Bramblepoint hollywood forever cemetery sings

@Rian

 
Rannoch was slowly learning how to navigate the ways of the tangle of bramble best. Through trial and error the burly man had found a path that best accomodated his large form, finding more failures then success in doing this. Even with the newer members of their ranks lurking, and Rannoch watching the ways in which they navigated, he just didn't seem to get a handle of it like they did. 

It was on this particulary sunny afternoon that Rannoch was being held captive by a wayward branch, it's talons reaching deeply into his plush pelt. With his eyes towards the limb, and a frown firmly placed upon his dark lips, the former prince tugged roughly in an attempt  to free himself. His ears flattened against his skull as a final jerk set him free and he stumbled sideways as he attempted to re-gain his holding. Once stable, he picked himself up again accordinly and continued along on his path, seeking nothing in particular, yet, hoping for the company of another.

Rian, too, was struggling with their current choice of residence. He and Rannoch both were burly wolves, though his cousin had the height he lacked, and, similarly, his thickset build did not give him the breathing room to slip through the brambles like Cypress or Rose's did. He avoided the tighter tangles, and often went the long way around if it was avoidable. His collection of superficial scratches and scrapes was growing by the day, especially on his nose and limbs. But he was too preoccupied by their current situation to give them much care.

He lashed his tongue uselessly across the irritated skin as he lay in a rare clearing, mulling over the happenings of the past week. First was the poor injured girl—then Rose, the prodigial medic and finally Tryp, the awkward runaway. He didn't like the implications of their continued presence, and had a mind to run them all off. Rian couldn't find a single fault with any of them that ticked him off. In fact, he even felt rather sympathetic towards them when the night waned and sleep eluded him. Especially poor Keoni. But the feeling could not overpower his fears of attracting unwanted attention.

Suddenly, the rustle of undergrowth caught his attention and drew his focus outward to his immediate surroundings. Between the vines and trees he caught sight of a familiar grayscale bulk: Rannoch. His ears flattened against his ruff and he thought about ignoring his cousin just to be petulant, but a queer sense of duty urged him to rise and pursue his cousin. As he approached, his tongue swiped over the fresh scrape on his nose and his eyes fixated somewhere on Rannoch's own muzzle. "Hey," he chuffed.

Rian slipped from the woodwork, making his way towards Rannoch from the tangle that had hidden him. It had been quite some time since the pair had gotten the chance to converse without the influence of others, and Rannoch was pleased that this opportunity had found him. In their earliest reaches of childhood, the two had never actually really bonded as Rian and Cypress had, and Rannoch wanted to remedy this. He wanted to know his relative more, learn about them, and this encounter seemed opportune. Also, there were concerns over the growing numbers that he wanted to speak about.

Blinking fondly while wagging his lifted tail, the man responded simply: "Rian, hey." Rannoch brought his head back slightly, as instinct dictated. "How have you been?" He asked vaguely, wishing to get their conversation underway.

Rannoch, as kind and noble as ever, turned to greet him with a friendly wave of his tail and Rian's heart ached from the intrusive thoughts he'd had of late. There was no real reason why he felt the occasional wave of distrust and malcontent. If anyone was prepared for their venture, it was Rannoch himself. But the O'Malley boy couldn't help but feel slightly taken advantage of now that a few of their new friends showed no indication of going home anytime soon. Above all, he was frustrated with the lack of structure and how Rannoch seemed to stride through the day with passive dominance painted plainly on his frame. He was the eldest of the bunch and felt almost... responsible for them all. It was stupid, and he hated his mind for betraying him like this. 

So he shook his head and licked at the scrape again, "Hey Rannoch, uh, fine." He replied awkwardly. The hormonal instinct to eck out his place in the pecking order was slowly driving him insane, especially with his brother in such close proximity with his head elevated about his own. Troubled didn't even come close to defining him right now. He kept his eyes locked on the place between Rannoch's eyes as he continued, "So this," he blurted, "what are we even doing?"

