You Wash Your Hands, You Come Home Clean...

Mæva was a gentle, quiet young lady compared to Malleus' twin boys. They'd been full of more vigor than usual since their, and Eligos', apparent entanglement with a crocodile. Ashiel had been skeptical when Aureus told him what had transpired but the more he pushed the more he became certain the boy was telling the truth. A crocodile! Those boys were lucky then hadn't been gobbled up on the spot. He had no idea how Malleus and Serene managed to handle them in addition to two rambunctious girls.

He paused as the snow began to fall in heavier sheets. It had started lightly at first, following on the tail of rain but throughout the day it only seemed to increase. Now the temperature was dropping and the wind was beginning to pick up. He didn't like this at all. Carefully he continued to pick out a path, pausing to make sure the boys had gone wandering off.

The plan had been to take the boys on a trip up north into Boreas in the hopes of burning off some of their energy in addition to getting them introduced to the continent that was their northern neighbor. He hoped it was doing the trick. Griff swooped down to land on his back, just behind his shoulder blades. "Ashiel, look to the north." He did and saw the dark clouds looming on the horizon. As if in answer the wind suddenly picked up, chill and biting, throwing the snow in his face. He turned to look behind him again. "Aureus, Pyrrhic, stay close. We need to find shelter." He only hoped they could find a decent place to wait out the storm before visibility went to shit.

"Talk"

Words: 285

Pyrrhic slunk after Ashiel with his head low and his ears at half mast. He had never experienced conditions like this and he hoped to never experience them again. It was just too cold. Perhaps if he'd had the fall to prepare he would have been fine, but him and his thin coat had come up to Boreas directly from the dry heat of northern Auster. To say he was ill prepared was an understatement. The boy shivered as he walked. Every icy blast knifed through his thin fur and caused a fresh wave of gooseflesh to roll over him. He was miserable, but he clung stubbornly to the belief that complaining was beneath him and refused to utter a sound. This was good for him. Like the ache in his legs after a long run. Physical exercise strengthened his body. Surely willpower worked the same way. He just needed to practice. The cold and the misery it created didn't make Boreas any less fascinating. Well, today it did, but the rest of the journey so far had been mild enough for him to enjoy the scenery. Something he was struggling to wrap his head around was just how different everything was here. The weather, the lands, the plants, the animals. Everything. Well, except maybe squirrels. They looked about the same here. But where were the tapir? The porcupines? The dik-diks? He hadn't seen a single one. "Aureus, Pyrrhic, stay close. We need to find shelter." Oh great. Pyrrhic's eyes settled on the dark clouds. They were low and menacing, and seemed to swallow the tops of the mountains as they crept over them. Another hard wind swept down the cliffs and sliced through his coat. With the wind came even bigger snowflakes. The boy gaped at them. They were almost as big as Benkos' thumb! Speaking of Benkos, right on cue the mandrill, draped in the skin of a takin for warmth, tapped him on the shoulder. Without a word he pointed towards one of the rock walls and Pyrrhic, following the finger with his eyes, lit up upon seeing what his companion was pointing at. "Look, Ashiel, there's a cave!" The boy was so eager to be out of the elements that he ran to the cave without giving his uncle time to asset it. If it was good enough for Benkos it was good enough for him. He ran to the cave and after peeking in to make sure it was safe, squeezed inside. The entrance may have been small, but the room beyond it was big enough for all of them to stretch out comfortably. Pyrrhic wasted no time in making himself comfortable. Throughout the years debris had blown (or been brought) into the cave so the boy sectioned off a portion of dry branches and leaves and began to make himself a nest. There was plenty left for the other two wolves if they chose to make something for themselves. The branches, having had years to dry, snapped easily and more than once Pyrrhic suddenly found himself working with sawdust instead of a branch, but he made do. No doubt he'd exit the cave later quite a bit dirtier than when he went in, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make. It was better to be warm now than clean later in his mind. Out of the corner of his eye Pyrrhic watched as Benkos strolled over to a small ledge and leapt up onto it. His hide shawl fell off when he jumped so after he seated himself, the mandrill reached down to retrieve the skin. He quickly wrapped it around his shoulders and pulled it tight. Although thr mandrill had never (and would never) admitted it to Pyrrhic, the boy knew he was as miserable as he was. "Bet we're gonna be here awhile, huh?" He shot a teasing glance Ashiel's way. "Don't suppose you know any good stories, hm?" They were going to need something to pass the time. May as well find out if Ashiel knew any good stories. If not him, from experience Pyrrhic knew Benkos had some wild tales to tell. He'd heard several already. When he was younger the stories of war and monsters had made it difficult to sleep on more than one occasion. "Pyrrhic" "Benkos"

