Morningside Cuesta the music's too loud

being ‘good’, or whatever version of it vex could muster to appease his righteously angry mother, only lasted so long. it was stale. boring; and the recent addition of sos; shadowlord and beargod of all things hellish plaguing his moments waking and slumbering fills vex with a restlessness that he could not sate. not with hunting. not with snarking at the adults in legion’s ranks ( of which they had every ground to cuff him for ). nothing chased sos away — at least, not for long — and sulking around the bypass was getting him the answers he wanted.

the answers he deserved — about kaertok, about sos.

he patrols, ignoring the lumbering shadowursine that make himself visible to vex at least once a day, and when he feels like he might combust from being caged within the borders of his home, he quietly slips out of the northeastern border and circles ‘round the rise of rocky landscape into the cuesta; drawing in a deep breath of the cool morning air.

word count: 169

She woke to a pounding headache and bloody nose. Groaning, Haunt pushed herself onto all fours and sought out the nearest puddle to wash the crust from her nostrils and the stain on her foreleg where her snout had rested. She took a drink for good measure and the aching subsided, a little. With a twitch of her tail and a snort, the youth set off into the bypass to greet the day.

When she made a pass along the eastern border and saw a speck in the distance, back-lit by the sunrise, Haunt stopped. The glare made pain pulse through her temples. Apropos of nothing, she recalled a dream the night before. She and Artemis had hunted a fawn in a meadow just like this one, golden with summer sunlight. She blinked and breathed, moving forward toward the distant shape.

As she sidled up beside Vex and gave him a friendly bump with her muzzle, she noted the crisp, dead grass underfoot. Despite the headache that called back to her injury some weeks ago, she murmured, "I'm ready to make a plan, whenever you are." As she spoke, she glanced back over her shoulder toward the bypass, imagining Arbiter's eyes on them.

Ranging far from the Watch was a good plan, he thought. Kigipigak wanted to know the landscape the way he knew the icey flats of his last home; even though he was meaning to return across the mountains to the next valley over, Kigipigak felt he had all the time in the world to complete that task. The Watch was coming along well enough. Valmua was happy, they had acquired Chanel, and while the girl was settling in (and getting to know Stjornuati) there wasn't much left for Kigipigak to do.

So he did what came naturally: he traveled.

To the rise, to the maplewood of the taiga, and beyond—all the way to this sprawling meadow flanked by shards of mountain. His pale shape had become a mess of browns, grays and greens with each new place visited. Blood marked his chest from where he had slain and eaten a round bird; bits of maple twigs remained tangled in his nape fur.

As Kigipigak climbed the next hill he thought he detected wolf scent on the wind; not only that but familiar wolf scent. At the apex he paused and looked around. There was a distant shape a dozen or so feet beyond him—actually a pair of shapes. One figure he did not know and the other, ghost-like, looking back towards the mountains.

Kigipigak was cautious on his approach until he was close enough to identify Arktoi.
Little hunter! Hello again. Who is your friend? The traveler called out to her.

vex isn’t surprised to hear footfalls trailing after him and he spares a glance over his shoulder, preparing some snarky quip only to swallow it as his gaze falls upon haunt. he nudges his nose to her cheek as she slides up beside him; as of late her’s was the only company vex could tolerate — hell, the only company he wanted. i’m ready now. vex informs her, squinting out at the browning grasses of the cuesta. mom’ll probably have a fit but — vex trails off with a shrug of broadening shoulders; the simple action conveying that he didn’t care. he doesn’t mean to be so withdrawn from arbiter or rebellious but at the same time, he instantly wants to rebel against anything that restricts him.

kaertok had insisted on treating them like adults while …well, arbiter ( from what vex has seen ) didn’t.

we just gotta be smarter about this time. level headed now that the sting of betrayal and abandonment wasn’t clouding his perception. kaertok’s continued absence without word still stung but vex knew better than to just take off this time. i was thinkin’ — but vex never got the chance to layout the barebones of what he was thinking for an ivory man appears like a ghostly apparition, calling out to haunt.

vex’s firekissed hackles bristle as steely gaze locks upon the stranger. i’m her brother. he answers before haunt can. who’re you? he demands.

word count: 239

She inhaled, a quiet but sharp noise, when he declared he was ready now. Haunt nodded in a silent, Me too. Of course, she'd already stated as much. She shifted her weight as he said they needed to be smarter in their approach. This was met with another nod before her whole body went still, waiting for Vex to reveal his idea.

