• (curled aside) the embers - Printable Version

Fireheart--tired, and wincing and limping from his burns--was surprised at the utter selflessness of the black pup. He was pushing the rat toward him, though he himself had caught it.

He hesitated, unwilling to eat the whole thing by himself. It was large, but he wasn't sure it'd feed them all, and the way Kazgut was shifting over to Vyette, pressing to her, seemed distinctly unhappy. It had been a bloody, squealing kill, not a clean one, and Fireheart could tell that it hadn't been easy.

The blood taunted his nostrils, sparking the roiling growl of hunger in his belly, but still he wavered. His firelit eyes lingered on the pair. I'll share it, he decided--though in simpler words--if I can't catch another, first.

He concentrated on that feeling of burning, and tried to gather all that heat up--and, shoving his head beneath the rat-stone, he opened his little jaws. He heard a squeal, felt a skittering--he'd wanted to stun a rat, but instead this one was stumbling toward him. But his magic had worked--searing, shimmering air had blown forth--and a moment of scuffling, struggling, biting and (further) squealing later, he had a much smaller, second rat for his efforts.

He also had bleeding bite- and scratch-marks over his nose and muzzle, and he winced as he carried this one over, and set it beside the first.

"Share," he offered softly, past the pain of the rat-bites and the burns, and began to pull apart the larger rat that Kazgut had presented. Past the splash of blood and meat, his tiny teeth clipped away perhaps half of it, leaving the rest--and the smaller rat--for the other two to share.

Vyette’s attempts were for naught, save to maybe fuel Kazgut’s. She drew back as he delved into the rat, snapping and snarling and soon enough there was a bloodied mess and the wraith was partially disappointed in herself. But oh — the feeling was quickly eclipsed by her pride for Kazgut’s accomplishment.

She drew near the kill and oh… she did favor fish so much more. The fur of the rat had an odd taste, she’d decided, but she was quick to draw close to Kazgut and lick at the blood on his muzzle instead. And then! Their wolfbrother, the fire, the flame — his magic mesmerizing. The sound of chaos, and then he returned with another!

And Vyette moved to him, too, and licked at his wounds. The boys would surely mangle the rats enough that she’d be able to consume some meat without fear of fur. Her tail wagged: she was happy, and proud of them.

A part of her worried: without them, would she be able to survive? But the thought lingered for just a moment and she busied herself again with inspecting and cleaning Fireheart's wounds.

__tag__

Kazgut

I will come to be — I will submerge myself in the body of the earth, sink my teeth into its flesh; and rise in my own skin.

Lunar eyes closed only momentarily; attempting to ease away the knowledge of the wounds inflicted. The scent of blood overwhelmed him - not just from the broken carcass of the prey that lay (limp) now. There was the mingling iron of own scarlet color, that of brother, and nostrils flared to the static of thoughts. Movement brought eyes opening once more (beholding!) as it was this time that brother summoned magics and called them to aid. Detection of heat, of searing pelt! Fur burned toxic. Kill. (The kill!)

Tail wagged, feeling that rush of pride. Pride in that success, for the success of Fireheart was the success of them all. Tongue lolled, jaws open, as the second carcass was added to the first. ”Good.” Kazgut praised simply, the word lingering on the air as lunar sight appraised them. For in own mind, they were becoming seasoned - through this terrible work. And there was meat to be eaten.

Own mouth was set to brutal work tearing apart the flesh of the smaller of the rats. Pelt was rended, bones exposed! - and delicate nestling things within exposed. This was pushed to Vyette - for she did not enjoy the breaking of the sinew in teeth nor the feel of the fur sliding down gullet.

No. Kazgut presented the rended rat and set to work on the indelicate pieces of that which remained. ”Family.” The second word was allowed to linger as the black shuck sat again upon hinds and licked the remnants of meal from lips, teeth.

For lunar sight watched the way that they moved amongst each other; and this word was what was given to describe.

"Family," Fireheart agreed, and looked up to offer a flicking-back of ears, a thumping of tail, at Vyette as she checked his burns, his cuts. They hurt, but some half-hidden instinct told him that was normal; that they had come off well.

As he wolfed (ha) down his meal, he lifted his gaze to watch the other two. Kazgut--also eating; and Vyette, sniffing him over. It struck him then, a stray thought, that Kazgut had been roiling with shadows; that he himself had called on heat and smoldering paws. But Vyette-? She had been, for the most part, a passive member of the hunt. She'd tried, but she had not called on magic, and he found himself wondering if her touch alone was mending his wounds. Perhaps that was her power? He peered up at her, licking the blood from his little muzzle, and asked as much. "I have--hot magic? I think. He has-" and here, he nodded toward Kazgut--"Dark. Shadows. What is yours?"

Curiosity shone in his eyes as he peered at her. He wondered, too, why she wasn't eating. Kazgut and he were like two sides to a coin, in some ways--both fighting, hunting, both using their magic, though one black and one pale, one cold shadows and one heat. So where did Vyette fit in-? She held an elegance and grace, even so young, that neither of them bore.

What, exactly, was she?

She paused her tending of him as Fireheart spoke, and she rolled haunches back to sit. Dark eyes held him and she tipped her head to the side quite slowly, as if lost in thought. She wasn’t quite sure what her magic was… or if she had any. An odd occurrence from their emergence was evidence of something — of her Whisper, but they were too young to know it at the time. And now? She’d been able to know, without a doubt, that the fire he summoned was indeed magic. Could they, too, do that?

An inkling of her felt weak, lacking. It felt small and hopeless. Her worry returned and she shook her head, voice quiet. ”I… I don’t know.” Disappointment dripped from her words as the wraith fought a frown.

She was quick then to shift her focus to them. Her family. She didn’t have to worry about what would happen to her if she were on her own, because she had them. And in time, her knowledge would grown and she’d learn what magic she was capable of. But for now? Nose lowered and she grabbed some organ meat and dined.

@kazgut

The white wolf hesitated.

"I will rest. My nose hurts," he said at last. He examined them briefly--his new brethren. They had food, and they were safe enough, though the rats had scratched. Now, tired by his running about and his use of magic, the wolf pup felt abruptly, completely drowsy.

He toddled off into the shadow of a rock and lowered his head on thick paws, flameglow eyes drifting shut. In moments, he was fast asleep.