Post by Curiosity on Jun 10, 2009 23:04:43 GMT -5
Characters Involved:
Haze, male wolf, Lazuli alpha
Cottonpaws, female wolf, Viridian alpha
Shag, male wolf, Viridian member
Haben, male wolf, Viridian member
=== Pristine Lake ===
It's all so peaceful right now, it's time to relax, take some moments to think, see the trees move, listen to the wind, the birds, relax! There's no imminent trouble, no one coming, no dangers, nothing. Just Cotton, the wind and her thoughts (which often are too loud to let her think of other stuff). At least things are looking better for the others right now, specially her son. If he didn't shut up about noises and questions about the water, now he doesn't shut up asking for things he doesn't need to know yet, like. . . Hunting! But he's doing good so far, and that makes all moms happy, not to mention it makes her proud as Alpha. The female rests near the lake, close enough to see the fish swimming near the water's edge, keeping an eye on the other side, how things look so distant just because she has no intentions of moving for a long time. She's just too lazy right now.
It's been a number of days since the Amaranth's leader escorted him to the bordered patch of land that separated cougar tribe from wolf territory, but - as ashamed as he is to admit it to himself - Haze has been lagging around at the outskirts, preparing himself for his return to the valley of his puphood. They say you can always go home, but it's not always an easy journey. This morning, the reticent wolf finally gathered enough wits to press onward, straight back into the heart of the familiar packlands. He's just now reaching the lake at the top of Viridian Valley when he spots the stark, unmistakeable form of his dark-furred and white-pawed sister lounging about at the water's edge. Making a soft little 'whuff' to draw her attention as he approaches, Haze approaches his sister not with the eagerness one might expect, but instead with the ambling walk of a long-lost brother.
It's amazing how her brother needs an escort to come back home, it's like males are just SO stupid that things are easily forgotten, go figure, it's HER brother after all, that Haze that only caused trouble and pain. The question now is, what brings him here, he wants to be a jackass again and hurt those who raised him, or just visiting to actually try and make things up. Probably the second reason since it took him so much to finally get close to the territory. Cotton doesn't need to turn around to know who's coming, it's called 'Seventh' sense. His scent has changed, and go figure, Cotton can still smell that fiend's scent all over the place. At least he's happy, right? The female doesn't turn, doesn't move, not even her ears seem to aknowledge the sounds coming from behind, but she knows her brother is close enough, "Welcome back..." Not welcome home since THAT MIGHT offend him, everything does, "I... Never thought you'd come around." Unlike her brother, Cotton is actually happy, but don't let him see her face!
Shag's been keeping himself busy these days, training himself to do what he thinks his parents will inevitably allow him to do: become Beta, lead the pack, be all that he can be, that sort of thing. He's focused today on trying to get his tracking senses in order... which they are, but his father left him with such high expectations that he's becoming a bit of a perfectionist. Now "training" is all he ever does. Fortunately, though, it's allowed him to pick up on a new scent coming into the land: a new wolf he has never seen in his life. He's been following the male ever since he entered their territory, watching and waiting from a distance to see how the Alpha will react to him. What she says makes him tilt his head curiously. Who is this stranger?
His sister doesn't even glance in his direction before she seems to know who he is -- either she's just that good, or maybe she doesn't even want to look at him? The brindled male always did have a tendency to consider the negatives, though he tried to be positive enough to make up for it. Haze pads up to within a shorter distance than perhaps a stranger might occupy with the alpha, and he considers her words briefly before responding. "Hey. I promised I would." He glances over towards the west, down the entrance of the vale as far as he can see. "How are things? Is, uh, mom around?"
If she's not looking, it's not because she hates him and would only glare daggers to the male, she's just good and she wants to hear his voice, get used to it before looking to see how much he's changed. Eventually, she is 'forced' to turn around to face him, her head slowly leaning to a side, enough to see the same idiot she calls her brother, and indeed he's changed. After all this time, she only remembers him as the scruffy-looking kid who would make everyone upset, but now he's an adult, old bastard he is, "She's with Luna now.." The female simply responds to him, if she was happy to see her brother, now she's upset again to have to deliver this kind of news. You don't want to go back home after long years just to hear that your mother moved on. Cotton slowly stands up, that large belly making her groan in the process, she should be in the den 24-7 now. No further words come from her as she simply steps forward to give him a nuzzle, resting her head on his neck, she always wondered what she'd do if he ever came back, and fortunately for him he's not about to rip his throat off, "It happened two winters ago, she went out with Sierra- your other sister- and they never came back." Does he even remember he had another sister?
