Sleepy Fox Hollow Paradise does bleed

Where was @Emmerich?

Anselm trotted gaily down the pine-studded deerpath with a huge pine cone held in his teeth. He’d found it dragged into an abandoned fox’s den, and it was covered with slobber. 

All the same he carried it gingerly, held to the sky like a totem-prize. It obscured his vision partially, causing him to take fumbling steps here and there in the trodden snow.

Vhere have you been? 

The young wolf’s voice cut through the crunching of snow beneath Anselm’s paws. The large pinecone in his mouth did not give Emmerich pause. He was flustered and confused. Where had his brother been all this time? Why had he even bothered coming home? All of these ruffled feathers did not hide the fact that the white-headed boy had been worried for his brother. His yellow eyes latched to the other’s face. 

I replaced you. Got a new brother now - Siku. And he doesn’t run away. 

A small humph followed his statement. He held his head high and stiff, though he could not help from peering curiously from the corners of his gaze.

Anselm’s tail wagged as he saw Emmerich approach. Much like the smile on his face, the movement slowly died as he became aware his brother was not smiling back. 

Onf. Anselm answered, dropping the pine cone with a sorry crunch. What? A new brother?! Anselm’s gaze narrowed, avoiding the intensity of Emmerich’s yellow eyes. What!? You can’t replace me! His voice edged on hysterical, though he hid its pitch with a huff. I just went to the woods! You could have visited me.

You didn’t even tell me, Anselm… 

Their parents had been busy. Emmerich had not asked about the disappearance of their other children. Isa had probably ventured out to eat plants, or something. Anselm had probably been devoured by a bear or cougar, or even a gruff badger. Though he saw his siblings as competitors in all things, he had felt lonely without them. Siku had been a blessing, for Emmerich. 

You are an idiot. Indignant, eyes watering. Emmerich sniffed at the snot that was welling in his nose. 

I missed you, he huffed angrily, peeling the yellow of his gaze away from his brother’s face.

Anselm’s shoulders fell, the wind knocked right out of his huffy sails when Emmerich pointed out the very true, very salient fact that Anselm had thought only for himself. He’d behaved selfishly. 

A quiet voice instructed him to tell the truth. Something he didn’t dare utter to his parents. I maybe got lost.. He whispered beneath his breath, ears flat to his round skull. 

The tender moment was broken the moment he was called an idiot. Rude! Anselm’s ears flew forward, his hair raised along his back. Cue :fin_yell: grimace, where every one of his bottom teeth were exposed in a pout of righteous indignation. But then came a moment of vulnerability again. I missed you too. His tail swayed uncertainly. It was why he was back, right? 

Where’s Siku? I’m going to go beat him up.

Emmerich stepped to Anselm and swung a thick paw around his brother’s neck. He pulled him into a playful bite at his stone-colored ears. 

No, you vill be nice to him! 

The boy was forced to curb his desire to sniff at his brother’s pelt. The scents that he carried were different from the homey smells of Paleo. Emmerich felt a surge of jealousy at the idea that Anselm had gone on an adventure. Getting lost was part of the journey. No matter how much Emmerich teased, he would never tell Anselm’s secret. 

He is soft. He likes to take care of others. You vill be a brother to him, too, hm? And then you can beat him up. Compromise. 

Come, let us get food. You are thin.

Cuffed roughly by his brother, Anselm aimed a light nip at Emmerich’s knee in response. He sulked briefly, redirecting his hopes of squashing Siku. Fine. He’d be only a little mean. Just a light sprinkling of bully. 

Emmerich spoke of Siku being soft. Anselm had no idea what this boy looked like, but in his mind’s eye he pictured cotton-clouds and malleable snow. Then an image of a bright, arcing stream of urine splattering across its soft surface. 

He grinned doggedly, keeping that thought to himself. Is he nice to Isa? Anselm was late to the news; he was already imagining the four of them up to shenanigans along the riverbank. His stomach growled as he thought of food, following eagerly after Emmerich.

