Noctisardor Bypass sorry, i can't hear you

the morning is cold; made little more than insufferable by the dampness of the recent rain and the small catches of flurries that leave snowflakes tangled in his lashes before they melt. vex curls into the soft deer pelt, leaves crunching beneath as he twists and turns. afraid to go to sleep. afraid sos will appear. on and off all night, he’s drifted into uneasy and light sleep; when the sun finally begins to rise over the horizon, painting the bypass in a drab gray, he’s grumpy.

sour-faced and annoyed.

he kicks his deer pelt but it brings with it no satisfaction and storms off to the nearest freshwater source to get a drink. each rustle of leaves has him peering over his shoulder wearily; eyes cutting. nothing emerges from the writhing shadows but he every so often vex swears he feels the heat of sos’ hellbreath at the nape of his neck as if the shadowlord clung to his shadows.

there was a small inkling of power; electrifying, tempting vex to reach out and embrace it. embrace sos.

❝i am always with you, pigkuktuk —❞

the hairs along vex’s nape bristle as his steps cease; each muscle pulling taunt beneath his pelage as he looks left and right and turns in a full circle. he blinks and for a moment his shadow morphs; growing from him into something larger; something decidedly bear-shaped. vex looks away, quickly; empty stomach roiling.

❝you have called to me, and i’ve chosen you…❞

vex’s muscles thaw and he storms away, head high and ears slicked back against his skull in bristled annoyance. when he reaches the fresh water source he bends down to take a drink and recoils as he sees a blurred but massive black-furred, polar bear face behind his; rubyred eyes burning with hellfire. leave me alone. he snarls quietly, smacking his paw against the water and taking a drink from the rippling water.

hoping against all hope that no one heard him talking to his reflect. while vex was quick to lie and say he didn’t care what anyone thought about him the very last thing he wanted was for one of his packmates to think he was insane.

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Warlock had managed to find a wing -- a better wing this time even, large and inky black obviously from a crow or raven though Warlock himself didn't know the difference. It was a nice ominous color and would get a prized place back in his collection, as long as he could keep it nice and safe. That was the good thing about Brou being particularly absent -- he didn't have to worry about the most annoying of siblings crashing through it.

Spotting Vex along the water, he ambled that way, figuring they could hunt or something like that (after he stashed the wing temporarily, of course) but as he got closer he spoke out. Okay, what Vex said wasn't at him, but Warlock had thought it was, and so he said around the wing, Sorry? blinking owlishly at his brother. You sure I can't help? Not that he knew with what. It was his job to help since Kaertok was a loser, after all. Couldn't go wandering by a little sibling and brush them off entirely.

whatever hopes vex held onto about not having any of his fellow legionnaires overhear him are rapidly dashed and sunk to the bottom of vex’s lake of despair and burning embarrassment as warlock’s voice — albeit a bit muffled — drifts from behind him. vex turns quickly, a silent snarl on his lips; ears splaying back against his skull as he tries to rapidly think of a lie or an excuse or something to say. something, anything had to be better than the truth: that he was being hunted, haunted or followed ( whatever exactly it was sos was doing ) by some hellborne beargod. it sounds well …crazy, even in his head. haunt, understands and for whatever reason vex isn’t afraid to let her in, to let her see all his vulnerabilities. everyone else?

forget about it.

what do you want? vex demands, exasperated; playing it off like he’d heard warlock’s approach ( he hadn’t ) and wasn’t really in the mood for his older brother’s company. warlock hadn’t done anything to deserve the stinging bite of vex’s annoyance but he, standing there with some bird’s wing, was unfortunately in the anneriwok’s crossfire. unless you can convince mom to stop treating me like a child, vex jumps upon his first, most reality based gripe. then no.

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Warlock put the bird wing down gently, taking care to not ruffle it more than it had gotten after removing it from the rest of the body. The sharpness didn't seem to ruffle his own feathers though, but then again, have you met his family? He was used to rather terse words, I mean. I'm supposed to help you guys -- and help teach stuff I guess too, but she'd probably only want me teaching hunting, not um. Other stuff. So I ask. He still wasn't sure what other people would think about his name -- but there weren't enough family here to really piece it together, or at least not ones that cared. It still wasn't a subject he brought up with any pride. 