Instead, a voice interrupted them, causing her to start slightly and whip her head toward a pale shape coming toward them. It really was uncanny how much he reminded her of Kaertok. Her lip lifted, exposing her teeth and her distaste at his presence. Vex answered for her, even as the pale fur along her spine prickled and her tail gave a lash.

Although she didn't know Merlin's name, his face flashed in her mind's eye as she ground out a low, "He's a Tartok," to answer Vex's question before looking Kigipigak dead in the eye and adding, "and an asshole." Just like their dear ole dad.

They were busy with conversation as Kigipigak came upon them; scheming something, much like Kigipigak and his sisters had schemed. Very little time was spent considering how rude it might be to invade this private moment. Equally so, Kigipigak did not care if he interrupted them; he was glad to see a face he knew.

Haunt was less than thrilled, likewise the brother that announced himself as such. The girl gave him a terse introduction and Kigipigak let out a laugh.

I am sorry for that. There was no other way to tempt the beast from the tree. You were in no danger! She had come away from the situation with new knowledge of predatory cats and would have been gifted its pelt, had she lingered.

He glanced to the brother now, hoping to appease at least one of the pair before they saw fit to run him off: I am Kigipigak. Arktoi mentioned once that your father was one of my people. I doubt it was the same tribe—but it is nice to find familiar blood in this place.

Two meant trouble. Arbiter, though not a smiling perfect image of motherhood, did care for the wellbeing of her children. It was why her patrol ended when again she found the pair heading outside again. It was frustrating to her that they seemed so keen to adventure without the skills needed to properly handle themselves -- but by now Haunt was healed enough that she felt more confident that their actual training could begin -- if they managed to not wander into something that would find them delectable in the meantime. Fine. If they wanted to continue to play at this game, she could be blunt. Surely Arbiter's way of doing things would provide a much more appealing option... Or maybe it was just her that found spite delicious.

So, she followed.  And after what happened last time, she wasn't keen on giving them a heads up -- but at least the trail was fresh so she slipped into the grove along their path, watching and listening for a sign of them. Shouldn't be long, unless they goddamn bolted. They could chat, have a nice come-to-reality moment and hopefully put it all to bed until they had stopped growing at the very least.

Eventually, an unfamiliar voice could be heard talking ahead. Familiar blood? Squint. She walked a little faster and came around a thick patch of foliage, spotting some white man there with her children. Well, he wasn't any familiar blood of hers. Her sharp, icy gaze came with a heaping pile of "those are my kids and you better goddamn watch out," that crossed into the tension of her muzzle and the angle of her shoulders. After that one bungling oaf's manhandling of Haunt, she wasn't about to trust some other unvetted man around them. Her words, though, were to her children, plain fact and counter to her venomous glance, Being escorted is not yet optional. But that was it. If they didn't want to have their brother or someone else they could clearly boss around more to make sure they were safe, then whoops, you end up with mom. Killer of fun.

tartok? vex repeats, steely gaze shifting from haunt to the stranger; stony despite being studious in its true nature. vex is a miasma of things then: an unquiet churning of questions and suspicion. did he know kaertok? had their paths crossed even for a brief moment? were they family by blood or was it in name and oath only? were all tartoks like their absent father or was he an exception? i am called piguktuk. for now, it was all he had that was ‘tartok’ and though he is angry at the assumption that kaertok left them with little else to believe, vex cannot fully bring himself to shed that part of him.

we’re looking for him, our father. vex informs the older tartok, not entirely sure he can be trusted but a little more willing to give the chance given their status as blood ( or so he believes ). vex’s jaws part to speak once more only for whatever he’d been about to say or ask lost to the void as arbiter arrives; angry, as usual. vex can’t help the annoyance that flashes upon his visage; scowling at her.

perhaps one day, when and if he ever had kids of his own, he might better understand where his mother was coming from. that it was affection and ( rightful ) concern that drove her actions and not the need to suffocate them. unable to presently relate, however; leaves vex feeling like exactly that: like arbiter was making it her personal mission to bound, chain and suffocate him ( them ).

we didn’t even go that far. vex argues in their defense; a petulant pre-teen who had a lot yet to learn about the world.

word count: 280

He found her ire amusing, which earned him a stony look. His assurances did not mean much to her, though Haunt couldn't deny the pleasure she felt when he called her an arktoi. She raised her chin a little, remaining silent as he spoke more directly to Vex. It surprised her, a little, when her brother offered up the name given him to by Kaertok. Haunt had all but discarded her own. He mentioned their search for Kaertok to Kigipigak, who still seemed so hung up on this idle familial connection of theirs.

