Ankyra Sound even the earth no longer remembers
feather heart
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#1
All Welcome 
the morning is warm and sticky with the heaviness of both ocean brine and the moisture of a recent rain. scarab examines the fat droplets of rain on the green leafs of a bush clinically as he passes. lapis lazuli blue gaze does not linger, instead focusing on the well-worn path towards the beach. at almost three months old his capabilities of understanding are growing and sharpening and though it has yet to directly affect him he understands that something big has changed in rusalka. an upsetting change, perhaps. he watches quietly and studiously wondering how disturbed the balance of justice has become. unbeknownst to scarab, a frown has settled upon his lips as he hard earth gives way to pliable and damp sand under foot. it's warm and shapes to his too-large for him paws as he heads down to the water.

the sea is calm this morning, the tide still high and a glimpse colorful piece of seaglass: ruby red catches his eye and he swoops down upon it like a greedy magpie. he noses it free of the frothy seafoam and jetsam and inspects it, trying to decide if he should keep it for his own collection ( highly tempting ) of half beautiful and half morbid things or if he should gift it to rosalyn and erzulie. while his siblings were the stars of his life, his mothers were the suns of his life: blazing bright and unyielding. undecided, scarab graps the smooth piece of seaglass delicately betwixt his jaws and carries it with him down the beach, eyes scanning for more pieces of sea-jewels.
it's a quality of the gods
to see a creature with its back broken
and be unmoved —
Ghost
backwater peon
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#2
Reyes had been exploring the rendezvous site, patrolling as he'd probably call it (even though he was deeply distracted by some pretty rocks or chunk of seaweed at the time, and never looked up at his surroundings to properly guard them), when he noticed the repetitive beat of paws against sand. He looked up finally, then peered around, in time to glimpse the shining coat of his brother as Scarab appeared on the scene. He looked to be carrying something and was moving quickly in to the den - and that alone perked Reyes' interest. The cub lunged across the sand and tried to intercept the other boy, but slowed down just as he came upon the den in an effot to sneak up on him.

The boy lingered there for a few seconds. He didn't care if he disturbed Scarab at all, but it felt more fun to be sneaky and quiet - so that's what he attempted. He sniffed at the den entrance but couldn't find anything amiss about Scarab's scent besides the vague smell of something old, kind of like when mom brought bones and skulls around to play with. Had Scarab found something like that? Reyes' little tail whirled behind him in anticipation — and, unable to contain himself, he yipped and plunged in to the den in pursuit of whatever prize the golden boy was trying to hide.

Scaaaab! He hollered, and the drone of his voice rebounded off the walls of the den.
feather heart
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#3
having believed that he hadn't been followed by the stars or suns of his life ...or one of the other members of rusalka scarab darts into the den with unhindered confidence. many of the non-family members of rusalka he was as unfamiliar with as the sun was with the moon except in the rare occurrences when it eclipsed. scarab was aware of them ( probably knew them by name and sight ) but as he was much more mobile than he'd been when they could just pop in the den for a visit it was likely hard to catch him. though he didn't mean to be hard to find the truth was he could be found if not on the beach then in the depths of the grotto looking for more treasures to add to his growing menagerie ...which was beginning to look less like a child's collection of pretty things to something that might be found in a pharaoh's tomb ( or perhaps a necromancer's home ). seaglass, feathers, bones and petrified things with hollow eyes frozen in time.

the ruby red piece of seaglass is placed alongside it's fellow assortment of seaglass pieces seconds before reyes' yips bounce off the walls of the den. startled, scarab turns quickly, his hackles bristling with unbidden annoyance. rey! scarab growls a shorter variation of his red brother's name around the pounding of his little heart against it's prison of flesh and bone. scarab shuffles his position, trying to hide his menagerie from his brother's view; not out of embarrassment but because ...well ...it felt extremely private. like a diary that he wasn't ready to share with even those that he undeniably and unconditionally loved.

he shifts back and feels the calamus and rachis of the horned owl's feather he'd unintentionally stepped on break beneath the crush of his paw and his attention shifts down abruptly, recoiling his paw back. oh no... scarab wilts and inspects the broken feather with a notable slump of his shoulders as reyes is temporarily forgotten about.
it's a quality of the gods
to see a creature with its back broken
and be unmoved —
Ghost
backwater peon
627 Posts
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#4
It had gone right over his head that this might be the improper way - or improper time - to address his brother; he was excited to see him roaming the sand and, like a herding dog, wanted to keep tabs on where all of his family members were at all times, regardless of how they felt on the subject. Reyes had never been one to covet objects; beyond the pretty stone that he had been temporarily gifted and then promptly lost, the child did not see the value in the various collectibles that Scarab had amassed. He came plunging in to the den alongside his hollering voice, eyes shut more for effect than anything (although it helped him to adjust to the shift in light and depth when they flew open again) — he came very close to colliding with Scarab until the last second, when those bright yellow eyes opened wide and the boy staggered around, careening towards one of the precious piles.

