Dragoncrest Cliffs remember, dogs are not allowed in the dog park

The sky is alight in colors he does not see often. A watercolor panorama of oranges, purples, and pinks, mixing together to meet the sea and Sirio squints against the sun. He’s grown bored living further north away from the sea. His possibilities are limited out on his own but something draws him back to the coast, the familiar cliffs a sight to see in the distance. The sun beats off their stony surface and he inhales the cold, salty air for the first time in weeks.

He moves slowly, following along the line of trees the guard the cliffs. The redwood giants stand between him and his mother and he begins to weave his svelte form between the trees, dancing along the border of a home he no longer calls his. But Portia is here, her scent upon the wind, and he will reunite one way or the other. He licks his lips, hangs his head low, and begins to move further among the redwoods, testing the boundaries set up around.

Something was up with his mother, and it was really beginning to bother Artaax. He prowled the borders of the territory, agitated and curious as to what was going on. Wildfire had been moved away from the rest of the pack, and he hadn't attempted to visit her yet. It felt as though he'd be unwelcome, and it bugged him. All of it bugged him in ways and for reasons he couldn't understand - not that he really attempted to at all. He didn't need to understand to know he was frustrated, and he didn't need to know why he was frustrated to find some release for it. He originally thought that would be hunting, but as his wayward cousin crossed his path, he considered something else...

Artaax prowled towards the familiar wolf with hackles prickling along his spine and lips peeled back from his teeth. He moved to cut the boy off, his posture shifting from crouched, silent hunter, to tall, dominant guardian. Sirio may be family, but he was not Dragedakru anymore. The weakling had abandoned them, and that made him a trespasser on their lands regardless of his blood. He glared at the boy, saying nothing, but asking for an explanation nonetheless.

the sibs deserve to have a good time together for once

like artaax, blixen is aware of something weird about mother. the overheated thing that she still doesn't understand, though unlike artaax, she's not particularly bothered by the situation. if mother was ill or something they'd tell them, so it's gotta be something else and she's got more important fish to fry.

like figuring out what the hell sirio is up to right now. the gona's come from the other side, not realising artaax is already on the scene, her eyes narrowed as she tracks her cousin. then artaax comes into view, blocking the boy from trespassing further. determined not to let him steal the 'dealing with trespassers' thunder again she steps forward into view, glancing at artaax briefly before turning her gaze sharp on sirio, waiting for him to answer artaax's silent question.

when they work together, they actually make a pretty menancing pair. 

It doesn’t take long for someone to find him. He remembers the boring routines and expectations. The wind blows away from the sea and he captures the fresh scent of his brother. A sneer forms on his features and he turns. Silent steps do not give him indication of the exact location but the smear of white against red bark pulls his attention toward Artaax. The tall, proud-of-himself wolf stands before him and the glare of teeth only briefly catch his eye.

Sirio smirks, slowing to a stop now that a wall separates him and his goal.

“Oh, brother,” he says, licking his lips. Deep eyes catch the bi-color eyes, matching opposite of his father. It doesn’t seem fair the other boy looks more like his father than he does, regardless they come from the same fruits, but it doesn’t matter. “You are in my way,” he comments, glancing over as Blixen steps up and pairs with her brother. He only gives her a lazy glance and holding it for just slightly too long, before returning back to the boy.

i love their idea of a good time

Sirio stopped at his interception, looking at him with an expression he'd never seen upon the boy's face before. He remembered his cousin as being sheepish, sickly and weak. Soft. Pathetic. This boy was... different. More assured, but shifty and awkward and sneering. He gazed thoughtfully at him, taking in his demeanor with curiosity and annoyance. Where had he been? What had happened to mold him from what he was to what he is?

When his sister arrived, Artaax greeted her with a sidelong glance and a slight raise of his brows. There were many things about her that he didn't approve of, but not a single thing that he didn't inspire deep affection. He was glad to have her company, though he'd had no qualms in facing his weakling cousin alone. Looking again at Sirio, he listened to the words that slipped from his lips and wondered at the strangeness of them even more. Were they not so belligerent, he may have been concerned that the boy's health was in jeopardy somehow. But since they were... He didn't really give any of the fucks.

"Strange. I don't think that I care," Artaax replied flatly, his eyes narrowing deeper and a growl coming into his not often used voice, "What are you doing here? You are not dragedakru. You are not welcome."

she'd known sirio was a weirdo -- he'd always made her a little uncomfortable, truthfully -- but this was some next level shit. though she'd always taken him for a bit of a coward, it seems the weak parts of him have sharpened into something potentially dangerous away from drageda's arms. 

blixen snorts, still letting artaax take the lead as she slowly begins to circle around sirio. as her brother finishes speaking, she pauses at his side. "turn around and leave," she says, her voice harsh. the underlying threat is clear: this is his chance to leave unscathed before the situation escalates.

