Yet another night, day? Night? He didn't know. He'd been born into this darkness that shrouded the slopes of the volcano and the new growth forest below. All the pup had ever known was a very large moon, shimmering auroras, and dancing fireflies. Neon mushrooms and crystals pulsated around the mouth of the den in an ominous way. Venturing recently had shown him that the mushrooms tasted icky and the crystals were too hard even for his large paws to crack. Everything on the outside was indeed interesting, but his heart still pined to stay within the comfort of the den. Whenever mama was there, Ghoul was near. Everyone else had taken to exploring so he assumed he was alone. His litter mates' scents tickled his nose as he perched himself at the mouth of the den. Enjoying the peace and quiet of not having to share space or food with the others, Ghoul was glad for the moment. Fireflies buzzed in dizzying circles. They called to him, but he resisted. Occasionally, a mouse or lizard would skitter by and his vibrant red eyes would watch without blinking. So much to see, so much to do, and yet, he didn't wander far. Perhaps, he should go be adventurous. What would mama do anyway if he got caught leaving the borders? Letting loose a big yawn that showed his liver-colored tongue, Ghoul picked up a paw and inspected his nails. Not that they were interesting, but there wasn't much else to do. Mama was out tending to pack matters and his siblings weren't around to pester him. Clicking his teeth together a few times, he looked about the barren glowing landscape for an animal to torture. Maybe one of those mice would come back by and he could pounce on it. Or maybe he'd try to annoy Galho into practicing his stalking skills. Turning a pale chin over his shoulder, he smirked as he eyed the wide-eyed bird nestled in the corner of the den.

CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET INTO HEAVEN Trotting back home with a non glowing rat this time, he made sure to carry the carcass by the tail and let it swing back and forth against the pale fur of his chest with a great deal of grotesque pride. He could see the bulky taupe figure of his brother lurking in the shadows of the den's mouth, looking bored and stoic and boring! Maybe he'd entertain himself by pestering the other boy into playing with him. He flashed a toothy grin around the hairless tail of today's prize as he sauntered up to the den, tail high and ears perked. Without saying a word, he slid into the gap between Ghoul's left shoulder and the wall of the den. He dropped the cooling rat carcass between his oversized paws, folding his wicked talons neatly over the little bundle that would tide him over until dinner time. "What're you sitting around here for?" he drawled with a quirk of his brow before he tucked into the snack he'd caught himself. Sure, the carcass was mangled- he wasn't exactly an expert hunter at this age- but it was certainly edible. With a mouthful of meat and a shit eating grin on his face, he sought to lightly jostle his brother's bulkier shoulder with his own. "Waiting for mom to come home?" he teased, and lost a few morsels of food in the process. He waited to see what Ghoul would do, even though he knew it would probably be a whole lot of nothing, and busied himself with scarfing down as much food as he could manage before he needed to pester his brother again. "" IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT A SOUL

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for one of his siblings to show up. His ruby gaze flitted over to the happily trotting pup that could only be the larger of the twins. One ear flicked backward as he saw the shit-eating grin that Viscera held around the tail of the rat he'd caught. His emotions did not flutter as Viscera slunk his way between the den's wall and his shoulder. Turning his chin slightly with a perhaps annoyed expression on his face, he nearly smiled. Only his siblings would ever get a share of any emotion out of him. Turning to face Viscera better as the other pup sat down, Ghoul watched as the rat dropped to the ground with a plunk of carcass against stone. His eyes wandered to the mangled body. Only did his ears fold back against his crown when Viscera sneered at him about waiting for mother. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Ghoul smirked for the first time in days. "And if I am?" He poses back to the ivory pup. Watching his brother inhale the rat wasn't exactly gross to watch, but it wasn't really interesting either. The mess it made splattered blood on the floor around them. Ghoul let out a quiet snort before looking back up to Viscera. "I was thinking of going out to practice hunting, but ya know, mom," he said back in a jest toward himself. If his brother wanted to poke fun at his diligence toward their mother, Ghoul wouldn't let it bother him. Someone needed to watch out for Recluse, even if he was still too young to really do anything.

Surprisingly, Ghoul offered up a subtle smirk that didn’t go unnoticed by the champagne youngster. Even in his peripherals, any change of his brother’s expression was notable enough to warrant further attention. Glancing over with a mouthful of meat, he couldn’t help but meet the taupe boy’s smirk with a lopsided grin of his own. Sure, he loved to pester his siblings, but he would never deny loving them fiercely. When his brother offered a retort, he decided to shrug heavily and pointedly avoid answering. ”Just asking.. ” He said absently, though the twinkle in his mismatched gaze spoke volumes. Ghoul probably loved their mama more than any of them, and it was kind of funny.. somehow?

