A Falling Out (Private)

[Kop]

The temperature had dropped considerably over the past seven suns, a dramatic change from the mostly cool weather the lera had grown used to during the more favorable winter months. Thick storm clouds covered the sky for as far as the eye could see, blotting out the sun and slowly sapping what little heat remained in the world below until even the early morning dew to was transmuted into a fine layer of frost. Snow had fallen for days, replenishing what little of it that had survived the odd summer like weather earlier in the week and shrouding all of Transylvania in a thick shroud of white. Even Ge-Rad wasn’t safe from winters wrath, the once rolling golden meadows had transformed been transformed into vast snowdrift that covered most of the land, in the forest icicles hung from the branches of trees and cave mouths. Large shrubs and pine trees were laden with a thick coating of snow, their branches ready to bend beneath the collect weight of their heavy burden and release it down upon the ground or some unsuspecting lera.

Within the confines of the frozen forest Kop padded quietly through the ever-thinning treeline, the only sound being the crackling of snow as it crunched beneath his large paws with each step. With most of the vegetation strip away by the cold and starving lera the forest didn’t offer much protection from the falling snow but to Kop it was better than wandering about the open meadow with chilling winds cutting through his pelt. The young dragga was deep in thought as he filled with a swirl of emotions, many of which he didn’t understand and confused him. He was still so young and already he had experienced so many things in his life, discovering about his father’s affair with Firefly and expressing his hatred for the amber wolf, accidentally stumbling into List and meeting Renn, discovering his interest in the golden femme, becoming an uncle, learning of the war between the packs of Transylvania, it was all so much. More than anything Kop wished that things could be the way they were before his parents assumed the mantle of leadership and laid claim to Ge-Rad, back when everything was so simple and the only thing he had to worry about was when his next adventure was going to be. But alas it was not to be, those far off times were gone forever leaving behind nothing but memories that would be treasured in the years to come by the young wolf.

Pushing these thoughts aside Kop allowed his mind to wander to more pleasant thoughts, like the beautiful Renn. He had first met the golden fae several suns back after accidentally wandering within the boundaries of List and again a few suns later when the situation had been reversed, the second time the young dragga had found that he had been smitten by Listern varg and couldn’t get her out of his mind ever since. The grizzled gray varg was swarmed by a constant array of strange feelings which seemed to make him more irritable than usual, effectively making him more and more aggressive towards the other males in the pack and attempt to assert his dominance over them more frequently. That was why he was why he had decided to volunteer to search for food, knowing that it would benefit both him and the pack if he had some time to himself for a while. So far Kop hadn’t found so much as a cardinal in the branches and so he allowed his thoughts to continue to linger on Renn, thinking of the femme’s words to him on her last visit and the pleasurable feeling he had gotten from her muzzle brushing against his ear. Remembering this Kop came to a halt and gave a pleasurable shudder, whining longingly as he seated himself down on the cold snow and smiled pleasantly at the warm memory. His ears perked as they caught the sounds of someone approaching him, Kop gave out a slight snarl as he took a quick glance over his shoulder to see who was following him and cutting into his private time. “Who’s there?”

[Trile]

Trile poked his face through a thick and poky bush that seemed to be just like the ever green trees of the mountains. He blinked his deep amber eyes at the wolf opposite him, and his tail, invisible to the multicolored wolf, waved slowly in greeting. The brother’s were almost full grown, but the thick coated white wolf had a small, slender build while the other was large, strong, and held himself as an Alpha. They were born from the same litter, but time and differences had drawn the two far apart. Trile no longer challenged his brother, and sometimes he felt resentment towards Kop, but the birth of Chilaili had taken his mind away from many things. Every time he looked at her sleek silver muzzle and her one cloudy and one bright eye, softness woke in him. He knew she was blind and deaf, but that made the youth more protective of the little whelp. Trile didn’t care much about her brother and sister, and sometimes he would raise his hackles when he felt Chilaili had had enough. She was spirited and fun loving though, and he found that Skep and Ayasha couldn’t pick on her even with her disabilities.