When Arbiter appeared, Haunt drew in a breath. Her eyes remained narrowed, now flicking sharply in their mother's direction. Why was she so hellbent on imprisoning them? Didn't she want some answers about Kaertok? Even without their deadbeat dad taken into consideration, Haunt found Arbiter's confinement stifling. She resented it. Her ears swept backward and she swallowed thickly, thinking of the interrupted conversation with her brother moments before.

"This is our Uncle Kigipigak," Haunt found herself saying to Arbiter, "and he's a tracker. He's going to help us find Kaertok." Her heart broke into a sprint in her chest as the half-truths rolled off her tongue. "Aren't you, uncle?" she added, giving the man in question a shrewd look. Haunt had no desire to go with this Tartok anywhere, yet if it might be their ticket to get out of the bypass and find answers, then, well... Haunt's eyes drifted to Vex, trying to gauge what he made of this little plot twist.

The boy was just as cautious as Haunt had been upon their first meeting. A nervous energy rolled like a tide through him and only ebbed when Haunt explained things; to which Vex added his own bits, something about their missing father, which reminded Kigipigak that they were children of an Anneriwok.

Before much could be said or done there came a third body—this one mature, hefty and impressive, with the softened edges of motherhood and the furious posturing of a true issumatar; she was not Tartok but this woman would have fit in well. It was their mother, naturally.

Kigipigak gave her a once-over but froze when both children reacted to her arrival; notably it was Haunt who tried to smooth things over while the boy merely whined.

He's going to help us find Kaertok. Aren't you, uncle? Haunt looked sharply in Kigipigak's direction as she made this announcement and for a moment all he could see was a doppleganger of her mother's agitation, though it was brief.

Yes, I travel a lot and have looked in the western valley already, but thought it would be fun to... Bring them. Kigipigak looked from the girl's face to the mother's, his tail raising slightly to wag a few times before dropping submissively. The woman had spoken against an escort and so it would be up to the three of them to convince Arbiter to let this happen—but Kigipigak did not know how deep the mother's hooks had set in to her children.

I am sorry to be meeting you this way. Your daughter - she is a good hunter, she could become a fine tracker with help. We would not be going far—staying between the ranges, taking easy routes...? Kigipigak was trying his best, but the serious nature of Aribiter's resting mom face was making it difficult. He was not the strongest of liars and so he merely twisted the truth a little, which made it flow easier.

Her eyes didn't leave Kigipigak, even as she responded to Vex in the faintly singsong tone of someone repeating a quote that had been drilled into them, Being close to home just means you have less distance to drag yourself back, not that it is necessarily any safer than somewhere much farther away. Beyond the borders? Well, there was only so much Arbiter could do. It was why she wanted them to stay home, until she could be sure. Kigipigak himself also didn't impress her much, reminding her too much of Warlock, at least in terms of his response to her -- probably someone that could be pushed. She trusted her son because his reverence of her was also based at least partially in his own fears -- he would never step out of line. This guy? Wildcard. At their collected suggestion, her frown deepened, just for a moment.

There were certain times when Arbiter really might care about something being a lie or not. But this was one of those times where what they said did leave a rather nice and clean way for this to all work out -- in her favor, of course. So, she'd happily (ha) take it at face value. The fact it would in the end turn out to be actually a lie? Well, that was their problem to figure out now. Admit it? Change the story? She spoke to Haunt then, Then since he is your uncle, he already knows who to look for, and can go about his work much faster alone. You're well enough now we should be starting your fight training anyway, so we can do that while he's searching. Then at least if you do continue to insist looking for a man who doesn't give enough of a damn to keep the most basic of promises, let alone caring that his children might miss him, I at least won't be worried about you dying in the process. Sounds good, I agree. What? Did they expect her to just go along with her children going off with a stranger? Nah. She put her children's overall safety and ability to survive in the wilds above just about everything else. Even if for some reason this particular pair were being nearly unbearably frustrating to her.