 

Word count: 712
Thread total: 997

TIED TO WHAT IS LATE, AIN'T YOU NOW

Aureus scrambled after his older cousin. He sprang into the snow with gusto enjoying the way it scattered into the air. Sure it was cold but it was really… cool. He giggled to himself at this pun before he raced forward and slid right into a snow drift. He popped out, tail wagging as he shook out his coat. By this time snow was falling, the amount growing heavier and heavier until it started to hamper visibility. Aureus' joy soon gave way to worry. He didn't really like this and to make matters worse the wind was picking up and it was terrible. His ears pinned tightly to his head and he tried to maneuver himself so that his cousin was blocking most of the wind.

Ashiel called them closer and Aureus swiftly complied. He had no intention of drifting to far from his portable wind break anyway. Soon the snow was blowing horizontally from the force of the wind. Pyrrhic called out that he spied a cave and Aureus felt a swell of relief. Hooray! Maybe they could get out of this. He scrambled after his brother and swiftly squeezed into the space, nearly getting stuck at one point do to a miscalculation. Once inside though the cave proved to be nice and spacious and he swiftly shook out his pelt. It was so much better now that they were out of the wind. Still cold but at least they were safe.

Pyrrhic was making some sort of bed for himself and Aureus swiftly followed suit, raking the leaves over to a spot where dirt had collected over the years. He hoped that would be a bit warmer than the cold stone. Raking himself a decent pile he quickly curled up into it, wincing a bit as he sat right on a large stick. Twisting around he seized it and tossed it aside. He wasn't as meticulous as his brother and had no interest in breaking down the larger sticks. Finally settled Aureus took another glance out into the inky black. He could hear the roar of the wind as the storm reached its peek intensity. Oh yea, they were gonna be here awhile. He turned his attention to Ashiel as Pyrrhic mentioned stories and he eagerly nodded. "Yes, yes, I'd like a story. Something spooky or maybe something funny or maybe something with a mighty warrior." He supposed a story about their family would work to but he didn't want to hear anything too preachy.

Word Count: 420
Thread Total: 1417

You Wash Your Hands, You Come Home Clean...

Ashiel braced against the wind as the storm grew in intensity. It bit through his fur, right into his flesh and he began to grow concerned as he tried to search for shelter.  Carefully he slid down an embankment, keeping an eye on the boys. His attention was torn between looking for shelter and making sure Malleus' pups were alright. He'd never live it down if something happened to them while out on this venture. He heard Pyrrhic call out that he saw a cave.

"Good work, Pyrrhi- Hey! Be careful!" Both boys dashed off toward the cave entrance. It seemed to small for a bear but it was hard to know if something else could be hibernating or seeing shelter from the storm. While the boys were growing well they were not yet yearlings. Ashiel quickly caught up with the twins, Griff clinging to his back. As soon as they reached the mouth of the cave Griff flew in and Ashiel swiftly followed. He had to squeeze in, nearly getting stuck at one point but he exhaled and soon had enough room to slip inside. Once in he shook out his coat and settled down, waiting to make sure the boys had enough bedding for making a place to settle in himself.

"Don't suppose you know any good stories, hm?"

Hmmm… Ashiel pondered. "I know a great deal of stories." The question would be if any of them were of interest to the rowdy pups.  There were many possibilities from legends to history to their family. "I suppose I can tell you the story of the two princes. I'm sure you've heard the story of the Fallen god from Malleus. Did you know that he had a name? Lord Abraxas. We take his name to honor him and as a testament to the world of our lineage. This Mighty Lord for whom we're named fell to the mortal world with a number of lesser gods who had chosen to follow him. Of these was a trusted general, a woman of fierce skill and incomprehensible beauty. They soon married and bore a litter of pups. Of these many pups were two dark-pelted princes. One born right after the other." Ashiel picked his words carefully. There was so much to tell in the legend, so many lessons but he didn't want to lose their attention by telling the reasons why they had decided to have children, when they first learned they were cursed with mortality.

