Riddle Heights Spotless Records

ooc: AW; Come meet @Rico - and possibly @Nico. ;D

Exhaustion was not something that the wolf had been accustomed to, his beauty and brains were often well rested with just a few hours of sleep. A reality that could not be contributed to anything other than a small piece of paranoia, something that was triggering pieces of the forebrain and promising that the boogeyman did exist. For a Barreda, this meant little; it meant that it was a good time to be prepared and save your own bones if it was needed. The extension did not go far to others, not for Rico, unless it was considering his twin for all intensive purposes.

After all, it was Nico's fault on the matter that he had been put in such an awkward position of barely being able to sleep. So long as they wandered, and so long as pack scents played on the air there was no way to simply avoid it. His eyes narrowed - albeit faintly - as he poised himself on the sharp ledge with the fairly chaotic looking down slope. It was the exact reason why he had picked this spot - with Nico's agreement - as a den site. The slick overhang and the lack of visibility into the concave vex was a perfect opportunity to make sure that no one came from above, or below without the boys being alerted.

Deftly, the male exited; sliding down the down slope after a few exchanges of explanation. It was time to do some minor scouting, but the hulking wolf would not allow the more thin male to do what had normally been placed on his shoulders. This was not a job, this was about safety. When it crossed over to keeping the pair alive and well met, this was Rico's duty. He was the one who would happily put his neck out on the line, knowing that at least the fight would come to him.

After all, the Barreda's were cursed; small bodies, well intact and put together. They were meant for what they were meant for, and often that was not mass scale fighting. Not to say the boy would not engage given the chance - especially now, especially that his twin had been harmed. Rumors had sent them this way, looking for signs of Desideria, praying she might have existed. Once again, he found himself on a wild goose chase - but how could he give up looking? She had been like a mother to him.

Heart thudding in his chest, he dared not be too loud as he hit the bottom of the incline. On more solid ground, it was fair to say that the male was not a terrible size. Well built, wide in the muscles with a stern looking set of features. He eased himself forward, tail staying at half mast as he pondered what would be out here. Most assuredly, the opportunity to steal something tasty would be out and about - and then he would be able to go on his way. Stealing would not be done from around here, no; this mountainy region was a good fortress to fall back to. But nothing more.

The insanity of it all was the anticipation was still rank, he could not wait to find himself up against another. Pent up frustration had been endless, and his irritation about someone harming him had been a sweep under the rug. They had targeted Nico - the last pack they had been in - and that had been enough to set warning flags up. Only one wolf could spur such a hatred for the Barreda name.

Des. She had to be here - somewhere. She would have traveled this way, he knew it. It was merely finding where she might have holed herself up at.

(This post was last modified: Jul 11, 2015, 12:53 PM by Rico.)

It had taken a lot of sweet words to convince his mother to finally let him explore on his own. The travelling was over, they had arrived, though @Ahkna was yet to appear - something which he both regretted and enjoyed, as she was the least cruel but it meant he had beaten someone. While he could understand his mother's overprotectiveness during the trip, Duck was supposed to make this his home now, and he had been born on a mountain just the same. Though slight and spindy, the boy was at least sure of foot, and he had taken pride in his ability to quickly learn the safest and quickest paths no matter the terrain. Now that he was allowed to settle down again, he could finally put those skills to use.

It was a good excuse to escape @Staleek and @Tauza, too, now that they shared a sleeping place again. He should have made more of an effort to enjoy the nights spent without them rather than obsessing over them. Even in absence they terrorized him.

Duck had not gone far enough to catch scent of the brothers who had claimed a site nearby, the jagged, rocky terrain in this part of the range a haven for anybody wanting a private space. Instead, the pale yearling was sat on another outcropping, an untouched but very dead fish laid beside him, its blood slowly trickling down towards the edge and dripping into the void. He was calm, at peace, satisfied with himself and the day for being able to demonstrate another skill in his very limited repetoire. He had caught the thing in the large lake where they now lived next to, and brought it up here to find a view to enjoy it with.

Not feeling anxious, for once, Duck's usually high level of awareness was seriously lacking, his gaze lost over the view of this land his mother loved so much.

