Things that go bump in the night

tae throw us to the wolves and we'll come back leading the pack They were together. That was all that mattered. That had always been what had mattered. "Seestra! Athtihar!!" Tae whispered sharply under her breath, the guttural sounds rolling off of her tongue serving as yet another reminder that the past had been real. Crouching down, Tae's eyes peered through the bushes. Just beyond a group of people walked; new people. Perhaps that was a bit ironic for Tae to consider anyone else new given that she and Grusha had only been here 2 seasons at most, but the girls were nothing if not observant. These people wore clothing that appeared new and different. Glancing up into Grusha's face, the smaller twin narrowed her eyes, communicating silently her displeasure. The pair had grown up in the forests hunting monsters; twin telepathy was child's play compared to the way the sister's could reach other other. Athtihar - Look!

"Anha tihat eyak." Grusha murmured in reply to her sister. Crouched down in the bushes with Tae, she peered out at the group of people passing. Their clothing was bright and flamboyant, a stark contrast to the muted colors of the forest. It was stupid, she thought, to want to draw so much attention to yourself, especially in a place that was not ... well. Hospitible. Her head tilted as she watched them curiously for a moment and then she  turned to look down at her twin, a small, devilish grin curving the corners of her mouth up. The look on Tae's face alone was more than enough for Grusha to know that her smaller sister was none too happy with the newcomers traipsing so haphazardly through their forest. The twins may have only been in this new land for two seasons, but they had already staked their claim on the forest. The trees, the animals, the monsters, and everything else in it belonged to them. It was time to take care of a little business. Grusha gave a slight nod of her head and and turned away from her sister to head off the group while her sister took up the rear. Together they could corral the newcomers and take from them what they wished... and do to them what they wished. "." translation: anha tihat eyak - i see them grusha these woods are lovely dark and deep

tae throw us to the wolves and we'll come back leading the pack Tae's grin said everything she needed it to. Her dark eyes grew even darker as blackened fur sprouted from her body. Her petite features morphed and grew as her body took on what she felt were its proper proportions. With a silent and properly wolfish grin, the (still slightly smaller) twin trotted off towards the back of the human-pack. Brightly coloured idiots. In the animal kingdom, bright colours usually meant danger. With humans however, it usually meant stupidity. Far more patient than her twin normally was, Tae allowed the shadows to gather around her already darkened form; the steely glint of her gaze the only thing which might truly give away her position. But of course, it wasn't like the humans were watching. They were talking, , gallivanting, flirting and otherwise carrying on. It made the skin on either side of Tae's impressive teeth rise as did the hackles on her back. Tae might have been a human herself, but she never felt more apart from her species than when she viewed them through her canine eyes. As Grusha moved into place—this wasn't their first rodeo after all—Tae bolted from the trees. A loud and haunting howl leaving her lips as her paws padded nearly silently on the soft soil. She would drive them twoards her

Even without the aid of her bettered hearing the wolf form she adopted lent her, Grusha could hear the human pack coming. Their voices were loud, echoing through the trees, and their steps were careless. Twigs and leaves crunched and snapped under their careless feet as they tromped through woods that didn't belong to them. They were completely oblivious to the wolf that was getting into place behind them, ready to start the hunt, and they were none the wiser that she stood before them patiently waiting for her sister's signal. Tae's howl cut through the woods like a sword and everything grew quiet and still, the human's included. The only movement was that of Grusha, her form shifting into that of a wolf. She could hear murmured whispers of did you hear that and what was that coming from the human pack, followed shortly by startled gasps and cries.  Obviously they had finally noticed Tae coming up behind them. The pounding of feet against the ground signaled to Grusha that they had begun to run and that Tae was in pursuit of them. The larger twin stepped out onto the path, head lowered and teeth bared as she waited for the human pack to draw closer. She could smell them now, a mixture of perfume and musk that made her want to attack. Moments later the entire herd of humans rounded the corner of the path and stumbled to a stop as they saw her standing there waiting, golden eyes glittering with the excitement of the hunt. Her head tilted back and she howled, signaling to her sister that she'd gotten them. Now it was time to decide which one of them the wanted and let the others go free... ... for now "." translation: grusha these woods are lovely dark and deep

Tae

tae throw us to the wolves and we'll come back leading the pack As the human pack became uneasy, adrenaline pumped in a white-hot jolt through Tae's bones. She wanted to race after them, to snap at their heels and bare her teeth in a vicious mockery of what little power they thought they had. But to do so might invite chaos, and while the smaller twin happily bathed in the unknown, she needed the human pack to continue to move forward towards her sister. She needed them to think they still had a chance. As they skittered to a stop with @Grusha's intimidating presence before them, Tae felt her heart swell in her chest. Consumed with love and adoration for her counterpart, Tae snapped her teeth in playful juxtaposition to the deathly circumstance she and her twin had created for the trembling humans before them. Licking her lips, Tae howled in response to Grusha, her dark amber eyes roaming over the humans before them. Would they take the youngest? The weakest? The one least likely to fight? The one most likely to fight?

