As much as she hated to admit it, she was just going to keep getting taller and taller it seemed. She was born bigger than her brothers, but it would seem that they would never out grow her. Her massive paws seemed to slap the ground as she walked, her long legs awkward and too long. She didn't know what to make of this situation, but she could only hope she'd stop growing at some point, please. Too bad she had a lot more growing to do.

Frankly, it frustrated her and a hard frown tore across her face as she slapped stomped through the trees at the base of the volcano. She didn't want to go back to the den, as she normally did when she wanted to sulk, but instead today she wanted to get some of this anger out. Where was that Eraithus guy when she needed someone to beat up?

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

Kali had largely steered clear of her younger siblings, wanting little to nothing to do with them. They interested her as far as being members of a pack she would one day lead, but any further than that...well she’d already told her mother as much. But, she couldn’t well ignore them when one of them was stomping around on floppidy little legs. She’d been napping at the base of one of the trees at the bottom of the volcano when she heard then, head lifting to blink her bi-colored gaze blearily. Through the darkness, she could see the small, slinking form of a pup and the still slightly milky scent told her the rest. She yawned, jaws clicking shut before rising to a sitting position. “Kid, you’re going to wake everything in the Nook is you keep stomping around like that,” she called, still half-awake.

"Kali Klein"

Widow hadn't had the greatest of opinions about her siblings, littermates and older so far. Although, she had only met one of her older siblings but she figured his attitude wasn't too different than the others and lumped all those she hadn't met with those that she had. So when an unfamiliar voice rang out and Widow swiveled her golden lined silver gaze at the older, taller female, she hadn't exactly assumed that they were sisters.

Her cheeks puffed at the comment of the older girl, brows furrowing and contorting her markings only intensifying her expression. But, she was still small... compared to the older girl anyway. It was times like these when she secretly wished that she would just grow up already, then her brothers would stop being so mean to her. Then everyone would stop being so mean!

"Cover your ears, then." She spat, sticking her tongue out at her.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

The pup got closer and Kali had to admit, she would certainly grow up to be a beauty. Especially with those big eyes and interesting markings. But, of course, Kali would never say such a thing. She was vain after all, and admitting that was like Snow White’s evil queen admitting she wasn’t the fairest of them all. Instead, when the little brat puffed out her cheeks in aggravation and retorted back to her to cover her ears, the Cherubim simply raised her eyebrows.

The yearling got to her paws lazily before walking in the girl’s direction, drawing herself up in a way to show her definitively looking down on her sibling. “I’d put that tongue back in your mouth before you accidentally bite it,” she said, her speech emphasizing the accidentally part. “I’m just being a good big sister and offering you advice, after all.”

"Kali Klein"

Widows eyes narrowed as the girl approached and looked down upon her, trying to intimidate her. On any other day, it would have. But today? Oh no, not today. Today, she had something she needed to work out and if her sister was lucky, it wouldn't be her. But so far things weren't looking to be that way, and once the older girl threatened her, Widow almost hissed through her bared teeth.

"A 'good sister' wouldn't threaten her younger sister." Her teeth clicked as they snapped shut, her fur starting to bristle along her spine as her kitten claws flexed from her dexterous paws and dug into the dirt.

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

The puffball hissed out that a ‘good sister’ wouldn’t threaten her, and Kali scoffed. How young she was, how inexperienced. Kali had perhaps thought like that when she’d been younger, but now she was wiser and knew much better. “Things don’t work like that in our family, you have to have a thick skin or you’ll be trampled over. Us girls get the worst of it, I’m sure you’ve learned, while the boys think they’re hot shit with all that useless testosterone. And mom? Mom loves us now, and we love her, but if you think for a second that the moment we’re useless to her she won’t toss us out, you’re wrong. The sooner you learn this, the better,” she said, her tone matter of fact. It was a cold bucket of water for a child who, in any normal situation, would be pampered and adored, but for a Habari Malakim, it was a matter of fact. Their world was not gentle and it was not loving. In fact, Kali’s honest may have been as close to caring as the girl would ever get from her siblings.

"Kali Klein"

Widow couldn't say she exactly liked what Kali was telling her, but she listened anyway and frowned. Why did they get the worst of it? Widow had a lot of questions already, but when she brought up their mother she already knew that she'd be doing everything in her power to make sure she was always nestled comfortable within her moms favor. She was named similarly, after all. Widow allowed herself to believe that it made her special in some kind of way, even if she felt that all of her natural born gifts were ugly and manly.

"What do I need to do then?" She asked, confused. She was young, and smallish, so there wasn't much she thought that she could do besides the things that she wanted to do. Mom hadn't given her a job or a task or anything, so was she missing out on something? Was she supposed to have a job, or something that she was supposed to be doing?

"Speech!"

TABLE & CODE © SKELLE 2021

She had to give it to the little furball when she didn’t immediately start whining or bawling, maybe she had some guts after all. Kali smirked, sitting down as her younger sister asked her what she should do. That was more like it. “You have to get better. Train so that they have no choice but to acknowledge you and never, under any circumstances, let them walk all over you. You’re a Klein, there’s pride in that.” There was a certain spark in Kali’s bi-colored gaze as she spoke, her tail twitching behind her lithe frame. Yes, the Cherubim was narcissistic, but it all came down to the confidence she’d fortified in herself. She knew there was nothing more dangerous than a confident woman, and in that area the girl was lethal.

Kali pondered for a moment, eyeing the dark girl before a plan formed in her brain. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll help you train and get stronger, strong enough to kick all your littermates’ butts. But, I’m not so generous as to do it for free. Nothing is free in this world, that’s another thing that would be good for you to remember. In the future, I want loyalty. You don’t have to kiss my feet or anything as absurd as that, but I want you to have my back. You scratch mine and I’ll scratch yours. I’ll make sure you’re free to do whatever you want, whenever you want,” it was a good deal, virtually unlimited freedom in exchange for her rights to the leadership. She wouldn’t have to deal with all the bothersome politics and other boring stuff, just occasionally throw her weight around.

"Kali Klein"