Tyranis had acquired an unusual habit of waking up just before the first light of dawn; when the sky was tinted a beautiful shade of lavender and the crickets still chirped their songs.  Usually he would enjoy this time alone or rather, time spent without his sisters meddling in some way. He would have preferred company, but the adults were usually still asleep, still, it was a shame to enjoy such a beautiful sight as a full sunrise alone. He turned his head to look back in the den his mother and siblings shared, and an idea struck him. Cloud wasn’t like his sisters, he wasn’t always making mother worry or trying to hog attention from the adults, Cloud was quiet and reserved, and Tyranis liked that quite a bit. Careful to avoid stepping on any of his sisters or their mother the little lightning bolt wobbled his way toward his ebony and ivory brother and tapped him lightly on the shoulder with one of his too-large paws. “Hey Cloud.” He whispered, careful to keep his voice down so none of his “dumb” sisters could intrude or try to “Tag along” which as far as Tyranis was concerned, only meant slow him- and possibly Cloud- down. “Wanna watch the sun come up with me?” He asked, crouching to whisper in his brother’s black ear. text speaking

His sleep was dreamless most days. But today, it was filled with things he didn't understand. Voices he couldn't name, faces he couldn't see. Those who spoke to him were always faceless, and often times it frightened him, but not once had he told his mother or anyone else for fear they would think him crazy. Life in Abaven so far was...decent. he didn't do a whole lot, mostly kept to himself and didn't really play with his siblings. He didn't hate them or anything, after all he was too young to understand hate let alone a lot of the things he felt inside. Maybe something was wrong with him...or maybe he was normal, though he didn't know what normal really was, either. The ebony and alabaster boy shifted on his side, trying to get back to sleep but couldn't. He was in a constant state of being stuck half awake and half asleep, and sleep almost never came easy to him unless he did something that wore him out. With his eyes squeezed shut, Cloud tried to force himself to go back to sleep, but just as he somewhat started to drift off, a paw touched him and his brothers voice brought his eyes to open. Head turned to look at his larger brother, ears listening to Ty's whispers. Cloud's gaze shifted to peer outside, noting that it was still dark and he could hear the faint sounds of crickets and stuff still singing. Looking back at Ty, he silently nodded and carefully picked himself up, the boy trying to keep quiet so he wouldn't wake up the others. The urge to shake the sleep off was strong, but he would wait until they were outside to do that. He wasn't sure if he could completely shake it off anyway, his mind always felt tired. Was it normal for a kid his age to feel that? He had no clue. He waited then for his brother to lead the way out. "Speak"

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Tyranis smiled and led his brother out of the den. The grass of the plains was still soaked with morning dew and all around them was the low hum of crickets predicting a cold night ahead of them and toads croaking in shallow, scum layered puddles. The lightning bolt led his brother to the top of one of the hills in the plains with a tree jutting from its peak, mindful to keep his eyes out for any of the serpents this part of Abaven was so known for. It had been a bit of a climb for the young boy, especially with his badly proportioned body, but once at the base of the tree his hip dropped to the earth and he was able to rest. The sky had gone from brilliant lavender to a wash of orange and blue as the top of the sun peeked out beyond the horizon and slowly began to rise. Tyranis was far too young to understand diseases of the mind and how they plagued their victims, and far too naïve to notice that his brother was “off” in any way. He knew Cloud wasn’t as pushy as his sisters and that alone meant he was less inferior than they were to him. Cloud might not have been the most playful pup, but Tyranis only played with adults anyway, and they could still talk. "C'mon! You're gonna miss it!" He called, able to raise his voice now that he was out in the open. text speaking

