Dead Empress Backwater i can do bad all by myself

When Asmund had been informed about the upcoming event, he had immediately balked. No way was he leaving this pack's protection, even if they insisted the mountain and the Cove would surely keep him safe. None of them were forced to participate, and that was a great relief. Even in avoiding the trip, however, there was nothing he could do about the part of the exchange where strange children came here. What if they were all essentially @Isla doppelgangers? One he had learned to manage and make do with, but four? Six? Ugh.

The more he thought about it and dreaded, the more anger burned in his gut until he told himself that enough was enough. This was his home too, no matter what his age-mates, @Llinnea included, said. He was tired of being made to feel afraid in it, and he'd been getting stronger! Eating better, taking lessons with @Viorel... He could do this. He would do this. When the strangers came knocking, he would stand his ground.

Then the day came, and the howls sounded announcing their arrival, and hours passed, and the sun began to set again and still the boy did not come out from hiding. He hated every moment of it, raging against himself in his mind, but still his muscles wouldn't move.

What if they hurt him? What if they made the same mistake as his sister and brought him back? Asmund curled tighter, so frustrated he began to cry. He hated everything, but himself most of all.

Hope its okay to toss him in here <3

The trip off the mountain made the inky boy very nervous. Being stuck in the caves for as long as he was made him wary of ever crossing the borders again. But his parents encouraged them making the trip down the mountain and meeting the neighbors. Matos was reluctant but went anyways, it helped that his sisters went with him. Dual colored eyes looked around with awe as they approached the border. It was so different than back home. It was flatter and there were a ton of different trees, it was blowing his young mind. The Eastfall-Slayer boy knew he lived on a mountian but he figured everywhere was rocky still.

As the sun began to set the boy decided to go for a drink before settling into bed for the night. Not wanting to be a bother or a burden he went of on his own, sure he could remember the directions given to him. Large paws traveled over the foreign terrain with ease however, he didn't actually know where he was going. Ebony audits flicked as the sound of someone crying reached them. Two-toned gazed looked around for the source but was unable to locate it. "Hello?" Mat called out while continuing to look around.

absolutely!

It felt all too soon that someone appeared to steal away his solitude, a coincidence he couldn't ignore. Giving in to his tears had just brought about even more trouble, as he should have known it would. Sniffling miserably, he tried to back up further into his hiding space. Unintentionally, just in that final moment, he messed up and the whole bramble he crouched beneath shuddered and shed its snow.

Shit. That just completely gave his position away if the other wolf was at all paying attention...

"Go away," he insisted through his crying, trying to stifle it but still not strong enough to be successful.

(This post was last modified: Feb 06, 2023, 03:15 AM by Asmund.)

As soon as he called out the crying stopped for a moment. Clearly whoever it was was unaware of his presence. Silence filled the air for only a moment until something hidden beneath the prickly thick bush moved causing the snow that was resting upon it to fall. The sudden movement caused the inky boy to jump and spin around. Cautiously he eyed the bush as a voice yelled for him to go away. His suspicion ebbed as the voice clearly was still crying. Dark brows furrowed with concern for the unknown being. They sounded like they were young like he was, but Matos wouldn't be sure until he saw them. "Are you okay?" he asked taking a small step towards the bramble and sniffing to further investigate. He didnt want to just leave the other on their own. Even if he couldnt fix why they were crying maybe he could make them feel a little bit better.

Whoever it was didn't listen, and he wondered if maybe it was @Viorel or @Clover come looking for him. His shivering stopped at the thought, and he dared to stretch his neck forward to try and get a whiff of the other's scent. They spoke then, and his stomach twisted as he realized this had to be one of the visitors. Scared all over again and hating every moment of it.

Thing is, he didn't sound anything like @Isla. The concern in his voice was genuine, and Asmund hadn't experienced the same lethal trickery as his sister to make him think this stranger might be feigning his care. Indecision gripped his muscles and held him in place all the same.

"... why do you care?"

The question was spoken in that petulant way unique to children, but was meant earnestly all the same. Clearly Az was not a bundle of fun, so why not skip him over and go find one of the other Backwater kids? Maybe the terror twins had gotten to him already...

(This post was last modified: Feb 13, 2023, 06:18 AM by Asmund.)

"...why do you care?" The question caught the dark cove child off guard. Why did he care? He didn't know anyone in the backwater so he really could walk away, and since the other couldn't see him (or at least he thought since he couldn't see them) no one would be the wiser. Matos took a moment to think about it and best he could come up with was "I dunno". He responded sheepishly as he pawed the ground. "I'd want someone to care if I was upset" he offered up truthfully with a shrug that the other may or may not have seen. There really wasnt any other reason that the inky boy could think off. He hoped it would be enough to pull that other out of their sadness and maybe even their hiding spot.

It turned out that the answer was quite simple. Asmund blinked through his tears, considering it. That... made a lot of sense, actually. He sniffled, tried to clean his face with swipes of the backs of his paws and wolfish ankles. What would be worse, he wondered; crawling out of cover and into the open, or inviting the stranger into his hideout? He couldn't decide, still not liking either option.

What had he asked, was Asmund alright? The truth sounded pathetic even inside his own head.

"... I don't wanna talk about it," he finally spoke up. Wishing he could provide an alternative but unable. Maybe the other kid would continue to know better than Az what to do.

(This post was last modified: Mar 02, 2023, 03:40 AM by Asmund.)

A moment of silence passed, that made the inky child continue to mull over why he was sticking around. However, his original question was finally given an answer, even if it still didn't give much information. Matos thought it was progress though and would take it. "That's okay. Ya don't have to." The other child offered hoping to continue to help. His coal nose continued to try and to pinpoint where the other was still hiding. There was still no luck in his tracking skills and the cove child didnt really know what else to do or say. Then he remembered his original mission of finding somewhere to get a drink. "Uh...ya wouldn't happen to know where I could find a place to drink do ya?" He asked hoping the other would help him since they didn't want to talk about what was wrong.

That's okay, the stranger told him, and Asmund appreciated those simple words greatly. He stayed quiet though, unsure of how to voice this much less if he even wanted to. He certainly didn't know where to take the conversation next, but then the boy piped up again with a simple, unrelated query.

Asmund blinked, considered. He was quiet for maybe a moment too long, but then finally he began to slowly, cautiously nose his way out of his hiding place. He stopped when only the fore-half of his body was revealed, ready to retreat should anything untoward occur. His green eyes found Matos' dark form and bright gaze and he swallowed nervously.

"Um... yeah. I..." he didn't want to, but knew it was important for him push back against his fears as best as he could manage, "I can show you."

His request was met with silence causing the inky boy to shift uncomfortably. Was that asking too much? He was about to say never mind when rustling caused his attention to shift. A brown form began to emerge from a nearby bramble. Amber and emerald met double green as Matos gave a small smile of encouragement. His ebony banner waved gently at his hocks as the other boy spoke tentatively. "Um... yeah. I...I can show you.". "Yes please" The Eastfall child spoke before taking a step backwards as to give the other child more room to feel comfortable to emerge from his hiding place. He didnt want to crowd his new companion or spook him at all. Unlike his inky littermate Matos was respectful of other's feelings and boundaries. He usually also prioritizes them above his own, something that very well may bite him later on in life.

(This post was last modified: Apr 01, 2023, 03:28 AM by Matos. Edit Reason: I got my child's eye colors wrong DX )