Dead Empress Backwater the beast beneath the boards

Vayko wondered how they were all fairing, all of his nieces and nephews, without their mother’s presence but he had yet to seek any of them out. He knew that Eros had gone after him and Vana, along with his best friend Seri… but apart from that, there was much mystery left surrounding how Viorel’s spawn were handling things. A part of him was equally as afraid to face them as he had been to face their father, knowing that he lacked any reasonable outcome as to where their mother was.

He had failed them just as much as he had failed his cousin in that regard. His nose twitched, the aching from his latest wounds clear in his eyes though he lacked any other physical response. He had been used to it for quite some time and Clover had been able to help with the pain as well. For that, he was absolutely relieved.

Perhaps his new appearance, the scars on his pelt, would be enough to scare them away, or intimidate them as to not ask questions where their mother might be… even the children who had Clover for a mother had seen Vana as a mother as well… He sat just outside the pack den, working on a rabbit bone for a moment as well, having already dined upon the creature as his lunch. It was just past midday, and he had found himself switching up his schedule often which had resulted in odd sleeping patterns.

Vayko Valle

Her own face was wounded. Rips along her muzzle from the teeth of the poor orphan boy. They smarted, they stung, but she wore them with pride.

So imagine her surprise when somebody else had her look. Only worse. Uglier, really. He didn't look nearly as good as she did. She fixed him with a scoff and a slight sass to her pose a few feet from him. Lost your fight, huh? She didn't really recognize him at all! Which meant he too might find himself with the brunt of her sass today.

Unless, of course, he met every whim and demand she had.

Vayko let out an annoyed grumble from the back of his throat when the girl approached him, a raised eyebrow as she accused him of losing a fight. “No, but I’m assuming you did.” He stated dryly as he put the bone aside, finding himself lacking the amusement of the girl’s company. He was not one to give into other’s demands or sassy moments.

“These are proud wounds I faced before my victory over a bobcat, Isla.” Of course he had recognized her, even if she did not recognize him, though he was not aware of that fact. “Protecting little runts like you from being eaten while their mother was away.”

Vayko Valle

She rolled her eyes. I won. It wasn't as if he had seen the other guy, had he? No, that boy likely crawled back into the hole in the earth he came from. Something she took pride in.

Blah, blah, blah. She hardly cared much for the good type. Talking about saving others and such. She supposed she could at least appreciate that he had some sass about him too. It would have been far too drab if he had blabbed on about how good he was for saving somebody or whatever.

Well, maybe they deserved it. I haven't been eaten by a dumb cat and my mother is away.

(This post was last modified: Dec 09, 2022, 05:03 PM by Isla.)

She rolled her eyes, stating that she had won. “I don’t believe you.” He stated simply, finding a certain comforting distain in the girl… something that reminded him much of his own youth as well. He saw the recognition in her, or more of he recognized himself in her in a way.

“Your mother is gone.” He corrected, his voice just as harsh as it had been during the tenure of their conversation. “Likely never to return.” He added again… he wasn’t sure the reasoning for being particularly harsh, perhaps to show her the true cruelty of the world as all of the adults had already been forced to learn.

Perhaps there was a part of him lashing out at Vi’s reaction through her.

“I’d like to see you go up against a full grown bobcat as the little ball of fur you are now. You might have won whatever it was you were doing, but you wouldn’t win in an actual fight, kid.”

Vayko Valle

She wasn't sad by the sudden spew of words from him. His disapproval, his disbelief, his dashing of whatever thought she may have had of a mother again.

It was more like anger. She didn't even know if it was at him, maybe it was at the world.

Yeah? Well I wish the bobcat would have decided to eat you and my mother. She spat harshly, hackles raised so that she resembled a porcupine. She wasn't dumb enough to take him on like she had with Asmund. Yet she was certainly prepared to verbally spar him just as much. If not more.

She had a fire to her as well, her harsh words doing little to get under his skin. He was certain that Viorel felt something of the same way as he coped with his own anger. Vayko knew it could not possibly be truly directed at him.

Besides, she was young; she did not know how to truly make her words hurt yet… “It tried. It failed, just like your wish did.” He responded dryly, choosing to disengage from the conversation to continue to gnaw upon his bone despite the burning sting on his face.

“If you’re going to attempt to use harsh words, please try and take the time to come up with better wishes and insults to hurl about.”

Vayko Valle

Rolled her eyes. Again. So hard she could feel the strain of them, as if the force equaled out some measure of her meanness.

And why should I care what you think? Or what you want? I don't. I never will. She didn't. Not him, not her siblings, not even really her own dad. Listening to her father more out of some semblance of order than anything else. Sure as hell not the mother that had disappeared and seemingly had no plans to return.

That idea wasn't looking half bad for herself either right now. If all adults were as lame as him, she didn't want to be here anymore.

His teeth gritted as his gaze turned to her, a fire returning to them, an anger almost as he spoke harshly. “You should care because if you ever find you are family, Isla… should your pathetic pound of flesh ever find itself faced against a bobcat, I would not hesitate to let it tear up the other side of my face… because I want to keep my family safe.” That fire did not fade from him as he spoke.

“Heavens know that you wouldn’t survive on your own; so what I want should be of great concern to you. You’ve never been in a real fight and you don’t have the strategy, strength, or speed to take on anything more than an injured rabbit.” He added in dryly as he pushed up onto his feet. “Now leave me alone.”

Vayko Valle

Oh, so he was that type, it seemed.

Convinced he was doing good somehow, something. Honestly she stopped listening after his first big blob of words, congealed together like cold gravy. Uh-huh. Whatever. Eyes rolled (again, did they ever stop?) as she prepared to depart. Tired of hearing whatever nonsense he wanted to blabber on about family, her mother, whatever.

None of it mattered. He didn't matter. Nobody did anymore, it felt like.