Dead Empress Backwater 'cause that's just the way of the world

Khalon, Euna, or Tuwile!

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

The girl was eager in her steps, moving about outside the den near it’s mouth with a fierce determination that had her almost pacing back and forth, her gaze leveled with a stick at the other end of the clearing. A chuckle would escape, high pitched and nasally as she moved forward to pounce on it. It would be hers, and no one else would be able to take it from her. Her siblings could certainly try but she had already proven with kicking and nudging that she did not plan to give up her place anywhere so easily.

Whether it was playing with a stick, or her preferred spot at their mother’s breast, or even just where she curled up to sleep at night. It was hers and would remain hers.

Paws would wrap around them as she gnawed on the stick with a growl, her tiny tail lashing side to side as she honed in on it. It was… a good day. A content day. A stomach full, a kingdom claimed… no, all was quite well in Torianna’s mind.

(This post was last modified: Jun 17, 2023, 11:49 PM by Torianna.)

A cacophony of noises were what drew Tuwile out of the den, unsteady on his paws as ever, but with determination to see just what was the cause of all of the sounds. He managed to make it to the mouth of the den without too much trouble. His puppy blue eyes squinted against the light of the outside world, eventually spotting the squirming form of one of his siblings once his eyes adjusted. She looked ecstatic with the stick she had grasped firmly in her paws.

A soft croon left his opened mouth as he tried to form the words floating in his mind, but all that came out was a jumble of consonants. With a huff he set forth, taking long measured steps to get closer to his sibling, wanting in on the fun but unable to figure out a way to verbalise it at that moment.

Tuwile stopped when he got close to his sibling, clumsily dropping onto his stomach as he reached out with a forepaw to try and gently smack at her, letting out a playful puppy growl. Maybe she would share the stick with him?

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

The growl slipped easily from her maw as she felt something deign to touch her when she was already in the midst of a tussle with her fearless stick, head snapping with the stick still in mouth towards her brother as he growl grew more aggressive, her tail lashing back and forth as her eyes narrowed. Words would not be necessary in that moment, because the answer was a clear no, or back away as far as she was concerned.

Still, it would not stop her from temporarily letting the stick hit the ground, her front half lowering like a wolf stalking their prey as her tail lashed, her entire bottom waggling with it before she would launch at her brother, teeth aiming to grab at his leg. It was not, by any means, the most effective place to grab in a fight, but it was what she had chosen.

Time and experience would no doubt teach her such a lessons… for now, it was her who needed to teach a lesson, to her brother, about not interrupting her so rudely as he had just done.

from charming to alarming in seconds

Khalon watched from a distance, observing the playful interaction between the young wolves with a dispassionate gaze. Torianna's possessive nature amused him, but he had little interest in joining their juvenile games. He had his own agenda to attend to, and the squabbles of his siblings held no sway over him. As Tuwile clumsily approached his sister, Khalon's ears twitched with mild curiosity. The Valle child knew better than to interrupt their territorial dispute, getting involved now would only lead to having to be involved in a game of leg biting - and he wasn’t interested.

A faint smirk curved Khalon's lips as he observed the scene. The chaos of sibling rivalry was nothing more than an inconsequential spectacle to him. He valued his family, but only to a certain extent. Personal discomfort was not something he would endure for their sake. He let out a loud laugh, it was cold and clinical, but it was funny seeing them beat each other up on a regular basis, as long as he didn’t really have to be involved.

Glancing around an idea struck him, and he announced, ”we go?” They could wander farther than this clearing surely. It was getting boring here.

The fact that his sister did not want to share the stick went completely over his head, and he held his posture even as she threw herself at him. He barely had time to blink before sharp teeth latched onto one of his legs, the unexpected pain eliciting a sharp squeal. Not understanding why she had resorted to such violence, Tuwile tried to pull his leg away from Tori's mouth, deciding he didn't want to share her stick anymore.

Khalon's presence was a gift to the young boy as long as Tori was willing to give up her little game and proceed with another bout of adventuring. As part of his protest at the leg biting game Tuwile flopped over onto his side with a low whine. She could have the stick, he just wanted his leg back so he could go see what Khalon was up to.

