The move did not seem to have phased the boy much. He was an average child in most ways, moderately happy but not exuberantly so; average even in size. He had his excited moments and his tired moments, like most children, and was overall happy enough. He liked to play with his siblings Witchhazel and
@Keoni , whether he'd be pummeled by them or won.
Today he was carefully wandering about outside of the den. Not careful enough, it seemed, for with a startled
"Aggoo!" Nikai stumbled over one of
@Witchhazel 's holes.
"Oomf..." he mumbled to himself as he fell and looked around, blinking.
Witchhazel was, as always, outside looking for some new treasure to bring home to her family - today found her with a forked stick that would be lovely to play with! Just as she was prancing her way back to the den, however, her older brothers sounding of "Aggoo" was enough to bring her to a halt and send her eyes sweeping for him.
"Niiiiii?"
Perhaps it was a coincodence she partially called out his name, but maybe she'd just started to pick it up - either way, she sniffed her way over to the dark pup with a coo spilling around the stick latched in her jaws.
Blinking, Nikai looked around to see what had happened. He wrapped his mouth around the edge of the hole he'd fallen into, only to realise with an "Ickle!" that it wasn't tasty at all. He got to his feet and shook his fur, and just as he did he watched his sister approach.
"Gooni!" he crowed with cheer as she arrived with something in her jaws. The docile child stretched his neck and reached out to grab one of the stick's edges to try and pull it from his sister's mouth.
Witchhazel looked down on her older brother with a grin, her hips wiggling with the force of which her tail wagged - she always had preferred her brothers quiet softness compared to Keoni's fiery nature. The dark boy seemed to fit her better - even when he reached out and grabbed onto her stick, the little girl rumbled playfully. When both had a good grip, she pulled - maybe she was trying to play, maybe she was trying to haul him out of the hole.... maybe both? Either way, she squealed with joy at the sudden game.
Rather unfortunately for the two siblings, said fiery sibling soon made her appearence. She shot from the den mouth in a flurry of limbs, headed straight for the lump that was her beither with an excited "Ook!". It was then, in her excitement, that she ran straight for the center of the stick, her unsteady paws dislodged from the ground and her tumbling ungainly into the undergrowth, very much like a certain goat rolling down a mountain months ago.
She ended her charge by colliding with a low hanging, willowy branch, a snapping of twigs and violent fluttering of leaves heralding her approach. She grinned shamelessly at the adorable scene she had just Interupted, limbs splayed out as her tail wagged manically.
Nikai found purchase on the stick and started to pull. He wasn't pulling himself up, however, as he wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box; he was focussed on the stick and suddenly found himself enjoying a game of tug. He growled a playful 'rrrrr' while he tugged at the stick with all his might, but they seemed at an impasse that neither appeared to be winning.
When Keoni suddenly came bouncing by, Nikai lost his concentration and suddenly let go of the stick, possibly sending Witchhazel flying, while he looked up out of the hole and excitedly called out: "Eenie!"
It was in the middle of their tug-of-war that Keoni charged into the relatively calm scene, breaking the peace and quiet with loud calls - Witch was in the middle of grumbling at the appearance when Nikai let go. Despite the fact that she went flying backwards, rolling onto her back and sliding painfully across the earth with her little milk teeth clamped tightly into the wood. It prevented her from crying right away, but as soon as she'd come to a halt on her back, the little cream flower dropped the stick and let out a blood-curtling, painful scream of anger.
Her brother shouted out happily from his hole, Keoni returning an excited "Kay!" as she greeted him with a single-syllable version of his name. She leapt to her feet, tail still wagging, but a sudden painful cry had her stance suddenly change.
Her tail dropped between her legs, her eyes huge as she pivoted toward her sister. "Sel?" She asked nervously, ears pinned. She moved hurriedly, ungainly toward her sister, letting out a small whine as she shifted nervously a short distance away.
"Oogle!" Nikai called out when he heard his sister's cry. He clambered out of the hole to see Keoni standing over Witchhazel. "Hamy?" he queried softly and he trotted over to her to inspect the damages, unaware that he'd caused them.
Witch, colliding with a stone, paused only to breathe before screaming like a banshee - this one was more anger based, but it was adrenaline that blacked out the pain of her oozing shoulder: the cut was shallow, thin, but long, curling along the top of her shoulder blade. The crimson line almost blended with the color of her tail, torso, and crown, even as it faded and dripped into the creamy fur around it. Flipping onto her belly and standing, the usually docile puppy lashed out at Keoni - perhaps it was just because it was she who'd approached first, or maybe the little flower was blaming her sister for the accident - snapping her jaws at the silver girl with a loud and indignant squeal of:
"NO!"
Whether she landed a hit or not, the little girl finally felt the sting of her wound - it was then she whimpered, and skittered her way over to the much calmer and kinder figure of her older brother. stick left behind and forgotten. Should Nikai let her, she would press into his side and clean her wound, grumbling under her breath and shooting unsure looks over at Keoni.
No doubt, this would all be forgotten in a day or two and they'd be running around together without a care in the world.
She crumpled backward, eyes wide and demeanor fearful, yelping fearfully when her sister lashed out. terror, guilt, shame. Why dd her sister cry? Why did she lash out against her? The first time Keoni experienced felt these emotions hurt more then her sister would not, especially when her snapping jaws closed on her muzzle.
she jeered back as if she had been stung, tears blossoming from her eyes before the stumbled backward and ran, ran from her bad feelings and shame, blindly away, heading farther and farther away by the moment, her siblings surely not being able to keep up with her fear driven pace even if they tried.
With no more than a tilt of his head did Nikai watch his sisters quarrel, not grasping what was going on between them. He stared at it all unfold and then watched Witchhazel move to his side and press into him. He allowed it, accepting of such things as ever, and nosed her fur, nibbling gently as if to groom her while she cleaned her wound.
Then he put his head on Hazel's neck and looked over her back to Keoni as she started to run away.
"Ooni?" he queried in confusion, but soon after she had run he had forgotten all about it and headbutted Hazel gently, playfully, inviting her for another romp around.
fade? :)
Witch was unaware of the effects her lashing out had done to her older sibling, turned as her face was to clean at her wound. Nikai's affection brought her racing breath and heart to steady, and as she lifted her head to watch Keoni run away, a soft whimper broke her lips.
Her older brother's headbutt brought a grumble from the little flower - she was no longer in the mood to play. Laying down on her belly, she turned to again nibble and lick at the stinging wound of her shoulder.