Shag drops down into the vicinity of the lake now, heading swiftly towards the other wolf and eyeing him warily. He can't remember anything about this one... is he another family member that came back hoping for a friendly reception? Why does mom's family seem to like leaving so much? "Hello?" he asks simply, injecting himself into the conversation rather abruptly. "Mother? Who's this? I smelled him coming in... you know him?"
Does he? Who knows with the introverted male. Truth be told, he reacts less to the news of her passing than his mother's, but perhaps that's not so unexpected, even for a disperser from the family pack like him. But then again, his reaction isn't anything dramatic, but perhaps that's not so unexpected as well. Haze sighs, eyes lowering as the knowledge settles in, even returning the familial embrace -- though doing so allows him to notice the swell of her belly. "Congratulations, Cotton. I have four of my own." The sudden interruption takes him by surprise, the other male having followed him unnoticed, and Haze turns around towards the new voice.
Cottonpaws has two, is this some kind of competition now? Well guess what, she carried those two, so it counts for something! "Three, lost one to the flood." And speaking of which, it's about time they meet, even if the situation is not the correct one. For once, she wanted to be with her brother alone so they could talk, but hey, her son has always proven to be quite curious with everything, everyone, so she's not about to stop him, she'll talk with Haze later. The female lifts her head, standing beside her brother and looking between the two males. Shag must think she's some kind of whore now, always close to males no matter who they are! "Shag? I want you to meet your uncle Haze. He left long before you were born." With a smile on her face, she nudges her brother's shoulder, go ahead, don't be a jerk and meet your nephew!
Shag leans in closer and sniffs Haze, giving him the same treatment he gives just about every stranger: a long, scrutinizing stare and a silence that's very nearly eerie, as if he's forming some kind of judgment about Haze already. It drags on for a full minute before Shag speaks at all. "... Huh," is all he says at first. "You're the second rogue come by that's actually related to me. Weird," he notes, poking at his shoulder with a curious paw. "Well, I'm your nephew Shag. Cotton's son. Hi."
Uncle Haze? Huh. Interesting title into the ones he's already attained. So this is one of his sister's pups. It was weird seeing what he himself helped bring into the world, and it was just as weird seeing what a sibling had. The full minute isn't broken by any words from Haze, either, leaving the pair of males to quietly scope each other out. "Hello, Shag. I'm Cotton's long-lost brother." Another accurate title.
Why is she not surprised, everytime Cotton predicts certain reaction from someone close to her, it always turn to a whole different thing. It has to be a guy thing, being random and completely bland when there's supposed to be emotion in the whole meet-family thing. Cotton sees the interaction between the two, God they can't shut up, they're both so excited that the conversation doesn't seem to have any sense at all.... Or rather one uncomfortable long minute of nada. Slowly she settles down on her haunches, she's getting tired, grrr.
"So I heard," is Shag's simple response to the straightforward male. "I guess now we get to ask where you've been and what you've been doing?" he wonders, one ear going up as the other goes down against his head. Yes, such a riveting conversationalist Shag has grown up to be. "I, uh... I don't really know what else to say," he admits with a sheepish bow of his head. "I guess Haben will be a little happier, since you must be his brother... This is kind of sudden. Just like when dad came back... did you used to know Friti?"
Haze hehs, smirking bemusedly at the younger wolf and his way of getting straight to the point. Not that the estranged brother is much better. "I suppose so." At the mention of Friti, Haze's memory flickers as he remembers his life and times from before he set out on his own, putting a face to the name...and when he places it, his snout lifts in the slightest subtle gesture of displeasure. "I knew him somewhat, yes." He glances sidelong back at Cottonpaws, inquiringly. "Did you two end up becoming the new Ones?"
That's the kind of things she didn't want to talk about with her brother, or even have them mentioned while he was here. She has her reasons, and no wonder but seems things get bad when they talk about it. The female slowly goes down to the ground like before, resting flat on the ground and just looking up at the males while they talk. Friti this, Friti that, this is weird, no duh kid... If you ask her, she NEVER thought her family would talk things like that when gettin reunited, what's next, Haben will show up and act the same way now? "Yes.." Cotton offers to her brother, not sure what else to say about the matter, "Turns out he wasn't that bad after all."
Speaking of the devil, Haben happens to be walking on by when the sound of nearby voices catches his ears. By the smell of it, seems like it's his sister, his nephew, and... some other wolf? Even if he hasn't been around the general population of the pack as of late, he's fairly sure he would have noticed or at least heard if a stranger had wandered in, right? Curious, Haben makes his way over to the group, eventually coming through a small bush to join everyone. Well at least there's not a scuffle going on. Quite the opposite it seems, if Shag is actually talking to the stranger. "Umm... hi?" he says, not exactly in a rude way but in more of a 'who-are-you-and-what-are-you-doing-here' kind of way.
Shag can see that bringing up Friti, for reasons he probably should have figured, has caused some tension... and at that point he decides to shift gears and head to another subject. "Yeah, so, he came back... and what about you? We did only just meet," he says with a quirky smile. "Might as well get to know each other if we're family..." And then he notices Haben. Oh look! Even *more* family! Joy of joys. "Hey Uncle Haben, your long-lost brother's back!" he says very matter-of-factly.
"Oh." Comes the simple response. Of course. "Lark and I are alphas of Lazuli now, too," he explains to both mother and son. Not that Haze is even sure Cottonpaws would care about the news. He's just saying it to make conversation, or fill in his missing history with the family...or at least fill in what would be an awkward silence. His ear swivels when another voice is heard, but a scent of this male brings back memories of his family, and he knows him to be one of his younger brothers...one of his mother's second litter that he only knew for a brief while before he left for Lazuli and Larkspur. He opens his mouth to greet the new visitor, hesitating when Shag sums things up quite succinctly, then finally speaking afterwards: "Hey. It's Haze. Remember me at all?"
Cottonpaws does care about such things, hey, so he ran away with miss fluffy tail, so what? He's happy and has a family now, being Alpha just being a plus... Thank God mom isn't alive to hear Haze say that, she'd be the one upset about it. The female stays right there, glancing at her other brother as he decides to show up, not surprised that he doesn't seem to remember Haze, this is just one big broken family, isn't it? Silent, she just waits.
Haben looks a little bit startled at what Shag tells him. A long lost brother that isn't Lexus, Liam, or Atreyu? The wolf tries to search his brain for any memory of this Haze fellow, but comes up with nothing. "Erm... no. Sorry," he says, laying his ears back in a small amount of embarrassment that he can't seem to remember this brother of his. Especially since he says that he's the alpha of something. You think with something like that he would have heard more about this Haze guy. "Name's Haben though. Glad to meet you."
Shag looks between Haben and Haze with that one ear up, one ear down expression again, apparently a sign of befuddlement for him. "Huh," he says again. "I hope we *all* don't know each other," he says with a bit of a smirk. "That'd be just embarrassing." He wags his tail and steps back to let the half-brothers get re-acquainted, but not before saying something for himself again. "Oh, by the way, I'm training for Beta," he says to Haze out of the blue, smiling proudly. and somewhat inanely. "You know... just so you know."
Haze shrugs his shoulders in a 'no worries' gesture at Haben's response - he shouldn't be surprised. "I left while you guys were still pups. I was in the area, so I swung by for a visit." He glances back at Shag at his sudden announcement, and he offers a pleasant-enough smile. "Congrats." In a weird way, Shag isn't so different from himself...but it makes sense, his family's got weird genes.
"Yeah, that would explain it," Haben says with a small smile, feeling a bit less guilty about not knowing a family member. Phew, that could have been awkward. The wolf walks over to his older sister and leans down to give her a small nuzzle right before Shag makes his little announcement. "He sure has, and I've been working him hard for it," Haben says with a small chuckle. "He's been doing a great job though. Doesn't ever complain about anything."
Shag nods several times in agreement with Haben. Nope, he's never complained, not once! Not even when Haben surprise attacked him near Friti, who was understandably flabbergasted seeing them "fighting." He wags his tail even more enthusiastically on hearing that little tidbit of praise. "I run every day," he explains. "And I've been getting better at going long distances. It's hard, but... it'll be worth it," he says confidently. "What about you, Haze? You said you're an Alpha? *That* mustn't have been easy to come by."
