[ P ] The Conquest

These days I was never alone unless I meant to meet with Witch. I had a troop of five follow me to Aberdeen, business was to gather rations for my soldiers that I knew was clean, to help everyone get back on track. Witch did a number on my squadron and I wasn’t happy about it, reminding her the last time we met what happens when she tip toes too closely to my wolves. Another section was sent to the Fae Forest to hunt, while another section was stationed just outside of Aberdeen at my disposal. They waited for a signal I hadn’t hoped to use.

We walked the streets, and as my wolves were dispersed to purchase various things, I broke away with a Lieutenant’s nod toward the shoreline. Massive figure walked with a dignity higher than my measly rank, preparing all of them to see me higher than this. One day. One day I’ll be the very monster they didn’t want to see, or perhaps couldn’t keep their eyes off of. I meandered down a few steps to allow ivory paws to step onto the gritty yet soft sand. It mushed beneath my weight and gave way to my path as I approached the lipping tide.

The sound was alluring. The push and pull of the salty water which stained the air so pleasantly. Mismatching ears and eyes shifted to the rolling waves, gulls squawking overhead. I neared the water enough to feel it on my toes. My one good eye looked over across the glassy, murky surface of the waves. I took a moment’s time of peace in this serene area, simply waiting for the signal from my wolves.

For Aurelius

The small villages were easy to pass through, his concern not with the usuals that went about their daily lives. It seemed they held little to no attention to the war that was hammering on their doorsteps, avoidance seemingly inevitable as word of the Imperial Army making footfalls upon the dirt of the Fae Forest.

His intentions were partly lined with a hushed task he was assigned and his own determination to take some sort of initiative in their preparations for war. With the whispers of the soldiers from the South coming further North, to the forest, he was curious to see just how many may be trying to go rogue and make the journey early and on their own-surely leaving them vulnerable to the elements that awaited them in the forest.

In his little expedition, he decided to take a small detour, the shores of Aberdeen always beckoned, and he would never pass the opportunity to answer the call. This detour, however, would be different than most- Imperial Scum were spotted trapsing around the village he passed through to get to the beach. What were they doing here, and not rallying at the treeline of the fae forest? He fought to keep a neutral expression across his face, his heart however would not hold back from building up the adrenaline that slowly began coursing through him. It would be too foolish to take on any one of them alone. For now, he would retreat to the sands of the beach.

The sounds of the waves crashing the closer he got would settle his nerves for the time being, the scent of the ocean alone was enough to put the boy in a trance. That scent alone was what covered the scent of Rain that trailed the path he was on. He thought nothing of it, it rained quite often. It wasn't until his paws came to a halt in the sand that he would connect the dots. An iron clad, tore up behemoth sat just at the waters edge. Even now, no longer a pup's height, Aurelius still admired the staggering statue that was his uncle, White Timber. However, inner admiration was where he drew the line with his Uncle. He reeked of the Imperial scum, and it would all line up with the sudden departure he made from the family and made his way South. The boy was, and is, too young to understand the inner workings of his Uncle. Perhaps this was what urged Aurelius to refrain from a warm welcome. Instead, the boy would saunter closer, though no where near his uncle's side. Ivory tipped toes would sink just below the tide's surface into the sand, his seas of green drifted out into the horizon. Cool baritones would ripple from the boy's chest. An do thill thu dhan dachaigh agad, Uncail?(Have you returned to your Home, Uncle?) he remained still, the fibers of steel coated mass would whisp and whirl in the subtle breeze the ocean swept inland.