For a moment Trile didn’t want to be with his brother, and a streak of faint dislike ran through him again. “It’s just me Kop, I heard you a few miles off,” he growled after a moment. “Would you like help hunting?” Trile had been the first to catch pray out of Kop, Shayla, and himself, but the pride was now only a memory, and he couldn’t bring the smugness back. He didn’t really want too. Now that his sibling had started hunting too, it was just a natural way of the Putnar. Even so, the eburnean wolf loved to strike off on his own in the early morning and in the dusky evenings and scent for prey. Usually he found nothing because of the cold, killing months, but so far he had only lost two of the Lera he had found out of eight.

//I cut it a bit, but glad to have this thread!//

[Kop]

Kop watched as his brother poked his head through the dense thicket, blinking slightly and flickering his tail in greeting emerging from his spot in the brush. Though they had been born only moments apart a combination of fate and chance had made Kop the larger of the two as well as the strongest, while Kop had grown bulkier and stronger with the passing of each moon Trile had always retained his small, slender build. The pair seemed to contrast each other in almost every way, whereas Kop had always loved going on adventures with their sister Shayla Trile had enjoyed going off on his own to further develop his hunting skills, eventually honing them to near perfection and becoming an accomplished hunter while Kop had taken the path of the warrior. Kop could always remember how they had always competed with each other for dominance amongst each other, however things had changed and as time passed the brothers had found themselves growing further and further apart from one another. They rarely saw each other nowadays and no longer quarreled for dominance but rather kept to themselves, each a stranger in the others eyes. Secretly Kop was jealous of his brother’s hunting prowess and the fact that he had not been punished for performing his first solo hunt without any supervision whereas lately Draeg barely gave him a moments peace, it wasn’t fair that their father should scold him for wandering off when from what he had heard Trile had openly defied Draeg and been praised for making his first kill. Still like his brother Kop had found other things to occupy his mind having taken great interest in the birth of Caiomhe and her siblings, Kop had taken it upon himself to make himself their official guardian and was fiercely protected of each of them though he held a special place for Kalli in his heart. He would often watch over them, making sure that they didn’t stray to far from the meeting place and get into trouble or that Tarak the falcon kept his distance. And then of course he had Renn to keep him busy.

For a brief moment the brothers merely stared at each other, tension in the air as amber eyes passed across silver ones. Kop felt his hackles rise ever so slightly as he felt a sliver of resentment for his brother pass through him though he didn’t know why, something deep within him telling him that Trile was a threat to him and rival despite the fact that neither wolf truly desired to be with the other at the moment. Finally Trile spoke and Kop rose to his feet and turned to face his brother, focusing his eyes on the white wolf so that he wouldn’t lose sight of him in all the snow that surrounded them. “I see.” Kop replied. “Why don't you think I do it on my own?” he snapped, tail raised and hackles bristling. Upon realizing what he had done Kop lowered his tail and hung his head slightly. “I’m sorry Trile.” he whined. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

((oh crap, forgot to post this before I went to the shower, I am soo sorry trile. I was rushing it. oh man.))

[Trile]

Trile’s ears bent back in surprise at his brother’s tone, and at the same time his tail came up from behind the bushes. He shrunk back slightly in defense. For a precarious minute he thought Kop would snap at him, and his instincts hovered to retaliate or flee. Kop settled himself, and as he bent his head in shame, Trile nodded looking gingerly and rather warily at his brother, hackles still stiff. There was an awkward silence that followed since Trile could not understand what his brother was going through. He knew nothing about emotions, and that was partly why he was so reserved. “Er, its okay,” he growled awkwardly, and let the silence reign again.