Well. This certainly isn't the reunion you hoped for. But it's certainly a more realistic than what you envisioned. More in line with your uh... family dynamic. If we're being honest. Back up a second. Here's what happens. You lose track of the girls. Nothing unusual. They vanish all the time, but they always pop back up, like mildly terrifying daisies. A week passes. Then two. Then four. Before you know it, it's been two months and your wild little sisters are nowhere to be found. Again, not the most unusual - except usually they leave a sign, a scent, a rotting carcass with telltale teeth marks. Something. This time, though, there's nothing. No love notes made of hair, no little totems of small animal skulls. They've straight up poof'd. So what do you do? Go after them, of course. A series of misadventures occur. You fall through a portal. Your beautifully crafted prosthetic arm breaks, leaving you with one hand that's functional and one that's basically a mace strapped onto your shoulder. You find some traveling merchants and join them, still tracking Tae and Grusha. You worry about them all the damn time. You needn't. Which brings us to now. You stand in a tightly huddled circle with a handful of strangers, panic running rampant in your brain, trying to calculate the best way to get out of this situation: shift into a corgi and run the fuck away, or stay human and use your prosthetic as a weapon while yelling in an attempt to give the others a chance at escape (you were never the best at math)? You've just settled on the former, reaching with your right hand to undo the straps of your left, when the larger of the wolves steps forward. The pack of human shifts, twittering in fear, moving around you- -and you find yourself face to face with the massive beast, which would be terrifying, except, goddamnit, you know this fucking wolf. "Grusha!" you exclaim, anger and fear and relief combining to make your voice something of a roar, which in different circumstances would confuse you immensely. "Fin jin hell hash yer doing? Hash yer elat tat eat these chomak?!" You sound like your mother, all indignation and fury. It's a weird sound, coming out of your powerfully unthreatening face. But- really? Eating people? You thought you raised them a little better than this. You also thought that when you found them again they'd be scared and alone and happy to see you, but kid, that was your mistake. Tae and Grusha have never needed you - but hey, keep telling yourself that. "Where's your sister?" you demand, looking around for the smaller of the troublesome twins. You're rarely this furious, but these two have a habit of bringing out the best in you. "D'you know how long I've been looking for you? To find you hunting innocent people?" Calm down. Take a breath. I love you. I worried about you. I went through a portal to another goddamn world for you. Don't you dare pull this shit on me again. -- translation: What the hell are you doing? Were you going to eat these people?! Z E R O don't care what it cost - no ray of sunlight's ever lost!

   

Which one was always the question the girls had to decide over once they had herded their prey together. In times when they were hungry and food was scarce they would decide on the weakest, so they could get a quicker meal. Now was not one of those times. This was more of a game than anything else, so naturally Grusha wanted the one that would put up the most fight and extend her playtime for a while. The pack of humans shifted and turned, pushing one man out in front while the others cowered and trembled behind him. Golden eyes locked on the man who Grusha assumed to be the Alpha. Perfect. A low growl rumbled in her chest as she stood her ground, waiting for her twin to arrive so the rest of their game could begin. "Grusha!" Caught by surprise, the growl died and her head raised, ears tilted forward. She looked less like a ferocious beast and more like a confused pup than anything else.  Grusha was not left to wonder long who it was that had shouted at her because soon her native tongue was being used to scold her like a child. In response she snarled and snapped her teeth at him. She had never been one to take kindly to being fussed, even when it had been her mother doing it. Ever the argumentative child, she always had something to say in response and now was no different. Damnit Zero, always ruining the fun. The demand for Tae was met with a pointed glance behind the trembling pack. Who do you think herded your dumb ass to me? the look seemed to say. They were a team, a well oiled machine, and worked together seamlessly. Hunting and herding was childs-play for them. Grusha had never seen Zero as furious before, but it didn't make much of an impression on her having seen their mother and father equally (if not more) furious with her. She sat down, in the middle of the path, and stared at Zero as he continued on about searching for her and Tae. His outrage at finding them hunting humans drew little more than a shrug of her furry shoulders and a roll of her golden eyes. It was fun and she'd continue to do it to amuse herself. His approval of her activities was not needed. "." translation: grusha these woods are lovely dark and deep

