Swift River no question worth the answer

Set after the pack meeting.

<blockquote>There were simply no words. Not even questions would do, partly because he actually didn't want to ask them. The answers were too frightening. No reply would settle his mind; nothing could be happy, nothing could mean love, nothing could convince him that everything was okay.

He had let Kenai move him without complaint. His limbs had been too numb and his throat too dry to protest, anyway, and what would he have done? Nothing made sense, the growing boy had no idea how to even start correcting the mess that he was witnessing, the slow degradation of everything he knew and loved and now this was happening and <i>oh</i> he wanted his <i>mother</i>-

It didn't comfort him, but he sat inside their new den. He had just been readjusting to it, coming to see it as home, but that was all ruined. He couldn't see it as home now, but he couldn't go back to where his heart called because it was black and dead and it still almost smelt like them, if he closed his eyes tight - but they weren't there, Kenai had been clear and so kind and Kinis had understood. Many of his siblings had been kind and good, but not the ones he had most expected. <i>They</i> had just spoilt it all. Role models turned to ash. Once an inquisitive, insatiable soul, Kinis had slowly learnt that the answers to his biggest questions didn't solve anything, and so he didn't choose to speak much anymore.

Hungry and thirsty, thanks to this lack of water which Kinis had taken to heart as some kind of deep and meaningful metaphor, the young wolf lay in the den, gazing blankly out of it, his chin on his paws and his ears flat. Every now and then his haunches would twitch as he displaced an insect, but aside from that, this was how Kinis spent his hours. It didn't feel like home.</blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

Still bruised and sore from the recent interlude of his conniving sister and her henchman, Ruiko had spent less time about the den site as usual, just so his siblings would not see the damage that had been done. His ankle where Weldering had bitten him was swollen, and when no one was looking, the male would limp along. It would take awhile to heal – but the sudden quiet that had descended upon their home was something that might have taken longer to soothe. No one really spoke of the incident. In fact, Ruiko’s time had been spent searching for sources of water just so he would not have to look upon his family. Ioni’s words rang heavily in his mind – did his family think he was nothing but a power hungry beast?

But avoidance was not a wise option, and as the morning drifted to afternoon and the cold autumn breeze turned more brisk, the tawny wolf found himself outside of the River den. There was little sound on the inside, which meant that either they were sleeping, or the puppies were out. A grim frown briefly settled upon his features at the thought, and the second wolf could only hope Kenai or Torla were with them. Especially Borlla, who was much too daring in her exploration. They were older now, but they were not ready for the world. Not yet.

Bowing his muzzle lower, the hefty male padded in to the den entrance. Blinking, his golden eyes attempting to adjust to the sudden darkness, his gaze found the young and quiet Kinis, who was alone at this point. “Kinis,” he murmured, his tail giving a gentle wag as he looked to his youngest brother. “Why aren’t you outside enjoying the sun?”

(This post was last modified: Oct 07, 2010, 11:08 AM by Ruiko.)

<blockquote>Company should have been welcome, but considering that Kinis was feeling more and more distanced from the people he loved the most, he wasn't sure that any company was appropriate. Little words ran through his head, unable to be repressed, which didn't help his frame of mind. He was doubting everything. More and more, his earliest memories were becoming dominated by that of the fire, as if it were the first thing to ever happen - as if his happy life before it had never existed, and the only family he knew was this turmoil of drama and anger and he didn't know what. He was too young to understand, and his weak grasp of that very concept made him more bitter than anything else.

Survival instincts should have told him to react to the noises of another being outside, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. It was probably family, and right now, that meant about the same to him as a complete stranger. It did not take long for Ruiko's scent to follow the noises, and at least Kinis' mild concerns as to his safety were relieved; Ruiko had fallen from grace, but he hadn't fallen that far. The arrival of Ioni, if she even still slept here, would have been an entirely different matter.

