Noctisardor Bypass And the thunder rolls

The girl had figured something out, she did not like all this rain. Color changing eyes glared up at the constantly churning sky with a blistering hate that one might think the could would burst into flames but, sadly, they didn't. With a stamp of her rather small paw she moved away from the comfort of an over hang found rather close to her home, the feeling of this wet falling from the sky only made a childish growl rumble in her chest.

Ugh, why did it keep raining!? Didn't it understand she wanted it to go away? A crack of thunder caused her to jump slightly, and this set her off. With a hateful look at the clouds she growled louder before proceeding to bark at the offending water and loud thunder.

Returning from a quick patrol (which turned up nothing), Kaertok arrived to find Atuaserk huddling under an overhang, barking at the sky. She was a good month and a half now, and Kaertok thought it time she come on a quick trip. Not far, mind you, but it would be good for her to learn, just as it would be good for her siblings to learn, how to be on her own. For now, this would involve a guardian at all times, but as she grew older, she would be granted more freedom.

Come, Kaertok said. It was not a question or an invitation, but a command meant to be followed.

She spent a lot of time observing the rain, a little more time experiencing it, before deciding how she felt about it: Grub loved it. Although it sometimes gave her a chill, she enjoyed being wet. She found the soft susurrus of it soothing. Even the constantly overcast skies and foggy conditions appealed to her. Grub felt like a phantom whenever she moved through the mists around the den, trying her best to blend into them.

Here came the perfect opportunity to put this skill to the test. While the rain fell and the miasma swirled, Grub watched her father and sister come together near an overhang. Her sister's unhappy howl made the pale pup cock her head wonderingly. Perhaps Beetle didn't like the thunder and lightning. Grub didn't mind the noise, though the bursts of bright light were harsh on her eyes.

But she kept them peeled as she crouched low to the ground, trying to go unseen. Whenever they started moving, Grub intended to stealthily tail them and see how long she could stalk them unnoticed.

@Beetle I hope this PP is okay!

Atuaserk had stopped howling upon his arrival, but she didn't look particularly pleased about moving from the overhang. I said come, he repeated, his voice sharper and deeper this time. She may have been young, but she was no longer an infant. She had to learn to deal with the weather, no matter what it was like on any given day. Atuaserk hesitated again, and Kaertok was this close to grabbing her by the scruff, but she finally inched forward into the rain. It was clear that she wasn't happy about it, but she would have to learn to deal.

The weather does not care what you like or do not like. We must always be willing to work, no matter what the sky throws at us, he explained as they began walking away from the overhang. When you are older, you will be tasked with walking our borders and keeping out intruders. Today, we will walk just a little bit. You are too young and soft to do anything else. He didn't care whether or not she could understand every word. Kaertok would continue to repeat such sentiments as the days and weeks went on, and sooner or later, all three of his children would learn what it was to be Tartok.

There was a delay of some kind. Grub stayed very still and watchful. She couldn't quite pick up on Kaertok's words over the sound of the rain, though she read agitation in his body language and tone. And when her sister emerged, her entire demeanor screamed pouting! Grub didn't feel any particular way about these observations, it was all just an automatic part of reading her prey.

From a purely practical, tactical standpoint, Beetle made the most sensible target. She was smaller, slower and weaker than Kaertok. But Grub was compelled by the challenge he presented. Her litter mate would be too easy. And though Grub didn't actually intend to eat her father in the incredibly unlikely event she felled him, he was technically meatier.

They didn't move swiftly whatsoever, so it wasn't long before the creeping Grub closed the distance. When still a few yards back, she made a snap decision to discard stealth mode and pounced, her tiny teeth aiming for the tip of her father's switching tail.

When something pounced on his tail, Kaertok's teeth flashed and he whirled around to grab the offender by her scruff. It was Malrok, undeniably his favorite of the three children, but that did not mean he would let her off easy. He forced her to the ground, pinning her there as he waited for her to stop squirming. If she wanted to get better, she had to know what it was like to lose. He had been through this when he was a child, and it had made him into what he was now. Strong, resilient, and most importantly: alive.

Malrok stopped squirming, and Kaertok released her before turning to Atuaserk. Even if they catch you off-guard, you can still have the upper hand if they misjudge your abilities; they often will. He turned his attention back to Malrok. So, why did you lose? he asked.

