Two Rivers Isle Reflections

Mature Content Warning

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It was his first time leaving the shadewood. He didn't dare travel far - just across the river and onto the isle just past their borders. At the southern tip of the isle, a copse of trees shielded him from view. The water was stiller here, and he gazed into it, thinking.

His face was too recognizable. He was marked with the torn Cruor ear, and marked by Vex; he could still feel her claws dragging at his skin, tearing it. His blood had ran, warm and sticky, down his fur. And she had laughed. He was lucky to still have his eye. As he stared at his own reflection, he felt anger and resentment bubble up within. If he ever saw Vex again...

'You would freeze.' He thought coldly. 'You would freeze, and she would kill you. Don't think it'd be any different.' Vorilye growled lowly, then turned from the water. He was going to live in fear of her for the rest of his life. He knew it.

He too had strayed from shadewood. He was adamant on locating some sort of deer, dead rather than alive. One that still had a pelt to be exact. 
(As a yearling who’d never had to scavenge in his life, he was unaware of how bizarre the plan was. And yet he’s taken on the pointless job with all the confidence of a professional!)
It would not be for eating. No, he swore he’d never eat random week old scraps again, not if he could help it. Being a part of a group — small as it may be — has certainly played a role in the unspoken declaration.
Anyhow
He planned to cure whatever pelt he could find. Spring may be upon them, but that did not mean it would get any warmer yet. He assumed his new companions would appreciate it. He hoped at least.
But rather than finding a pelt he found a man. Themis’s scent lay heavy upon him. It was the only reason he felt comfortable enough to move in. He immediately regretted the decision, however, when he heard a low growl. 
hello. He wanted to turn away then and there, but he stayed put. He was taught to console men in their times of frustration, frightening as they can get. But what was even more frightening was what they did when they didn’t receive comfort.
Softly, he continued, are you alright? you seem unwell…

tag for reference!

A boy approached, asking him if he was well. Vorilye stiffened, ready to chase him off, until he smelled Themis on him. He'd not yet met any others who called the shadewood home - perhaps it was by design. They were the hidden ones, after all. Vorilye turned his back on the boy, staring out across the river. The mountain had had much more activity as of late - he wondered whether @Themis would want information. He supposed he could go back, but he truly didn't want to travel at this time.

Eventually, the Cruor man gave a deep sigh. "I'm alright. I was lost in thought." He didn't bother giving his name; he didn't know if he wanted to hold true to it still, given his situation.

The man turned his back on him. When he sighed the yearling sighed as well. The other man’s was louder than his own.
do you… want to talk about it? he asks rather awkwardly. In truth he did not particularly care for whatever was stewing in his head, but he felt the need to ask out of necessity.

Vorilye had been young, once; he had been a warrior of great skill under Jaganatha's careful training. He had been the eldest of the three siblings, his father's prize and joy... until he had named Vex his heir. She had been more tenacious, more aggressive. Vorilye asked too many questions, his father had said. "Be more like Vex. Act, do not question." he had said. Never question your superior. Never question your father. Eventually, it became never question Vex. It had all been exhausting.

"No." His answer came, blunt, irritated, as he refocused on the present moment. "A boy cannot help a man with men's problems." He was even starting to sound like Jaganatha. This only irked him further. He could feel his anger, rising, pulsing.

How foolish he was to try to help, it had only made the man more irritable.
His knee jerk reaction to the statement was to cringe in fear. Then he took a moment to process it. 
”a boy cannot help a man with men's problems.”
Boy. It was not the first time he was labeled as such. Each time it brought about an inexplicable pleasure, to be called something he was not. He’d always think it strange after the fact. After a lifetime of being told the label was insult to him. After that very fact was reinforced with a never ending cycle of berating. 
To be called something he’d worked all his life not to be. He should despise it by now. And still the word gives him a spark of joy, even now as it is used in a backhanded comment.
But he buried the feeling. The happiness was destined to die. It’s constantly murdered by a wolf’s inevitable revelation.
maybe i can, he urged as gently as he could. i can try.

Vorilye took in a deep, steadying inhale, to calm himself. The boy was irritating him, yes, but he'd already been beyond stressed, and he was about to snap. But, he told himself, snapping would make him just like his family... and now that he had children of his own to raise, he couldn't afford to be like them. He would be a better father than Jaganatha had been. The boy urged him, then, to speak, and the Cruor male turned to face the boy once more. He'd not gotten a good look at him before, but he did now; the boy looked more feminine than masculine, with a small, thin frame. Vorilye towered over him. Finally, he relented. "I've got a homicidal, insane sister who's more than likely going to be after my hide. If she finds me here, with my children -" He slipped. He hadn't meant to expose himself as the father to Themis' whelps. In truth, he was only a father to one - Lycabas, but he had decided to be a parent to all of them. Vorilye groaned, shaking his head. "If she finds me, we all die." He gave the boy a look of contempt, snorting softly, "Think you can help me with that?"

The man turned to face him. Almost immediately it seemed he had to tilt his head upward to get a good look at him. He was a behemoth. And the younger man, well, he was a fool for prodding. 
The truth was eventually spilled. Quite honestly he expected some petty dribble, not something of this magnitude.
Eh, no… I don’t - I do not t’ink so. He gave an airy laugh to try to break the tension. It only made things more awkward.
But we are hidden ones, yes? We are named that for a reason. Maybe she’ll never find you. It was the best comfort he could give, lame as it may be.
A brief pause felt like a lifetime. He swallowed his nerves by the end.
So, you have children? I haven’t seen any children yet.

Mature Content Warning

This thread has been marked as mature. By reading and/or participating in this thread, you acknowledge that you are of age or have permission from your parents to do so.

The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: mention of non-con breeding.

As expected, the other male could not offer any help. Vorilye merely snorted softly, shaking his head. "If I know my sister, she's hunting me right now." He wondered, now, whether it would even be best for him to stay here. If Vex ever did find him, she would not spare Themis, and she would not spare their children. If he left, perhaps he could better protect them that way... but no, the irritating voice in his mind told him that only cowards would flee, and he was no coward.

Vorilye sighed softly, his shoulders slumping somewhat. When asked about his children, he grunted, "I have four. I became a father for the first time earlier this year." He thought then to Lorelai - had their coupling produced children as well? Part of him regretted attacking her, but he had done it under Vex's command - there was no changing what he had done.

Hoping to change the subject, he then asked, "How long have you been in the shadewood?"

His words of comfort were useless , as expected. They rolled off the man’s back like water. The yearling couldn’t help but cringe further inside.
The man informs him he has four children, none of which he had seen. He wondered if they resided in shadewood to begin with.
Speaking of which
not long. maybe a few weeks. Time was a construct he hardly cared to track these days. what about you?

"Two months." And he was feeling stifled — this... whatever this was with the boy trying to help, only made it worse. Vorilye got to his feet abruptly. "I'm heading out. If you see Themis, let her know I'm heading out for a bit. But I'll be back." He turned and left, not even caring if the other male tried to stop or otherwise talk to him — he just had to get away, and be on his own, just for a minute.

Two months. It was a considerably long time, at least in his eyes. Perhaps this man could guide him through this new world he now claimed to be his life.
But before he could ask any further questions, the man made an abrupt exit.
Oh, ah… ok… The yearling was left to wallow in confusion.