Sons of the Moon

Volk dashed over the tiles that covered the palace roof, his feet thudding against the warm dry clay. The wind rushing threw his hair, across his skin, over his linin trousers and leather boots. He did not normaly make habit of running around in this form, he felt it left him exposed to the elements. He was used to a coat of fur and powerful jaws, not soft hands and unclawed feet. He dove over an alyway to the rooftop of the family stables. They kept the horses and other steeds here, and was one of his upmost favorite places to see what else was going on around the palace. He took a seat on the edge, his legs swinging just over the doorway inside and sighed. Life was good for him. He had everything and anything he could want at this point in time. The sun was warm against his exposed chest, the scent of the forest and pine trees filled his nose. He got up again and looked around, seeing which other rooftop was closest to the one he was on, and which ones would be most able to leap across.

He turned his head twords a pair of voices heading in his direction. Off in the distance, he could see a pair of figures approching, one which made him grin. "Lupin....!" Volk said under his breath. He watched his elder brother approch the stables makeing small conversaition with one of his tutors. Lupin always dressed neatly, his clothes always clean and well kept. He always kept his dark chocolate brown hair slicked back and neat. With Lupin's well kept apearance, it was sometimes hard to tell the two were related, as Volk much prefured to leave his hair more unkept. Letting his just fall where it chose, the sunlight even makeing his hair look like waves of fine shimmering whiskey spekled with small specks of silver ice. Volk crouched down on the roof, watching his brother with a sly grin. He knew just how to ruffle his fur, just how to get him all riled up and upset. He made a sport of it! He had for 17 years. Lupin would even joke every now and again how the first 4-5 years of his life were the most peiceful and nonstressful years of his whole time spent on this land.

Volk could feel his body grow, his short human nose grow into a long wolf's muzzle. His ears growing and his feet spreading. His tail took shape and swayed in excitement and anticipation. When he took his human form he always made sure his pants were a few sizes too big to acomidate his natural Lychen form, the boots though could not really be saved unless they were made with spacific adaptations, like his. Buttons on the toes alowed his large padded wolf back feet to push threw and not destroy the shoe, instead makeing a sort of cover for the top of his leg/foot and the back. His arms grew, his hands becomeing fur covered and with large tallon like claws. He was by far more comfortable in this form than his human shape. This was his natural form! His brother spent most of his time in his proper human atire and shape, but that was because he had far more responsabilities than Volk had and ever would. So Volk had come acostomed to spending the majority of his time like this, his fur matching his hair. Small splotches of silverish white along his chest and chin, slightly darker over along his eyebrows. He crouched down in a ready ambush position, keeping his keen eyes on his brother and the tutor. He gripped the edge of the rooftop as his brother began to walk under the entry way. He readied for the surprise pou--"Good morning Volk, you're up rather early today" Lupin commented without even looking up, but with a smirk on his face.

"Whaa-?! How'd you...when....but I was so close!!" Volk wined, comeing out of the crouching position and moveing so his head hung down and looked under and threw the doorway. His moist black nose was met with a quick smack causeing him to yelp and fall from the rooftop. "OW! What the hell was that for?!" Volk yelled threw his hands holding his now sore nose.

"You shouldn't be so immature little Volkov. You should be more mannerd, you're a prince not a ruffian." Lupin said takeing off his dark black and green gloves and setting down a rolled up bunch of papers which he'd used to smack Volk.

"Well...I got up before noon this morning! How's that? HAHA! I don't get why you always push boreing things like manners on me. I only need to be mannered and civil during important dinners with other royals." Volk said, standing up. He shook his fur of dust and small pebbles from the gravel walkway. "Why do you always stay in that form? That human one, it's so boreing and naked." Volk remarked.

"Because this form gives a sense of dignity and a demand of respect to more than just Lychens Volk, there are more clotheing options, and it generaly makes discussions with other races more comfortable for their emmisaries. Having a muscled mass of sharp teeth and powerful jaws seems to un-nerve many..." Lupin replied. The carefree attitude of his younger brother facinated him. Volk had not a worry or whim in the world. He was the younger one, though he didn't look the part much. Volk was the heavier built one, more muscle mass and muscle deffinition. Even in his Lychen form Volk was the larger. Lupin was sleek and well toned, but muscled just didn't look right on him. He was a future king, not a soldier. He prefured to use brain rather than bronze to win a battle, and saw it as much more practical anyway. Volk was rash and energetic, saw glory in battle and became bored with studious things. He didn't have to have as much schooling as Lupin, as Volk was not going to become the king anyway. His studies ended early, and occasionaly he'd have a sparing lesson now and again, but most of his time was spent leasurely. His life was far more relaxed than Lupin's life.

Lupin was well educated, intelagent and cunning. Some even said he'd a silver toung to match even Loki himself, the very god of trickery and mischiff, but this didn't worry many. Lupin was the good son, the prodagy to his father and teachers. Idoled by many, a man to be envious of. His features were more angular than his younger brothers. His face was more slinder and his eyes a bit narrow and full of intelagence. His Lychen form was close to this, agile and arrow-dynamic it would seem. His coat was a darker brown than his brothers light composure, consisting of a dark chocolate brown that was almost black, solid and unwaveing in color. His movements were fluid and smoothe, his chin always held high with honor and dignity. He feared few if not none, his swordsmen skills only matched by his own brother, but his archery knew no rival. He spoke many languages fluently, as well as knew the workings of multiple instraments.

