Let's Reunite

[☼ Sunstorm]

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[atrb=background,http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk107/puddinxpiexB/CrouseMIDDLE.png] It was amazing how much the air seemed to break up after we both realized who the other was. He didn't seem so hot-headed, although he followed me and my moodswings very well. I caught that as his ears moved forward in a defiant manner. Well, as least my brother could hold his own, even if he was smaller than I was. I couldn't have a wussy for a bro, now could I? Now that I knew he was my brother, I could spot the signs that we were indeed related. His coat was creamy just as mine was, though much darker. I realized that his eyes were just like Dexerous', and while I didn't really like that (he and I had been into it, believe me), it wasn't like he could help it. After all, one of my eyes looked just like Ember's, and I hated that. I wasn't sure where I got the brown eye from, but genetics was never something I was interested in. But yes, now that I knew what to look for, I could see it in him. Despite how fiery he was proving to be, though, I knew that he was much mellower than I was. I only knew this because he'd had a mellower life in general. 'No, I don't. But she regrets it.' He spoke softly, but even if he had whispered it, it wouldn't have stopped the angry response that came from me. "Hah, bullshit!" I exclaimed, rolling my eyes. "You know I don't believe that for a damn second. And even if she did regret it, there's nothing she can do to fix it." Because now my whole life is screwed up. I nearly blurted that out, but somehow I managed to bite my tongue at the last second. 'No, she's a damn control freak. If she were here right now, I wouldn't even be talking to you. Brother.' I instantly felt relieved at this. Oh, thank God! The tension leaving my body may very well have been visible to him, though I didn't quite care that I was showing it. I was just freaking glad that that bitch was nowhere close to here, because I had no patience to deal with her. I was still trying to figure out why I was backing off of Auburn as much as I was, but as moody as I was anyway, I didn't bother tracking down the reason. "Damn control freak. Well, at least I know we are related. Couldn't have said it better myself." I gave a wide gesture with my head, telling him without words that he was welcome to get out of the wild wind and come over to my temporary shelter. As I gave this gesture, I backed up, having to take quite a few steps because I'd advanced so much when I'd been threatening him. For now, he was free of any threat. For now. When I returned to the shelter, I lowered my haunches, getting myself comfortable. Meeting up with my brother was proving to be very distracting from the thoughts of being a father. "So what in the world have you been up to all this time?" Surely he's been having a better time than I, though I wasn't quite sure, since he was with our mother, after all.

[Ember]

Auburn

It was so easy to tell we were brothers, if you knew. Through we were each differant in our own ways, we were so much alike.

He got the firey temper through. I was much mellower. I could imagine how life would have been if Ember stayed. I shook the thought out my head. She made her choice, and while we were both mad at her for it, she had to abide by it.

After I made my half whispered response about Ember, he exploded, just as I knew he would.

"Hah, bullshit! You know I don't believe that for a damn second. And even if she did regret it, there's nothing she can do to fix it."

I winced slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice. My tail was still up, althrough he didn't seem to know it. I noticed how agitated he looked every time I mentioned my mother, how his eyes brightened in anger.

"Damn control freak. Well, at least I know we are related. Couldn't have said it better myself."

He motioned with his head towards the rock he was sheltering in, and i sighed in relief. As much as I hid it, the wind was getting to me, as used to the shelterd forest regions as I was.I dipped my head in a silent thank-you.

I slowly walked the shelter, suddenly shy about being close to my brother. Considered how he was earlier, I didn't want to be near him if his temper blows over. What what if earlier was just mild? Urgh, I mentally shuddered.

When my brother finally got into the shelter, for he had taken serval big steps out of it before, he settled onto his hauches. I was still quite a few feet away from the shelter, when he said,

"So what in the world have you been up to all this time?"

I was quiet for a moment, thinking, and then suddenly took a lot of steps to the shelter, noticing that he was acting friendly now. " Not much, " I replied, my amber eyes warm and friendly, " Not much at all, " I mused, thinking about how boring my life has been.

With a sigh, I streched out, taking up about half the space in the shelter. I flashed a grin at him as I layed down on the sand, now a lot warmer.