Rian preamble started off shakily, as if his sibling were disclosing something from him. Intrigued, Rannoch pushed his ears forward as a heavy line fell to lay above his eyes. Something about the direction of this conversation was not setting well with the younger of the two and as a reaction, Rannoch picked himself to what he felt was accordinly. 

What came next was akin to a slap in the face for Rannoch and he recoiled by blinking rapidly, as if recovering from a blow. "We are doing what we set out to do," he defended slowly, as if convincing himself that this what they were doing. Sure, the wayward youths could have been considered a pack, yet, there was something lacking to their structure-- Rannoch knew this much. "But, theres something off about this place," he worked out, his eyes trained to similaruly shaded ones the stared right back. He shook himself, attempting to remove the feelings that plagued him, the ones which told him something about Rian was not right. The feeling nagged him immensily and Rannoch knew that if Rian did not change his attitude, then he would have to do it something sooner then later.

"I want to lead us out of the woods, find somewhere that isn't so... cramped." Rannoch disclosed finally, his confidence peaking in their conversation. Falling silent, Rannoch waited for his brother's remarks, not entirely sure what reaction would come of this.

Rian didn't relent. "But why is it happening so soon? We hardly have our foot out the borders and suddenly there's a group and we're a thing." He stated flatly as his confidence gained strength from both his anger, and his anxiety. They were one in the same thing; he wasn't truly angry at the others, nor was he really upset with Rannoch. Everything was happening too fast. Now he was seeing unfamiliar faces among the familiar and he'd hardly had a say in any of it. The argent prince was taking, and taking, and taking—the O'Malley boy was utterly insulted by all of it but, again, he couldn't place why.

The queer feeling of injustice was lending itself to misplaced resentment. He wanted to be the rock. If Rannoch wanted to be their shepherd, fine, but Rian was done being a doormat. He was the elder, and he'd been the one to plant the idea in Cypress' mind. By all rights, this was his to own. 

"You want to lead us? What happened to being a team and making decisions together?" He couldn't fight the growl that punctuated his statement. His ears shot forward to peak atop his skull and he shifted his eyes to stare directly into Rannoch's own turquoise depths. "Ever since we picked up those other kids, you've been actin' like you're some big shot. I've kept my mouth shut so far because I didn't know what your play was. But now I get it." He let the sentence trail off, the resentment clear in his tone. You just wanted to be the big bad alpha.

"And why shouldn't we be a thing?" Rannoch retaliated quickly, feeling the wrath of Rian's anger and somehow managing to keep himself level headed despite the fact that he feels blind sighted by this sudden tirade. The turquoise-eyed man cannot comprehend just why Rian had kept this silent for so long, especially if it was driving him to his current height of frustration. "Strength comes in numbers, Rian. Surviving on your own with little resources? It sucks. But now we have good wolves here who are more than willing to contribute. What's so wrong with that?" Rannoch was slowly coming to the realization of what all of this was about and, to be frank, he didn't like it one bit.

Rannoch felt a fire ignite in his breast at his cousin's next words and the sound of the growl, Rannoch's lips slid to reveal his teeth as a grinding noise began to form in the depths of his throat. Though the intellectual side of Rannoch pleads to ask Rian where all of this is coming from, the instinctive aspect of the Frostfur, the side of his psyche which had been driving him ever since the trio had set off. In hiw own need to find order amongst the wolves, Rannoch had taken it upon himself to lead. But, apparently, such motives were not well recieved. Finding his own frustration in this, as Rian's attitude was infectious, the silver Frostfur felt his own agression ramping up swiftly

 "Well, let's see Rian, nobody really stepped up to lead in the beginning, " he began, adjusting his stance high as his tail lifted to rest upon his haunches, the grit of his voice thickening. "Had you have actually done something, maybe I would have followed." But you didn't, you just dilly-dallied around with Cypress. This retort burned on the tip of his tongue, but he restrained as his gaze bore into the others. "You want to lead, Rian? Then prove to me that you're even worth it," he spat driving a step closer to his cousin whilst snapping his jowls close to the earth-colored man's face. "Fight me, Rian, if you're pissed off that you're not leading. Because if that's what you want, you're going to have to bring me down first." Rannoch was not going anywhere without a fight, especially when every fiber within his being urged him to drive his jade-eyed relative to the ground to get him to finally submit.