"The princes grew strong and handsome. They were clever and their skill in battle was truly impressive. One day, when they both turned two years old, Lord Abraxas decreed that they were to go and explore the mortal world. He blessed them and sent them on their way. The princes travelled, each with a small group of trusted warriors until they reached a fork in the road that they'd been taking. Deciding it was time to split up they bid each other farewell." Outside the wind was still howling but Ashiel continued on with his tale, hoping that everything would be calm by morning. Even if the storm let up in the next hour he didn't see a point to traveling when it was this late.

"The oldest prince arrived at the border of a strange, mortal pack. Black feathers littered the border and black pelts covered the entrances to dens. Sounds of wailing and mourning could be heard from within the border. Curious, the prince called for the leader of the mortal pack to meet with him. An old, scarred wolf appeared at the border, clearly weighed down by his burdens. When the prince asked why everyone in the pack was mourning the king replied. 'A foreign warrior arrived out of nowhere. He is terribly strong. He demanded that I give him my pack and my only daughter unless someone can defeat him in battle by the time the waxing crescent moves across the moon. I am old and so I sent my finest warriors but all of them were defeated, including both my sons.'

"Sensing opportunity the young prince promised to challenge the foreign warrior. When they met in battle it was clear that the foreign warrior was outmatched." How could he be anything thus when facing a god? "The eldest prince was so quick and clever that he killed the foreign knight in an instant. Their enemy slain the pack rejoiced and the King gave his pack and his daughter to the eldest prince. The eldest prince lived happily, awash in all the comforts and pleasures he could find. In time he forgot about his family. What need did he have for them when he was a King with everything he could ever want? Besides, he didn't really want to share his newfound wealth with anyone, not even them.

"One day the prince was hunting in the forest late at night when he heard a voice calling to him from the trees above. He looked up to see a great owl. 'Aren't you the child of the Mighty Lord Abraxas? What are you doing all the way out here, should you not be aiding your family? They are going to war and need every skilled warrior. Follow me and I will lead you to the battle field.'

"The prince scoffed at this news. You see, the prince knew that they were trapped in mortal flesh and he did not want to risk death or the chance of losing his wealth into the paws of another. 'Maybe I am and maybe I'm not. I am a King of my own pack and I will not risk it on some foolish war. Be gone with you and don't trouble me again!'

"Little did the prince know that the owl was his father in disguise. Disgusted at the selfishness and weakness of his once beloved son, the Fallen god turned the eldest prince into stone."

Outside the sounds of the storm began to lesson, the flakes now gently twirling and falling. A quiet begin to fall over them but Ashiel continued his story.

"The younger prince, also seeking to recruit his brother but unaware of his father's test decided to seek the eldest brother out. He travelled far and soon came across a strange pack. The borders were covered in black feathers and black pelts adorned the terrain. Sounds of mourning and wailing could be heard throughout the land. He howled for the pack leader to meet him and he was greeted by the old, decrepit form of the former ruler. He asked why everyone was mourning. 'My son-in-law went into the forest to hunt but no one has seen him since. We fear that he is dead.'

"The king described the son-in-law and the younger prince immediately knew it was his brother. He went into the forest and searched high and low for his brother but he could not find him. Night fell and the prince settled down to sleep. Just as he was about to fall asleep he heard a voice and looked up to see a great owl in the trees. 'Aren't you the child of the Mighty Lord Abraxas? What are you doing all the way out here, should you not be aiding your family? They are going to war and need every skilled warrior. Follow me and I will lead you to the battle field.'

"The prince turned to the owl and said, 'Surely I will go but first I must find my brother. He has disappeared into this forest.'

"The bird eyed him careful and cooly stated, 'So selfish are you that you would put finding your brother before the well-being of your entire family? The battle begins now. Will you leave them waiting? Are you fearful?'

"The younger prince hesitated then said, 'I am not fearful, I assure you. You are a wise bird and I see the wisdom in your words. I cannot forsake the whole of my family for the sake of one relation.'

"The owl swooped down from the tree and transformed into Lord Abraxas, his father, who congratulated the boy on passing his test. He explained the fate of the eldest brother and why he'd been turned to stone. Though the younger prince was saddened he knew his father, wise beyond all comprehension, was correct and he was angry that the eldest prince would so easily cast them aside. He vowed to live up to his father's great name and together they went to the great battle field to render their enemies into carrion."

Ashiel let a moment of silence fall as he finished his story then carefully he laid down. "I think now it's time we get some sleep. We'll begin to travel again bright and early, weather permitting."

"Talk"

Words: 1452
Total: 2869