His father had laid out posts in the sand. Some skinny, some long. Some short, some high. The Warlord had told him he must learn to complete the entire obstacle course by the end of the week. That it would teach him control over his body. When he’d complained about how difficult his large paws were to navigate, he hadn’t expected this.

He looked at the course with some trepidation before stepping forward. He rested his forepaws on one of the lower posts, and then heaved himself up. His body was already a stocky thing, and the post was small. He tried to get his back legs on, but they missed. His front paws slid off, and his stomach hit the post. He stood there a moment, post resting against his stomach, paws resting in the air. How was he ever going to achieve this?


"Citadel Fatalis"

Selene was skipping through the sand. The dark pebbles were all glittery. Her elbows and knees were getting a little itchier around the nubs lately. Maybe her spurs were getting bigger! But Dad and Cit had one spur on each leg, she had a bunch of nubs all over her elbows and knees. And today they itched.

She tilted her head at a curious scene unfolding on the beach. Her brother Citadel was attempting to climb on some posts she didn't see there yesterday. He seemed to climb up and then lose his footing, then he was hanging on the post with his legs dangling. After a breath of seeing his sigh and just dangle there she picked up her pace and loped briskly up to him.

"Cit... Whatcha doin? You build this?" She asked, her tail waving back and forth. Some of these posts were kinda high... She jumped at one of them, scrambling for purchase trying to pull herself up to the thin top. But she couldn't quite get there and slunk back down to the black sands.



"Citadel"||"Selene"

While he was dangling there, half stuck and attempting to get a paw back under him again, his sister appeared. He startled at the sound of her voice, looking up and then scowling. Selene had she come to show him up, and prove how easy this complicated course was? Just like she had broken his fish. Sometimes, he hated how comfortable Selene was in her own body.

But as he watched, she struggled to get up a post and failed. But probably only because she had started on a tall one. “Dad set them up, said I hate to learn how to complete it by the end of the week.” He said, his voice a little sullen. Both at his dads proclamation, and worry that his sister would prove once again how much better she was.

He scrambled harder against the post, managing now to get a paw under himself and leverage his stomach back off the flat surface. Now he just needed to wiggle the rest of his paws under there…


"Citadel Fatalis"

Undeterred by her recent fail, she turned back to him as he explained their purpose.

"Ohh! I bet that'll be easy for you!" She exclaimed encouragingly. She noticed some of the beams were quite a bit farther apart than she could potentially reach. Already Cit was towering over her.

"I wish I was a big as you!" She said as she watched him attempt to get himself up onto the post. Was she at least a little tall enough to give him a leg up if she stood underneath him? She sat on her rump and chewed at her knee for a minute.
"These things are itchy! Does yours get itchy on your head?" she asked, with a chew chew and a scratch and then suddenly pounces on a particularly shiny spot in the sand. Turned out to be a little shell!


"Citadel"||"Selene"

He huffed, mildly offended by her words. She knew how much she struggled with his body. He could only assume her intention was a subtle jab. Sometimes, it was easier to think people had bad intentions instead of good. He managed to get a couple more paws under him. Trying to concentrate on what he was doing as well as his conversation. He needed to… find his balance. He stood up awkwardly on the post. His four paws pushed together to make room.

Okay, now he just needed to reach one out… he did so, somewhat timidly. Stretching and trying to feel the bottom of the post under his pad. “Being small is handy, you can fit in all sorts of places, and you don’t have all this pesky growing to do.” He pointed out to her. There! He could feel it. He rested some of his weight forward, feeling precarious and unbalanced.

“All the time!”’ He agreed, his attention on the post, and not his words. “Sometimes I just want to rip them out…”


"Citadel Fatalis"

She pawed at the shiny shell and flopped over onto her side to hold it up to the light. It was weird and dark in color but had these dark rainbows all throughout the inside of it! Huh! Cool! She brought it to her ear and heard the ocean behind her up close as if she were standing right next to it. She plopped the shell on her head and looked at Citadel with a goofy face. Forgetting that she probably shouldn't be distracting him. But her attention was suddenly caught by how close he was to reaching out to the other post!

The seashell plopped back to the sand as he found his paws on the post!
"You did it!" She exclaimed joyously, jumping and pouncing in a tight little circle. Not understanding how distracting it was.



"Citadel"||"Selene"