No matter how much he wanted to sleep, Rico always insisted they get up, keep moving around, in search of something. Of nothing. At least he was faithful. Motivated. The smaller twin was just…tired. The Crow's Crossing pack had seemed so hopeful, they'd actually thieves to join their group and work. It was work, they'd have protect, somewhere to return and everything…everything went wrong. (If not for Rico, he'd be dead, cold, in the ground, gone, gone, gone away and who would mourn him?) (Was it her fault? They were angry, so angry with the name. They'd known her. Barreda, they knew the clan – when were they respected? How?) (I miss her.) (But how could she do this to me?) So deep in thought, the young wolf hardly noticed the presence of another animal nearby. Trailing after Rico had become second nature – even out of sight, he could find the other half of himself. Never would they truly be separated, not by senses, not by distance, not even by time itself. Tail swaying behind him slowly, he paused when a flash of white crossed the corner of his vision. For a moment, he thought it a dove, or perhaps a simple butterfly and turned to watch – and found another wolf, instead. Ears swept back in a single heartbeat, tail tucked underneath his belly as he issued a soft whine, wishing to summon his brother back to his side. "H-hello," he murmured to the stranger softly, orange eyes studying the other loner raptly. "D-do you live here? What's your n-name?"

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Heavy paws were not about to miss the sound of some foreign summoning, but the scouting was a reason why he knew that there was very few who crossed. It was a difficulty that could not be denied, and such was why the tongue twisted in his mouth with a perk to the sound of a scent hunger, and it was why there was distractions that could not pull him away successfully. Wariness was always the first track, and it was what was going to keep them alive. For that reason, none could protest that he was dutiful. Nico would be somewhere, and with that thought in mind he found himself restless. Checking the scent markers, it was an oddity to find something light on the air; pleasant to the taste buds but it was difficult to pinpoint. The growl rattled in his lips, almost out of pure instinct, when he met a trail that was fresh. It was like they had passed in the meandering forward, and now there was going to be a price to pay. Nico was back in the other direction, vulnerable; the male swept himself back around like the wind. Breezing, he picked up the distinctively male scent trail, unsure of what he would find. There was no need to rush, but the slightly large male followed up an unfamiliar scent, shoulders sagging when the rocks promises that there was a veer. So no one was climbing of the thick walls to their hideaway, that was the one promise that could be beneficial. Until... of course, he managed to stumble on the light air of an active Nico's trail. Cursing raptly, the male lowered his head - stalking forward, his head lowered to his shoulders and he found himself struggling to make sense of things. What was this? Was there a reason for him to start to panic? Fur never raised; but he crept, knowing that he would come upon them soon. Praying the conflict had not already begun, the wolf held his breath - wary, frightened. Such would be too much if his brother was injured again... No, he couldn't think like that. He just could not. "This is speech."

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2015, 11:08 PM by Rico.)

The voice broke him harshly from his peace. Duck spun about, head leaping to all kinds of ridiculous conclusions, every single one of which were dissolved when he saw that the wolf in front of him was a total stranger. Somehow, that was a relief, but it was a short-lived one; a duller, more instinctual anxiety blossomed in his chest now, for this presented a whole host of different problems.

But even the suspicious, cowardly Duckweed found it hard to be frightened by the meek, quiet man in front of him. He was larger and older, but not by much in either way, not to the extend Duck was used to being dwarfed. Swallowing, the pale boy took a step to stand over his hard-earned fish, just in case. Not that he would have the balls to really defend if if it came to that. Heart pounding, Duck's ears pushed forward in helpless curiosity, and he watched the other closely. It wasn't like he had anywhere to run, anyway. Oh - but he was being spoken to, and Duck tried to push his anxiety down enough to be able to formulate a response, a small part of him taking note of how the stranger also stumbled over his words. He shook his head at the first question, almost in a daze, for he knew it was rude not to answer.

But... his name? Surrounded by family and packmates his whole life, Duck realised that he had never had to really introduce himself to anyone - and during the trip here, he had actively avoided anything which might lead to that. He had never had to tell someone his stupid name. Somewhere beneath the pulsating panic, he felt a pinprick of anger that he had never considered this scenario. "D-d-d-d," he stuttered, hating himself for being unable to just spit it out, hating it almost as much as having to admit what his stupid name in the first place. Pausing for a breath to contain himself, he had to understand that mother wasn't here to save him from this social interaction. He'd just have to brave it on his own. "D-d-duck," he said, and almost smiled that he managed it - but there was no way that would happen. Eyes wide, he studied the older boy, tail tucking underneath him in a mirrored gesture of submission. What was he supposed to do now? Oh, right. Swallowing again, he twitched his nose in the stranger's direction slightly, just enough to indicate that he was returning the question. The gesture was much easier than trying to fall over a whole sentence.