When Ghoul posed his initial plans of hunting practice, the slate dappled child perked up right away. ”Really? We should go! I want to practice too, maybe we can try and catch something really big if we work together!” He offered with a great deal of delight, ivory tipped banner thumping excitedly against the herd packed earth of their den. Sure, his tummy was full of fresh meat, and he had already spent the morning hunting, but he wanted to have fun with his brother! Try out some new techniques! Tear some poor defenceless creature to ribbons! Oh, it would be so delightful.

There was no doubt that Ghoul would always hold a soft spot for his siblings. Whether he showed it or not, they were as close to him as he was to them. No matter how they poked or prodded, he'd still take an uh, well a very sharp mouth of teeth for them. Putting his attachment to Recluse aside, Ghoul didn't see him as anything but normal just like the others. He enjoyed hunting and sparring, not so much playing, but if his siblings insisted, how could he say no? Turning his head at the sound of Viscera's thumping tail against packed earth, his smile turned more genuine. Hunting with Vis would be fun, he thought, since Vis was the only other pup larger than him other than Widow. Maybe they really could catch something big. Standing up from his position at the mouth of the den, he turned to look down the side of Mount Vulcan. "You think there's anything big enough on the mountain or do we have to go down to the nook?" Ghoul asked over his toward Viscera with a devious smile. Tearing a poor creature to shreds might be just the thing he needed.

CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET INTO HEAVEN As the ruddy taupe boy rolled to his paws, Viscera was quick to join him. He trotted at a lackadaisical gait alongside Ghoul until the other boy moved to survey the base of the volcano with a calculating stare. When asked about the prey around the volcano, the champagne youngster shrugged heavily. "I dunno, probably not." he said, frowning in the general direction of the upward slopes of the volcano. Then his mismatched gaze drifted over to the shadowy, silvery silhouettes of the redbud trees that filled the nook. "The nook seems better, let's head over and see what happens.." he drawled, turning his attention back to his brother for a moment to see if he had any quarrel with the idea. He flashed a toothy, mischievous grin Ghoul's way, and promptly started off towards the nook at a steady trot. Though he was still gangly and awkwardly proportioned, those long legs could eat up the ground beneath his paws when he set himself to it. It took a lot of work to keep track of his paws, and make sure he didn't trip on anything that might come up in his path, but he was getting better at it every day. As the pale silhouettes of the trunks slowly reared up ahead, the budding leaves already beginning to catch the moonlight from overhead, he slowed just a little. He looked over at Ghoul, waiting for a comment or a suggestion. Slate marked ears perked for the sounds of movements in the undergrowth, and the telltale signs of something larger coming their way. Rabbits and rats sounded very different compared to deer or pigs, though he knew better than to mess with a boar if it came through. He'd heard they were ferocious, and would eat him alive if one of them managed to get him with a tusk and wound him badly enough. Maybe when he was bigger, he would try to get one. "Do you hear anything?" he hissed, odd eyes roving the shadows in search of even the slightest hint of movement. "" IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT A SOUL

Fortunately for Vis, Ghoul didn't need much convincing to head down the mountain with him. With his own lumbering paws to watch in case he tripped, he tried his best not to make a fool of himself. Taking after his mother and siblings, travel felt easier in the moonlight. As it washed over them in a calming sense, he wound the same familiar path with his brother toward the nook. Blossoming trees fluttered in a gentle night breeze as a myriad of scents washed over him. Unsure of his own night vision, Ghoul peered into the shadows with Vis. Squinting slightly, he was sure he heard something as well. Here and there, his own pale ears would flicker toward a sound in the brush. More so than during the day, at night, the small wooded area was alive with various creatures. One particular scent caught his attention as he heard his brother hiss. "No, but I think I can smell it," he whispered back in his own puppy-like rasp as he turned his bulky body toward the interesting smell. It was a new animal to him, one he hadn't seen before. Lurking near a tree where a den hole opened up, a medium-sized badger stood hunched with bared teeth. Ghoul's own grin licked at his lips as he shot Vis a side glance. "You think we can take it?" Ghoul asked in excitement as his shoulders hunched up with anticipation.

CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET INTO HEAVEN When the tawny pup hissed back that he could smell something, the pallid youngster lifted his own snout to the air and pulled a few lungfuls of air. Just as Ghoul said, there was a powerful musk permeating the air around them that he only noticed when he was looking for it. He traipsed alongside his burly brother as they tracked the pungent odour of the mysterious creature to its source. In a small clearing deeper into the nook, a squat creature with monochrome striping was snarling at them long before they pushed their little snouts up to breaks in the undergrowth. In his peripheral vision he could see the malicious glee on his brother's features, and met his gaze to shoot an equally cruel grin his way. Ivory tipped tail wagged with building excitement, and he couldn't help the soft squeak of delight that escaped him when Ghoul spoke up again. "Let's do it." he laughed before he barreled through the foliage just a few moments later. The badger was bristling with fury as the champagne child pranced into view, its fangs bared and sturdy frame filling the small entrance to its den. Without waiting for his brother to move into view, the little wraith shot forward and swiped at the burly mustelid with deadly talons. Unnaturally long and impossibly sharp, they easily sliced through the delicate skin of the badger's lips and face as it lashed out to try and snap at his paw. In the scant moments that the badger used to flinch away from the attack, he let the momentum of his swinging paw carry it down the length of the beast's short face. There was a splash of warmth and a squealing growl, which prompted him to scamper away with a toothy grin. Any tender hearted soul might have been horrified by the senseless, heedless violence, but Viscera was having the time of his life. From a safe distance away, he hesitated for a moment to admire his handiwork. He'd taken its right eye and gouged deep scores along its face that wept rivulets of dark blood. "Your turn, Ghoul!" he cackled, swinging his head about to pin the heavier child with a manic stare and a sinister grin. "" IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT A SOUL

He would barely need his brother's words of confirmation as the delighted squeak left the other boy. His own tail wagged happily as he watched Viscera approach the badger. Listening to the snarls of the poor badger who probably had come home after getting a bite to eat, Ghoul couldn't resist smiling. Needless to say, he was going to have just as much as Viscera with this. Watching his ivory brother zip out in front of him to lash at the badger's face. Stepping forward to the other side so that the helpless animal had nowhere to escape, his own ruby eyes flashed wide as a splatter of blood erupted with anguished squeals. When Viscera scooted away, Ghoul took this as his own opportunity for a chance at the badger's body. Now that it was maimed successfully and half-blind, its gurgled moans followed it as it tried to slink down into the den behind it. Quickly flashing Viscera his own version of a determined and slightly manic smile, Ghoul lunged forward toward the beast. Reaching out with sharp teeth, Ghoul latched onto the badger's back leg and drug it out from the den. Listening to the badger scramble madly as it twisted around to try and lash out at him, Ghoul let go momentarily before going back in. With a strong and calculated swipe at the badger's thigh, Ghoul moved closer so that his teeth could latch down on the badger's side. Sinking his teeth in as much as he could, he began to feel the warmth of blood pool in his mouth. Again, the badger groaned with fury and pain as it tried to bite at Ghoul's face. When the badger's own teeth had found his cheek, Ghoul gave a few shakes of his head before letting go. His own blood began to stain his velvet pink fur as he back away and gave Viscera a wide grin. "Care to do the honors?" He asked with high-pitched excitement.

CAUSE YOU CAN'T GET INTO HEAVEN The boy's odd eyed expression was one of unbridled delight, cherry blossom tongue lolling from his maw as he watched his brother drag the badger from the mouth of its den as it tried to flee. Even as the beast lashed out and tore into Ghoul's cheek he couldn't help but wriggle with vicious glee. When the burly pup shook his head to and fro, the meat that was dislodged from the mustelid's thigh came away with a spray of blood that slowed to a steady stream of dark fluid spilling out onto the forest floor. As Ghoul took a step back, there were thin rivulets of sanguine streaming slowly down his cheek. He offered up the final blow, and Viscera's cheeks hurt from how broadly he was smiling. He folded up a gore speckled paw towards his chest, dipped his head low in a mock bow. "How gracious of you, brother." he drawled teasingly, a glint of mirth in his mismatched eyes. He turned on the mortally wounded badger now, and drool pooled on his tongue. Long limbs pulled him forth at a slow, steady prowl. Tapered skull slung low between his shoulders, pearlescent fangs flashed in a malicious smirk. The badgers ineffectual, feeble snarls were hardly enough to dissuade the little mongrel from his path of destruction. It was only at the last second that he lunged forward, and set himself upon the squat little creature. Wicked talons extended, he smashed his paw broadside against the cheek of the snarling creature, rattling its skull enough to daze the animal. His talons tore through the brutalized flesh he had already assaulted, rending swollen tissues anew with the follow through of his strike. Pouncing on the beast, he shoved it roughly in the shoulder until it toppled with a weak growl. It was curtains for the poor badger. Fixing his fangs into its neck, he bit down until he tasted the metallic tang of blood. Viscous blood poured over his tongue, and he held the badger down as he pivoted. He could then set one of his deadly forepaws onto its belly and eviscerate the animal in one swift strike. The blood loss had already been slowly killing it, but the sudden spray of gore from its gut, in combination with the fatal wound to its throat did it in. Overkill, certainly, but delightfully entertaining. As the final twitches of the fizzling faculties remaining in the brutalized body began to peter out, he lifted his crimson stained features to grin at Ghoul. "We have to do that again sometime!" he announced, slate dappled banner wagging excitedly. "" IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT A SOUL