Children were always selfish creatures. Proto knew that from experience, especially considering the events of that summer.
He was selfish, he thought, because he had wanted to spend time with Piki, and only Piki. Pitch was just an annoyance, and in his own opinion, his other cousin just got more and more annoying as time went by. After all, there were plenty of other children. Why couldn’t he just try to get along with those, instead of dogging the heels of his twin brother?
Years later, when Proto thought about it, his kind of thinking had been unreasonable. Of course Pitch had the right to spend time with his brother. They were twins, and the identical kind had an affinity for sticking together like peas in a pod.
Unless a selfish little prick like Proto kept forcing his way in between them.
“I wish he would leave us alone forever.”
A selfish wish, spurned by a moment of irritation after a stupid argument, which he himself had been the cause of in the first place. Proto had wished many things on his cousin that night. That he would just go away, that by some miracle he would be taken home by his parents, while Piki stayed with Proto at the summer camp, that he got sick from a cold despite the warm summer night…
He had never wished for Pitch to be attacked by a wild animal that had almost killed him.
Proto frowned to himself as he thought about it, watching from his point of observation by the university campus parking lot, as Piki paced back and forth, sometimes glancing at his watch.
The trauma had been awful to them both. Thanks to some specialized therapy, Piki had somehow forgotten everything but how his brother had been screaming for him, as the animal that had attacked him was dragging him off…
Proto on the other hand, could remember everything.
It had been dark, but the light of the full moon had given just enough light for them to see what was happening. An enormous beast of a black wolf, which should be impossible to find in this part of the country, not to mention the sheer size…
He swallowed, remembering how the animal had stopped at the sight of the other two boys, had slowly released Pitch who had dropped to the ground, sobbing in pain. How the beast had bared its bloodstained fangs in a low, rolling growl…
The feeling of a hand suddenly on his shoulder sent a shock of surprise through his body, and before Proto knew it, he was sprawled out on the ground, wide-eyed and gasping for breath while clutching a hand in his shirt, as if trying to keep his thundering heart from breaking through his ribcage. The massive form of his roommate Pitchiner loomed over him, looking at him with a very concerned expression.
“Geez Proto, didn’t mean to scare you like that. You okay?” He asked, before holding out a hand.
Proto, normally the most composed person in the world, scowled in response before he accepted the others offered hand, and let himself be pulled to his feet.
“I’m fine…” He managed. “I was… deep in thought.”
“I could tell. I’ve been calling your name, but you didn’t respond.” The jock snorted, before he pointed with a thumb at the pacing form of Piki. “Any idea what’s up with him? He’ll be wearing a hole in the ground if he keeps it up.” Proto huffed, absently brushing some grass off his bottom, before he drew in a deep breath to properly compose himself.
“Piki and I are simply a little wired from anticipation. Piki’s brother is arriving today.”
Pitchiner blinked at that, taking a moment to think, before replying; “Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that! What time is he showing up?”
“Any minute now…” Proto said slowly, noticing an old carcass of a truck, that was pulling up to the campus parking lot. “In fact, I think it might be him there.”
Pitchiner snorted in surprise. “In that thing? I thought it would be something much more fancy, considering you two!”
“He’s been living with a distant relative.” Proto heard himself say, but he found his own voice sounding distant, as though coming from underwater, as he focused on the truck.
It was a miracle that the thing was working in the first place, but in a way it showed the tenacity of it’s owner, he supposed. Said owner was stepping out of the truck now, tall and thin as a scarecrow, and almost resembling one too, wearing his old deer hide coat with its adorning thin straps dangling from the shoulders and wrists, along with that old leather hat, adorned with just a single strap around its cap, with the finishing touch of a ratty magpie feather. And hiding some of the front of this tall man, was a black, almost grizzly looking beard, always with that burst of gray…
And the man lifted his head and seemed to find Proto right on with a pair of eyes of grey steel, and Proto swallowed, feeling as though he had been nailed to the spot, before the other male turned his gaze away towards the other passenger of the truck that was now climbing out.
