Dead Empress Backwater If the Sky Comes Falling Down

Archer Valle

There was a flash of something in Eros's eyes, but Archer didn't get the chance to figure out what it was because his brother was turning up his nose and telling him what it was that was so cool.

I met another kid.

Archer's jaw dropped, all his vague irritation at the game vanishing instantly as it was replaced by the swell of jealousy and disbelief that filled him. "No you didn't," he said, envy clear in his voice. "There aren't other kids, that aren't family anyway," he added. Nobody else was around, right? Other adults wandered around but no pups aimlessly wandered the wilds. Where were there families? Did some families travel around rather than stick to a single territory? That didn't seem like a very smart thing to do. How could they store food if they didn't stay in one place?

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

Watching the shock finally infiltrate his brother's dial was delicious, and it was this that kept the pride intact even as he felt a small measure of ire at Archer's proclaimed disbelief. Eros focused on the point - he'd gotten to make his sibling jealous.

"Yuh-huh," he insisted, peach eyes unwavering as if looking his brother straight in the eye was enough proof.

"Him and his ma are adventurers," it was as much a boast as it was explanation, making his friend sound all the more cooler, because he was.

"His names @Seri, and we're mud brothers now."

Archer Valle

An envious glower settled over Archer's face as his brother insisted he was telling the truth and that he did meet another kid. He sniffed, as if doing so would make him feel better. It didn't, and he was sure it showed on his face. Adventurers? "So does he... just wander around 'n stuff?" He was so jealous he didn't even catch his grammatical slip until it was too late to correct it. Dang it. "They don't have a home?" That didn't sound so fun.

And then Eros said they were 'mud brothers' and Archer's scowl grew. "I'm your brother," he complained. Nevermind Oleander; they were only half and they didn't see him around much anyway. "What about me?"

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

Eros' gloating would have only built if Archer's misery had remained fiery and impersonal. Instead, he noticed clearly that he'd hit a nerve as genuine upset leaked into his littermate's words. I'm your brother, he had corrected, and the other boy's tawny ears were now back against his nape with sympathy. He hadn't meant to hurt Archer's feelings.

"It's different," he scrambled to assure him, apologies written all up and down his autumnal features, "he doesn't have a home, or even a dad or other siblings. I just, felt bad for him."

The half-lie burned his tongue and seemed to hang in the air between them, but hopefully that was only his vivid imagining.

"You could be a mud brother too, y'know. It can be like a... like a secret pack of just us three," and incase that wasn't enough of an olive branch he tacked on, "we could go adventuring together too, Seri said he could take us up the mountain or to those big yellow hills or anywhere we wanna go."

(This post was last modified: May 13, 2022, 04:39 AM by Eros.)

Archer Valle

Archer continued to glower as his brother rushed to explain. He was clearly apologetic, which helped Archer feel a little better, but he knew there was a little untruth to his brother's words. He chose to let it go rather than make Eros feel even worse. Even if Archer thought he deserved to feel a little bad for replacing him. "They could settle down if they wanted to," Archer said, but not very fiercely.

Eros had already moved on, offering Archer the title of 'mud brother' as well. His eyes narrowed slightly. "What does that even mean?" he asked sullenly, suspicious his littermate was going to make him do something foolish. "We already have a pack. Why doesn't he join ours?"

But this was something Eros was clearly excited about, especially the travelling bit. Archer didn't know how he felt about that part, but he sighed anyway. "Okay, I'll be a mud brother I guess, since he doesn't have any brothers of his own." That just seemed sad to him.

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

Archer continued to speak with bitterness, but he could see the hurt gradually easing. He challenged his new friend still, but ultimately agreed to join them in taking on the made-up title. Eros felt a little like he was losing the battle but winning the war with that, and remained a bit sheepish in the face of his brother's ire.

"Well, I mean, he says him n' his mom like how they live. 'Cause they get to explore and do what they want. I asked him to join the Backwater but he's got places he wants to go n' stuff. So we decided, mudbrothers. 'Course, I can't start a club without you..."

His tail wagged behind as his smile grew, hopefully encouraging Archer to lighten up a little.

"We can make it something cool. It'll be fun and we can-- oh!" his eyes shot open wide as he remembered; Seri wasn't his only news.

"You almost made me forget! I found out where babies come from. Like for real. Moms told me. It's awful."

Archer Valle

Archer was starting to lighten up, seeing how he was disappointing his brother. Hurt as he was, he didn't want Eros to be sad. His jealousy wasn't a reason to ruin something for someone else. It helped when Eros declared he couldn't start a club without his younger brother; all was forgiven.

The topic changed like whiplash, Eros cutting himself off mid-sentence and launching into a whole new topic: babies. Archers ear's flicked back. He hadn't ever really thought about it. "Where?" he asked, miffed that Eros knew something he didn't in addition to his meeting with Seri.

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

Archer blinked in the face of Eros' outburst, and he wasn't sure if he should be excited about being the first to know or feeling guilty about the grossness he was about to impart. Glancing around him conspiratorially to ensure no one was about to happen upon them and their conversation, the young Valle took a step closer to his brother and lowered his voice.

"So like... Dads have to put something in moms. It's called mating and it sounds super uncomfortable. Then the moms grow the kids in them, like under their skin but outside of their stomachs, until they... they like... pee us out."

He was trying to make sense of the complex functions that he been described to him without throwing all those weird big words at Archer (Eros wasn't sure if he even remembered half of them) and being, well, crass.

Archer Valle

Archer hated to admit it, but his attention was piqued even further when Eros glanced around them and leaned in. What did he have to say that needed to be so secret? His ears pricked so he could hear better, and then dropped back as disgust wrinkled his nose. They did what?

"She peed us out?" he asked in disbelief. "That sounds... super painful," he added. Peeing a whole puppy? Who would ever do that? He was grateful his Ma had him and Eros, of course, but then he thought of Clover, who had three children. He shuddered. "I'm so glad I never have to do that," he said.

(This post was last modified: Jul 25, 2022, 06:02 PM by Archer. Edit Reason: formatting )

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

"Right?!" Eros crowed, his own heebie-jeebies bolstered by Archer's clear disgust. He stamped his paws, trying to get his skin to stop crawling. Despite his best efforts, he'd imagined what it must be like a hundred times and had come to the same conclusion each time; he'd rather die than have to go through that.

"They said it definitely does hurt but that it's 'worth it' and all that stuff so I wouldn't feel awful for them..."

He gave his whole pelt a final shake, and stuck out his tongue with an audible bleh.

"I don't think I'll ever have kids."