Autumn Air (Tagged)

[Emorli]

Meds
Arani;


In both autumn and winter, the ground and the air is always cold yet because of the warm sun’s rays warming her body up, Arani never minds the cold burn that she gains in her lungs whenever she takes a deep breath, breathing in the cool, crisp air.

What better place to warm yourself up than in the middle of the grasslands, where the sun beats down until it begins disappearing past the horizon, turning the sky different colors variating from oranges and yellows to pinks and purples, until it disappears, allowing the stars and moon to illuminate the night sky.

Arani lays on her side in the middle of the field, her predominantly black pelt soaking up the sun rays and warming her body to combat the cold temperature of the ground that’s scattered with small amounts of snow, making a thin blanket along sections of the ground, partially melted by the sun.

Arani breaths out a breath she was holding, looking like a dragon puffing out smoke before it dissipates in the air completely. The female holds her eyes closed, enjoying the weather and the time she gets to rest.

[Meds]

Manaaki, Kanga;

At laaaaast......

The boys had been apart a lot during the last couple seasons. They'd both been quite busy. Manaaki, with courting Amora and in general doing his duties as a Scout, and Kanga with trying to figure out himself, and doing his own duties as a Warrior. But finally, they had caught up with each other. One would think that for creatures as large as they were, keeping track of each other would be a laughably simply thing to do.

They had decided on hunting, that night—as there was nothing the boys liked more than taking on a challenge ten times what any regular wolf alone could do. Kanga loudly boasted, and often, that they were each as good as five wolves—which made them able to take on challenges so far advanced. In their first season in Secluded Sunrise, they had taken down a fully mature cow moose with out either sustaining permanent injury. The pack had eaten well for the rest of the season.

"What do you think?" Manaaki rumbled in his deep bass voice as he and his twin raced through the trees, going much faster than beasts of their size should probably have been allowed.
"Boar. A seven-hundred pounder." Kanga's smile was wild and confident. "And I don't mean bore. That's you."Manaaki smirked rather than respond, but secretly wondered if the two of them could manage a boar that size. In all honesty, when working together, they had not yet met a challenge they could not overcome.

The ground fairly thundered with their weight as they ripped through the trees. Vicious snaps and snarls came from both sides, as Manaaki and Kanga's love for each other had never been gentle. By the time they reached the plains, Kanga had equal lines of both drool and blood trickling from his mouth, and Manaaki's cheek was sported a healthy gash. Both were grinning, as Manaaki was always a little more open when it was just Kanga and he—but then he froze in his tracks.
Instantly, the bond that the two of them shared became apparent, because even before the silver twin had said anything, Kanga froze as well and whipped his head to the front.
"Just a lone wolf," Manaaki murmured, moving forward with so little noise now that it was almost comical how loud they had been seconds before. Both twins knew well of rising tensions within the valley, and a little caution never hurt anyone—except Kanga.

"Evening," He barked, his deep and accented voice ringing through the otherwise tranquil air. Manaaki's eyes closed for a half-moment in exasperation, but then slowly moved to stand beside his brother. They kept their distance, as beasts of their size were not often thanked for rushing up to strangers.

[Emorli]

Arani;

"Evening."

Arani's ears flattened as she jumps. The result of a loud noise pierced through the sweet silence that filled the air, but they quickly raised back as soon as she sniffed the air, picking up on two wolves. Her eyes open up slowly and she stands up, taking time to stretch her limps and yawn.

She turned to see a pair of wolves, keeping just enough distance to make the atmosphere a bit awkward.

"Good evening. If you're going to wake me from a nap, at least come close enough so I don't feel like I'm prey that you're stalking."

Arani lets out a small laugh, just in case they didn't understand that she was joking around. A sweet smile adorning her features, although, without it, her eyes are sharp and critical, her features, almost as intimidating as her brothers, but because of his constant welcoming aura, he's not so scary when you talk to him. Arani, on the other hand, radiates a sort of confidence that can often make it seem like she's hyper-critical, but she's just as friendly as her brother.

They were obviously very large wolves, the only ones she's seen who are able to at least reach her brother's height, although she wasn't sure if they were taller or not. Although she was much slimmer, their height was fairly close to being the same.

A smile crosses her face at meeting wolves she finally doesn't have to look down at to make eye contact with. Finally! I won't have a sore neck today.

