Stumbling Through a Symphony

Takeji's thoughts drifted as he walked, never lingering too long in any one place. He could head north the the Oaks and seek out prey there, but if he couldn't find a meal trapped in a pool he doubted he'd manage to bring back anything worthwhile if he had to sprint after it too. And it would waste precious time to travel... But then again, maybe it would be worthwhile to scout the fringes of their lands, not for the first time, for anything strange... Or perhaps something familiar. Keji shook that thought away. It was no use to dwell on it, he refused to give it the chance to sink in its claws.

He'd keep walking, teeth grit and ears flicked back until he stumbled into something useful or he walked into the sea, and that was that.

Or so he thought, until a soft bark broke him out of the wallowing. Keji blinked in surprise, and forced whatever expression that might have been on his face to drop into a careful mask of neutrality. He was fine, this was fine, everything was fine. Turning to the side he saw his brother laying about, amusing himself with his cat by the look of it. His features softened and Takeji allowed his tail to wag softly, once or twice. Better a sibling than their father, at least. "Oh, good morning Majima." He cocked his head sideways, taking in the scene. "You two look like you're having fun."

It wasn't his place to remark on Majima's idleness, or even to have an opinion on it, but Keji couldn't help but hear their father's voice in his mind. Surely there was something better they could be doing with their time. He would never say it outright though, least of all to a sibling. Instead, he ventured, "I was passing through to see if there was any work to be done today. I don't suppose you've heard anything?"


"Talk" "Listen" Think