Nova Peak rush hour flow

@Yami?

The mountain wasn't as impressive to Revui as Moonspear woudl always be, but he was thoroughly biased in that regard. It didn't take long for him to acquaint himself with the lower reaches of the mountain - nor to trek higher and higher, getting to know the slopes and gulleys - until he met an impasse and delved off the beaten track to descend upon a narrow plateau. Narrow to him, anyway. Revui had always been a hulking figure and this mountain wasn't adequate enough to accomodate his hefty self, however he was unafraid as he trailed along. Soon enough the ledge gave way to an open plateau of stonework surrounded on nearly every side by dense forestry; the exposed hump of a bald-faced hill merged with thick pine cover which he tried to avoid, and after clamboring along another slope Revui found himself in the center of the plateau with an open view of the valley beyond. The sheer ledge was a dangerous aspect but he didn't think anything of it, and proceeded to stalk along the plateau until he felt the desire to lift a leg and mark it as his own.

Yami had done her best to aavoid her brother since his sudden appearance within their ranks. She still didn't trust that this wasn't part of some elaborate plot to kidnap her still, even though nothing had happened between them since his arrival and also she couldn't really figure out how this might work as an elaborate plot to kidnap her. Still. She was wary of him, but she also couldn't deny that she had some curiosity about him and what he might be able to tell her about their family. Not that she cared because she so didn't.

So, we're just gonna give the poor girl the benefit of the doubt and say that her happening upon Revui was an accident. She had certainly convinced herself that it was. I can't really come up with any excuses though for why she decided to stop when she did spot him and, instead of walking the other way, she engaged instead. "What happens after we win the Cliffs?" she asked without preamble, calling over to him with narrowed eyes.

He finished his business, scraping at the dirt with his hind paws until a voice caused him to stop and peer around; when he saw it was his sister that called to him, Revui had half a mind to keep working and flat-out ignore her. They were both petulant young things, filled with their own strong egos, and he had been avidly avoiding her in equal measure. He couldn't ignore the commentary she shouted his way, though. What was going to happen? Revui hadn't thought that far ahead.

As he turned to close the distance between them, he observed her in silence, but broke it with a grunt and a shrug. You seem convinced we will win. Where is Kiwi's army? Did the rangy girl think that confidence and assurance would win her any battles? Revui didn't know if he respected Kiwi or not, but he certainly wasn't convinced of her power — not nearly as much as she'd convinced herself.

Part of Yami hoped that he would just roll his eyes and keep moving. Part of her also hoped she'd startle him and he'd fall off the cliff. Neither of those things happened, though. He moved towards her, and she braced herself momentarily thinking he might decide to attack her for the simple fact that he seemed to enjoy attacking her without reason. It had only happened once so far, but for the impetuous, judgmental youth, that meant he'd do it at every opportunity.

But, he didn't do that either. Instead he just spoke, and Yami found herself just as annoyed as she would have been had he done literally anything else because she was simply predisoposed to be annoyed with him. At his question, she snorted with derisive laughter and quirked a brow his way. "I thought that was what you were here for," she said, "Help build an army. Train us all to be epic, undefeated warriors like your own epic self."

Her counter bolstered his ego, which probably wasn't the result she had intended. Hearing her calling him an epic, undefeated warrior may have been facetious on her part but Revui didn't comprehend it that way. Even though they were at an impasse he still cared what his family - excommunicated or not - thought of him. He smirked and coughed a little chuckle at the look on her face.

To train them, but they are not here. He could continue hunting for bodies but what was the point, really? Kiwi was an abrasive sort of person that knew what she wanted, but having people follow her would be a task; Revui appreciated her determination and gall, but she wasn't physically strong and that led him to doubt. Add to that the fact she aligned herself with someone weak-willed like Yami, who had never flourished beneath the tutelage of their older siblings or their parents, and Revui's doubt swelled.

He shifted closer again, then stopped where he could loom over one edge of the sheer cliff face, looking down at the immense drop. Why take the cliffs? You have a mountain. Or do you hate this one as much as the last..? Revui shot her a glance then, his frigid gaze briefly flaring with haughtiness as he made the little jab.

Yami frowned, annoyed that he hadn't been offended by her obviously sarcastic comment. He annoyed her even more when he pointed out that they had no packmates to train. That was unfortunately rather true. She and Kiwi hadn't been very successful in their attempt at recruiting others for their army. At least, Kiwi hadn't. Yami hadn't even found anyone to be shot down by. Maybe she'd have to work on that.

