Dragoncrest Cliffs i'm not doing that, you ghoul.

Tag for reference mama :) C'mere @Tux!

Artaax didn't care much about his young siblings. He thought of them only in terms of how often they stole his parent's (Thur's really... sry Wiffle) attention from him, which was irritatingly often. When he came by the tree where the pups were kept that day, it was only with the intention of finding Thuringwethil to ask after if there were any duties she wished for him to fulfill. He wanted to make himself useful and after rounding the borders twice that morning, hunting down a fresh seagull on the coast, and double checking that every cache was still full and untouched by any but Dragedakru, he was ready for a new challenge.

It was quickly apparent to him that this was not where he was to find heda that evening. Only @Wildfire and the squeakers. He dropped the gull before his mother and gave her an affectionate nudge on the chin in greeting. He saw no immediate reason to stay once the gift had been deposited though, and so he stepped right back out of the den, fully intending to leave and continue his search.

Spoilers: he was going to get stopped.

There were very few interesting things that were happening inside the den anymore.  Day in and day out, he played with his siblings, ate, slept, and shat.  And that was really about it.  The second something interesting happened he was all over it but those times were few and far between.

Lucky for Tux and unluckily for Artaax, Big Brother was shuffled off into 'interesting' category.  On wobbly legs he took off after the white-furred Hompleia, crying out HAAAAAAAAAAY!!

Artaax wasn't certain why he stopped, in retrospect. The squeakers were always making noises - some soft, some sad, some loud, some grumpy as fuck, and every one of them irritating. Perhaps it was because this was the first sound he'd heard come from one that sounded something like a word. And actually, we'll go with that because that makes the most sense. He paused as he exited the den and turned to give a thoughtful frown down to the ball of black and white that had shouted at him while bounding after him on apparently untrustworthy legs.

Somewhere in his mind, it occurred to him for the very first time that this creature was his brother. He studied the beast, looking for features he recognized. Being Artaax, he saw only fur color - black for Thur and white for himself. Maybe that was another reason he chose to turn fully to face the small wolf, and also why we should actually be glad that he knows absolutely nothing about reproduction or genetics because this thing was obviously not created by either Thuringwethil or himself. But in any event, he did turn, and he leaned forward to sniff at its face with the first glimmer of interest he had ever before shown in his younger siblings.

W H O A.

Little Tux was #shook.  You mean if he screamed and made noises, that means people would pay attention to him?  Well, sign me up!  Penguin Boy loves attention!!!

Bubububbbb! he yelled, completely unaware that "bub" meant "brother" but [insert shrug emoji].  He toddled towards Artaax on his feeble little legs, and barreled headfirst into one of his brother's forelimbs.

The small creature came barrelling at him with about as much gusto as Artaax figured he was capable of. He watched the boy with an assessing eye (read: judgmental af), taking note of his clumsiness and tiny stature, the squeakiness of his high-pitched and not at all masculine voice, and the shortness of his tail. The hompleia frowned, displeased by what he saw, but intrigued by what he heard. Had this thing learned a word already? Maybe there was some hope for it...

Gently (kind of), Artaax lifted a paw from the ground and reached for the child. His ankle connected lightly with the boy's chest and he proceeded to push the thing away. It was not meant to be an aggressive move, but more of a test to see what he would do. Anyone watching would likely think he was trying to shove his pesky little brother away based on the movement and the unimpressed expression upon his face, but anyone who knew Artaax at all would know that this was some real engagement on his part. If he wasn't so intrigued, he would've just turned and walked away, though that may very well have been preferable to the gentle bullying.

He pushed against his older brother's forepaw with all of his might, using his newly-formed sharp ass milk teeth to nibble at one of the soft toe-beans.  The child let out another squall, teddy bear ears flicked forward as his entire hind end wagged behind him.

The pup didn't give in, in spite of being brushed away so effortlessly. He came at Artaax with just as much gusto and fervor, even though it had just been proven to him that he was completely inconsequential to his foe. Artaax lifted his chin as he considered his tiny brother, frowning thoughtfully as he attempted to analyze the boy's actions. He was inclined to believe that this was an admirable testament to his sibling's tenacity. But he was also inclined to think that his brother was just a dumb piece of crap.

He supposed he might be able to work with either.

Artaax leaned down as Tux nibbled at his toes and grabbed him gently around his neck. He reached forward and tossed the kid gently away from him, stepping back as he leaned into a more comfortable posture, and dipping into a fighter's bow. He frowned intently at the pup for a moment before lunging forward quite suddenly. His hackles shot skyward as he leapt, an angry roar billowing loudly from his chest as his lips peeled dramatically backwards and he snapped viciously in the pup's face. It was an aggressive, dominant, and almost violent display but for the fact that he took great care not to touch his brother in any way. He wanted only to see what reaction he garnered from his "attack". And he would judge the child for the rest of its life on what he saw now, so no pressure.

hoh my god

lucky for tux, he didn't really know what danger was yet, considering in just a few days he'd go running after a bear.  unfortunately for artaax, he was probably a dumb piece of crap.  perhaps any pup who valued his skin would have backed down, but instead tux picked himself up off the ground and made this face >(

before standing his ground, feet rooted firmly to the ground.  he fooled himself that this was how he and silkie played, only.... this guy was much, much bigger.

The pup didn't flinch at his display. Artaax stopped short of making any contact and froze, staring daggers down at the little boy who just glared straight back. On some level, he was pleased by this. But on another, the boy's lack of respect was deeply insulting. The white lion inched closer, the growl rumbling still from his chest as he snapped his teeth an inch or so from the boy's face. Courage was one thing, but courage without intelligence was just foolish stupidity. He had no desire for that in one of his blood either. Bobby and Blixen had enough of that for all... However many of them there were. Artaax couldn't remember.

the noise of artaax's gnashing fangs was enough to startle tux back into compliance.  he was still too young and wobbly to really understand the hompleia's rank, but soon enough he would learn through lessons like this.  

he fell back onto his rear and blinked up at his brother, ears flicked back on his skull.  did he do something wrong?  he tilted his head and bububed again.

That did the trick. The boy backed down then, giving his brother an expression of anxiety and confusion. The Artaax version of a smile passed across his face as he stood back and his features relaxed. It seemed he had forgotten that he'd appreciated his brother's unflinching ferocity seeing as he only now showed any approval of the boy's actions. Oops.

Artaax backed away a bit more then. Seeing as he was really mastering mixed signals that day, he decided to continue the streak by dropping onto his elbows in an inviting play bow. He chuffed lightly at the boy in an attempt to beckon him forward. He clearly didn't stand a chance again his elder brother, but Artaax had never seen such a thing as a reason to hold back, so why should his sibling.

Hahahaha, Tux's little baby body was kind of useless at that kind of thing.  He mimicked his brother's play-bow with an exaggerated tilt of his head before his fat body kind of did something like this and his back feet suddenly tipped back over his head.  

He let out an "oof" of surprise before he resituated himself correctly (if not a bit wobbly) and made a playful bound towards Artaax.