The moon hangs high in the sky, bathing the black beach in its silver moonlight.  Each gain seems to absorb the light, pulling it in to snuff it out. Its empty darkness glimmers dangerously at the twins as they move through the night. Small blue paws leave no trace of their passage as the brothers explore. Chade had been sleeping when Ricin had nudge his brother awake, pointing out the increase of blue fireflies. A deep foreboding had settled into Ricin’s chest and he convinced his brother it was time to move on.

With the ocean lapping at their side, the brothers had quickly made their way down the beach in hopes of finding a cave to sleep in. There hunch pays off as soon a large stone cave appears on the horizon. Relief fills Ricin’s chest and, without a word, he leads the way to it. Stopping a safe distance away from the entrance, he turns to his brother. Warily glancing toward the cave, Ricin says, “Wait here Ny. I will go in and make sure it is safe first. No sense in us both dying.”

There is no sadness in his voice, it is a reality the brothers have come face to face with in the past month. If there is any danger waiting for them in the cave, Ricin wants to give his brother a chance to walk away alive. Squaring his small shoulders, Ricin moves toward towards the entrance, taking note of the increased number of glowing crystals near the opening. Slowly, carefully, Ricin enters the moonlit cave. He sticks to the wall on his right, making himself as small as possible to go unnoticed.

Eyes dart around franticly as the small boy searches for danger. When nothing jumps out of the shadows, Ricin tests the air with his nose. There are no scents of hiding predator so he allows himself to relax and inspect the cave for other dangers. Eyes fall on a small pool of water towards the back of the cave and he watches a fin break the surface. With a nod to himself, Ricin turns his gaze to the cave walls, watching as colors burst into life and fade as the moonlight strikes them.

A sense of awe settles on him and Ricin notices that the glowing crystals from the entrance appear to grow inside as well. The soft blue light them emanate, while pretty to observe, has an otherworldly feel to it. On the floor of cavern is some mushrooms that seem to have the same glow and Ricin decides that they should not try to eat them. Rocks jut out at odd angles and the crystals seem sharp, but those are the only danger Ricin’s eyes can find.

Turning to go back toward the entrance, a small squeaking sound catches his attention and Ricin spies a fat rat scampering out from behind an outcropping. Lips curl back happily as his stomach rumbles its protest at being empty. Turning back to the opening, Ricin sticks his head out of the cave and says, “I don’t see any danger Ny, it is safe to come in. Be careful of the sharp rocks and crystals that line the walls and don’t eat any mushrooms you see. And there appears to food in here.”

Ricin steps away from the entrance and moves further into the cave as he waits for his brother’s arrival.

WC: 568/2500

Sometimes dreams are better than real life.  At first, Chade hadn’t wanted to wake up.  In his dreams, there had been laughter and hope.  It didn’t take long for Ricin to wake him though, back to a world of danger with the hope much harder to cling to.  Chade liked Ricin being in the lead, since his brother had a poor peripheral vision it made things safer for Chade to pay attention to the rear.

There had been an urge in Chade to play on this beach terrain that felt strange to his paws.  Playing on ice and watching their sister die had taught them the danger of playing on uncertain terrain.  He walked with his brother, senses alert for any dangers.  Their parents had been wary of the fireflies and that was enough for Chade to leave them well alone.  It was a seemingly odd threat, the little bugs versus all the more dangerous predators with fangs that stood far above them but Chade would not question there is a threat.

Stay there? Yah Right.  Chade sat down as if to show an agreeance to this idea but once Ry stepped in Chade moved to follow.  A soft deep sound from somewhere nearby startled the blue pup and he spun around, breathing deeply, hackles raised up with every nerve on edge.  Between beach and cave, there were some trees a predator could hide behind.  There were the strange mushrooms that had been around the cost and crystals attached to trees.  

Chade looked towards the cave entrance concerned for his brother but dashed off quickly to the tree line, grabbing some dead branches on the ground with dried up crackly leaves and back to the cave entrance, dumping them on the ground.  He repeated the procedure another time then started kicking dirt and gravel as he tried to cover up the branches to at least some degree.  It was his best idea for a hopeful alarm system if something came up behind him.  Not facing the cave entrance he’d potentially kick some of the dirt straight on Ricin if he was near his pile of sticks.

