Derg once again set out to look for his long-time friend.
Kynareth wasn't always far away, but his thoughts seemed to be. Perhaps he was more present now after the children were born and healthy.
Perhaps Derg should have been a better friend and leader.
He wandered towards his den, casting around for his scent but found none to be fresh enough for the behemoth tiger-wolf to be here. That just left his young and Simmik. Perhaps.
He paused, wondering if he should go and find them, or go back to his own children.
The fat pup is simply soaking up the sun when a familiar face appears from the woods. He doesn’t remember his name, but that face is familiar. He does know that he’s the father of Arlette’s pups and Alduin loves Arlette, so he must love him too right?
So Alduin jumps right up and his little tails begins to wag vigorously. “You!” He barks up at the agouti male, bounding towards him with a wide, open mouthed smile. Instantly he goes to slap a paw to Derg’s forearm, black tongue flopping from his face as he looks up to him with those devilish ruby eyes of his.
“What’s your name again?” He asks, fumbling over the words clumsily. He punctuate it when another slap of his paw to the other before standing up on his hind legs and plants fat paws on his chest. If allowed that is. “I demand you to tell me.” He growls out with a wicked smile and mischief in his eyes.
The childish voice stopped him. His eyes landed on the chubby little shit that is definitely going to be more trouble than his father - if such a thing is possible.
Derg grinned as the pup trotted over, watching as he started his questioning and demands.
He chuckled, tail waving softly and Alduin got in his face.
"Wouldn't the prince like to know," he chuckled, knocking him back with a gentle shove.
He needed to learn some manners.
"If you beat me in a fight, I'll tell you my name. How does that sound?"
He might as well teach him some moves, and help out Simmik and Ky with all this puppy energy. Derg subtly shifted his weight, readying for a 'surprise attack'.
Wouldn’t the prince like to know.
Alduin huffs when he gets shoved away and clumsily lands on his bottom. Circular brows furrow and a clear challenge shows itself on his bloody eyes. He pops right back up onto his feet and growls as savagely as he can.
“Yeah? I’ll beat you any day!” Alduin says choppily, still really learning how to English.
When Derg moves into a fighting stance Alduin tries to mirror him perfectly, albeit a bit horribly but he tries nonetheless. Then he’s off! Charging towards Derg to try and gnaw at his forearms and legs. He doesn’t have strategy at all, but his vigor and confidence is perfectly on cue with his angry little growls and sharp teeth.
Derg chuckled, shaking his head a little.
He would be ferocious one day. But right now he was just a bundle of fury and cuteness.
Mashed potato. Or at least he will be after this.
Alduin lept at him, and Derg sidestepped, not really wanting to have his legs mauled - there was already enough damage to them on his own.
"To win you must go for the throat," he advised. He wondered if he'd start leaping. He had enough vigour.
Derg dipped his head a little, giving Alduin a bit more of an even battle.
This man is too fast for Alduin’s clumsily ass. He jumps out of the way the second he tries to gnaw on his legs! How? Alduin has no idea. He doesn’t think about it too long before he tries again.
Jumping up to Derg’s lowered neck, large paws scratch at his chest as he grabs his scruff. A demonic, but cute, growl falls from his lips, muffled by Derg’s fur. He tries his hardest to shake his head back and forth, but predictably, it doesn’t do much.
Alduin's furious snarls and gargles were almost cute if they weren't concerning.
If Derg wasn't looking he'd think he was choking. Looking at him, he did look a bit fat. Maybe Simmik should teach him manners.
This time, he didn't dodge or block the child's attack. Needle-like teeth dug into his thick ruff, just about poking into his skin. Sharp nails made it through to scratch his chest. Derg shook his whole body, trying to make enough turbulence to shake off the brindle potato.
Alduin feels powerful!! Until he doesn’t. Even while he shakes his fat head back and forth, hardly even moving Derg at all, he feels awesome. Already, Alduin knows he wants to be as strong as his father and do this to someone. He bets it would be so fun! Yet, the moment doesn’t last forever and all Derg has to do is shake his off and he’s falling. Rolling onto his butt first, then his side, then finally his back. A black tongue falls from his maw as he pants heavily, a smile forms on his maw and he pops right back to his feet.
“I got you!” He congratulated himself with a grin just as confident as his fathers. “Now you gotta tell me your name!” He punctuates it with a stomp of his paw and his curled tail wags viciously with his self proclaimed victory towards the other.
Derg chuckled, smiling at Alduin.
What a mighty handful.
"Yeah, alright. You got me. My name is Derg, I'm the General."
Would Alduin even know what that meant? Ah well, he could try to explain it.
He wondered what role Alduin would grow in to, before he would inherit Grandmaster. Perhaps Harbinger. Derg would advise against Paladin, it would give him too much ego.
Derg sat down, watching the spoilt puppy figure out what's next.
A laugh from the agouti male has Alduin smirking up to him with pride. Much to like his father — almost a carbon copy. Same shit, different toilet as they say.
Yet when Derg mentions his name and a rank the dark prince has no idea of he tilts his head and scrunches up his face.
“Ew.” The disrespectful little bastard says in regards to Derg’s name. “That’s weird. Alduin is so much cooler.” He boasts with a puffed out chest. “It’s cause my dad named me it. He’s cool.” He laughs out, but one can tell he’s terribly serious about it. Oh so full of himself. Just like a certain somebody.
Derg snorted at the ew. Shitlord.
He reached out a paw to bat Alduin on the head. "Don't be so rude or someone will beat it out of you."
He'd learn one day.
"Someone renamed me Deimos Once; it means Dread Bringer." Definitely a cooler name. But he was Derg, and Derg he shall always be. He smirked. Kynareth really y was something to this kid. Alduin would be worse than Kynareth, he already knew it.
He wondered what Alduin would do if Ky got old and silly. Who was he kidding, Kynareth would refuse to die of old age.
"He is." Derg paused. "There's a war we'll have to go to, Alduin. Some wolves here might not come back, and you'll never see them again."
He watched the boy, eyes soft and tone a little sombre. He wondered if he was taught about war yet.
Editing on an ending to this
@Derg so I can get it archived and use it for his trade. If you’re not okay with assumptions/power play please tell me and I’ll edit. <3
A snort from the older wolf and Alduin feels a bop to the brain, which doesn’t faze him at all. Derg would only receive a high pitched laugh at the weak punishment along with the warning words that he would know of too well one day.
Only then this Derg (ew) admits to being renamed one does Alduin’s eyes go wide in awe.
“Wow!” He roars even though he doesn’t quite get the whole meaning of the name.
“That’s cool! You should be that again!” He compliments poorly.
When Derg admits that his father is cool he nods excitedly despite their direction in conversation becoming a bit darker than expected. The education is necessary, but Alduin tilts his head at the words. A confused expression comes to his fat, little face. He understands the concept of war by now — his father explained it to him. It’s when wolves fight for purpose — when they come to disagreements or want something; is what the brindled giant said. Yet, the concept of them leaving and not coming back confuses him.
“But where will they go?” He asks innocently. Blood red eyes curious with the ignorance of the young.
At that, Derg would tell him exactly where they go — in his own way of course. It had Alduin anything but afraid of death. The boy is brave and he cannot fear it if he is to the warrior that his father expects him to be.
They would only chat a bit more before Derg informed the small prince of his untimely departure. His children and wife were in need of affection and other things that Derg was responsible for. Alduin would bid him a farewell with a wide smile. Not noticing how it would stick to his face as he continues to think about the brave agouti man with the weird name.