Blackfeather Woods I don't usually give in to peer pressure

@Rowan if you are interested?

Sobek had spent an ungainly amount of time staring at a pile of leaves which had been collecting at one of the entries to the tunnels; it had been collecting for a while, there was nothing special about it but here he was, practically nesting next to it and staring. His back was to the dark tunnel. The grotto spanned all around him and if he wanted to, he could turn and hike north to the temple where he had found his mother weeping and mourning the loss of her friend.

The leaves trembled when a breath of wind tousled them. He didn't really notice; Sobek was too busy thinking, maybe even planning. The boy was often a quiet and thoughtful sort - it was a wonder what a young mind such as his could really comprehend. The important part of all of this was his precise location: not quite the heart of the territory and far from his usual haunts. Whatever worked through his mind appeared to resolve itself abruptly, at which point he rose up and began to plot a course across the loose, fragrant soil.

His path crossed east until some sound in the trees prompted him to stop, look around, then launch in another direction; this lasted an hour or so, during which Sobek got thoroughly muddy, mostly his paws and his face, as he kept dipping his snout to the earth as he went - tracking.

At some point he found a trail worth pursuing and the tempo of his steps increased until he encountered a few deep patches, where he scrambled against the risen roots of trees time after time, fighting gravity as much as his gawky child's body. As he emerged triumphant on the southern border of the mire he finally shook the chilling water from his shoulders and called out to a passing shadow with a throaty yip. He had found what - rather, who, - he was looking for.

He'd slugged around the eastern borders, making his way over the firmest parts of the mire, trying to keep as high and dry as possible. 
He'd seen nothing and no one. He was cold and wanted a nap, but he had duties. He could rest when he'd finished the southern border too.

A yip sounded to him from within the woods. He twisted quickly, bristled already. But surely if herm wanted herm to come to him, they'd have already attacked instead of calling out. He tried to smooth the prickling of his skin and adopted a more friendly look. Wary, but his tail was waving softly and low. 

It was the boy, Maegi's. The one that had gone missing.
"Hey." He called out somewhat flatly. He didn't mean to sound dreary, but he was cautious and tired.

As Sobek came tumbling out of a dark patch of reeds he looked to Rowan intently, taking in his appearance for the length of a breath. The other child was a touch larger than him; something deep down inside of Sobek flashed a warning to him but it was there and gone just as swiftly. Something that may come back to haunt him when they're all grown up - but not worth the worry now. A sense of danger, maybe, or rivalry, although Sobek was not the type to entertain such things.

Rowan was soft and round like any child; he had colors throughout his coat that reminded Sobek of the mire's dry patches, or the flaking skin of a tree trunk. He was warm and earthy; were Sobek not so ruddy and red himself, he thought they could have been brothers. There was a dull edge to Rowan's features but a shrewd glint in his eyes; it would not be enough to deter Sobek from his quest.

He slunk closer, positioning himself beside the other boy as if to compare the heights of their shoulders, and then spontaneously said, Are you playing a game? The concept of borders or their protection remained a vague thing for the little princeling - he didn't know why anyone would roam like this, especially when there were many more interesting things to do.

He watched the other sidle closer. He watched for that mark of ill intent but saw none.
He stiffened when Sobek was alongside him, but that was all to show his discomfort.
He was certainly large, unlike many of the other pups he'd encountered. Rowan was pretty big himself despite his average, athletic lineage. 
Perhaps he just ate a lot and exercised too much. Or just some anomaly, like his coat.

His head tilted with curiosity. A game?
"No. I'm protecting the woods." He blinked, surprised.
Did he not know what guardianship was?

Guardianship? It sounded long and complicated to him, which meant that Sobek needed to know more, needed whatever understanding the other boy could offer him. It also sounded like the name of a game even though Rowan had said it wasn't; he wondered if it was a game played alone, or if maybe they could share it. If there was a winner and a loser, like in most games, or merely participation.

Sobek was a month younger, but both children were mentally quite young. That said, even if he was expected to be immature for a while, the boy was voracious when it came to the study of things. He was innocent in the same regard - noticing that Rowan seemed just as developed, but with a sharpness, as if clarity had been granted to him at some point. A focus. Perhaps mother's gods had played a part in it?

Both boys were adventurers in their own way. Sobek studied Rowan a long moment before he reached some kind of mental conclusion, at which point he launched in to speech again.

