His Legacy

[tehrin]

Along the bank of the Nytyte River, in the southern lands of Caurus, stood the Eastern Timber femme, her honeyed gaze set on something in the distance, yet they seemed unfocused, her mind far away from the present. During the past several weeks, Tehrin was often found with the same look in her eyes and was only brought back to reality when one of her two siblings broke her train of thought. Her mind fluctuated through time, pondering over the past then suddenly contemplating the future.

Her thoughts eventually settled on a subject that was popular to her subconscious during the past few months, after she heard the news of Ardemu’s fall. A strained expression flashed across her features momentarily before Tehrin managed to check her emotions. Ardemu, the father I never knew, and yet, I admired you more than my mother who fed me, protected me, and raised me. Ardemu, the prophesied evil one whom I have heard countless stories of, whose notorious rogue band fell an entire pack. I’m proud to be your living legacy, your flesh and blood, your only child to have truly inherited your nature. I was greatly disheartened to hear of your fall and it plagues me even now, months after the occurrence. But you live through me, and I’ll see to it that this new life of yours doesn’t end up a waste.

Something must be done, the multi-hued femme thought to herself as she broke off her gaze into space. The trio hadn’t been up to much during the past few months besides the occasional theft of a rogue’s kill or tussling with random loners, the latter being mostly on Tehrin’s part, the former by the forcible participation of both siblings by Tehrin. But there wasn’t anything significant in Tehrin’s life at the moment and she was tired of living the same way day after day, like the stagnant waters of a pond.

Tehrin turned her head to glance at her two siblings for a moment, before turning back to face the ever changing river. It looked like it would turn out to be a warm day in these lands, the sun had hardly risen over the hills on the other side of the river and Tehrin could already begin to feel the oppression of its constant heat. Sighing, Tehrin strolled to the waters edge and waded into the shallows of the rivers, stopping only when it came up to her chest. She just stood there for a moment, feeling the flow of the water swish past her, cooling her body and relaxing her. The femme almost wanted to wade deeper and just let the water whisk her away.

After a few minutes in the river, Tehrin waded back to the bank and pulled up right next to her siblings before nonchalantly shaking her pelt, splashing them with water. The dominant, elder sister smirked and glanced at her two siblings, “You two reaked, I thought you could use a rinse.” Tehrin enjoyed the occaisonal harmless jibe and didn’t mind receiving them herself. Despite being a vindictive and scheming young femme, she appreciated having a light hearted atmosphere between her siblings and herself every once in a while.

Tehrin felt rejuvenated, ready to take on the challenges of the day. Without a word Tehrin trotted towards one of the nearby hills and casually ascended one before turning around to peer down at Torrah and Akihra. “What do you two say about us doing something a little different today?”

[torrah]

As morning quietly rose over the horizon, a young male found himself more on guard than usual. Torrah, as he was called, had been unable to shake the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach since waking. He had a pretty good suspicion as to why the sense of dread flooded his senses; it was the look on his sister's face that had caused it. Tehrin was spacing out again. Whenever she got like this, trouble was sure to follow. It would only be a matter a time before something went horribly wrong and the gentle brute found himself being forced into going along with a plan he wanted no part of. That was always the case when it came to his family. Why would today be any different?

Silently he watched his twin wade into the water. Though their physical attributes were essentially identical, that was about all the pair had in common. Torrah held none of the confidence his sister seemed to radiate. Even as he kept amber eyes fixed upon her form, his head was tilted towards the ground, ears pulled back in worry. He was uncomfortable in his own skin, forced to wear the face of his father. And with Tehrin bossing him around all the time, it was easy for him to lose faith.

A soft whimper broke through the air as the Eastern Timber male pulled his eyes up to meet Tehrin's (his gaze had eventually dropped to his paws the longer he sat there). Cast off water dripped down his face as he sent a weak glare in his sister's direction. A quiet, "Hey!" was the only vocal protest he made. Torrah honestly looked rather pathetic compared to his two siblings. He just didn't have their fire, which is why Tehrin so easily got away with walking all over him.