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

She paid little mind to Khalon. He had not invaded her space as their other brother had in asking for the stick. Her maw was clamped down on her brother, not that it hurt due to the new nature of her maw in general and the softness of her teeth… and so when he tried to pull his leg away, at first he pulled her with it… until her maw came loose and she was left to have her chin hit the ground with a thud.

She had caught Khalon’s words, not quite understanding what he meant when he asked the question as she picked up her stick. It was hers, and she needed to ensure that Tuwile didn’t get any funny ideas about taking it while she trotted over to her other brother. He was up to something, and the mischievous girl certainly wanted in on whatever he had planned.

If it was an adventure, or a new place to explore and lay her puppy claim to, then she would do it without question. She remained otherwise silent, her gaze intensely setting on Khalon now that he had drawn and piqued her interest so.

from charming to alarming in seconds

Tuwille and Torianna continued to tumble over each other and the stick, and he was only one second away from leaving them behind when he felt their eyes on him. His sister held her prize firmly in her jaws but she had directed all of her attention to him, just how he liked it. Lips curved upwards in a slow smile, this was exactly what he had wanted. Less roughhousing and more following him and what he wanted to do.

Doing his best to stand tall like he had seen the adults do when they were talking he declared, ”We go!” It was no longer a question but a proclamation of something profound, they were going to go. Turning on his heel gracelessly, the pudgy legs began to carry him away from the area they were allowed to play in. He had no destination in mind, after all he had never seen anywhere else, he just wanted to explore and push the boundaries a little.

He even almost hoped they got caught.

Breathing in deeply, puppy blue eyes shone with inspiration and his legs began to move faster underneath him. It didn’t take long before they came across one of the dead empress trees that gave their home their name, pale and gnarled reaching up to the sky seemingly going on forever. Khalon looked upwards, amazed anything could be this big.

His play dead tactic appeared to have worked. He rolled over onto his stomach as she grabbed the - her - stick and took off towards their brother. Tuwile lay there for just a moment, at least until Khalon's declaration spurred him up onto his feet.

He scrambled onto all fours, his eagerness to catch up to them only making his gait all that more awkward. Though to his credit he managed to reach them without tripping over his own paws and faceplanting. Wordlessly he trailed after them, giving Tori a wide berth so as to not antagonise her further in case she thought he wanted to go after the stick again.

When the trio reached the tree he stopped, head tilting back so he could look up at its magnificence. It was so tall!

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

She would never be seen as a follower, at least not in her own mind. What she saw was a tempting proposition, resulting in a further claim to her kingdom than the stick that she held firmly in her mouth. He declared they were to go and she felt her tail lash. That was her line! “I go.” She clarified quickly as she moved to rush past him. Still fairly unstable on her legs it resulted in her tumbling forward, rolling over herself before her limbs splayed out. What mattered was she had gotten there first! It meant it was hers.

Finders keepers finders keepers! The idea played around in her head, not that she truly knew what it meant. She pushed quickly to her paws, distressed to find out that she was not the first one there, that her brother had thought to pick up his pace too and had not fallen over himself meaning he had reached the location first. Unacceptable! She already did not like the encroaching feeling of failure that washed over her. She could not accept it any longer.

Her tiny tail curled as she moved forward, attempting to hold herself in an almost mockingly regal display similar to the way her brother had stood tall, attempting to shove him once she caught up with him, hoping to push him down so she might move past him instead. Tuwile forgotten about all the while, not looking up like her brothers and not caught up in any amazingness other than her own.

from charming to alarming in seconds

Tuwile followed quietly behind Khalon, though he did carry a large stick that he had to duck out of the way lest he get a blow to the head. His brother seemed just as amazed as the tawny child was when they arrived upon one of the dead empress trees. Khalon placed his front paws up on the bough, trying to get taller so he could see where it had gotten broken off.

That is until Torianna gave him a shove for whatever imagined slight he had done this time. Rolling his eyes in her direction for how childish she was being, Khalon stuck out his tongue as a taunt. Then he looked pointedly towards his brother and declared, ”boys go.” Tuwile was outnumbered, even if she did not realize it yet.

Smirking with pride, Khalon turned and rushed alongside Tuwile, wary that his sister was likely to retaliate against his words. It was fun to leave her out, and he would make a habit of doing so in the future. Maybe he would even form a little boys club. Once he was old enough to have that kind of a thought anyways.

FADE