Glancing around as his brother spoke up he got a sheepish glance whether the dirt hit his brother or just close to.  “Hopefully anything big comes in they’ll stop on the branches and make noise to warn us.”  The setup would probably have had an adult rolling their eyes but to some pups with limited experience, it was a good first effort.  If something came in after them the two boys could be trapped.

Chade moved to enter the cave, “Yah, Ry, I haven’t forgotten about eating funny stuff.”  The mushrooms and crystals were also abnormal things, he knew that from parents talking though they had never seen the effects.  Maybe their one sibling had died from these mushrooms but it could have been any plant that turned out to be what had killed him.

There was no running and bounding into a strange place, despite Ricin having checked it out Chade still walked in cautiously.  It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother, it was simply now natural to be on his guard.  Carelessness got wolves killed.  The boy could smell the rats and he felt the saliva flowing in his jaws.  The cave was crazy bright with an odd glow which was aww inspiring.  The pool farther back practically sparkled and he saw a splash here and there from fish locked into a smaller pool.  Rats and fish meant food!

“Alright,” the boy said, brow furrowing thinking what else they should do.  “Let's uh, let's see if any signs of others.  You know, scat, fur and stuff that might be older so we don’t smell it but a sign others might come here or not.”  It was too good to be true, a place with ample food and cover from the elements.  There was no such thing as a place that was safe.  “Then,” his eyes turned towards the pool, a slow grin growing on his face, “Then I’ll get us food!”  His own stomach gurgled in a reminder it had been a while since he’d eaten anything other than some larger bugs.  Get hungry enough and you get less picky about what you’ll eat.

Word Count 1281

Chade does as instructed and Ricin is glad that he does have to argue with his brother, for once. Their bond is strong and born from distrust of the world around them. So far, it has allowed them to stay alive but Ricin always worries about putting his brother in danger.  Usually, the only time Ricin can stray far from his brother’s side is when Chade is asleep. Even then, it is not for long and he stays close enough to protect the sleeping sibling. The lighter sibling swiftly slipped into the cave quickly to explore.

When Ricin determines that the cave is safe, he sticks his head out from the enterance and is greeted with face full of obsidian sand. The grit gets into his nostrils and Ricin sneezes loudly to clear the offending debris. Chade’s sheepish glance and explanation has Ricin shaking his head with a smile on his lips. “Very smart Ny.” The praise is well deserved and Ricin quickly shares what he had found before moving to allow Chade entry.

Ricin knows his brother is smart and does not need reminding about eating strange things but he does it. After they had watched their brother slowly succumb to something bad he had eaten, Ricin had felt the need to keep Chade from the same fate. It had been a horrible end to a short life and Ricin cannot stop the memories that raise to the surface as he watches Chade.

It had been horrible for Ricin and Chade as they watched their strong brother clutch his stomach and vomit endlessly. The pain written plainly on his feature as he heaved and trembled, begging his siblings to kill him. They were puppies and had no idea what to do to help. In the end they had all offered their brother their body heat, curling around him and trying to comfort the hurting pup. Somehow, they managed to sleep and, when the light broke across the horizon, they had found the brother dead with bloody vomit matted into his fur.

Chade’s voice pulls the lighter colored sibling from his thoughts and Ricin listens to him before saying, “Okay Ny. You were always better with finding hidden stuff. Why don’t you check over there?” Ricin points a paw toward the back of the cave by the small pool where the food seems most plentiful before gesturing toward the right side of cave and adding, “I will search over here. Maybe I can find something out about what these glowing things are while I look.” Ricin’s eyes are bright with curiosity as he moves toward the area.

Hunger forgotten, Ricin’s eyes search the floor as his nose sniffs at the air, testing for unknown scents that might be lingering. After a few minutes of searching, Ricin calls out softly, “Nothing over here. Got anything Ny?”


WC:1756/2500

Chade made his way to the area of the cave where the fish pool was at, glancing in hopefully and spotting several of them, once more his stomach gurgling.  With a long drawn-out sigh he searches the corners of the cave for any signs of trouble then looks up and shakes his head at Ricin, “I don’t see anything, maybe it's safe”  Was anywhere really safe?  Quick search done he turns his attention to the pool.  It’s hard to focus when food is right there!  Even in here, mushrooms grow next to the rocky pool.  How could mushrooms grow with the rocks?  For some reason, the boy feels a need to snarl at the mushroom as if it has awareness and would intentionally poison them.

