, flexing the muscles in his upper arms as he pulled his chin up over a few times for good measure. Up to stretch, back down, and over. Without taking his legs so much as an inch apart, Teagan dropped his arms straight and used his hips to bring himself to a handstand on the bar. He would have seen Cole behind, but he was concentrating too hard on simply holding the position.
"Come on now, what if Tyy was watching? You wouldn't want her to see you fall like a wuss, would you?" he muttered, egging himself on. He held the handstand for a good ten seconds, arms fully flexed, before he finally let himself loosen up and go the rest of the way over. His wrist was on fire, it wasn't healed after all, but he ignored it. He was never going to improve if he couldn't handle a little pain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:18 pm
Once Teagan swang the rest of the way around the bar, Cole took his opportunity, pouncing onto the boy's legs, his needle like nails digging in as he scrambled up the boy's body, tail twitching in amusement. Scrambling a bit -he almost fell when he got to the small of Teagan's back- he managed to claw his way up to the older boy's shoulders, little legs tightening around Teagan's neck, little sneakers in his face, hands gripping Teagan's hair like a lifeline.
"GOTCHA!" Cole seemed unconcerned that whatever game of tag he'd decided to play, he hadn't let his prey in on it. What was the fun in that?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:31 pm
"What the-" Teagan screamed, dropping off the bar when he felt the first little claw go in. He hit the ground feet first, thank goodness for tail balance, and hunched down, looking around for what had stuck him. For a few moments, he look like a startled rabbit, unaware that his attacker was still on him. Until of course, he noticed the sneakers.
Looking down, he froze, trailing one hand up from the boy's feet to his face. A kid? He'd forgotten about the claw cuts, though they hurt like hell, and it only took him a second to grab the toddler off his back and over his head. Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed the grip on his hair. So as he yanked him down and forward, he also yanked out a good bit of it. "Shiiiit Ja-" He growled, keeping a tight hold on the little monster. Blinking a few times, he frowned, "Who the hell are you?" Definately wasn't Jack.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:42 pm
"Hay. Leggo." Fingers still curled around some of Tea's hair, he wriggled in the teen's grasp, kicking his little feet out. He wasn't supposed to get caught! He was the predator! "Down." He added firmly, glaring through slitted eyes.
He couldn't hear what Teagan was saying over the music coming through the headphones tucked over his ears but when the older boy frowned, he frowned right back, baring his teeth.
Finally, at this point, Raife had caught up to his young charge after chaining up his bike and looking for the little monster. Jogging up, looking bedraggled, he dragged a hand through his hair and tried his best sheepish grin.
"Ah..hey there! Sorry about that. That one's mine. Can't take him anywhere. Usually this place is pretty deserted. He knows better than to run off like that...but...well. He's never been a listener." Raife rubbed the back of his head, but didn't reach out to take Cole. He wasn't stupid. He didn't really feel like being kicked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:54 pm
Eager to put the little brat down, Tea only bent over a few inches before dropping him. He was tall for a teenager, so it was a bit of a drop, but he wasn't sympathetic. Forcing a smile, he turned his attention to the older man, "Great hide and seek player though I'll bet." Laughing at a bad situation, it worked. Glancing over his shoulder he noticed blood starting to seep through his shirt, and added cautiously, "Kind of hurt."
Not wanting it to turn into the same sort of awkward situation he had had with Eva's dad, he added, "My name's Teagan, and... I thrive on deserted playgrounds." Maybe a little weird, but he had never been particularly great with words and in his head it had sounded fine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:08 pm
"I cut and cut his nails and they still grow back. My legs are cov--COLE, nuh-uhn." Mid-sentence, as the boy was put back down, he'd crouched into pouncing position, re-aiming for his prey. Raife caught him mid-leap, holding him from his underarms, trying to avoid the toddler's little but deadly swinging appendages as he tugged the headphones back down off his ears. This was met with yowling opposition. He tried to smile.
"I like them myself. It's more practical to take him here, but I have to say, I like these old metal constructions better. Reminds me of when I was little too, I suppose." He held Cole out between them, keeping the boy out of kicking distance of both of them.
"Cole, apologize for scratching Mr. Teagan. He looks like a very nice young man and..." As Cole opened his mouth indignantly, Raife shook his head. "I doubt he started it." The little mouth shut on a sulk. "He has three brothers." Raife added as way of explanation. "We play the blame game alot at home. Cole. Apologize."
Baring his teeth to make clear he wasn't sorry at all for hunting Teagan, Cole gritted out the word.
"Sorreh."