Pitch had been a sickly child to look at, Proto recalled. And a seizure when he had been seven years old had left the twins’ mother worried when their father had talked her into sending them off to that summer camp. Proto remembered Piki grumbling about it, though the older Black twin had never meant anything cruel by it. Proto had always seen it as an endless supply for his verbal ammunition, in his attempts of getting Pitch to leave him and Piki alone, though more often than not it was Piki who would give in and let his twin come along for whatever adventure Proto had planned.
It had been ten years since that fateful night, and Proto would admit if asked, that he had wondered about any possible physical trauma his cousin might have suffered from the animal attack.
Whatever kind of therapy Pitch might have been having through the years, however, had worked wonders. It had given him a swimmer’s build that practically oozed of strength and confidence. His posture was straight, almost military-like, and he had a watchfulness about him that showed that he was very alert to his surroundings.
And then there was the tattoo.
Proto could only imagine his aunt’s face, if she had seen her son before he had arrived here. In any other situation it would have been priceless. But something about the tattoo made Proto feel cold.
It started on Pitch’s left arm, and went up his shoulder, covering it with the shape of an animal that Proto couldn’t identify from this distance, before finishing in other swirling designs close to his neck, and probably covering some of his upper chest or back. It was black, with shades of gold, purple and blue. And Proto found himself feeling nauseous as a faint memory re-emerged unannounced.
The beast had its fangs buried deep in Pitch’s shoulder, and Proto was quite certain he could hear flesh and muscle tearing over the sound of his cousin’s screams of pain…
“Oy! Proto!” Pitchiner’s voice sounded, a bit too loud and a bit too sharp, and Proto blinked bewildered, and realized he was leaning up against the jock.
“Whoah there..” Pitchiner said, now a bit more soothing, as he supported Proto carefully. “You sure you’re alright? You got real pale, and then you started looking like you might be sick.”
Proto swallowed, and discovered much to his own embarrassment that yes, he did honestly feel like throwing up, though looking away from the twins’ reunion, and taking a few deep breaths, soon helped him steady himself.
He was very glad that there was no one else around, except Pitchiner and the twins to see him like this, and Pitchiner was at least not in the habit of running with gossip.
“I think… I’m gonna go back to the dorm.” He heard himself say, feeling very exhausted at sudden. “You’re right, I’m not feeling too good. I’ll see you later.”
He ignored the concerned look from Pitchiner, as he walked as far away from his newly arrived cousin as possible.
Guilt was a very strong motivator for not feeling well all of a sudden. —————–
Piki didn’t really know what he had expected, when it came to his brother. In the 10 years they had been apart, they had only exchanged a few letters, and Pitch had never told much about the time he had been away. Piki remembered how his brother had written in the beginning, that he had missed his home, had missed a lot of things, but their uncle, Zacariah Black, had told him that he wasn’t able to go home just yet.
His parents, Piki recalled, had tried to explain that the accident had left Pitch deeply traumatized, and only staying with Zacariah was going to help. Piki would admit to himself, that he had almost expected Proto to point out to the adults, in his usual clever ways, that keeping someone close to where they had been traumatized was usually left than helpful But he had only mentioned it, once he and Piki had been left alone together. And even then that had not lasted for long, as Proto had been taken home by his mother, who had been rather distraught.
You couldn’t really blame her, seeing as Piki and Proto had both been right there, when Pitch had been attacked.
The memory of that flashed briefly through Piki’s mind, and he shivered, remembering how terrified Pitch had looked, how he had screamed for his brother…
The pickup truck that had arrived at the university grounds finally came to a stop, and Piki felt himself straighten up as he watched two figures climb out of it intensely.