Then his attention turns back to the water, tapping it with his paw and watching the fish swirl inside.  Chade had a feeling this should be easy with them trapped in there but it was still a skill he’d never mastered.  Stepping cautiously in the water as if it might pull him right under but no, at least here no more than the very bottom of the boy's belly was in the water.  The pool did go at least a little deeper though in the center but how much?  Chade had no concept of how swimming worked if it got too deep.  A vision of his sister trapped in the water under the ice came to his mind and how she had eventually stopped moving.

A slow exhale and he swiped out at a fish, and he succeeded in splashing water.  There wasn’t a lot of water but this was still hard! Lowering his head Chade tried to grab them in his muzzle if he couldn’t swat them out with a paw.  Scowling he spit out the taste of salty water, “yuck,” but as much as the salt would make him thirsty faster they still needed food, real food, and not bugs or poisonous plants.  The boy kept his eyes on the water, head swaying as he followed the fish's movements.

Word Count:  2103 of 2500

With Chade’s confirmation that it is ‘safe’, Ricin moves closer to a cluster of glowing crystals. Their light pulses, mesmerizing the young pup as he draws closer to the strange things. Head tilts as the lighter boy swears watches the glowing crystals. His attention is no longer in this cave, Chade and the dark cavern disappear as Ricin appears to travel to some distant place that no wolf has seen before. Body is still as his eyes stare at and through the cluster of crystals. Chade’s existence is forgotten and the splashing of water does nothing to break the spell Ricin is under.

As suddenly as the stupor started, it ends and Ricin blinking rapidly as he readjusts to the light in the cave. In the relative silence the cave, Ricin’s loud voice suddenly shatters the peace as he exclaims, “Ny! I know what made the crystals!” Paws dance happily as the lighter boy, still looking at the crystals, starts to tell the story in a loud, enthusiastic voice, “See, there were these big tall beings that that only had two legs and they walked, like this.”

Standing on his hind paws, Ricin shows his brother the method in which the creatures move. Lowering himself back onto the floor, eyes dance as Ricin continues, “They use to be everywhere! Until, on one dark night, much like this, a great beast came up from the ground.” Kicking some lose pebbles, Ricin’s eyes glitter with mischievousness as he tries to twinge his words with fear. “I… I think I hear him Chade! He… he is coming for us!”

Ricin’s body changes as he tries to impersonate a scary monster by opening his mouth wide, sticking his tongue out and making gurgling sounds. His back arches as Ricin’s heads lower, trying to seem hunched and scarier. The boy’s voice drops into a deep, hoarse voice as he stalks toward Chade, “I am the great Bogey Monster! And I have come…” Ricin’s words stop abruptly as the voice of his brother whispers harshly at him.



WC:2444/2500

Chade had taken several bites at water as Ricin stared at the crystals.  At one point he had gotten a piece of tail but the fish’s tail had more muscle to it than he imagined and it leaped away back into the little pool.  Why was it so hard!  Dunking his head back in a final time he pulled one out with a flimsy hold and scooted up out of the water practically tripping over himself.  “I got it!” The boy hollered out his enthusiasm after dropping the fish on the ground.  Then there was his brother talking about something weird.

Chade picked back up his fish to go closer to Ricin with a skeptical look as he listened to his brother’s story.  The fish was a mouthful to the younger pup so his first response was “mmrhm ronff bef tff”  He was more than far enough away from the pool to drop the fish finally.  It flopped near the two of them.

Chade rolled his eyes dramatically as his brother walks on two legs, “that’s the craziest story you ever told Ry.  C’mon There’s no way a crystal told ya bunch of bear-like guys – “ Chade’s ears flicked towards the entrance, “Shush,” the words were whispered quickly and harshly.  Dried leaves crackled outside and Chade felt his heart rate pick up, “my alarm…” the words were whispered softer now, eyes widening as he imagined what real monster might be out there.  They didn’t need a made-up one, there were plenty of things that could kill two pups.  He backed up next to Ricin for a moment.  

“Alright, I got this” Chade attempted to assure his brother.  The bear came to his mind quickly and how that had ended.  He couldn’t lose Ricin, Chade couldn’t end up alone.  Squeezing his eyes shut a moment he tried to think up a plan of action.  Shivering he waited, eyes opening and waiting for death to come.