Haze looks back and forth between his younger brother and nephew as they explain the beta-in-training's regiment, smiling and nodding politely. When he's questioned, Haze chuckles and shifts his stance and answers. "Well, it was pretty unexpected, actually. I wasn't so sure the alpha male, Larkspur's dad, liked me too much. But...after he died, her mom put us in charge of her family's pack." The brindle-furred wolf has noticed his sister's silence as she watches the three of them interact, and the awkwardness from his youth has lingered on even still, causing the displaced male to shift his weight once again. "Um, do you want me to stay another day or so?" he inquires, primarily addressing his sister - she's in charge, after all. "I let Lark know I'd be gone, but I didn't want to stay too long, or impose on the family."
~Now you just have to sleep with the Alpha's daughter and Bingo, keep that in mind kid.~ That's likely the first thing that comes to Cotton's mind once his son decides to ask such question, fortunately Haze isn't like THAT and doesn't give her son any ideas. Cotton returns her brother a soft nuzzle once he's close, leaning close enough to murmur something into Haben's ear. Just a little reminder, by all means not trying to be rude to her brother. Her attention however is soon directed towards her brother, stay another day. That kinda makes her feel sad, so he's here for just some hours, "You know you're always welcome here, Haze. I do wish to talk with you about something if you decide to stay, or come back soon. It's up to you."
Haben leans his head down as Cotton goes to whisper something to him. When she's done, he looks at her a bit curiously but decides not to prod into it. With his sister's mood always changing by the day, it's probably best to not budge into topics regarding that. For now anyways. The wolf remains silent as Cotton replies to Haze but gives the older wolf a smile. He'd sure love to get to know his brother a lot more. Especially if he's an Alpha of some pack he's never really heard of before.
Shag's tail is still wagging when Haze suggests sticking around. He's gotten over being angry with family not being here... seems to be something of a theme in these lands anyway. "I wouldn't mind," he says quickly. "Maybe we can catch up... I haven't met wolves from other packs very often." Or, well, at all. In his life.
Haze nods simply in response to Cotton's reply, answering a moment later with one of his own, addressed to the general group this time in addition to the alphaess. "I can stay for a little while. Maybe we can go for a breakfast hunt tomorrow morning, for old time's sake?" He may be estranged, but he at least recognizes the relationship between them. The siblings certainly bonded through all the stuff they went through together, even when it wasn't always fun and games. "And we can talk."
Cottonpaws nods slowly at her brother's answer, sure, let the males hunt, "I don't think I actually CAN hunt right now." The mother offers with a soft tone, still offering a smile to her brother. She's glad he's staying, even if it was ten more minutes, it's something. She's glad to see him, after all this time, at least she's knows he's ok, the Alpha of the pack mom hated so much is her son, definitely a good thing she's gone. So many things she wants to talk about, but she's not sure if it's the right time to do so, with Habe and Shag around. The female stands up slowly, reaching over to nuzzle his brother once again, "Maybe even teach these two a thing or two." Being sure that if someone knows how to be a good wolf, that's Haze!
Haben smiles a bit at Haze's decision, his tail wagging behind him happily as he leans in to return the nuzzling his sister gives him. Having Haze stick aroud for a bit sounds like it could be fun for everyone. And with recent events going on... well everyone could use a bit of a boost. "Heh, maybe you could tell us some stories about Cotton when she was younger," he says to Haze with a grin. Ohh, how he would just /love/ to get some dirt on his sister after all the things she pulls on him. All in good fun of course.
Shag is fairly certain that his mother never told him a thing about her own childhood, so yes, he can get on the bandwagon of reminiscing about old family times. "A hunt sounds great," he says, mostly to himself. When was the last time he went hunting with other wolves? Never, that's when.
The Lazuli alpha laughs softly at his sister's words. "I can try." Glancing back at the pair of younger males, Haze realizes he hasn't been the best older brother or uncle (in fact, none at all), but he can at least try while he's here. "Oh, just wait. You'll never believe what she did once." And what juicy bit of gossip is that? Cottonpaws will never know. At least until someone else brings it up, long after he's split town again. Quick to change the subject and avoid his sister's wrath, Haze adds: "But we'll talk tomorrow. See you at daybreak."
Oh yeah, lets talk about the past! It's a good idea, considering Haze left for a good reason. It's in that moment when Cotton's ears pin down behind her head, she actually looks at her brother's neck just to see if she left any scar on him... That was just bad, probably one of the very few things she regrets to be honest. But hey, things happen for a reason. The wrath already rising as he DARES say something like that. She gives him that look that means more than a thousand words, good thing she's carrying pups else she'd go rip his brother a new one, "You can come join us near the den if you feel comfortable." The last thing she wants to do is have the pack treat her brother like a stranger stranded in the lake after all.