[Meds]

Kanga, Manaaki;

The female didn’t seem surprised to see them. Even for one who had just woken up, she was remarkably calm. Calmer than Kanga ever was, that’s for sure. Manaaki tilted his grey head, causing the fur around his ears to bunch and flash the silver underneath. He could feel Kanga’s grin from just ahead of him without even seeing it. He was about to growl in warning to Kanga, but the russet-giant has already barelled forward with his voice like thunder.
”Who says you aren’t the prey we’re stalking?” But his grin would show this wasn’t even close to true.
”I think what my brother means,” Manaaki said. ”Is that we apologize for happening upon you so suddenly.” He drove a powerful shoulder into Kanga’s rump, truly the only wolf with enough power to make the mountain-like-wolf move at all. The younger twin allowed himself to be moved forward toward the stranger.

Manaaki sat when they were a bit closer, Kanga mirroring him just a second later.
”Is sleeping in the hunting grounds a good idea with all the rutting bucks?” Kanga asked, his silver-ringed eyes, the exact opposite of his brothers, narrowing slightly in thought. ”Unless you’re the bait.” He swiveled quickly, trained-eyes sweeping the perimeters. Manaaki said nothing else, but allowed a gentle, welcoming smile to come to his maw as they waited for the female’s take on the situation.

[Emorli]

Arani;

The two males caused the atmosphere to lift suddenly and Arani's heart felt warm at the two's relationship which allows a small smile to form on her maw. While the brown-pelted male poked fun at Arani, which only caused her smile to grow, the grey-pelted male simply apologizes for disturbing her.

"Oh. Don't worry about it. I really don't mind. It's always great to see new, friendly faces."

The one, more hyperactive, brother asks the female if she was acting as bait, so she decides to go along with him,

"Wow. You got me. I was acting as bait."

Arani does the same motion as Kanga, but turns away from him, her eyes in an over the top squint and her bottom lip jutting out slightly,

"I don't think they took the bait though." She gives a fake pout before turning back around and facing the two, her expression back to normal,

"What're your names? I'm Arani."

[Meds]

Kanga, Manaaki;

The tall female seemed agreeable. She took kindly to Kanga’s gentle jibes, and seemed to appreciate Manaaki’s calm approach. She nodded her head and stood, highlighting that it was nice to meet friendly faces. Manaaki gave a slow nod of agreement, and Kanga let his tongue loll past his teeth.
”I suppose we do have pretty faces, Manaaki.”
Manaaki rolled his eyes just as the female responded about being bait. Kanga smiled in response, but shook his head as she looked toward the deer in the distance.
”Not bait for the deer, dear,” His eyes twinkled mischeviously. ”The bait for the curious wolves who come upon you.” But both twins knew this wasn’t true. Some may, perhaps. An act of being injured, luring in others just in time to be set upon by a nasty group.
But Arani didn’t have this vibe, and Manaaki and Kanga could read others pretty well.

”Well met, Arani. I am Manaaki, and this is my brother Kanga.” The setting-sun reflected off the brown ring around his eyes as he spoke. Each brother had the colour of one another ringing their eyes. Just another thing that brought them closer together.
”So if you aren’t bait,” Kanga said, barrelling over the conversation and down a new avenue. ”What made you sleepy enough this evening to sleep in the hunting plain?” His brown tail flashed red behind him as it raked through the air. He hadn’t seen anybody else around the perimeter. It was brave for a female, no matter how tall, to sleep so vulnerably around angry, aggressive bucks.

[Emorli]

Arani;

Arani can't help but laugh a bit at Kanga's happy-go-lucky personality. It's been a while since she's been around someone with this much of a cheery attitude, and it's surprisingly refreshing as Arani takes well to wolves with playful attitudes as she has a bit of a playful side as well.

"Yes. You're both very pretty. Well, I suppose I was attracted to the thought of the sun. Hiding in the shade when the air is starting to get cold doesn't really sound that great to me. I was just taking in the sun." Arani flashes a quick, playful smile,

"If I was bait, I'd be great bait. You two curious wolves found me. I guess it's not that great of an idea, but would I rather run into anything that's angry, or be cold?" Arani tilts her head back and forth jokingly like she's weighing her choices, even though she knows well that it was a stupid idea in the first place.

"I should watch after myself better." Arani lets out a heavy sigh, her whole body sinking before pulling its self back up. Recently she's gotten a break from worrying about other wolves. It's been a while since she's actually gotten a break from worrying about something or someone.

[Meds]

Kanga, Manaaki;

To Kanga's delight, the female let out a small chuckle at something he said. Both twins knew that the laugh was directed for him, so by the time he turned to grin smugly at Manaaki, the older brother was already looking very pointedly in the other direction. Kanga loved attention.
"See? We are pretty." He dipped his head in front of his brother to catch his eye-line. "We are, Manaaki. She's even said so." His smile was wicked, teeth sharp and eyes dancing. Manaaki allowed his eyes to flit back to the female, but didn't give Kanga the satisfaction.
"In my opinion..." He spoke slowly, politely—not making assumptions or judging, merely stating a fact. "Being cold is far less dangerous than being set on by a pair of bucks with something to prove."
"What about in winter, Manaaki?" Kanga asked, switching his view from his bother to Arani. He smirked devilihsly. "Manaaki, what about winter?"
The silver twin ignored him.