Where was Rico?  Where was Rico? The small wolf's mind raced as he stared at the ethereal animal before him – not much younger, not any bigger, and all the same he found his heart racing as he found himself alone.  His twin was nearby, somewhere – they were never more than a call's distance from one another, but still his brother had not appeared.  It was up to him to make persiflage with this other loner until his travel mate reappeared – but could he do it?  The coward tried to swallow down the tremble in his limbs.  Hadn't he soothed greater beasts before? Of course he had, but it seemed like so long ago…his inner critic gnawed on his mind as the other boy stuttered out his name.  A name.  He could do that, at the very least. "Hi, D-Duck," he began, cursing the shake in his voice.  Didn't the white wanderer have the exact same affliction?  Surely he could find an ounce of courage and introduce himself without a tremor.  "I'm N-Nico.  My brother, Rico, he's around here…somewhere, I think."   (Amazing, that the stutter disappeared as soon as his mind wrapped around his guardian.  A subconscious effort, one that the youth himself hardly noticed as he tried to press on with his conversation.) "We're…w-we're n-n-new to this forest," Nico explained slowly, not daring to creep closer to investigate the other male.  What if he had a sudden change of heart?  Or worse, what if he was more like the thief himself, and lashed out when cornered by the unknown?  No, it was definitely best to keep his space.  "Do y-you l-live here?  I-i-is it nice?" he probed again.

wow i am so slow, i suck.  i am sorry guys.  ;~;

(This post was last modified: Jul 24, 2015, 12:33 PM by Nico.)

Tail lashed as it seemed to take forever before he finally came upon what appeared to be something of a scene to behold. The male was, an intruder to his space, but so small that Rico found himself merely taking a moment to blink at the onset of emotions. If there was anything to behold, it was the posturing of two timid wolves that had no clue what to do with themselves. Often, nothing would come out of it, but Rico was still not about to fully relax. Deceit was a way of the world, after all. On cue, he could hear his name in the distance, and the medium sized wolf eased forward - head held high, confident on the matter that it would be under control. He came up alongside his twin without needing much prompting, knowing that there was not a reason in the world to snark about something that might have resulted in some hurt feelings. He surveyed the other, nerves and all, and offered a quick lash of the tail. "Nico, how nice you met our first friend." Smooth like butter, the deeper pitched tone was unmoving, laced with an easy reassurance. His head dipped lightly, and his eyes never left the other; "Rico, at your service. We are the face of the Strong South, an old clan." The introduction was to offer some sense; they were not about to be rude. There was always games to play. So long as they appeared capable of manners, they would not be expected when they went on a raid. It was why one ear turned to the side, and he considered. "Pardons, but I could have sworn - your name is Duck? Not a terrible name, not when our world grows on the ability to feast on such things." Ah, he knew how to make things work in his favor, complimenting a name he could really care either way about. But when the moment was right, Rico took his eyes off the stranger and returned to looking at his twin. The smile this time was fierce, more reassuring as he leaned discreetly, bumping shoulders to offer comfort where comfort was due. "This is speech."

Even as his heart beat harder and harder, Duck was aware of the ridiculousness of their situation, recognising his own cowardly nature reflected in the stranger in front of him. It could be a ruse, but the boy was very familiar with how his own fear worked, and saw much of the same in the unknown eyes staring at him. Perhaps, if the encounter remained exactly like this, they would be able to reach some kind of timid truce, some mutual understanding borne through shared cowardice. Duck's life was full of exuberant, confident creatures, though they ranged from the cruel to the kind, and they scared him but he knew how to act around them. He hated it, but he knew how to act to minimise his own torture. This was just weird and scary though he felt stupid for it.

