Post by wyanet on Jan 25, 2010 8:17:42 GMT -5
In which Cael throws Maul into the water, Thrash comes to her aid. There's a fight, followed by a first kiss. Daddy will be angry!
Thrash
Cael
Maul
Calm River
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A small, small shift in the river brings the channel to bear in a wider, calmer body of water. This area is clear of brush and the riversides are low and show clear evidence of being traveled well and frequently, ranging from simple signs to footprints in the bank both fresh and old. A few berry bushes litter the western side closer to the fallen log, stopping just before they get there but offering a quick meal to any creature so inclined. Because of the lazily-running current, many fish seem to have made this particular spot their home.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[East] to the Marsh [North] along the Stream
[Northeast] to the Path [Southwest] to a Fork
[West] to a Fallen Log
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'Just /check/ on her, please, son. Don't cause her any grief.' Yes, Sir. No longer a boy, the male (considering himself a fine young specimen if he does think so himself) has come down from the mountain at their father's behest simply to make sure that his baby sister is doing well. Cael, fairly certain that it is against the 'rules,' so to speak, argued only briefly before Kein's request won out in the end. Not that they fought over it, or anything, but being sent on an errand... just wasn't his idea of a fine afternoon. Not that he doesn't want to see his baby sister, either... it's just that, well, what if she doesn't appreciate his intrusion on her quest? After all, this is /her/ time... These thoughts bounce and jumble around his mind as he picks his way through the woods, his paws subconsciously leading him in the direction his senses tell him to, paralleling the river. Cael stops for a while, bright eyes slowly roving over the greenery around him, before the babble of the water tempts him from his journey for just a few moments and greedily does he partake of the cool river.
Maul is doing nothing more than lying down and glaring at the running water. She's not as hungry as she was just days ago, but she is still hungry, and there is fish in that water. She has seen some animals go in to catch them. As much as she tells herself to just get over it and try to catch one, though, she can't. She so hates the water. Doing this is what occupies her in her hiding spot of grass and flowers, until, suddenly, she hears the sound of someone drinking nearby. Far too near. It causes he girl to tense up, and after a second of being frozen, she creeps forward to attempt to see, though the grass, what is so near her, when she finally catches the scent of... "Cael!" In her surprise, she forgets herself, and quickly jumps up.
He had closed his eyes, not wanting to stare at his broken reflection in the water as he drank deeply, instead allowing himself to relax in the quiet of the valley. For a second, anyway. At the sudden and unexpected cry of his name, the male starts and lifts his head, eyes wild with both fear and a hint of aggression as if ready to strike. His forelimbs and neck tensed visibly as he whirled to face the noise, and for an agonizing moment his whole body flexed in the anticipation of a fight. But slowly the sound of the voice reached his inner thoughts and the sight of his baby sister all grown up in front of him registers across his face, and he relaxes. But not without a rush of air from his chest and a visible slump in his posture. "Jeez, Maul, you really know how to scare the life from someone," he says, in... somewhat of a jest. He shakes one of his forelimbs, still trying to rid himself of the tightness there, and then with a steadying breath, "Hi." Innocent smile.
Maul loves her brother. Besides that, since she argued with Kein over Qaletaqa and was put quite firmly in her place, she has avoided most Amaranth cougars. For all she knows, Cael being out here is pure chance. He could have been away from Amaranth weeks and weeks longer than she was, and she never would have known it. As such, it does not occur to her, what his actual purpose is, here. That keeps her happy. Polite. With a smile of her own, she responds, "I'm sorry. I was just surprised." She takes a few steps towards him, then adds, "Hi!"
"Yeah... yeah..." he offers, eyes moving slowly from his sister in front of him to their surroundings. Not that he's expecting to be surprised again, but once per day is enough for him, thank you, and he'd rather not have the forest boogie-phantom-thingee jump out at him next. It gives him a moment to think, at the very least, and wonder if Maul really knows why he's so far from the mountain, as she. The girl could very easily figure it out for herself and, hopefully, if she does, she won't blame brother-dearest for it. When she moves, his attention returns to her and a warmth blooms across his face and behind his eyes, and he mirrors those steps with a few jaunty strides that put them face to face, and a sturdy headbutt is her brotherly greeting. *clunk*
Maul laughs as her brother knocks his head against her, and immediately stretches her neck to nip at one of his ears. Ears that he can reach much easier, now. maybe, just maybe, her ignorance of his reason for being here is deliberate. She has so wanted just a little of the safety she had at home back. Regardless, she seems all to glad to play for a little. She is much different than the moody adolescent girl that left Amaranth a few weeks ago.
Cael has, perhaps, had as little or even less to do with their family as Maul, though obviously for very different reasons. Cael is older, if only by a season, and prone to wandering far outside Amaranth for reasons only understood by the male mind. The least he can do, though, is carry out his father's request. Let's just not mention that he failed completely at it. Now, the conversational piece. 'Whatcha' doin'?' is simply out of the question, but whatever else he might have been able to come up with completely and utterly escapes him. So, instead, Cael returns the favor of ear chewing for a one-up competition favored among siblings. He pushes forward and sweeps his forelimbs wide, trying to bearhug the girl and tackle her to the ground, heedless of the /river/ and the /water/ nearby. Yoink!
It's her own fault. Maul is the one who started the playing so near the water. She should have known better. That doesn't stop her from grabbing out at Cael with unsheathed claws as she finds herself falling, back first, into the river. "NO!" That's all she gets out before her head dips, if only temporarily, under the water. The river does not flow so quickly that she is at a great deal of risk, but being in the water does to Maul what it has always done. It causes her to panic.
There's only one way to learn; not that he did it intentionally, of course, for if all of Amaranth didn't know that Cael was a bumblebutt, well, everyone should know right here and now. He doesn't get much of a chance to cry out at the claws around his chest before they both submered and slowly float apart. Cael never had much of a problem with water, though perhaps he prefers it as snow, but lazily he comes to the surface and shakes his head, ears flattened. The dwindling summer months have seen to it that the river is not fast, nor is it deep, and is perfect for a quick dip to those that enjoy it. But when Maul doesn't surface right away, her brother begins to fret. "Great. Check on her, then drown her. Good plan," he grumbles to himself before Maul surfaces, spluttering. With powerful kicks he swims to her and grabs her by the scruff with a brisque, "C'mon," and paddles his hind legs along with the current, floating them both close to a shallow dip in the shore until both sets of paws touch sandy, rocky bottom.
Her movements are ineffective. The girl is simply not a swimmer. Luckily for her, her brother is there, and helps to guide her back to the shore. Once her paws find purchase, she claws her way away from the water and her brother, and even then, several more feet, before she finds a place suitably far away where she can curl up on the ground, shivering from much more than just the cold of the water. She doesn't try to talk again, in part because of the evenly spread coughs to clear her body of water and in part because of the intense fear that she still feels. Her, hunt in water? Yeah, that'll happen.
Intensely blue eyes follow the girl up to the shore, swirling darkly at the center of the iris as they watch her for longer than is comfortable. His paws guide him up the grassy bank, muscles twitching the water from his pelt and, with dripping whiskers, approaches his sister. Cael opens his maw, to apologize, but he doesn't managed to say anything before he settles himself next to her, haunches folding underneath him and he bends his head to wash the water from between her eyes and across her forehead. If yougner, he might've laughed... now he just feels like a jerk-Cael. What did Kein say? 'Don't antagonize her?' Well, shoot.
