Dead Empress Backwater back to square one

RE:Dead Empress Backwater, your water supply seems filled to the brim with fish!
AW to all DEB members, next round begins July 11th
Early morning, Overcast, 17C/62F

It was hours before Viorel normally roused for the day, it had been just a short nap really since he had retired after his nighttime exploring. The heat wave that had held them in its clutches the last week or so had finally broken and the Valle had been looking forward to resting in the cooler air. Not only that, but the clouds provided an extra layer of protection and he had faded off to sleep content with the temperature for the first time in what seemed like forever.

But, he had been woken up shortly after by a sound that seemed so familiar to the sea wolf, and yet out of place in these woods. The sound of splashing water, something sploshing in and out of the Backwater, as if it were jumping. Cracking one eye to investigate, Viorel was surprised to find that his instincts had been correct and that their usually still water source seemed to be teeming with fish, swimming below the surface and jumping in and out with abandon.

Leaping to his paws with a laugh of disbelief, the leader rushed to the shore and grabbed a plump trout out of the depths with ease. Tossing it onto the banks, Viorel couldn’t believe his eyes and the sheer number of prey that swam just below his paws. Lifting up his muzzle the leader called for whoever may be close by, it seems their trials were over and there was finally some triumphs.

(This post was last modified: Jul 02, 2021, 02:13 AM by Viorel.)

It had been so hot lately, and Archer had chosen to avoid wandering too far from the den. It was much cooler, after all, and he was still contemplating the existence of his other siblings, who he privately referred to as Sobber and Long - since his name was so lengthy Archer couldn't be bothered to even try to shape it.

Eros and Archer were much better names.

His daily contemplation was interrupted by his Daa calling. Archer perked up. He was calling for everyone again. The boy gave a short, sharp bark to @Eros, then started off for Daa's voice. His approach was wary at first - last time Daa called for them was for some boring meeting where he revealed unsettling siblings - bit this time appeared different. Daa was excited, and the water sounded... Different.

With renewed but dignified excitement, Archer bounded up to his Daa and stared over the writhing water in awe. He hoped Eros hurried and joined them; Archer wanted to see if he could get his overly-eager brother to jump in and do some splashing himself.

Something wiggling on the ground not far from him drew Archer's attention. He cautiously approached and sniffed it. The thing was slimy and smelled like water, but it smelled... Good.

Then it flopped again and with a startled squeak Archer jumped back against his Daa. "what's that?" he asked.

(This post was last modified: Jul 07, 2021, 01:01 PM by Archer. Edit Reason: Format )

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Every day it seemed like Oleander found something new. Every sunrise, he welcomed new experiences, and every night he found he dreamt of newer ones. It was a surprise and an adventure every time.

When the sun didn't greet him for the day, he blinked away the sleep. There was no way to tell if he had woken up before everyone else or had overslept. Given the quiet, coolness of the den, he assumed the former. Half-closed eyes thought he saw the shadows of his sisters at the den wall opposite of him. His lanky legs, as of late, had become a recent problem with the risk of rabbit-kicking them while he dreamt. He was on the verge of falling back asleep when he heard his father.

One pale ear leaned forward before his brow creased. This beckoning was different than the one from last time. Without even a look back towards the darker end of the den, Oleander got up and popped his head out into the open. At first, there was nothing, but then he heard it. Like whispers or the wind, there was a subtle sound buzzing in the backdrop of the Backwater and the Creek.

He decided it was a good time to investigate. Violet and Margo would be fine. He had gone out on his own before.

Eager eyes and curious ears urged him forward, on the lookout for a flash of black fur. It wasn't a wolf that he found himself drawn to first, though. As Oleander's gaze found the water's edge, he met the fish that found its fate on land and the boy from the pack meeting. His long, clumsy legs tottered backward; but, then, his jaw went slack at the sight of the turbulent water.

What... was happening?

His nose began to scrunch up, intrigued. If anything could be said of Oleander, it was that he was more of a savant than the typical rough and tumble boy.

note to self: Oleander is 60 days/2 months old. He is mentally 6 human-years-old and weighs ~25 lbs (lanky and tall rather than bulky).

they say pray it away, i swear,
OLEANDER VALLE
that I'll never be a saint, no way

Eros was close behind, excited to be called away from the den yet again. The sound of constant motion steadily filled up his ears, until it was all around him as he stood at the once-still water's bank. Oleander was there too, and he'd grown even from the last time Eros had spied him it seemed, awing his littler brother. Would he be that tall, why'd the other kids get to be so big? He only seemed to grow outward rather than upward, but it wasn't just him; Archer wasn't their size either.