In another time, another place, Rian would have immediately backed off and allowed Rannoch to go about what he felt was right. But he was approaching one year of age, and his hormones dictated—demanded he throw his weight around, and establish his place in the pecking order. This illogical train of aggression was not abated by the generally logical, if not anxious, characteristics of the O'Malley yearling and only served to fuel the fire even more as Rannoch's own anger rose to meet his own. The unexplainable fear had transformed into righteous anger, and Rian was helpless to stop it.

He remained rooted in the spot as Rannoch verbally retaliated, though his hackles slowly raised and his eyes darkened with every sentence that passed through his brother's lips. Prove to me you're even worth it. The argument he'd spent days ruminating over went up in smoke—he initially wanted to merely talk it out with him, and hash it out like the intelligent creatures they were, but when the larger boy's teeth snapped together inches from Rian's face, something in him broke. He would not tolerate the insubordination and disrespect any longer.

Without another word, Rian jumped forward and drove his teeth towards Rannoch's cheek as a snarl ripped through his throat, aiming to grab the boy and slam him face first into the dirt.

Hormones were what fueled Rannoch to this point, and with his current momentum, nothing was stopping him, especially with the conflict that had risen between the adolescents. Had logic been put into consideration on Rannoch's part, rather than both the fear of losing out to Rian and the strings that urged him to settle his spot so aggressively, then perhaps the paid would have simply talked this out and then went on their way without much issue. 

The drumming of Rian's paws signified the begin of their battle and Rannoch braced himself as his cousin surged towards him. Even with his preparation, Rannoch found himself stumbling at impact and shortly there after falling to the ground. With Rian's weight above him and his body pushing into the earth, Rannoch turned his burning eyes towards the older wolf with a snarl. Knowing that he had to somehow get Rian off of him, Rannoch forced his top forepaw towards the other's leg in an attempt to imbalance him.

The sound of a scuffle pulled Cypress from his sleeping place, a sizeable distance away from the other young wolves who’d joined the trio. Sulphureous eyes glinted fiercely in the darkness as he trailed Rannoch and Rian’s scents, and when he arrived on the scene he wasn’t particularly surprised — for weeks now, his cousin and brother had been testing one another’s mettle in a thousand small ways. Leadership of the tribe came naturally to both the O’Malley boy and the younger Frostfur. Perhaps in some ways, it came naturally to Cypress, too. He’d practically been groomed for it, after all. He lacked the ambition, though, and that’s probably part of why he paused in the underbrush to watch the torrential clash of bodies as his brothers launched into physical combat. They were his family — his life — but this wasn’t his fight.

Though his teeth clipped together mere fractions from Rannoch's cheek, he succeeded in bowling over the younger wolf and claiming the upper hand. Unfortunately, though instinct was the deciding factor in this turn of events, it did not lend him the intuition to know what his next moves should be. Half-tangled in one another, he hung there suspended in shock for a fraction of a second too long as he raked his mind for what was next in the process of claiming rank when Rannoch met his challenge with a roar. His cousin's paw jammed into the soft flesh between his sternum and arm, bruising the ball joint and causing Rian to twist away from the pain, leaving Rannoch with some room to maneuver.

Despite the awe that he felt in his punch landing, the gunmetal male wasted no time marveling in his small victory. Instead, Rannoch quickly drew himself to his paws with what little space he had been given and surged forward his head lowered. It was with this positioning that Rannoch aimed to strike Rian's good shoulder in an attempt to barrel him over. If he were successful, Rannoch would act quickly to position himself over his cousin and end this for good, asserting himself as the dominant one.

