Dead Empress Backwater If the Sky Comes Falling Down

RE: The weather is starting to shift, but for the better or worse? For @Eros please <3

If he'd thought it once he'd thought it a hundred times: Archer did not like winter. He did not like it one bit. It was cold and windy and wet and the snow hid their food and made the ground slippery. The water was frozen and it was dark all the time, or at least it felt like it was, because Archer stayed up late and slept through the light hours of the day.

He didn't like winter. End of story.

He also didn't like it because more animals seemed to be getting bolder and Eros was a trouble magnet and after the whole elk situation Archer had been really worried every day. Sometimes his shoulder still ached, though he chalked that up to thinking too hard. It shouldn't still hurt; it'd been too long. But... that didn't stop it from hurting sometimes.

And now, now, there was something new in the air. Something bitter. The air was eerily quiet, but it was so, so cold, and Archer's fur prickled. There had to be another storm coming.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Eros wasn't far behind his brother, purposefully seeking him out. He needed to tell him about the boy he'd met further down the creek. Oblivious to the atmospheric changes, when he saw Archer he thought it peculiar how... disturbed the other youth appeared. Eros' twisted his head sideways, making his curiosity clear.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't smell any other nearby animals, so that was good - incredibly good.

Please tell me it's not Gramma Katna...

He shouldn't have been surprised when Eros came up beside him, and to his credit Archer did not jump. He merely glanced over at his brother, curious as ever, but clearly worried about whatever it was wrong with Archer. The darker boy simply pinned his ears back and glared at the cloudy sky. "I think it's going to snow again," he growled. "I don't like the snow."

Archer gave Eros a long look, then sniffed at him, eyes narrowing. He couldn't place anything different, but it was Eros and he had to have sought him out for a reason - assuming the older boy had come across him on purpose. "What have you been up to?"

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Eros followed his brother's colorless sights up to the grey expanse far above the treetops. 'How can you tell?' he wanted to ask, ever impressed by his sibling's intelligence, especially in comparison to his own. Archer had more to say, however, enough that it distracted Eros from commenting more on the weather at all. He asked him what he'd been up to, the perfect opening, and Eros' tail practically leapt into the air, wagging enthusiastically.

"I found something outside," he bragged, chest puffing while his chin lifted by grace of a big grin that turned impish with the next statement.

"I'll give ya three guesses."

(This post was last modified: Jan 06, 2022, 05:51 AM by Eros.)

Archer Valle

Whatever Archer expected, it wasn't for Eros to suddenly grow so excited, but it should have been. He huffed and rolled his eyes at the little leap, but a small affectionate smile was playing at his lips. That was, until Eros explained why he was so excited, and that grin turned into a scowl.

A scowl, not a pout. There was a difference.

"You went outside? Without me?" Archer asked, a little betrayed even though he knew he shouldn't be. He wandered around without his brother plenty of times. But he had yet to find anything interesting enough to get him this excited. Then again, Eros was excited over a cool pebble. It could be nothing.

He decided to play ball. "Alright. Was it... a really weird bug?" he guessed. His brother loved bugs.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

"You go off without me!" Eros shot back, sticking his tongue. If Archer thought he didn't notice him sneaking off at night, he was wrong. How was he to know that his brother didn't dodge outside of the territory without him too? The young boy felt no guilt.

Anyway, Archer had guessed.

"No," he answered, pleased as punch. His smile curled ever upward, like a cat that had gotten into the milk.

"Guess again."

Archer Valle

Archer ignored his brother's accusation; it was true, of course, but that didn't mean he had to admit it. It's not like he went very far or found anything interesting anyway. He merely sighed and rolled his eyes when Eros shot down his guess and insisted he guess again. The darker boy eyed his brother and his cheeky little grin. It better be good, if he was going to be this smug about it. Archer could already feel the coil of jealousy in his stomach, and he didn't even know what it was yet!

"Did you catch a squirrel?" he asked, thinking back to that time their Ma had tried to teach him patience in stalking a squirrel. Archer had been too hungry to wait at the time, but he still held a grudge against the stupid rodent for waiting him out.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Eros wriggled with glee as his brother continued to play along, rather than denying him the extension of this delicious moment. This was it though, the last he could milk of it. He'd make it a good one, though. Smile now as big and open as it could get, white fangs shining, he answered.

"Nope," it was everything he could do not to giggle, "I'll give ya hint. I had a conversation with it~."

His eyes glinted impishly, expecting to watch the realization dawn upon his brother's features.

(This post was last modified: Feb 04, 2022, 07:29 PM by Eros.)

Archer Valle

The only reason Archer wasn't getting annoyed this time was because of how pleased his brother clearly was, even if the younger Valle wished he would just get to the point instead of continuing to rub it in. Archer resisted the urge to bare his teeth as Eros wriggled around, grinning madly, his joy bubbling up in his words. Archer's ears did flick back and he glared. "I don't know," he finally said. "A bird?" Clover had said they could kind of talk back, didn't she? And Eros loved Clover, so he'd probably try something silly like that just because she said it.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

If he didn't have something so good still up his metaphorical sleeve, Eros would have pouted when his brother did not, in fact, get it. What a time for him to not be ahead of the class. Or did he really not expect something this awesomely cool from his sibling? There was a sudden urge to respond very seriously yes Arch, it was a bird but it wasn't like he could really contain his news much longer anyways.

"No," he answered pointedly, nose turning up ever so slightly.

"I met another kid."