When Tehrin turned to trot up a hill, the brute spared a passing glance at his younger sister briefly before rising to follow. He shook out his pelt, eliminating the traces of water he'd just been splashed with. Torrah barely made it two steps before he froze in place, staring at his twin incredulously. That nagging sense of dread from earlier was suddenly paralyzing as his brain absorbed the words of his sister. Again he glanced towards Akihra, this time fearfully. The younger fae was always more open to Tehrin's ideas. He himself, on the other hand, could only frown in disapproval as he mumbled out his protest. "The only ideas you ever get are bad ones, Tehrin." He was so soft spoken that the distance between himself and his twin made him almost impossible to hear.

[akihra]

Akihra's eyes followed her older sister, intrigued by whatever actions may follow. It was like this a lot for her; watch Tehrin, decide whether or not she liked what her sister was doing, and act accordingly. Her mind worked in ways differently than others. While she was still young and impulsive, it was in her nature to realize the consequences of her actions. Whether or not she cared about said results was a different story. She was not the poster child for perfection in any way. Indeed, Kira was one of the most corrupted youths one could come across.

She could attribute this mostly to her upbringing. Akihra's father: the bloodthirsty rogue, Ardemu. While she was relatively sane, she knew that his blood ran through her veins. She was strong, quick, and cunning. She could talk her way out of the most formidable of situations. Yet she had something else that she could not have known her father lacked: guilt. There were days that she would sit and think about her actions, dwelling on the misdeeds of the trio. Perhaps Torrah had made an impression on her, and she was turning good... She chuckled. That couldn't be it.

But just because she was the daughter of a killer did not make her one herself. While Tehrin enjoyed the suffering of others, Akihra tended to take the back seat to such actions, like her brother. She knew how frequently Torrah disapproved of them. In fact, she often felt ashamed - although she would never let her brother know that. But the fact was, Akihra was little. She was the baby sister, the smallest of the three by nature. On top of that, Tehrin was most definitely the boss. While Akihra had won a place in the hearts of both her brother and sister, she knew who the top dog truly was; and it certainly was not her. She would stand up for herself, but she would never defy her sister. At least, not intentionally.

And it was because of this that the three stood at the edge of the Nytyte River. Akihra had been anxious for these days, for the days they would venture to find their grandfather. While she knew Tehrin must have more cynical reasons to find him, she was genuinely curious to discover her kin. There must be something about him that was generally likeable if he had formed a pack. Maybe he was not quite the evil genius his son had been? Akihra pondered this often - maybe this Zethrox guy was not such a bad wolf after all.

Akihra shook her head. Of course he is. He killed our father; how could that be good? Then again, Ardemu was trying to kill others, too... I don't know what to think. Does killing the bad make you bad too? What if you are a bad wolf killing another bad wolf? Does that make you good, or are you still bad for killing another wolf? She almost chuckled. Her mind was whirring, various scenarios rushing through her head all at once. Maybe she would have to revisit this later. Maybe then she would have a clearer head; after all, it had been a long day, and she was not about to let this little mental argument get the better of her. However, she would not have been able to concentrate much longer, regardless. As she glanced over at the water's surface, something caught her eye. She was suddenly jostled out of her thoughts when a torrent of cold water crashed across her back.

“You two reaked, I thought you could use a rinse.”

The femme smirked. Akihra would not dignify her sister's actions with a response. She merely shook her coat, the oily surface ridding her of the beaded water within a few seconds. Luckily, Tehrin had not interrupted her thoughts too much. Otherwise, she would have been in for a tongue-lashing. It did not matter if she would get physically thrashed; she was certainly a sharp-tongued wolf when she needed to be. Kira glanced at Torrah, who had also been hit with the water. She shrugged, a small smile dancing across her lips as consolidation for their common dilemma. His vocal discomfort drew a laugh from Akihra, her eyes glimmering with mischief. She would find a way to get back at her sister, one way or another.

"Some days, I wonder if we are all related," Akihra whispered to Torrah. Then she spoke up. "And then I look at you two and think, 'Oh, they most certainly are. They look identical! But where do I fit in here?'" She smiled cheekily. It was very obvious the difference in their parentage. While the twins were virtually identical, Kira differed in appearance to the greatest end of the spectrum. Her eyes, her fur... Practically everything apart from the fact that they shared the same father was different.

“What do you two say about us doing something a little different today?”