"So...what are you doing now?" Volk asked, slowly shifting back to be on a more eye level with his brother rather then looking down on him. He knew how much Lupin hated it when they were haveing a conversaition and he'd refuse to change out of his Lychen form. He leaned down and reclasped the toes of his shoes and ajusted the waist of his trousers to better fit this smaller shape. He found changeing back to be a stranger feeling then changeing in the first place, it was like he was looseing sense and he was physicly loseing size. He just felt weird like this, with his skin showing and no fur, he felt naked even with clothes.

"I can see the slight discomfort in your eyes little Volkov, you really should get more used to your human shape. It could prove quite useful someday you know." Lupin said.

"Yeah yeah whatever, so what are you doing in the stables? Rideing lessons? You don't need those do you, you're just fine as it is."

"No, not rideing lessons. Just here to get some tools that's all." Lupin replied.

"Tools for....what exactly? What're you doing? Can I know? What is it?" Volk asked, now quite curious and looking over Lupin's sholder.

"Nothing much really, I'm assisting the blacksmith. His trade facinates me and I wish to lean more about it."

"Thats it...? Well I guess, whatever makes you happy then. Doesn't seem all that intresting, just makeing swords and things. I thought you didn't like getting dirty?" Volk started to tease.

"It's not that, I don't appreciate getting dirty with no ryme or reason to it, like you do. If I'm to become filthy it had best well have a good reasoning to it and not just be for naught." Lupin said matter of fact like. Volk looked at his brother and slightly scoffed. There was nothing wrong with getting a little bit of dirt under your nails now and then. It was healthy. Good for the soul. Lupin just didn't know what he was missing Volk thought. That was pleanty fine with him, Lupin could be prim and proper and clean. Volk was going to have his own idea of fun anyway, reguardless of Lupin's views on it. Volk had better things to do then worry about weather or not his clothes or coat had a little stain on them.

"Well...that sounds fun really but I'm goin' to go and do something else." Volk said pointing at the door.

"Have it your way Volk, just don't be late for dinner again. You know how upset father gets." Lupin said, not looking over at him. Still keeping his eyes down, looking for other tools he might need for his newest experament with blacksmithing.  

Family dinners almost always ended in a fight between Volk and his father. They were both just as equaly as stubron as the other, and when they got at it, there was no stopping untill it was at least a yelling match. Lupin would typicly sit in the middle, quietly eating his dinner while his father and headstrong younger brother yelled profanities at each other. He'd grown used to it over the years, it would seem with every year Volk grew added to how bad the "fight of the year" would get. There was always at least one fight per year that put the others to shame, and lead to the two not talking for weeks on end. Their father did not spacificly like the ways Volk spent his immince off-time. He'd push for Volk to explore takeing up a position in the military or training, and Volk would see this as his father trying to push him into being a smaller version of him. They both wanted to be the alpha dog at the dinner table, and Lupin was content with leting them battle it out with words across the food. He would intervine should it get physical and a full out domonance brawl, and naturaly would make sure their father won. Volk hated it when Lupin helped their father out in these, he claimed Lupin was takeing sides and should be takeing his side as he was his brother. Lupin knew better though, their father was the king and should be respected as such. Word battles were fine, but phyisical was over the line and uncalled for, especaly at a dinner table!

Lupin was his fathers prodagy, while Volk was more or less the forever immature obnoxious prince. It was easy to see which one was being preped to be king and which one had less to worry about. Volk was not going to be king, so he didn't need to worry about the things Lupin always had on his mind. The most Volk had concerning him when it came to royal matters was that how formal he had to dress depending on who it was attending some small gathering or party their father would host sometimes. Volk was smart and Lupin knew this, and if he had been given the same education and been made to continue his studies Lupin was sure Volk would be one of the most intelagent. Instead that room for mental expansion was filled with what Volk liked to call "street smarts and not book smarts." Lupin did not appreciate that Volk saw little of the use for arithmatic and the sciences, Volk was more intrested in fighting and chaseing deer. Though this made it perhaps a bit easier, as that meant Lupin didn't need to compeate with Volk as they had intelagence in diffrent feilds. Lupin knew that if he was truely needed, Volk would rise to the occasion, and hopped if that occasion ever came it was in some form or way involved in sparing or battle.

Volk walked out of the stables and down the gravel walkway, putting his hands in his pockets. Maybe Lupin was right, maybe he should try to get more used to useing his human shape more often then he typicly did. He thought about this, then deemed it pointless and quickly shifted back again and stretched. His ears twisted around, picking up various noises and sounds, his tail swayed and slightly hung loose. He looked over at the feild fenced off from the small enclosure that was the palace he grew up in. He grinned and turnd on his heels and took off, on all fours even. Easily glideing over the fense and into the open feild, he could feel the tall wheat against his arms and legs and underbelly, the wind threw his ears. It was almost like he had wings, and was glideing over a green and tan sea. He dashed for a wooded area, easily jumping over the other side of the fence again and landing softly on the slightly damp woodland ground. He inhaled and felt his lungs fill with the cool shaded air. Life was good, he couldn't ask for better. He ran threw the woods, jumping over rocks, bolders and logs. Bounding over little ledges and minature cliffs and across small gourges cut by a small creek. The sound of birds and squirrles and other creatures filling his ears and mind, the smells intoxicateing him like a strange high. He finaly slowed and stopped at a clearing, full of soft grass and with the sun pokeing threw the trees just right. He fell and laid on the grass, the sun warming his fur and makeing his eyes heavy and he yawned greatly. No one was around anyway, who could stop him from taking a short nap? Just a wonderful idea to him, a great way to spend the day, sleeping in the sun. He relaxed and let his eyes close down, the warm sun embraceing him.