He had gloated a lot when he had come back with the young buck, and maybe Kop had not forgotten. Trile hadn’t seen his brother in one of his new towering moods since he spent time at the whelping den with the cubs. Even if he had been the one who Kop vented his anger out on, Trile would have slipped away and stayed far from trouble. He was good at avoiding lots of things besides his and others feelings, like their father. Trile had managed easily on his part to not get caught up in one of Draeg’s fruitless and dumb speeches to try and get his children to like him again. It was to confusing and awkward for the cub, and he made sure that the only time he was near his father, there were many other wolves in his way.

//That's okay. And mine suck by the way cause I'm just kind of letting things easy. Hope you don't mind.//

[Kop]

Trile shrunk back in surprise and Kop let out a slight whimper, he was ashamed of himself for snapping at his brother especially when he knew that he had done nothing wrong. If anything Trile had only been being helpful, it was obvious that he was a far better hunter than Kop and that it would benefit them both if they worked together rather than alone. Glancing back at his brother he winced as he noticed that Trile still had his hackles raised, an awkward silence followed and again the brothers found themselves staring at one another.

Kop was trying his best to sort out his emotions and determine exactly what was wrong with him but despite his best efforts he couldn’t, every time he began to calm down he would think of something that would reignite his anger and drive to fight. The brothers had drifted farther apart than either had originally thought, they hardly knew each other now opposed to the days of their youth when they had been very sensitive to the others feelings. What had happened to them, they had been nearly inseparable as pups and now they were at each other’s throats. How had this happened? Was it their fate to drift apart until they no longer cared for one another or was this merely a passing phase?

Kop let out a low growl as once again he found himself blaming their father, somehow it was his fault that the Kop and the others were all drifting apart. Turning back to face Trile Kop motioned for his brother to follow him by making a quick gesture with his tail. “Come on, let’s get this over with before something else goes wrong.” He growled, a bit more roughly then he intended. Padding down along the path he became silent and stared down at the ground, apparently lost in thought again. “Trile? Can I ask you something?” He said suddenly. “Do you think we’ve changed? I mean, I know we have but do you think it was for the better?”

((Alright, last post for the night. Enjoy))

[Trile]

Trile stayed where he was and watched Kop hesitantly as he padded away. He didn’t want to be with Kop; he’d rather hunt by himself or find Lydair or Chilaili. But he didn’t know how he could just turn and leave, so with a feeling of foreboding he pulled his head through the scratchy branches and than leapt easily over the bush, padding after Kop. Trile didn’t want to pass him or stand next to him, so he fell in a little behind his brother’s side and continued in silence through the bare trees. Fresh stinging air worked its way up his nose, and in spite of not wanting to be to near the grizzled pelted male, he quickened until he was a bit ahead. His breath came out in wisps of curling white fog, and his amber eyes were bright. Trile quickened his pace more until he was in a slow canter, leaving Kop behind. Ahead of him the trees opened to more trees, and above the skies filled with ominous clouds. Trile knew winter would be the worst time for all the Lera, but sometimes he thought it was worth it. He could hunt for himself easily, and he felt enlivened by freezing brisk breezes and cold snow beneath his pads. So far he hadn’t witnessed the true harshness of this bitter, merciless season, but there were many winters ahead to face him, along with many suns and moons looking down upon him during spring, summer, and fall. The eburnean wolf’s whole life was opening ahead of him at every paw step, just like the trees in this forest. If he could only run fast enough he could catch the trees as they came to him, he just felt it would mean something.

Trile had barely gone ahead though when Kop spoke, and almost wistfully he stopped. He had been about to break into a run, and he glanced wistfully over his shoulder before he padded back to join his brother. Why had they drifted apart? He wondered for a moment, looking at the snow beneath him as they walked. He really didn’t want to be here any longer, how was he supposed to know why they’d drifted apart? He’d just not cared to be close, he hadn’t felt any need to be friends. That was why they weren’t close anymore, neither had tried. Trile couldn’t say he cared very much, because now he didn’t really need Kop. It had been a natural progress, and only a little bit of regret could be stirred in his gut. He had Lydair and Chilaili to be his family in Ge-Rad, and that made him happy enough. But the pressing feeling that Ge-Rad was not home kept drawing closer on the white youth, and it was near his time to disperse. “I didn’t really care about being close,” he growled into the silence, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

[Trile]

Kay, great!