The brothers made a path through Paleo in search of something to eat. Emmerich was certain that there was a cache with rabbit in it, but his nose struggled to find the scent. 

When Anselm mentioned Isa, the white-headed boy frowned and turned his head away. He did not want to seem emotional about their sister. She had been his guiding post for months before she had left them. Emmerich wondered if their mother and father missed her, too. 

Isa is gone. She left months ago. It had been only Emmerich… until Siku had joined. So, it is only us boys. A sneaky grin found his snout. And mama, of course…

Emmerich looked away and it was all Anselm needed to know. A pit dropped in his stomach. He forgot about food, even something as tasty as rabbit. 

Had Isa gone like he had, or was she gone for good? Anselm tried to study Emmerich’s face, a frown worrying his features. He could tell such a subject distraught his brother. Tch, she’ll be like me and come back. Anselm said confidently, despite no authorative knowledge on the subject.  

Seeing Emmerich grin, Anselm couldn’t help the smile that budded across his face too. It was good to be back.

Anselm’s next words had cast a shade of doubt over his brother. Emmerich wasn’t certain that their sister would return, at all. It was a different scenario. When Anselm had disappeared, he had been young and it was not likely that he had intended to be away so long. Fortune had smiled on their family, allowing for the boy’s safe return. Isa had made a choice to leave. Perhaps she would find something out there that would keep her away. It could not be predicted, but Emmerich hoped that she would come home, one day.

Nevermind about Isa, he said with a dismissive shrug. There was no need to get emotional over her.

Emmerich prodded his nose near pawprints, catching the familiar whiff of rabbit. He had found the trail that would take them to the cache. Plodding along on heavy paws, the white-hooded boy found his curiosity was too much to subdue.

Tell me about your journey, Anselm. Vhere did you go? Vhat did you see?

Emmerich would follow the rabbit scent until they had their treat.

They stopped at large prints in the damp earth. Anselm sniffed. Acrid scent of wet dirt, leafrot, and snow flooded his senses. But so did another scent, faint between the odor of wolf and snow..

Rabbit. 

Anselm’s head lifted as Emmerich dismissed the topic of Isa. It was not what Anselm wanted but he sensed there was no point in digging further. 

His eyes lit up to hear his brother interested in his foray. At first it was really cool. So many things to see! But it was cold. Anselm remembered many lean days populated by fitful sleep and failed hunts. And I was hungry all the time. His eyes fell. I’m not a good hunter. I saw deer but never got close. Sometimes I’d listen to the birds but couldn’t catch them. It was like being here, but different. What was it like at home?

The white-headed boy listened as his brother recounted his time spent away from home. It twisted Emmerich’s stomach to think of Anselm in the cold, unable to hunt larger prey. If he looked closely at the stone-colored figure, he might have thought that he hadn’t eaten much in a long time. Anselm was thin and wiry in his frame. He’d been unraveled by the world outside of their home.

But he had returned.

It vas the same. Quiet, mostly. Isa and I vere- Emmerich didn’t know how to tell his brother that he had struck a rivalry with their sister. He wasn’t sure how he could word it without being stricken with sadness at her disappearance. Whatever the girl was doing, he hoped that she was safe.

Anselm, Emmerich glanced back to his brother as he closed in on the rabbit cache. You vill stay now, yes? You are not leaving again?

Isa and I were-- what? They were what? Anselm forgot about tracking the scents that lead to the cache. He stopped and regarded his brother solemnly, sensing there was something there unspoken that he could not push or bully out of Emmerich.

Emmerich continued on with purpose. Around them the air grew thicker with scent of the cache patch. Anselm felt the particles of the scent seemingly crisp the edge of his nose. His mouth watered, but he was thinking instead of Isa. Isa, who was gone. I'm sorry Emmerich. Anselm mumbled finally, eyes to the ground. I won't leave again.

Anselm seemed sorry for what had happened. Emmerich didn’t want him to feel at fault. It was only right that they would venture out to build homes for themselves. Just because the white-headed boy had grown comfortable in Paleo did not mean that Isa and Anselm would follow his lead.

