Wolf RPG

The scorching heat was cooling as the day slowly died. He had spent most of his day inside due to the conditions and because of this he had gone a little stir crazy. After begging and pleading for most of the afternoon he was finally granted permission to leave the den. When the “OK” was given, the silver prince was gone in a flash.

The first hints of sunset were apparent as he crawled from the safety of their home and into the open. Streaks of scarlet were just beginning to be painted across the canvas of the sky. Despite the roof of foliage, Rannoch could still see fragmented parts of this masterpiece in progress. He marveled at the sight as he stood in the entryway, smiling as observed the sky in silence. He had seen a few sunsets in his life, but, he decided in that moment, was the best one that he had ever seen.

The early evening had come to pass and with it came the set of the sun. Pasha had made a steady round of the borders, settling into life beneath the evergreens quietly. Though still troubled by the loss of his brother, he hadn't worked up the wonder enough to seek out Jorunn and the coastal realm that his brother had claimed; to do so would mean to confront the fact that Whittier was indeed dead and gone. Death was a new thing for him to experience, a great wonder that he hardly understand and was not quite ready to.

As he moved quietly through the forest, he found some familiarity that came back to him from when they had first laid claim to the place. It was hard to believe that so much time had passed since then, that originally he had been the one to leave Bazi first and come back to the Wilds. It was a different place from the memories that he had of Jade Fern Grove. Pasha no longer remembered life upon the peak where he had been born, perhaps for the best.

All of those memories and thoughts were shelved when he spied out the movement of something—rather, someone—small in the stunted foliage. It took only an instant of recognition to realize where he was and presumably, what he was witnessing. His father had spoken of what was now his youngest children; this one was larger than what Pasha had expected.

He swallowed his apprehensions swiftly as his steps brought him near, though he held off as not to startle this unknown sibling. He chuffed softly, his head sweeping downward curiously. "What are you doing?"

Rannoch was experiencing new things with each passing day, but death was not upon the growing list. He was slowly learning that their family were not the only wolves that lived but he had yet to grasp the thought of the vast amount of individuals out there. The few wolves that he had met were one’s that were slowly slipping from his memory, his infancy claiming these memories as new lessons were learned. There would be some interactions that stuck with him well into his adulthood, but these memories would be limited.

A voice drew his attention from the sky and to an individual that had a striking resemblance to his father. She stared at the other, confusion seeping into his young features as he examined the other. Though he was almost certain that this wolf was not his father, he couldn’t shake the resemblance. The only difference between Scimitar and this wolf was the color of the stranger's eyes. Tipping his head to the side, Rannoch lifted his brows. “Nah Dahee?” He had to be sure that he hadn’t missed something.

Pasha watched with uncertainty as a rather confused expression came scrawling across the otherwise wondered features of his brother. It was like a barb that broke through an armor he was still tempering; he didn't expect a feeling akin to I should not be here to come crawling viciously along his spine. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when Rannoch spoke and with it, felt himself get a grip on warding off the unwanted sensations. He let a smile settle onto his face easily.

"No, I'm not Dad," he answered. "I'm your brother. I'm Pasha," he went on to explain, wondering if he'd even been understood. How old had he been when things suddenly started to make sense? Then again, maybe the more appropriate question fell along the lines of wondering how old he had been when he started realizing that a lot of things around him were not as they seemed. He had been the last of his siblings to comprehend and sense the rift that had grown between his father and mother, after all.

Brother. The familiar term hit him like a stack of bricks and to this the child brightened. Brother, he knew that word! Jumping to him paws, the child padded over to his older sibling with a wagging tail and stopped before him. “Brudddah!” He mimicked, but as the the word rolled off his tongue, something stuck him. He could have another brother? He knew that he had a sister-- Lar as he fondly referred to her ask-- but having another brother? Was that even possible.

“Pah-- bruddah?” came his attempt at his brother’s name.”Cy-- bruddah?” Were they brother’s in the way that he and Cypress were brothers?  He couldn’t couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it. So, instead, he allowed the question to linger between them as he waited for any further explanation.

Rannoch clutched one particular word that he had said, and it seemed to be enough to break whatever uncertainty may have existed between them. The silvery pup bounced to his feet with energy and approached, melting away any concerns Pasha may have had about their meeting one another. He supposed his father would not have allowed it if he didn't think it would have gone over well and so far, if first impressions meant anything, it was. His tail wagged easily; his smile broadened.

"That's right, I'm your brother," he reiterated, "you've more than one." Several, Pasha wanted to admit. He had several, related either one way or another in some convoluted way. Some that weren't even really technically related but somehow in his understand of family, he would have lumped together anyway. And Cy, that must have been for Cypress—Pasha's gaze temporarily flicked past Rannoch to the den mouth, but no sight of the other brother appeared.