[Kop]

Kop stopped when he noticed that Trile wasn’t following him, taking a quick look over his shoulder he spotted his brother still lingering in the bracken where he had left him. Blowing out a frustrated sigh Kop made a slight gesture of his tail and motioned for his brother to follow him, quickly becoming annoyed with Trile’s hesitation to comply. Trile finally leapt out from within the brush and began making his way over to Kop who upon seeing his brother’s approach resumed his trek once again, not paying any real mind to the fact that Trile had chosen to remain behind him rather than walk beside him. The tension between the two was growing stronger with each passing moment though the brothers were doing their best to hide from one another, they walked in silence with the crunching of snow beneath their paws being the only sound audible to their sensitive ears.

In truth Kop was about as thrilled with Trile’s presence as his brother was about his, he had been hoping to spend the day alone so that he might be able to sort out exactly what was wrong with him and find out why he felt the need to be so aggressive towards his fellow packmates. He would have much rather preferred the company of his sister Shayla, knowing that she would have given him an open ear to confide his problems to. He thought of going to check on Kalli and Koan once he was done making the hunt, or perhaps he would venture to List and see Renn again. After all it wouldn’t be too difficult to sneak into the packs boundaries and call out the beautiful femme, worst-case scenario would be accidentally stumbling onto Norvex again and being driven out of the packlands. The very thought of seeing the golden drappa again was enough to make Kop’s ears burn with embarrassment and his tail wag furiously however he quickly shook those thoughts away, not wanting Trile to learn of attraction to the Listern varg.

It was about this time that Kop noticed that Trile had somehow managed to pass him, grumbling he sped up in an attempt to catch up to his brother before Trile outdistanced him anymore than he already had. Soon the pair were once again walking together, this time side by side rather than single file. As they walked Kop allowed his mind to ponder on his own question and he suddenly found himself wondering why he seemed to have drifted further apart from Trile than he had from Shayla, they had all been so close when they were younger so what could have happened for them to all simply distance themselves from each other? Was it merely a natural process in which every wolf went through in life or had it been something brought about by the brothers themselves? It was true that both varg had become involved in their own personal interest over the past several moons but that was natural right? Kop suspected that Trile was feeling the same swirl of emotions as he was though they were focused on a different path as lately he had sensed that his brother wasn’t content with his life in the pack, unknowst to his brother Kop too had begun to feel similar feelings especially after his encounter with the cynical Rokk.

Trile finally spoke and Kop cast him somewhat of a hard look, clearly not liking what he had heard and becoming even more put off by his brother’s answer than he had been feeling a moment ago. However at the same time Kop wasn’t really surprised, Trile had never been particularly close to anyone before and had a tendency to keep to himself while his siblings mingled with the rest of the pack. Come to think of it Kop couldn’t recall a time he had ever seen Trile interact with member of the pack willingly with the exception of Lydair and Chilaili, both of which he was clearly fond of. “Well, that really helped.” He growled sarcastically. “Anything else you want to tell me? I suppose you didn’t care about being close to mom …” Kop broke off as he sighted the familiar form of a yearling and its mother stalking amidst the trees, grazing peacefully on the little vegetation they could find in the snow covered conifers. They were a fair looking bunch, well fed by the look of them, probably a result of feeding of the various pine that inhabited the forest. The scent of prey flooding his nostrils Kop bent down into a low crouch, his jaws to salver in anticipation as he began making his way towards the unsuspecting pair. This would be a fine kill. Signaling for Trile to begin his advance Kop’s body tensed as he prepared to lunge forward.

((sorry it took so long but I had to go out for a moment.))