Swiftcurrent Creek pinky and the brain

Since our threads are coming to an end, maybe @Relonikiv and @Julius once the Shadow stuff is worked out? I'm going to assume that the OOC plan is still in play, but will keep this vague.

And then there were..

No. Bazi didn't want to think about it. They were lucky that the pups had survived at all, birthed into the dead of winter by a southern mother, into a pack plagued by one misfortune after the other. The odds were still stacked against the fragile Happy Families routine they were settling into, but what else could possibly go wrong now? Bazi could scarcely wait to get moving - to leave Swiftcurrent and its legacy behind to rot. Sorry, she thought to herself, glancing at the nearby river. The pups' rendezvous site was a flat (what else?), sparsely vegetated area situated few hundred yards from some of the calmer banks.

The children's range was rather more expansive than Bazi would have liked. They often disappeared out of sight, hiding behind trees or fighting in a corner. She settled sphinx-like in the open, looking nervously around for any signs of her boisterous wards. The time to move was nearly upon them, and she wanted the pups to be forewarned.

I wasn't going to post until the other thread progressed but I didn't want to leave this one hanging! There are some pretty major assumptions here, based on the OOC discussions we've had. I might have to come back and edit if anything changes.

Something huge had happened: Relonikiv had reached a fork in the road, with two very different paths ahead of him. He had chosen one without even thinking about it, or even realizing it. Even after Scimitar had brought him back here and explained, he hadn't understood, not really. He did understand one thing, though: he was down another sibling. Trajan had gone away with the three strange wolves and disappeared from their lives with the same abruptness as Paarthurnax and Durnehviir.

He only had one litter mate left now: Julius. Relonikiv clung to him at first, afraid that he, too, might disappear or walk out on him. His metaphorical grip loosened as the day wore into night, then a new day dawned. He awoke to find Julius still there beside him, sound asleep. And there was Bazi, lying across the clearing. He still missed his missing loved ones, yet even in his youth, he had drawn a subconscious conclusion: some wolves left and others stayed. And there was nothing he could do to choose who did which, or to control any of it.

Pushing himself upright, he yawned, stretched and then wandered over to Bazi. He looked a little more listless than usual, though he flashed her a quick smile as he draped his fuzzy golden body across her pale forelegs. Relonikiv rolled onto his back, his steely eyes locking on the underside of Bazi's jaw. He wondered if she would one day walk out of his life. The thought hurt, though he faced it calmly for a moment before hugging against her chest. He wanted her to know how much he wanted her to stay, even if he was beginning to understand the harsh reality: whether or not she actually did was mostly a matter of chance.

Trajan was now also gone, taken away by those strangers. While it was actually Trajan's choice, Julius didn't understand it. There had been no choice in the matter for him. He was going to stay with those he cared about instead of leaving everything behind. Thus, incapable of knowing it wasn't this way for Trajan, he blamed the terrible wolves that showed up.

While the pup already wasn't exactly friendly to those he wasn't friends with, - pack-mates or not - the appearance of the Bypass wolves only exacerbated that characteristic of Julius. While he may not have been one to think of the future at this stage in his life, his actions would at some point prove that he would fight tooth and nail to keep the remainder of his family together. While Relonikiv was fine with accepting that people came and went, Julius refused to accept it.

Julius woke with a start when he felt Relonikiv move besides him. "Niki!" He cried out, bounding towards his brother as he bounded towards Aunt Bazi. No way was he letting his last sibling get away from him before he could even say his whole name! Even after he could say his whole name (which he was slowly but surely learning in a backwards fashion) he would still try his best to prevent him from disappearing from his life.

Two dejected little boys emerged. Relonikiv came first, melting across her legs like a slice of a pale, hairy cheese. A streak of panic-stricken white followed quickly, squealing his brother's name. "We're out here, not going anywhere" Bazi called out even though she was sure the boy could see them. Trajan's choice had planted a dark seed in Julius that Relonikiv seemed to have escaped - at least on the outside. The larger brother was fretful and angry, glued to his siblings' side and seemingly reluctant to spend time alone. Bazi watched his approach with alert ears and a kind, wary expression. "What do you boys want to do today? Maybe a story?"