What appeared was a fox, red coat and it looked scared itself.  There was some strange bluish ooze coming out of its nostrils.  Chade was still scared but he started forward, “Stay back Ry, I’ll fight better if I know you're safe.”  Would his brother listen? Maybe, maybe not but there was only so much he could do right now.

Chade’s hackles were going up again, his dense fur around his neck sticking out some lion cub.  Standing up straight he did his best to look intimidating.  Two animals scared and each for their own reason.  Snarling Chade actually started the attack hoping to chase off the creature.

The fox snarled and opened its mouth as Chade came apparently planning to make it a fast ending.  The boy pulled up to a stop and glared back at it.  Could it hear Chade’s heartbeat? Chade sure heard it.  He didn’t want to charge into the teeth!  Chade walked slowly to the side of the fox and the fox copied him.  Chade paused and grinned continuing until the fox was facing the front end of the cave and away from Ricin.  His brother wasn’t a fighter but maybe this once he could get in on the action?  Grab a back paw or tail or something?

Wordcount: 2981

Ricin has always been a teller of tall tales and is never one to pass up as great an opportunity as this. The moonlit cave with its eerily glowing crystals and mushrooms had seemed the perfect backdrop to weave his tale. It helped that an unnatural silence seemed to blanket the inside of the cave when Chade wasn’t hunting; adding yet another layer to the spooky atmosphere. As he spun his tale, Ricin did his best to scare Chade. However, Ricin was completely unprepared for the note of urgency in his brother’s voice as he shushed him.

The confusion that shows on Ricin’s face is quickly replaced with fear as Ricin hers the snap of twigs from the entrance. His brother’s voice only confirming what he had suspected; something has tripped the alarm. Ricin repositions himself to stand next to and slightly behind his brother, making sure he has a wide line of sight on the entry. Heart pounds in his ears and he feels shaky as his brother lets him know that he will get it.

Worry swirls in Ricin’s stomach and wraps its cold fingers around his throat, cutting off his greatest weapon… his words. Nodding his acceptance, Ricin drops back further, attempting to blend into the rocks and shadows around him as Chade prepared to meet whatever came through the opening. Ricin had removed him from the scene simply to appease his brother but as soon the opportunity arose, he would rush in to help.

A fox appeared in the opening and Ricin had to clamp his mouth shut to keep a yelp of surprise from escaping. It looked just as scared as he felt and the glowing blue substance that flowed freely from its nose sent a spike of terror through Ricin’s heart. If Chade fought the wolf and killed it, would the same thing happen to him? There was no further room for thought as Chade charged, trying to catch the fox by surprise.

The fox snarls making Chade pull off his attack and try to skirt around the fox. The creature is mad and terrified which never led to good things in Ricin’s memory. However, the fox did not appear to have spotted the boy huddling by the wall and instead tracks Chade. Ricin watches as his brother draws its attention away until the fox’s back in completely turned toward the lighter boy. Taking his chance, Ricin rushes forward and sinks his teeth into the fox’s back left leg.

The taste of blood fills his mouth and Ricin has to stop himself from gagging or pulling away. The fox yelps in pain and starts to turn toward the source of this new pain when Ricin throws his small frame backwards as hard he can, hoping to throw the fox off balance. Crimson eyes disappear as Ricin slams his eyelids shut in fear as teeth flash in the night.


WC:3465/2500

The moment the fox turns to look at his brother Chade rushes in to help.  Where was he supposed to bite?  Where was the best place?  What if the fox bit him? What if it bit Ricin?  What if it was sick?  Heart pounding too loud to hear anything else Chade charged into the fox hoping to take it off balance and chomped into the fox's muzzle before it could bite his brother.  Vicious puppy hate-filled snarls coming from his throat.  His eyes flicked to his brother to make sure he was alive and noticed closed eyes.

No time to think about it now as the fox spun its head, tilted it down planning to bite Chade.  The boy pushed himself away but likely wouldn’t have made it but finally, luck was on their side.  Even as the fox's intent was to bite Chade it paused to tilt its head down, mouth open wide and coughing out some more of that blue ooze.

Chade sure hoped it wasn’t contagious.  Snarling he glared at the fox who glared between the two kids.  The fox jerked its head up, eyed something then ran off to grab their fish.  Chade panted watching it, the notion of giving chase for a second as he wanted that fish.  Shuddering he stayed in place.  The fox would leave and there were more fish and rats and they’d be ok.

