Shadewood kicking rocks and breaking teeth

@Deku or @Valour maybe? or both hehe

life is cruel. it’s filled with awful things and wicked people. but there was always something that bought some light into it. for orochi that something was his mother. he appreciated all those little moments with her. the playing, the sleeping, the conversations. he had didn’t see the importance of that before but now it became painfully clear now that she was gone.

things were more silent than ever before. he had no interest in playing with the other kids. he had only seen one, but she was just as quiet and weird as deku, so he assumed everyone was like that. there was minori, but their relationship was complicated. orochi didn’t hate her but he didn’t exactly like her either. she took care of him as a mother should, but she could never be takara. even if he did want to play with her it wasn’t like there was enough time in the day. she led everything around here and had a lot of responsibilities. this left him alone on most days.

the little dragon had kept himself busy by playing around with every little thing he could find. it was afternoon now, orochi basked in the sun with an unamused look on his face. you can only play with sticks and rocks for so long before getting bored.

things had shifted quickly in the forest. the young boy had seen strangers pass and then disappear in the wilderness beyond their borders without so much as a whisper to him. his own father’s scent had faded well enough from where they had made their den site. the young starchaser missed the dark coat and speckled markings, but he would never speak such things to his mother for fear of upsetting her. deku could tell that their previous conversation had been a challenging one; his mother had felt the betrayal of issun quite deeply.
 
in the time that had passed, the star child had been taken to the borders and shown how best to patrol their claim. all the while, their numbers dwindled until there were very few bodies left in the woodland pack. at night, the trees had adopted a quiet rustling. owls had started to hoot from the treetops. while he was fearful of it, deku had found himself mesmerized by the darkness of the wild wood. he had even found some interesting treasures on his short jaunts away from the family site.
 
one such item was a stone that matched the colors of orochi almost perfectly. it was smooth and dark with magnificent tan swirls that acted as blemishes against the inky foundation. while his brother was an angry sort of fellow, that had never stopped the starchaser from attempting to form a bond with him. the young deku carried his stone back to the family den and saw his sibling prowling around outside with a stern expression. “orochi!” deku cried out with a happy wiggle of his rear end. trotting forward, he placed the rock on the ground gingerly and looked up with a shimmering starlight gaze. “i found this for you. it kinda has your colors. i thought it was a really cool treasure,” he explained in a sweet, soft voice.

orochi! the call disrupted the silence and ruined any chance of relaxation. well honestly he had no intentions of napping before but he preferred that over spending time with him.

the boy leaped up and scowled at his brother, then at the rock, and back at deku again. it was just a rock, nothing more. sure it was shinier than ones he’s seen, but there were probably millions just like it. if he really wanted one he could find it himself.

i don’t want your stupid rock, he grunted. orochi lifted a paw and swated it to the side.

it should not have been surprising that orochi would not take kindly to the gift that was brought to him. the angry child looked at the stone on the ground and in a swift movement, he had batted it away with his paw and turned his attention sharply toward deku. there was fire in his brother’s eyes. it was so fury-driven that the starchaser turned away and flattened his ears to the top of his crown in a moment of surprise. his expression had taken on a crestfallen, sullen light. more than anything, he had hoped that his sibling would have liked the gift, if only because it looked like him.
 
still keeping his eye contact locked on the dirt at his paws, deku exhaled a soft sigh. “i brought it ‘cause it looks like you…” the young man spoke in a voice that cracked. did that mean that orochi was stupid too? the star child did not think so, but it was his brother that had deemed the stone to be such a thing. if he had been bolder, perhaps he could have brought orochi’s words and flipped them back onto him. instead, deku wondered what he had done to make his sibling hate him so very much.

any joy on deku’s face was cast away in an instant. he sunk to the ground and repeated himself, only this time much more softer. a smug grin spread from cheek to cheek. seeing that stupid little smile wipe off his face never ceased to amuse him.

i don’t care, he huffed. it’s just a rock. it doesn’t do anything ‘cept sit all day.