Reyes crashed in to the collection of bones, feathers, oddities and useless ends — butt first, as if he'd meant only to slide casually in to the nearest wall and promptly sit. The objects cushioned his landing but there was a chorus of crunching sounds to accompany his body's thwump!

From outside of the hideaway, any passeryby would've heard the ensuing silence broken only by Scarabs pitiful, Rey!

The menagerie wasn't wholly destroyed, but a good portion of it was now scattered beneath Reyes' plump rump and he looked positively thrilled with himself, despite the fact he was an unwelcome guest, much like a snake versus a nest of precious eggs; he looked to his brother with a big dumb grin on his face but noticed that Scarab's attention was focused on the ground, and the boy rose to his feet to creep closer, sniffling at the dirt as if to say, what's up? But all he could find were the remains of a once-proud looking feather bent in half, and that wasn't nearly as impressive as Reyes' entrance, so - what gives?
feather heart
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#5
scarab watches, helpless, as reyes comes into the den like a tornado, a flash of red fur. broken feather forgotten about as he watches the destruction of the items unfortunate enough to be in reyes' path, colorful seaglass scattering and skittering across the earthen floor with the hollow bird skulls that crunch beneath reyes' weight. as quick as it begun the chaos is over and the proverbial dust settles. the lone broken feather is forgotten about as scarab takes a ghosting step towards reyes — who looks proud of himself and thoroughly uncaring that he's just destroyed some of scarab's menagerie. he tries to assess all the damage but all scarab can see is reyes.

scarab blinks at his brother trying to process the miasma of emotions rising within him like a tsunami wave: the mortification at the wreckage of some of his precious belongings followed by the hot anger at reyes for being the wrecking ball. scarab feels both hot and cold all over as the two emotions war within him each vying for control. you — he takes a short breath, trying to form a coherent sentance. you broke 'em! and promptly rushes past reyes to inspect the damage in full. the seaglass was ok and most of the feathers seemed to be intact and could be rearranged back but there were a few delicate skulls that now reside in pieces that scarab knows he'll have to replace. it would take some time: it wasn't as if skulls were just laying around in abundance.

scarab noses the pieces with a fussing huff and begins to shuffle the salvageable things into the nearest pile, content to ignore his destructive brother for the moment.
it's a quality of the gods
to see a creature with its back broken
and be unmoved —
Ghost
backwater peon
627 Posts
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#6
His brother looked stunned, and Reyes was obnoxious enough to think he'd impressed the other boy in some way, so he grinned a larger smile, his tail shuffling detritus around as it began to wag. That did not last though. Soon enough Scarab was hustling to correct the chaos made by his sibling, to which Reyes could only watch mutely - his brown furrowing a bit, and then the smile dropping from his face as felt crowded out of place; there was glass and bone fragments everywhere, and while Scarab tried to return his collection to some form of order, Reyes was forgotten about. He didn't like that - but he didn't like the claustrophobic feeling of his brother's body so close to his own while in the hollow, so he elected to duck away, back in to the summer light outside. He came, he smashed, he left — kind of like how his unknowable father operated — and as Reyes emerged upon the sand he shook some tangled bits from his coat, then shot a look to where he knew his brother was busy mending things.

Come on Scaraaab, come out and play! He bellowed at the entrance, spinning so that he could face the mouth of the hollow; he wondered if his voice would echo. Lesgo! Wanna see wha mums are doin'? Or -- OHH we can go swim!! He hadn't been swimming much; he wasn't entirely comfortable with it and would more than likely prowl the beach while his siblings took the plunge. In this case he was bored, and didn't see the value of Scarab's collection nor the significance of those precious items being pulverized with his initial arrival. Scaraaab! He called again, stomping about impetuously.
feather heart
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#7
scarab gives reyes a passive look from the corner of his eye as he continues to fuss and arrange what he could salvage from his brother's wreckage noting as he leaves the hollow; but does not entirely leave the area. scarab feels like his heart constricts in his chest as he crumbles, shoulders sagging like a wilting flower in private as he noses a piece of broken bird skull. he can't explain why these things — for that was all they were: things — meant something to him. he wasn't even sure himself, if he was being honest. all scarab knew was there was a pull towards each piece.

as he crumbles in privacy now that his brother has vacated the immediate premises he almost forgets about reyes, easily caught up in his own grief. until his brother tries to lure him out of the dark recesses of the hollow with a bellow and entice of play. scarab is torn. he looks at his gifts: of the ocean and the earth and peers over a shoulder at the mouth of the hollow where reyes, ever determined, still tries to draw him out. the mention of the suns of scarab's life tempts him more than 'play' had — if there were any beings in the world that could lift scarab from a mood it was undeniably their mothers — but so, too did the idea of swimming. though, truth be told, scarab was scheming at the thought of how he might be able to collect some feathers lodged in the sand instead.

with a heavy sigh that causes his shoulders to rise and fall rather dramatically he deduces that reyes has no plans of leaving him be to wallow in the devastation of his destruction and shuffles out of the hollow. lets go. scarab concurs as he marches right past reyes towards the beach, expecting his brother to follow ( or take the lead as he seems wont to do ).
it's a quality of the gods
to see a creature with its back broken
and be unmoved —