Although they were still young, Ramsay was sure he and his siblings were getting big enough to explore now. Perhaps they should have always stayed within the boundaries of pack territory, until they were older, but... there were so many interesting things beyond the borders to be explored. With no one monitoring their actions, the pups were left to their own devices. Mother was nothing more than a distant, fading memory now, having played little role with he and his siblings besides birthing them. Liar wasn't around much these days - he was a busy man, and had important things to do. It wasn't often they got to go out with their dad, as he was always moving around, going places he said they couldn't go to yet. They were too small, they wouldn't make it. Well, he knew he was going to be big and strong like his father one day, but he wasn't going to let his size stop him, not even now.

He looked to Vadim who was beside him as they crossed the border lines into new territory - the Marble Wash. A mischievous grin spread across his maw, olive green eyes glimmering as he looked to the unfamiliar territory before them. He shoved his brother's shoulder playfully. "Ready?" he asked, "Let's check this place out. No one will know where we've been." In the back of his mind, he was a little concerned that they shouldn't be going far from home, but his pride told him to go, that it would be fine, and they weren't babies that had to stay at home anymore.

Lavender and pansies surrounded them in this little valley they were descending in, and the sky mimicked the colors found in the field as the setting sun painted similar hues across the sky. The two were heading straight for the beginning of an astonishing crevice that centered the marble wash, the slopes getting steeper and the grass getting thinner.

Vadim's thick, chubby puppy limbs kept up with his brother's energy to the best of their capabilities but he was undoubtedly a sloth at heart. Every now and then, he'd start to fall behind as his ribs heaved with every breath of his pant, but his curious mind kept him from giving up and usually sent him bounding forward in an effort to keep up. Everything around him was new and interesting, and being out of sight from the watchful eyes of the rest of Ivalice thrilled his wild little heart like no other. Of course, he had no real drive to ever be completely alone- the possibility of misadventures simply excited him.

The illuminating glow that the setting sun would cast on the walls of the crevice they were heading into was unlike anything Vadim had ever even been able to fathom. He leaned torward his brother a bit, possibly bumping shoulders with him, as his large (for a puppy) skull craned upward to take in such a magnificent sight. Part of him wondered what sort of mystical monsters were responsible for such magical auras, a small spark of fear starting in the back of his mind- perhaps, maybe, they shouldn't be out here without the protection of an adult.

The enthused voice of his brother extinguished that little feeling of vulnerability, however, and an excited grin spread across the child's paler features. "Ready!" He exclaimed, making sure that Ramsay knew that he was right behind him. "This will be our secret," he confirmed, agreeing with his brother that no one else would know. They were two lost boys, Ramsay at the lead of them like some sort of Peter Pan. Vadim's eyes couldn't pull away from the beautiful twists of gold in the walls around them, gleaming rays of light in his sights with every different way that they moved. There was no way this could have been a bad idea, just no way!

As Vadim finally caught up with him, bumping close to him, Ramsay laughed as his brother seemed a little out of breath. "Maybe eating too much is bad for you after all," he teased with a chuckle. Vadim was a little bit rounder than their other siblings, and he definitely seemed to love eating. Ramsay didn't mind sharing with his brother, though. He knew one day it would pay off for all the meat he ate now; he had a chubby puppy frame for now, but he'd grow into it eventually. He could tell, his brother's paws were already larger than his own, that Vadim would be a large and powerful warrior. But, for today, they were still both small, and they were sneaking out of pack territory, and it would be a secret kept between them.

Which was... awesome! As they descended into the small valley, the marble walls glimmering around them, Ramsay found his eyes skimming over the rocky surfaces in awe. The swirling colors seemed so unnatural compared to where they came from; had the rocks and colors formed all on their own? But that seemed impossible, the earth never moved - if this had formed on its own, why weren't there other places that looked like it? Something must have caused this, some force beyond comprehension. This was super cool. Suddenly he whipped around to face Vadim, his eyes boring into his brother.

"Okay, we have to tell Greed about this," he suggested firmly, "He'll be so jealous! I bet he hasn't gone anywhere on his own." Suddenly he was feeling a bit smug, and he grinned in amusement, thinking about Greed sitting by the den, or wandering around Ivalice, not going far. Normally, Ramsay was one to abide by the rules himself, but today he'd felt adventurous, and not being able to go anywhere with their dad lately had left him feeling antsy. He needed to get out and stretch his legs, and he was glad Vadim was with him.