"Other than perhaps being unintentional bait for irritating creatures such as my brother," Manaaki's words were solemn, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Kanga stood to his full height and leaned heavily against Manaaki with one solid shoulder. "What brings you to the hunting plains today? We've not seen you around before." He finished.

[Emorli]

Arani;

Arani's smile can do nothing but grow wider by the second. This is the first time shes met such cheerful siblings, even her and her own brother haven't ever been this close or cheery with each other, and it reenergizes the once fatigued female.

"All joking aside, I agree it was stupid of me to lay out here. I didn't think of anything other than myself." Once again, Arani's extremely truthful side comes out. If it were someone else she would say the same thing about them, not to be rude, but simply because she didn't want them to put themselves in danger again. Her tail sways calmly back and forth and she flashes a big, close-eyed smile,

"Don't worry about him. His personality is actually quite refreshing." Arani stands quietly, shifting her weight so that she's leaning on one of her back legs,

"I'm not new to the valley, I guess, but I've stayed closer to the mountains for a majority of my life. Because of my brother being adopted, I've always kinda had to help him get around and now, I've finally gotten a break as he's gone off to do his own thing." Although it sounded a bit strange at Arani having to help a wolf get around a smaller area for this long, because of his past, it was mostly her trying to help him get used to being around another wolf in a friendlier environment.

[Meds]

Manaaki, Kanga;

”Kanga also doesn’t think about anybody other than himself. I must remain faithful that one day even he could change.” Sometimes the level and even burr of Manaaki’s voice made it that much funnier when he joked or poked fun at Kanga. Such things were expected of the wild, russet twin, so when the calm grey brother did the same, it was always a treat. For Kanga at least. He shook his head once, violently.
”Don’t hold out,” He growled good naturedly at his brother.

The twins turned as one then, fluidly, as Arani kept speaking. She certainly was agreeable, and it seemed that she was very content with the current company. She even said as much, which Manaaki sort of wished she hadn’t. As soon as she said she found Kanga’s personality refreshing, without even looking, Manaaki knew that his brother’s face had contorted into a silent, wide-eyed, open-mouthed grin. He shook his head minutely.
”His head can’t get much bigger, Arani. I advise caution.”
Kanga snorted.

She then broke into a bit of history about herself. Normally wolves didn’t open up like this, but it was wonderful when they did. Manaaki listened respectfully; however, Kanga grinned after the first sentence was out.
”That’s nice. Manaaki is adopted, too.”
Manaaki cleared his throat loudly and tried to steer the conversation back to Arani.
”Help him, you said? Is your brother much younger than you?” Manaaki was no stranger to helping siblings. Kanga’s eyes flicked to him subtly, then back to Arani. It was a good thing Manaaki has helped him. He didn’t know where he would be without his big silver brother.
Not that he would admit that out loud in a hurry.

[Emorli]

Arani;

Arani watches the two mess with each other, not able to rid her lips of the cheery smile that's plastered there,

"I'll watch my words more carefully now. I don't want to make it so that he can walk through the trees because of his head."

Kanga comments on how Manaaki was adopted as well and surprise is struck on her face. They're so close yet they were adopted? Honestly, if Baal was here right now, Arani wouldn't be speaking so openly and joking around with the two males. When around her brother, she's much more like him, reserved and quiet, but he'd probably be smiling more than his sister.

Pulling Arani from her thoughts, Manaaki asks if Baal is younger than her since she's helped him out of the dark cave that was once his mind and broke down the wall that kept him from forming any sort of relationship with anyone,

"Nope. I'm pretty sure I was born a season or two before him. It was just due to where he came from. He wasn't necessarily used to positive interaction." Arani frowns at her own words, thinking about how he must've felt, what he went through, seeing all of the violence that he told her about.

"It really isn't fair. I can be pretty hard on him, but he's only ever been nice and supportive to me." She didn't add in the fact that she was proud of him overcoming everything because she wasn't used to giving compliments to him.

[Meds]

Kanga, Manaaki;

When she believed Manaaki that Kanga was adopted—and she did, both brothers could see it on her face—the silver twin gave a very rare laugh. Kanga’s mouth fell open in comical indignation. If anybody was adopted it was surely Manaaki...
When Arani explained fleetingly that it was because her adopted-brother had not been used to positive interaction, Kanga’s eyes flashed to Manaaki for a half-heart beat. He knew well of the receiving end of such care... even still, he sometimes struggled. But Manaaki knew him well, better than anybody, and brushed over the topic with ease.