Can I help? Can you show me..? The novelty of spending time with an older child was not lost on Sobek. He was enthralled by this idea, this game, and would devour all that Rowan knew of it. I promise not to get in the way.

He wondered if there was a game at hand here. He didn't seem to have the same sharpness as himself and Hela, but he was more than ready to divulge in play. He didn't get to play much with others and since his siblings had gone he was rather butt-hurt and bored. Probably why he kept on the borders because there was nothing for him inside apart from the other wolves and the safety. Not his Mother. She'd betrayed him and his siblings. They'd gone because they'd got hurt.

"Yeah sure!" He grinned, his tail wagging faster now. 
"It's a lot of walking but it can be fun." Maybe Sobek didn't mind that. 
He touched into a play bow, excitement coming over him and he darted off a few steps along the border. Of course they couldn't keep going along the border at that pace, but it would be a fun start.

The glorious moment where you can use a computer again (even if its a sad work pc).... Sorry for the length LOL.

A moment passed where Sobek was doubtful of the other boy; this ended when Rowan agreed and then, watching as he thrust himself in to an invitational bow before jaunting off in another direction, Sobek moved in a flurry of steps to keep up. He did not know what to expect from this game but it didn't really matter, not for Sobek's quest. He watched the way that Rowan moved and tried to mimic him, letting his rudder of a tail flick with a happy momentum; the softened tophography of the mire soon fell behind them as they drifted closer to the edge of the territory.

There were clouds of tiny flies hovering above puddles of muddy water despite the season, a thin quality to the air where the trees left sections exposed, and as Sobek journeyed with Rowan he took notice of these tiny things; insignificant as they appeared, he could not help but cement the mood of his surroundings in to his memory. It was in direct opposition to how he felt inside himself: dreary, uninviting, slick and wet and exposed. He wasn't sure he liked the look of the place, nor the vaguely threatening vibe he felt from the far-off slices of faded blue which were the mountains. He paused a moment to stare at the shapes they made (noticing that they were like blotted, transitioning blues but not relating them to mountains in any way) and wondered if their game would go that far.

Then he turned to look at Rowan, picking up his pace so that he was at least aligned shoulder-to-hip with the other boy. He wondered where they were going, and what they would be doing.

Do you do this by yourself a lot? He asked, although immediately after his ears fluttered back and forth, remembering he had promised not to get in the way; questions weren't harmful, he thought. Sobek wanted to learn. This is far from where everyone else is, he added vaguely, referencing the distance from the rendezvous site to the fringe of the territory where they were now; he felt suddenly very aware of how spread out Blackfeather Woods really was. As he opened his mouth to say more, something crackled in the woods and a raven took flight, honking a few times, and the sound slowly dwindled with the bird's shifting position overhead. Sobek turned to stare at the dark blot but was looking to Rowan next, anticipating a reaction which he would also mirror.

The mire was dampening. The weather was getting cold. Did it get colder? Probably. Was there more white rain? Probably. The seasons and the environment would be something he'd learn with age. 
His pace calmed back to a walk, the burst of jot passing out into a soft hum that allowed him to continue the patrol with more light in his eyes with all the same caution.

A question came to him and he nodded. 
"Yes. Jakoul thinks I should have an adult with me but they're always busy." He knew even when she said that someone should be with him, there wouldn't be. He'd either slip away or just plain get away with it. Sometimes, it may be valuable to have a mentor and he'd seek one out. But mostly alone. 
He thought it strange Sobek would mention that they were far from the rendezvous site.
"I guess," he shrugged. It never bothered him when Stone and Void were with him.
Speaking of which, one now flew up with alarm from within the woods.
He stopped, staring hard at the bushes and trees, ears pressed forward and tail curled. Surely nothing from inside would hurt them. Not unless it got in before they came.
He took a few steps forward, ready to protect Sobek. He was pack and, although likely to be able to defend himself, Rowan was a guardian and found it upon himself he should protect the pack.
 

Sobek did not like it when his siblings broke the rules; he considered every child within the woods to be a brother or a sister, not understanding the differences between them and the blood that they shared or did not share. Hearing his new companion's explanation was intriguing to him, but soon enough his ears flipped back upon his head and he was giving furtive looks around the mire, concerned that they might be caught doing something they ought not to be—but Sobek also trusted in the woods, in the ravens that Rowan found equal comfort in, and in the trust he held for the adults. They might not see them patrolling on their own routes, but Sobek believed someone was always watching. He did not fully subscribe to the concept of the daedra though, and never once did his mind land upon that as an option; the spirits were things his mother spoke of, but without physical proof, without some aspect of reality to prove to Sobek that another, otherwordly force might exist, he did not entertain the thought.