"Ol," he chirped, toddling after the pale boy. What was he and Da' here for? What had they done to cause all this splashing?

"Braaather."

(This post was last modified: Jul 11, 2021, 04:51 AM by Eros.)

thanks for hopping in! This round will end July 21st

This was one of the strangest things that Viorel had ever seen. Sure, the fish had been plentiful back home on the sea, but this was almost too much to believe. Silver, green, gold, white and blue fins flashed just beneath the surface, and often jumped out for a moment or two before crashing back down. It was almost a mesmerizing sight for the wolf who had made more than his fair share of meals out of a plump fish in his short lifetime.

The awe was broken when the sound of crackling twigs and brackets came from behind him. The tell tale sound of one of his children approaching, they had yet to learn to walk lightly on their paws for the sake of hiding their position. Glancing backwards to see the dark pelt of Archer, who had quickly sighted what he had been called down for. Chuckling at the boy’s shriek he reached down and nuzzled his tiny crown as he pressed against the father’s flank. ”That’s a fish, it’s food. The Valles are wolves of the sea, and expert fishmen.” Were they too young for that kind of thing? He couldn’t remember a time before he had learned to fish.

Viorel only realized that the quiet cream coloured child had arrived when Eros called out his brother’s name. Looking up in surprise that any one of them had managed to sneak up on him, he was pleased to see how happy Eros was to greet his brother. All of his sons were here, in one spot and he was going to get to teach them one of his stronger talents. Pride practically radiated off the young father as he gestured for Ole and Eros to join them at the fish, which had slowly it’s panicked thrashing to just a defeated wiggle of its tail.

”Take a bite of that one boys, and then I’ll teach you how to catch your own.”

(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2021, 03:38 AM by Viorel.)

Archer listened to his Daa intently, and barely acknowledged the arrival of his half-brother, the mouthful. Eros wasn't far behind, crying for him. Archer sighed and toddled over to lightly cuff his brother's ear with his paw. "We learning," he said before returning to the 'fish'. It was barely wiggling anymore, but Archer was still suspicious of it. Still, not wanting to appear scared in front of his Daa and brothers, he bravely stepped up, planted an awkward paw on the slimy creature, and sank his tiny teeth into it.

His eyes popped wide and he looked up at his Daa as the rich flavor filled his mouth. He chewed and swallowed and as much as he wanted to continue eating, he shuffled over and stared at his brother's. "It's good! he reported, urging them forward to try.

(This post was last modified: Jul 12, 2021, 01:02 PM by Archer.)

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

More of an onlooker, the white-furred boy could only stare. Eros crept up from behind with a loud  "Ol" and Oleander turned to watch him march onto the scene.

"Braaather," Eros, the tawny one called.

"We learning," Archer countered after a bat of his dark paw to his brother's ear.

Pssshhh. Oleander's muzzle remained bunched up at the sides, even as their father began to speak. As Viorel welcomed them closer, the lanky cub stepped forward. He stared now at the still creature on the water's edge.

Viorel appealed to his sons' curiosity, "Take a bite of that one boys, and then I’ll teach you how to catch your own."

Another scowl threatened to overtake Oleander's brow. His stomach was a bit empty, but, it had been a hot minute since he and his sisters had stopped nursing. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he saw the dark one, Archer, help himself to the fish. Blegh, was all Oleander wanted to say, but as soon as Archer sounded out that it was good, he changed his mind. He would see for himself if it was edible or not.

If his eyes had been elsewhere, he would have missed Archer's comradery in his tone and body language. Oleander didn't need to be offered or told twice. Coming forward, his pale head ducked down. He sniffed, then right next to where Archer had taken the first bite, Oleander took the next nibble of slimy meat.

He folded the sides of his tongue over it, left then right, and squished it between his cheek and right set of molars. It was pretty good... Wide yellow eyes sought out Eros' face then, with a large white paw, he nudged the fish in Eros' direction.