[☼ Sunstorm]

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[atrb=background,http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk107/puddinxpiexB/CrouseMIDDLE.png] He took up my offer, though I did notice he looked shy about it. That definitely confirmed what I had been thinking; he was a mellower wolf, through and through. The only time he truly matched me was when I pissed him off, and that angry light would flare up in his eyes. Though his eyes seemed to melt when he was angry while mine probably didn't do anything as drastic as that, he hadn't been able to keep it up for long. He was only following me in my moods, which meant I had full control of the situation. I wasn't likely to turn on him, but the knowledge I had control was comforting. He paused when I asked him what he's been doing all this time, and I just watched him, waiting. Was he still scared of me? I couldn't blame him, really. My mood swings occurred often, and one minute I could just be fine and then something offensive was said, causing me to erupt into a fearsome creature. As far as I knew, I was alright for now, but we'd have to wait and see how this little 'catching up' session went. Finally he closed the distance between us, stepping fully into the shelter of the high rocks, and he answered. Nothing much, eh? I wondered if he really meant that, or if there was a long story that would take a while to tell. But I decided to take him for his word, because I figured that when you're three years old and you're still tagging along with Mommy, then nothing much would happen at all. "Hah, wish I could say the same on my end, bro." Too much had been happening, in fact. Plopping himself down, Auburn took up a gracious space. Neither of us would come close to being the largest wolves on the island, but that didn't mean we were scrawny, either. Dexerous had been a decent sized fellow--had been? What the hell am I talking about, he is. Why I was talking in past tense, I have no idea. Maybe because I felt that the bastard deserved to fall off the face of the planet or something. We'd come across each other twice; once when I'd met up with Sage, Auburn and I's sister, and then another time when he'd been seeking acceptance into the Revolt. Psh, try again fool. I wasn't spending any sort of time around him. "Surely something must have happened, though. Oh, do you got a girl yet?" I gave him a playful wink, hoping that any brother of mine would have a few chicks following him about. I thought of Joaquin first, the she-wolf who was carrying my pups, and then Twilight Heaven shortly came in after that. Ah, yes, my nearly fatal, sweet mistake. Thinking of her soft fur, one of my cocky smiles started to play at my lips, though it didn't fully form. I wasn't sure how many of my crazy adventures I'd actually tell Auburn; he seemed too goody for me to tell him everything. Plus, he was heading back to the Renegade Pack, the guys who hated us with a passion, and would probably kill me if given the chance. Oh, what a devious thought that just entered my brain! He was heading back to that hateful pack, and of course Anakaros was going to be nosy, so he'd want to know where I was and what I'd been up to. I could just feed Auburn lies about where the Revolt was hanging out, leading them on crazy chase around the island. I could also say false things about our intentions, and false things about where the two brats were. Perhaps befriending my brother would have to be high on my list of interests.

[Ember]

Auburn

I gave Crouse a cocky smile. " How could you...meet a girl when there's a control freak breathing down your back? " I asked him. As for the things that have been happening to me.....well.

There was the time when Ember told me the story of why she left this place, but I was wasn't gonna tell that to him. Hell no. And then there was the time.....when we did nothing. For the past three years I've been doing nothing.

I haven't lived as much as the other wolves that I know, which is a very short list, Ember and my brother, whose name I didn't know. That made a frown on my face.

" Say, what's your name? There is no way that I can remember such a tiny little detail from three years ago, " At that point I grinned.

I whished my tail in the sand, making tiny little furrows. Hmm. This sand, I've never seen before. It was midnight black. Even with all the lands I've traveled across, I've never seen anything like this. I was fasinated with it.

With a sigh, i got up. I looked over at the sea with my amber eyes, and thought about it. Never, in all my life, has Ember taken me so close to water. Even at little streams, she shied away from it, her blue eyes wide with fear.

I considered why she would do that. Why was she so afraid? Why did she want to return this now? Ember is a very strange wolf, I relised. And even through I've been with her for three years, I didn't know all of her sercrets.

I made up my mind. I would travel with my brother for a bit, live a little, and then return to my mother and find out her sercrets. I could probalty get my brother to torture them from her, I thought with a wry smile. He would enjoy that.

After staring at the ocean a little bit more, i layed back down.

