Sunbeam Lair auferstehung

at times, the jagged line of sharp stone ridges caught mahler's attention, and that mid-morning was the time in which he found himself inexorably drawn away from swiftcurrent. for some miles he traveled, his long trot eating at the ground easily; in time, the freshness of new air and summertime birdsong brought mahler relief, and until he stood before the unyielding stone walls, he was at peace.
it shifted then to focus; mahler picked his way across the slick surfaces until he found the rivermouth and a subsequent series of foothills carved into the rock. and when he was finally let down into the forest beneath the world, mahler's lips tightened in with an overwhelming sense of awe growing within him.

steals this instead of starting us one

he's not sure how he ends up so deep within the mountain range. the hours — has it been hours? — have passed in a blur. there's no thought in this heavy fog; he doesn't know where he is, he hardly knows who he is. he doesn't want to. his feet move and the scenery shifts, he breathes and the air fills him, and for the moment his grief is muted. it never quite leaves, but he's learned to deal with that.
suddenly he's — where is he? he comes to an abrupt halt, dazed. it's dark, at least until his vision adjusts (haltingly) to the dimmer lighting and he realizes it's a cavern. he blinks and gapes for several more moments. the scent of a stranger registers belatedly; he's walked right past him, so he turns to look, wondering distantly how he'd managed to get down here without seeing or hearing a single thing.
"huh. didn't see you," he says, slurring just slightly; he's gotten better at this, and he knows he shouldn't be proud of that. "hey— your eyes, they're kinda like my brother's. fuckin' wicked." the observation is made lazily, but he tacks on a half-assed grin. he wonders if he'll kill this stranger, too.

:D!

mahler too had been so transported by his marvel that he had not registered the other creature. thus, as his senses came to bear, and his eyes caught sight first of the mad white rings round the stranger's eyes, his jaw tightened and plume flagged over his hips.  a response to being startled; mahler let his stance loosen when it came to pass the other was no current threat.
something bitter in the scent of the other; something dead in his sneer. "and vhere is your brother now?" mahler rejoined in a tone that brought to mind frost upon the stone face of a seacliff. he did not care for this individual; the gargoyle was aware of his superior physicality, but would prefer not to entangle himself altogether. and yet he did not turn away; the harsh lavender of his gaze had darkened.

<3

he's aware enough to recognize the tone the dark male uses, the shadows gathering behind his eyes now; it thrills him. he takes a step closer, pulse quickening. maybe the stranger will kill him instead. the question draws a strangled laugh from him. "i left him," he tells him, sucking in a breath as if the words are painful to hear from his own mouth. "for his sake."

the man fancied he tasted pennies upon the wreath of unseen foulness from his unwanted companion; but he did not draw away. for his sake; yes, yes, mahler could see how such a creature begging judgement could breed toxicity. and yet he knew not from where his scorn came. was this not one of his brethren; was he not in need of whatever soothing mahler might bring? his nostrils flared; hackles flaring stiff upon his shoulders. "you are unwell."

he's pleased with the other man's discomfort, daring another step forward. he watches for glimpses of his teeth as he speaks; he wonders how much it would hurt. a smile settles across his features, tired and knowing. "observant," he murmurs, drawing dry tongue over his lips. he sits, posture relaxed in sharp contrast to the other's.
"tell me, then, what afflicts me." he knows — of course he knows, and it's likely the stranger does not, but he's intrigued now, watching closely with eager inkjet eyes.

in spite of the tension that tightened the edges of his body, mahler found himself somewhat tantalized by the languid, careless movements of the other, the burn of the black eyes toward his own features. and of course, he knew not what ailed the other, nor could he find it within himself to settle nearby. the great paws shifted against the earth; mahler blinked and presently his head sunk down below his shoulders and he regarded the vagrant from his stonelike hunch.
"something i cannot give," mahler's forbidding tones proffered; a question in answer to a question would not have done. and it was truthful, for the musiker could think of no such possession the other could wish of him.

he's struck with the urge to touch the stranger, watching him lower his head. a shiver runs down his spine, but he doesn't move. "what can you give?" he inquires, tilting his head slightly. the air feels thick in his lungs. nothing, it answers for the stranger, a fleeting rustle of a whisper in the stillness of the cavern that only he can hear. his ear twitches, but he doesn't acknowledge it. perhaps it's true, but he's never been afraid to take what cannot or will not be given.

nothing.
swiftly mahler was reminded of alarian; there was something within the flat black wells that brought to mind how the cherub had gazed upon him. but this was no seraph; a devil, an addled thing, oiled with dark smoke and some bitter promise of inexplicable things on his tongue. to his knowledge, no wolfess had shown interest in the musiker since his arrival. and though it was not something mahler wished, having no desire for children that sprung from such unions, he found it curious he had come to be an object of intrigue for males.
uncomfortable, he let none of this show upon his countenance. "vhat do you vant?" came the creek wolf's rumble, the hard amethyst of his stare boring into the pools of spilled ink, marveling gruffly at the contrast of white around them.

hope it's okay to toss him in here!

He was far behind his brother. Too far. Synthe became uncomfortable and his personality contorted into something more aggressive when he was alone for too far. He tried to be respectful of his brother's personal space but the scent of a stranger made his jealousy rear its ugly head.

He would not be replaced.

An accent trickled into his ear as he pulled closer, appearing from his brother's backside. Frater meus. He coos softly into the air. What about what I want?

he senses his brother the moment he's stepped into the cavern, but he lets him go unacknowledged until absynthe is close — too close. he tenses, hackles lifting as he listens to him speak; idiot, he thinks, ignoring that he'd given the telling information himself.
"what you want might be of more consequence to me if you did not insist on flaunting our — relationship," he keeps his voice smooth with great effort, eyes still fixed on the stranger. "i'm not sure i want to let him leave, now. he may ah... know we're brothers. don't ask." he continues, still careful of his tone, but as he slinks around to put himself between the others and the exit, he's certain his intentions cannot be hidden any longer.

the appearance of another wolf, this one unfolding from the first like a shadow, caused mahler no small consternation. the powerful shoulders rolled; he knew what the newcomer had said, if only from context. and now the male who had almost enthralled him, and mahler was suddenly trapped before the sibilant pair.
and yet on the both of them he had been granted size, the urgings of a cool mind. mahler lifted his chin and stepped forward, his step unyielding to the fear the brothers perhaps sought to engender in him. "lass mich vorbei," he ordered in a voice with anger threatening its edges. he needed but a reason; the beast within the musiker was not easily compelled but each time ended things with violence.

A scowl crossed his features but he dismissed his brother's words for now to focus on the frustrated stranger. His tail flicked behind him at the foreign words. Relax. He cooed softly to the obviously frustrated male. Even if the words didn't mean much, the tone was readable.

Where did you learn to speak like that? And what did it mean? Abysnthe was pushing his boundaries with everyone but that was okay to him.

powerplaying mahler away

much as he had with the man in the fields, mahler leapt at the speaker, snapping heavy jaws toward the other's face. he was not here to bandy words; he had been threatened and the presence of the oily pair had thus caused him the conflict he needed to justify such an abrupt attack. lilac eyes remained cool as he thrust his large body toward the questioning wolf, ears laid back and chin tucked to protect his throat.
the stranger moved aside at the last moment, and mahler used the impetus of his attack to propel himself between the pair and beyond. if they gave chase, he did not know — his strides carried him at a rangy speed for a half-mile before he halted for breath. they had not followed, and he traveled till nightfall, far from their reach.