Haze, male wolf, Lazuli alpha
Cottonpaws, female wolf, Viridian alpha
Shag, male wolf, Viridian member
Haben, male wolf, Viridian member
=== Pristine Lake ===
It's all so peaceful right now, it's time to relax, take some moments to think, see the trees move, listen to the wind, the birds, relax! There's no imminent trouble, no one coming, no dangers, nothing. Just Cotton, the wind and her thoughts (which often are too loud to let her think of other stuff). At least things are looking better for the others right now, specially her son. If he didn't shut up about noises and questions about the water, now he doesn't shut up asking for things he doesn't need to know yet, like. . . Hunting! But he's doing good so far, and that makes all moms happy, not to mention it makes her proud as Alpha. The female rests near the lake, close enough to see the fish swimming near the water's edge, keeping an eye on the other side, how things look so distant just because she has no intentions of moving for a long time. She's just too lazy right now.
It's been a number of days since the Amaranth's leader escorted him to the bordered patch of land that separated cougar tribe from wolf territory, but - as ashamed as he is to admit it to himself - Haze has been lagging around at the outskirts, preparing himself for his return to the valley of his puphood. They say you can always go home, but it's not always an easy journey. This morning, the reticent wolf finally gathered enough wits to press onward, straight back into the heart of the familiar packlands. He's just now reaching the lake at the top of Viridian Valley when he spots the stark, unmistakeable form of his dark-furred and white-pawed sister lounging about at the water's edge. Making a soft little 'whuff' to draw her attention as he approaches, Haze approaches his sister not with the eagerness one might expect, but instead with the ambling walk of a long-lost brother.
It's amazing how her brother needs an escort to come back home, it's like males are just SO stupid that things are easily forgotten, go figure, it's HER brother after all, that Haze that only caused trouble and pain. The question now is, what brings him here, he wants to be a jackass again and hurt those who raised him, or just visiting to actually try and make things up. Probably the second reason since it took him so much to finally get close to the territory. Cotton doesn't need to turn around to know who's coming, it's called 'Seventh' sense. His scent has changed, and go figure, Cotton can still smell that fiend's scent all over the place. At least he's happy, right? The female doesn't turn, doesn't move, not even her ears seem to aknowledge the sounds coming from behind, but she knows her brother is close enough, "Welcome back..." Not welcome home since THAT MIGHT offend him, everything does, "I... Never thought you'd come around." Unlike her brother, Cotton is actually happy, but don't let him see her face!
Shag's been keeping himself busy these days, training himself to do what he thinks his parents will inevitably allow him to do: become Beta, lead the pack, be all that he can be, that sort of thing. He's focused today on trying to get his tracking senses in order... which they are, but his father left him with such high expectations that he's becoming a bit of a perfectionist. Now "training" is all he ever does. Fortunately, though, it's allowed him to pick up on a new scent coming into the land: a new wolf he has never seen in his life. He's been following the male ever since he entered their territory, watching and waiting from a distance to see how the Alpha will react to him. What she says makes him tilt his head curiously. Who is this stranger?
His sister doesn't even glance in his direction before she seems to know who he is -- either she's just that good, or maybe she doesn't even want to look at him? The brindled male always did have a tendency to consider the negatives, though he tried to be positive enough to make up for it. Haze pads up to within a shorter distance than perhaps a stranger might occupy with the alpha, and he considers her words briefly before responding. "Hey. I promised I would." He glances over towards the west, down the entrance of the vale as far as he can see. "How are things? Is, uh, mom around?"
If she's not looking, it's not because she hates him and would only glare daggers to the male, she's just good and she wants to hear his voice, get used to it before looking to see how much he's changed. Eventually, she is 'forced' to turn around to face him, her head slowly leaning to a side, enough to see the same idiot she calls her brother, and indeed he's changed. After all this time, she only remembers him as the scruffy-looking kid who would make everyone upset, but now he's an adult, old bastard he is, "She's with Luna now.." The female simply responds to him, if she was happy to see her brother, now she's upset again to have to deliver this kind of news. You don't want to go back home after long years just to hear that your mother moved on. Cotton slowly stands up, that large belly making her groan in the process, she should be in the den 24-7 now. No further words come from her as she simply steps forward to give him a nuzzle, resting her head on his neck, she always wondered what she'd do if he ever came back, and fortunately for him he's not about to rip his throat off, "It happened two winters ago, she went out with Sierra- your other sister- and they never came back." Does he even remember he had another sister?
