Mend this Burning Bridge

So the Baron planned to find time to go off on wild adventures with him, did he?   “Well then, we’ve got work ahead of us don’t we?” Rudy let out a potentially overly dramatic sigh.  “Lots of work to do.  Gotta train up some of the other wolves to be just as solid at defending.  We’ll need more that can hunt.  You know, not really a lot of trained hunters here?” Rudy had never put much thought into it until mom was gone.  Rudy imagined it was a good thing he’d focused on hunting before fighting. “I’m gonna start taking out whoever else wants to hunt, including those who don’t have any practice yet.”  Rudy looked from his brother’s smug face to the beach and offered the beach a small smile, “It’s up to us to make sure everyone can handle themselves when we do step away.  They have Ulric right now but, this is our pack.  Always has been and its our job to keep things running right regardless of how fancy our titles are.” Rudy could be serious, at least when speaking of the future he saw set before him.

Rudy’s grin came back more full at Art’s concern for Rudy holding over the fact he’d been right.  Damn straight he’d never hear the end of it.  “Let’s face it Art, between us you’re the brawn and I’m the brains, of course, I’m going to hold that over you,“ said with an amused smirk. Rudy rolled his eyes at having to catch up to his brother.  “Yah, yah.  I need better fighting skills I know, I know.  Look, mom said its harder to master everything at once and I should focus on one thing.” A moment's pause, not to think on the mom he just mentioned but to take in Art’s attention, still smiling “Do you think that would stop me from trying? I had to learn everything at the same time so, I get slowed down a little.  You’ll need my wide repertoire of skills at somepoint.”  That could also be labeled as Rudy not being good at just focusing on one task at a time.  However, the way he said it sounded better.  It was a relief Rudy could find the words again, find words to anything he needed to say and to find his smile back.

The hard part arrived.  Art talking about mom and how she was.  Rudy wanted to look back to the beach as Art spoke but instead kept his eyes locked onto Art.  Coming back meant picking up the attempt to take on trying to ease others' hurts.  Rudy had to take the emotional pains and try to lighten other wolves loads, that was his job.  Everyone in the pack was their family in a sense and no family member should have to suffer.  Maybe he wasn’t a noble knight to protect the pack from attacks against them physically but he’d do his best to protect them emotionally, somehow he’d learn to do that.  His fears of facing the new version of his mom was set aside into some small hurt part of his mind to handle the current situation. “Well, when I visit I’ll remind her also.  Even if she doesn’t remember, she’ll hear it and maybe between us if she doesn’t remember when we aren’t around it might make her smile later.  It's supposed to be on and off after all.  Nothing could put a smile on her like knowing that we can make her proud and she can trust us to carry on her name.”  

“Honestly Art, whatever title I took I’d always be there for you.  If I got tossed down to the lowest rank I wouldn’t care.” A moments pause, “Well, I would care and I’d be lecturing whatever wolf put me in that rank but, I’d still be there for you, even if you were the one needing the lecture.” Rudy didn’t expect it from Art, they were a team again and perhaps Rudy could even give Art more trust now after they had to test their friendship’s depth like this.  “I’m sorry when I make you look bad and win despite your training.  You’re better, but I have luck on my shoulder, riding me wherever I go.”  It sure felt that way at times.

“Anyway,” back to a more serious note.  “I decided something.  What do you think happens after someone dies anyway?  Where do they go?  Maybe Art, just maybe, they can still watch over us and see what we become.  I made a vow to mom, and I’m sure you made vow’s with you being you and so we have to live our life making those come true.  When she’s passed she’ll remember us.  When she’s passed we can make her smile again.”  Was it true?  Maybe and maybe not but it gave them something they could both use, something to strive for, and maybe a bit of hope.

Rudy had a mile-wide stubborn streak but now things were normal between them and so he could relent also.  “I’m sorry to Art.  I knew you were upset also and should have known you didn’t mean it.  Guess we were both too upset to think about things clearly."  Rudy looked at his brother a moment longer before smirking and leaping up to try and shove his brother over backward.  It was harder to surprise Art these days and get the jump on him, certainly if Art was braced there was no way to knock him over.  Right now his brother could use a good surprise.  Either way, with Art down or not, “You’re my brother, more than that, the one I trust most above all others to be there with me.  I won’t be stupid again.” If he got the tackle in he’d add on, “but, gotcha.”

Rudyard Carpathius