Misery had taken some time testing the ground on this dangerous terrain.  He had come out here months back and watched in awe as a hawk had swept down planning to get an easy meal from a small lizard but the ground hadn’t let the bird fly away.  The pressure of its landing had the bird stuck and Misery well remembered how the bird cried in terror and after a short term the bird was gone and silence had returned.

Misery had used rocks, injured or scared prey chased out there, learning the secrets of the dangerous sands.  It was easy enough for a wolf to just choose never to traverse such a landscape but even better to know the land and use it to his advantage against those who didn’t understand how it worked.  Misery had carefully created paths for himself, painfully memorized them in his mind and now it was time someone else learned a lesson.

Misery was standing on the last patch of grass before the dangerous sands.  He howled, calling for Mac to join him.  Time to see what the boy thought of this place.  Hopefully, he didn’t do something dumb that would get him swallowed up like that bird and some other things Misery had seen disappear with time.


"Misery"

Mac realized this was a bit further from home. But was he afraid? No, because he was with Misery, and Misery was cool and wouldn’t let him get hurt too badly, lest he face Recluse’s wrath. But a few scrapes would make him stronger, he’d bet. As Misery howled for him to come, the speckled child wasted no time, using his quick feet to spur him into a strong gallop towardshis older brothee’s location. Catching his scent in the air, the child raced towards him, seeing his figure in the distance as he arrived on the patch of grass. Skidding to a stop, it was fortunate he’d managed to get next to Misery, for he didn’t realize the dangerous lands they were on currently.

The boy’s luminescent grey eyes scanned the horizon curiously. The sands looked rather..unassuming. A little dull, actually - was this supposed to be a fun place for them to linger about? He glanced up towards his brother with an expectant gaze. What were they going to do? Why hadn’t Misery made a move closer to the sandy area?

"Misery, what’s this place?" He asked, looking back towards the land. Something about it seemed off, and some danger radar within his core was going off. A gut instinct, if you will, as if he wasn’t supposed to be here. The sand wasn’t right, was it? "Is there something wrong with the sand? Why aren’t we walking on it?" He inquired further, hoping to encourage an answer from his brother. Surely there was some purpose in them being out here, right? Clearly it wasn’t for playing or running about. No, something about this place told him to stay put and be careful. He awaited his brother’s reply with wide eyes.

Misery watched as Mac came running up, glad to see the boy did stop versus just charging off onto the sands.  What was this place and was there something wrong with it?  Kid’s enjoyed dramatic effect right?  Misery liked finding fun words anyway so hopefully he could capture Mac’s attention.  “This is a place where the ground desires to kill any who put their weight on it.” That sounded fancy to Misery at least.  He wasn’t sure why some sand areas sucked things in and others didn’t but someday he’d figure it out.  It was enough, for now, he’d carefully taken time to learn where it was and was not safe.

“Let me show you,” Kotori moved a few steps away and grabbed a rabbit he’d set aside.  The poor creature was very much alive but one of its legs was cracked, blood-stained about showing how the damage was recent.  “Follow behind me please.”  If the boy wanted to do anything else the sand might get him and that would be his own fault.  Misery wanted Mac to succeed but he wouldn’t be a worthy successor if Misery coddled him.  Actions had consequences and that was to be learned early on.

There was a bit of a stick poking out of one spot of sand.  It was a thin branch and seemed innocent enough but then Misery slung the rabbit near it.  The unlucky animal scrambled in a panic, lamely wanting to flee.  As it struggled to its feet the rabbit's back legs started to slide out beneath him.  The rabbit of course panicked more and it didn’t take overly long before the rabbit was over halfway swallowed in the sand.  The process started slowing down as the rabbit couldn’t move well enough to struggle, now it would take longer.

Misery watched the rabbit, a small smile on his face.  Misery was more interested of course in what Mac thought but he’d only keep a side gaze on him, let Mac not see how much attention Misery had in him at the moment.  

"Misery"

Macabre blinked in awe as Misery explained what this place was. A soft grin alighted his lips, fascination glowing as brightly as his luminescent eyes. So, the sands weren’t nearly as boring or dull as he initially thought. He knew his older brother wouldn’t drag him to a land with no purpose - surely he had intentions of teaching him a lesson yet again. And he’d listen for sure.

The boy followed closely behind his sibling, careful to stick near him and not stray off, lest he be punished. He knew boundaries and consequences enough to stay out of danger, heeding his words of warning. Misery snatched up an injured rabbit, clearly suffering and bloody. Mac felt nothing towards it, not even a twinge of sympathy. It was an emotion reserved only for those he was closest to, and even then, its supply was limited. He didn’t care about the life of one little prey creature, and as Misery tossed it into the sinking pile of quicksand, Mac watched with the widest of grins. It was weak, pathetic. Thus, he delighted in its suffering. "That’s so cool.." Mac said, his voice tapering off as the creature slowly sank deeper into the pool. "How does the sand do that? Is it magic or something?" He didn’t bother to ask about the rabbit, as he didn’t care enough about the thing to think about its welfare in the moment. Like Misery, he thought it was disposable.  