[☼ Sunstorm]

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[atrb=background,http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk107/puddinxpiexB/CrouseMIDDLE.png] 'How could you...meet a girl when there's a control freak breathing down your back?' Good point. Regardless, it was a disappointment that he hadn't managed to sneak away to meet anyone; and anyone at all! Oh boy, we were going to have to go wandering about the island sometime soon. I couldn't have a brother...Well, not somewhat like me. I thought of Joaquin, though, and I knew that it would be difficult for me to join in on the festivities. I was tied down now, and I kind of resented that. "Aye, that's true I guess. But I will admit, I am disappointed in you. You gotta get out there." I didn't add how I would even take him out myself, but if things continued to go well, I'd suggest it. The closer I got, the better I could manipulate. 'Say, what's your name? There is no way that I can remember such a tiny little detail from three years ago.' Well, I just had to snort at that. "Dude, you've been talking to me for the past fifteen minutes and you didn't even know my name?" Not weird at all. "The name's Crouse. And if you were wondering about our sister, she's Sage. I haven't seen her in a while, though..." As far as I knew, she was still roaming the Renegade lands. She had been angry with me for leaving, though she hadn't known that I'd been kidnapped. No, I hadn't left because I'd wanted to. But we'd made up, because she couldn't hold a grudge against me for too long. That was a while back, though, before either of us had become proper adults...We'd been at that awkward stage between pup and adult. He looked distracted; he got up after swishing his tail through the dark sands, and his eyes cast out toward the ocean. He was obviously thinking about something, but I wasn't a mind reader, so I wasn't about to figure anything out. Meanwhile, I myself was trying to figure out exactly what I was going to say to screw up the Renegade and whatever plans they had. I could do some serious damage here, and I was eager to do so. I liked to think that I was very good at causing damage; in a way, it was what I lived for. "By the way, while I'm thinking of it," I said, my words kind of slow and lazy as I lifted a rear leg to scratch at an ear. "Are you really headed to the Renegade, or did you just say that to try to get me off your back?" Here we go, here was the beginning of my manipulation. I was very good at that, so I felt that I was able to do it without giving him any indication that I was trying to trick him. I wasn't sure if I had been born a sly creature, but I certainly had been influenced enough by Seshafi, and that was all I needed.

[Ember]

Auburn

I saw the dissapiontment in his eyes when I said I hadn't met anyone. Now why would he be intrested in me meeting a girl?

"Aye, that's true I guess. But I will admit, I am disappointed in you. You gotta get out there."

I winced slightly; I was dissappionted, too. i lifted my head up so I could talk to him with my eyes on him. " I'm trying, " I said simply. After all, I did meant a pretty female wolf the other day....I shook myself to get read of the memory, hoping he wouldn't noticed the wistfullness in my eyes. I so wanted to see that pretty girl right now.

"Dude, you've been talking to me for the past fifteen minutes and you didn't even know my name? The name's Crouse. And if you were wondering about our sister, she's Sage. I haven't seen her in a while, though..."

I mentally laughed at the first part, and showed a half grin to him. So his name was Crouse. Well. And my sisters nmae was Sage. I mentally filed it away for later, in case if I see her in my travels.

[i"By the way, while I'm thinking of it, Are you really headed to the Renegade, or did you just say that to try to get me off your back?"][/i]

He lifted a leg to strach at his ear. I knew he was hiding something, perhaps tenseness?, because he spoke slow and lazy. That got me on high alert. I carefully chose my words.

" I really have no idea. It really depends on how everything goes, " By everything I meant this meeting with my brother, Crouse. " But I do want to, er, see the world a bit more, " I said, nice and relaxed, instead of tense like I wanted it be.

I lazily lifted my head up and yawned, a bored yawn, and watched the mist that came from my own breath. It was so cold here, and it was just early winter. I wonder how cold it would get later on? Suddenly, I was slightly scared. Who knew what the weather had in store.

[☼ Sunstorm]