”We can all be hard on the ones we love sometimes,” Manaaki smiled as his cheek wept out a fresh few drops of blood, and glanced toward Kanga’s bloody mouth. Of course, Arani had meant it in a different way—but Manaaki knew how Kanga loathed dwelling on such subjects.
”Where is this brother now?” Kanga asked.

[Emorli]

Arani;

Arani looked between the two a moment with squinted eyes, before dropping her head with a large sigh and an embarrassed smile spread across her face,

"I'm an idiot," the female says, giving a small laugh at herself and lifting her head back up to look at Manaaki who simply said everyone is hard on loved ones, which Arani nods at, watching the glances the two share, the sun turning her yellow eyes paler than usual.

”Where is this brother now?”

Arani's eyes travel up to the sky, her head following, like the answer is hiding up there somewhere. Ahh. Where was he again? She drops her head back down to a relaxed position and her voice comes out softer than it usually is from thinking about him,

"Now that I think about it, I don't really know where he is. Somewhere in the valley. I bet he's meeting new wolves. He once told me that others have always interested him."

The female gives a slightly sad smile, she had always pushed him away, and she probably will once they meet again, but being without her brother gives her a lonely feel. She didn't hear much about his plan when they parted ways and hasn't heard from him since, only what the plan was, but not if it had changed yet, or how close he was to finally completing what he set out for.

[Meds]

Kanga, Manaaki;

When she confessed that she was an idiot, Kanga snorted loudly in laughter. He opened his mouth to reply, the size of his smile causing his eyes to squint—but one hard look from Manaaki, and he clamped his big teeth together once more. Manaaki exhaled slowly through his nose, not angry, but cautious. It was often frowned upon, calling a stranger an idiot—even if they had said it first.
After Kanga had prompted after her brother, she glanced skyward. Kanga's big head flung upwards as well, as if he was suddenly concerned that the brother might be in the trees above them. When Arani spoke again though, he brought his gaze back down. Manaaki fought not to roll his eyes.

She seemed sad, though, when on the topic of her brother. Both twins picked up on this, but only one of their brows lifted in understanding.
"This life wouldn't be worth much if it were lived alone," Manaaki hummed, and Kanga didn't have to glance to the side to know that Manaaki's eyes had flashed to him for a moment. He knew that, Manaaki. He huffed quietly beside his(slightly) older brother.
"Don't be sad," Kanga said, eyes lifting to the trees once more as if he wasn't quite sure the male in question wasn't still up there. "Brothers are the worst, anyway." Both mouths, brown and grey, quirked slightly in near-smiles.

[Emorli]

Arani;

"This life wouldn't be worth much if it were lived alone."

That single statement rang through Arani's mind as it's all too true. She had been lonely for the first year of her life because she was the only pup that her parents had, she had no other wolves her age to explore with or to make friends with. But, when her parents found Baal, he was quiet and reserved, but he carried a certain terrifying aura around him and despite all of the ignoring (put shortly, Baal never did more than ignoring Arani as he was saved by her parents and felt indebted to them) she still persisted, and followed, and pestered, until eventually, she got him to talk.

Even with just having another wolf her age around her, she became more outgoing and developed more social skills. She finally understood what the sad, empty feel was that she felt every now and then whenever she wasn't doing something and had time to think about things.

However, she now pushes him away as a result of her parents starting to dote over him, she grew jealous and never seemed to be able to rid herself of that jealousy.

Arani tilts her head to the side, with an eyebrow raised at Kanga in a sort of "for real," kind of face before a smile that rids her of the fake annoyed look that once crossed her features. The male earns a small snort from the female as she repeated the words, "Brothers are the worst, anyway," in her head.

They truly are. With her experience, she's only known a brother that outdid her in most things, and what was even worse, was that she knew she was trying much harder than he was at the things she challenged him in. It caused her to have bitter thoughts toward him as a yearling, and to this day, she still has those same thoughts that cause her to label herself as childish.

The tall female's eyes watch Kanga's and she tilts her head toward the direction he's searching in, only to be met with the tops of the trees. Her eyes meet back with his and she raises an eyebrow, and lets out a loud sigh, before returning back to a calm smile.

"You won't find him up there. He's too sneaky. Plus, you're looking in the wrong tree. He's in that one." She points to a tree just off to the side of where Kanga was looking just to see if he would actually look, or figure that she was joking. She's guessing the former, and looked toward Manaaki, wondering if he's figured out what she's trying to do.