He listened closely to his brother, holding onto his every word with baited breath. The news was some that caused the child’s enthusiasm in that moment to spike. He had more brothers! More playmates! His paws danced as he looked up to his brother. “Bruddah Pah,” He proclaimed proudly, reaching forward the poke at Pasha’s foreleg. Once Pasha was poke, Rannoch bounced back and drove his upper body to the ground in a downward dog position. “Get me!” Because all brother’s did was play chase, right? With the challenge in the air, Rannoch lept to his paws and started to race away from his brother away from the den, giggles escaping as he fled.

He seemed taken with him, though Pasha could not imagine why. He barely knew him! But he wasn't about to question it either, not that he would have had a chance with the way Rannoch announced his intentions and bounded away... into the seeping darkness of the territory. Pasha's smile slid from his face as he stood in shock at the disappearance of his brother into the undergrowth.

"Hey, wait!" He called, but it was to no use and he knew it. Instead he bounded off after his silvery sibling, wondering just where the boy could have gone so close to home. Pasha knew parts of the territory from when they had founded it, but it had changed since then. He wasn't familiar at all with the area around Eshe's den and thusly so, had already started using his nose to try and find him.

He raced as fast as his little paws could take him. He had no idea where he was going, all he knew is that he couldn’t let Pasha win. After thirty seconds of bounding, the territory shifted from familiar to unfamiliar. Though Rannoch looked about as he scurried along he did not allow such facts to slow him.

Instead, mere seconds after the landscape grew unfamiliar, Rannoch noticed a hidden log. Seeing this as an opportunity, he crawled in hoping that this would be proper camouflage from Pasha.

He charged after the sounds of disturbed growth, thinking surely he was hot on the heels after Rannoch. But the boy had a good start on him and even though it was more than plausible that Pasha could cover more ground than his pint-sized sibling, he trailed behind in part for spirit of the game. He figured he would catch up with him simply because he would tire out before getting anywhere particularly far. The worries therein of what else could happen lingered at the back of his mind, especially with twilight setting in, but he would not entertain them right now.

A clearing emerged at last, the litter of old growth and time greeted him as his blood ran cold at the fact that Rannoch was not there. Not tired out, no glimpse of his tail out behind him like a banner waving as it disappeared into the other side of the clearing. "Rannoch?" he called, summoning up a certain sternness he hadn't grown into. "Where are you?" His nose quivered, testing the air for any trace that would have told him where he had gone away to. Tenatively, Pasha started forward on the trail once more, but slowly.

He waited in silence and held his breath as he waited for Pasha to find him. When he and Cypress played this game, he could never really get away from his soot-covered brother. Cypress was much quicker than he was and was always hot on his trail. Pasha, though? He was slow like Scimitar. Rannoch would find out later on in his life that he wouldn’t be the fastest wolf out there, either. But, for now, he took advantage of his speed for the sake of winning alone.

He remained coiled in the log, not daring to move as the sound of Pasha’s footfalls echoed around him. Rannoch was feeling a mixture of feelings in this moment-- hesitation, excitement, and the need to pee were the ones that dominated. As his brother called for him, Rannoch’s ears perked and his heart raced. There was a tone about Pasha’s voice that reminded him of some of his repremindments that he had gotten before. It was also a tone that Rannoch did not enjoy. Shuffling forward to poke his head out of the opening, Rannoch looked in his brother’s direction a yipped, hoping to draw the attention of his brother and continue their fun.

The yap sounded, bouncing off into the woodland around them.

Pasha's head whipped around and his body followed sluggishly as he searched wide-eyed for his sibling. His ears swiveled for some other telling sound as he redirected his steps, before his eyes settled on the old log ahead. A noise lodged itself in his throat then, a considering hmm that may have almost been similar to a growl if it hadn't lost the fire moments before.

He couldn't have been in the log, could he?

Then again, it was something that he would have done, when he had been that age and less content with trying to sneak off to have adventures of his own. Pasha smirked as he came closer and closer to the weary old log, but he did not make to shove his head into its narrow opening. Instead the older Frostfur passed it up, knocking his limbs against the weathered wood as he climbed atop it.

The earthy yearling oriented himself so that he could hover above its entrance, and waited.

The smirk remained.

As Pasha surveyed, Rannoch watched curiously from the comfort of the log. He had buttoned his inky lips once he had given his hint and dared not to make a sound. His body was tense and his was ready to flee when he had been caught. He had assumed that Pasha would be quick to pounce-- just as Cypress did-- but it appeared to the child that Pasha might have not figured out his hiding place. He stretched out his neck so that he could get a better look as Pasah glanced around, his eyes trained on the older wolf as he waited.

Soon enough Pasha’s sights were set on Rannoch’s hiding place and it was as the other wolf neared that Rannoch scooted back into the shadows in hopes that he would simply disappear and Pasha would not be able to find him. The log shifted suddenly as Pasha did a drive-by and made his presence known. As the other’s limbs ran into the log, Rannoch could not help unbuttoning his lips to let out a bought of laughter. This sound came from a place where his ego and his fear met and was one that had audible strains of nervousness to it. On one side of the matter, Rannoch was rather proud that it seemed as if she was still in a good hiding place. The other side ran rampant with the child’s fear of getting caught.

