Porcupine Ridge into the woods

back dating this to a couple days ago! If anyone from Midnight Scar wants to have followed the boys, feel free to start a follow up thread & tag Isaiah or Lightning Paw in it! <3

We really shouldn't be out here, Isaiah whispered as Lightning Paw took another bold step through the sundappled Glen.

And he really shouldn't have brought up @Granite to LP again. They hadn't seen their cousin for three whole days, which Isa first thought was only because Granite was older and must finally be sick of them, and just wasn't coming around because of that. But then LP had said he hadn't seen him anywhere in his sneaking out of the den, and now, somehow, Isa had let his littler brother lead them both all the way out here, when the adults should be looking, and they should be back in the den.

C'mon LP, he tried to persuade his brother, even though he showed no signs of stopping, let the grown-ups look, before they became crow food!

Puh-leez! Lightning Paw scoffed, You think the grownups are gonna help us? They would just send them back to the den, and probably with a spanking, too, for crawling past the scent lines like this. Maybe even ground them! And how was he supposed to look for his older cousin if he was stuck back at camp while all the grownups went looking instead?

B'sides, he hopped ahead to a toppled over tree, like the one he and Granite had telephoned through only some short time before. Uncle Void can't fit half the places we could look. See? and he shoved his whole face into the log's narrow opening with the mightiest scream --

GRANITE!!

A flurry of songbirds took to the air all about them and Isaiah's whole body fluffed up. LP! he hissed, and leapt forward, yanking his brother from the hollowed log and slapping his paw across his mouth.

LP mumbled something against the pad of Isaiah's foot, but he held down his squirming brother. What're you trying to do, get the whole forest t'come an' find us?

His brother mumbled something else, before he must've devided that wasnt going to work, because begore Isaiah knew it, LP had eeked his tongue out of his mouth and smacked a big, sloppy, drawn out lick right across Isaiah's clasping paw.

LP! so much for keeping quiet. Isaiah jerked away, and his brother tumbled free.

Lightning Paw laughed as he tumbled free, springing to his paws and bouncing clear of Isa's paws if he tried to bowl him down again.

Pffft, LP blew off his brother's concern with a roll of his eyes, You're such a worry wart. There's literally nothing out here but us.

As far as he could tell, that much was true. The birds that had flown away at his scream were the only other living things he had seen do anything interesting since leaving home.

B'sides, he said, taking another step forward with tail flicking in dismissal, we're already get in trouble when they find out we snuck out. Why go back before we've had a good look?

LP was adamant about going even further from Midnight Scar than either of them had ever been. Unwilling to even listen. There were a lot more things Isaiah could say to try and get him to turn back around, but he had the feeling he'd just be wasting his breath.

Ugh, fine! but his voice slipped out as a pitchy whine. If only he could turn around and save his own butt -- but he knew LP, and knew he'd carry on whether Isaiah came along or not. Leaving him alone out here would only mean both Granite AND his brother could be lost, and as the edest between him and LP, he had a responsibility-- even if LP was a pain in the rear sometimes.

Isaiah had though of howling for their parents, but LP was right...

... he didn't really want to get in trouble.

I dunno know why I let you talk me into doin' dumb things like this he grumbled, as a final garnish to let LP know he was coming, but he WASN'T happy about it.

It's 'cause the dumbest things are the funnest things, duh, and if Isa didn't believe it now, LP hoped he'd get it someday. No way was he letting his brother grow up to be the biggest stick in the mud. Not if he could help it!

He was pleased that Isaiah decided to follow him, even if his face made him look like he didn't want to be here. That was fine, the important part was that he was still coming along. Lightning Paw supposed he could journey around by himself - but where was the excitement in that? Sure, it'd be adventurous, but getting out to explore was always more fun when you had someone else to do it with. Breaking the rules was, too.

Say, I've an idea, LP said as he set off at the quickest, happiest trot his puppy paws would let him. He trusted Isa wouldn't have a hard time keeping up. His brother was still a little bit bigger than him, after all - but hopefully not for long. How's about you decide where we should go next? Anywhere but back to the pack, o'course.