Yami scoffed at his comment about the mountain. "I liked it better a few days ago..." she said pointedly, though she assumed that he probably would miss her meaning, "The Cliffs are where Kiwi grew up. The territory belongs to her family, but they apparently abandoned it so she wants to take it back." To be fair, Yami didn't really get it. She actually liked Nova Peak a lot better than what she'd seen of the Cliffs and had no real desire to move there, especially if it meant all the trouble. But, she had agreed to help Kiwi claim it, and so she would, even though she technically didn't mind dragging their paws a little before doing so.

Abandoned? There must have been a good reason for a family to give up their claim; he couldn't imagine Charon ever giving up the mountain without a fight, nor Amekaze. Something must have been wrong with the territory - perhaps there were dangers they had not forseen? Or a beast they could not face. Whatever the reason, if Kiwi's family did give up the cliffs, they were weaklings according to Revui. If she came from that sort of stock then what hope was there for success in this battle? He had begun to doubt more strongly than before, and glared down the cliffside as he realized this.

They were weak, he blurted, and then shot a look to Yami that held other implications - thoughts about Kiwi - but he didn't think to contain them, nor did he consider how it might sound for him to say, You think she's worth following? She has nothing. Nothing except you, he could've added if he had been intending to hurt, but he was not. Revui was stating the facts as he knew them.

Yami felt a stab of annoyance when Revui proceeded to insult Kiwi's family. I mean, yeah, maybe they'd been weak to give up their territory like that. But who the fuck was he to judge? He was the weak one to have become a pawn for their crazy family. But that argument wasn't worth having again. Besides, he was distracting her by saying some totally douche-y shit.

"Then why the fuck are you following her?" Yami asked, partly to challenge him but mostly because she just legit did not get it, "I mean, I get it, you said you would or whatever. But you obviously don't believe in her or her cause, so what's the deal? You're just gonna stick around and talk shit about her and her family until it's time to go risk your life for her? That makes no sense."

The words spilled freely out of her in spite of their potential to make Revui realize he really should bail on them. She didn't consider that that might happen--if anything, she was trying to make him shut the shit up and commit already if he was really going to. But actually she wasn't even doing that--she was just talking about of her ass because she was, and always had been, so irritated by the way all of her siblings seemed to have no minds of their own.

He listened to her as he stared over that edge, his jawline tense and features grim, as per usual. Some aspect of what she was talking about did make sense to him but he wasn't going to outwardly prove her right; he had his doubts, and they grew with every day that passed. Revui had agreed to follow her on the condition that he fight, but there was no fighting. There was no army to train, no bodies to spar with, nobody to use as a means to better himself - because that's all he's ever been after, the selfish side of things. The growth of his own strength rather than the strength of the group.

The boy's observations weren't meant as criticisms. To learn that the wolf he'd agreed to follow came from a weak stock filled him with doubt, but he was only after information. Yami called him out on his commentary and earned a bored glance. The drawl of his deep voice came next.

I am trying to understand. He states, cold and limited though his words are, there is a slight edge to them. Why do you follow her? What makes her better than -- mom and dad, he wanted to say, but he didn't really want to bring them in to this, so he elected to replace them with, Moonspear?

Yami rolled her eyes at Revui's response. He basically ignored everything she'd said and insisted on forcing her to answer. Well, fine then, she would. Unlike her brother, she knew exactly why she was following Kiwi. Her friend might not have much now, but she had guts and she had some real balls, unlike some stupid meatheads she knew.

But when her jaws parted to give that response, he finished his quested at that very moment and her words were suddenly lodged in her throat. Why Kiwi instead of Moonspear? Yami shut her mouth for a moment, frowning at her brother with her jaw set firmly. A few seconds passed as she stared, her mind spinning with all the poisonous things she could say. She was so angry at her family. Whether it was right or wrong to be angry, she was angry and she was hurt. And all the yearling knew to do when she felt those things as intensely as she did was to lash out at the world around her, whatever or whoever got caught in the crossfire be damned.

"Because she accepts me," Yami said after a moment, in a slightly trembling but firm voice. Her expression softened slightly, but then it hardened again as she caught herself. She refused to be vulnerable. Not in front of Revui or anyone else. She'd hurt too much for that shit. "And because she's awesome," she added, trying to shove that other moment as far away as possible, "And because she makes her own way. No one decides for her."

Her brother seemed to accept that response, but it quickly became apparent that they didn't have much else to say to each other. Giving him one last look, Yami turned and headed off deeper into the mountain again, uncertain if she had made any progress in her relationship with her sibling or not. And also uncertain as to whether or not she cared.