His brother led them away from the den, the little storm cloud followed his brother, dual toned eyes watching Ty's tail wave back and forth as he walked. His paws walked quietly even when they were out of earshot of the den, but what if someone else in the pack woke up and bothered them? He was sure that would put a huge damper on his mood if someone did come out and tell them to go back to their den. Then again, they weren't his mother. He didn't have to listen to anyone else but her and the alpha, but the alpha was hardly around anyway. He lifted his head then as Tyranis bounded forward until he sat down, Cloud's head tilting slightly as he slowed his pace. "C'mon! You're gonna miss it!" he shouted. Cloud hurried his pace the last few yards, glancing from his brother to the sky where his brothers gaze seemed to be focused. Hesitantly, the boy set his haunches on the ground, the early morning air chilling his skin. A yawn parted his jaws, and shortly after he shook himself a bit to fluff up his fur against the cold. He looked towards the mountains, the sky changing colors as it began to lose its hold on the darkness of night as it turned pink and gold. His eyes widened as he looked on in wonder. He had never seen a sunrise before, or maybe he just didn't care to notice it? Either way, he was glad that his brother had brought him out to see it. It made him feel...less tired. Less pathetic. Less...crazy. "Thanks, Ty." He murmured almost quietly, but enough for his brother to hear. "Speak"

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Tyranis He grinned at his brother, his short tail whipping from side to side then looked away to continue watching. Cloud wasn’t like their sisters; always demanding attention, always showing off, like they were so great. Cloud was quiet and shy, and while he appreciated that Cloud didn’t take attention away from him, it hurt to see his brother so isolated, and even in his juvenile mind, it worried him. “You’re welcome.” He said, more as an immediate response to being thanked than a pleasantry. The more he thought of his brother the more it made him hurt inside, Derecho deserved to look that way, not Cloud. Ty felt closer to Cloud than his sisters, and only felt the inseparable love between siblings with his brother. He watched the sunrise for a moment longer then as the first rays of sunlight began to hit them looked to his brother again. Tyranis was the largest of Storm’s litter, a fact that he usually lorded over his sisters, but Cloud somehow always seemed to be the smallest. He wasn’t actually the smallest but the way he carried himself with his neck craned down and his shoulders hunched made him seem that way. He decided then, to use his usual posture to his advantage and dropped his chin on Cloud’s crown in an attempt to comfort him. He was sure his sisters had something to do with the way his brother acted, sure that somehow, they had hurt him and made Cloud always look so vulnerable. Tyranis refused to let his greedy, selfish sisters hurt his only- and therefore best- brother, Cloud didn’t deserve it and he refused to let them win. “I love you CB.” He said, his tail still wagging Speech

Ears flicked at his brothers response, bi-colored gaze continued resting on the sky ahead. The colors reflected in his eyes, the hues of the sunrise giving way to the dawn of a new day. In some ways he felt thankful that he was alive. In others, he felt...unsure. His sisters always seemed so happy and go-lucky, always demanding attention from those around them and stealing all his mothers attention. It kind of irritated him, but he kept that thought to himself. Ty was his only brother, felt closer to him despite the fact they hadn't spent an incredible amount of time alone like this. His brother was more adventurous, more daring, more... confident than he ever felt. He wanted to be more like Ty. But he didn't feel like he had it in him. He cast a brief glance towards his brother, watching him watch the sky. He wanted to forge a brotherly bond, but perhaps it was already there. Ty rested his head atop of Clouds, his words reaching his ears. His tail beat lightly against the ground, a stifle of laughter at Ty's nickname for him. He felt happy. A feeling seldom felt by the youth. "I love you too, Ty. I'm glad I have you as a brother." He murmured before reaching up to lick his brothers muzzle. Ty was taller than him, and no doubt he'd grow to be the biggest of the lot. While Cloud wasn't the smallest, he did feel like it sometimes. He didn't carry himself with confidence like his brother did, but he didn't feel like he could. Turning back to look at the sky, he wondered. "Ty, do you ever wonder what's out there?" Cloud hadn't been outside of the territory yet, but something in his mind kept goading him forward. Trying to talk him into leaving pack lands...and maybe the pack altogether. He didn't feel like he belonged. He didn't feel like he had a complete family. The alpha was around them mostly, as if trying to play the part of the father they never knew. But something inside him felt the need to go out and look for the real deal. Bass had his own family, and Cloud just couldn't see him as a father figure unlike his sisters. He sat and waited for his brothers answer, wondering if he should ask how he felt about it. "Speak"

