Dragoncrest Cliffs a momentary lapse of happily
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
Master Guardian
Away
#1
Private 
looong overdue bro-sis bonding time @Artaax ! set aaafter this thread


 blix had not noticed how far apart she's grown from her brothers. it doesn't feel good, but if she's supposed to feel sorry for her outburst after the pack meeting, she doesn't! every day the storm in her gets a little bit bigger.

 still... she's been so focused on mother's loss, and on her training, and on furi's arrival that she's neglecting  her family. she loves her brothers even if they are knuckleheads, and she doesn't like the way the sting of artaax glare feels on her, even hours later. maybe he just doesn't get it, how serious she is now. and if they're going to both be on the trip, it'll be a good chance to reconnect, but.. no, she won't be able to sleep at all if she doesn't look for him now. huffing slightly, the ginger sets out to sniff out her cream-toned sibling.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
461 Posts
Ooc — Stevie
Birdcatcher
Warrior
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#2
Artaax had forgotten all about his sister's recent transgressions by the time she came to find him. He actually had forgotten them in the moment Thur had acquiesced to their request to join the next search party. Since that moment, he had taken to preparing. Which is to say, he had begun attacking sticks.

Not like, little sticks. Big ones. Ones that actually were capable of putting up a fight. Kinda. When Blixen arrived, Artaax was busily attempting to rip a thick branch from a large limb that had fallen from one of the talls trees that were scattered thickly across their home. His muscles ached from the effort as he thrashed his head back and forth, but it only motivated him to work harder. It was a good work out in lieu of his usual sparring partner - @Bobby, who was off somewhere, probably following Eske around with big, cartoon hearts instead of eyes.

The young hompleia both heard and felt the branch snap loose. He grinned toothily as it gave way, not bothered that he hadn't managed to tear it off completely. He took that moment to step back and catch his breath, only then noticing that his sister was approaching.They didn't often spend any time together, but it didn't occur to him to be at all bothered by it - that was just the way it was between them. He said nothing; only glanced at her questioningly as he stood panting.
 
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
Master Guardian
Away
#3

 artaax isn't hard to find, what with the ruckus he's causing. her steps slow as she approaches and a grin splits her face despite herself. boys and their... sticks. "it's still attached," blix points out, knowing it's fruitless. for a moment she forgets why she was looking for him in the first place and just feels hopelessly fond.

oh, right though. "so... i'm not sorry," blix says, getting right to the point, "about before, i mean, but -- are we okay?" and sits, frowning slightly.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
461 Posts
Ooc — Stevie
Birdcatcher
Warrior
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#4
Artaax rolled his eyes at her first comment. He was well aware that it was still attached, and he let her know that with a quick, "I'm not done." He was about to shift his attention back to his very important training, but Blixen apparently wasn't done with him. He glanced over his shoulder at her, quirking a brow at her. What was she on about?

"We're fine," he told her, being very truthful about it. He hadn't approved of her brash, disrespectful way of approaching the conversation topic with nomi, but she hadn't reprimanded her, so he had no real reason to either. In everything, he took his cues from the heda. Whenever he disagreed with her, he dropped it the moment he realized his opinion differed. He may still have thought Blixen was in the wrong, but Thur didn't, and so it didn't matter.

There was something that did matter though, and for whatever reason, Artaax felt compelled to say something. "Are you... worried?" he asked, after a long pause where it was clear that he was struggling with something and didn't know if/how he should verbalize it. The boy spent a lot of time working on acting far older than he was, and much of that translated to showing no fear or anxiety in any situation. Truth was, he was full of it over Wildfire's absence and the upcoming trip to find her. For all of his training, he'd never undertaken something this... epic. Nor had Blixen, and it made him feel safer in voicing the question with her and no one else.
 
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
Master Guardian
Away
#5

 blix had thought she'd feel relieved when artaax reassures her they're fine, but somehow she only feels slightly worse. he seems so.. unbothered - though she's quickly proven wrong about that in his meaningful pause and anxiety-laden words. "of course i'm worried," she answers, her brow crinkling slightly, "if i wasn't worried i wouldn't have wanted to come at all." 

 this seems, to her, a fairly obvious thing, but artaax does always seem so carefree and unbothered by anything. she'd never thought that he wasn't affected, but maybe he's struggling more than she thought. maybe he's struggling like she is. "are you... worried?" the girl echoes, meaning something slightly different, but wondering if he'll get it, too.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
461 Posts
Ooc — Stevie
Birdcatcher
Warrior
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#6
Artaax felt embarassment heat his cheeks as his sister responded. It had been a stupid question and he was stupid for asking it. His ears flattened as he looked away from her, wondering how to change the subject. Or maybe he could just go back to his stick and she'd just walk away and they could forget this ever happened...

His ears twitched as Blixen spoke again, and he turned slightly to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Her next words are softer, melting his humility again. "Yes," he told her quietly, feeling some relief at saying it aloud. And that was good enough for the quiet boy. He gestured towards the fallen tree limb and asked, "You wanna help?"
 
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
Master Guardian
Away
#7
oh jeez. blix's stomach twists as artaax looks away, clearly embarrassed. what is with her lately and putting her foot in it every time she tries to talk to someone?

she opens her mouth to try to reassure him, but it seems her question had already done the trick. or at least got him to look less embarrassed about it. he doesn't say anything besides yes and she frowns. should she push him on it? but she doesn't, afraid of saying the wrong thing yet again. and when he gestures towards the stick she's already moving towards it with a "heck yeah," relieved if somewhat jilted the conversation's changing.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
461 Posts
Ooc — Stevie
Birdcatcher
Warrior
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#8
Artaax smiled at his sister's enthusiasm. He was certainly not as close with her as he was with Bobby, but there was no affection lost there. He would do and give anything for either or his siblings, just as he would for any member of his family, no matter how much they annoyed him. Robin actually pissed him off daily - numerous times a day, usually. But still he counted his dark brother to be his best friend, and Blixen followed right behind him.

Of course, he would never say these things allowed. That would be showing emotion, which he was training himself not to do for some reason only a licensed therapist would be able to sufficiently explain. Or me, if I felt like typing it all out, which I don't at the moment. Turning, Artaax focused his gaze again on the branch and the particular limb he had been trying to tear off. With a silent snarl, he leaped at it again, dug his teeth in tight, and began to tug viciously.
 
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
Master Guardian
Away
#9
fade here?

 for now, anyway, things seem okay. she's grateful for her brother's easygoing nature even if she feels still distanced from him and bobby. maybe that's just a brother-sister thing? who knows. eyes bright, blix follows suit as he latches onto the branch, her smaller frame right beside him sinking teeth in. growling all the while she adds her own weight to the onesided tug-of-war, content to keeping going until the branch splits cleanly from it's base.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall