is this really necessary...

Finally, the dead of winter had passed, taking the icky sticky mud with it that his twin insisted on covering him with. Spring was going to bring normal weather back, right? Hopefully, he didn't know how much more he could take of washing himself in freezing cold water. It was a breath of fresh air; quite literally. Gus couldn't be more thankful of the change of weather, but spring brought more than just that. They were a year old now, a fact that made his chest puff out with pride as he wandered aimlessly. His steps were high as he nearly pranced forward, a whole year old now! It was a cause to celebrate, however, he had lost track of Amaranth. It wouldn't be fair to do anything without her, not that he did anyways. His studly stroll stopped as he gave more pause, carefully sniffing at the wind. He was sure that she had headed this way, the boy had thought that he picked up on a familiar scent at least. Had he really let himself get distracted? A frown erased his previous glee, ears pulling back against his mottled head. She was going to get him for this, Astra had no doubt of that. Blowing out a heavy sigh, he continued onward. Might as well cover some ground, his twin was a quick one.

Carefully avoiding a puddle that had gathered, the boy picked his way through the grass. To his horror, he looked up with wide blue eyes to see the marsh started to extend before him, carrying gross water, and of course, mud. Gus physically recoiled, darting backwards towards a patch of dry land. He was much more distracted than usual, now that he was focused, he cursed at himself for not hearing the call of birds ahead of him. They dotted the horizon now, herons picking their way with ease though the wetlands. He scowled at them, catching the gaze of one as he strolled by, a fish dangling in its mouth. "How could you even live here?" He asked with distaste, face wrinkling up to show his true feelings. He completely forgot about the scent of his family, trying to instead figure out if he should just turn back, or somehow pick a safe passage through. There was an island of sorts in the middle, a dangling willow blocking the view of what it could hold. He fought with his curiosity and his need to stay away from the plagues that could be swirling in the waters below. Licking as his now dry lips, Astralagus let out a soft whine, dancing from paw to paw. Damn it all, why did water have to carry so many things that could harm him? It would be easy to just charge through if he didn't know the horrors of what lay below. He knew that Mara would have barreled through without a care in the world, and at the moment, he envied her reckless abandon. Darn his need for knowledge, life would be easier without knowing all the things he did, what a burden to bare...

Astralagus Adonis Adravendi

Mæva winced as she worked her way through the estuary. The hoof she'd taken to the chest had left severe bruising and the young femme was forced to move a bit slower or deal with stabs of pain. Due to the injury she'd opted to stick closer to home. It was probably just as well, she told herself, though she was anxious to get back out to the prairie while the hunting was still good. Go figure she'd get hurt shortly after her first birthday.

Mæva crouched down in the cattails, watching the egrets lurch through the water. Oh, how she longed to snag one of those thin, white necks in her jaws. While she contemplated just going for it and seeing how her body held up she caught a familiar sounding whine. Her ears flicked up and she immediately peeked over the cat tails to see Astralagus. "Guuuuuuussss!" she shrieked as she bolted from the reeds. Pain fell to the back of her mind as she sought to tackle her brother, completely unaware that with the force she was putting into her charge she'd very likely knock him right into the muck.

is this really necessary...

His all consuming thoughts of muck and goo left him deaf to the sound of falling pawsteps, his ears only perking when he heard his nickname being shrieked by a familiar voice. All too late he turned his head, just in time to get a face full of fur before the force of his sister sent him careening into the very swampy mess that he was doing his best to avoid. A scream of his own left his parted jaws as he felt the slime that rested on the surface of the water settle into his earthen coat. His fur stood on end the further he sank into the yuck, until he finally had enough sense to shoot back upwards and dance back upon solid ground. "Maaaeeeeveaaaaa!" The boy drew out her name, in much less happy tones than her own call had been. "Do you even know how much bacteria grows in swamp water?" He shouted, not even greeting his sibling with the affection that he should. It was hard, knowing just what was most likely sliding into his skin this very moment. Gus' whole body shook as he tried to fling off as much of the swamp water as he could, not daring to lick it off of himself in fear of what was actually there. He would need to find some fresh water, as quickly as possible would be nice.

With his face scrunching up in distaste, he finally fixed his sister with a warmer stare. Between her and Mara, he had had enough interaction with the gross parts of the world than he cared to admit. But, it was nice to see that she was here, and in one piece. A heavy sigh blew through his lips, standing there with his back arched and puffed up like an angry cat. He was happy to see her, just a lot... less happy to be most likely covered in bacteria. So gross. Wrinkling his nose, he forced out another puff of air before addressing Maeva in better terms. "Despite that... it is good to see you again. How have you been?" Astra's words were a little tense, body still stiff as he did his absolute best to avoid the thoughts that were running a mile a minute across his brain, and his desire to bathe, now.

Astralagus Adonis Adravendi

Mæva grinned as she collided with her brother, knocking him right into the mud. He pushed her off of himself and scrambled back onto solid ground. Mæva stood up and promptly shook the mud and gunk from her coat before looking at him with a grin across her face. "Nope!" she chirped. She forgot what bacteria were. Some tiny things that worried Astralagus immensely but she still didn't get what the big deal was.

Mæva climbed back onto the solid land and shook her hind paws out one after the other. She could tell her brother was uncomfortable, and also very dirty. "Good! Mostly, had a run in with a lion. That sucked but that was a ways back. I found a really great prairie to go hunting in." She could tell Gus was having a hard time paying attention. "There's a pool fo fresh water back this way, c'mon!" She trotted farther inland toward a large willow tree that shaded a small pond of water.