As the wind blew ever so steadily across his pale back the boy's thoughts began to drift. He was a child by all accounts too young to truly be on his own, but he had followed his family here. His mother had guided him along side of his half sisters and his father had encouraged him on the journey. He was half the age that the usually Skylark Meadow boys set out to carve a name for themselves, but the shadows of his brothers grew heavy around him. Oak Maniitok knew, without a question of a doubt, that he would grow to be a muscular fierce looking male with a tank for a mother and a heavy weight fight for a father he knew he'd gain considerable bulk. For the time being his bark colored fur was shaggy and long on his awkward frame. The time would come for him to grow, but it was the anticipation that was driving him mad.
Oak Maniitok simply wanted more from life than to just live in the dark. His body littered with the light silvers of his mother he found himself forgetting the brightness of the work. How could he see the Sun through the canopy of the trees of his ancestors? It was impossible, he had to find a way out of the forest, he had to claw his way to a new path he had to stand out from beneath the suffocating layers of greatness. The blood in his veins had served great alphas, warriors, gurus, and genius and yet here he was fumbling like the boy he was failing to harness any of the power that trickled through him. The power throbbed just behind his bright blue eyes a constant reminder of what he could be.
Could be.
What a cruel phrase.
Could have been.
He shuddered as he approached the shore of the swiftly moving creek. He knew well from his time in Echo Cove of the dangers of creeks. The murky water before him whispered of his deadly power. Would he follow suit? Would he be the swift current patiently waiting to drag it's victims to their death? Was the greatness of Sos and of the water meant for him? He curled his nose at the thought. The water was woman's work the gentle look of the water was Atka and the undertow Sos. The Earth over whelmed by the great in-between path, the path of Sage. He would not be swayed from his path of Earth he would not be swayed by such unity and such indecisiveness. He approached the water with caution lapping up what he dared take from the creek who gave false impressions.
Atropos sometimes could not fathom the weights and worries that bothered her siblings. She was the daughter of Aktaie and Nanuq (albeit Sitka had a hand in it all) and she had her 'father' Oak, and all was well in her world. They had taken off on the adventure of a life time — an adventure ordained by the Gods! It could not get more amazing.
Mani often seemed worn down by some idea that he wasn't as good as his brothers (or something silly that, she didn't know, or necessarily truly care because feelings were for ~girls~). That idea was stupid to her, because Atropos knew without a doubt that she was awesome. And Naga was awesome because she was Atropos's favorite sister. And while Mani might have been her brother from another mother, he was a pretty cool dude. Still riding on the high from her trip, Atropos gleefully carried the rabbit she had surprised and managed to kill, dangling from her jaws as she pranced.
Adventure and fun often trumped what most would call 'logic' or 'survival instincts' for Atropos. Why be safe when you could have fun?! She didn't know, and so when she spotted Mani drinking from a creek that had taken many lives (though in her defense, she was oblivious to its dangers) she took it upon her self to drop the rabbit and issue a terribly loud howl from her lips — hoping to scare him.