Now the boy wondered what they would do next. How long did this canyon-like crevice go? It was hard to tell, since it didn't run in a straight line. Instead, all they could see was the next bend, and beyond that would be another sharp corner. But still, it would be cool to see how far they could go. They would be so far from home, afraid of nothing. His big, uncoordinated paws padded along the stone, feeling somewhat roughed up, but that wasn't going to stop him. "Vadim, do you think there's anything alive down here?" he mused, his thoughts coming out loud, "If the rock walls are this different, there must be something weird living down here." His eyebrows raised as he looked to his brother; there was slight uncertainty in the back of his mind, wondering what strange or possibly dangerous things lived out here. But there was no way he was turning back so soon.

'Maybe eating too much is bad for you after all.' Vadim's head perked faster than the blink of an eye as he looked over to Ramsay in silent disbelief, "What do you mean?" He was honestly quite bewildered, how in the world could anyone think that food might be bad for them? Ooohh, gluttony at it's finest, he never missed a meal or an opportunity to taste and try new things. The thought of food was currently surrendered, however, as they continued down the crevice of The Marble Wash. It was so immaculate in comparison to anything he'd ever seen before and he found himself quietly wondering what his father would have to say about it, perhaps he knew what force made this thing? Oh, he'd love to ask when he got home.. but, he did just promise Ramsay that it would be their secret, so it would have to be a curious question best left unasked.

Ramsay's amused grin while boasting about how they were doing something that Greed wasn't was contagious, his own milk teeth exposed fully as as they continued on and he nodded in agreement. "I'm not taking that bet, I know he hasn't. All he does is pout, I'm not sure he even knows how to live a little!" Perhaps they should have invited Greed? Though, hearing bickering and constant nagging didn't seem like something Vadim was all too willing to let tag-a-long on their little adventure.

He suddenly stopped as he watched an alien lifeform crawl across the rock wall. Okay, it was just a centipede, but Vadim had never seen one before. "Look!" His head lowered to level his neck with his spine as he squared his stance and his little hackles rose. His jaws hung agape and ready for anything as he looked to see if Ramsay was watching while he carefully inched closer to the bug. Closer.. closer.. and then finally.... snap! His jaws swung shut around the crunchy bug as Vadim snatched it off the rock wall, giggling to himself and his accomplishments. His jaws clacked as he peeled his lips back and chewed it awkwardly, insuring that the thing was dead before he looked back to his brother.

"Well, not bad.. but, I hope that's not the only thing living down here!" He stood staring down the grand path laid out before them. How far would they venture? He looked back to see how far they had come and.. well, he could barely see the entrance now. He was starting to feel so small and insignificant here in such a massive place.

An amused grin crossed Ramsay's face when Vadim's head shot up at his suggestion that maybe eating too much wasn't good for you. He looked bewildered, like he couldn't believe he'd heard such a thing. Well, that would be just like Vadim. Laughing, Ramsay just shook his head. There was no use trying to explain it if his brother didn't already understand. As Vadim changed the subject to say he wouldn't even bother to bet that Greed hadn't been out, Ramsay had to agree. He was right. Greed definitely hadn't been out, after all, the only thing he seemed interested in doing was sulking around by himself. He seemed to have the idea in his mind that he should already be a respected royal king, but Ramsay knew better. They were just pups, there was no way they were going to hold rank over anyone right now. First, they had to learn from their superiors, and explore and build their strength and skills.

Continuing on their forbidden traipse outside the pack lands, he felt his brother leave his side for a moment, but he didn't worry as he glanced around the fascinating territory. his olive green eyes snapped toward Vadim as his brother called out "Look!" Blinking, he bounded over to his brother's side, peering in horror at the strange critter he'd found. "Look how many legs it has!" he exclaimed, watching in disbelief as Vadim reached forward and snatched it in his jaws. His eyes flew wide open, watching the critter squirm. But he began to laugh as he watched Vadim's expression, lips pulled back as he chewed it awkwardly. Of course he was tasting it! Ramsay's laughter grew, until he felt his sides heaving, and he toppled onto his side, his legs flailing. He wasn't sure he'd ever laughed so hard before.

"I can't believe you ate it, Vadim!" he snickered in between bouts of laughter, "I swear, you're so brave. Maybe I'll try and eat the next one!" He wasn't sure if he wanted to eat one, but if Vadim could do it, he was sure he could to. If only to prove that he wasn't a wimp. After all, it was just a stupid little bug. His tummy aching, his laughter began to die down just a little, he rolled back to his paws and stood up, shaking some dust from his pelt. Catching his breath, he looked up and down the marbled wash they were exploring. It was quite vast, and he wondered how far it went. Should they keep going, or just see what they could find on either side of it for now? It wouldn't be good if they ended up lost, and the adults ended up coming to look for them. Then they'd definitely get caught. Taking a deep breath, he looked to his brother. "There's probbly all sorts of weird things down here," he murmured, tail flicking from side to side, "But wanna have a race, and see who gets back where we started faster?" There, that'd be the perfect excuse not to go too far.