When Julius came bounding toward him, crying his name, Relonikiv let go of Bazi, sat up and faced his approaching bother. "Ju!" he said in response. He wasn't sure why they were yelling one another's names. It could have been a game but neither of them was in the mood, nor did Julius's tone sound playful. It sounded panicked. A realization began to dawn on him and Relonikiv said emphatically, "Here," even as Bazi conveyed the same message, more or less.

Motioning for his brother to join him, Relonikiv blinked up at Bazi when she asked what they wanted to do today. She offered a story, though it didn't appeal to Relonikiv. He glanced at Julius, wondering if his brother would have any ideas. Truthfully, the runt didn't feel like doing anything. He was tired of things happening, actually, and just wanted to sit here and cuddle what was left of his family.

Both Relonikiv and Bazi were now sitting still, but Julius kept running until he reached them. He plopped next to his brother, and buried his face in his fur for a moment. Relonikiv was right here, as was Bazi. There was one person missing, he realized as he he pulled his face away from Relonikiv. Bazi's question was ignored. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but who he wanted with them.

"Where Simy-ter?" Julius asked, unintentionally butchering the Alpha's name. Even if Julius wasn't as close to him as he was Bazi, Scimitar spent enough time with them to be part of the adopted family.

The boys didn't seem interested. She could hardly blame them - a mysterious enemy had killed and eaten the women in the family (what else could possibly have happened?) and their brother had chosen strangers . Even though he was only a child, Bazi did not think of Trajan kindly. There must be something seriously wrong with the boy - worse than a lisp - to cut ties without so much as a thought to what he was losing. Perhaps they were better without him. Perhaps Bazi was just dealing with her grief.

"He's just hunting for something nice and fresh to eat," Bazi lied to the huddling children. She had no idea where Scimitar was at present, but trusted that he would come back - because why wouldn't he? A thousand potential accidents and attacks flashed behind Bazi's eyes in response. She swallowed, shuffling closer to the boys.

Julius asked a pertinent question and Relonikiv looked shrewdly to Bazi's face. She told them that Scimitar was hunting for some food. The runt wasn't interested in food either, though he looked forward to the Alpha male's return. Then the little family would be complete... as complete as it ever could be these days.

She shuffled them closer and Relonikiv leaned into the tighter embrace. Maybe a story wouldn't be so bad, if she still held him this way. He liked her voice. "Okay," he said. "A thtory." Hopefully a happy one, something to fill their time until Scimitar came back.

Scimitar was getting food. Why did he need to do that? Julius wasn't hungry, and no one else had voiced complaints of hunger. Instead of hunting, he should've been with them, playing a part in comforting them both verbally and physically. He pouted, but complained no more. Making Bazi find and get Scimitar would mean making Bazi go away for a bit. Like Relonikiv, Julius enjoyed the lack of personal space. While he didn't like being in the company of strangers, he absolutely loved being close to his friends and family. He wanted Bazi to stay where she was and not disrupt anything.

Relonikiv asked for a story. Julius found that he didn't want to hear a story. All he wanted was for his family to be complete. After that happened he would gladly listen to a story. But at the same time, Relonikiv wanted to hear a story. That meant he would be even sadder if he didn't hear one. As much as Julius wanted his family together, he wanted them to be happy. Even if he didn't want to hear a story, he would listen if it made his brother happy.

"Okay. A thtory," said Relonikiv. Bazi was unconvinced, but didn't know what else she could offer them apart from staying exactly where she was. Julius looked even less thrilled, but he didn't say anything. The Alpha shuffled closer to the children, sifting through her memories for something happy. The last significant drama-free section of her life had been spent in Shar-Kali's pack, but even that hadn't ended well. Still, the pups didn't need to know that.

In a low, crooning voice, Bazi told them the story of her own childhood - which, in all fairness, had been largely uneventful. "Once upon a time there were three fat little pups - Mari, Two, ...and Bazi." And they had also thought that they would be together forever.

Fading if that's OK!