Post by The Jenn on Sept 29, 2007 8:48:55 GMT -5
The brothers wrestled and fought on the carpeted floor of their mother's bedroom, two sets of Highland wings going every which way and downy feathers dusting the air. At four years old, some of their plumage had yet to grown in and the larger of the two's scaly snakeskin was in the middle of a shed, so bits of papery, translucent scales littered the red carpet as well.
Several feet away, their mother was studiously ignoring the brawl and talking to several of her Kings. Watching Serafino and Kiernan fight had its moments, but for the most part the outcome was predictable. The larger Fino would end up hitting his brother into submission and they'd both just sit there and sulk until one or the other said something. Then it would be as if nothing had ever happened and they would go on playing whatever game they had left on hold. Kiernan never held a grudge, though people often wondered at what age that tolerance would start wearing thin.
"She's mine! You can't touch her!" the slightly older boy shouted, pulling and twisting at the large battle axe between them. The dangerously sharp edge had been padded for play shortly after Fino summoned the weapon from whatever plane it resided in when dismissed.
His brother tugged and clung to the polished wooden handle. "You always get to play with her! I never get a turn!"
"That's cause she's mine and I don't let anybody touch her!" he snarled. Dismissing the axe back to her ethereal home would have solved the matter, but it wouldn't be the same as ripping her from his brother's hands and sitting with her in the corner, ignoring everyone else. That would gain him satisfaction in the argument, and he never settled for anything from his brother unless it was on his terms. "Just cause you're too dumb and weak to call your own, that doesn't mean I have to share my Marie! When you're a King, you can have one, which means never cause you'll never be good enough to be even a King!"
Rank was a sensitive subject in their family. Even though both of their parents had started out as Tens and worked their way up to face cards, only Kiernan had been born a Ten of their own generation and it gave both of his older siblings bragging rights. Fino's ability to summon his axe made it worse, a visual aid to rub his own relative inferiority in his face.
With an angry, screeching cry, the bipedal eagle threw himself at his brother and started pummeling him with wings and small claws. Startled and not expecting the ferocity of the assault, Fino fell back and hissed with fury. What did Kiernan think he was doing, attacking him like this? Did he think he was going to win a fight with the youngling Queen?! He could feel fury building in him at the thought and reared back, then lunged forward with a vicious bite.
His brother cried out and then, all of a sudden, he burst into flame. Blue fire engulfed his pale Highland form, disintegrating feathers and burning through skin. The heat robbed him of all breath, scorching down his throat when he gasped in pain. All of the adults in the room flung themselves from their chairs in shock, some away from the small inferno.
Abelinda and Bernard both ran forward, unable to interfere while the flames still raged but panicked at the sight of the two boys trapped in fire. Finally, when Kiernan's charred and unrecognizable form dropped to the ground, the flames disappeared as suddenly as they'd come. Serafino stood and swayed, eyes quickly rolling back in his head as he collapsed next to his brother's corpse. His Queen ability had just become apparent.
Several feet away, their mother was studiously ignoring the brawl and talking to several of her Kings. Watching Serafino and Kiernan fight had its moments, but for the most part the outcome was predictable. The larger Fino would end up hitting his brother into submission and they'd both just sit there and sulk until one or the other said something. Then it would be as if nothing had ever happened and they would go on playing whatever game they had left on hold. Kiernan never held a grudge, though people often wondered at what age that tolerance would start wearing thin.
"She's mine! You can't touch her!" the slightly older boy shouted, pulling and twisting at the large battle axe between them. The dangerously sharp edge had been padded for play shortly after Fino summoned the weapon from whatever plane it resided in when dismissed.
His brother tugged and clung to the polished wooden handle. "You always get to play with her! I never get a turn!"
"That's cause she's mine and I don't let anybody touch her!" he snarled. Dismissing the axe back to her ethereal home would have solved the matter, but it wouldn't be the same as ripping her from his brother's hands and sitting with her in the corner, ignoring everyone else. That would gain him satisfaction in the argument, and he never settled for anything from his brother unless it was on his terms. "Just cause you're too dumb and weak to call your own, that doesn't mean I have to share my Marie! When you're a King, you can have one, which means never cause you'll never be good enough to be even a King!"
Rank was a sensitive subject in their family. Even though both of their parents had started out as Tens and worked their way up to face cards, only Kiernan had been born a Ten of their own generation and it gave both of his older siblings bragging rights. Fino's ability to summon his axe made it worse, a visual aid to rub his own relative inferiority in his face.
With an angry, screeching cry, the bipedal eagle threw himself at his brother and started pummeling him with wings and small claws. Startled and not expecting the ferocity of the assault, Fino fell back and hissed with fury. What did Kiernan think he was doing, attacking him like this? Did he think he was going to win a fight with the youngling Queen?! He could feel fury building in him at the thought and reared back, then lunged forward with a vicious bite.
His brother cried out and then, all of a sudden, he burst into flame. Blue fire engulfed his pale Highland form, disintegrating feathers and burning through skin. The heat robbed him of all breath, scorching down his throat when he gasped in pain. All of the adults in the room flung themselves from their chairs in shock, some away from the small inferno.
Abelinda and Bernard both ran forward, unable to interfere while the flames still raged but panicked at the sight of the two boys trapped in fire. Finally, when Kiernan's charred and unrecognizable form dropped to the ground, the flames disappeared as suddenly as they'd come. Serafino stood and swayed, eyes quickly rolling back in his head as he collapsed next to his brother's corpse. His Queen ability had just become apparent.
