Like trying to save an ice cube from the cold

Scorpius D'Angelo · 01-04-2011, 04:43 AM

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ooc ZOMG! ^_^ wc 788

Night had fallen and blanketed the Anathema pack lands, and bright stars littered the cloud patched sky, though deep within the caverns that the pack called home, the little D'Angelo pup was oblivious to it all. He rarely knew when day or night passed, save for when the occasional light spilled into the cracks and pocks in the rock formations overhead. When it was daylight, Scorpius noticed these vents in passing. At night, he never thought twice about them.

The sable pelted pup had not left the caves in weeks. He had not ventured out since his little excursion that landed him in strange territory with the pup from Dahlia de Mai. Those hours had been branded in his memory, both fond and frightening. He had disobeyed and disappointed his mother, Naniko, and ever since had been striving to return to her good graces. At every turn, he tried to show that he was a good pup by following the rules and enforcing them on his cousin Juju even when the rusty pup was not violating them. He focused on his family, obsessed with trailing after either his mother or his brother Harlowe, and since Naniko tended to pack business more frequently than his punk brother, Harlowe was usually the one stuck with the little shadow.

Harlowe was petulant and resentful, and young Scorpius was completely oblivious. He had taken a natural liking to the man the day he met him, when Anathema was formed and the territory first claimed. He crawled out of the basket that he and Juju slumbered in and plopped himself down right next to his brother, not knowing at all that he was his brother at the time. Later he learned that he and the seal-point man were related, and that sealed it for him. He was his brother, and he was a grown up, and that made him ten times cooler than Juju. Ever since, Scorpius bided his time shadowing the man, just waiting for those green eyes to flick to his face and then rewarding his older brother with his goofy puppy grin.

It hadn't taken long for Harlowe to begin to give Scorpius the slip. Scorpius never got the hint, though, and if someone else was not around to entertain him, he would spend every waking hour searching the veins of Anathema for his brother. That was what he was up to tonight.

He had no idea where Harlowe was, so Scorpius padded slowly through one of the many hallways, black nose pressed against the ground. He sniffed rapidly, detecting Harlowe's scent and trying to decipher which way the man had gone. Being young, Scorpius was hardly a blood hound, but all the hours he spent searching for his brother were quickly improving his sense of smell. Still, tonight he was having no luck, running into dead end or following endless loops until he was right back where he started. Frustration finally got the best of him, and he huffed into the dust of the cave floor, sending little plumes up around him and making him sneeze. On the second sneeze, he bonked his nose into a rock, which only added insult to injury, and the pup sneezed again.

He made a little noise, a grumble that turned into a mournful whine as his eyes stared off into the darkness of the cavern. He glanced behind him, but only saw more stone past the graying hairs that were beginning to grow in his tail. Then, lightning struck, and the pup whipped around and took off through the den at a sprint. He knew where Harlowe would be! Well, if not now, then soon enough! Scorpius had searched this long, he could afford to exercise patience a little longer.

The boy galloped through the twisting meanders of the Anathema caves until he came to a particular fork that was not far from one of the many gaping entrances into the Anathema subterrane. He remembered following the man through this area more than once. When he arrived, he took a quick survey of his surroundings. No Harlowe yet, but he was in the right place, for the man's scent was strong on the path. He moved to the center of the fork and sat, his tail drumming on the ground – but his energy soon faded.

Bored, he studied every rock and crevasse around him, which gave him another bright idea. Won't Harlowe get a kick out of this... he thought to himself as he found the perfect hiding spot. He slipped his small ebony body into a wide fracture in the stone, his black pelt blending into the dimly lit surroundings. Now he just had to be patient... Harlowe would come...

Harlowe D'Angelo · 01-05-2011, 08:36 PM

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Word Count → 526 :: Dude, what an awesome post. :O

Harlowe was still settling into this place. Though one of his first actions had been to claim one of the cave-dens as his own, the boy had yet to truly settle into the space. He had lost some of his possessions in the shuffling moves from Phoenix Valley to Dahlia de Mai. The most terrible of these losses had been leaving Phoenix Valley -- Harlowe did not like to think of all the books he'd left behind in that pack. It quite nearly pained him. Though he had been able to gather more from the ample stores in Halifax -- especially the library, oh how he loved that place -- some of these he had left in Dahlia de Mai. He had not been able to carry them all from there to this place, and now his collection had dwindled yet again.

Upon realizing the path to Halifax had lengthened quite a bit, there was disappointment in Harlowe. One of the best things about living in Dahlia de Mai had been the closeness to the city. Harlowe cared very little for anything else about the pack, but their southernmost border extended almost to the edge of the city. He had been able to travel to the city and back within the span of only a few hours; here, the boy realized, he would have to leave nearly a day and a half to get all the way to Halifax and back. This was irritating, to say the least, but it was more important that he was here with mother, even if she did not seem to care for him as much as she used to. Though Harlowe was many months older than his younger brother, the boy did not account for his mother's leadership role in Anathema, and the fact that she had to care for the entire pack did not seem to occur to Harlowe.

Despite having found his own quarters, the young wolf did not spend much time there. He found it impossible -- Scorpius was always following him around, and staying in one static spot anywhere seemed like a bad idea. Harlowe did not want to make it any easier for his younger brother to figure out where he was. The pale-furred Zepar had taken to spending a fair amount of time above-ground, as this seemed to be the least-likely area for Scorpius to find him. Harlowe had been able to find some respite from the youth's annoyance there, and he had spent most of the day above-ground, deciding it safe to retreat to his cave only when night had completely enveloped Anathema's mountain.

The world was in shadow, and the chocolate-pointed boy moved through it with marked awkwardness, twisting his head this way and that as he walked. Wide olive-shaded eyes peered about, his natural nervousness made far more acute by his recently-acquired stalker. The entrance to the cave loomed before him, and the pale-furred boy entered as quietly as possible, still peering about and seeking any sign of his brother. Sadly, the boy was not perceptive enough to utilize any sense but his eyes, and so he did not smell Scorpius.

Scorpius D'Angelo · 01-06-2011, 03:34 AM

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out Thank you! <3 wc 716

Perhaps in the future Harlowe's distaste for the little pup would be damaging to Scorpius's psyche, but for now the boy was too young to understand what it meant to be disliked, so to him this was all one big game. Although he hated it when Harlowe disappeared on him it made him like his brother even more when he did find him, and he always reveled in that sense of accomplishment and pride. He had done something good! He had caught up with his older brother, who had been so busy that he had forgotten to come get Scorpius and take him along on whatever task he was doing then. Maybe he had even helped Harlowe. Harlowe probably never came to find him because he knew Scorpius would eventually sniff him out, so Harlowe did not have to fear a day without his brother because he was faithful in Scorpius's abilities. It was a good feeling, and Scorpius basked in the balm of self-admiration.

Something moved at the mouth of the cave and Scorpius's ruby eyes widened. He had been so lost in thought that he almost missed it, but luckily he noticed at the last moment so he would not let his brother down! The pup lurched forward, leaping into the middle of the path with a bark and shot his eyes upward... but there was no one there. Confused, Scorpius cocked his head and tested the air with his nose. It had only been one of those pesky cave rats. The stupid thing was going to blow his cover... He made a mental note to exact his revenge on the vermin soon.

Whipping back around, he quickly tucked himself back into his hiding spot and waited. Occasionally he braved giving himself away and peeked around the rock that hid his small body, but no one was coming. He sighed, wondering how long he could keep this up. It was obvious the babe would sit here for hours as long as he thought his brother was coming.

At least the boy was learning something from these antics. Though he did not know it yet, these games would help improve his abilities as a hunter later on in life. Constantly sniffing around for Harlowe's scent was rapidly improving Scorpius's sense of smell as well as his powers of deduction, and now he was sitting here exercising extreme patience. Perhaps later he would learn how successful a patient hunter could be. Moreover, the boy was becoming keener, trying to predict his 'prey's' next move before the quarry even knew what it was doing.

And there was the quarry now...

Scorpius perked up when his little ears thought they detected the whisper of foot-paws as they reverberated off the cave walls. He jerked up, leaping to all fours and dying to peek around the stone to confirm that it was Harlowe coming towards him... ...but if I do that, then I'll be caught.He shook his head, reassuring himself that he needed to wait, and pretended his paws were made of the heaviest substance known to Luperci kind so he could not move. The pup crouched... the steps grew louder... nearer...

He gritted his teeth and his little heart pounded in his ears. Harlowe was upon him! It was time to leap out into his path and surprise him... But no, wait! he thought to himself, and hunkered down even lower as the unsuspecting man passed by.

Now! He screamed to himself interally, and his maw parted with a feral, childish snarl. He surged forth, leaping out of his hiding spot, forepaws splayed as he soared through the air, jaws open. He did not know what he was going to do until he had done it, and he had little time to even reassure himself that this was Harlowe he was doing it to. He had waited so long and was so sure that this would be his pale brother that he was unconcerned about confirming the Luperci's identity.

The pup's jaws clamped down and there between his teeth was the fruit of his labor. Warm, soft fuzziness. Filament lodged between his teeth and absorbed his spit, and there the mischievous coal pup swayed a couple inches off the ground, his jaws firmly attached to his brother's tail.

Harlowe D'Angelo · 01-07-2011, 05:07 AM

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Word Count → 397 :: Herp!

The past few weeks had set Harlowe's teeth on edge. When he had first come to Anathema, it was supposed to have been his safe haven, the place where Mother returned home to him. He had been so happy upon first finding that meeting and coming across Mother there; the chocolate-tipped boy could have died of his joy at the sight of his pale-furred mother again. Everything had been just heavenly for fifteen minutes, or maybe even less, and then the shadow made himself known. Scorpius. Harlowe hadn't even cared when his mother had initially spoken of his brother's existence; it was only upon realizing that yes, indeed, there was a live, actual younger brother of his now did the news truly sink in for the Zepar. Since then, everything had been terrible -- his mother had paid him nearly no mind, and Harlowe simply could not comprehend that she had the whole pack to care for. She was their leader -- while he knew this well, he did not truly understand what all of it entailed.

Harlowe wanted nothing more than to simply head home and curl up in his cave for the night. He had always been an early sleeper and riser, but living underground did not allow him quite the same luxury. With no sun to shine on his face, he had been sleeping in later each day, which made it more difficult for him to sneak away from Scorpius before the boy was up and looking for him. He was exhausted from thinking and pacing and writing, which he did plenty of -- most of his time now was spent doing just that. His thoughts rarely changed; they merely churned over mother and her rejection, Scorpius and his ability to annoy. There were no solutions that he could see, and though his thoughts were all the same cycle of doubt, guilt, rage, and sadness, he wrote them down anyway, expecting some different outcome from the very same motions.

The chocolate-tipped boy was deep in thought upon entering the cave, and so he did not detect Scorpius. The sudden scuffle behind him registered a moment too late, and a searing pain bit through his tail, red hot and like fire. He yelped in pain and swung around wildly, swinging his thin arms into the shadows directly behind him, still whimpering and yelping his pain.

Scorpius D'Angelo · 01-07-2011, 05:31 AM

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WC 417

Scorpius's teeth hit home and his jaws latched down like a death grip. As Harlowe spun around in confusion and surprise the pup swung on his tail, a heavy weight bearing down on the pale man's rear. It only lasted a fraction of a second, though, before Scorpius's maw loosened and his hold on his brother's tail slipped. He trailed down the appendage, tearing little chunks of fur out in his teeth as he went, and clattered to the ground. He hit the stone cave floor hard and rolled, but recovered swiftly and popped right back up to all four paws. His chest puffed out in satisfaction as he trotted up to his brother, who was turned around but likely realized the weight that had fallen from his own rear with a thump. Scorpius laughed wholeheartedly, clearly pleased with what he had done.

“Hey Harlowe!” He yelped in joy. “I surprised ya, didn't I? I think I'm becoming a good hunter. I bet ya didn't even know I was there!” He chuckled again and hopped on his forepaws, circling Harlowe's feet until he became so excited that he reared back onto his hind paws and propped his front paws against Harlowe like a dog who was excited to see it's master... or a puppy who was excited to see his brother.

His ears twitched with excitement and he barked up at Harlowe. “We should go hunting together soon. Hey, whatcha doin' right now? You didn't think I was going to forget about ya, did you? It's okay, I'll always find you.” He nudged at Harlowe's hand, oblivious to the man's tenseness or the fact that he was just swiping at air from the prank the pup had played. The little whooshing sounds of air billowing in and out came from Scorpius's dark nose as he worked to take in the scents on his brother's hands, interested in what he had just been up to.

“Are you heading back in to sleep? Race ya!” He chirped out the words just before dropping back down to all fours and jogging off into the darkness of the cave. He was gone for a moment, but soon the pitter-patter of his puppy paws preceded him in the passageway as he pranced back into perception. He was eagerly awaiting Harlowe's pursuit and his brother clearly was taking too long. He yipped at his brother and circled him again. “You comin'? Hey, did you bring anything to eat?”

Harlowe D'Angelo · 01-10-2011, 07:18 AM

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Word Count → 459 :: 8D

He should have known better. The pale-shaded man should have stayed out later or something -- now his tail ached and Scorpius was there, rapid-firing questions into an utterly stone-faced Harlowe, who peered down at Scorpius with a strange and seething rage brewing behind his olive-shaded eyes. This shadow-furred thing was the embodiment of all that was wrong with his life at the moment. There was something broken in Harlowe, and the chocolate-tipped boy knew it was the fault of this tiny thing. When Naniko had brought him in the world, she had given up part of her love for Harlowe. If she had not relinquished that little bit, maybe she would have had enough to love him when all his sins were laid out neatly before her.

Harlowe knew, he knew without so much as an inkling of doubt, that his mother would learn of Rio someday. She would learn of that other woman, half-black and half-white, and how he had desired her so upon thinking the stranger was Naniko herself. She'd learn how angry he became when he discovered the stranger was not, in fact, his beloved mother but an impostor of half-charcoaled fur. She would see these things in him -- he would not be able to keep them from her forever. And even knowing this innately, he stared at Scorpius, thinking this child was the answer to his problems. It was only logical that if Scorpius was not there there would be more time, more love, more Naniko for Harlowe to have. His shallow, sharp chest rose steadily now, his breathing calmed, and he started after Scorpius, an almost mechanical clunkiness to his movements.

“Come with me and we'll eat by the fire,” he said, awkward as ever in his speech. There was no automatic charm for Harlowe to turn on upon wishing to direct someone to his will. It would be by sheer luck alone he could ever manage to trick or manipulate; it was simply not a part of his social graces to be able to sweet-talk one even so simple-minded as a child. His intelligence might have been worlds beyond Scorpius, but the sad truth was, the younger of the pair likely could have easily outsmarted or even stumped Harlowe in any area which required actual social skill. Harlowe possessed none. He walked down and through the caves, passing by the artifacts and other decor beginning to cling to the walls, his olive-shaded eyes seeking the flickering orange that signified their nearness to fire. He did not know these caves well enough to navigate them naturally; he relied on landmarks and other clues to direct him. His pace quickened as they drew nearer, trying to draw Scorpius into running ahead of him.

Scorpius D'Angelo · 01-19-2011, 05:06 PM

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Out of Character

Sorry for my slowness! WC 546

In Character

A more keen wolf might not have been fooled by Harlowe's stilted words, but just hearing something come forth from the mouth of his brother was enough to deaden all of Scorpius's senses. He wanted to be with Harlowe, to hang out with his older brother and learn the things he knew. It was the second best thing to being with Naniko herself, even if Harlowe acted far different around the pup than Naniko did. The man was far more withdrawn and did not shower Scorpius with affections and deep bits of knowledge and training as his mother did. Yet still he loved Harlowe for the simple fact that they were brothers. Or maybe there was something more, though he could not pinpoint what, and at this moment did not even have the depth to wonder what the draw was all about.