The boy kept up with Rowan as best he could but found himself lagging behind a half-step or so, keeping an eye on the woods with a little more interest now that he knew they were doing something bad, or at the very least, dangerous. Sobek did not know that there were real dangers outside of the forest and was innocent when it came to other packs, and other creatures. So when there came a flourish of wings overhead, some strangled calls of alarm by one of the remaining birds, he stopped and stared at Rowan as if saying, what is happening? It was at this point the other boy pushed ahead of Sobek, shielding him from something just beyond—and the child's body scythed as he cowered, feeling a mixture of fear and elation at this unexpected change to their shared patrol.

Well, did a roll and look what appears, a coyote!

 

His fur bristled, leaning forward with a snarl. The bushes replied with one of their own.
His eyes widened in shock, for whatever was there wasn't going to be friendly; certainly not now. 
Fear started to run through him as a head emerged, thin and sharp with a snarl fixed on its face. Rowan barked at the wolf-like creature, alerting anyone nearby and to try and make it think twice about attacking.

He started to move, knowing Sobek was taking shelter behind him, turning further along the border to try and flank the beast and give then pair of pups passage back into the woods -- to safety.
He remembered he needed to protect himself, but the coyote was tall. Surely there wasn't a chance it would gain access to his neck. His chin lifted slightly, priming himself to launch upwards and attach the face of his opponent. Still, he growled and prayed that Sobek wouldn't take flight. If he did, the coyote might attack. 

Rolling to see what happens with Sobble here: ( 12 )
Edit complete.

Rowan was being brave, acting very much like a warrior ahead of themselves in years, while Sobek remained pitifully ill-equipped for what came next. The bushes shook and roared in their own regard, the sound dissonant, not unlike a child's whine but much louder, piercing the air and making the boy cower further; his eyes went wide with shock and awe when the leggy thief made himself known, the coyote rounding upon the pair of children. He saw the feral glint of hunger in the creature's eyes and suddenly his fear was gone, replaced by some level of intrigue. The child was curious; he was more interested in the study of this strange wolf-like cousin than afraid, which would help in the long run. Rowan pivoted and Sobek followed after him, but lagged a little bit behind yet again, wanting to get closer while the coyote was fixated on his friend.

He was so enamored by the stilted creature before him, with their mouth agape and big eyes shining bright, that he wasn't paying attention to how the coyote was moving; the beast was watching Rowan, but that did not mean their attention was locked upon the boy. In fact, the more the coyote herded around the pair the more it took notice of Sobek's innocent staring, and took full advantage; with one lunge it was between the boys, snapping aggressively for Sobek with the intent to grab the boy, maim him, steal him away as an easy meal—to which Sobek fell defenseless, savaged by a few well placed, practiced hits.

The blows caught him across the snout and the small boy ducked, rolled, tried to scramble away—and that was when the coyote grabbed after Sobek's retreating hind, plucking mouthfuls of fur from the child's bony hip and scoring them with teeth. Sobek shrieked as the feeling spread through him; he kicked at the face of the coyote and tumbled towards the dark of the woods, forgetting about Rowan for a moment, forgetting that somewhere the adults must be lurking, and running for a dark corner where he could hide from the incessant, hungry beast.

His eyes watched the hunger within the others. His body didn't sense where Sobek was and dared a look at the path he'd just taken; there he was. Staring, frozen still.
He needed to get between them. Too late.

The coyote lunged forward and separated them, his path was blocked and he bumped in the stilted leg of the now-assalint. He tried to spot Sobek but couldn't in the flurry of fur, snarling and then shrieking. 
He lunged and bit into the coyote's stomach, his sharp teeth cutting into the soft flesh he knew would hurt. He bit hard as he could. 
A leg flew up and kicked him in the side, but still, he clung on, his back legs still on the floor. He had to do more. He pulled, hoping to find purchase for his front legs to pull harder.