His older brother's manner was friendly, surprised, almost casual. How could he be so casual? Images of him and Ioni flashed through Kinis' mind, too much to take in, too much to comprehend, borne from motives and thought processes far above Kinis' level of understanding. For the first time, too, he wasn't sure he wanted to understand. The simple question directed at him bore into the young wolf's skull, and he tried to work out the <i>point</i>, the meaning behind it, why Ruiko would ask such a thing. If he had been a little more Borlla and a little less Kenai, he may have considered not answering at all, just to display a little rebellion. Of course, it was not so, but that didn't stop his voice being flat. <b>"What's so great about the sun?"</b>

He hadn't even wagged his tail or maintained his brother's gaze, instead choosing to resume his idle, aimless staring at the small window of the hateful world outside.</blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

The flat voice, the blank stare. All of the young whelp’s actions seemed to only back up Ioni’s harsh words – were the Swift River members unhappy with the pack leaders? His eyes drew along little Kinis, knowing the boy was far too young to grasp what had truly happened at the meeting, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t agreed with his older sister. The defiant words drew Ruiko’s inked lips to a grim line, and while he wished for nothing more than to sweep forward to the boy and draw him to a loving embrace, he doubted it was quite welcome right now. Borlla, Triell, and Kinis needed stability right now, after their parent’s accident and the move. They certainly weren’t getting it.

“Well,” he began, his figure sweeping to a sit, avoiding the flinch of pain that was brought on by sore muscles and cuts. “Because it’s fall now, you can see the leaves are beginning to change colors. It’s a sign that winter is coming, and once winter comes it will be much colder.” There was a small pause before the regal wolf canted his muzzle slightly. “Are you excited for your first snowfall?”

<blockquote>Ruiko was playing this game well. He probably knew Kinis better than the pup did himself, though of course his belief in his younger brother's rebellion were largely unnecessary; unhappy and confused as Kinis was, his family was his family and he loved them. He didn't know anything else. As much as the young wolf wanted to remain aloof out of a desire to show that he didn't care what was going on, that he was stronger than letting himself be affected by it - which was all a complete and utter lie - Ruiko's subtle and intriguing subject direction was drawing him in. Kinis was too inexperienced and lacked the correct amount of bitterness to be consistent in his apathy.

As Ruiko spoke, Kinis' ears twitched up, betraying the fact that he was interested. The fact that the pack's Second was mirroring his closed, careful manner only frustrated the pup because Ruiko was capable of doing it far better; to Kinis' subconscious, this was an immediate sign to give up, and his 'hard' exterior was already cracking. Leaves changing colours? Winter? Colder? Snowfall?

Struggling as he was with it, Kinis managed to maintain remnants of his flat manner, though could not resist lifting his head to gaze at his brother. He tried hard not to be too wide-eyed, and though his true nature demanded many, many more questions be poured forth, he restricted himself to just one... for now. <b>"What is snowfall like?"</b></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

Kinis was the innocent youth of the group, and it was that very quiet personality that reminded the large tawny wolf of Kenai as well – the omega wolf, despite his size, had cowered before others without question. Junai and Torla had quickly risen above him in dominance, and Ruiko was curious to see what Kinis would do when the urge of hierarchy was upon him and his litter.

For now, though, Ruiko was only set on mending the boys broken heart, for such a dismal face on a young whelp like his brother was something that ached at his heart. The regal wolf had taken a good approach to end the whelp’s sulking, for the boys dark ears perked lightly now, giving away his sudden curiosity for the topic at hand. Winter was a trialling time, but it was also beautiful and cold – and the male was eager to show his youngest siblings the oncoming season. “Magical,” he mused with a small smile. “It’s white, and it cloaks the land like a blanket. When it first snows, it almost looks like a cloud has fallen on the valley.”

