Boy oh boy had the small child made a big mistake that stretched far beyond the heights of his measly body. Kyarst had stolen away from the den early that morning shortly after Sendoa had left, Kuvio couldn?t remember if he had been invited or not, but as usual he had decided to stay back. However boredom had gotten the best of his maturing mind, and the delicate little albino had cast himself into a world so unfamiliar and daunting he could do no more in that moment but crouch behind the large boulder he had claimed as his barrier. He had been following the scent of Kyarst down into The Sound, and for a while he had been off to a strong start, but now? the strange smell of salt was so heavy he could no longer navigate and the confused boy and taken to hiding, an occasional, yipping call for his brother sent echoing (rather pathetically) out beyond the face of the rock.

The charcoal boy was not the first to hear the pathetic (yes, it was quite pathetic) whining of his brother. In fact, it would be Atlas who noted the sound as something foreign and drew attention to it by chirping loudly in the wolf's ear. ?Yow! Whadja do that for?? The penguin would tap the wolf on the crown of his head, which was easy now that his body had taken to lengthening rather than widening. ?You're not listening,? he would let slip rather condescendingly. ?It's one of your kind.? Kyarst had taken to tuning things like unimportant sounds out, mostly when he was focused upon something like this morning's adventure. He stood ankle-deep in the frigid water of the Sound, the current occasionally splashing up and licking at his underside. He'd meant to take a swim - his first ever, in fact - when Atlas had so rudely interrupted him. But now there was something far more interesting to investigate - this wolf who so desperately sought attention. Ears would tilt toward the direction the penguin had indicated, narrowing in on a possible location. The wolf was higher up, having not fully descended into the sound just yet, and was young. Another yip resounded and he recognized it at once. Jig. ?It's my brother. Can't believe he left the precious den.? With interest he would leap from the water and back onto solid ground, galloping toward where he thought Jigsaw might be hiding. ?Come on Jig, there's no one else here.? He would draw even nearer, his head falling in line with his spine - almost as if he were stalking something. With gusto he would leap atop the boulder, having pinpointed his brother's precise location. His right front paw would attempt to slap his brother mildly on his cheek. ?C'mon, you're not so ugly that you gotta hide all the time.? The penguin trailed a decent distance behind, having decided it best to keep his distance until the brother's true nature had been well noted. ?speak,?

Kuvio never truly thought he would ever find comfort in his boisterous brothers presence, but even within his shocking appearance, the albino boy would feel almost relieved. He would jump with a mild start, spreading his legs out beneath him as Kyarsts? paw would send a jolt of frustration against his coral cheek. It took him a few moments to work out exactly how his brother had so suddenly been upon him, brow furrowed in dismay as he would straighten his small body. Gazing irritably up at the boy as he stood so proudly upon his pedestal, a bothered ?humph,? all he would offer in exchange. He would wiggle his shoulders as if to say, ?I am not scared,? and take a daring few steps away from the boulder he had claimed as his safe-house. The chill to the air was almost enough to send his quarters hunching beneath him, tail tucked as his face remained creased in apparent disapproval. It was much more pleasant nestled against the chest of mother, hidden beneath the safety of the ground. ?Ky! See-? but his attention had been grasped, and suddenly his worries were forgotten, spirits lifted as tiny ears would perk, staring out at the strange waddling being that came slowly towards them. Could it have been the thing Kyarst spoke so often of? In that moment Kuvio didn?t really care who?s it was, ?Why?? he asked, seemingly directed to nobody in particular, hoping either the strange thing or his brother would answer everything his mind wondered as quickly as possible.

As pitiful as it was that Kuvio seemed to have lost his way, Kyarst still found himself proud of his brother for venturing so very far from home. Jigsaw always seemed to want to remain attached to their mother, so much so that Kyarst often made fun of him (in his mind, mostly). However, perhaps this was the start of a new relationship with his brother, maybe even an exciting one. Jig moved away from the boulder, and Kyarst would follow suit by pouncing down onto level terrain and trotting up beside his brother. The penguin neared them, but kept a reasonable distance. Kuvio seemed to have noticed Atlas, though, and would trail off - staring intently at the partly-fluffy penguin. Kyarst would twitch an ear toward Atlas, keeping his eyes on his brother for fear that Jigsaw might get a wild hare and attack his only friend. ?Jig, that's Atlas - my friend.? Emphasis would be placed on the word friend, making sure that it would be well noted. Foul play involving Atlas would not be tolerated by the charcoal pup. ?He's a penguin - an Emperor Penguin.? He'd only just learned Atlas' formal title, and his story. It seemed he'd hatched out of an egg like other birds, but had never located his parents. He'd been raised by the rest of the flock, but no one seemed interested in him anymore - none but Kyarst. The child would glance to Atlas, nodding his head ever so slightly in encouragement. ?Hi,? the bird would chirp hesitantly, unsure about this patch-faced wolf. Kyarst would near his brother, aiming to bump shoulders with him lightly before tugging on his left ear. ?speak,?

Awe-struck, widening eyes would gleam with a new-found brilliance, a sudden thrill for the world he had been missing all this time. Slowly his jaw would lower, a salmon tongue hanging loose as if he had forgotten he were meant to control it, far too amazed by the tiny waddling thing, ?Do you eat him, Ky?? he would ask innocently, the meat that had been braught to them was already pre-harvested. And he didn?t realise eating something meant killing it just yet, for all he knew this little penguin was friendly and just offered him a nip everynow and then. But something made him think friend meant something completely different, ?What do you do with an Atlas?? and slowly he would pad towards the odd creature, cautiously, as if he would spring away at any moment; cherry nostrils reaching out in an effort to catch his odd scent. The bird chirped, and he flinched, leaning way from it in shock, but Kyarsts sudden closeness would ease his nerves, somewhat ignoring the tugging on his ear as he continued to stare at this ?Atlas?.

Kyarst watched Kuvio closely, knowing that any wolf posed a threat to his friend Atlas. He'd learned rather quickly that the penguin had very very few means of defense, and even against a pup the chick would stand hardly any chance. Kyarst had nearly injured him a time or two in their tussling before he determined it was best to play different sorts of games. 'Do you eat him, Ky?' Jaws would fall open, aghast. ?No, no, no!? Kyarst would shake his head vigorously, looking to the penguin in hopes that Kuvio's statement wouldn't frighten him away. ?He's a friend, someone to play with, go on adventures with. Sometimes he even catches me fish,? He would give a sideways glance and cast a playful grin upon his lips, ?- though he's not very good at that yet.? Leave it to Kyarst to point out the one flaw in his only friend. The penguin would flinch as the white and black pup came closer, narrowing the comfortable distance between them and jutting his jaws out dangerously. Of course, it looked as if the thing was only sniffing, but still! His chirp seemed to have startled the pup, and this would boost his confidence just a bit. Atlas wiggled his flightless wings for a moment, looking with interest at Kyarst's brother. ?I'm not as bad as he says.. but I'm not exactly great either.? He shrugged, shifting his weight on two legs. Kyarst would snort audibly, releasing Kuvio's ear from his grasp, but left the subject alone for the time being. ?Come on Jig, let me show you the rest of the Sound.? A front paw would tentatively lift as he moved to return to the spot he'd once been in - near the water. ?speak,?