Dead Empress Backwater never ends until the end then you start again

For Rochus

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

There was a distinct musty scent in the air, from snow that had melted that was now beginning to freeze again. She sat just outside of the den, gnawing on a stick that she had found, attacking it as if it had committed some mortal offense against her. It had proven to be one of her favorite pastimes, apart from of course attempting to fight her siblings or drinking from her mother’s breast. She had proven to be a rambunctious child who did not like sleep.

There were often times she would headbutt her mother in a fury because she did not wish to sleep, and that meant no one else was permitted to sleep either. She did not make the rules, she merely enforced them with a thick cranium directly to the sensitive gut of a nursing mother.

But of course mother and father were out… close, but still out, and her siblings were all off being lame and that meant she was bored. She did not understand much, but she understood that she did not enjoy feeling bored. There was so much to do, to see, to claim. How dare her siblings and her parents deprive her of such an experience? She desired to go farther.

And yet every time she did there was someone to pick her by the scruff and carry her back, or a sharp bark to warn her off.

And yet, the idea stirred… because her parents were not around, and there were no siblings keeping an eye on her either… and thus she’d push onto stubby legs, moving towards a patch of bushery beyond the clearing she had never been before.

(This post was last modified: Jun 24, 2023, 02:33 AM by Torianna.)

He had taken great interest into both his children's litters, feeling more confident with his stance in the pack now that all of the youngest brood were directly related to him. And he would not be above boasting about it to Vasco whenever they crossed paths again, though he had no intention of seeking the wolf out himself.

Instead he periodically checked in with each litter, trying to make himself a known presence in the hopes it would strengthen his bonds with his two children. Not that he had any care for whether they liked him or not, but it would be good to have them wanting him to be around. He'd play the part as the doting grandfather if needed.

On one of his check-ins he spotted the white form of one of his grandchildren tottering away from the den towards a nearby bush. Knowing there was nothing dangerous there he was content to let her do as she pleased, but he did move closer to her just in case. Anything could happen, and he wasn't about to let one of them get hurt on his watch.

"Smell anything interesting?"

(This post was last modified: Jun 29, 2023, 03:25 AM by Rochus.)

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

Smell anything interesting? The question was an assault that would cause her ears to press against her skull, her head turning with a hint of a snarl already crossing her youthful features, her hackles rising slightly from the ground as her eyes narrowed. Interesting? Just what was that supposed to mean? She imagined it meant trouble: specifically, it meant her getting into trouble… and that was something she had discovered she was not entirely fond of.

“No!” One of the few words she did know, lashed out at the man with some form of deadly puppy ire as she began to bound for the bush, no longer concerned with slipping away and simply trying to reach her target this time before she was stopped and thwarted. She knew it was only a matter of time, and thus she had to make the run for it! She didn’t know if she could manage another scolding from her father in such a short timeframe, but it appeared she would go for the record.

Wobbly legs would carry her, and true to her fashion she found her legs collapsing under the weight and velocity she was trying to get them to endure, the small frame toppling over, managing to roll over her head and land on her back with a thud. Anger burned through her at such a display as well, though where all the anger could be coming from, and in such a tiny body, was anyone’s guess.

The girl was feisty, responding to his question as if he had just threatened to take away her meal. She wasted no time in picking up speed, making a run for the bush with the uncoordinated puppy run they all had at her age. Rochus merely watched her, a hint of amusement on his face. As expected she tumbled, ending up on her back, but the fire inside her only grew.

He chucked softly, taking a few steps her way until he was standing above her, ears pricked forward while he gazed down at her. "I'm surprised, surely a big girl like you would be able to smell all the little critters in these bushes?" She seemed like one of those pups who wanted to be the best no matter what, so he figured a bit of prodding and goading would make her push herself further. But she was young yet, and he didn't want to get too ahead of himself yet. He had plenty of time to win her over.

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

Chuckling. She heard the noise and she found she was not fond of when it was directed at her. She could handle when it was directed at others, particularly if she was doing the laughing, but having it directed at her had her ears pressing against her skull in a fitful sulk as he moved towards her, talking about a bunch of critters and how he was surprised she could not smell them.

His move was calculated, and it would pay off as her nose twitched, the scents flooding her nose as her eyes narrowed and she let out a growl. She hated the fact that he was right, or that he had called her on her bluff… it irritated her to no end. How did he know was the question that would linger in her mind. “I do knows!” She would protest with a righteous fury in her belly.

Who was he to poke at her. She was big, and she was smart enough to know when there was something of interest. “It’s mine.” She would state again, the green giant coming out in her tone as she rose back onto her paws and gave her pelt a shake.

She was like a spark ignited - short of fuse and ready to explode; her indignancy at him clear as day. It was inspiring to see a child as young as her filled with such ferocity, something his own two had sorely been lacking, but perhaps he had merely needed to wait for the next generation to arrive and prove there was something yet to be made of his bloodline.

Rochus merely smiled at Torianna as she protested, claiming the critters in the bushes as her property, seemingly warning him to back off. But he backed up a few steps to give her space, not wanting to spur her on too much. After all, they had only just properly met, and he didn't want them to get off on the wrong paw.

"But what if I want the critters for myself?" He said with a raised brow, head turning to briefly glance at the bushes in question, wanting to see if she'd rise to the bait or give in.

It's time to strap our boots on

Conquest

This is a perfect day to die

Torianna was proud to see him back off. She had insisted as much from him, her jaws snapping in another warning. She was not afraid to use violence with her siblings to impose her will over them, thus she was not afraid to use such with her grandfather. His backing up would, either known to him or not, reinforce the fact that she could have the entire world at her paws if she only reached for it. It had settled in young, as if it was what she had been born to do.

As he posed a question, she let out a growl towards him, her eyes narrowing at him. “Too bad! Mine!” Sharing was not in her vocabulary despite multiple attempts to get her to relent and allow others into her space, or to share her food. The idea of giving another what she had made her sick to the stomach. If she had worked for it, claimed it, then why did anyone else deserve to have even a morsel of it? It applied from everything from her favorite sunbathing spot to the small pieces of meat she was able to eat now.