Uncle Zacariah, Piki recalled, had always been something of an oddity in the Black family. No one really knew which side did, that he was related to the Black twins. When they had been children, Piki and Pitch had simply been told to refer to him as “Uncle Zacariah” or “Sir.”
And of all things, he had always been part of the supervisors that were in the summer camp that the twins had gone to ten years ago. This, their father had informed them, was because the entire establishment was on his lands, and so he had wanted to be able to keep an eye on things, on the camp itself, and of course the children.
Strange or not, relation or not, or many other things, Zacariah Black had an air about him, that despite his ragged scarecrow looks made you want to listen and pay attention when doing so. Even Proto did not start anything, if he knew that he was going to get caught by their uncle.
The most that Piki could remember, was that Zacariah had a way of putting you to work, and finding a way to make you like it. Even the Black twins had found a way to enjoy themselves, when Pitch had not been feeling cross over the way Proto was trying to hog Piki’s attention from him. Honestly, from what Piki could remember, Zacariah had done everything in his power to make certain that the twins had gotten along.
Then the incident had happened, and Zacariah had just sort of taken over things.
‘It happened on my lands. Makes it my responsibility.’
Pitch had changed. As children, he and Piki had been of a pale complexion. Whatever kind of outdoor life he’d lead while living with their uncle, it had left him wiry and tanned, his clothes consisting of worn jeans and a ratty-looking black wife-beater, and a jacket of dark leather hanging over one arm. And Pitch himself… Piki faintly recalled the conversation with Proto the other night, of his worries about Pitch rejecting both of them, because of what had happened. ‘Will he or won’t he?’ was a very tempting thought to hold on to…
But then Pitch looked at Piki, actually looked… and he gave a large, bright grin.
“PIKI!”
And before Piki knew it, he was caught in a strong, hard embrace, with his twin easily picking him up and spinning them both around. And before he knew it, Piki found himself laughing as well, returning the embrace the best he could, before Pitch stopped and set him down, with the both of them rambling almost incoherently at each other.
“Look at you!”
“Look at you!”
“You got so tall! HOW!?”
“No taller than you, dummy!”
The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their rambling and the Black twins looked towards Zacariah, who was watching them with a calm look, albeit with a small twinkle in his eye.
“Good t’ know that there could be such a pleasant reunion 'tween you two.” He said, his tone gruff, but not unkind. “Now Pitch, how about we get things in order, and stop by administration first, so that you c'n get whatever things you might need from there?”
“Yes, uncle.” Pitch said, straightening up before looking to Piki. “Maybe Piki could show us the way?”
“Gladly!” Piki exclaimed, “and perhaps I could give you a tour of the campus afterward, unless you have other things in mind?”
Pitch looked to Zacariah, who only shook his bushy head slowly.
“Nothin’ that can’t wait,” he rumbled. “You boys have been apart for a long time. ’S only fair you get to spend more of it t'gether.” He then turned away to close the doors on the truck, before locking them, giving one side a solid kick with an irritable grunt, and muttering something under his breath.
“So…” Piki asked quietly, while the older man occupied himself. “Do our parents know about the tattoo?”
“Ah, no…” Pitch said awkwardly, rubbing his neck a bit. “We just came directly here. Uncle Zacariah didn’t want to waste too much time…” He leaned forward, adding discreetly: “And neither of us could really remember where the place is, so…”
Piki nodded with a mouthed 'ah.’ “I understand. And I’m certain mother and father will too.” He frowned, looking to his twin (who despite what he said himself really did look taller than him).
“I’m glad you’re here. And I’m glad you’re alright.” He shrugged awkwardly, “I mean… considering back then…”
Pitch blinked and looked like he was about about to ask Piki what he meant, but Zacariah had finished checking up on the truck by then, giving them both a light slap on the shoulder, raising a brow at Piki.
“Shall we be off?”
“Of course! Administration is this way.” Piki said, motioning for the two to follow.
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timeasmymeasure
Wolves chapter 2
Date: 2018-12-04 09:12 pm (UTC)Children were always selfish creatures. Proto knew that from experience, especially considering the events of that summer.
He was selfish, he thought, because he had wanted to spend time with Piki, and only Piki. Pitch was just an annoyance, and in his own opinion, his other cousin just got more and more annoying as time went by. After all, there were plenty of other children. Why couldn’t he just try to get along with those, instead of dogging the heels of his twin brother?
Years later, when Proto thought about it, his kind of thinking had been unreasonable. Of course Pitch had the right to spend time with his brother. They were twins, and the identical kind had an affinity for sticking together like peas in a pod.
Unless a selfish little prick like Proto kept forcing his way in between them.
“I wish he would leave us alone forever.”
A selfish wish, spurned by a moment of irritation after a stupid argument, which he himself had been the cause of in the first place. Proto had wished many things on his cousin that night. That he would just go away, that by some miracle he would be taken home by his parents, while Piki stayed with Proto at the summer camp, that he got sick from a cold despite the warm summer night…
He had never wished for Pitch to be attacked by a wild animal that had almost killed him.
Proto frowned to himself as he thought about it, watching from his point of observation by the university campus parking lot, as Piki paced back and forth, sometimes glancing at his watch.
The trauma had been awful to them both. Thanks to some specialized therapy, Piki had somehow forgotten everything but how his brother had been screaming for him, as the animal that had attacked him was dragging him off…
Proto on the other hand, could remember everything.
It had been dark, but the light of the full moon had given just enough light for them to see what was happening. An enormous beast of a black wolf, which should be impossible to find in this part of the country, not to mention the sheer size…
He swallowed, remembering how the animal had stopped at the sight of the other two boys, had slowly released Pitch who had dropped to the ground, sobbing in pain. How the beast had bared its bloodstained fangs in a low, rolling growl…
The feeling of a hand suddenly on his shoulder sent a shock of surprise through his body, and before Proto knew it, he was sprawled out on the ground, wide-eyed and gasping for breath while clutching a hand in his shirt, as if trying to keep his thundering heart from breaking through his ribcage.
The massive form of his roommate Pitchiner loomed over him, looking at him with a very concerned expression.
“Geez Proto, didn’t mean to scare you like that. You okay?” He asked, before holding out a hand.
Proto, normally the most composed person in the world, scowled in response before he accepted the others offered hand, and let himself be pulled to his feet.
“I’m fine…” He managed. “I was… deep in thought.”
“I could tell. I’ve been calling your name, but you didn’t respond.” The jock snorted, before he pointed with a thumb at the pacing form of Piki. “Any idea what’s up with him? He’ll be wearing a hole in the ground if he keeps it up.”
Proto huffed, absently brushing some grass off his bottom, before he drew in a deep breath to properly compose himself.
“Piki and I are simply a little wired from anticipation. Piki’s brother is arriving today.”
Pitchiner blinked at that, taking a moment to think, before replying; “Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that! What time is he showing up?”
“Any minute now…” Proto said slowly, noticing an old carcass of a truck, that was pulling up to the campus parking lot. “In fact, I think it might be him there.”
Pitchiner snorted in surprise. “In that thing? I thought it would be something much more fancy, considering you two!”
“He’s been living with a distant relative.” Proto heard himself say, but he found his own voice sounding distant, as though coming from underwater, as he focused on the truck.
It was a miracle that the thing was working in the first place, but in a way it showed the tenacity of it’s owner, he supposed. Said owner was stepping out of the truck now, tall and thin as a scarecrow, and almost resembling one too, wearing his old deer hide coat with its adorning thin straps dangling from the shoulders and wrists, along with that old leather hat, adorned with just a single strap around its cap, with the finishing touch of a ratty magpie feather. And hiding some of the front of this tall man, was a black, almost grizzly looking beard, always with that burst of gray…
And the man lifted his head and seemed to find Proto right on with a pair of eyes of grey steel, and Proto swallowed, feeling as though he had been nailed to the spot, before the other male turned his gaze away towards the other passenger of the truck that was now climbing out.
Pitch had been a sickly child to look at, Proto recalled. And a seizure when he had been seven years old had left the twins’ mother worried when their father had talked her into sending them off to that summer camp. Proto remembered Piki grumbling about it, though the older Black twin had never meant anything cruel by it. Proto had always seen it as an endless supply for his verbal ammunition, in his attempts of getting Pitch to leave him and Piki alone, though more often than not it was Piki who would give in and let his twin come along for whatever adventure Proto had planned.
It had been ten years since that fateful night, and Proto would admit if asked, that he had wondered about any possible physical trauma his cousin might have suffered from the animal attack.
Whatever kind of therapy Pitch might have been having through the years, however, had worked wonders. It had given him a swimmer’s build that practically oozed of strength and confidence. His posture was straight, almost military-like, and he had a watchfulness about him that showed that he was very alert to his surroundings.
And then there was the tattoo.
Proto could only imagine his aunt’s face, if she had seen her son before he had arrived here. In any other situation it would have been priceless. But something about the tattoo made Proto feel cold.
It started on Pitch’s left arm, and went up his shoulder, covering it with the shape of an animal that Proto couldn’t identify from this distance, before finishing in other swirling designs close to his neck, and probably covering some of his upper chest or back. It was black, with shades of gold, purple and blue. And Proto found himself feeling nauseous as a faint memory re-emerged unannounced.
The beast had its fangs buried deep in Pitch’s shoulder, and Proto was quite certain he could hear flesh and muscle tearing over the sound of his cousin’s screams of pain…
“Oy! Proto!” Pitchiner’s voice sounded, a bit too loud and a bit too sharp, and Proto blinked bewildered, and realized he was leaning up against the jock.
“Whoah there..” Pitchiner said, now a bit more soothing, as he supported Proto carefully. “You sure you’re alright? You got real pale, and then you started looking like you might be sick.”
Proto swallowed, and discovered much to his own embarrassment that yes, he did honestly feel like throwing up, though looking away from the twins’ reunion, and taking a few deep breaths, soon helped him steady himself.
He was very glad that there was no one else around, except Pitchiner and the twins to see him like this, and Pitchiner was at least not in the habit of running with gossip.
“I think… I’m gonna go back to the dorm.” He heard himself say, feeling very exhausted at sudden. “You’re right, I’m not feeling too good. I’ll see you later.”
He ignored the concerned look from Pitchiner, as he walked as far away from his newly arrived cousin as possible.
Guilt was a very strong motivator for not feeling well all of a sudden.
—————–
Piki didn’t really know what he had expected, when it came to his brother. In the 10 years they had been apart, they had only exchanged a few letters, and Pitch had never told much about the time he had been away. Piki remembered how his brother had written in the beginning, that he had missed his home, had missed a lot of things, but their uncle, Zacariah Black, had told him that he wasn’t able to go home just yet.
His parents, Piki recalled, had tried to explain that the accident had left Pitch deeply traumatized, and only staying with Zacariah was going to help.
Piki would admit to himself, that he had almost expected Proto to point out to the adults, in his usual clever ways, that keeping someone close to where they had been traumatized was usually left than helpful But he had only mentioned it, once he and Piki had been left alone together. And even then that had not lasted for long, as Proto had been taken home by his mother, who had been rather distraught.
You couldn’t really blame her, seeing as Piki and Proto had both been right there, when Pitch had been attacked.
The memory of that flashed briefly through Piki’s mind, and he shivered, remembering how terrified Pitch had looked, how he had screamed for his brother…
The pickup truck that had arrived at the university grounds finally came to a stop, and Piki felt himself straighten up as he watched two figures climb out of it intensely.
Uncle Zacariah, Piki recalled, had always been something of an oddity in the Black family. No one really knew which side did, that he was related to the Black twins. When they had been children, Piki and Pitch had simply been told to refer to him as “Uncle Zacariah” or “Sir.”
And of all things, he had always been part of the supervisors that were in the summer camp that the twins had gone to ten years ago. This, their father had informed them, was because the entire establishment was on his lands, and so he had wanted to be able to keep an eye on things, on the camp itself, and of course the children.
Strange or not, relation or not, or many other things, Zacariah Black had an air about him, that despite his ragged scarecrow looks made you want to listen and pay attention when doing so. Even Proto did not start anything, if he knew that he was going to get caught by their uncle.
The most that Piki could remember, was that Zacariah had a way of putting you to work, and finding a way to make you like it. Even the Black twins had found a way to enjoy themselves, when Pitch had not been feeling cross over the way Proto was trying to hog Piki’s attention from him. Honestly, from what Piki could remember, Zacariah had done everything in his power to make certain that the twins had gotten along.
Then the incident had happened, and Zacariah had just sort of taken over things.
‘It happened on my lands. Makes it my responsibility.’
Pitch had changed. As children, he and Piki had been of a pale complexion. Whatever kind of outdoor life he’d lead while living with their uncle, it had left him wiry and tanned, his clothes consisting of worn jeans and a ratty-looking black wife-beater, and a jacket of dark leather hanging over one arm.
And Pitch himself… Piki faintly recalled the conversation with Proto the other night, of his worries about Pitch rejecting both of them, because of what had happened. ‘Will he or won’t he?’ was a very tempting thought to hold on to…
But then Pitch looked at Piki, actually looked… and he gave a large, bright grin.
“PIKI!”
And before Piki knew it, he was caught in a strong, hard embrace, with his twin easily picking him up and spinning them both around. And before he knew it, Piki found himself laughing as well, returning the embrace the best he could, before Pitch stopped and set him down, with the both of them rambling almost incoherently at each other.
“Look at you!”
“Look at you!”
“You got so tall! HOW!?”
“No taller than you, dummy!”
The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their rambling and the Black twins looked towards Zacariah, who was watching them with a calm look, albeit with a small twinkle in his eye.
“Good t’ know that there could be such a pleasant reunion 'tween you two.” He said, his tone gruff, but not unkind. “Now Pitch, how about we get things in order, and stop by administration first, so that you c'n get whatever things you might need from there?”
“Yes, uncle.” Pitch said, straightening up before looking to Piki. “Maybe Piki could show us the way?”
“Gladly!” Piki exclaimed, “and perhaps I could give you a tour of the campus afterward, unless you have other things in mind?”
Pitch looked to Zacariah, who only shook his bushy head slowly.
“Nothin’ that can’t wait,” he rumbled. “You boys have been apart for a long time. ’S only fair you get to spend more of it t'gether.” He then turned away to close the doors on the truck, before locking them, giving one side a solid kick with an irritable grunt, and muttering something under his breath.
“So…” Piki asked quietly, while the older man occupied himself. “Do our parents know about the tattoo?”
“Ah, no…” Pitch said awkwardly, rubbing his neck a bit. “We just came directly here. Uncle Zacariah didn’t want to waste too much time…” He leaned forward, adding discreetly: “And neither of us could really remember where the place is, so…”
Piki nodded with a mouthed 'ah.’ “I understand. And I’m certain mother and father will too.” He frowned, looking to his twin (who despite what he said himself really did look taller than him).
“I’m glad you’re here. And I’m glad you’re alright.” He shrugged awkwardly, “I mean… considering back then…”
Pitch blinked and looked like he was about about to ask Piki what he meant, but Zacariah had finished checking up on the truck by then, giving them both a light slap on the shoulder, raising a brow at Piki.
“Shall we be off?”
“Of course! Administration is this way.” Piki said, motioning for the two to follow.