the plot twist falls from haunt’s lips and vex, who’s had plenty of practice at keeping his face in some form of stony or haughty schools it from showing his surprise. he gives a sage nod of affirmation, figuring it was better than speaking up, especially because he’s already certain that arbiter was going to shoot them down. he gave haunt an a+ for effort but he also knew their mother. kigipigak picks up what haunt dropped and it took all of vex’s effort not to cringe as he tells their mother he thought it’d be ‘fun’ to take them. c’mon uncle, vex steps forward, stepping up. we conned you into it. she already knows how we are. her little devil children.

proving vex’s assumption right, arbiter cuts them down. still, assuming this was coming anyway hardly softens the stinging blow of it. he rankles, feeling like his suffocating leash is being pulled tighter. who’s to say if he leaves here without us that he’ll actually look, vex would shoot kigipigak an apologetic look but apologies weren’t really his thing ( except, it seemed, when it came to haunt ). what if dad didn’t leave us and something happened to him? because vex, bless his little dark heart, still wasn’t ready to let go of that thought yet. the truth was, they didn’t know that kaertok abandoned them. it was just the assumption everyone ran with. i want answers and i don’t want them two years from now. i want them now.

vex spares haunt a look before fixing his gaze upon their mother. i’m going with my uncle. he declares; surprised to feel the contended rumble of approval from sos, who shimmers like a hellbear just out of the corner of vex's eye.

word count: 292

To his credit, Kigipigak picked up the thread and continued weaving without missing a beat. Haunt wished he sounded more convincing, though she couldn't blame him, since this was entirely improvisational. He even added in some details she felt sure Arbiter would appreciate, regarding safety and training.

Of course, she should've known better. The children's mother not only flippantly rejected their plan, she went on to patronize them so thoroughly that Haunt's ears practically pasted themselves to the back of her head. Resentment welled up inside her, so strong that she took a step closer to Kigipigak. She was so tired of being collared and leashed like this, weary of her mother overruling all her wishes as if they simply didn't matter. She would actually take this asinine stranger over her mother at the moment.

Vex beat her to the punch, countering Arbiter and declaring he was going with their "uncle." Heartened by this, Haunt swallowed and tried to think of what to say, though she was honestly a little choked with rage over Arbiter's presumptuous speech. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts and come up with a rejoinder that wasn't simply petulant snarling.

"I don't want to train to fight. I want to train to hunt and track," Haunt said. "And I don't care about Kaertok. I don't miss him." Arbiter hadn't said that, though the implication was enough that Haunt sorely needed to correct it. These statements were only partially true too, though no one but her needed to know that. "I want answers. Don't you?" She paused, letting that question hang for a beat before three words ground out as if against her will: "Come with us." Haunt took a sharp breath. "Or let us go." Otherwise, they would all come to regret it.

Kigipigak sort-of regretted his impromtu visit; the mother figure did not appear pleased with the goings-on of her children, and even if she accepted what the trio was saying, he doubted she would release her iron grip from their proverbial tethers long enough to let them make an escape. Still, he wasn't ready to leave yet. Both the youthful Tartok wolves held promise—and they were willful, wanting to roam and do their own thing independently of their parent, which was something Kigipigak could relate to. It was something his mother had accepted about himself and nurtured, opposite to how this beastly woman behaved with her offspring.

The boy insisted that he go; he sounded quite sure of himself, unlikely to be deterred by anything Arbiter would say next. Haunt too, insisting she wanted to go find her father—to find answers, which made Kigipigak feel more awkward, as he did not know where such things may hide. He sank back a few steps, giving the family some space to squabble.

When there was quiet, he piped up again.

I see why Kaertok would choose to build a family here with you! Your children are strong-willed, a good trait for those of Tartok. With such energy we can find your answers. He spoke candidly to Arbiter but the tail-end of that shifted to Haunt, a smile on his face. Come, little hunter, bring your brother—there is still plenty of daylight left for a little adventure.

He stepped away quickly as he said this, now wanting the surly woman's teeth to snare upon his scruff or anything; she likely did not appreciate being talked over by Kigipigak, and he felt especially self concious knowing he was facing the threatening aura (and more importantly the teeth) of a possessive issumatar.

