Whitefish River L'avant

tags for ref! Feel free to hop in ofc

Careful steps around the rivers bends, the large man stared up at the mountain in the distance. The natural structure stood tall, and he couldn't help but admire it.

He wondered where in the peaks his mother and @Chesley might be staying. He questioned if their new home would be worth nurturing.

With @Chae, the younger of the travelling brother's, somewhere behind him Chaudry soon settled down, claws flexed to grip the dirt as he laid down.

If he needed to earn the role, he would. He'd show his mother just how worthy of such a title he was. Why she couldn't already see that, he did not understand. 

Scouting. That was on the agenda today. Finding local hunting spots, plants, and, if fate would have it, potential recruits. 

A wolf. The scent of which made his nose wrinkle. After he'd registered who it belonged to, he knew why. Chaudry, showing up long after himself. Had his mother not liked the wolf, Chesley might feel inclined to put him in his place. 

He followed the scent, wanting to address the disappointment. 

It was absolutely infuriating for Chesley that his brother had strength over him. Such a waste.

The scent was nearby, and upon cresting a small hill, he could see the wolf. Large, unable to be missed. Late.

Lifting a large paw he began to carefully groom himself, just as he always had. Tongue scraping over thick fur, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Something familiar.

The soot-furred brother was not something he had expected to see this day, and it left him to question if his mother was nearby. Chesley had always been a bit.. 'clingy' he thought. Maybe it was because he was so small; did he expect Viskani to keep him safe?

Staring, he chose to wait for the other to approach; in his mind he was much too busy to give the gesture himself.

Either the wolf hadn't noticed him--likely, or he was being ignored. 

Regardless of which, Chesley would be noticed. 

He stiffened his posture, gave his coat a quick shake, then approached. 

"You're late," he said, stopping a few feet from his brother. "Mom and I have already done most of the work."

The nagging was not something he had missed. "Chae is a slow boy. Are you saying I should have left him behind?" The question was rhetorical, but he knew that Chesley would likely respond to it despite that.

He did not pause his cleaning, rather turning away from his brother under the guise of it. Chaudry did not care to show any respect to the other; after all he delivered no such thing in return.

The wolf only stared, appalled his brother could be so disrespectful. He knew well that his brother had been taught to address those who spoke to him with full attention--just as he had been taught. 

"If Chae is late, that is his problem. Where is he now?"

Chesley secretly hoped his brother would tell him the youngest had turned back, been hurt, died. Any of which would result in a lessened chance of his role being handed out to an undeserving recipient. 

Chaudry was a strong contender already, despite being so... unprofessional. Chesley knew his edge came from sheer size, and that isn't something Chesley could change by working.

"No, he fell behind. I'm waiting here for him to catch up - though I may follow you back to mother." He responded, glancing to the direction he had come from to see if the lanky yearling was in the distance yet.

"Then again, I don't think she would be happy if I left him. Maman only brought him because she has a soft spot after all." He grunted, flicking his tail. Rolling back to his stomach he soon stood, shaking out his coat.

Chaudry took pleasure seeing the annoyance in his littermates expression - he found it funny, really. He wondered how he had grown so spiteful.

At least they agreed on one thing. Chae was not fit for any of this. 

"You should. She's been worrying herself about you."

 He wouldn't lie to the wolf, as much as he wanted to. His mother's leniency with her children was mind-boggling. 

He watched as the larger wolf finished grooming, still shocked that he'd opted to take care of that task right now. 

"Are you finished?"

"I wouldn't have stopped if I wasn't." He responded as though such a thing should have been obvious. His gaze then moved to the mountain behind them. "Have you and mother settled in?"

He was quite excited to reach the new territory; to have his own den, and to rest with worrying about the next days travels. Most importantly, he was excited to return to his role.

The wolf only offered a hard stare in return. The question was rhetorical. 

'Yes, for about two weeks now."

It was a jab.

Chaudry certainly knew when an attempt to insult him was made, yet he often did not acknowledge it. "You should be well set up by now then." He responded, swaying his tail.

"Have you discussed roles? Is maman going to make you an Iris?"

It was difficult to tell when he was teasing - but this time he was not. The question was genuine.

He knew the wolf was only trying to get under his skin, but that particular insult spoke more to Chaudry's lack of being there. 

The question caught him by surprise, though. And his ears, one of which had been turned to listen to his surroundings, both turned toward the larger wolf. 

"We have. And yes," he lied. He figured if he told the wolf what was actually happening, he would treat it as a weakness. "As the only son who has been here helping, wouldn't you?"

"I'll never be a matriarche, and neither will you. It isn't something I think about." He responded with a simple shrug.

"I'm happy for you." An odd statement to leave his mouth - Chaudry was rarely happy for anyone it seemed. However, he had no interest in being an Iris. He viewed the pampered wolves as weak. "I was worried that Chae had been brought along to take the role, really."

He didn't want that role, either. He was male, so it couldn't be. 

The wolf's congratulation, even if not warranted, caused the smaller wolf's stone façade to vanish for a moment. The surprise would be evident in his expression, mouth parting slightly before he caught himself and closed it. Part of him wished the wolf had been upset. He needed something over his brother. He needed his brother to recognize that he, though not physically strong, was just as formidable.

"Thank you," he managed. They were words he'd rarely said to his brother. "Mother has plans for him, I'm sure. But he's no Iris."

"I think he should be assigned to the nursery - a Souci. That would suit him." He decided, a slight smile crossing his muzzle. At times it seemed as though him and Chesley only got along when they were putting down other's.

"Where he goes isn't much of a bother to me though; unless he has a growth spurt some time soon he won't be able to be a Glaieul. That will continue to be my territory." His job as a defender was often the only thing Chaudry spoke of with passion; it was a job he did well, and he was extremely proud of it.

The nursery seemed fitting, though Chesley wondered if he could even be trusted with a role like that. Putting the future of the pack in his paws was risky. 

Chesley had no intention of pumping up his brother's ego now, though. He would be a good defender, but an ego boost was the last thing the brute needed. 

"Come on, then. She's waiting."

He felt somewhat uneasy, worried even. Chae was of little threat to Chaudry, meaning that room had been left for care towards him. He felt guilty leaving the boy so far behind.

Pushing his feelings aside, he nodded. He would follow Chesley back.

Just a cameo for now!

Chae trailed somewhere far behind his brother. Chaudry's eagerness soured his stomach, like a cloying scent in the air. If it were up to Chae, they might never arrive at their destination. He would not have wept. Yet he chided himself for these thoughts even as they ran through his sullen mind; was this not his own chance to seek glory? He ought to have been eager, too.

Assuring himself that this would come with time, he trudged on. Eventually he would catch up to his brother. If it took him a bit longer than planned, at least no one would recognize his slowness as reluctance. Weakness, they would call it, as they always had. Chae knew better. But why correct them?

This way, they would never see him coming.