It was a wonder as to why Vadim would've ever thought he might be able to beat Ramsay on this little race, but at the very suggestion.. there was an obvious flame alight within the boy's vivid eyes as a grin overcame his maw. The grin slowly morphed into one of mischievous intentions, lips pulled into the slyest of expressions as he lowered his chest to the rocky floor beneath them. At first, it appeared to be a bit of a puppyhood play bow, his tail wagging high at the base of his spine and fanning out back over his rump; but like a crack of lightening, his bolt came suddenly and launched him forward as he would attempt to take Ramsay's challenge on by surprise. His eyes narrowed as he focused and kept his head low, concentrating solely on the fluid movements of his legs and the twists and turns of The Marble Wash so that he could prepare for them and keep his momentum going.

Of course, the fat little pup barely stood a chance. He'd already been tired on their route into The Marble Wash and he already felt his muscles crying underneath his weight. With a groan, he pushed himself harder until they'd at least made it out of the grand crevice. Occasionally, he'd glance to the sides of his vision in an attempt to assess how far Ramsay had gotten or if he was beating him already!

He saw his brother's grin, and he knew he'd gotten Vadim's attention; none of his siblings could resist a challenge, and that included himself. Bending his elbows and knees, his tail swished in anticipation. If Vadim was going to accept his challenge to a race, he was going to deliver. As he readied himself to run hard and fast, his brother would take on the invitation with little warning, merely crouching to the ground before taking off in a flash. Surprised but not daunted, Ramsay dashed forward, chasing down his brother's heavier frame. His own paws, still too large, galloped along unevenly. He wasn't quite sure if he could do this, his body still uncoordinated, but he didn't want to lose now that he'd offered the challenge.

As he raced along, pushing his awkward legs to work a little harder over the bumpy, rocky surface, he found himself quickly gaining on his brother. Chuckling to himself as he saw Vadim struggling somewhat, Ramsay but on a burst of speed, trying to overtake his brother. Knowing he was going to speed past his brother any moment, he came up behind the brute and tried to nip at his tail - and just at that moment, his big, clumsy paws would stumble over an unexpected, shiny rock, causing him to go tumbling. No! NO! I [i/]have[i] to win this! he thought as his ribs hit the hard rock surface. Although Vadim may not have been a runner by nature, Ramsay's overconfident self had put himself behind.

Rolling himself over, he forced himself to his paws again and kept running. He was not a quitter, even when he knew he was beat! Even if he was going to lose the race, he was not going to make himself look like a loser.

The world was passing him by in a glorious blur of ivory and gold as he sped through the walls of the Marble Wash, though the wondrous colors of what was once a river barely registered in his brain; all he could think of was the little taste of victory that appeared to be waiting for him at the end of the run- it's flavor growing stronger with inch of rocky terrain he haphazardly galloped over. His eyes were wide as his ears plastered against his skull when he caught a glimpse of Ramsay out of the corner of his eye, though he surrendered his ability to spot him in order to lower his head and work his muscles even harder into the run.

Eventually, those eyes narrowed with focus as he counted his breathing and looked a few feet ahead of him to predict every movement necessary to keep himself from from getting caught on any loose rocks or debris. Ramsay was at his heels, he could feel it. For a moment, Vadim thought it was over.. surely Ramsay was lighter and therefor faster, of course he'd pass him soon, right? Then, the thudding sound of Ramsay's tumble nearly made Vadim jump out of his skin, there was a split second of hesitance as his skull whipped around to look back at Ramsay but when he saw Ramsay get right back up and run after him, Vadim did not continue to slow down.

His momentum hadn't been all lost, and he would use that to his advantage, his limbs fully at work once again as he tried to maintain his focus. His breathing was heavy as his tongue let loose from it's cage, hanging freely to the side of his muzzle as the boy gasped for air to fuel him. His limbs moved with inexperience, spreading out far too wide during his run to accomplish the look of elegant perfection. No, he was just a fat pup sloppily flying across the terrain like a bat out of hell. He could now see what had been their point of entry, now an imaginary finish line and he lowered his head and aimed for his target.

Finally, he felt his paws hit grass once again while the world around him became once more vast- he'd made it out of the Marble Wash unharmed! More importantly, he'd managed to do so before Ramsay did! He spun around and struck his proudest pose, head held high and his chest puffed out while he continued to walk- just, backwards.. so he could face Ramsay. "Ha!... I win." His lungs were still desperately gasping for air in between his words, he may have been slightly out of breath but he felt absolutely exhilarated.

He chuckled through a pant and moved to nip affectionately at his brother's cheek, if Ramsay would allow, before looking around their surroundings once again. None of it really looked familiar, how much attention had Vadim been paying to what was around them before they'd found the Wash? "Uh.. Ramsay? Which... way is home?" Hopefully his brother knew, or this could be bad~