His meek gesture worked, and was rewarded with a greeting and name, and then everything got worse; there was a brother. Duck hated brothers. Nico's stuttering began to fade, and Duck's shame grew as he knew that he would never be capable of similar long sentences; just his own stupid, shortened name had been a trial. So not only was he the more pathetic of two pathetic wolves, the less pathetic one had a potentially non-pathetic brother. Who was nearby.

Maybe if he left the fish as a distraction, he would be able to run away unscathed? Physically, at least. His already tattered dignity was being worn ever more thin.

Silently he listened, some keenly alert, anxious part of his brain taking in every word even as a more dominant part of him was busy trying not to panic. His mouth opened and closed around invisible words as he instinctively tried to respond to the questions (as was polite and proper) but his tongue could not remember how to work. Then it really got worse.

The swagger was unmistakable, triggering all kinds of unpleasant associations. He had been right to dread a brother, and there was no doubt that this was he - they looked near identical in all except size and posture. Duck's hind legs began to quaver, his tail unable to press any harder against his belly, as he stared at the larger boy's feet and tried not to imagine Staleek's smug face in place of the stranger's own. All recollection of the names given were temporarily impossible. He wanted nothing more than to curl up and hide, but he was trapped, and could not flee backwards down a sheer fall.

Unlike with the meek brother, who Duck did not really know how to interact with, the pale boy's instincts were all too sharp when it came to this one. Though his ears were pushed back, and his eyes low, he honed in on every word, knowing to watch out for hints of aggression or threats. It was better to be forewarned of these things. Duck distrusted the easy, confident tones completely, recognising his siblings' cool, sleek manners, and dreading it. First friend indeed, more like first prey. The introduction was silky, deceptively warm, and though the names and place meant nothing Duck took note of them anyway. Duck's tongue was a hunk of wood in his mouth, unusable. But he had a feeling that this boy would be happy to hear his own voice over anyone else's.

Then it got worse again, but this time in a way which re-lit the tiny angry fire which had been started when Duck had had to admit to his name - for this time, it was being mocked. Yes, my name is Duck, he thought, throat tight and hot. Not a terrible name, indeed! They, quite literally, only knew the half of it. There was absolutely no chance that he would be explaining the rest. And was that a threat he sensed, in the comment about eating ducks? Because he had heard that before.

It was harder being angry, though, because the part which was angry just became even more infuriated at his inability to defend himself, and the vicious cycle continued until he felt consumed by it, and then it was all hopeless. Taking a long breath, he looked back at the first, smaller boy, and desperately tried to remember their mutual cowardice, that he hadn't felt threatened by the first one. Maybe if he pretended they were still alone... "N-n-n-nice," he stammered, stomach tying itself in knots as he forced his tongue to cooperate, "t-t-t-t, t'meetyou." A lie, perhaps, but was something, and might buy him time. It was safest to show that he was no threat, and perhaps they would get bored and leave him alone. If they didn't share his brother's face, they might not share his wanton cruelty.

Rico's appearance should have made him feel better. He was older, larger, far more confident, capable wolf out of the pair. Usually, he was a safety blanket, and assurance that everything would go alright. For perhaps the first time in all his two years, the smaller male swept his ears back and reared his head, fixing his brother with a raised brow as their new friend was introduced. His head reared back and he stared Nico down, slowly lifting his lips in a small, almost invisible snarl. "Bad," he whispered harshly, swinging his head. "Don't talk about eating friends, brother, or you'll never have one." This, of course, was why Nico often did the talking for the pair of them. Well, he did the talking when he hoped to weasel something out of some pack wolf – Rico got to work his jaw if they were threatening other animals. Perhaps his twin had forgotten how this worked, but his desire to threaten Duck was all but nonexistent. Turning back to the other loner, his ears relaxed as he tipped his head. The shake in the white wolf's voice increased, as if the tremor that had fled from the smallest Barreda had taken up new residence with their acquaintance. He sighed softly, fear temporarily forgotten as exasperation and frustration replaced it in the back of his mind. "Rico didn't mean it like that," he tried to explain, giving his twin a wry look once more. "He wouldn't eat you. Wolves eating wolves is gross." As if to make his point, Nico wrinkled his nose. No, Duck had no reason to fear, not from them. "I just-- I just-- We just wanna know, about the forest, here. We used to live in the desert. Far, far away."