So he watched and the fox left, he glared at Ricin even as he caught his breath, “Ricin! You don’t close your eyes in a fight!”  The fight itself hadn’t been tiring, just the fear fading away had caused it. “Ricin, you can’t die, you can’t!  Never close your eyes in a fight.”  If Ricin died that meant not only would Chade be alone but that he had done a terrible thing when he chose one brother's life over another.

Word Count: 3774

Somewhere along the way, when Ricin had thrown his body backwards, his jaws had released the fox’s leg. With fear pumping through his veins and the coppery taste of blood still in his mouth, the lighter brother had thought he was still holding it. Fighting does not come naturally to Ricin and, when the fox bares it teeth at him, his first instinct is to slam his eyes shut and try to ride out the pain that is sure to follow.

Breath catches in his throat and his heart thunders in ears, drowning out the world around him for a brief time. But the pain never comes and eyelids fly open as he glances around terrified, searching to make sure that Chade is alright. He finds Chade panting and watching as the fox steals their fish and runs. Letting a relieved sigh, Ricin gathers himself and is already back on his paws by the time Chade’s glare pins him to the spot.

The words that Chade spits at him sting but Ricin just offers his brother a warm smile as he deflects, “Come on Ny. You think you can get rid of me that easily?” A playful wink is thrown towards his sibling as the lighter boy pretends he wasn’t terrified just seconds ago. Waving a paw through the air he huffs and grumbles, “You know I am not a fighter Ny. Never have been. Sorry if I didn’t do it right. Was just tryin’ to help.”

Ricin knows exactly why Chade wants him to survive, why he knows that has to live… for Chade’s sake. If he died then his brother would have to live with the fact that he chose the wrong sibling to save. Ricin knows he wasn’t supposed to see it, the sacrifice that Chade had made on is behalf. But he had and that is the only reason he is here now.

So, he offers his brother this, “Alright Ny. I promise to keep my eyes open. But you have to be more careful too. No more biting sick animals.” Ricin ignores the fact that the fox’s blood stains his chin and coats his mouth as well. Right now, all he cares about is making sure Chade stays alive as well.



WC: 4150/2500

Chade offers a weak smile in return to Ricin’s, letting his words soothe him some.  It was true his brother was trying to help.  It had worked and they were both alive, admittedly it might have been luck.  The fox had been sick and the fish had been more attractive than fighting wolf pups.

“Alright,” Chade agreed, “You don’t close your eyes in a fight and I’ll avoid biting sick animals when I can.” Chade smirked adding, “C’mon, we can rinse off the blood on ‘us’ in the pool with the fish in it." Yeah, he’d quit biting animals that were sick as soon as Ricin did.  As he walked past Ricin he bumped his head into his brother's cheek for a moment without breaking stride.  Nothing would break their bond.

“I needed your help, I’d hoped you’d figure out what I was up too.  So it did work out regardless.”  Chade stepped into the pool, lowering his muzzle into the water, raising it up again. “So, how about we eat some fish then take turns sleeping here.  Lets get out of here after that.  I thought I’d like being in a cave for protection, only one way for threats to come in but ya know, also only one way for us to get out of here.”  There really was no great plan.  In the open, it was hard to find hiding spots also and predators were probably faster than them.

Final Word Count: 4367

Ricin & Chade

As the pair of young boys wash the, probably, diseased blood from their faces something thrums through the air. It's like a brief shock of static electricity and every single strand of fur on both of their bodies stands at attention. It's subtle at first, as they both look around at first nothing seems off. But as Chade looks back at the water, intent on once more trying for one of the fish swimming tantalizingly close he spots something off about the blood, where he might expect it to slowly disperse through the water instead it seemed to have coagulated just on the surface of the water, like oil but thicker... And pulsing, not in light, no but the surface of the blood layer seemed to... Breathe? A fin breaks the surface of the water for a moment and then... A whole fish floats to the surface, it's glassy eyes staring blankly up at the two pups. Behind Chade, Ricin notices that things are growing brighter. With each passing heartbeat the mushrooms and crystals seem to get more and more brilliant and just as the fish surfaces they crescendo, blinding the two boys for a moment and then suddenly the light dies... And the water is clear, blood and fish both gone.