"It is good," he echoed, confirming the fact with a wag of a tail. "You try..." Next, his eyes went to Viorel, beaming now from ear to ear, "More?" While he was glad to have established the beginnings of this sort of brotherly relationship with the other boys, he didn't want to have to share... "Pleases?"

they say pray it away, i swear,
OLEANDER VALLE
that I'll never be a saint, no way

Archer approached, and little Eros was starting to learn what that might mean. His little eyes narrowed but he was much too slow, effectively whapped and impotently mawing at the air long after his brother had already taken back his paw. He pouted a moment, but not for too long. Learnin'. That word was always so important to the darker Valle.

Eros toddled toward the object of interest. It moved lethargically, death steeling over it. There were ways in which it looked like the meat they'd been steadily introduced too, but also many in which it differed. The smell, in particular, was... odd. He stared at those big, drying eyes as Archer stepped on and bit into the prey.

It didn't take long for him to report back, excitedly, that it was good. The way Archer's eyes lit up, Eros knew he wasn't lying, but still his stomach didn't appreciate the notion. Neither did his tongue, scraping against the backs of his teeth as though to rid himself of the imagined taste. For once, he didn't barrel forward, waiting for Oleander to take the next turn instead. The results were more or less the same, and then it was finally time for Eros to eat the strange water meat.

His brothers had said it was good. It had to be good.

Eros steeled himself, and took a bite, trying to lick past the scales and dig out strips of the white flesh his siblings had exposed. Fighting every natural instinct to regurgitate, he pulled a big bite into his mouth, screwed his eyes shut, and chewed.

It was awful. His eyes popped open, darting between the three faces in front of him before he swallowed and forced a big grin.

"Gggooodd."

no post order! Next round will start July 31st

Viorel watched as Archer went off to smack his brother over the ear and could do nothing but try to hide his smirk. His dark son was turning out to be a little bit rough and tumble and it was amusing to the young father. Still, the announcement of learning brought both of the quiet boys forward quickly, something that he took note of. He could not remember any time as a child where learning had been more interesting than wrestling or running, but maybe these Valles were of a more intellectual sort.

Archer and Oleander seemed to genuinely enjoy the fish, but Eros’ wrinkled snout gave his lie away immediately. Chuckling, Viorel reached down and took a bite of his own, ”it is good, if you ask Uncle Vayko he will tell you that salt fish is his favourite thing to eat. These fish are fresh fish, but they’re still pretty good in my opinion.” The man had no idea if you were supposed to dumb yourself down when talking to the children, but he never did.

Walking back to the edge, Viorel took a couple steps into the water until it reached his knees and then stood very still. Normally you would have to wait a couple minutes before being able to make a catch, but as soon as he stopped walking he could feel the slipper fish brushing against his legs. Glancing back to his sons with a grin, he struck, quick as lightning, and his head emerged from the water with a new prize in his jaws. Tossing it back onto the shore he shook the extra moisture from his face, ”Would any of you like to try?” Were they too small for that? It was hard to know.

(This post was last modified: Jul 22, 2021, 01:57 AM by Viorel.)

The hubris...

Archer grinned at his brothers as they tried the fish. The Mouthful easily agreed that it was a wonderful flavor, but a frown passed over his face when Eros made a face and then forced a grin. He wasn't sure he believed he enjoyed it, but now was not the time to convince him he was wrong. Daa was speaking again.

Salt fish? "Whatsa salt fish?" he asked, glancing at Oleander to see if maybe he knew.

But Daa was wading into the water and Archer immediately fell silent, intently watching every move. He bounced gleefully when Daa tossed a second fish on the land and asked if any of them wanted to try.

Archer looked back at Eros. Jumping in the water seemed more his style, but Archer wanted his Daa to be proud of him. He needed to prove that he was the superior son. So, with another glance at his brothers to see if they were following, Archer strode forward and into the cool water. He shuddered as it soaked into his fur and was nearly swept off his feet by something slimy hitting his legs. His ears flattened, but he pressed onward.

The water where Daa stood came up to Archer's chest, but the boy still made it. He snapped his head forward like his Daa did and even though his teeth snapped shut in empty water, the turbulence was enough to sweep him off his feet and send him tumbling fully into the backwater.

(This post was last modified: Jul 22, 2021, 02:44 AM by Archer.)

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.