Not all of the wetness on her face is from the river. At least if Maul is crying, she is at least doing so silently. And though she clawed out at him when she first fell in the water, she is more desperate for comfort now than before she entered the river, and so, after a few licks from her brother, she rolls to press herself against him. Her shivering continues, but it becomes a little slower as she takes comfort from the presence of someone who, though he pushed her into the water, she can trust.
'It's just water.' He'd like to say such but some little voice tells him that Maul won't find it very comforting. So, he continues to wash away the water from her face, knowing well enough that the mid-day heat and the dry grass will soak up most of the rest of it. Cael takes a second to shake his head and flick the water dripping from his ears, before he takes a deep breath and huffs it gently through his nose. Again, he noses at his sister's ears and presses his muzzle against the crown of her head for a moment. "It's okay, monster..." He murmurs, attempting to reconcile and no longer be the jerk-face-I-push-you-into-the-river-big-brother!
If Maul were any less traumatized, she would most definitely be trying to take revenge on her brother right now. Such thoughts don't occur to her, though. rather, after a few moments of being groomed, she sniffles and then insists, "I'm fine." It's true. She has her shaking under control. At least, mostly. She doesn't particularly seem like she's going to start absolutely sobbing. She doesn't try to move away from him, though. "I'm okay."
Having heard the scream of Maul near by, Thrash instantly recognized her voice from the other night. Having been in the area on the prowl for some dinner, he instead, heaved his large bulk upwards, and started barreling headstrong through the thick grass, and brush. As he comes upon the two, he doesn't even pause to think, or survey the situation. All he knows is that there's a male near by, and Maul looks unhappy. "HEY!" He calls out with a puff of his fur about his large frame. "Step away from the lady, mister, or I'm going to bury you!" His gold eyes are gleaming brightly, shining with hostility.
Cael sighs, straightening at her insistance that she is, indeed, fine. Sure, fine. You look it, really. He squints his eyes down at her but doesn't argue with her any further. Brother and sister sit there for a little while, both their pelts drying off in the afternoon air. "Well," he chimes in after a thoughful enough pause, "You nearly stop my heart, and I almost drown you. We're even. Mother would be proud." But his attempt at humor doesn't last very long, for as a strange and angry male comes bursting out of the underbrush. In an instant Cael is up on his paws, claws splayed wide and a fiercely protective growl rips through his chest and is flung at the stranger across the way. "Take one more step and I'll rip the life from your throat," he threatens, voice deeply low and blue eyes dangerously dark.
Maul's muzzle twitches in a smile at Cael's joke, but the smile disappears as Thrash crashes into the area. Well, she is well enough, at least, that she is able to hop up as the two boys threaten to tear each other apart. "Stop!" She doesn't try to put herself between them. She's not suicidal. Her shout is at least as loud now, though, as when she went into the water.
"Oh ho.. really now?" Thrash says as the fur along the back of his neck bristles upwards, fangs, and claws extended as he ripples with anger. Rolling his tongue across his lips, he lets out a loud snarl towards the male. "Well, bring it." He says, then purposely takes one step forward, smashing a poor dandelion beneath his large paw. He may be obviously younger, but his size betrays him. Sadly, he tends to leap first, without thinking. "That lovely lady is under my protection, and I won't see her harmed." As Maul yells out to stop, he calls out to her. "Don't worry, Maul! I got yer' back. You just sit back, and let me handle this thug."
"You take one more step towards my baby sister and you won't live to see your next sunrise, you worthless sack of fur," Cael retorts, flinging the insult right back at the younger male, mirroring the step forward with his own. Slowly, he begins to hunker down, back legs and paws braced wide, forelimbs flexed and ready to spring at this upstart who /dares/ to address his little sister like that. Oh, if Kein could only see his little trouble maker now, all grown up and taking on /exactly/ the kind of teenager he was once. Oh, the irony. And then Maul cries out, and briefly does he look across his shoulder at her, blue eyes wild. 'Are you crazy?!' he icily glares, though he doesn't take his eyes from Thrash for more than a mere second. /Lovely/ /lady/?! Not that Maul isn't, of course, but when those words leave the adolescent's mouth, Cael's snarl becomes deeply aggressive and intensely protective. "Don't even think about it."
Maul stays off to the side, but as the boys ignore her, Maul shouts again. "STOP! Stopstopstop!" She does NOT like people ignoring her. Especially not when it seems that, in ignoring her, they are going to be hurting each other. "That's my brother!" Thrash gets the first angry shout. Immediately after, though, comes, "And that's my- Um. That's Thrash!" Yeah! "And you DON'T hurt each other!" Or else!
"I've heard that before, so far, all I'm hearing is a bunch of talk. You got the stones big boy, you come right on over here, and I'll put a spanking on you so hard that you won't walk for a --... Wait.. -sister-?" Thrash says, blinking his eyes in a dumbfounded moment, quirking a brow upwards, before relaxing up just a bit. As Maul starts yelling, he flicks his ears upwards, then settles back upon his haunches, though he doesn't quite lose that edge. "Well.. I didn't know that was your brother, Maul. I heard you screaming and thought you were in trouble." He sneaks another look back towards Cael, giving him quite the stink eye. With a snort, he rolls his shoulders back a bit to loosen his joints. "Looks like it's your lucky day."
His hackles bristling, it takes Cael an enormous amount of effort to relax his posture, though he doesn't dare lose his readiness to spring into action should this upstart even think about trying anything else while he's here. As the other male settles, Cael distinctly does not, and instead stands taller and straighter than, perhaps, he ever has in his life. He still manages to look down his muzzle at Thrash, and it's probably granddaddy Azriel he has to thank for that. Lucky day? "You may want to keep an eye over your shoulder, punk. I still see no reason why I shouldn't rip them off the moment you turn around," he spits acidly, though he cants an ear in Maul's direction and focuses his swirling eyes on her face. 'Your what?' he eye squints at her, tail tip lashing as he waits for an explaination.
"I said stop, Cael!" Maul bumps her shoulder into her brother, not-quite-roughly, just to prove that even though she's not pleased about the continued insults, she is mostly-satisfied. She deliberately ignores Cael's questioning expression, though, instead choosing to address Thrash's concern. "We were just playing, and then-" Maul looks behind her, to the river, and when she looks back, she may as well have just seen a ghost. Whatever she sees when she looks at the water is far more terrifying than what your average animal might see. Even so, to finish her sentence, she says, "I'm fine now."
As Cael continues to posture, Thrash practically looks bored. Amused, his tail twists side to side behind him in a coiling like manner, twitching as if it was a rattled snake. "Cool story, Bro." He says, before training his eyes upon Maul. "Well, I'm glad you're fine then." He says with a firm nod of his head, before starting towards them with a lumbering glide. "I was thinking about you last night, pretty eyes. I was hoping that you were safe.. you didn't eat much last night."