Shag drops down into the vicinity of the lake now, heading swiftly towards the other wolf and eyeing him warily. He can't remember anything about this one... is he another family member that came back hoping for a friendly reception? Why does mom's family seem to like leaving so much? "Hello?" he asks simply, injecting himself into the conversation rather abruptly. "Mother? Who's this? I smelled him coming in... you know him?"
Does he? Who knows with the introverted male. Truth be told, he reacts less to the news of her passing than his mother's, but perhaps that's not so unexpected, even for a disperser from the family pack like him. But then again, his reaction isn't anything dramatic, but perhaps that's not so unexpected as well. Haze sighs, eyes lowering as the knowledge settles in, even returning the familial embrace -- though doing so allows him to notice the swell of her belly. "Congratulations, Cotton. I have four of my own." The sudden interruption takes him by surprise, the other male having followed him unnoticed, and Haze turns around towards the new voice.
Cottonpaws has two, is this some kind of competition now? Well guess what, she carried those two, so it counts for something! "Three, lost one to the flood." And speaking of which, it's about time they meet, even if the situation is not the correct one. For once, she wanted to be with her brother alone so they could talk, but hey, her son has always proven to be quite curious with everything, everyone, so she's not about to stop him, she'll talk with Haze later. The female lifts her head, standing beside her brother and looking between the two males. Shag must think she's some kind of whore now, always close to males no matter who they are! "Shag? I want you to meet your uncle Haze. He left long before you were born." With a smile on her face, she nudges her brother's shoulder, go ahead, don't be a jerk and meet your nephew!
Shag leans in closer and sniffs Haze, giving him the same treatment he gives just about every stranger: a long, scrutinizing stare and a silence that's very nearly eerie, as if he's forming some kind of judgment about Haze already. It drags on for a full minute before Shag speaks at all. "... Huh," is all he says at first. "You're the second rogue come by that's actually related to me. Weird," he notes, poking at his shoulder with a curious paw. "Well, I'm your nephew Shag. Cotton's son. Hi."
Uncle Haze? Huh. Interesting title into the ones he's already attained. So this is one of his sister's pups. It was weird seeing what he himself helped bring into the world, and it was just as weird seeing what a sibling had. The full minute isn't broken by any words from Haze, either, leaving the pair of males to quietly scope each other out. "Hello, Shag. I'm Cotton's long-lost brother." Another accurate title.
Why is she not surprised, everytime Cotton predicts certain reaction from someone close to her, it always turn to a whole different thing. It has to be a guy thing, being random and completely bland when there's supposed to be emotion in the whole meet-family thing. Cotton sees the interaction between the two, God they can't shut up, they're both so excited that the conversation doesn't seem to have any sense at all.... Or rather one uncomfortable long minute of nada. Slowly she settles down on her haunches, she's getting tired, grrr.
"So I heard," is Shag's simple response to the straightforward male. "I guess now we get to ask where you've been and what you've been doing?" he wonders, one ear going up as the other goes down against his head. Yes, such a riveting conversationalist Shag has grown up to be. "I, uh... I don't really know what else to say," he admits with a sheepish bow of his head. "I guess Haben will be a little happier, since you must be his brother... This is kind of sudden. Just like when dad came back... did you used to know Friti?"
Haze hehs, smirking bemusedly at the younger wolf and his way of getting straight to the point. Not that the estranged brother is much better. "I suppose so." At the mention of Friti, Haze's memory flickers as he remembers his life and times from before he set out on his own, putting a face to the name...and when he places it, his snout lifts in the slightest subtle gesture of displeasure. "I knew him somewhat, yes." He glances sidelong back at Cottonpaws, inquiringly. "Did you two end up becoming the new Ones?"
That's the kind of things she didn't want to talk about with her brother, or even have them mentioned while he was here. She has her reasons, and no wonder but seems things get bad when they talk about it. The female slowly goes down to the ground like before, resting flat on the ground and just looking up at the males while they talk. Friti this, Friti that, this is weird, no duh kid... If you ask her, she NEVER thought her family would talk things like that when gettin reunited, what's next, Haben will show up and act the same way now? "Yes.." Cotton offers to her brother, not sure what else to say about the matter, "Turns out he wasn't that bad after all."