Blood spurted into his mouth, surprising him as he'd not before bitten into a major blood vessel. His tongue lapped forward instinctively because in his mind the taste meant food. 
His head shook roughly, trying to cause more pain.
Being dragged about underneath a coyote, he didn't know what was really going on apart from the noises and the panicked hicks from his now-prey.

When the other boy dove face-first to the rescue, the coyote had been too intent upon his first target and too distracted, falling victim to a well placed strike to the belly. Surprised by the violent reaction of the child, it turns away from Sobek and scrambles to defend its soft underside; but it is already too late, by a stroke of luck on Rowan's part the child has grabbed and ripped a vein, spraying the earth with a fine mist of red. The coyote doesn't stop; it feels the pain but it knows to keep going regardless, and counters the flailing attacks of the young wolf with a frenzy of its own.

Meanwhile, Sobek is bleeding. The feeling of teeth grabbing at him is gone and he is in shock, his adrenaline curbing the pain of the lacerations left by the coyote. He notices things in glimpses; almost like stop motion, with each movement stuck to one frame. The coyote has left him behind—he turns to face its retreating shape—he sees Rowan, beneath. Then there is blood, and Sobek is moving in to the spray. Something in him has shifted. He is no warrior but his instincts drive him towards the coyote in defense of his friend, and he snaps his snaggle toothed grin at any piece of the pest that he can grab. The coyote is bigger than them both, but it is bleeding, and its wound is worse than the superficial mess that has become of Sobek.

The boy is silent as he strikes, biting, pulling, shaking, doing all that he can to dishevel the coyote or force it off its feet and away from Rowan.

The coyote knew it was badly hurt. A flash and Rowan saw a blood-soaked Sobek leaping for it, teeth bared. So there was a warrior within the other. 
Whatever blows Sobek had landed must've made the coyote think twice because, before long, it was running from the shaded woodland into the surrounding plains.
Rowan let go and whatever staunching his jaws had done was now let free. For a moment, he was caught under the fleeing animal and sprayed with its blood.

He rolled a few times, coving in glass and some drifted leaves and pine needles from the woods.
He lay on the ground for a moment before remembering. Sobek.
It had all happened too fast. He got up, not too worse for wear, rushing back to where his packmate was. Blood had stained his milky markings red, painted his face a warriors mask.

"Hey! Hey are you... ok..?"
His voice fell away, seeing the torn flesh, the blood. He panted, quickly nosing closer to find if there was anything he could do. Would he die? If he did then Rowan was the worst. 

When the coyote finally decided the effort was not worth the risk, it fled. Sobek felt his teeth close on open air a few times as he jostled to do more harm, and after the third or fourth empty snap he opened his eyes and spied the retreating figure. He was ignorant to the mess across his body; gradually he became aware of the ache in his haunches from where the creature had pulled at his fur, and arched, straining to get a better look. Clumps of his fur had been pulled out at the root and some of the flesh torn. It stung when the air touched it. He tried to reach for his hip by compacting himself, but it didn't help matters, and so he stopped and unfurled against the forest floor.

Hey! Hey are you.. okay..? Rowan called to him, and soon was inspecting his wounds. Sobek didn't have an answer. He wasn't sure how he felt in the moment, except he knew he was tired and he was a little bit light-headed. The terror of the moment had come and gone but it had been thrilling; he was most likely in shock from the battle, and wouldn't understand how dangerously close the pair had come to death until much later on. His haunches felt stiff the longer he sat there, and when he tried to test his legs by standing, Sobek felt a stabbing broken-glass sort of pain shooting in to his hips.

It bit me a lot, he says in his mechanical way. But it didn't get me. You—you were awesome!

It was a mess. It looked like a pup had exploded on the floor, in all honesty. Some of his coat had been pulled out where the coyote kicked him but not in chunks -- just a scattering.
He didn't look ok. Really not ok. Still, no one had come. That's clearly why he was doing a patrol without an adult; they were worried about the tremors.

He tipped his head back and called for @Moonshadow and @Jakoul, since she was the one who spoke about patrols and surely wasn't as busy as @Maegi. What the fuck could they do.
"Come on, we need to find help." He'd have to move anyway. He stood beside Sobek, ready to help him or catch him should he fall. Surely it hurt immensely. He didn't care what he did, he was fine. He cared about Sobek right now.