tae throw us to the wolves and we'll come back leading the pack The voice. That voice. It was– – Fin jin hell hash yer doing? Angry. Angry Zero. The thought was almost laughable, but Tae wasn't laughing. Her hackles had raised, the angry sound of her brother's voice foreign and upsetting in this weird new world the twins had found themselves in. Snapping her teeth together, Tae stood slowly as a woman, her dark eyes focused on her older brother. "Yeri're gwe." She said tonelessly, the statement unclear if it was a question or an accusation. Her eyes darted towards Grusha, lip twitching for a moment before falling back to Zero. "Qisi kashi. Stalking forward, Tae eyed the group that Zero was with. "Go on!" She snarled, her voice holding its wolfish edge as she glared at them. "Can't you see we're having a family meeting?!" Tae was sure if her words didn't intimidate them Grusha's mere presence would: as either a woman or a wolf. Turning to look at Zero, Tae crossed her arms and cocked a hip. "Yeri athtihar chek, gaezo." She continued, voice still toneless, chin lifted slightly. The smallest of the trio couldn't help but be a bit ruffled by Zero's appearance here. Though her memories had been foggy as of late, she knew without a doubt that enough time had passed for her to be suitably upset with her older sibling. She and Grusha had found each other - why had it taken him so long? Nibbling on her lip uncertainly, Tae glanced towards Grusha for support, before looking back towards her brother. Swallowing, Tae raised her chin slightly more, meaning to look defiant and strong, though the cold fear for the question she was about to ask made the corners of her eyes twitch slightly. "The mithri? Kishi rhojosor? Are mori ma yeri? " Yeri're gwe; You're here Qisi kashi; about time Yeri athtihar chek, gaezo; you look well, brother. The mithri? Kishi rhojosor? Are mori ma yeri? The others? Our family? Are they with you?

@Grusha does not back down, or even appear the slightest bit contrite, but then again, you don't expect her to be. Always the less diplomatic twin, that one; still, you take your role as big brother far too seriously, and as your sister snaps her teeth you do not shirk or flinch, instead opting to glare even harder, your expression a clearly conveyed Don't you talk back to me young lady! You wear the look surprisingly well. Paternal indignation was tailor-made for you. It isn't until Tae slinks over that you break eye contact, swinging around to face your shorter sister, who at least has the decency to speak. There's something about her monotone voice and sardonic judgement that snaps you out of your anger, at least slightly. "Yer hash hard tat ezat, naqis ver," you reply sternly, but your face betrays the immense relief that bubbles at being reunited with these brats. And brats they are. Tae shoos your traveling companions away, and you want to say something about being nice, but honestly? At least they aren't being eaten. You, in turn, give them a nod and apologetic smile - Yeah, you should listen to her - waiting for them to collect their belongings and book a fast retreat before returning your attention back to the twins. "What on earth were you thinkin', huntin' humans?" you demand, your indignation cut by exasperation. "What if you'd hurt someone? What if you got hurt? What if one of 'em was sick and you caught it, huh?" These things may not matter to the twins, but you were born with a moral compass the size of the moon, and damn if you aren't going to whack all your siblings over the head with it until they see sense. And speaking of your siblings... you sigh, deflating slightly, as Tae asks the question on everyone's mind. As the oldest boy, you cannot help it - you carry responsibility squarely on your shoulders, and though you try to maintain optimism in the face of all things, sometime's it's hard. Your right hand runs through your voluminous hair. "I haven't seen 'em yet," and then, quickly- "But I've been tracking some of 'em, just like you. It would help if you all didn't keep running the fuck away." Your laugh comes out more of a bark - you're tired, and scared, and angry, and man, you need a drink. You lost all of them. You fucked up. But you're trying, damnit, and that has to count for something. Except when has it, in their eyes? Stern again, you summon the last of your anger for a final assault. Looking between them, you try your best to channel your parents and succeed only in sounding slightly less like a walking exclamation point than usual. "Look, I dunno what happened- but that doesn' mean you get to run wild and hurt innocent people. Ever. Got it, Naqis vers?" You hope you sound appropriately convincing, and that they'll even care. You're quickly running out of steam - all you want to do at this point is wrap them both in enormous hugs, and then maybe slap collars and leashes on them, because damnit, you know they're just bound to run off and do whatever they want again. -- translation: You're hard to find, little wolf. Naqis vers = Little Wolves Z E R O don't care what it cost - no ray of sunlight's ever lost!

   

It wasn't until Tae was back by Grusha's side that she abandoned her wolf form in favor of her human one. She towered over her twin, but stood eye level with her older brother -- something she was sure he hated. She watched, her eyes cold and hard, as the remaining people made a quick exit while they could. It was only Zero's interference that had saved he lot of them. Grusha sighed heavily, obviously annoyed by his continued harping on them hunting humans. "It's fun." She said, though she knew that it would only disgust Zero farther. What if they got hurt? That was almost laughable, but she didn't answer. "You can smell it." She answered, tapping a finger againt her nose. "If they're sick. And you can see it. Most humans don't hide sickness very well. And they complain a lot about not feeling good." Thankfully the conversation shifted away from their preferred activity of human hunting to where the rest of their family were. Of course Zero takes the chance to chastise them for running away again and Grusha rolled her eyes. They came by that trait honestly, both of their parents having had the tendency to disappear for days or even weeks at a time. "Shouldn't you be more worried about finding our younger siblings?" Grusha asked, a touch of sarcasm in her gruff voice. "Y'know. The ones that can't take care of themselves?" Because obviously she and Tae were capable of feeding an defending themselves. Her lips pressed together in a thin line at Zero's final verbal assault. Never having been one to enjoy being shouted at or scolded it made Grusha bristle more. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared. "Avvos astat us fin tat." She growled her warning. "Avvos astat us fin tat." translation: avvos astat us fin tat - don't tell us what to do grusha these woods are lovely dark and deep