Shhh! Don't tell mom!

Artorias · 11-22-2020, 09:39 AM

Artorias couldn't help the twinge of nervousness twisting up his stomach the closer he and Rudyard got to the boundaries of the Hallows lands. Acting out against his parents' rules was not something he had done in the past—at least not deliberately. This, though... this was different. When Rudy had approached him and asked him to come explore a cool new land just beyond the borders, Artorias was immediately interested and concerned. That gnawing drive to wander and explore had him on his feet in a second, but the cautionary side of him weighed in just enough to make him hesitate. Disobeying his parents in such a blatant manner had never crossed his mind before; they were the adults, so obviously they knew best, right? But the prospect of these unexplored lands... What if he missed some great opportunity to see something incredible? Or worse, what if Rudyard got hurt while he was gone? A wolf pup out on his own without any protection was a very vulnerable creature. But two wolf pups... and maybe if one was armed with a whacking stick...

So with trepidation, Artorias accompanied Rudyard to the southern border, passing by the hot springs as surreptitiously as the two could. It wasn't easy avoiding detection, especially with how vigilant Mom's and Mama's pets were. But somehow they slipped away, and now the black and blue boy found himself staring off into the dense willow forest, right at the threshold of their home. This was it. One more step and Artorias would be out on his own. His stomach did a flip, a turn, and he swallowed hard. No, he had to be brave for Rudy. His monochromatic brother was brash, crossing the line without a second thought, and although not quite as rash as he was, Artorias took an equally bold step forward. No alarms went off, no howls signaling their crime as they ventured out into the woods. Artorias' ears pricked up to catch any sounds around them, glancing to and fro, but finding nothing alarming or any adults rushing to pull them back. Maybe this was all going to be okay after all!

Fully walking his little body out of the Hallows, Artorias beamed at the wide world around him, studying every tree and plant and rock and stream they passed by. Everything was so different and unique and new! The strange trees that hung long, thin, gangly branches down to the water around them created a foliage veil. A cool autumn breeze chilled the air beneath the dense canopy, and stray rays of bright sunlight filtered down around them like tiny spotlights. The mellifluous babbling of the streams that ran off of the hot springs kept the world from being silent, and the honking of geese making their voyage south for the coming winter could be heard somewhere overhead. Oh wow...! Maybe Rudy was right... the boy thought to himself, taking in his surroundings as if he'd stepped forth into an alien world. Rudy's excited whispers spurred him on, and with quickening steps, Artorias followed his brother further and further away from home. How long could they get away with this before someone noticed? Could they get away with it entirely if they were sneaky enough?

"Wow, this place is so different from home...! The trees are all weird-looking!" Artorias responded, small amber eyes following the endless sea of leaves and branches over their heads. "Where did you hear about this place?" The mention of sticks came up and the pup's ears bolted upright, tail wagging a mile a minute on his little butt. Of course his affinity for fighting with the only weapon he could semi-gracefully hold had been the brunt of many a joke, but it hadn't phased the blue-furred boy. Artorias was suddenly very curious to see what other types of weapons he could get his paws on. In a world as vast as this, surely it had to have a tremendous array of weapons to go along with it. "I do like my whacking sticks!" he declared with a laugh and ran off after Rudyard. He stared up at the willow tree with his brother, cocking his head to one side, then the other, considering the strange tree. "What do you think makes them be all bendy like that?"

A snap of a twig behind them made Artorias jump and turn around, assuming a battle stance with a tiny growl. His eyes narrowed into thin amber slits as he scanned the glade for any signs of a threat. Whatever it was, he would protect his brother. What he saw instead was a brown squirrel quickly take off up a nearby tree, chipping noisily at the two pups. Artorias watched the creature for a moment while he relaxed, snapping his jaws and barking back up at the varmint critter. "False alarm! Let's keep going! I wanna see everything!" Artorias started off toward one of the smaller streams, stopping at the banks to stare down at his rippling reflection in the clear water. He had always felt drawn to the water—perhaps a side effect of their upbringing in such an aquatic land—and just generally loved being near it. A grin slowly appeared on his reflection's face, and Artorias realized it was coming from his own face as well. If he and Rudy were already breaking one rule, what was one more going to do to them?

With an excited yap, Artorias jumped forward, landing in the shallow edge of the stream with a splash. Despite coming from the springs, the water was much cooler here, a pleasant chill washing over his paws as he splashed around. "Look, Rudy, we can go in the water on our own now!" he called over to his brother, splashing the water with his paws again for emphasis.

"Speech" | Thoughts

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