Raife cleared his throat. "Sorry for what?"
Cole looked up in protest. He'd apologized, hadn't he?! He sniffed indignantly.
"SORREHFERGETTIN'CAUGHT!!!"
Raife groaned.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:28 pm
Teagan cracked a smile when the boy apologized for getting caught. He remembered doing the same thing everytime he crashed through a window when he was younger. It was never his fault, always someone or something elses. It was almost funny to him how the child seemed to refuse to give up on his hunt, like his little brother when he was hunting gophers. Though, he hoped he wasn'y seen on the same level as a gopher.
"So he's always like that, huh?" He asked, flicking his tail curiously, "Never calm?" True, he knew it was a little rude to be asking someone questions like that about their kid, but he was curious.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:41 pm
"When he's up, he's really up,' would be a good way to describe it, I guess. He used to be a night owl, but I had to wean him off of that. One too many nights of hearing skittering around the house in the dark and having to wake a cranky toddler in the mornings. It seems to come in bursts though. He'll nap a good deal of the afternoon when we get back home after this."
Raife set the little one down and crouched next to him. "I'm going to let you go, but no attacking Mr. Teagan again. And definitely no clawing. I catch you at it again, we'll go home, and you'll be grounded. Get it?"
Cole seemed to consider this for a moment, weighing the pros and cons in his head. "Kay." He gave a gallic shrug and tilted his head up at Teagan, eyeing the teen up and down. Sizing him up. "Betcha Ingo high'n you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:50 pm
Tea was startled at first by the brash challenge, weren't little kids supposed to look up to bigger ones, but he quickly cracked a smile. "Pick a place. Tree, building, bars?" He challenged, looking around for which of the surrounding things would give him an advantage. Well the kid obviously had claws, so he'd have a natural advantage in anything he could dig them into, but then Tea had his tail to grab thing, so that would balance it out...
Oh well, trying to use math on something like that hurt his head. He flashed a quick look to Cole's father, hoping he wasn't supposed to have turned the challenge down. But, on the upside, at least it would tire him out?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:03 pm
Cole tilted his head. Tree...building...bars... "TREE." He was already scampering off towards the biggest one in the lot, a large, treehouse ready monstrosity. He knew what he'd be best at doing. He wasn't intimidated in the least by the bigger boy. He'd just be heavier. The claws were out already, and he was kicking out of his shoes, little toes peeking through claw-shredded socks as he approached the base of the tree.
He didn't pause or take a moment to go about figuring how to get up. Attacking the tree with gusto, he inserted all four sets of claws into the tree, clinging like a burr before he even had a thought in his head.
Raife chuckled amusedly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Looks like he won't be satisfied until he manages to beat you some way or another."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:09 pm
Teagan was the competetive sort, and he didn't wait to hear what Raife had to say. Instead, he tore off after Cole, using his long legs to catch up quick. He took a running leap at the tree, dug his nails into the bark, and threw himself up a couple feet. "Come on kid, don't scramble, use your strength to your advantage," he advised, yanking himself up again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:18 pm
Cole blinked a little, owlishly. He was SHOCKED. Teagan was climbing the same way he was! He was used to his older brothers' messy, human way of climbing, complete with stumbling lack of balance. He certainly hadn't expected him to catch up already!
Gritting his teeth in concentration, he scampered up the tree, barely keeping up with Tea. He had the claw advantage, but other boy had size AND an agility he hadn't counted on. He pushed on further, until an idea snapped into his little brain with a stubborn focus. He'd climbed a dozen trees like this before. Up there, where it got really high, the branches were smaller. He grinned, toothy kitten teeth glinting.
"Imma WIN." He addressed Tae confidently, even though he was over a head in length behind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:25 pm
The branches were getting smaller, Tea knew, and he knew they couldn't hold him like the bigger ones could. He had to be faster, take more risks, and still try and be careful. To tell the truth, he wasn't really used to climbing this fast. He'd raced Eva before, but Eva was a lot slower than Cole seemed to be. "Wanna bet?" He prodded, grinning like an idiot. Even if he didn't win it was still fun, and it'd be a nice boost for the kid.
Pressing his ears down against his head, he paused for a second. It looked like he was taking a break, until he pulled his feet up closer to his hands and launched himself up into the air. Grab a branch lemur. He grabbed at one of the thickest branches, though it wasn't saying much at that height, and with a little fumbling, managed to hold onto it. Until it cracked of course. With a loud snapping noise, the lemur came tumbling back down to a foot or so below where he'd launched from, only managing to catch himself there with his tail. "Dammit..." So much for a time saver.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