He did sort of know how to get into Arbiter's good graces, though -- then again, he also hadn't gone on some crazy escapade all on his own, so he wasn't sure if that was something actually reparable.. But uh, I always found doing what she wanted worked well. Following all the lessons she wanted and things, even if you're not good at them. My sister was lazy about all of it, so mom got on her case more -- probably why she's not around so much now. Honestly Warlock was ok with that. He hadn't really put any thought to just how long or how gone she actually was. Mom's tough, but that's how she cares, I guess. Especially alone. Though a second passed and he kind of winced, suddenly wondering if he should apologize for Kaertok being gone or something. Warlock wasn't exactly sad about that. Terance was a far better father. Had she mentioned Terance to them? Probably not, given how she reacted.

admittedly, vex wasn’t super interested in learning anything while he was caged and bound — confident that he could learn plenty being able to roam; and he didn’t give much thought to what warlock was saying beyond the look that says ‘you’ve been tasked with babysitting us’. but uh, i always found doing what she wanted worked well. warlock says and vex barely manages to conceal with sarcasm laced laugh that bubbles aggressively in his throat. if that wasn’t the perfectly crafted response of thorough conditioning vex didn’t know what was. whatever ( slim ) hope he had of turning warlock to his side was squashed before it could even come to light.

warlock, vex fixes his older brother in a hard stare. maybe you’re comfortable with doing everything mom asks of you like an obedient little soldier but i’m not. though vex feels that largely went without saying. seriously? doing everything she wants? never questioning? never thinking for yourself? it made vex want to gag. he turns his head away from warlock then, eyes trailing the shimmering form of the shadowlord before looking back.

dad has his faults, maybe abandoning his children as chief among them. but at least he encouraged us to think for ourselves.

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Faults, he scoffed kinda-quietly -- Warlock was not a fan off Kaertok. But given the fact he was gone, War treated talking about him like you might the recently dead, so he'd hold his tongue. For now, at least. Because he still would be tempted to say that Kaertok was utter garbage at being a dad from everything Warlock could tell.

Maybe Vex was actually more like Brou. There was that whole jumping to extremes thing going on, which was unfortunate. He just wanted some nice siblings, but that would be too much to ask, apparently. Slight eyeroll, Not everything... But if she's just asking you to be safe or learn something that's not exactly some huge ask. I mean, I did what she asked, and yeah, some of it wasn't stuff I liked, but she just let me do my own stuff beyond that, so now that's mostly what I do. Few more months that'll be you too. Assuming he didn't do anything freaking crazy in the meantime.

The world out there's a nasty place, and she knows that more than either of us. He had no idea why Vex was so impatient about it all. Between hearing about Ursus and whatever Donovan had done and all the other big animals out there that would try to eat them.. Yeah, here was a lot safer. So, call him paranoid, but he was totally right about it.

vex doesn’t appreciate the quiet scoff that he assumes warlock tries to conceal, just as he in true fashion, doesn’t appreciate the words and lectures warlock lays upon them. truths; perhaps. still, vex is what he is and believes that the best way is to put himself out in the world. what was the point if his mother tried to coddle him? if the world is so cruel then why try to coddle us? leash is what he meant and though he was not one to blunt the sharp bite of his tongue he makes something of an effort for his older brother. after all, vex was vastly outnumbered and in the present time: outgunned.

ultimately, though, what warlock says goes in one ear and out the other. vex couldn’t help he was headstrong, that he latched so eagerly onto kaertok’s beliefs; and the fact that he was being told to change them sits unwell within him …like the festering of a wound that neither them or he would let heal.

in an effort to change the subject lest he be lectured some more about how arbiter knew so much and that he, as a child, was wrong …vex abruptly changes the subject. what do you know of gods, warlock? he asks, conjuring an image of the dreadbear with an ease that sets his skin prickling.

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