@Theo had returned and Etienne hadn't been able to greet him. Then days turned into weeks and he realized with a start he hadn't seen his brother in quite some time. He was there, his scent was obvious, but he hadn't spoken to him.
So with a stick in his maw, he was certain Theo would like he went in search of him.
'ey T'eo!
He smiled through the stick and hoped his brother would be amenable to meet him and have a good brother day.
Theo was pretty sure this was the first time Etienne had talked to him since his return. He seemed friendly, but Theo was a bit skeptical. Why had his brother not come when he had asked for him when he returned? And then not talked to him since?
"Eti." Theo said kinda coolly, dipping his head to greet his brother.
Eti lay the stick at his feet and ears twitched back and forth.
I'm sorry I "aven't talked wit' you. I was wit' Njord i T'ink day you came 'ome and i jes been patrollin' and learnin 'ealing from granme.'
A twitch of his tail and he waited an ernest face and gaze. Hoping his brither believed him. He hadn't meant to let it go so long. But he juat got distracted not very good brother.
“You mean all dat?” Theo said. “You sure you aren’t just ignorin me? You sure u just be busy and not mad at me?” Theo said, his ears pinned back and his gaze averting Eti’s.
“And you say you been learnin. Can i be learning too? I wanna be a fighter!!” Theo said boldly, looking his brother in the eyes now.
Eti moved forward and noaed against his brothers head even though Theo was bigger than him.
Of course i am not being mad at you, T'eo.
Mr. Njord be good one talk to bout fig'ting. Maybe granme Erzulie. Or maybe matant Miereille
Theo nodded. "Can you go wit me to talk to him sometime?" Theo asked. He didn't know Njord very well. "I don't know 'im too 'ell" He added. He nuzzled his brother back and made a happy noise. "I be glad dat you not be mad at me." He said with a smile. "This stick be for me?" He asked, sniffing it.
O' course i can, T'eo.
Eti nodded his head. 'e be nice. So be 'is kids. Swordfis', Vixen, an Stingray.
Eti placed a paw on his brothers shoulder in a show of affection.
yes it be for you.
“I ‘ave ‘eard of Swordfish an’ Stingray from Suzu.” Theo said. “But little of Njord.”
He smiled as Eti put his paw on his shoulder. Then Theo bent down and sniffed the stick again, before gently picking it up. “‘Ank ‘ou.” He said around it.
'e 'as an accent like granme, but different. Sometimes it's 'ard to understan' 'im. But 'e is all scarred like 'e foug't big t'ings.
Eti used his paws to talk sometimes and he did so now, making large width in his space. To show how big he thought the stuff Njord fought was.
Maybe 'e foug't big bears or s'ark's or otter wolves.
You're welcome!
Theo's eyes widended. "Wolves fig'hing sharks??!!" He asked, surprised that was even a thing. "I would be 'errified if i e'er 'ad to figh' a shark!!" Theo said. "Would 'ou e'er do it?" He asked Eti.
Eti nodded his head. Yes, big s'arks!
Eti's eyes grew wide too and then he leaned into his brother. holding a paw around his throat.
O' course not! S'arks do not need to eat my own paws. No t'ank you.
Theo giggled. "If 'ou or Suzu 'ere e'er in trouble wit a shark I would 'ome and res'ue you t'ough, of course." Theo said. "I would fight de biggest shark in da world for my 'amily" He vowed.
Etienne smiled. I would probably for dat reason as well. I wouldn't like it were someting to 'appen to anyone in our family.
Though that was a hard thing to say given most of Sapphique was related to them in someway, but in this instance. He meant his siblings, mother, granme's. Perhaps aunt an duncles, but they were big enough to probably take care of themselves.
"We be good guys Eti." Theo said giving his brother a nuzzle again, completely forgetting his earlier cold feelings towards him. "Perhaps we can be going hunting together?" He asked, wanting to spend more time with Etienne.
Etienne took the nuzzle with a grin and shifted. W'at we be 'unting?
Winter had taken much of their prey from them. They could probably find a rabbit, but he wasn't sure if there would be most of their dens covered up with frost and ice. Too hard to bark through and scrabble through. There were winter birds, but they were hard to capture, and though what about those slinky creatures that looked long and thin and white, blended in with the snow, but chattered and screeched.
“per’aps we could find a rabbit or maybe anot’er type o’ rodent or something. ‘Un’s dat ‘aven’t gone to ‘ibernation or ‘ave come out again.” Theo said, still not knowing too too much about hunting, just the basics
Eti nodded and bent his nose to the task of hunting like his brother asked. He was hopeful that they would find at least something.
Dere is little weasels in w'ite fur. We 'unt dem maybe?
Then he went in search of them, golden eyes going from one place to the next.
"I was t'inking about 'doze (those)!" Theo said, happy he actually thought of something possible during this time, and then Eti caught the scent of them. "Ya I know how to 'unt dem. Ashlar s'owed me." He said.
Etienne moved backward to give his brother the lead spot since he had hunted them before. Eti hadn't and he didn't know where to begin. So Theo could do this one.
Den you lead, T'eo. I 'aven't 'unted dose ones.
A wag of his tail and he waited patiently for Theo to get into line and start it up.
"Dey are faster like rabbit's are, but dey are also smaller, and more wigly like squirrels. Dey aren't too easy to 'unt t'ough becuz dey can run and are small. We 'ave to corner dem like we would an enemy." Theo instructed Etienne, liking the fact that he for once had more experience in something. He followed the scent trail until he spotted the weasels. There were 4, but one was already drifting away from the group. "You see dat one drif'ing away?" Theo said to Eti. "We gonna get dat one. We gotta trap 'im between the two of us, or between us an somet'ing else." He told his brother.
Etienne listened with ears forward, golden eyes on his brother's face and then around. Tracking as they spoke. There was a lot to know about Weasels, but that wasn't a bad thing.
Etienne's ears went ot his head. Squirrels are too loud.
He hated the screeching, chattering that squirrels made. It hurt his sensitive ears.
Eti nodded. Okay I'll go dis way. 'erd it to you. Yea?
"dey don't screech like squirrels. dey make more like just the regular animal noizes." Theo said.
"yeah dat a good plan." Theo said. He got into position, waiting for Eti to chase it towards him.
Etienne followed the path of the creature. And when he caught sight of the slinky creature. He raced towards it a growl deep in his throat.
The creature screech and raced towards Theo.
Theo saw the white slinky weasel hare towards him and he raised a paw, slamming it down on his prey's back. The weasels back snapped in two and it stopped wiggling instantly. Theo smiled. "Such a clean kill! Dere be no blood!" He said proudly. "We be a good team." He said to Eti and gave his brother a friendly headbutt to the shoulder, weasel in his mouth. He dropped his catch and buried it temporarily. "We can try 'an get anoder one." He said, noticing that two of the other weasels had already drifted off but one was still hanging around. "I can scare it to you dis time, and you do wat i did to catch da one I jus did." Theo instructed
Etienne was impressed and smiled as his brother got the kill. Suzu be likin it w'en dere be no blood.
Yes.
Eti smiled and nodded. They were a good team all the siblings, if only Reiki hadn't been taken from them so young he could have been included in their bonds.
Okay i wait.
Eti wasn't sure if he would be able to kill as well as Theo did with his paw, he wasn't as big, but he would try.