<blockquote>Kinis' easily distracted mind slowly but steadily slipped from his first mindset as Ruiko teased him with talk of 'magical snowfall'. It was a truly inevitable outcome, but once the older wolf was gone, would it last? Some part of the boy, some subconscious part, remained somewhat aloof, keeping him from being as friendly and forward as he may have normally been, but that wasn't going to be entirely surprising. Kinis was never a pup who handled large, sad changes that well.

<b>"Magical..."</b> he whispered, once more betraying his curiosity, flattening his ears in quiet awe of the prospect. The images conjured up in his currently ignorant mind were varied and rapid and, often, utterly too far. <b>"But..."</b> Could he do it? He wanted so much to know more but it ruined... what did it ruin? He couldn't really remember anymore. His ears perked this time as his attention spiralled irrevocably towards his brother. <b>"If it... falls on us, how do we breathe? Then is it like, like what clouds are, but just close up? Why is it cold? Are clouds cold?"</b></blockquote>

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<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

Out of his parents’ last litter, Kinis was the one that tugged upon his heartstrings the most. Borlla’s persistent need to rebel was an event that trialled Ruiko’s patience constantly, while Triell was more rough and tough on both of his littermates, despite his recent spell of quietness. Kinis was inquisitive and gentle, and the boy reminded the large tawny wolf greatly of the gentle giant, Kenai.

As was natural for a spirit so young, the brown whelp glanced up to him in confusion and curiosity, his own questions spurring a small smirk to smooth across Ruiko’s muzzle. “It falls on us much like the rain does,” he explained gently, his shoulders lifting in a gentle shrug. “Although it is a solid substance. It’s very light.” There was a pause as the boy asked about the clouds, and Ruiko shifted his creamy forepaws. “I’m not sure,” he mused with quiet amusement. “I’ve never touched a cloud before. Maybe Honijo will take us to the top of the mountain someday and we can get a better look at them. Though snow is cold because of the season – winter is a very cold time of the year.” It was a dreaded series of questions, though the second wolf was relieved to see Kinis’ silent mood shift. He did not have the specific answers the youth sought – he knew nothing of evaporation, or of the earth drifting farther from the sun during this specific time of year.. all he knew was what he had witnessed.

<i>Sorry for my slowness! Let's finish this so we can get to more present-time things.</i>

<blockquote>As Kinis' mind was invariably drawn from his previous thoughts to the exciting prospect of the future, of this <i>magical</i> time ahead, his mood lightened. He couldn't stay upset for that long, not when gifted with such a brother as this. The fact that Ruiko didn't know some of the answers was as intriguing as it was infuriating; how could such an older, wiser wolf not know these things? Would Kinis ever know them?

His mood lifted, Kinis swallowed his false arrogance and shuffled quietly to his brother, pressing his nose into Ruiko's chin and settling between the larger wolf's legs. He didn't want to risk alienating anymore than he already had, though they were largely through no fault of his own; the world seemed to do things all by themselves these days.

His mind filled with the possibilities of winter, and he feverishly hoped that things would only get better.

Poor boy.</blockquote>

<center>
<i>at least... that's where I'm supposed to be...</i></center>

The two remained silent now, and Ruiko watched the young boy as the whelp lifted himself from his position and closed the small distance between them, settling himself between the large wolf’s two forelimbs; something he had done many times before. Kinis was growing steadily, and soon he would no longer fit beneath Ruiko’s protective frame. The thought unsettled him, for his parents before had always ensured the pack litters gained and excelled in their knowledge and instinct.

Bending his muzzle down to sweep his chin across the top of Kinis’ crown, Ruiko allowed the moment to pass between them, wondering exactly what the youth had been upset about prior. Of course, after the recent pack meeting gone awry, the hefty tawny wolf held a few ideas of what plagued the pup, but the details were uncertain, and the Tainn male was reluctant to inquire further about the topic. “Come, Kinis.. Let’s go outside and see if we can find any snowflakes.” There was a small smile on his muzzle now as his amber eyes regarded the youth. He knew they would not find any, but it presented an opportunity for the older wolf to spend time with his younger brother, and he would seize the chance.