No. This man did not just get to get permission from her children to do whatever they wanted. That was not how the world worked. So as he stepped away she stepped forward after him. He was the single target of her ire, her fur spiking along her spine, tail raised, ears forward, the whole nine yards of dominance down to the bared teeth and snarl. The whole Galadriel-going-evil metaphor would work a lot better if Arbiter at all resembled elven royalty on a normal day. Nah. She wasn't so elegant. Still, the pale devil roared, You do not decide anything for my children! She wanted him to cower. To realize that she would probably have been happy to kill him if that didn't mean Vex and Haunt would probably scatter to the wind and she didn't want to do that again for many reasons.

But she spun to face Haunt and Vex then, Kigipigak in her periphery where she was going to be quick to spin on him again if he moved too suddenly. She wasn't aggressive at them, but she was still definitely frustrated at this whole mess. I have my answers -- he's likely an untrustworthy liar and we all deserve better. And you insist on going now instead of when you are old enough to venture on your own? Thanks to him there isn't another leader around to deal with things in the pack -- and what about your sister? Arbiter had a solution in mind if they insisted but dammit she would highly prefer they just wait. It would be so much easier. She didn't trust this uncle of theirs at all if he thought randomly taking children under five months old on a trip was a great idea -- then again, maybe he was related to Kaertok...

it was a vain attempt to get arbiter to let them to go; period. vex knew this and her refusal rings hot like the strike of an anvil in his ears. no. he was tired of being met with ‘no’. he was tired of being told what to do, in true teenager fashion. in his mind, his conversation with warlock plays in his mind: ‘do what she says’. why? he wants to scream it, feeling like a cornered animal, impatient and tired of bidding his time. when, exactly, would they be old enough in her book? they were almost five months. they were nearly adult-looking enough to pass for adults ( at least from afar ). they weren’t babes suckling at her breast anymore.

but the way he and haunt were refused and corralled into doing what they were told would suggest otherwise.

vex is quiet thru it, knowing that even if he asked how old was ‘old enough’ for her he wouldn’t like her answer, until she brought up royal. his annoyance peaks higher now. what about her? vex snaps. he didn’t much care what royal thought or had to say. she was barely more than a ghost to him these days. if she was around, he saw brief flashes of her at most. vex couldn’t even remember the last time he’d spoke to her.

Kigipigak made a valiant effort, yet Arbiter wouldn't stand for any of it. She veritably roared at him, causing Haunt to flinch. She went very stiff when her mother then turned toward herself and Vex, bracing herself for a verbal lashing. But Arbiter's tone softened, still rife with frustration but nowhere near as aggressive as she tried to make her children understand her take on these matters.

The salient point about their ages was met with a blink, simply because it didn't make any sense to Haunt. Arbiter's mention of Royal didn't invite any particular emotion from the young huntress either, though her muzzle twitched in Vex's direction when it evoked a snappy retort from him. Her own lips parted when a thought suddenly hit her and she squinted.

"She could come too, if she wanted," Haunt said slowly, still parsing out the implications of Arbiter's questions, "or we'll see her when we get back." Her tail gave a twitch. It suddenly seemed incredibly necessary to point out, "We're not leaving Legion forever." She paused. "What we deserve is answers." Because that "likely" was probably the case but none of them could know for certain without finding Kaertok and the truth.

Her eyes tracked to Kigipigak, something unreadable in her expression, before glancing at Vex and finally back toward Arbiter. "Send someone else with us, then. We'll have two adults to look after us." Haunt wondered what the Legate would make of this compromise. "And if you're right and he abandoned us on purpose, we'll come right back to let you know," she finished a little gruffly, "so you can kill him."

This was quickly turning in to a situation Kigipigak was not equipped to deal with; then again, that's how most of his life zigged and zagged, from one point of contention to the next. He did not leave but he wanted to. The young pair tried their best to speak with their mother and convince her but it was not working so far as Kigipigak could tell. He could tempt fate to a certain degree — place himself between the kids and their issumatar for a short while — however, that window of time was closing fast. He had nothing to say and stood there thinking of an exit strategy instead.

Crunched week for me, so quick post to keep it going.

She was not impressed by the white man -- his response was not enough. Maybe he didn't recognize just what danger he put himself in. But she was talking to her children first.