Speaking of the devil, Haben happens to be walking on by when the sound of nearby voices catches his ears. By the smell of it, seems like it's his sister, his nephew, and... some other wolf? Even if he hasn't been around the general population of the pack as of late, he's fairly sure he would have noticed or at least heard if a stranger had wandered in, right? Curious, Haben makes his way over to the group, eventually coming through a small bush to join everyone. Well at least there's not a scuffle going on. Quite the opposite it seems, if Shag is actually talking to the stranger. "Umm... hi?" he says, not exactly in a rude way but in more of a 'who-are-you-and-what-are-you-doing-here' kind of way.
Shag can see that bringing up Friti, for reasons he probably should have figured, has caused some tension... and at that point he decides to shift gears and head to another subject. "Yeah, so, he came back... and what about you? We did only just meet," he says with a quirky smile. "Might as well get to know each other if we're family..." And then he notices Haben. Oh look! Even *more* family! Joy of joys. "Hey Uncle Haben, your long-lost brother's back!" he says very matter-of-factly.
"Oh." Comes the simple response. Of course. "Lark and I are alphas of Lazuli now, too," he explains to both mother and son. Not that Haze is even sure Cottonpaws would care about the news. He's just saying it to make conversation, or fill in his missing history with the family...or at least fill in what would be an awkward silence. His ear swivels when another voice is heard, but a scent of this male brings back memories of his family, and he knows him to be one of his younger brothers...one of his mother's second litter that he only knew for a brief while before he left for Lazuli and Larkspur. He opens his mouth to greet the new visitor, hesitating when Shag sums things up quite succinctly, then finally speaking afterwards: "Hey. It's Haze. Remember me at all?"
Cottonpaws does care about such things, hey, so he ran away with miss fluffy tail, so what? He's happy and has a family now, being Alpha just being a plus... Thank God mom isn't alive to hear Haze say that, she'd be the one upset about it. The female stays right there, glancing at her other brother as he decides to show up, not surprised that he doesn't seem to remember Haze, this is just one big broken family, isn't it? Silent, she just waits.
Haben looks a little bit startled at what Shag tells him. A long lost brother that isn't Lexus, Liam, or Atreyu? The wolf tries to search his brain for any memory of this Haze fellow, but comes up with nothing. "Erm... no. Sorry," he says, laying his ears back in a small amount of embarrassment that he can't seem to remember this brother of his. Especially since he says that he's the alpha of something. You think with something like that he would have heard more about this Haze guy. "Name's Haben though. Glad to meet you."
Shag looks between Haben and Haze with that one ear up, one ear down expression again, apparently a sign of befuddlement for him. "Huh," he says again. "I hope we *all* don't know each other," he says with a bit of a smirk. "That'd be just embarrassing." He wags his tail and steps back to let the half-brothers get re-acquainted, but not before saying something for himself again. "Oh, by the way, I'm training for Beta," he says to Haze out of the blue, smiling proudly. and somewhat inanely. "You know... just so you know."
Haze shrugs his shoulders in a 'no worries' gesture at Haben's response - he shouldn't be surprised. "I left while you guys were still pups. I was in the area, so I swung by for a visit." He glances back at Shag at his sudden announcement, and he offers a pleasant-enough smile. "Congrats." In a weird way, Shag isn't so different from himself...but it makes sense, his family's got weird genes.
"Yeah, that would explain it," Haben says with a small smile, feeling a bit less guilty about not knowing a family member. Phew, that could have been awkward. The wolf walks over to his older sister and leans down to give her a small nuzzle right before Shag makes his little announcement. "He sure has, and I've been working him hard for it," Haben says with a small chuckle. "He's been doing a great job though. Doesn't ever complain about anything."
Shag nods several times in agreement with Haben. Nope, he's never complained, not once! Not even when Haben surprise attacked him near Friti, who was understandably flabbergasted seeing them "fighting." He wags his tail even more enthusiastically on hearing that little tidbit of praise. "I run every day," he explains. "And I've been getting better at going long distances. It's hard, but... it'll be worth it," he says confidently. "What about you, Haze? You said you're an Alpha? *That* mustn't have been easy to come by."
Haze looks back and forth between his younger brother and nephew as they explain the beta-in-training's regiment, smiling and nodding politely. When he's questioned, Haze chuckles and shifts his stance and answers. "Well, it was pretty unexpected, actually. I wasn't so sure the alpha male, Larkspur's dad, liked me too much. But...after he died, her mom put us in charge of her family's pack." The brindle-furred wolf has noticed his sister's silence as she watches the three of them interact, and the awkwardness from his youth has lingered on even still, causing the displaced male to shift his weight once again. "Um, do you want me to stay another day or so?" he inquires, primarily addressing his sister - she's in charge, after all. "I let Lark know I'd be gone, but I didn't want to stay too long, or impose on the family."