Cael leans against Maul's shoulder as she bumps against him, and though he looks at her with wrinkled concern spreading across his face, there... is another matter to attend to. Despite her insistance that everything is fine, no one, absolutely /no/ /one/, talks to his sister in that manner. In an instant he moves to step in front of her, blocking any forward progression from her with the length of his body, an the displeasure spreads across his face with a derisive snort. "Did you kiss your mother with that mouth, or did she kick a little bastard like you out the moment you could walk?" He turns, then, facing the other male head on. "Smart words for a stone." Pause. "Don't push your luck."
"Cael!" This time, when she bumps into him, it is rather more roughly. She has no chance to be wooed by Thrash's words, as her brother insists on being rude to the strong, kind... strong... to *Thrash*. Yes, that's safer. He insists on being rude to *Thrash*.
"No, but maybe I kissed your sister with that mouth." Thrash says with a bolstering grin upon his face, practically goading on the furious older brother as his tail snaps about his ankles. "Either way, you say another word about my mother, and I'll tear your tongue from your neck, and choke you with it." That's right, no Yo' Momma jokes here! Those are real fighting words, at least for the big brickhead. "You need to chill, Cael." He says smartly before taking another few steps forward.
*twitchtwitch* "You've crossed a very dangerous line, little boy," Cael murmurs, his tone juuuuuust this side of murderous. "If you don't learn how to treat a young lady properly, I will have the entire tribe come down on top of your head before you have a chance to touch her again. Maul--" he calls, tilting his head thoughtfully, "where did you fish out this rock-for-brains?" He sighs, rolls his eyes, and steps right up to Thrash's face, staring him down with a seriously unamused gaze. "You'd better know how to do more than just pick out pretty words from the air." He's not taking care of rock-for-brain chillins, nono.
Maul takes a step back to look at both Cael and Thrash. She is embarrassed, yes... but also angry. "I SAID you stop! Now!" Then, in a huff, she turns away, fully expecting one... or perhaps both... of them to follow her. Well, if it keeps them from fighting, if she's not here to fight over... Of course, fi they keep fighting anyway, it will be bad for her, but since when has her brother ever allowed her to storm off in anger before?
"Oh, you need to get all your buddies to kick my ass, not man enough to do it yourself?" Thrash says as he bobs his head from side to side, staring deep into the eyes of Cael. He moves like a snake, left to side, softly allowing a hiss to pass through his throat. "You want some? Make a move, bro." He rumbles, stepping forward, practically bumping his chest up against the other male's. "You got something you need to prove? Need to feel like a big man?" He says, his words taunting. "I'm just here to see to Maul's safety, but if you want to do this, I'm ready to go." Another bump.
His ears twist to the sides at Maul's insistance, and while he knows that his baby sister is growing increasingly angry with the two of them, there is a much more pressing issue to attend to. Namely... Cael's body calms, and a deadly stillness falls over his features. Not even his tail dances in the irritation he feels as the punk cougar in front of him postures and begins to hit against him. Perhaps the only sound from him is the slight exhale of breath each time Thrash makes his move, and his deep blue-black eyes slowly fall down to the boys face before, though clenched teeth, a quiet and low warning is issued. "If it is my sister's saftey you are concerned with, perhaps you should attend to that very task instead of picking a dangerously unwinable fight." He gives Thrash only a moment to ponder those words before the adolescent can blink or Maul can turn around, he has lifted his left foreleg high above his head and brought it down across Thrash's face with enough force to severely hurt a more thinly-skulled individual. Only for Maul's sake were his claws sheathed.
No! That is NOT what she wanted to happen! As neither of them follow her, but instead continue arguing, she spins around in time to see her brother swing a paw at Thrash. "NO!" Why to the males in her family ALWAYS want to hurt all of the males who she has any interest in? Before she started to like Qale, Qale and Kein got along just fine, and then... And now, with Cael and Thrash... "You GO AWAY, Cael!" She warned him!
As the two stare into each other's eyes, Thrash's body is tense, and as tight as a drum. As he opens his mouth to reply, the crack against his head causes him to reel backwards, his neck popping with the response. It's a good thing he is as thick headed as his words, or else that may have broke his jaw. Seeing stars for a quick moment, he lets out a quick, loud noise of anger, then digs his hind legs into the ground, ducks his head down, and plows himself straight into the other male, looking to rock him off his paws. Despite being a bit younger, he has quite a bit of power in that tackle, holding nothing back, and leaving it all on the floor.
Cael has a feeling that his left paw is going to be sore for a number of days. The hit was satisfying, but it takes quite a bit of composure not to grimace at the lightning bolt that shoots up his leg immediately following. Thick-headed, indeed. Through the coldly serious look that has taken over his features, the briefest glimmer of regret flashes in his eyes, and foolishly does he glance back at his sister behind him. And then his breath is forcibly pushed from his chest as he's barrelled into full-on, that same thick skull pounding into his chest with all the adolescent's weight behind it. Cael would growl, had he the air to do so, but as the two males tumble to the ground, the solider stiffens his legs and carries Thrash's momentum with him. Both crash to the ground, but Cael is quick to roll to his paws, thanks to Thrash and his counter balance weight. One forepaw is forcefully pinned to the other's neck, one hindleg pressing firmly against his stomach just itching to stomp the air from his gut, and a dangerously calm face stares down. Maul is finally acknowledged after a long staring contest, his heavy breathing punctuating the silence, and he gives her a steady look peppered with a myriad of emotions that she will have to ponder later. First, Thrash. "Don't. Do that. Again," Cael mutters before stepping away, attempting to recover his own breath. "Maul," he states. "Don't be foolish."
Foolish? The girl is way beyond foolish. Cael disobeys her, and the Thrash does as well, and since she doesn;t begin to compare to either one of them in weight, she can think of only one thing to do. "I hate you both! I WON'T forgive you!" They are the most hurtful things she knows how to say, and after saying them, she turns and does not hesitate to run away. Let's see them try to not follow her now.
As the pair tumble end over end into the grass, Thrash finds himself on his back, with a paw up against his throat. He lets out a loud 'gawk', and he shoves a paw up against the other male's chest, his claws itching to bury themselves into the muscle, but what holds him back, is the fact the other male isn't drawing blades. He stares up at the other for a moment, before a wide grin crosses over his face. "You're OK in my book, Cael." He says, followed by a loud laugh echoing in his throat, despite being pinned down to the ground. His grin is wild, unabashed. "Hey Maul! I think I like your brother!" He chokes out, slapping the paw away from his throat as he shoves his way out from under the other male. As he catches sight of her barreling off, he rolls his eyes, then starts past the other male with a loud snort. "We totally pissed her off, I'm going to calm her down." He says with a snort over his shoulder, giving the other male a 'look'. "And I'm not gonna hurt her, dumbass." With that, he lopes off in pursuit.
Claws make their appearance once both sister and ... lunkhead disappear into the woods. He shakes his paw out, then idly combs those black pinpoints through his chest fur, considering. With a few steady blinks, Cael's eyes grow softer and brighter, the hateful look dissipating as the seconds tick by. The summer breeze plays games with his pelt and with a quick glance over his shoulder to the mountain from where he came, he sighs audibly and begins to lazily follow Romeo and Juliet; it won't be hard to find them, afterall. They're not making any attempt to hide themselves. He'll apologize to Maul on his own time, and she will forgive him because they are who they are. Still. He's not going to let the two of them vanish off into the worlds for their teenage sheenanigins... Cael blinks and shakes his head. "None of your business," he tells himself, rubbing a paw to his temple. Maybe... maybe he will leave them alone for a while. That's the last thing he needs to come across today. Seriously. He'll find them later; hopefully apart. He has unfinshed business with both parties. Another shake of his head, and Cael alters his course to follow the river a bit longer.
It is some time before Maul stops running. Not until she can no longer keep her breath, and at that point, she throws herself on the ground in the most dramatic way she can, regardless of the fact that she doesn't believe anyone nearby can see her. If she were any younger, the term "temper tantrum" would be unavoidable. As it is, at least she doesn't scream, but in between attempting to catch her breath, she does cry. First she gets pushed in water, then Cael and Thrash's fight... This is the worst day ever! Or if not ever, then definitely since she left her home!
Making his way through the grass at a quick trot, Thrash looks around for a moment, then ambles over towards her. Leaning forward, he pushes his muzzle against her neck gently, then flops down at her side. "Hey honeytree." He rumbles to her, tail twisting around to settle at his hip. "C'mon now.. your brother, and I was just messing around, everything is OK, see?" He says, giving her a big grin. His head is pounding, quite sore, and he'll most likely wake up with a swell in the morning, but for now, he is all smiles. "Sorry, for being a jerk back there."
Maul moves away from Thrash quite deliberately, and once he finishes speaking, she says, "I WON'T forgive you." Her voice is still full of emotion. She warned him she wouldn't. Of course, she *might*, but she could not make it that easy for him, or her future yelled statements proclaiming her everlasting hatred would be much less effective.
"You already have, stop being so dramatic. Your brother is taking a walk to cool off, and I came all the way out here to see if you're OK. Why are you so upset anyways, we barely know each other. Maybe I had it coming to me." Thrash says as he follows after her, leaning out to nip at the tip of her tail. "C'mon, Maul, settle down."
"That's why I should forgive Cael. Not why I should forgive *you*." Maul is a teenaged girl. If there is any one thing she excels at, it is being dramatic. "So you saw me. I'm okay. You can go now." The girl looks at Thrash throughout, as she speaks. Her head is held high, and though her face remains wet with her own tears, she no longer seems at risk of crying.
"Really now? So you won't forgive me, even though he hit me first, and then beat me up? I think I got the short end of the stick." Thrash says with a chuckle as he leans forward slowly, brushing his tongue against her cheek, to taste her tears. "You're cute, you know that?" He says as he curls his tail around once he flops back upon his haunches. "Ever been kissed, Maul?" He deflects, looking to take her off guard with that next question.
She should move away. Refuse to let him touch her. She doesn't, though. Anger still burns in her eyes as he licks away her tears, but she doesn't even grow tense with the action. The questions don't seem to break her of her mood, at least at first, but when she speaks, her tone holds only a superficial hint of anger. "You don't hurt my brother again, or I really won't forgive you, okay?"
"I didn't even hurt your brother, just knocked him down. He needed it." Thrash says with a grin as he leans forward to butt his head against her shoulder. "Why're you avoiding my question for?" He asks, tilting his chin upwards so that his gaze can slide into hers, teasingly. "So, have you?" He asks with a soft rumble, slowly circling her as his tail teases along her paws.
Has she ever been kissed? Has she? She seems to look beyond Thrash for a moment, and that just might be a smile on her muzzle as she whispers, "I've been kissed." Then, she looks back, directly at Thrash, and with her smile gone, she says with seriousness that may very well be faked, "But never by anyone as handsome as you." See? She knows how to flirt. She's *not* a child.
"Really now? Well, I haven't had the chance to kiss a girl as pretty as you." Thrash says as he continues to slowly circle her, allowing his tail to whip out to brush beneath her chin. As he passes, he brushes his muzzle up against her ear. "Kiss me then." He says as his breath tickles the outline of her ear, brushing through her fur. "I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you."
If Cael is out there, watching, this will certainly start the fight anew... But after thinking about that for only a moment, Maul stretches out her neck to press her muzzle slightly to the side of Thrash's, opening her mouth to run her tongue against the length of his jaw, even as she nibbles lightly at his whiskers. If is very different than the casual lick to the cheek she has swapped with most of her family members to this point. She's move nervous than she's trying to pretend to be, though.
As she leans in, Thrash turns his head to accept the kiss, pressing his mouth against hers for a moment, followed by a slow lick along her lips. With a soft rumble in his throat, he rubs his nose against hers, before giving her a gentle nibble. Eyes half lidding, he reaches up with a paw to brush it against her cheek, sliding it around the curve of her neck. She can feel him rumble in his throat as he leans in for another.
When he slips his paw around her, she breaks off her kiss, moving to bury her head in his neck, at which point she takes a deep breath in. No doubt, he presence is distracting her from her purpose out here, away from her family, but she's not thinking about that, now. All she's thinking about is how good he smells, and how safe she currently feels.
Curling his arms around her as he sits back upon his hind quarters, Thrash chuckles under his throat as he holds her against his broad chest. Rubbing his muzzle along the top of her ears, he softly murmurs to her, "You always kiss boys you just met, or am I just the luckiest guy in the world?" He asks, gliding his claws slowly through her fur, enough to tease her.
Maul begins purring as she feels just the very tips of his claws lightly against her skin. How easy it would be for him to hurt her, and hurt her badly. It has happened before, and it could happen again. She gives the thought only a moment, though, and then she answers, whispering, "You're the first boy I've kissed in a really long time." The first /boy/ she has ever kissed, really...
Those claws could definitely hurt her, but instead, they're used to caress, and to tease along her body, seeking out the bit of muscle which lingers in her pelt. Thrash gives her a wry grin on his face, before leaning in for another kiss, his throat hungry as it rumbles. As his lips meet hers, they press a bit firmer, rocking gently, before murmuring against her mouth. "I like your fire." He hints. "You taste sweet."
Her fire. She tastes sweet. She might not understand exactly what he means, but she knows them for what they are. Compliments. Sweet nothings, meant to... She allows him to kiss her, but after that, she says, "You're very nice, Thrash..." But? If there is one coming, and it certainly sounds as though there is, she does not go into it, immediately.
"I am very nice, aren't I? And handsome, from what you said earlier." Thrash says with a grin on his face as his ears twitch forward. "Kissing you is worth the butt kicking your brother will most likely give me." He says with a chuckle, trailing another claw in her fur, toying the top of her head a bit, tussling her fur.
Her brother, yes. And her father. If Kein were here now, both of them would be lucky to walk away unharmed. "Just hold me, okay? He can't hurt you for just holding me." And maybe, just maybe, Maul will get to sleep, even if just for a little while, without worrying about things that go bump in the night.
"I'm sure your brother would hurt me from even looking at you twice." Thrash says with a deep laugh in his throat. "But, I will hold you all through the night if you wish. I won't let you go. You are under my protection." He says, then circles her once more as he slides up along her body, teasingly, enough to give her a taste of his raw strength. Settling down behind her, he drapes his body across hers, giving her a firm snuggle as his paws circle around to settle near her chest.
Perhaps in the morning, she'll remember what she's supposed to be doing, out here. In the morning, or when Cael comes crashing into the area, snarling and growling. Once he places himself over her, she presses her head against him, then closes her eyes. Not since she was a cub has she slept so very near someone, but since she left her home, the comfort of having a strong male sleeping pressed against her is soothing.
Thrash
Cael
Maul
Calm River
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A small, small shift in the river brings the channel to bear in a wider, calmer body of water. This area is clear of brush and the riversides are low and show clear evidence of being traveled well and frequently, ranging from simple signs to footprints in the bank both fresh and old. A few berry bushes litter the western side closer to the fallen log, stopping just before they get there but offering a quick meal to any creature so inclined. Because of the lazily-running current, many fish seem to have made this particular spot their home.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[East] to the Marsh [North] along the Stream
[Northeast] to the Path [Southwest] to a Fork
[West] to a Fallen Log
================================================================================
'Just /check/ on her, please, son. Don't cause her any grief.' Yes, Sir. No longer a boy, the male (considering himself a fine young specimen if he does think so himself) has come down from the mountain at their father's behest simply to make sure that his baby sister is doing well. Cael, fairly certain that it is against the 'rules,' so to speak, argued only briefly before Kein's request won out in the end. Not that they fought over it, or anything, but being sent on an errand... just wasn't his idea of a fine afternoon. Not that he doesn't want to see his baby sister, either... it's just that, well, what if she doesn't appreciate his intrusion on her quest? After all, this is /her/ time... These thoughts bounce and jumble around his mind as he picks his way through the woods, his paws subconsciously leading him in the direction his senses tell him to, paralleling the river. Cael stops for a while, bright eyes slowly roving over the greenery around him, before the babble of the water tempts him from his journey for just a few moments and greedily does he partake of the cool river.
Maul is doing nothing more than lying down and glaring at the running water. She's not as hungry as she was just days ago, but she is still hungry, and there is fish in that water. She has seen some animals go in to catch them. As much as she tells herself to just get over it and try to catch one, though, she can't. She so hates the water. Doing this is what occupies her in her hiding spot of grass and flowers, until, suddenly, she hears the sound of someone drinking nearby. Far too near. It causes he girl to tense up, and after a second of being frozen, she creeps forward to attempt to see, though the grass, what is so near her, when she finally catches the scent of... "Cael!" In her surprise, she forgets herself, and quickly jumps up.
He had closed his eyes, not wanting to stare at his broken reflection in the water as he drank deeply, instead allowing himself to relax in the quiet of the valley. For a second, anyway. At the sudden and unexpected cry of his name, the male starts and lifts his head, eyes wild with both fear and a hint of aggression as if ready to strike. His forelimbs and neck tensed visibly as he whirled to face the noise, and for an agonizing moment his whole body flexed in the anticipation of a fight. But slowly the sound of the voice reached his inner thoughts and the sight of his baby sister all grown up in front of him registers across his face, and he relaxes. But not without a rush of air from his chest and a visible slump in his posture. "Jeez, Maul, you really know how to scare the life from someone," he says, in... somewhat of a jest. He shakes one of his forelimbs, still trying to rid himself of the tightness there, and then with a steadying breath, "Hi." Innocent smile.
Maul loves her brother. Besides that, since she argued with Kein over Qaletaqa and was put quite firmly in her place, she has avoided most Amaranth cougars. For all she knows, Cael being out here is pure chance. He could have been away from Amaranth weeks and weeks longer than she was, and she never would have known it. As such, it does not occur to her, what his actual purpose is, here. That keeps her happy. Polite. With a smile of her own, she responds, "I'm sorry. I was just surprised." She takes a few steps towards him, then adds, "Hi!"
"Yeah... yeah..." he offers, eyes moving slowly from his sister in front of him to their surroundings. Not that he's expecting to be surprised again, but once per day is enough for him, thank you, and he'd rather not have the forest boogie-phantom-thingee jump out at him next. It gives him a moment to think, at the very least, and wonder if Maul really knows why he's so far from the mountain, as she. The girl could very easily figure it out for herself and, hopefully, if she does, she won't blame brother-dearest for it. When she moves, his attention returns to her and a warmth blooms across his face and behind his eyes, and he mirrors those steps with a few jaunty strides that put them face to face, and a sturdy headbutt is her brotherly greeting. *clunk*
Maul laughs as her brother knocks his head against her, and immediately stretches her neck to nip at one of his ears. Ears that he can reach much easier, now. maybe, just maybe, her ignorance of his reason for being here is deliberate. She has so wanted just a little of the safety she had at home back. Regardless, she seems all to glad to play for a little. She is much different than the moody adolescent girl that left Amaranth a few weeks ago.
Cael has, perhaps, had as little or even less to do with their family as Maul, though obviously for very different reasons. Cael is older, if only by a season, and prone to wandering far outside Amaranth for reasons only understood by the male mind. The least he can do, though, is carry out his father's request. Let's just not mention that he failed completely at it. Now, the conversational piece. 'Whatcha' doin'?' is simply out of the question, but whatever else he might have been able to come up with completely and utterly escapes him. So, instead, Cael returns the favor of ear chewing for a one-up competition favored among siblings. He pushes forward and sweeps his forelimbs wide, trying to bearhug the girl and tackle her to the ground, heedless of the /river/ and the /water/ nearby. Yoink!
It's her own fault. Maul is the one who started the playing so near the water. She should have known better. That doesn't stop her from grabbing out at Cael with unsheathed claws as she finds herself falling, back first, into the river. "NO!" That's all she gets out before her head dips, if only temporarily, under the water. The river does not flow so quickly that she is at a great deal of risk, but being in the water does to Maul what it has always done. It causes her to panic.
There's only one way to learn; not that he did it intentionally, of course, for if all of Amaranth didn't know that Cael was a bumblebutt, well, everyone should know right here and now. He doesn't get much of a chance to cry out at the claws around his chest before they both submered and slowly float apart. Cael never had much of a problem with water, though perhaps he prefers it as snow, but lazily he comes to the surface and shakes his head, ears flattened. The dwindling summer months have seen to it that the river is not fast, nor is it deep, and is perfect for a quick dip to those that enjoy it. But when Maul doesn't surface right away, her brother begins to fret. "Great. Check on her, then drown her. Good plan," he grumbles to himself before Maul surfaces, spluttering. With powerful kicks he swims to her and grabs her by the scruff with a brisque, "C'mon," and paddles his hind legs along with the current, floating them both close to a shallow dip in the shore until both sets of paws touch sandy, rocky bottom.
Her movements are ineffective. The girl is simply not a swimmer. Luckily for her, her brother is there, and helps to guide her back to the shore. Once her paws find purchase, she claws her way away from the water and her brother, and even then, several more feet, before she finds a place suitably far away where she can curl up on the ground, shivering from much more than just the cold of the water. She doesn't try to talk again, in part because of the evenly spread coughs to clear her body of water and in part because of the intense fear that she still feels. Her, hunt in water? Yeah, that'll happen.
Intensely blue eyes follow the girl up to the shore, swirling darkly at the center of the iris as they watch her for longer than is comfortable. His paws guide him up the grassy bank, muscles twitching the water from his pelt and, with dripping whiskers, approaches his sister. Cael opens his maw, to apologize, but he doesn't managed to say anything before he settles himself next to her, haunches folding underneath him and he bends his head to wash the water from between her eyes and across her forehead. If yougner, he might've laughed... now he just feels like a jerk-Cael. What did Kein say? 'Don't antagonize her?' Well, shoot.