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Tyranis He looked at his brother and tilted his head at the question. He had always been so focused on his life in Abaven and becoming Primo that life beyond the pack’s borders had largely seemed unimportant. “I guess not.” He said, coming to the realization on his own that in his own way he had become complacent. What if instead of one day ruling the largest pack in the east he instead ruled all of the east, maybe even all of Boreas. He looked down on his brother again and felt the smile that had grown on his features fade. While he thought of ruling as the king of all king’s Cloud’s mind and intentions were elsewhere. He wasn’t fully aware of it- couldn’t have been- but he knew in some way that his brother’s destiny would lie outside of Abaven’s borders while his undoubtedly belonged within them. “Why?” He asked, his attention fully on Cloud know that the sun had risen completely. Speech

His ear flicked at his brothers response. He guessed not? Wasn't he the adventurous one? He wasn't sure what called him out, but his paws itched to wander. But then again, he wasn't entirely sure. He didn't feel like there was something for him in Abaven. Not when Bass was hardly around or maybe the fact that he felt Bass' own kids would probably get priority. "Hm..." He supposed he couldn't imagine staying in one place. Or at least...not like this. Not with Bass. He was old, and...not focused, as far as Cloud could tell. The old man had even stopped coming around because...well, he wasn't sure. Looking for his sisters? Maybe he got tired of being around him and his siblings? He didn't know. But Cloud never really saw him as anything but another wolf. Couldn't see him as someone respectable. Then his brother asked him why. Cloud's bi-colored gaze looked up at his brother for a moment, before returning to the sky. The sun was up now, the sky now it's familiar color. He shifted in place, unsure as to how Ty would respond. "Well...I don't think I belong here...I don't feel like it, anyway...not the way it is, at least." While he didn't know a whole lot of how the pack was considering it was just too quiet and lax and boring, he just didn't think he fit in at all. "I dunno, Ty. Bass is a boring old man and so is everyone else. Maybe mom likes it, but I don't. I don't feel...wanted here. Maybe if things were different..." "Speak"

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Tyranis Tyranis felt a grin grow over his features “if things were different” he had said, and Tyranis knew all too well that one day, hopefully soon they would be. “Well, when I’m Primo everything is gonna be different” He said proudly. In truth he hadn’t thought of how exactly he would change Abaven, especially when it was already so well established. He would make sure no one ever got lost again, that was for sure, he would make sure everyone pulled their weight, which was yet another thing Bass had been remiss in, and he would make sure no one talked behind is back. How he hoped to accomplish any of this however was beyond him, but then, he was still young, he had time to figure it out. “You can be my second in command if you want.” He said cheerfully, knowing that such a rank didn’t exist in Abaven as of yet, but he was more than willing to make one specifically for his brother. “You can help me figure out what needs to be changed!” He said excitedly, the gears in his head clicking together. Speech

His head lifted, ears perking when his brother spoke. When he's...Primo? Cloud stared at his brother with a wide eyed gaze, surprised and albeit a little shocked. His brother wanted to be an Alpha? He never thought about that before...so when his brother went on, Cloud couldn't help but smile. "You? An alpha?" He looked at the ground for a moment, And me? His second in command...? The idea had never struck him before, but now that Ty had the idea, Cloud couldn't help but feel proud of his brother for having such high ambitions! He looked up at Ty again, tail beating the ground with enthusiasm, "That would be cool, Ty! You'd be a great alpha! And I wanna help you every step of the way! You 'n me? Abaven will have the best alpha's the world has ever seen!" When was the last time he felt this excited? It was a strange sensation to him, but something about his brother always seemed to pull him out of his self pity and into a world of confidence. He decided then, that he would help support his brother in any way he could. All they had was each other, after all. Just two brothers. Sure, they had three sisters, but they didn't understand the brother bond. Playfully then, Cloud reached up and lightly batted at Ty's nose, "Guess you should start working on your grr face then huh?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Tyranis He gave a quiet giggle and bent low, with a childish snarl, his black tipped tail in the air flicking from side to side before tearing off away from his brother, turning in the air every once and a while to see if his brother was following him. He knew then that nothing would separate him and his brother, not Bass, not his stupid sisters, nothing. Ty could feel their connection was strong, stronger somehow than the love brothers normally shared, they completed each other although the gravity of what that meant was far too strange and powerful for his young mind to fully comprehend. He giggled and pranced through the grass, waiting for his brother to follow him as the sun slowly rose above them and another day began. The world was theirs they needed only to take it, and with Tyranis as tenacious as he was, that would be little trouble at all. "Can't catch me!" He cried and raced off through the grass. -End Thread- Speech