[html]
The moon glittered quietly above in the still skies, casting a soft glow through the branches of the bare trees and down across the cold ground. The snow was no longer the same soft blanket as it had been when it first began. Now it was thick and hard in spots, sometimes not even giving way beneath the weight of the creatures that traveled across it. It gave the whole place a pristine sort of beauty, like an area untouched for years and years. Despite the beauty though, it still made the young female in the area frown. Nox, though always fascinated by beauty and the lands that she'd heard so much about, still disliked the feeling of slipping and sliding across the snow and ice that had accumulated.
The girl was always cautious, sometimes to the point that if she was with someone else she often got lost because she was so slow. She'd been trailing behind her brother for some time, at least, until the point that she noticed he was no longer there. It was at that moment that she stopped, stood, and simply stared. Being alone wasn't something she was fond of. Inky black ears slicked back against her skull in hesitation, forcing herself to shuffle forward a few steps more before she stopped. She was often smaller than those around her, anything around her really, and world always seemed like such a big place. "Z..zz..a-adi?" Her tone was soft, little more than a whisper, and her words meek.
[html]
The moment Zadkiel had made contact with the Canadian soil, he'd been on a constant quest to explore everything and anything he could. Already he'd visited a prison on a small island by himself, and now he had taken to a closer but still intriguing area. Zadkiel had managed to persuade one of his sisters to come along with him as he ventured into the mysterious forest. Something about the eerie woods drew him in and once inside, Zadkiel found himself mesmerized by everything he saw. Though typically his mind was a-buzz with anxious thoughts, the forest seemed to slow it down. It gave him an almost calming feeling.
And as the wind howled through the forest, like voices beckoning for him, Zadkiel lost track of his sister. He could have sworn she was right behind him the last time he checked, but as he looked absentmindedly over his shoulder, he noticed that there was no sign of her. "Shit!" he cursed, his sense of peace broken by her disappearance. It seemed like everywhere he went with Nox, she fell behind. Such happenings only resulted in Zadkiel blaming himself, for he never thought he could blame her for a thing in the world. She was just so innocent.
After backtracking for quite some time, he finally heard her calling for him. In fact, he almost missed her words, but there was no mistaking the soft, timid tone that could only belong to his sister. Picking up speed, he headed in the direction of her voice and soon her dark figure was in sight. Jogging to meet her, Zadkiel embraced his smallest sibling, wrapping his thin arms around her tiny body for a brief moment before pulling away. "Noxxy ya gotta warn me when I start to wander too far, kay?" he scolded gently, though a soft smile was on his face. He'd always kind of felt it to be his job to protect his siblings. He just couldn't bear it if something happened to them.
[html]
It had indeed occurred to Nox that if she would have just kept walking that eventually she may have found her brother. She could have just sniffed him out and eventually found him, but even the notion that it was possible wasn't enough to convince her to do so. What if she didn't find him? What if she, instead of finding her brother, found a stranger instead? There was no telling how the wolves here were, she hadn't yet met anyone while she was with her siblings. The stories all made the place seem different, very different, to the point that it captivated her and at the same time made her unsure. Hell, they didn't even live in houses here.
"Za-aa-di." The name came out in a quiet, relieved sort of breath, glad to see him as he came toward her. The faintest smile appeared on her lips at that moment, though it didn't last for long before he embraced her, where she promptly buried her head into his chest for the small amount of time that they were close enough to do so. Ears slid forward once more, perked in curiosity at the words she knew were coming. It was his smile that told her that it was alright, that he wasn't angry, and she nodded her head. "Oook-k-kay." The ink colored girl moved then, stepping up closer to her brother as if it might help her stay more near to him than before, even though it wasn't that likely.
"Do y-you thi-i-nk the f-f-fireflies will co-come soon?" They were her favorite, the way that they lit up the darkest of nights and how they reminded her of what their mother's eyes looked like. Other memories of her were vague and lost in the vastness of her wandering mind, but it was her eyes that Nox would never forget.