He did not know what would come next of their game. Would he be found? Was he really a master at hiding? He did not know in this moment. Instead he trained his eyes to the opening and awaited what consequences of victories awaited him.

A giggle came from the log and it was then that he knew for certain his brother had in fact, gone to hide within the old trunk. He waited for what seemed like an eternity—perhaps it would be to his sibling—but in reality was no more than a couple of minutes. Where Pasha had hoped Rannoch would peek out from his hiding spot, he did not, and the older brother was forced to change up his tactics.

When he felt he could not wait any longer for worry that his sibling would launch himself from his hiding spot, the earthy Frostfur bend and peered inside of the log to find a very upside-down world that had caged his brother.

"Found you," he whispered, in mock menace.

Years seemed to drag by as his laughter faded into nothingness. In these heavy moments, he was half-tempted to make a break for it and brush past Pasha to head back in the direction of the den-- wherever that might be. But, instead, he lingered in place, enticed by the anticipation of it all. He felt like he was going to explode into a million tiny pieces due to how overwhelming this feeling was.

Suddenly, all of the tension he was released into the open. The looming shadow of his brother suddenly appeared in the entryway. Cowering into a pile of fur onto the floor, the child let out a wide-eyed squeal. He had been caught! Pushing his pride aside, the child felt all tension of waiting roll off his wide-set shoulders.

“Pah!” he then exclaimed after the squeal, pushing forward so that he was right before his brother's face, smiling as he looked to him. “Can gan?” he sure hoped so!

Rannoch had a fiery spirit, at least that was the first thing that Pasha thought of him then. To bound forward in spite of being startled did not remind him entirely of any of his siblings up until that point. But he may have been wrong, as the siblings he thought of were none other than the ones of his litter. Maybe Swift would have been the bravest at some point, had he not lost the use of his eyes and his spirit altogether.

"Of course we can go again," Pasha conceded, not seeing any harm in one more game. "I bet you can't find me, though." It was too easy to slip back into such a childish state, not that he was fully grown by any means. He may have been of a similar size to his father and with a budding personality to boot, but he was still a yearling. There was still a lot in the world he had left to learn, provided he was able to learn all of it.

He didn't wait for Rannoch to answer him, too caught up in the moment, and bounded away to hide somewhere in the woods just beyond their playful clearing.

His question was met with a challenge and to this the youngest Frostfur puffed his chest. Of course he could find Pasha! But as the thought crossed his mind the elder Frostfur bounded off into the tangle of evergreens. Dumbfounded for a moment, Rannoch watched on as Pasha made his exit from the scene. It was as his silhouette shrinked that Rannoch kicked into gear and began the chase.

He would by no means catch up to Pasha, but this did not mean that he wasn’t going to try. Kicking into high gear, Rannoch charged after his brother. “Pasha!” He called between pants, pushing the earth under his paws as he attempted to gain some ground. “Gonna get chu!”

As he sped away, he heard Rannoch call after him. This time, he wasn't not daddy, but Pasha. It gave him reason to beam a smile across his features for a moment, though it faded as he sought out somewhere to tuck away. Far too large to be ducking inside of logs like his younger and smaller counterpart, Pasha was tasked with trying to conceal himself in the foliage. It was easy to slip beneath the heavy boughs of some errant evergreen that was there, but it felt too obvious. Yet he didn't really want to make it too difficult of a challenge for his brother to find him, either.

He turned one way and then another, weaving through the narrow patch of forestry he had selected for their game. One time he had stopped to peer back to see where Rannoch was, and one such time he found that his brother was much closer than he had anticipated. Finally, as he pushed his way through some undergrowth that was littered with fallen and gnarly branches, Pasha neatly hid away with watchful eyes peering out from the slender weeds.

The duo weaved seamlessly through the evergreens and despite Pasha’s obvious advantage Rannoch did his best to keep pace. They were eventually separated as Pasha dove into some nearby underbrush and it was as his brother faded into thin air that the Pi’s gallop slowed.

Quickly, his milky eyes scoured the clearing and he sniffed at the air lightly in an attempt to gain any insight of where his much-larger sibling had gone. Canting his head to the side, the child called out pathetically, “Paaasha, you dere?” Obviously not doing the best in his seeking role.

He didn't search longer and so the solvery glint of Pasha's eyes wen unnoticed from his hiding place. The yearling found it difficult to keep a smirk from his face; it had been quite a while since he had invested himself in such a game. How easy it was to shelve everything that had been lurking in his thoughts for just a fraction of time...

His mind wandered, at least until Rannoch called for him. Pasha did not reply; only his smirk grew. He wouldn't draw it out forever of course, but as long as he had his brother in his view he had no qualms about making the boy sweat it out.

The two continued their game for quite some time and even though Rannoch was not the best seeker he had the time of his life. Eventually, as the sun dropped, the boys had decided that it was time to turn in for the day. Pasha escorted Rannoch back to the family den where he promptly crashed for the night upon arrival, not even considering dinner as an option.