She gave Vex a particularly neutral look. She was no stranger to selfishness -- hell, it was perfectly fine in her book, usually -- but there were some limits. Most of them involved family, that most of the time they were worth remembering. She'd deal with it later.

That's what you were supposed to be doing anyway, she said flatly. It would have gotten them in a lot less trouble. The two older boys seemed the most likely to send with them -- Jomyo she didn't want to force to go with them on short notice -- as they were reliable at the very least. She trusted them to call out any shenanigans. But leaving now? And if the answer was yes, she'd call for Warlock and/or Pheiros, but the latter was elsewhere, not that she knew at this instant. If it was no, then they'd have to talk it over back at the territory or something.

at the suggestion that royal could go with them, vex barely made an effort to conceal his scoff. it was no secret that he didn’t want royal to tag along with them; more than content for her to be nothing more than the background she’d become for him over the months. her absence was not and would not be felt by him. littermates they might be but they weren’t close. she could’ve left legion all together and vex wouldn’t have noticed; horrible as that truth was.

again and again and again they are met with ‘no’.

vex was fine to go whenever, but he looks to haunt, leaving the ultimate choice up to her, knowing that despite how gung-ho he was, he wouldn’t go without her.

Although Haunt liked to think she presented a sound argument, she did not actually expect Arbiter to relent. She'd arrived by saying, "Being escorted is not yet optional," after all. So when she did, the pale youth blinked, her tail flicking at this unexpected turn of events. Of course, she wanted to leave right this moment, before her mother changed her mind and broke their legs or something to prevent them from going anywhere. Her eyes shot to Kigipigak but discarded his presence. He had only been a tool (a wrench, perhaps); she didn't even really like the guy.

She wondered who Arbiter might send along with them—Warlock, probably—and exchanged a long look with Vex before turning her snout toward her mother and saying, "We don't have to go right this second. We can discuss it, make a plan." Haunt thought Arbiter might respect the maturity of that judgment call, so hopefully she hadn't just shot herself in the foot. Surely there was a middle ground to be found here.

Motioning for her mother and brother to join her, Haunt began to move back toward the bypass. She waved a paw in Kigipigak's direction but said nothing else to him, mostly because a sudden pain shot through her head. Haunt winced but brushed it off as she proceeded back toward home for a family meeting.

Having worn out his welcome (not that he had much of a welcome) Kigipigak felt a surprising amount of relief flood through him as the family squabble calmed, some semblance of order instilled upon them. It sounded as if the iron grip of their mother had loosened somewhat.

Instead of taking what slack she offered and running with it Arktoi—seemingly the ringleader between the siblings—did the opposite. Maybe it was an act of good faith, or a show just for her mother. Kigipigak wasn't sure what to do in the interim. They began to move back towards the bypass together and so he wondered if the con had worked or not; was he expected to wait around here for them? He had places to be, things to do... And so he backed off, for now.

Considering that Kigipigak was still on house-arrest of sorts he couldn't exactly leave the valley, so whenever the siblings were ready for adventure, they would find him readily enough.

The man didn't say any more. Which was ok. She still was not a fan of him, and the fact she saw him in the periphery moving away was definitely preferred. She'd keep an ear out in case he changed his mind, but at least with him being gone she could focus on the actual important thing -- her children.

And Arbiter did respect Haunt's choice. Arbiter was always a fan of being able to plan, to avoid the unknown and usher them away from the dangerous. She was certainly not in the mood to deal with making off the cuff choices that could be the wrong one in reflection. She had relaxed a little -- still on edge, but it was much less obvious. Then let's go. We'll hunt something on the way in to the lake and speak about it then. Okay, not to the lake specifically, but it was a good measure of the heart of the territory. It wasn't like she was entirely against letting them getting whatever attempts at answers they were seeking, but not alone. Not with strangers. And certainly not those things when they were as young as they were. She turned and took a couple of steps back towards the bypass.

teeny wrap up post to get this concluded~

despite letting haunt be the ring leader of their little devilish-duo he is not happy with the result. not getting his ( their? ) way meant that they were, once more, surrendering. he lets out a low huff as their little group begins to depart and he trudges along behind arbiter & haunt with soft grumbling under his breath before ( finally ) falling silent.