Ghastly Woods loving never gave me a home

Random Event: Dacian, you come across a bear cub but can't locate its mother. For @Felyx.

He'd been minding his own business, harming not a single soul, when Dace had come across it. Just a baby black bear, not a threat, not even smelling of anything but itself. There was a clear sense of being lost on its face, dark eyes constantly moving but paws following looping paths as though it didn't know where to go. Clearly, it's mother was no longer around to guide it.

This time, it wasn't a happy memory conjured. Dace only saw himself, small and alone, crying and panicked and begging for anyone to just bring his mother back. Totally pathetic in so many ways. While he'd watched it, while the similarities sunk their teeth into him, the yearling's face had begun to change. Most prominently, his dark lips twisted into a deep scowl.

"Get the fuck over it," he hissed at the creature. It turned its head his way, but there was no recognition in its eyes. It just looked... sad.

(This post was last modified: Jul 04, 2024, 03:04 PM by Dacian.)

semi-disturbing thoughts in this one?

Ever since Dace had agreed to stick around, Felyx had made sure to try and check in with him pretty regularly. Better not to be neglectful and lose such a promising, fun individual. Besides, he doubted Paeryl and Vaenyra would like it if he were to cost them a potential believer, but that was by the by. Felyx's interest in the boy was far more important to him than theirs was.

So, he followed the trail back into the woods, tipping his head when the wolf scent mixed with bear.

When he arrived, Dacian was scowling at the creature. It was so small, so lost. So... like he and Cynder were, once upon a time. Losing their mother and discovering that she hadn't even been looking for them in the first place, leaving them to fall defenseless into the open jaws of other wolves, well... it had been eye-opening for the twins.

Get the fuck over it.

The vitriol in Dace's voice was surprising, but no less delightful than anything else Felyx had heard from the boy. Perhaps even more so. "It'll learn to survive on its own or it'll die," he said simply, approaching the pair. He studied his playmate for a moment. "What do you want to do with it?" he asked, then, tipping his head. Leave it to die? Kill and eat it? Sacrifice it? There were so many options.

Dacian couldn't help but jump at Felyx's voice, that hateful glare slamming open wide with surprise as his head spun to look at the other teen. Oh. Another impressive scowl made sharp crescents of his features, but it was only for a brief moment. He quickly and efficiently pulled down a mask of tepid annoyance, gaze askance and lips schooled into a thin line. Not a crease or furrow to be found.

It was true for them all, wasn't it? Just some got longer with that safety net, and others simply didn't. Walking in circles, sniffling wasn't going to do a damn thing about it, that was for sure.

'What do you want to do with it?'

He blinked, and let his eyes go back to Felyx' face. The only change in his expression was the questioning look therein. He wasn't following.

"What on earth would I want with a dumb bear?"

They tasted like shit, if that was what he was after. They could definitely find a better meal if the guy was that hungry.

What on earth would I want with a dumb bear?

Felyx shrugged, studying the other boy's expression carefully. It had morphed into something less angry, but he was certainly in a more sour mood than he had when they'd met. It was obvious the question had confused him, as well, and Felyx supposed that made sense. No one but @Cynder could read his mind, after all, and even then, she didn't get it right all the time.

"I dunno," he began, weaving around until he was standing nearer the poor, lost cub. It hardly even seemed old enough to pose any kind of threat, even if it wanted to. "You just seemed pretty mad at it, is all." Dark gray eyes flicked from the cub to Dace's face. "Can I ask why?"

It wasn't really like Felyx cared one way or the other. He just wanted to dig a little - to see what Dacian was really all about.

(This post was last modified: Jul 06, 2024, 01:06 AM by Felyx.)

Dacian lifted a brow when at first, his new friend didn't really give him answer. Then he referenced the emotion he'd been unguardedly showing, thinking there wouldn't be any other wolves around. That anger hadn't gone far, but now his lips only pulled down into a curt little frown. It wasn't a good look, getting bent out of shape, especially over things that had happened practically forever ago.

'I don't want you to,' would have been the most honest answer, but deflecting was far more favorable. Dace started to move too, drifting closer to the rival predator in slow loops. His own eyes watched the pitiful lump of dark fur and its wriggling nose, picking out all the things he didn't like about it.

"Isn't it kind of obvious?" he asked back, "I mean, look at it. With its stupid little deer-shit eyes, lookin' all slack-jaw. Bet his mom left outta shame, making somethin' so ugly."