Not all of the wetness on her face is from the river. At least if Maul is crying, she is at least doing so silently. And though she clawed out at him when she first fell in the water, she is more desperate for comfort now than before she entered the river, and so, after a few licks from her brother, she rolls to press herself against him. Her shivering continues, but it becomes a little slower as she takes comfort from the presence of someone who, though he pushed her into the water, she can trust.
'It's just water.' He'd like to say such but some little voice tells him that Maul won't find it very comforting. So, he continues to wash away the water from her face, knowing well enough that the mid-day heat and the dry grass will soak up most of the rest of it. Cael takes a second to shake his head and flick the water dripping from his ears, before he takes a deep breath and huffs it gently through his nose. Again, he noses at his sister's ears and presses his muzzle against the crown of her head for a moment. "It's okay, monster..." He murmurs, attempting to reconcile and no longer be the jerk-face-I-push-you-into-the-river-big-brother!
If Maul were any less traumatized, she would most definitely be trying to take revenge on her brother right now. Such thoughts don't occur to her, though. rather, after a few moments of being groomed, she sniffles and then insists, "I'm fine." It's true. She has her shaking under control. At least, mostly. She doesn't particularly seem like she's going to start absolutely sobbing. She doesn't try to move away from him, though. "I'm okay."
Having heard the scream of Maul near by, Thrash instantly recognized her voice from the other night. Having been in the area on the prowl for some dinner, he instead, heaved his large bulk upwards, and started barreling headstrong through the thick grass, and brush. As he comes upon the two, he doesn't even pause to think, or survey the situation. All he knows is that there's a male near by, and Maul looks unhappy. "HEY!" He calls out with a puff of his fur about his large frame. "Step away from the lady, mister, or I'm going to bury you!" His gold eyes are gleaming brightly, shining with hostility.
Cael sighs, straightening at her insistance that she is, indeed, fine. Sure, fine. You look it, really. He squints his eyes down at her but doesn't argue with her any further. Brother and sister sit there for a little while, both their pelts drying off in the afternoon air. "Well," he chimes in after a thoughful enough pause, "You nearly stop my heart, and I almost drown you. We're even. Mother would be proud." But his attempt at humor doesn't last very long, for as a strange and angry male comes bursting out of the underbrush. In an instant Cael is up on his paws, claws splayed wide and a fiercely protective growl rips through his chest and is flung at the stranger across the way. "Take one more step and I'll rip the life from your throat," he threatens, voice deeply low and blue eyes dangerously dark.
Maul's muzzle twitches in a smile at Cael's joke, but the smile disappears as Thrash crashes into the area. Well, she is well enough, at least, that she is able to hop up as the two boys threaten to tear each other apart. "Stop!" She doesn't try to put herself between them. She's not suicidal. Her shout is at least as loud now, though, as when she went into the water.
"Oh ho.. really now?" Thrash says as the fur along the back of his neck bristles upwards, fangs, and claws extended as he ripples with anger. Rolling his tongue across his lips, he lets out a loud snarl towards the male. "Well, bring it." He says, then purposely takes one step forward, smashing a poor dandelion beneath his large paw. He may be obviously younger, but his size betrays him. Sadly, he tends to leap first, without thinking. "That lovely lady is under my protection, and I won't see her harmed." As Maul yells out to stop, he calls out to her. "Don't worry, Maul! I got yer' back. You just sit back, and let me handle this thug."
"You take one more step towards my baby sister and you won't live to see your next sunrise, you worthless sack of fur," Cael retorts, flinging the insult right back at the younger male, mirroring the step forward with his own. Slowly, he begins to hunker down, back legs and paws braced wide, forelimbs flexed and ready to spring at this upstart who /dares/ to address his little sister like that. Oh, if Kein could only see his little trouble maker now, all grown up and taking on /exactly/ the kind of teenager he was once. Oh, the irony. And then Maul cries out, and briefly does he look across his shoulder at her, blue eyes wild. 'Are you crazy?!' he icily glares, though he doesn't take his eyes from Thrash for more than a mere second. /Lovely/ /lady/?! Not that Maul isn't, of course, but when those words leave the adolescent's mouth, Cael's snarl becomes deeply aggressive and intensely protective. "Don't even think about it."
Maul stays off to the side, but as the boys ignore her, Maul shouts again. "STOP! Stopstopstop!" She does NOT like people ignoring her. Especially not when it seems that, in ignoring her, they are going to be hurting each other. "That's my brother!" Thrash gets the first angry shout. Immediately after, though, comes, "And that's my- Um. That's Thrash!" Yeah! "And you DON'T hurt each other!" Or else!
"I've heard that before, so far, all I'm hearing is a bunch of talk. You got the stones big boy, you come right on over here, and I'll put a spanking on you so hard that you won't walk for a --... Wait.. -sister-?" Thrash says, blinking his eyes in a dumbfounded moment, quirking a brow upwards, before relaxing up just a bit. As Maul starts yelling, he flicks his ears upwards, then settles back upon his haunches, though he doesn't quite lose that edge. "Well.. I didn't know that was your brother, Maul. I heard you screaming and thought you were in trouble." He sneaks another look back towards Cael, giving him quite the stink eye. With a snort, he rolls his shoulders back a bit to loosen his joints. "Looks like it's your lucky day."
His hackles bristling, it takes Cael an enormous amount of effort to relax his posture, though he doesn't dare lose his readiness to spring into action should this upstart even think about trying anything else while he's here. As the other male settles, Cael distinctly does not, and instead stands taller and straighter than, perhaps, he ever has in his life. He still manages to look down his muzzle at Thrash, and it's probably granddaddy Azriel he has to thank for that. Lucky day? "You may want to keep an eye over your shoulder, punk. I still see no reason why I shouldn't rip them off the moment you turn around," he spits acidly, though he cants an ear in Maul's direction and focuses his swirling eyes on her face. 'Your what?' he eye squints at her, tail tip lashing as he waits for an explaination.
"I said stop, Cael!" Maul bumps her shoulder into her brother, not-quite-roughly, just to prove that even though she's not pleased about the continued insults, she is mostly-satisfied. She deliberately ignores Cael's questioning expression, though, instead choosing to address Thrash's concern. "We were just playing, and then-" Maul looks behind her, to the river, and when she looks back, she may as well have just seen a ghost. Whatever she sees when she looks at the water is far more terrifying than what your average animal might see. Even so, to finish her sentence, she says, "I'm fine now."
As Cael continues to posture, Thrash practically looks bored. Amused, his tail twists side to side behind him in a coiling like manner, twitching as if it was a rattled snake. "Cool story, Bro." He says, before training his eyes upon Maul. "Well, I'm glad you're fine then." He says with a firm nod of his head, before starting towards them with a lumbering glide. "I was thinking about you last night, pretty eyes. I was hoping that you were safe.. you didn't eat much last night."
Cael leans against Maul's shoulder as she bumps against him, and though he looks at her with wrinkled concern spreading across his face, there... is another matter to attend to. Despite her insistance that everything is fine, no one, absolutely /no/ /one/, talks to his sister in that manner. In an instant he moves to step in front of her, blocking any forward progression from her with the length of his body, an the displeasure spreads across his face with a derisive snort. "Did you kiss your mother with that mouth, or did she kick a little bastard like you out the moment you could walk?" He turns, then, facing the other male head on. "Smart words for a stone." Pause. "Don't push your luck."