[html]
As the little girl beside him let out a breath of relief, Zadkiel smiled to himself, glad that he had been able to locate his sister before it had gone a bit too far. Her tiny face was soon after buried into his chest and the young Luperci smiled softly. While he could be a bit strange, particularly with his knife obsession and his desire to kill things, Zadkiel was no doubt loving towards his family.
As Nox stepped closer to him, he grabbed her hand, figuring that as long as he was physically in contact with her, the chances of her trailing behind were down to zero. Zadkiel listened to her question patiently, nodding slowly as she finished. His favorite thing to do with fireflies was just smash them, though he wouldn't do that when his sister was around, for he knew how much she loved them. "I'm not sure whether they will or not," he responded honestly, for during their short time here, the boy had yet to see a firefly, though that didn't neccessarily mean they weren't there.
His face brightened slightly as an idea came to him. An idea that would make Nox happy as well as himself. "Hey Noxxy, hows about we go lookin' for the fireflies? They gotta be hidin' from us somewhere!" he exclaimed, looking down at his smaller sibling eagerly. He'd get to explore, and she'd get her fireflies. It was a perfect compromise.
[html]
It was hard getting used to a new place, especially Nox who had only just begun to feel comfortable back at home. Unlike other times, though, she was willing to try and put forth the effort to get used to the place, only because she'd heard so many wonderful things about it. It also helped that she had her siblings with her, it would've been impossible without them, especially Zadkiel. He was the one that always made her feel the safest, the most comfortable. Nox knew that he wouldn't ever let anything bad happen to her. Zadkiel was her hero, or she liked to image he was, anyways.
When her grabbed her hand Nox titled her head up and gave a soft smile toward him. Even better than her idea of being closer, if she held on to him she certainly wouldn't lose him. He was so much brighter than she. There were things that he understood that she couldn't begin to dream of understand and, if it wasn't for the fact she hated to be a burden, perhaps he would've been able to explain to her the problems that she'd been having. They were delusions, bloody monsters and shadow beasts, but Nox didn't know that they weren't real. Flicking an ear lightly, she pushed the thoughts from her mind, closing her own small fingers around her brother's middle and index finger, holding them gently.
"Yea-ya-yeah!" She managed finally, her voice coming out just a bit louder than it usually did. She gave a quick wag of her tail at the idea also, only to further show her excitement over his idea. Sometimes Nox was embarrassed because she talked so differently from everyone else and, even though she knew Zadi didn't care about her different speak, she'd grown accustom to not saying much at all. "May-may-maybe t-t-they only li-like cer-ce-certain places!" She exclaimed in her small voice, giving his fingers a quick squeeze. However young and innocent Nox seemed, she understood that sometimes Zadi did things just to make her happy, and she loved him all the more for it.
[html]
Zadkiel was not the type who needed someone right beside him at every waking moment. No, he was comfortable waltzing around unknown territory without a family member by his side. He had his knives, he was smart, and he was bold. Zadkiel had that overconfident air about him that could be very dangerous if it continued to blossom. But he could care less, he had no fears, as far as he was concerned, he might as well be immortal.
But his siblings, on the other hand, were not quite so able. The D’Angelo clan was in fact a bit eccentric when it all came down to it. He had a brother who fantasized about being a mermaid, a sister who suffered from delusions and liked dancing around for no apparent reason, and of course Nox who was very timid and was hardly capable on her own. Even he was nowhere near normal, with his strange obsession with knives and death. But at least he could survive, for his siblings he feared the worst.