The howl of her pup caught her ears and she ran over. The metallic stench of blood flooded her nose and the air and Moonshadow began to panic as she came across the two pups; one hers and one Maegi's. She had been too far away at the time to hear them fighting the coyote but luckily she was close enough to hear her pups howl for help. "What happened." She saw Sobek and he was evidently injured and soon she would go get burns and essentials to patch him up. She immediately looked over her son inspecting him for any damage also. "Are you injured as well?" She asked as she nosed around in his fur searching for anything but found nothing but the blood of another animal.

He didn't feel right. Beyond the pain in his rear-end, Sobek was beginning to feel dizzy and dulled by the blood loss. His wounds had begun to coagulate though, which was a good sign; they weren't bad enough to require intensive care and would scab over in the coming days. But he did ache, and he wanted to be on his feet, and he wanted—well, none of that mattered. He tried to stand up and wobbled, then fell back down.

Around his second attempt to get up on his feet, he heard the rustling of movement in the forest and tensed, losing his balance almost immediately; his mind told him, the coyote has come back for you! And yet there was no terror in his eyes, no fear. He looked to Rowan in a lethargic manner, like he had just woken up from a nap—and then, out of the dark came Moonshadow. He recognized her as the woman who told him about the stars.

Her body moved in close to Rowan and she looked him over first, and when she came to Sobek he murmured something unintelligible—and then tried a third time to get to his paws, feeling his limbs shake. There was a coyote! Rowan hurt it. He said, beaming a crooked, dopey smile at the mother-son pair as if nothing went wrong at all.

He nudged Sobek again, trying to encourage him to stand. H knew it was hard -- it looked hard. His Mother came, moving to him first. He brushed off her concerns with a small lick o her cheek, "Sobek needs help." 

He seemed to be getting worse, his movements had less control. He hoped Moonshadow could help him. He was just glad they hadn't succumbed like his brother. The coyote was obviously taking a chance with the food shortage and trying to pry something from a cache; then thought a pup would make a better meal. His fur prickled up again, shivers of either fear or horror  -- perhaps shock -- of what had happened running down his spine. He turned back to see if he could spot the retreating thief, but could not.
Good.
At least he stopped a packmate becoming food. Imagine if he'd not been patrolling...If Sobek had wandered around alone. His eyes started impassively into space.
Time and again, disaster stuck him and his Family and now it was spreading. Maybe Hela was right. He should leave...

After looking over her son, the mother went to the next young boy who seemed to be in worse shape then when she had first arrived. She gave a small chuckle to what he had said. "That's all fine and dandy but where are you hurt, other than the obvious wounds. She would run to go get some comfrey to put over the wound so there was no infection but he didn't look that bad; in her opinion he was simply winding down from an adrenaline rush.

The woman asked after his wounds, and Sobek finally began to feel the burning sensation of pain along his lower back. It was mostly concentrated to his hips and the areas where the coyote had pulled his fur free of the skin, evidently tearing a few layers of flesh off as well, leaving gaping red sections where it had been trying to hoist him up. There were a few tears where teeth had hooked in to him; these were still bubbling blood, and the red stain was so close to his natural pelt tone that it would be hard to discern placement. But Sobek could feel it, his legs shuddering under the strain of sore muscles being utilized, and he staggered out from the dark, in to a shaft of light that could reveal more.

His steps left streaks of red behind. The blood was flowing out of the wounds on his hips and down the exterior of his legs, matting the leaf-litter with sticky red. He leans against Rowan as he says, I'm.. I'm shaking, and I wanna nap...? With a curious lilt to his voice, a questioning tone. Sobek had slept well the night before and even with the terrors of the coyote attack, he had felt awake up until that moment. He did not understand the dangers of blood loss, nor the sensation of weakness that was growing within him. At least from where he was standing Moonshadow would get a better view of his injuries: superficial tears and missing fur for the most part, with a few dangerously placed, deep cuts to his lower back.

I'm gonna close this up <3

He quivered with the shock and worry. How could this even happen. Why?
Why?
He nudged his friend again then looked to his Mother, awaiting instruction.
He followed her commands, hoping he did everything right. Bringing her supplies so she could mend Sobek. So soon. ?So soon this would be futile, and the Daedra would snuff out another candle in the woods.

Soon, they could retreat fully into the woods and provide Sobek with what he really needed, and tell Maegi. All this destruction hurt the young boy. Soon, the death toll would rise.
And all he knew would be ripped out from under him.