code & art by claerie

{pretend it’s in the native tongue lol}

The ocean crooned. The breeze whispered. The overhang loomed. And then, the solitude was shattered. The presence of my esteemed nephew broke through and yet he remained so distance. My body filled with a mixture of feelings. Was it joy by him? Love and yearning? Or maybe it was dread and hate? Maybe they were all tangled up and I felt each one. Still, he coaxed little more than a stoic eye and taut frown. I didn’t even grace him with a glance.
"Aurelius,"
Baritones thundered the boy’s name. Skipping right over his query I continued, one golden eye tracing the sea waves.
"Did you know I was the one that named you?"
How muddled this was. How weak his father. But to have been blessed with a specimen such as my nephew - why, I’ll never admit it - was something my brother always took for granted.
"A powerful name, for a powerful lineage."
Thunderous tones continued on, still without adorning the child in a look.
"Supposed to have been, anyway."
The taut frown then slithered into a sneer, disgust evident. How hot did he run? Did he burn as brightly as his uncle? I’d soon find out.

His question was bulldozed over, his inquiry on his Uncle's intentions squashed right out of the gate. Irritation boiled and buzzed through his veins, with it came an overwhelming sensation of, well, everything. He wouldnt give any other of King Adamh's minions the same calm approach- why was he offering it to his estranged Uncle? Blood was so rare and scarce for the boy, forcing him to forge bonds outside of his family ties. Heimdall was a mentor, but of all the wolves he'd grown close to, he was the one he couldn't help but to feel as though he was a stand in for a fatherly role in his life. Perhaps that was why he hid his irritation, White Timber was likely all he had left connected to his parents, and he didn't want to let that connection go.

"Did you know I was the one that named you?" brows would furrow, a front paw adjusting for the shift in his weight. Before the fuse to the cannon that was the boys temper could be lit, his Uncle's words held a suffocating drip around the fuse, delaying the ignition. The slightly veiled insult would tear at the tension that formed and snapped all in the same breath. Hia front paws sunk deeper into the sand as his weight was shifted forward now, a pivoting swing would position him infront of his uncle, hackles rasied as ears pinned. Water clung to the fur around his paws, while little droplets fell from the bits of fur that would be splashed by his movement through the water. Kissers were sharply peeled back as his incisors snapped. You are apart of the very same lineage as I, are you not? a hot breath was drawn in briefly before he would dare to lash his words at his Uncle's face. You are the one associated with filth, with inevitable failure, you are the one that abandoned your own roots. Accusations he likely didn't quite understand himself, but were all he knew of. His neck would be shielded with by a tucked chin as he watched his Uncle's own face and body before him, his paws planting themselves with as much leverage to the surface beneath him he could, preparing for a heavy blow from the iron clad behemoth before him.

code & art by claerie

I wouldn’t claim the boy if he hadn’t been exactly as he were. His movements were sharp and precise, his launch and landing executed near perfect as would be expected, and his face contorted with the legacy’s unruly rage. He was pride, riddled with everything I would ever want or need from a son - if ever I were so lucky - but he was gifted to my weaker brother.

Pity.

I did not move as Aurelius lashed out, inches from my face, seconds from releasing his anger. A single brow arched as my chin remained elevated, exposing my throat fearlessly. He could do his worst. This much he knew. But would he?

Expression remained steeled and stoic, the scars not even flinching, his words flying like daggers to my torso. They stuck, but I wouldn’t remove them. In fact, I’d let them bleed, if even for a few moments. Silence blanketed us again. The water sloshed beneath his weight. The waves crooned. My breathing - steady.

{"As always, Aurelius, you could be right."}

But even my own nephew knew not how my ambition did burn.

{"I wasn’t the one to have failed you, however."}
Baritones rumbled, finally an auric lens would grace Aurelius below.

{"I am here. Where is your father?"}
I knew exactly. But… did the boy? I wasn’t much for lying, but this was selective truths was it not? I waited then, how much could I prod and poke, how much weight of the bear’s nephew could he take before he finally exploded? It almost coaxed a smile from me, but instead I stifled it in favor of my impenetrable visage.
{"Life is what you make of it. If my path is incorrect, I will alter it."}

The smile which threatened to spread earlier then morphed into a soul crushing sneer, partially exposing lethal bridgework, my chin never lowering.
{"Will you?"}