His ears twitched when Harlowe finally said something to him, and his puppy face widened in a pleased grin. He nodded emphatically and made a circuit around Harlowe's feet, probably making it even more difficult for the man to navigate the twisting tunnels of Anathema. He did not stay underfoot for long, though, for he soon turned and bounced several feet ahead.

“What do ya have to eat? Rabbit? Oh, I'm starting to love rabbit. But not many people bring it back here. Snow bunnies.” He snorted and stopped walking to fiercely shake his head as though he had one of the animals in his jaws and was shaking the life out of it. He had never caught anything himself, but he had been practicing stunning already-dead animals when they were small enough to pick up. He was known to be a bit of a messy eater. “I'll learn to catch them one day. Oh! Maybe a fat deer.” He began to trot ahead again, now salivating at the thought of a good meal. Little bits of moisture could be felt on the ground here and there, droplets of drool from the hungry pup's mouth.

The pair arrived at another fork and he paused and looked up to Harlowe, but instead of asking the question he considered, he turned and hopped down one of the passageways, confident that his brother would follow. For a moment he was unsure of whether or not Harlowe wanted to go back to his own den or eat in the common area, but the scent of the pack's stores caught his nose before he asked and lured him toward the kitchen. Ahead and just around the bend he could see the soft orange glow that spilled part way down the tunnel. It was the cast of the fire that always burned within. He grinned. If there was one thing he loved more than food, it was fire.

The pup dashed into the kitchen room ahead of Harlowe and pranced over to the low burning fire. His eyes scanned the area but found no one there to tend the flames, which was probably why they were so low. He glanced over his shoulder waiting for his brother to enter the room.

“Harlowe, come quick! The fires almost out,” he said, almost a bit mournfully. He was too young to know how to tend and feed a fire.

Harlowe D'Angelo · 02-15-2011, 04:54 AM

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Word Count → 407 :: Derp last post? Also derp powerplay, PM or catch me in chat if you want me to change please. :o

Harlowe was, as always, quiet to his brother's babbling. If there was one thing he had gotten quite good at, it was ignoring the senselessness that came out of the boy's mouth. Harlowe could not recall himself ever having acted in such a manner, nor his sisters. This irritation, coupled with the fact that Naniko acted as if he simply did not exist, had driven Harlowe beyond rational thought. He would do the only thing he knew would get rid of his irritation and draw attention on him again -- he would get rid of Scorpius. The boy ran ahead as planned, and the cold olive gaze of the elder brother watched the youth's fleeting hindquarters.

His mind did not race or wander; he was strangely focused and collected. The boy knew what needed to be done -- Larkspur maybe had not finished training him, Harlowe maybe had failed at more than one aspect of whatever training he had received, but he had drawn one thing from that. He could hurt those that got in his way and stopped him from what he wanted. He was not powerless. The warm glow of the fire drew him forward slowly, his mind still calculating the proper steps, what he needed to do. The fire was disappointingly low, and the youth hesitated a moment, looking around until he saw the firewood carefully stacked against one of the straighter walls of the room.

He glanced back to the fire. It was low, but there were still plenty of hot coals and a few licking flames. He did not know if this was enough to kill Scorpius, but it might be enough. He took a few quiet, quick steps toward Scorpius and leaned down, shoving both arms forward with as much force as he could muster at the young boy's body, aiming to knock him forward into the flame. His opened palms connected with the boy's ribcage, and this was all Harlowe could bear to stick around for. He had no desire to stay and watch the aftermath; as quickly as he had carried out this action, he retreated away, running full-tilt toward his quiet and secluded room at the back of the caves. The walls whipped past him at a dizzying speed, the the boy thought he could hear whimpers and screams echoing through the caves, but he could not stop to determine whether or not this was in his head.

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