It wasn't often that Bobby actively searched out
@Artaax, especially without good reason. Their relationship had been rocky in the way that most
I-have-to-be-the-best sibling relationships were, but they were getting older now and he thought that it was time to turn over a new stone. If the two of them couldn't do that, then at the very least, they could sniff the stone. Maybe piss on it a few times. Acknowledge that the stone was there and that it needed to be handled.
If I were an Artaax
, Bobby whispered to himself as he strolled along,
where would I be?
Ironically, if Bobby were Artaax, he would've been sneaking along behind himself, waiting for his moment to attack.. himself.
He had done this a lot when they were younger. Bobby had always been good to practice his stealth skills on, mostly because he was generally pretty good-spirited about random surprise attacks. Way better than Blixen, at least... Since the whole drama with Wildfire and Blackfeather, Artaax had not spent too much time with his brother. While that didn't diminish their bond at all (in his eyes), it hadn't evolved either in the way that his and Blixen's had. And so, the hunter was convinced that Bobby would be just as happen to be mugged as he always had been.
Let's see if that holds up.
The boy sprang when the moment arrived, leaping free of the foliage and darting directly at his brother's backside with his sights set on placing a nice, hard nip on Bobby's rump and then running for it.
The attack was certainly a surprise! Bobby was sent rolling over onto his back with a snarl on his maw before he realized just who his assailant was. Almost immediately, he was back up onto all four paws chasing after the devilish white silhouette of his brother. I'm gonna get you!
he laughed, paws beating against the ground one after another.
Once Bobby was confident that he'd drawn in close enough, he lunged for Artaax's side in hopes of knocking him over for proper payback.
Artaax's attack was a success. He growled with glee as he spun and darted away without a scratch, very much feeling like the better sibling in that moment. In the next, though, he was making the poor decision to slow so that he could turn away for a second attack, only to be barrelled into and knocked to the ground by his intended victim.
The pale wolf landed on his shoulder and immediately tucked his chin down over his throat and tail up over his nethers. He scrambled, kicking with his legs to knock the other boy away and give himself a chance to regain his own footing.
Success, however short-lived, was always a good thing. Bobby was busy focusing on how successful he'd been on knocking Artaax over that he forgot to notice the kicks being used against him. One of the lucky ones managed to clip him just under his arm, unfortunately, and though Bobby wasn't seriously injured physically, his hurt ego sent him back a few steps, giving Artaax the prime opportunity to get away.
A hit landed. Artaax wasted no time taking advantage of the opening that was given. He rolled swiftly to all fours and darted away a few paces. His ears told him Bobby was not pursuing him yet, and so he slowed, his body language shifting from playful battle to casual to say that he was done with the fight - for now. He trotted in a semi-circle to bring himself back around to face his brother, setting his smirking gaze on the other boy.
"You apparently haven't been practicing at all while we were away," Artaax quipped at him as he came to a stop.
Had Artaax not ended the fight, Bobby was sure he could have continued on. Moments of spontaneous fun, such as the one they'd just had, seemed far and few between, but that was quickly changing. Artaax's playful quips were met with a gentle nip to the shoulder and a, No need. I'm the best.
In case he hadn't noticed, it was Artaax who had given way under Bobby; not the other way around. Even with that being the case, Bobby's expertise was a major exaggeration. Haven't you learned that yet?
Artaax's smirk flattened into a skeptical frown at his brother's comment. It was the sort of over-confident bragging he'd come to expect from his brother, but that didn't make it something he would just let fly. "No," he answered shortly, quirking a single brow, "You have yet to show me any evidence of your.. ah... superiority." The tip of his tail twitched as he gazed slyly at his brother, suspecting this might be responded to physically as well as verbally.
The energy between the two boys made a stark shift; Bobby's glare intensified as he licked his chops anxiously. There was little hesitation before he made his move, snapping in a much more calculated manner than before. Bobby was ready to turn their play into a spar, and with a move like that, he was sure Artaax would get the message.
Artaax's smirk deepened as he saw the glint of irritation in his brother's eyes. The other boy's demeanor shifted as he moved in for another round, this time with more intensity than before. The other boy tensed as well in response, but was given little time to ready himself fully before Bobby was throwing teeth in his face.
Artaax tucked his muzzle down as Eske had taught them so long ago, protecting his vulnerable throat from his brother's attack. He jumped back, then stepped to the right to circle his brother, lifting his tail and head high in a show of dominance. There was an amused gleam in his eye as he peeled his lips back and gave a low growl of encouragement to the dark boy. If Bobby thought he would back down because he'd kicked the game up a notch, he was mistaken - Artaax welcomed this.
By the end of it, it was hard to say who exactly the victor had been. Unless your Artaax - according to Artaax he is always the winner. But anyway, the spar eventually settled and the boys hobbled back home together, laughing and jesting amiably as though they hadn’t just beaten the crap out of each other for an hour.