(This post was last modified: Jul 06, 2024, 01:25 AM by Dacian.)

It was not kind of obvious, actually. Felyx wasn't sure he'd call the poor little bastard ugly, but he guessed he could see what Dace was getting at with the deer-shit eyes and slack jaw. He hummed in a mixture of thought and approval, studying the cub before looking back up at Dacian. "It is pretty ugly," he conceded finally.

"Wonder if that's why our mom didn't like us," he said, referring to himself and @Cynder. Neglectful at best, it was the reason why Felyx and Cynder had fallen into unholy hands. "Too ugly and tiny to put any effort into."

He wasn't sad about it - hadn't been in a while. But sometimes he wondered why she even had them in the first place, just to toss them aside.

Felyx agreed, and Dacian figured himself successful. Then his peer took the door he'd unwittingly left open and continued toward the same end. For a brief flash of a moment, he thought that 'us' included himself. That Lyx somehow already knew Dace's story. It passed, Cynder's equally-lopsided face coming to mind in correction. His copper eyes had dodged away, looking to nothing in particular instead.

He could have commiserated. Still thinking that this new friend of his was something typical, it stood to reason that it could even bond them to share a past trauma. Dace wouldn't, though. He held onto that piece of himself far too tightly.

"You think you're ugly?" he asked, in a tone that didn't give away much of anything. Open to being molded into whatever Felyx wanted it to be, as long as the focus remained off of his own little slip-up.

(This post was last modified: Jul 29, 2024, 02:59 AM by Atara.)

Did Felyx think he was ugly? It wasn't something he'd thought much about in the past. He looked... normal, he supposed. He looked a lot like Cynder, which wasn't a bad thing. Regular, plain, average, run-of-the-mill... all words he would describe himself with.

Ugly didn't sound wrong, either.

Felyx hummed a little, then shrugged. "I guess so?" he responded easily. It wouldn't bother him either way, he supposed. "Not ugly enough to abandon, probably, but it doesn't really matter to me what I look like anyway."

No, he figured his mother was just young and careless when she decided they weren't worth her time anymore. And it wasn't like her neglect was a secret he protected or anything - it also didn't matter. Not now that he had a group that he felt more at place in, anyway, and Cyn had never left him. So there was that.

"Do you think I'm ugly?" he questioned, a smirk on his lips as he leaned in a little closer. Another game. "I won't be offended if you say yes. You can be honest." It sounded like a better question to ask than if he'd turned it around completely - Do you think you're ugly?

Felyx was so casual about it, and Dace found himself wishing he had the other teen's confidence. At lot changed fast at their age, maybe some of it would rub off on him along the way, and he could be more like Lyx before too long. Despite it feeling like a near-impossible feat, with how affected Dacian sometimes found himself to detestably be.

A little like when his friend decided to follow up his answer with a query on Dace's own opinion. He didn't know whether it was meant at face value or not, and that alone was a source of embarrassment. A narrow little frown bent his lips briefly while his body tilted ever so slightly to reclaim that minute bit of distance between them. A second's pause. Then his expression flipped, a tidy smirk and one cocked brow indicating that he'd at least show up to the match to see if they could agree on a sport. It was his turn to lean in, the proximity easier to take when it was on his terms.

"Is this why you made things about you when poor shit-eyes is here havin' the worst day of his life?" there was no mistaking the teasing, unless it was for goading. No one had ever referred to Dacian as a kind boy.

"Sure you're not just fishing for pity compliments? I mean, let's be real here; it was clearly the tininess."

Dacian's face twisted up a little in response to his question, before his expression changed into something more delightful. Felyx found himself mirroring the grin involuntarily, stormy eyes alight with energy. He realized once more that he was rather grateful the other boy was sticking around - Dace was far too much fun to not keep nearby, though of course Lyx's reasons for wanting him were purely selfish in nature.

"You act like you care what the little guy's feeling," he taunted right back, not backing down. He'd initiated this little closeness game, after all, and he would be damned before he shied away. "I recall you telling him to get the fuck over it before."

Laughter bubbled in his chest, abrupt and pleased. Pity compliments was a funny one. "I'm not, no. But if you're handing them out..." He trailed off, brows raising a little bit at the next comment. Clearly the tininess.

A dramatic sigh escaped him, as though he were truly lamenting the situation. "Well, we can't all be gifted with good looks and height," he said, pouting a bit to really sell it. "Count your blessings, Dace."