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[atrb=background,http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk107/puddinxpiexB/CrouseMIDDLE.png] I was watching his expression rather closely, and I saw him wince. Was I getting to him? Bah, if so, it was pretty damn easy to get under his skin. I resisted snorting aloud, though I had the urge to. He lifted his head up, setting his amber eyes on mine as he replied with two simple words. 'I'm trying.' And then a wistful look crossed his features, and that right there was something I recognized. I pounced on it because I knew the look so well. "Oh, what is it you're not telling me?" A smile pulled at my mouth, and I shifted slightly so I was leaning forward a few degrees. "I recognize that look all too well. What woman you got on your mind?" So he wasn't a complete failure; he had someone on his mind. Although if it turned out he was gay, I would have to disown him. I'd do that right here and right now if that were the case; I'd walk off without a second thought. But I had a gut feeling that it wasn't any male roaming around in his mind. I went through the whole giving away my name thing, and he responded simply by giving a half grin. I still found that strange, that he didn't remember my name when I could remember his, but then I realized that I'd been with the Renegade Pack for a while, and he hadn't. They'd been able to tell me the names, and that must have been the reason the names stuck. Then we got to the sweet stuff, the part of the conversation that was more important than the rest. I was watching his expressions play out, but I couldn't tell if he was wary or not. It was hard to tell with him, and that frustrated me. I was good with concealing my own expression, though, and I was able to keep away that frustration. We were alike in that aspect. 'I really have no idea. It really depends on how everything goes.' What did that mean? What was 'everything'? I didn't have the chance to ask, because he continued on. 'But I do want to, er, see the world a bit more.' Huh. I got to do that everyday, being as free as I was. That thought, though, led me back to the realization that I was going to be a Dad soon. Did that mean I couldn't do whatever the hell I wanted? I'd already made the pledge that I wouldn't be like my father, who had had absolutely no hand in the rearing of Sage and I. But I didn't want to be tied down, either. Ah, what a dilliema. "So what're you gonna do? Go bouncing back to dear Mommy after you leave here?" I said 'Mommy' with a sneer flashing onto my face, sarcasm entering my tone before fading again. Yup, I hated my mother, and I was sure that Auburn had caught that already. So what, who cared. I'd make it known. ooc:// I just wanted to say...I have nothing against gay people. That is just Crouse's personality, not me. I just didn't want to offend anyone; I know a few gay people and they're just like anyone else to me. ^^'

[Ember]

Auburn

I stared off into the distance, my amber eyes caught with that wistful look. Norther was perhaps the prettyest, and only, female wolf that I've met besides my mother. I thought of hersliver dusted -fur and forest green eyes....and then tried to shake it away.

Forcus Auburn, I said to myself, now is not the time to dream. I forced myself to focus on Crouse, his bi-colored eyes focused on my face. I saw a smile pull at his lips, and realised he must have seen my face.

"Oh, what is it you're not telling me?"

I shook my head, not wanted to explain, and pull myself to the present. " Nothing, " I said quickly, perhaps too quickly, for he said,

"I recognize that look all too well. What woman you got on your mind?"

He leaned forward, eager, it seemed for me to tell him the news, but with Crouse you never know.

I gave him a half-smile, then got up. I streched out my legs, for they were getting stiff from sitting so long. Then, finally, I looked at him and said, " No one , "

I sat back down, keeping eye contact with Crouse to make it seem like I wasn't lying. Then, I looked out towards the ocean to think a bit.

So many things were happening at once. Meeting my long lost brother toped the list, but meeting Norther came close. My eyes got that wistful look again, but I shook my head, remembering how easily Crouse read my expression earlier.

Speaking of Crouse, he barely seemed like my brother. We look so unalike, his pelt being a creamy white and mine being of a more darker shade. Only some one who knew could see the similarities, even through Crouse got the longer legs.

Not to mention our personlaties. I have no idea what made Crouse so bitter, besides the fact that Ember left, but there was something else, something that left it's mark on him.

His vioce startled me out of my thoughts.

"So what're you gonna do? Go bouncing back to dear Mommy after you leave here?"

His vioce had that bitterness and anger back again, and it stroked the fire that was my temper. We may be differant, but we both had the same temper, althrough mine was slower to provoke. I turned to face him.

" I will not, " I said, my vioce tense and my amber eyes a molten color. " Why go back to her if I'm enjoying my freedom? Why go back to that damn control freak? " my vioce had real anger in it, anger at her for keeping me away from the real world.

I looked him straight in the eye. " Show me what life is about, " I said, no, ordered, and marched to the edge of the shelter, and then stood waiting for him, my amber eyes blazing.