"Cael!" This time, when she bumps into him, it is rather more roughly. She has no chance to be wooed by Thrash's words, as her brother insists on being rude to the strong, kind... strong... to *Thrash*. Yes, that's safer. He insists on being rude to *Thrash*.
"No, but maybe I kissed your sister with that mouth." Thrash says with a bolstering grin upon his face, practically goading on the furious older brother as his tail snaps about his ankles. "Either way, you say another word about my mother, and I'll tear your tongue from your neck, and choke you with it." That's right, no Yo' Momma jokes here! Those are real fighting words, at least for the big brickhead. "You need to chill, Cael." He says smartly before taking another few steps forward.
*twitchtwitch* "You've crossed a very dangerous line, little boy," Cael murmurs, his tone juuuuuust this side of murderous. "If you don't learn how to treat a young lady properly, I will have the entire tribe come down on top of your head before you have a chance to touch her again. Maul--" he calls, tilting his head thoughtfully, "where did you fish out this rock-for-brains?" He sighs, rolls his eyes, and steps right up to Thrash's face, staring him down with a seriously unamused gaze. "You'd better know how to do more than just pick out pretty words from the air." He's not taking care of rock-for-brain chillins, nono.
Maul takes a step back to look at both Cael and Thrash. She is embarrassed, yes... but also angry. "I SAID you stop! Now!" Then, in a huff, she turns away, fully expecting one... or perhaps both... of them to follow her. Well, if it keeps them from fighting, if she's not here to fight over... Of course, fi they keep fighting anyway, it will be bad for her, but since when has her brother ever allowed her to storm off in anger before?
"Oh, you need to get all your buddies to kick my ass, not man enough to do it yourself?" Thrash says as he bobs his head from side to side, staring deep into the eyes of Cael. He moves like a snake, left to side, softly allowing a hiss to pass through his throat. "You want some? Make a move, bro." He rumbles, stepping forward, practically bumping his chest up against the other male's. "You got something you need to prove? Need to feel like a big man?" He says, his words taunting. "I'm just here to see to Maul's safety, but if you want to do this, I'm ready to go." Another bump.
His ears twist to the sides at Maul's insistance, and while he knows that his baby sister is growing increasingly angry with the two of them, there is a much more pressing issue to attend to. Namely... Cael's body calms, and a deadly stillness falls over his features. Not even his tail dances in the irritation he feels as the punk cougar in front of him postures and begins to hit against him. Perhaps the only sound from him is the slight exhale of breath each time Thrash makes his move, and his deep blue-black eyes slowly fall down to the boys face before, though clenched teeth, a quiet and low warning is issued. "If it is my sister's saftey you are concerned with, perhaps you should attend to that very task instead of picking a dangerously unwinable fight." He gives Thrash only a moment to ponder those words before the adolescent can blink or Maul can turn around, he has lifted his left foreleg high above his head and brought it down across Thrash's face with enough force to severely hurt a more thinly-skulled individual. Only for Maul's sake were his claws sheathed.
No! That is NOT what she wanted to happen! As neither of them follow her, but instead continue arguing, she spins around in time to see her brother swing a paw at Thrash. "NO!" Why to the males in her family ALWAYS want to hurt all of the males who she has any interest in? Before she started to like Qale, Qale and Kein got along just fine, and then... And now, with Cael and Thrash... "You GO AWAY, Cael!" She warned him!
As the two stare into each other's eyes, Thrash's body is tense, and as tight as a drum. As he opens his mouth to reply, the crack against his head causes him to reel backwards, his neck popping with the response. It's a good thing he is as thick headed as his words, or else that may have broke his jaw. Seeing stars for a quick moment, he lets out a quick, loud noise of anger, then digs his hind legs into the ground, ducks his head down, and plows himself straight into the other male, looking to rock him off his paws. Despite being a bit younger, he has quite a bit of power in that tackle, holding nothing back, and leaving it all on the floor.
Cael has a feeling that his left paw is going to be sore for a number of days. The hit was satisfying, but it takes quite a bit of composure not to grimace at the lightning bolt that shoots up his leg immediately following. Thick-headed, indeed. Through the coldly serious look that has taken over his features, the briefest glimmer of regret flashes in his eyes, and foolishly does he glance back at his sister behind him. And then his breath is forcibly pushed from his chest as he's barrelled into full-on, that same thick skull pounding into his chest with all the adolescent's weight behind it. Cael would growl, had he the air to do so, but as the two males tumble to the ground, the solider stiffens his legs and carries Thrash's momentum with him. Both crash to the ground, but Cael is quick to roll to his paws, thanks to Thrash and his counter balance weight. One forepaw is forcefully pinned to the other's neck, one hindleg pressing firmly against his stomach just itching to stomp the air from his gut, and a dangerously calm face stares down. Maul is finally acknowledged after a long staring contest, his heavy breathing punctuating the silence, and he gives her a steady look peppered with a myriad of emotions that she will have to ponder later. First, Thrash. "Don't. Do that. Again," Cael mutters before stepping away, attempting to recover his own breath. "Maul," he states. "Don't be foolish."
Foolish? The girl is way beyond foolish. Cael disobeys her, and the Thrash does as well, and since she doesn;t begin to compare to either one of them in weight, she can think of only one thing to do. "I hate you both! I WON'T forgive you!" They are the most hurtful things she knows how to say, and after saying them, she turns and does not hesitate to run away. Let's see them try to not follow her now.
As the pair tumble end over end into the grass, Thrash finds himself on his back, with a paw up against his throat. He lets out a loud 'gawk', and he shoves a paw up against the other male's chest, his claws itching to bury themselves into the muscle, but what holds him back, is the fact the other male isn't drawing blades. He stares up at the other for a moment, before a wide grin crosses over his face. "You're OK in my book, Cael." He says, followed by a loud laugh echoing in his throat, despite being pinned down to the ground. His grin is wild, unabashed. "Hey Maul! I think I like your brother!" He chokes out, slapping the paw away from his throat as he shoves his way out from under the other male. As he catches sight of her barreling off, he rolls his eyes, then starts past the other male with a loud snort. "We totally pissed her off, I'm going to calm her down." He says with a snort over his shoulder, giving the other male a 'look'. "And I'm not gonna hurt her, dumbass." With that, he lopes off in pursuit.
Claws make their appearance once both sister and ... lunkhead disappear into the woods. He shakes his paw out, then idly combs those black pinpoints through his chest fur, considering. With a few steady blinks, Cael's eyes grow softer and brighter, the hateful look dissipating as the seconds tick by. The summer breeze plays games with his pelt and with a quick glance over his shoulder to the mountain from where he came, he sighs audibly and begins to lazily follow Romeo and Juliet; it won't be hard to find them, afterall. They're not making any attempt to hide themselves. He'll apologize to Maul on his own time, and she will forgive him because they are who they are. Still. He's not going to let the two of them vanish off into the worlds for their teenage sheenanigins... Cael blinks and shakes his head. "None of your business," he tells himself, rubbing a paw to his temple. Maybe... maybe he will leave them alone for a while. That's the last thing he needs to come across today. Seriously. He'll find them later; hopefully apart. He has unfinshed business with both parties. Another shake of his head, and Cael alters his course to follow the river a bit longer.