Akihra eyeballed her sister. "Depends on your definition of 'different.' What you consider different, my sister, is what some people consider the banest of all deeds, excuse my use of words," she retorted with a smirk. Everything about her demeanor was irritating today, and she knew it would illicit a response from her more easily angered sister. "Let us hear what you have to say. Perhaps it will be easier to decide from there." It was statements like these that frequently got the trio into trouble. She did not mind the trouble, simply the consequences that frequently ensued. She was not much for handling the qualms of others, and that was often the result of their antics. They were a motly crew, she would be the first to admit that. Akihra and her siblings were certainly a sight to be seen.

Tehrin's comment had peaked her interest. She was curious to see what her sister had planned, as she often was. Curiousity was one of the most devestating traits of the young female. Akihra was often too interested in what could be instead of what should be. There were too many things she could be doing instead of what she should be doing, thus Tehrin provided an interesting option. Her sister was always full of fun, creative ideas. Just because someone else might get offended by their behavior did not mean they needed to stop, did it?

Just because she was young did not make her a fool. Akihra was more susceptible to her sister's wished, but she knew well enough to think through an idea before they acted upon it. She was the reasoning of the group. Torrah was the heart of the three, and Tehrin was the evil genius. While she would stand by her siblings to the death, sometimes Akihra wondered what truly went through her sister's head...

Her gaze fell on Torrah, his words bringing back some of the memories of their past behavior. It was true; Tehrin's ideas were frequently bad ones. Akihra chuckled quietly, realizing just how true this statement by her older brother was. But who will be the first to tell her this? I cannot see that lump of love over there standing up to big sister until the continent catches on fire, she thought cynically. She was not a perpetual pessimist, but the options for the three were certainly limited when the evil brain of the group was the one in charge. Just because Torrah believed she was completely in tune with Tehrin did not make it true. She could tell what he thought of them sometimes. It saddened Akihra that her brother did not see the honest side of her, the side that had these long internal conversations debating the legitimacy of a statement or the consequences of a certain behavior. But the last thing I want to do is lose them. I bet that if I went against Tehrin, Torrah would side with her. Just because he has the heart of gold does not mean he would turn his back on his biological sister. I am only half of what they are. How could I possibly be as important, or more important, than his flesh and blood twin sister? She sighed, waiting for what Tehrin had devised for them today.

[tehrin]

Tehrin gazed down upon her two siblings from where she was perched on top of the hill, listening to their responses to her rather vague question. At Torrah’s remark, the she wolf smirked, “I prefer to think of my plans more as ingenious craft than simple ‘bad ideas’.” Tehrin listened more intently at her younger sibling’s response, but was disappointed with Akihra’s answer, as she was with Torrah’s. Actually, the tone of her half-sister’s words annoyed her to no small measure and the heat of anger seemed to flash through Tehrin’s eyes.

Growling lowly, Tehrin trotted down the hill towards her two siblings, her annoyance visible in her eyes and gait and the manner in which her lips seemed to occasionally roll back to expose her ivory teeth. The femme came to a halt once she was right in front of Torrah and Akihra, standing dominantly before them with her tail raised high. She looked between the two with disgust in her eyes, “Actually, I was originally planning something quite the opposite, just for the benefit of the two of you. But it appears as if you two take your older sister for granted.”

“I was thinking we should pay a visit to our grandfather, but since you two so blatantly oppose my so called ‘evil idea,’ I suppose I could make a change of plans to something much more benign,” she continued on in a sarcastic tone, shooting her two siblings a wary look. “You’ve been begging for us to head over to visit the brute, Akihra, I was only thinking of your desires when I planned this,” she muttered, still with heat and acid underlying her tone as she recalled the manner in which her younger sister spoke to her. “But your suppositions unto my intentions were rather scathing and disrespectful, hardly the type of behavior I would reward.”

Tehrin despised it when her siblings showed even the slightest notion of rebellion to her ideas and her authority and she made it a point to put them back in their place. The Eastern Timber femme slinked closer to Akihra until her maw was less than inches from her younger half-sister’s right ear, “You may try to defy me through your words, sister, but your defiance will get you nowhere unless you take action,” the she wolf chuckled slightly, “which we both know, isn’t going to happen. So I’d watch your words.” Her caustic voice was stern until the end, and Tehrin just stood there, dauntingly close to her sister, waiting for any sign of the younger sibling taking action against her.