*plops him in*

He had been stalking the older boys for a while now and had heard the conversation faintly as he approached, missing bits and pieces but getting the jist. He frowned and looked first at Orochi who was handsome but god was he a nasty, ugly boy personality wise. Deku however grabbed his fascination "Ugly rock...guess it's fitting" he commented in monotone while flashing the panda boy a small smile, eyes gleaming with humor. He looked to Orochi and gave him a scowl "You enjoy bein mean?" He asked bluntly.

deku was shot down again, swiftly. orochi wanted nothing to do with the gift. he stated that it was only a rock, that it didn’t do anything. the starchaser recoiled slightly at this statement. his ears were flattened to the top of his head and his eyes darted away from his brother. it might have been a foolish attempt to offer orochi something as useless as the stone. deku had only thought that the sturdy little thing had reminded him of his fiery sibling. he had hoped that there was a chance they could find a way to get along for more than a heartbeat.
 
a voice sounded, startling deku into jumping and quivering. he turned his head until he latched his pale grey sights on an unfamiliar figure. the stranger seemed to be roughly their age, give or take a few months. he walked with an easy confidence that young deku could not help but to envy. when the agouti wolf smiled toward him, he turned away and felt his cheeks flood with heat.
 
“he doesn’t have to like it. he was just speaking his mind,” deku tried to defend his brother, knowing that it was the right thing to do. this unknown figure had just waltzed into their area and had evesdropped on their conversation. on top of this, he had then inserted himself into it and managed to call orochi ugly in a matter of seconds. as much as the angry young man had hurt his feelings, deku did not want his brother to be called such things.

the other boy had gone completely unnoticed until he approached with an offhanded insult. if he wasn’t completely angry before he surely was now. his little grin scrunched up into a grimace. this boy had a lot of nerve talking to him like that.

while deku was more passive, orochi was much more confrontational and aggressive. he stomped right past his brother and up in the boy’s face. you’re gonna pay for that! he growled. without much warning he pushed forward in an attempt to shove the smaller child to the ground. oh joy, a battle! finally a little excitement around here!

Valour eyed Deku with a look that said he felt bad for him. Yeah sure the angry boy could have his opinions but he didn't have to be mean about it. "He's a bully" was his only response, a hard edge to his tone as his flashing silver eyes moved to stare Orochi down just as the other boy invaded his space. Valour was younger by a few months and as such, smaller but where some may have shrank back he winced but then stared directly into Orochi's angry eyes "You're provin' my point dummy" he said icily, the only thing ruining his tough act being the tremble in his tone. He didn't want to get into a fight, he hadn't ever been in one and he was super outmatched but if this guy made the first move then he would do what he could.

the unknown pup was quick to claim that orochi was a bully. the young starchaser peered at the stranger with a curious expression. his head canted to the side ever so slightly as deku turned to look at his brother. a thoughtful frown had cast a downtrodden expression to the young boy’s face. he had never really thought of his sibling as having been a bully, but he was not eager to think so poorly of his family. deku was fare more likely to blame himself for orochi acting out than he was to chide the ink and dust figure.
 
“stop fighting,” the child pleaded with the two other boys. while he was not pleased at having to do it, deku moved to place himself between the squabbling duo. his features were scrunched up into an expression of fear and frustration. the starchaser did not want his brother to be hurt, and he did not want this other pup to feel the wrath of orochi.

orochi was so accustomed to everyone (and by ‘everyone’ that means deku for the most part) crumpling down when they got a glimpse of his anger. although the boy shrank back and there was a quiver in his voice, his words were still defiant. his eyes widened for a moment, admittedly shocked by this, before lowering his head and letting his tiny fangs show.

he began to stomp forward again, but deku put himself between the two before anything can happen. get out of my way or i’m gonna beat up both of you! he growled.

Valour was torn. On the one hand he didn't really intend to make the other boy this mad and on the other a part of him liked watching the reaction. He didn't want to ruin the chance at making friends but at the same time backing down felt wrong. He couldn't explain why it felt wrong but it did, even if it meant getting hurt he still wanted to show this other kid that he couldn't be so mean without getting it back. He opened his mouth to speak when Deku barged between them and pleaded with them to stop. He frowned and stared at the other boy like he was nuts. Did he really just let this guy treat him like dirt? "But-" the protest was cut off by Orochi threatening not only him but the kind boy who hadn't done anything wrong. His ears went back and he bared his teeth, exposing baby fangs and the start of his other teeth his eyes flashing with real anger now "he didn't do nothin' wrong!" he shouted back and stepped around Deku. This time it was Valour who got in Orochi's face, lips curling as he growled "Wanna fight dummy? C'mon then!" He challenged staring him down without a trace of the reasonable fear he had before.

