Boartusk Heights flow like a river

Two months was such an awkward age. Vincent's legs were growing much, much faster than the part of his brain that controlled coordination. Try as he might to emulate the graceful stride of his mother, every second step saw him tripping on his comically oversized paws, even causing him to fall flat on his face a couple of times. It was all terribly unbecoming of a prince.

Not that he was all too eager to be the exemplary standard of royalty just yet. Their handmaiden diligently worked to correct the fledglings' manners where necessary, but it would take a few weeks more for the lessons to really sink in.

The boy currently only had room in his mind for feeding, fighting, and flinging around this cool bone that I just found!

For the umpteenth time, Vincent tossed the play thing skywards, eagerly watching it spin through the air before it clattered loudly against the rocky ground a few feet away. The noisy game had stretched on all afternoon, scattering the birds that were roosting nearby, and there was no signs of it stopping anytime soon.

The royal children were indeed at an awkward age. Nymphora had yet to actually speak a single word, at least in front of the adults- but all that listening was beginning to shape her mind, enough for her to seek out approval beyond what was owed to them from their birthright. Individual approval. She'd been ushered away from the adults by the handmaiden with much fuss after trying to tag along on an excursion, and so today, Nymphora was both restless and miserable. Normally, she'd go strike off into the palace cavern to sulk, eat some moths and maybe wreck some spider webs. But her attention would instead fall to her brother, who had the unfortunate luck of happening to be in eyesight of the scorned princess. There, the little soot sprite sat playing a game all on his own. 

Up, down, up, down, each descent marked by a clattering sound as the bone tumbled off the rocks. 

Nymphora wanted to play, but the Nocturne children were not all that good at co-operating together, nor at sharing. The freckled girl began marching over to try and wrestle the toy from her brother, a rumbling, babyish growl sounding in her throat. Giv it. She'd mumble out to him, ash-tipped ears flattened against her head. For no other reason that she was angry, and he dared to be nearby. Perhaps if she could win it from him, mother would approve.

So engrossed in his game, Vincent scarcely noticed he had an audience up until he spotted the flash of white that appeared in the corner of his eye. The sudden appearance of his sibling threw off his concentration, and the bone that had been tossed landed squarely on the space between his ears, bouncing off it before tumbling onto the ground before the two. He cried out in surprise while tears of pain pricked at the edges of his eyes, but his attention snapped to his sister, who stomped over to take away his plaything with a demand of giv it!

As if.

"NO!" he retorted as he scampered forward and clumsily took one end of the bone in his teeth and readied himself to square off against his sister. There was an air of indignation about her but, to Vincent, that was just a normal day for Nymphora. Was she ever in a good mood?

Aaaaaa wolf did not give me the pm notification for this! sorry for the wait <3

No, in fact, she was not ever in a good mood. It seemed perpetual discontent was the only thing suited to his freckled sister. That, and a need to bite the next tail after hers had been bitten. Lost a fight to Valeria? Well now Candela was in for it. And round and round it went. 

She let out a cocky laugh as his plaything clonked him. Serves him right, making all that noise...

Give it dummy! She sneers, tossing in the insult, because it would hopefully weaken his resolve. Already, she was versed in the tactics of emotional manipulation. You're a baby! Playing with a bone! 

They were above such games. She was, at least. She'd never quite taken to the games her siblings had, lest another see, and chastise her for the very same thing she was assailing Vincent over. 

Nymphora moved in, meeting his challenge and clasping on the opposite end of the bone, pulling with her whole body, her little night-kissed tail swished angrily.

Not a problem at all! There's no rush on replies <3 (side note, I love playing bratty children lmao)

Her words do well to find their mark, and the two insults in quick succession both wounded Vincent's pride and sparked his temper. "AM NOT!" he countered, trying to appear threatening, though the whites of his eyes became visible as his sister stalked forward, her intent clear.

Were she any further away, Vincent might have tried to take off with his toy to escape his aggravating sibling. Alas, it took less than a heartbeat for her to reach him and then grab hold of the other end to begin their tug-of-war.

Despite preparing for it, Vincent felt himself lurch forward by the jaw as she pulled on her end. "Ud cerdo!" he exclaimed in a rage, though the words were barely intelligible due to him holding onto his prize for dear life.

With a determined growl, the boy summoned all his strength and yanked back, intending to pull his sister face first into the dirt where she belonged.

Nymphora dug in, baby-teeth clamped around the bone, finding their place between the awkward ridges. She pulled with all her strength, though she was unprepared for the manouvre Vincent was about to visit upon her. With a sharp yank from his side, she was brought forward into the mud, much an echo of his earlier insult. She rescinded her grip on the bone in order to spit out the dirt which now stained her blondes and whites. 

Pendejo! Te odio! The princess exclaimed, her nails flexed against the earth. A sniffle threatened to push its way to the front; but Nymphora was all fire and brimstone; a ball of rage unbeffiting the body it inhabited. She growled and bristled once more, wanting to make a strike for his toy again- but instead she would settle simply for insults. Fine keep it then! Play with your dumb toy and show everyone what a baby you are.

The girl huffed and puffed; having forgotten her original intent was to play with him. She coped by acting like she didn't want to play anyways. She was more grown up than him and games were below her. Still, the taste of defeat was bitter on her tongue.

Success! His almighty heave brought the bone back over his metaphorical line in the sand, hauling Nymphora along with it. He back-peddled a few paces with it firmly clutched in his jaws, brimming with pride as his sister now sat spluttering and covered in dirt.

Her cry in their mother's tongue was met only with a smug snort as Vincent let the bone fall to the ground and placed a paw upon it triumphantly as he watched her furious display. For a moment, it looked as if she was about to make a grab for it again and her brother stood ready to defend his prize, until instead the girl reverted back to hurling insults.

Scowling, he looked elsewhere, avoiding Nymphora's scathing, tear-pricked glare while trying to pretend her words didn't hurt.

However, when his sister finally turned and stalked away, Vincent was left with a wounded ego and the toy he now cast a scornful look to. "I'm not a baby," he muttered under his breath, giving it one final swipe of his paw, sending it over the cliff edge where it then shattered upon the rocks below.