~Now you just have to sleep with the Alpha's daughter and Bingo, keep that in mind kid.~ That's likely the first thing that comes to Cotton's mind once his son decides to ask such question, fortunately Haze isn't like THAT and doesn't give her son any ideas. Cotton returns her brother a soft nuzzle once he's close, leaning close enough to murmur something into Haben's ear. Just a little reminder, by all means not trying to be rude to her brother. Her attention however is soon directed towards her brother, stay another day. That kinda makes her feel sad, so he's here for just some hours, "You know you're always welcome here, Haze. I do wish to talk with you about something if you decide to stay, or come back soon. It's up to you."
Haben leans his head down as Cotton goes to whisper something to him. When she's done, he looks at her a bit curiously but decides not to prod into it. With his sister's mood always changing by the day, it's probably best to not budge into topics regarding that. For now anyways. The wolf remains silent as Cotton replies to Haze but gives the older wolf a smile. He'd sure love to get to know his brother a lot more. Especially if he's an Alpha of some pack he's never really heard of before.
Shag's tail is still wagging when Haze suggests sticking around. He's gotten over being angry with family not being here... seems to be something of a theme in these lands anyway. "I wouldn't mind," he says quickly. "Maybe we can catch up... I haven't met wolves from other packs very often." Or, well, at all. In his life.
Haze nods simply in response to Cotton's reply, answering a moment later with one of his own, addressed to the general group this time in addition to the alphaess. "I can stay for a little while. Maybe we can go for a breakfast hunt tomorrow morning, for old time's sake?" He may be estranged, but he at least recognizes the relationship between them. The siblings certainly bonded through all the stuff they went through together, even when it wasn't always fun and games. "And we can talk."
Cottonpaws nods slowly at her brother's answer, sure, let the males hunt, "I don't think I actually CAN hunt right now." The mother offers with a soft tone, still offering a smile to her brother. She's glad he's staying, even if it was ten more minutes, it's something. She's glad to see him, after all this time, at least she's knows he's ok, the Alpha of the pack mom hated so much is her son, definitely a good thing she's gone. So many things she wants to talk about, but she's not sure if it's the right time to do so, with Habe and Shag around. The female stands up slowly, reaching over to nuzzle his brother once again, "Maybe even teach these two a thing or two." Being sure that if someone knows how to be a good wolf, that's Haze!
Haben smiles a bit at Haze's decision, his tail wagging behind him happily as he leans in to return the nuzzling his sister gives him. Having Haze stick aroud for a bit sounds like it could be fun for everyone. And with recent events going on... well everyone could use a bit of a boost. "Heh, maybe you could tell us some stories about Cotton when she was younger," he says to Haze with a grin. Ohh, how he would just /love/ to get some dirt on his sister after all the things she pulls on him. All in good fun of course.
Shag is fairly certain that his mother never told him a thing about her own childhood, so yes, he can get on the bandwagon of reminiscing about old family times. "A hunt sounds great," he says, mostly to himself. When was the last time he went hunting with other wolves? Never, that's when.
The Lazuli alpha laughs softly at his sister's words. "I can try." Glancing back at the pair of younger males, Haze realizes he hasn't been the best older brother or uncle (in fact, none at all), but he can at least try while he's here. "Oh, just wait. You'll never believe what she did once." And what juicy bit of gossip is that? Cottonpaws will never know. At least until someone else brings it up, long after he's split town again. Quick to change the subject and avoid his sister's wrath, Haze adds: "But we'll talk tomorrow. See you at daybreak."
Oh yeah, lets talk about the past! It's a good idea, considering Haze left for a good reason. It's in that moment when Cotton's ears pin down behind her head, she actually looks at her brother's neck just to see if she left any scar on him... That was just bad, probably one of the very few things she regrets to be honest. But hey, things happen for a reason. The wrath already rising as he DARES say something like that. She gives him that look that means more than a thousand words, good thing she's carrying pups else she'd go rip his brother a new one, "You can come join us near the den if you feel comfortable." The last thing she wants to do is have the pack treat her brother like a stranger stranded in the lake after all.