If you do, then you must take me vith you.

Emmerich’s sharp yellow eyes fixed on Anselm. His expression was steady, stern.

Ve can take Siku, too. He needs bruders.

Actually, the young guardian liked the idea of going on a trip with Anselm and Siku. The boy stored this away in his mind.

Revealing the cache, Emmerich pulled out a lean rabbit for Anselm and a bird for himself. The rabbit was placed down for the other boy, then nudged gently with Emmerich’s nose.

They walked and Anselm took note of the sour scents in the air. They were now upon the cache; Anselm could see scores of clawmarks in the snow, fresh upturned earth, and the telltale odor of lingering death.

Emmerich's sharp yellow gaze measured him. I will. Anselm promised solemnly. He meant it earnestly. Taking the rabbit between his teeth, he tore strips of meat from bone. Mid-chew, Anselm's jaws smacked with satisfaction. He can be our mobile beating bag. The boy joked, having no intention of following through. Do mama and papa like Siku?

While Anselm fussed over the rabbit, Emmerich made work of the feathers on the bird. He plucked them from the figure of his prey and placed them in a pile near his paws. The scent of meat was tantalizing. It would be good to share this with his brother. It felt like it had been too long since Anselm had been in Paleo, had been with Emmerich.

Sunyellow eyes shifted to the other boy.

I think they like him, yes. I think he tries to be good to them. Emmerich laughed quietly. Vith you and Isa, I know that you can be annoying. A sneer formed on his snout. He blinked his eyelashes teasingly at his sibling. But Siku is not like this. He is alvays good. The taunting features shifted to something softer, something thoughtful.

Anslem eyed the feather between Emmerich's teeth, supressing the childish urge to leap upon it. He swallowed what was left of the tacky meat, crossed his paws, and fixed Emmerich with a long stare.

Annoying? Him? No possible way. He was de facto the least annoying, look how politely he sat there while Emmerich sneered down his big ole snoot! I villl have you know - Anselm started, milking the accent both Emmerich and Mahler often spoke in -- zet I would rather ve annoyding den zstinky. Und you -- Here Anselm teased by peering down his own equally long nose -- are de zstinkiyest brudder I ever knew.

Anselm had more spunk in his body than he knew what to do with. Emmerich couldn’t help but to be coaxed into a snorting laugh. Even if he had spent time away from them, he had done well to capture the familiar way their father spoke. It had been dramatic and overdone, but he had slipped into a comical impression without even the slightest hiccup.

Hm, the white-hooded boy grunted to his sibling. Emmerich’s smile still played in the yellow of his eyes.

You vould know best about this stink, he assured Anselm with a haughty expression. A few taps of his tail were offered – insult to injury.

Anselm sniffed the air curiously. Stink?? Him?? No, couldn't be. Besides, his nose was a bona-fide sniffer. Hmm, I smell nuffink, He continued in the overzealous accent.

Nuffink but your ZSTINKY BREATH! With a jump Anselm bolted into action, aiming a quick nip at Emmerich's slowly wagging tail.

Anselm sprung swiftly, nipping at Emmerich’s tail.

The boy released a soft growl. His paws moved him to circle around, watchful of the other boy’s sprightly steps and mischievous eyes. The brothers looked as though they were going to properly duel. Emmerich had hoped that he might gain a sparring partner. It would do good to inflict Anselm with a few bite-marks. Perhaps it would remind him not to stray too far from home again.

Emmerich rushed toward Anselm and aimed his teeth for the other boy’s ear.

No! Not another assault to his ear!

But it was too late. Anselm was a lot of hot air and slow paws. Emmerich closed the gap and exacted the perfect revenge: a sharp nip to a flopping ear. 

Ow!! Anslem yipped, raising a paw to his brother’s face to fend him off. Your breath — SHTINKS!!

They wrestled roughly, as brothers tended to do. Afterwards, Emmerich proposed they explore the creek -- it was close to dark before the pair returned to the rendezvous.