[☼ Sunstorm]

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[atrb=background,http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk107/puddinxpiexB/CrouseMIDDLE.png] He was just denying that there was anything to tell, but I knew better. He just wanted me to leave him alone, but being the pesky pest I was, I'd just keeping egging him on. Because hey, I lived to get under people's skin. "Uh huh, I'm sure she's no one." He was looking me right in the eye, as if he was trying to convince me, but I knew better than that. "Well, what's she look like? Maybe I've met her. But don't worry about competition from me; I've got me a girl." I winked, being playful about it. He was all wistful, which kind of got on my nerves. He was off on some other planet, probably thinking about that she-wolf. Who knew if she was a potential lover or someone Auburn was just lustful for. There was a difference, and I wish he'd just tell me, but his lips were sealed. Oh, I'd get it out of him, and in short time, too. I was mischevious enough to know how to do it. Then we got onto the topic of what he was going to do, and I implied that he'd go running back to Ember. That set him off, though, and he turned to show his face to me. His eyes, which had been much cooler seconds before, had seemed to change. There was an angry light in them; and I wasn't sure what it was, but they seemed molten now that he was angry. I wondered if my eyes did that, and I kind of wished they did, because that was cool. I know, when someone is angry with something I said, I'm not concerned. I just think of random things just as effects on the eyes. I'm just beast like that, that's all. 'I will not. Why go back to her if I'm enjoying my freedom? Why go back to that damn control freak?' His voice clearly showed his anger, and through his words I found out that his anger wasn't directed toward me. So he was just as angry as I was about Ember's ways? Intriguing to know. It was becoming harder to continue with my manipulating plan, because I was beginning to like Auburn as the conversation continued. Bah, I would have to take it as it went. "Dude, chill out. I barely even know you; I didn't know you hated her like I did." Did I really hate her? Everyone said hate was a really strong word, and Ember was the only mother I'd ever had. But then I said a mental 'fuck it', and through the anxious thought out of my head. There was nothing to love, not when she ditched you. "But I wouldn't go back. Go ahead leave her. Leave her like she left us," Although I was angry because I was still thinking of Ember, there was that mischevious glint in my eye. Oh, maybe it'd be easier to get Auburn on my line of thinking that I'd thought. 'Show me what life is about.' He said this harshly, as if he was ordering it. Normally, I'd fight back, because I didn't take damn orders from anybody. Not even Seshafi, who was technically our leader. But I was just excited to realize how much like me Auburn was turning out to be; he had my temper. Oh, that much was obvious! He then walked--no, the better word might be marched, or stomped--to the edge of our rock shelter. I stood up, shaking my fur to get rid of the sands that clung to my long fur before bounding (though I didn't travel far at all, so I'm not sure you could really call it a bound) to where he stood. "What exactly do you want me to show you?" My famous, signature, cocky grin appeared on my mouth, a glint shining in my eye. This was a brother I could possibly be proud of.

[Ember]

Auburn

"Uh huh, I'm sure she's no one."

He said, his tone implying other things. I glared at him, still mad, my eyes molten amber. My tail lashed.

"Well, what's she look like? Maybe I've met her. But don't worry about competition from me; I've got me a girl."

He winked at me. I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. I opened them again, and was calmer.

" I'm not worried, " I said, my tone angry, even through I just tried to calm down. Somehow, I had switched from calm, mellow Auburn, to someone I barely knew. I tried to calm myself again, deep breath in, out.

When my amber eyes cool from thier molten color, I noticed sand in my pelt. normally this wouldn't have bothered me, but this time it did. I shook it off, making sure to get some on Crouse, who was still on the ground.

I was on the edge of the rock shelter, looking out from behind towards the sea. It had a calming affect on me. But my brothers next words changed that.

"Dude, chill out. I barely even know you; I didn't know you hated her like I did."

Did I detect something like anxiousness in his vioce? i'm pretty there wasn't, but I still wondered about it. " Hate's a rarther strong word, "I said, still staring at the sea so my tone came out measured, controled, slightly clipped.

"But I wouldn't go back. Go ahead leave her. Leave her like she left us,"

That old bitterness again. That's what calmed me the rest of the way. " But she came back, didn't she? " I said, soft as a whisper, for I wasn't talking to Crouse, but to myself. And I didn't want to set him off.

And then I considered my options. I could go and stay with Crouse for a while. Or I could go find Sage and see if she still hates her mother. And there was the last chioce. I could go back to my mother.

There was no way I was doing that. Ember would....not let me live let a wolf should. she keep me in her tight knit circle and make me stay there. I winced at the thought.

At that piont, Crouse got up. He bounded over, well not really bounded, but you get what I mean, to me. I sighed softly. Great.

"What exactly do you want me to show you?"

" Anything and everything, " I said through my teeth. Could he not see that he was fraying my nerves, so much that my temper was coming through?