As her cheerfulness on the subject came forth in a rather confident confirmation, a smile broke out on the cream-colored boys face. Zadkiel held tight to his tiniest sister’s hand, as though reassuring her that he wasn’t going to let her go. As she spoke up with her thoughts, the lone wolf nodded eagerly, playing along as much as he could to encourage Nox. "Yeah! I bet you’re right, Noxxy!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "They prolly turn off their lights, so we can’t see ‘em! We gotta look realllll hard to find ‘em I bet! Where do you think we should look first?" he asked sincerely. Zadkiel had learned that it was best to include his sister in everything he did. When he did that, she seemed to lose her fear a bit and open up. He loved his sister dearly and at heart, all he really wanted was to see her having a good time.
[html]
I adore how quickly they've fallen in to the point that it seems like they really have been together their whole lives. XD
Without Zadkiel, Nox would have been lost, she was almost certain about that. She relied on her siblings for just about everything and, though she wasn't entirely aware of it, that fact was not at all a good thing. They all still had some growing to do, but Nox had proven to be slower in her maturity than most, held back by her timid ways and the fact that she was often frightened of anything that was foreign to her. The most important thing was that she tried her hardest though and most of the time it was because of her brother. She didn't want to be a burden on him forever, and so she tried. It was the least that she could do.
Once again his brilliance came in the form of words. Words that lit her eyes up with sudden understanding and excitement. She nodded her head in a furious manner, using her free hand to point off toward a large grouping of trees. Though bare, fireflies were often small and it was likely that they could still hide themselves well. This time before speaking she slowed her breathing, concentrating of forming her words, because sometimes if she tried hard enough she could get most of them out sounding at least halfway normal. "M-maaaybe they tuuurned th-th-their liiiights o-off annnd th-they're hiiiiding in the tree-trees." Her words came out extended due to the stutter that threatened to take over. Often she didn't do this unless she had quite a lot to say.
There was also a chance that they weren't out yet though and the inky colored girl understood this. "I-If we c-ca-can't fi-iind 'em mayb-maybe theeey're sle-sleepin' like the b-b-b-bears." She stated then, lifting her slender head up to stare up at her brother, sweet smile still fully intact across her face. That wasn't to say that she didn't want to try looking though, she would have been horribly disappointed to find that they were actually just hiding and she'd missed the chance to frolic with them.
[html]
i agree, their relationship is just adorable. 
Zadkiel would never claim to love one of his siblings more than the others. However, there was no denying the fact that there was a special relationship between he and Nox. It wasn’t really that he needed Nox to survive, because he could easily make his way through every day alone if he had to. No, it was more that Nox needed him. And quite frankly, Zadkiel loved the fact that she needed him, he loved the fact that she relied on him. He liked supporting her and helping her through the day. It just made him feel good.
Zadkiel knew that Nox’s development was a bit slower than normal, but he saw how hard she tried to excel despite her disadvantages. He watched her through bright eyes as her breathing slowed and her brows furrowed in concentration to form the words she so desperately wanted to come out. Sure, they weren’t perfect when they left her lips, but she had tried, and that was all that mattered.
"Noxxy, when’d you get so smart!" he complimented, referring to her final words. "You’re absolutely right, they could be just like the bears! Y’know what that is? That’s called hibernation," he said, eager to provide her with a new piece of knowledge.
Bending down, he hunched over slightly and released her hand. "Here, Noxxy, I’ll give ya a piggy-back ride and we can go look for those fireflies!" Holding out his arms to support her, he looked over his shoulder, waiting for his sister to hop on for the ride.
[html]
Sometimes, often very late at night when her siblings were sleeping, Nox would lay awake and wonder why she was the way that she was. Her memory wasn't the greatest, but even when she tried as hard as she possibly could, she couldn't think of anything that she had done wrong to make her be that way. She didn't understand why and sometimes it got to the point that it had her so frustrated that she would just burst out crying. It was those moments, along with the sudden delusions that she'd been having, that the girl kept to herself. Nox didn't want to bother them with those things.