Rannoch was not as foolish as Rian, and was quick to take advantage of the opening he had. He had little time to react when Rannoch reclaimed his footing and surged forward with his head low, aimed at his exposed shoulder. Instinct kicked in and he tried to twist away from the impact, but the glancing blow caught him mid-step and he stumbled. His ankle buckled from the sudden unstable weight, and his leg curled beneath him as Rannoch's massive frame overtook him. 

A snarl ripped from his throat and he kicked at his cousin's undercarriage with his hind legs, trying to aim for the lungs and knock the wind out of him. But he was in a bad spot now, and he knew it. Somewhere deep down he knew he would come out of this relatively unscathed, but nothing in the world could stop the hormonal teen now from digging himself further into the hole he'd already begun.

Success followed Rannoch step-by-step thus far in their sparring. Even with this lucky streak, he knew not to rely on this. It was with this pessimism that the aspiring alpha met Rian's rebuttal, a strong forepaw jutting inches below his ribcage. The blow caused Rannoch to recoil a step away from where his opponent laid, giving the other a brief window of opportunity to counter. 

Shaking off the lingering shock of the blow, Rannoch surged forward blindly while instinct commanded him to do anything and everything possible to dominate and position himself ontop of Rian.

Rannoch was not put off long enough for Rian to take advantage of it. He was slower than his cousin, who'd had to fight early in life to maintain his lot and perservere. Though he did revil in the brief window of oppertunity he'd created when his paw struck home, Rannoch was once again upon him in a flash. The O'Malley aggressor twisted and tried to avoid getting caught in a grip which would spell the end of their encounter. But he was on his back and with little leverage to work with there was only so much he could do. 

Soon enough, Rannoch's teeth wrapped around the loose flesh on his neck and held fast. Rian jerked, but only inflicted worse pain on himself from the motion. He ceased struggling but continued to issue a constant stream of growls.

The victory was determined by a defiant snap of jaws, and with this hold, Rannoch brought himself upon the podium with one place upon his cousin's torso. Rian's rebuttal, a growl revving in his throat, fell upon the man's ears and leaned in, driving himself closer to his cousin's face. "Submit." The command rode on a growl; his fangs clipped together and his turquoise stare burned into his cousin's face.

Rian's eyes darted towards Rannoch's own when his larger cousin stooped to utter his ultimatum. There was power in the words he spoke, and it frightened him. If he were to push the other man any farther, there would likely be far more consequences than a bruised ego and hurt feelings. He let out one final cry of frustration only to fall silent and curl his tail between his ankles. He pulled his teeth back in a submissive grimace and licked at his jowls.

Rian's final cry marked Rannoch's victory, and despite his winning, the newly crowned Alpha did not relax. Instead, he released his cousin from his hold and stepped off, giving the other some space. Though he was unsure of what would come next, instinct guided him once more to bring about his next action, the drive telling him that the others needed to know about his claim. 

With a final glance to Rian, Rannoch tipped his head back to call to those who reside in his pack. At the core of it, it would always be the three brother's following, but, at face value, it was now Rannoch's alone. Rian's actions would not go unnoticed the Alpha, and he would consider the position of Beta to his jade-eyed brother. But, for now, he had the duty of letting the others know, and he would focus on that for now.

The end of the spar and Rannoch's ensuing cry of victory presented all the incentive Cypress needed to make his witnessing of the event known. He approached with caution, reasonably so. He had no desire for Rannoch or Rian to put him in his place, though if either of the two were to make a lunge for Cypress, the raven wouldn't flinch away. He was content with his place in the current hierarchy: below his brothers but above the rest of the pack. Accordingly, he made himself low before the bruised and blooded twain, accepting Rannoch's bid for alpha and Rian's securing of the beta rank with a formal bow of his head and a rumble of contentment.

When Cypress emerged from the undergrowth, it became clear that the shadow had been lurking there the entire time. His arrival was too timely to be mere coincidence, and the simple fact of it shamed Rian. He should not have lost his temper, he knew, but he felt guilt at egging on one of the most important wolves in his life. If he kept it up, he wouldn't have anyone left. Even when Rannoch backed away and relieved him of his submission, Rian merely rolled to his stomach and shot a torn look to Cypress.