It is some time before Maul stops running. Not until she can no longer keep her breath, and at that point, she throws herself on the ground in the most dramatic way she can, regardless of the fact that she doesn't believe anyone nearby can see her. If she were any younger, the term "temper tantrum" would be unavoidable. As it is, at least she doesn't scream, but in between attempting to catch her breath, she does cry. First she gets pushed in water, then Cael and Thrash's fight... This is the worst day ever! Or if not ever, then definitely since she left her home!
Making his way through the grass at a quick trot, Thrash looks around for a moment, then ambles over towards her. Leaning forward, he pushes his muzzle against her neck gently, then flops down at her side. "Hey honeytree." He rumbles to her, tail twisting around to settle at his hip. "C'mon now.. your brother, and I was just messing around, everything is OK, see?" He says, giving her a big grin. His head is pounding, quite sore, and he'll most likely wake up with a swell in the morning, but for now, he is all smiles. "Sorry, for being a jerk back there."
Maul moves away from Thrash quite deliberately, and once he finishes speaking, she says, "I WON'T forgive you." Her voice is still full of emotion. She warned him she wouldn't. Of course, she *might*, but she could not make it that easy for him, or her future yelled statements proclaiming her everlasting hatred would be much less effective.
"You already have, stop being so dramatic. Your brother is taking a walk to cool off, and I came all the way out here to see if you're OK. Why are you so upset anyways, we barely know each other. Maybe I had it coming to me." Thrash says as he follows after her, leaning out to nip at the tip of her tail. "C'mon, Maul, settle down."
"That's why I should forgive Cael. Not why I should forgive *you*." Maul is a teenaged girl. If there is any one thing she excels at, it is being dramatic. "So you saw me. I'm okay. You can go now." The girl looks at Thrash throughout, as she speaks. Her head is held high, and though her face remains wet with her own tears, she no longer seems at risk of crying.
"Really now? So you won't forgive me, even though he hit me first, and then beat me up? I think I got the short end of the stick." Thrash says with a chuckle as he leans forward slowly, brushing his tongue against her cheek, to taste her tears. "You're cute, you know that?" He says as he curls his tail around once he flops back upon his haunches. "Ever been kissed, Maul?" He deflects, looking to take her off guard with that next question.
She should move away. Refuse to let him touch her. She doesn't, though. Anger still burns in her eyes as he licks away her tears, but she doesn't even grow tense with the action. The questions don't seem to break her of her mood, at least at first, but when she speaks, her tone holds only a superficial hint of anger. "You don't hurt my brother again, or I really won't forgive you, okay?"
"I didn't even hurt your brother, just knocked him down. He needed it." Thrash says with a grin as he leans forward to butt his head against her shoulder. "Why're you avoiding my question for?" He asks, tilting his chin upwards so that his gaze can slide into hers, teasingly. "So, have you?" He asks with a soft rumble, slowly circling her as his tail teases along her paws.
Has she ever been kissed? Has she? She seems to look beyond Thrash for a moment, and that just might be a smile on her muzzle as she whispers, "I've been kissed." Then, she looks back, directly at Thrash, and with her smile gone, she says with seriousness that may very well be faked, "But never by anyone as handsome as you." See? She knows how to flirt. She's *not* a child.
"Really now? Well, I haven't had the chance to kiss a girl as pretty as you." Thrash says as he continues to slowly circle her, allowing his tail to whip out to brush beneath her chin. As he passes, he brushes his muzzle up against her ear. "Kiss me then." He says as his breath tickles the outline of her ear, brushing through her fur. "I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you."
If Cael is out there, watching, this will certainly start the fight anew... But after thinking about that for only a moment, Maul stretches out her neck to press her muzzle slightly to the side of Thrash's, opening her mouth to run her tongue against the length of his jaw, even as she nibbles lightly at his whiskers. If is very different than the casual lick to the cheek she has swapped with most of her family members to this point. She's move nervous than she's trying to pretend to be, though.
As she leans in, Thrash turns his head to accept the kiss, pressing his mouth against hers for a moment, followed by a slow lick along her lips. With a soft rumble in his throat, he rubs his nose against hers, before giving her a gentle nibble. Eyes half lidding, he reaches up with a paw to brush it against her cheek, sliding it around the curve of her neck. She can feel him rumble in his throat as he leans in for another.
When he slips his paw around her, she breaks off her kiss, moving to bury her head in his neck, at which point she takes a deep breath in. No doubt, he presence is distracting her from her purpose out here, away from her family, but she's not thinking about that, now. All she's thinking about is how good he smells, and how safe she currently feels.
Curling his arms around her as he sits back upon his hind quarters, Thrash chuckles under his throat as he holds her against his broad chest. Rubbing his muzzle along the top of her ears, he softly murmurs to her, "You always kiss boys you just met, or am I just the luckiest guy in the world?" He asks, gliding his claws slowly through her fur, enough to tease her.
Maul begins purring as she feels just the very tips of his claws lightly against her skin. How easy it would be for him to hurt her, and hurt her badly. It has happened before, and it could happen again. She gives the thought only a moment, though, and then she answers, whispering, "You're the first boy I've kissed in a really long time." The first /boy/ she has ever kissed, really...
Those claws could definitely hurt her, but instead, they're used to caress, and to tease along her body, seeking out the bit of muscle which lingers in her pelt. Thrash gives her a wry grin on his face, before leaning in for another kiss, his throat hungry as it rumbles. As his lips meet hers, they press a bit firmer, rocking gently, before murmuring against her mouth. "I like your fire." He hints. "You taste sweet."
Her fire. She tastes sweet. She might not understand exactly what he means, but she knows them for what they are. Compliments. Sweet nothings, meant to... She allows him to kiss her, but after that, she says, "You're very nice, Thrash..." But? If there is one coming, and it certainly sounds as though there is, she does not go into it, immediately.
"I am very nice, aren't I? And handsome, from what you said earlier." Thrash says with a grin on his face as his ears twitch forward. "Kissing you is worth the butt kicking your brother will most likely give me." He says with a chuckle, trailing another claw in her fur, toying the top of her head a bit, tussling her fur.
Her brother, yes. And her father. If Kein were here now, both of them would be lucky to walk away unharmed. "Just hold me, okay? He can't hurt you for just holding me." And maybe, just maybe, Maul will get to sleep, even if just for a little while, without worrying about things that go bump in the night.
"I'm sure your brother would hurt me from even looking at you twice." Thrash says with a deep laugh in his throat. "But, I will hold you all through the night if you wish. I won't let you go. You are under my protection." He says, then circles her once more as he slides up along her body, teasingly, enough to give her a taste of his raw strength. Settling down behind her, he drapes his body across hers, giving her a firm snuggle as his paws circle around to settle near her chest.
Perhaps in the morning, she'll remember what she's supposed to be doing, out here. In the morning, or when Cael comes crashing into the area, snarling and growling. Once he places himself over her, she presses her head against him, then closes her eyes. Not since she was a cub has she slept so very near someone, but since she left her home, the comfort of having a strong male sleeping pressed against her is soothing.