Pausing in his enrapt observation of the scen in front of them, he looked up at Misery, not noticing how much attention his sibling gave him in that moment. He was being observed, he knew that, but not the extent of it. "You don’t have to worry, Misery. I’m not foolish enough to run around this place." Not without guidance, anyways. Knowing Misery, he likely knew a path through these dangerous sands without getting trapped himself.

Misery had thought it was cool also the first moment he’d seen it.  It still was a fascinating thing but the first wave of emotional awe had watered down to curiosity these days.  “I’m not sure yet,”  the black and silver wolf mused honestly.  “I’ll figure it out with some more experiments though.  However, what you can do with it now is memorize the right paths.  Fight an enemy out there and you have a large advantage.  Just trick them into stepping where the sand is unsafe and you’ve already won the fight.”

Misery looked out across the sands that seemed to go on endlessly, “Mind you I’d be shocked if an enemy tried to come at us from this side so it would be luring one this way.”  Misery looked down at Mac, “anyway, I’ve shown it to you.  Don’t come out here without me for a while, until I’ve shown you the safe areas to walk and I’m confident you memorized them.  You’re valuable, I’d rather not lose you.”  No lying words of love and emotional garbage for Mac but still the assurance of value.

Misery walked forward to being out as far as the direction he’d thrown the rabbit, though obviously, he’d angled away from the specific location. “I came out here a number of times, just for a few minutes to memorize the patterns.  Now,”  walking back towards the beginning, following the exact same path he’d taken before sitting down.  “I’m going to be leaving for a while.  I’m going to be spying on another pack.”   It felt wonderful saying it.  Finally, he’d get to toy with strangers and learn their secrets. “While I’m gone we will be testing what you can do so far.”

Misery watched Mac carefully, a small smile on his face.  Misery expected the kid was loving this.  He got to learn something new, hear he was of value and now was given both a test and a job to do. “How much can you observe and how much of what you observe can you remember?  While I am spying elsewhere you are gathering information here.”   He let that sink in a few seconds, “watch the others in the pack, get to know them all.  Make friends, smile, and play nice.  I’m going to ask for a full report when I come back.  You will tell me the names of everyone in the pack, what they enjoy doing and what rank they hold in the pack.  I want to know what my brothers and sisters are up to as well.” Another pause for a few seconds, just letting it sink in, “all of them, older and younger.  Understand?”  

There was another test Misery wasn’t mentioning.  That test was right now on how Mac would feel about the last part of his orders.  Misery wasn’t just asking him to spy on others but on his own siblings.  Would there be a lie of acceptance, a refusal to do it, hesitation, or would his student be willing to do it with no reservations?

"Misery"

Mac nodded as Misery explained that though he wasn’t quite sure of the sand’s mechanisms, he knew it was to their advantage combat-wise. It certainly was the perfect place to lure enemies; if they were unfamiliar with the terrain and came charging blindly, they’d find themselves in much the same position as the rabbit his older brother had tossed - and they’d end up no differently. Rabbit or wolf, the quicksand made no distinction. It just pulled the poor creatures into its mysterious, endless depths. Mac peered back at the seemingly unassuming terrain with a malevolent glint in his glowing eyes.

"Got it," He said in reply to his brother’s warning, bot to come here for a while without him. He wasn’t foolish, Misery knew that for certain. He trusted him enough not to play around here until he knew all the safest routes by heart. He’d take care to avoid and stick to the pack territories. The word for him, valuable, clutched to his chest like a gold medal. Misery thought him valuable, compared to all his littermates. That was something to be proud of.

Misery mentioned his absence soon for spying, and Mac’s ears perked and expression widened in childlike curiosity. Spying? Like on other packs? He had heard mention of Habari gathering information, but to know his older sibling was one of those on the front lines made him smile in fascination. When he asked Mac to gather information while he was gone, the boy would listen to what Misery wanted him to do. The speckled child took note to gather information on his siblings,older and younger. He would’ve hesitated, but then again, the information he’d get about them would essentially be common knowledge to any of his siblings, right? They were all family, after all, they’d have to know each others likes, dislikes, hobbies and whatnot eventually. The way Mac interpreted Misery’s words, he was just giving him information that wasn’t super secret. It was just facts that they’d know anyways.

He could play nice and make friends, of course. That wasn’t an issue. He was a;ready well on his way of doing so with nothing laced into it, except know there was the added layer of gathering information. Though, he’d let Misery know regardless. It wasn’t anything bad, right? Though he was curious to know why he’d need it.

"Okay, I can do that. It’s not anything bad, anyways. It’s just facts," He said, eyes plastered on his older brother. He’d be able to do it just fine. With a pause, the boy’s curiosity couldn’t resist him adding, "Is there a reason you want to know all about our siblings and everyone in the pack?" Misery knew everyone to some extent, didn’t he? Or did he want to know because he was usually off on his missions?