Permission to do a tiny little attack. Like push him down or something if you want. He's probably like..an inch or so smaller than both of them so Orochi could definitely just body bump him to the ground

he hated every second of what took place afterward – the anger, the threats. deku peered between the two other boys with an expression of fearful regret on his young face. the silver in his eyes seemed to glisten with the threat of tears, but he did what he could to swallow the heavy lump of emotion that had settled in his throat. had the stranger not attempted to stand up for him, it would have been likely that deku would blindly stand behind orochi. the angry pup was family, after all, and that was important.
 
instead, the other boy seemed to want to come to deku’s defense. the starchaser was completely taken aback by such a selfless act. they did not even know each other and yet here he was, ready and willing to go to battle for what he believed to be right. a sharp inhale was the only sound that he made for a moment. deku did what he could to steady himself against the onslaught of their words, but he feared that the worst would happen.
 
“i- i don’t want you to get hurt, orochi…” deku tried to tell his brother, but his words were easily swept away in the threats that were being tossed back and forth between the other two boys. the child of the stars was left to stand between them, a dejected expression on his young face.

what began as simple irritation had now morphed into anger and adrenaline as the showdown dragged on. it was deku’s lucky day. orochi didn’t care about his presence anymore, he just wanted to teach this boy a lesson. if he wished to fight, the little dragon would not hesitate to oblige. 

this need for conflict only grew when his brother spoke up. orochi shot daggers at him. no one had a chance of bringing him down, especially this  annoying little whelp. orochi would just need to prove that.

 he wouldn’t take their size difference for granted. with a growl the boy reared up with his paws in the air and swiftly slammed down, attempting to pin valour.

No PP just an attempt, we can roll for a hit or miss or you can choose, I'm fine either way

Valour's eyes widened as the boy, now known as Orochi reared up. For the smaller boy it seemed amazing and for a second his resolve faltered and he let out a sharp yip as the older boy came crashing down on him. He slumped and quickly twisted to his side, Orochi's paw on his shoulder. For a moment he stared at the limb and then survival instinct and rage combined, forming adrenaline of his own and he lunged with a sharp snarl and attempted to bite down on the older boy's toes with his sharp milk teeth, defiantly growling whether succesful or not.

all of it transpired before the pup could do a thing. he shuddered violently as orochi reared back and crashed down with all his youthful might against the body of the other boy. deku’s jaw gaped at the sight of it. his tail tucked to his rear fearfully – ears splaying – his chin quivered. the other pup took the hit well enough, squirming beneath orochi’s large puppy paws until he had maneuvered free of the hold. deku was urged to move forward, to make sure they were both alright, but the stranger was quick to react with a snarl.
 
the starchaser felt a wave of abysmal confusion. he did not know what to do. so stricken by fear and utter shock after witnessing his brother’s actions, deku was thrust into a statuesque state of existence. in spite of it all, he could not pry his eyes away from the match.

the boy crumbled beneath him with ease, much to his delight. orochi started down at his opponent with a triumphant glint in his eyes. a hardy chuckle slipped through clenched teeth. there, that should show the little eavesdropper what for.

but the fire had not been snuffed yet. valour’s teeth ripped forward in an attempt to bite the paw that held him down. luck seemed to grace orochi today. he was able to pull himself away just before the boy could get a grip. the dragon’s ego would stay intact today.

a grin spread from ear to ear and his nose and tail pointed towards the sky. ha! hey deku, you two should hang out more cause you’re both stupid. orochi began to venture out on his own, laughing over his victory.

His teeth clicked down on nothing other than his own tongue and be bit down harder to stop his own yelp of pain. He slowly stood up and opened his mouth, awkwardly spitting blood from his maw and licking his lips as he stared at Orochi silently, eyes full of rage and dark intention while his ears slowly flattened to display his shame. As Orochi insulted them and arrogantly stormed off he stood and turned to head away tail hanging low as he shamefully avoided Deku's eyes. His pride had been damaged that day and he was one hundred percent certain that he would one day do something to hurt that boy, he just had to wait for his moment. He paused briefly and the hatred softened "you're not stupid" he said softly to the spotted boy and then hurriedly walked off, spitting blood as he went.

the fight didn’t last long, thankfully. deku still remained frozen in place after orochi had finished causing harm to the other pup. his shimmering silver gaze was filled to the brim with tears that he refused to release. the yelp that had been issued by valour was enough to cause the young starchaser to jump, startled by the sound and the pitch of it. he wanted them to stop. he wanted his brother to be nice. all of these things that he wished he could make happen, but deku was too afraid. the wrath that existed in orochi’s gaze was enough to halt him.
 
when the angry young boy turned away from them with a remark that stung deku, it seemed that the fight had died away. valour said something about deku not being stupid, but the young boy wasn’t sure if this was correct. after all, why would orochi tell him something if it wasn’t true? before he could ask, they both had disappeared from sight. the starchaser was left to think about his own weakness and inability.