When Zadikiel spoke large ears flopped forward on her head, tail picking up pace behind her. She grinned at him, delighted by the compliment and obviously proud of herself. Fireflies and spending time with her brother were two of her most favorite things and they could only become better when she did something good and he noticed it. She wasn't ashamed to show that she was proud of herself, especially when he thought it was noteworthy enough to mention it. Unfortunately though, Nox didn't really have an answer for his question. She didn't even know when she'd gotten that smart. Perhaps she'd heard it somewhere.
"Hi-hi-hibeeaaaarnati-ti-tion." The girl repeated back to him, though not quite correct, testing the word out. Her attempts would have continued had he not moved, leaning down and then speaking. Nox squealed with delight at the very moment that he did so, shaking with excitement at the confirmation of what she had been thinking. Scrambling forward, the girl was quick to hoist herself on to her brother's back, slipping her arms over his shoulders and curling them near his neck. She knew better than to hold on to his neck though and instead kept them firmly across his chest. Making certain that she wasn't going to fall off, she pointed forward, off toward the trees. "Oooover th-there!"
[html]
The D'Angelo boy was easily one of the brightest children of his age. He understood things that most his age could not, and there was a sense of maturity about him that was almost strange in itself. Easily, he was the most developed of his litter. And that only seemed to pile more responsibility on him. Zadkiel felt that because he acted older than his siblings, it meant he had to protect each and every one of them. Luckily, it was a task that Zadkiel did not mind in the slightest.
The smile he'd flashed towards his sister had yet to leave his face, and the bright eyed child grinned all the more at her effort to repeat the new word he had taught her. The D'Angelo children were already fluent in more than one language, and Zadkiel had made it his goal to master each one of them. Such was done with a lot of reading and writing, and in order to spread his knowledge he passed it to his siblings. "Very good, Noxxy!" he exclaimed, touching her affectionately on the cheek.
Zadkiel huffed as she scrambled onto his back and he quickly looped his arms around her legs to give her some support. "One, two, three!" he counted, before rising up to bring her off the ground. As she pointed in the direction that she wished to go, Zadkiel tore off, running as fast as he could with the extra load, hoping to provide his sister with some fun. As they neared the trees, Zadkiel's speed slowed and he finally slowly dropped to his knees, allowing her to step off his back. "So, how should we find these fireflies?" he asked, careful to keep his voice low, "Remember, we gotta whisper so we don't scare them away," he explained, looking around sincerely.
[html]
With a count of three she was in the air, wrapping her legs around him as he lifted her up, and she squealed in delight from the moment they began moving. He began to run, which only doubled and then tripled her excitement, though she knew well enough not to move or wiggle around to much, both of them could get hurt if she did. Nox tucked her head down, resting the side of her face against his neck and the bottom of her chin against his shoulder, keeping her head stable as the ran along. It was indeed a wonderful ride, which was made very obvious by the squeals of joy that seemed to come nonstop. It died down though, the moment that he slowed, and the inky girl hushed herself, eyes wide and searching.
Finally they stopped and her brother knelt down. Know this as the sign to remove herself, Nox happily slid herself off of his back, crouching low the very moment that her feet returned to the earth. Ears tipped forward to listen to him then, reaching for the quiet words, and when they registered in her mind she froze. She was deep in thought suddenly, trying to think of what might be the best place to find them. Often when she saw them back home they were fluttering through the trees, dancing their sacred dance. The ones back home were easy for her to find though, they were her friends, and the ones here hadn't yet gotten the chance to get to know her.
"On-on-on the tr-trees." She said quietly, which was one of the things that she excelled at, pointing with one finger toward the cluster of trees where she had been carried to. "B-b-be carrrref-f-ful." She told him then, placing a small hand against his arm for a brief moment, giving him a more serious look that usual. "D-don't wa-wanna squeee-squish 'em." The last thing she wanted to do was see a firefly get hurt. Nox moved away from him then, creeping along, and turning her head back over her shoulder to make sure that he was still there as she approached the trees.
|
