The brothers flew through the grass, shoulder to shoulder, a fallen star and its shadow. The moonlight illuminated their eyes so that they were almost ethereal, no more than bobbing orbs of blue and green in the darkness. It was wild and dangerous, and the doggish prince knew that this night was the true realm of the wolf.
For a fleeting moment, Skoll was envious of Hati. The emotion engulfed him as he felt the energy pouring off his quiet, oft-eclipsed sibling. His own energy was jittery and wild in comparison, a clumsy attempt at bravado like always as he sprinted blindly toward the trees. It was a feeling that passed almost as soon as he recognized it, because it was silly to be jealous. He was the sun prince, and he governed his own realm; he didn’t need another!
Teeth flashed as the Catori boy grinned at him, taking the cue to move onward. His challenge was answered with a wordless growl as Skoll jumped headlong after him, his golden tail flagging behind. He would catch his brother like he had hundreds of time before, even it took the entire night to outlast him. Maybe he wasn’t super fast or super strong, but Skoll never ever got tired; his was the technique of wolves trailing their injured prey for days, waiting for it to fall.
His arrogant conviction melted away immediately when Hati was suddenly gone, and he barely stifled a yelp as he almost crashed into a tree. He swerved at the last second, ears pricked for the sound of leaves and twigs being ruffled by thudding paws. Eyes attempted to adjust to the deep abyss that pooled under the trees, but he found it harder and harder to focus. He tried to slow, to get his bearings, but he also just wanted to catch up to Hati now and be done with it.
Skoll didn’t see the root in his path, and his paw smashed underneath it; he flipped over, landing on his side with one paw caught in the gap. His yelp came out as a hurt gasp as he hit his ribs, and the heart-pounding adrenaline made his vision swim.
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