Sirio snorts when Artaax decides he doesn’t care but he doesn’t move. Blixen reinforces the situation, moving slowly away from her littermate and off to the side. He follows only with his peripheral while the pale boy shuns him. Licking his lips, he shifts a little so that he is still between the siblings, putting a little more space between them but avoiding leaving his side vulnerable. “My mother is here,” he decides, feigning shock. When he licks his lips, he theatrically shows his teeth in challenge of Blixen’s command. “Of course I’m welcome.”

Artaax kept his eyes on Sirio as Blixen began to move. His cousin didn't seem to take their threats seriously at first, but after a moment, he moved defensively and flashed his teeth at them. He said nothing in response to his comment about Portia, mostly because I have no idea what's going on with that, but also because Artaax was not one to spend too much time trying to convince someone with his words to do what he said. He was more a man of action.

A single lash of his tail was the only cue he gave to Blixen of what he did next. He sprang in the next second, throwing himself towards Sirio with gaping jaws and intentions set on grabbing him by the scruff. Considering they were family, Artaax had no real desire to kill him. He wanted only to drive him away from their territory. He had abandoned them. He was no longer pack. And part of Artaax was very suspicious that somehow, for some reason, he was no longer really Sirio at all.

if she were a kinder, more patient girl, she might stop to worry what'd gotten into the branwoda. his behavior is... beyond the pale, weird in a way that might make one think something's wrong with him. but she's not particularly kind, nor is she patient.

a growl bursts from her throat, but artaax is a step ahead of her -- she watches the blur of his bulky form spring forward and follows a split-second later, nipping low at his heels through bared teeth to help drive him away. any goodwill blixen might have extended toward him is expended with his actions. sirio has proven himself to be just a weird creep and nothing more, and there's no room for him in drageda as far as she's concerned, blood or not.

Artaax moves with a speed Sirio does not expect and immediately hits the ground when the larger boy makes contact. He scrambles to get back to his feet but between Blixen’s nipping teeth at his legs and Artaax shadowing over him, he struggles to loose himself free. Teeth snap upward toward the pale boy, hoping to latch on to something that gives him enough force to shove back. If even the chance, he squirms away to stumble back to his face.

Sirio went down easily, which was not surprising to Artaax. The hompleia was large and skilled, his cousin was small, weak, and woefully outmatched. Blixen was quick at his side, worrying the boy's legs as he struggled to stand. Artaax hovered over him, snarling savagely in his face for a moment before he pulled away to avoid the other boy's own snapping jaws. He stepped away for only a moment though before shoving hard into the boy's side, aiming to push him away as a reminder that his only hope here was to get the fuck out. Artaax did not want to injure him still, but he was ready to do so to further enforce the command that both he and Blixen had given.

adrenaline, that sweet rush of power floods her as they overwhelm sirio. he's not exactly a challenging match especially with artaax's sheer brute force and blixen's more refined fighting skill combined. she sees her cousin's teeth snap for artaax, failing to connect, and annoyed she releases a harsh growl before moving to try and sink her teeth into his scruff as artaax pushes against his side, with the aim of literally tugging sirio in the direction of the pack borders the way one would drag a naughty child by the ear to his room.

He’s given enough of a chance to move back when Artaax does but he’s only halfway to his feet when he’s met with another body check back to the ground. Blixen isn’t far behind him, grabbing him by the scruff while his guard is down. Is this it? Pinned between two war-trained children, killing their half-brother?

Ears slip back against his head as the redhead tugs on him, dragging him against the dirt and snow and smearing into his fur. Sirio snarls back at the girl, scrambling up to his feet when he’s had a chance to reassess the situation. He jerks away, feeling skin tear from Blixen’s teeth, and he glares hard at her during the shuffle. With lips peeled back, he looks between them a moment longer before taking the chance to turn tail and run.

Blixen did the rest of the work for him, pulling the boy as Artaax pushed. When Sirio tore free, Artaax did not reach to reclaim hold and growled low to his sister to stay her as well. His cousin glared at them, looking sufficiently beaten. It looked to him as though their point had been made, and that was proven when a moment later, the boy began to run for the borders. Not one to leave a job half finished, Artaax took off immediately to follow, dogging his steps to make absolutely certain the weasel left for good.

it works -- she feels sirio tear out of her teeth, snapping her jaws together with a loud click, and then he's taking off. her mouth is already chasing him when artaax's growl stays her just long enough to let him make his run for the borders; when artaax takes off she is right beside him, snarling (with more than a little bit of glee, to be honest). mixed in with her irritation at sirio's disrespect is a fair amount of joy in the chase, in the act of aggression -- the same rush of adrenaline-fueled pride and cheer that happened during the fight with the grim boys. she's a happy scrappy camper.