She found herself abruptly pinned to the ground. Another child might have screamed, yet she still had yet to utter much of a sound. She did grunt and try to squirm free, yet Kaertok held her relentlessly until she grew still. She peered up at him, ears practically pasted to her skull, and quickly righted herself when he finally released her.

He spoke to her, Beetle too, and Grub huffed quietly. She listened, slicked ears blooming forward when her father questioned her directly. She considered his question. Even if she had known, would she have said so? In any case, Grub just shook her head and looked to him, thirsty for knowledge and eager to learn.

Malrok was silent, shaking her head. I handed you the answer, and you still cannot tell me? he asked, shaking his head with disappointment. You misjudged me. You thought that catching me off-guard would be enough. Never attack an opponent if you do not expect to win, or you may find yourself dead. While he knew that sparring could be useful at times, he wanted his children to know how to survive for real before they bothered with the finer details of fighting. That would come later. For now, survival was key.

Sometimes, we must flee an opponent who we stand no chance against. It is better to be alive than to take on something to boost your ego. Save your own ass, was the common theme around these talks. Come along with Atuaserk and me. We will do a small walk and you will learn how to find our way back home, even when it is raining. This is the part where, if he'd had opposable thumbs, Kaertok would have blindfolded them and made them wear earplugs. Thank goodness he didn't have that advantage.

He led them away from the den, making a few turns here and there as he went.

She blinked at the disappointment in his voice. Now might be a good time to find her own voice, yet Grub remained mum as always. She listened astutely to everything Kaertok said to her, slowly comprehending that he was speaking of fighting, not hunting. Grub immediately accepted that everything he said still applied. Certainly, there was prey out there that could best her. Not everything she hunted would be a harmless bunny rabbit.

When instructed to follow along, Grub did not make a reply but easily fell into step with the two of them, her footfalls soft and soundless on the soaking wet ground. She already knew about tracking and she took silent delight in the challenge. If any part of her realized her father was underwhelmed by herself and her siblings and testing them partly out of pique, it did not play much of a role in her own take on the matter. She would take any chance she could get to hone her skills. Complex thoughts and feelings need not apply.

The ivory male that matched her sister came, demanding her to come with him. Maybe she did not want to leave the comfort of her rock, maybe she waa fine where she was! Her eyes gravitated to her ghostly sister before returning when a command came, oh, no way! Her teeth were revealed at the tone in his voice, she waa a royal and he dared to treat her like this? with a stop of her paw she finally drug herself oh from under her shelter, a pout showing her thought one this. 

Next was a lesson, one her sister failed spspectacular at because hunting was always on her mind not the will of a fighter. Her silence frustrated their father but she did not offer any words to him either, instead she followed him like he told them to. Again she was not too happy with these orders.

The two followed him as told (though Atuaserk once again showed resistance). She would have to get over that soon. Kaertok would find a way to teach her not to be so insolent to his orders. Even though she refused to speak, at least Malrok was obedient and did not push back against him.

Now that they were a ways away from the den, Kaertok stopped and turned to face them. Now, you two lead me home. It was a simple exercise. All they needed to do was retrace their steps. He had not made it easy with his winding path, but few things in this life were easy.

Most of her focus remained on Kaertok. She wasn't eager to take orders, per se, but she was on alert for them and prepared to obey. When he stopped and instructed the two small girls to lead him home, Grub quietly thrilled at the challenge. Her eyes skirted over to Beetle. She bumped her sister's snout with her own, then with a wave of her tail, spun and dropped her muzzle toward the wet earth.

The scents were amplified by the rain, so it was easy enough. Grub kept her head lowered even as she slowly wended back in the direction they had come. Several times, she paused to double check the trail or investigate a paw print. Her confidence grew with every step, her heart doing a funny little leap when she squinted through the rainfall and spotted the den up ahead.

It fell a moment later, when she realized the adventure was over. Just as she didn't seek out commands, she didn't particularly thirst for praise. But she couldn't help but look to Kaertok, eyes lingering on his grizzled chin, bright in the gloom at his tacit approval.

Sep 28: I figured I'd conclude this one for us.