He wanted to apologize, but the words wouldn't come. Instead he picked himself up and, with his head carried lower than Rannoch's, moved to bump his muddy nose against the underside of Cypress' chin. He exhaled, and whined softly only to turn his affections towards the largest brother. He flattened his ears and pressed a submissive kiss to the reigning king's cheek. There was clearly no one better suited for the task, not even Rian himself who was laid low by the larger wolf. 

Unlike his brothers, he had not been groomed for leadership. With his father absent, and his mother distancing herself after his disappearance, Rian was left to figure it out on his own. And it proved to be ineffective against Rannoch and likely, if Cypress ever made a bid for it, the shadow himself.

Rannoch's call had died as quickly as it had sounded, the rounded tone subsiding as the Alpha lowered his head. It was when his sight was leveled once more that he realized that Cypress had materialized before them and, like Rian, Rannoch knew that it was no mere coincidence that his brother had arrived so promptly. He felt no shame in what Cypress had seen and, deep down, was glad that somebody outside of the clashing duo had seen his triumph. 

After respects had been given, Rannoch turned his eyes fondly to his brothers and stood, feeling suddenly hungry in the aftermath of all the effort he had put forth. "You guys wanna go grab something for dinner?" asked Rannoch, drawing his tongue over his chops as his gaze bounced between the two. Feeling his position no longer threatened, Rannoch reverted to his natural persona seeing no reason to further his dominant push on the others.

Cypress blew out a shaky breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding, confusion stirring the molten gold of his eyes as he looked a question at Rian. He didn’t understand the torment in those glimmering jade depths and said the first thing that came to mind: “S’all right, Rian.” Closing his eyes, he butted his muzzle lightly against Rian’s in turn as the stocky O’Malley drew away, rumbling affectionately. “We’re brothers,” he said simply, looking up at Rannoch with pride, then returning his gaze to the sienna-and-sepia male to include him. He was proud of Rannoch for winning — but he was just as proud of Rian for trying. “Brothers get rough to figure things out sometimes.” That had certainly been the case with Cypress and Rannoch, and the raven didn’t have any lasting dissention or disgruntlement about it.

The mention of “dinner” snapped Cypress to attention as an a second rumble, this one gastrointestinal in nature, struck the air. “Let’s do it,” he agreed, shaking out his wild, unkempt fur and sidestepping deftly, making to shoulder-check Rannoch in a companionable way. He was mindful of his brother’s recent spar, though, and his movements were gentle and easy. Snaking his muzzle forward with deliberate slowness, he made to nose, then nibble, at Rian’s hip. “Guess you boys whipped up an appetite,” he quipped.

Rian lets out a breath and, with it, a nervous chuckle as Rannoch mentions dinner. He's instantly relieved that this little tussle has no lasting effects on their love for one another, and that food is far more important than discussing what just transpired. The O'Malley yearling is happy to accept his place now that the limits of Rannoch's patience and merit has been thoroughly tested. When Cypress bumps his nose into his own, the familiar gesture loosens the remaining tension in Rian's shoulders and he rumbles a note of contentment. All is well, all is well.

The thought of food is definitely pressing, and his stomach gurgles a bit now that he pays it a bit of attention. He snorts at Cypress' quip and reaches out to bite lazily at his younger brother's tail as it passes his nose with a grunt, "Yeah, I'm sure you're starved. Being the peanut gallery is hard work." He teased. Rian flicks an ear around and follows it up to Rannoch, who's chest he brushes up against as he passes beneath the taller wolf's elevated head to stand on his other side facing Cypress.

The thought of he and Rian not getting along after the challenge had not crossed the Alpha's mind. So when the trio continued as normal, sans the new show of submission, Rannoch didn't think differently about it. So with the agreement in place, and some liveliness upon their conversation, he dipped his head to the others with a smile before agreeing with Rian with an amused, "Very tough work. I don't blame him for being hungry." 

With his remark in place, he lead the two away with ambitions of finding a meal large enough to satisfy all of their hunger.