literature

TGB: Tedious Things Like Manners - Kokkinos + Mar

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:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
There was a sizeable rock on the outskirts of camp – one of many – a boulder that cast a decent pool of shade from the sun, and did little to deflect the cool, autumnal winter winds from ruffling Mar’s dusty and blood-flecked fur.
Yes, he was cold, in this place of repose, but none of the whelps that were his tribe-mates deigned to be, and so he was quite and happily solitary as he ate in the shadows. All else fancied staying warm in the sun as they milled about camp, keeping their small and fragile bodies un-chilled, lest some supernatural frost come to take their young, weak lives.
He smiled over the red-stained plumage of his kill, green eyes smug over the sight of kits cowering close to a red-furred queen as a gust of wind swept over camp, sending the mat of vines arustle on the hem of the gully.
His ears flicked. Still, this winter was so mild, it was not likely it would relieve his tribe of even its weakest members, so he would not get his hopes up more than just to smile at their discomfort and complaints about the weather. There was always next cycle of seasons.
In any case, if not for this meek turn of ice-moons, he probably wouldn’t have been able to catch the swamp hawk he dined upon now. In its late migration south, he’d been waiting ever-patient in a tree for the passing of just such a bird.
How he relished leaping from the branches and sinking his claws into its bony back, and barreling into the earth, it underpaw, rendering its majestic beak and talons dust-caked and lifeless. He did not know of any of his tribemates who on such frequent occasion managed to catch raptors.
The big cat pored with avarice over the spread of its contorted wings, as he pulled up red sinew and taut predator’s flesh. Perhaps Neytiri would like a feather or two, to do whatever she-cats did to decorate themselves. He swept his tongue over his snout, blood flicking from his whiskers.

:bulletyellow: Baerrito: :bulletyellow:
A large tomcat sighed as he slunk out of the leader's den, completely exhausted. He'd just come from another meeting with Alcina, the new Silver-Earth. They weren't exactly speaking about Earth-Tribe affairs at the moment; actually most of their recent meetings hadn't been so much about Earth-Tribe as they were about other things. Kokkinos had taken to visiting the Silver-Earth frequently to make sure that she was alright. Soren's departure had had a rather negative effect on the younger gray she-cat, and Kokkinos was deeply concerned for her. In times like these the Yellow-Earth could see that his leader desperately needed comfort, as well as support. And that was exactly what he gave her. She needed the utmost support from her Tribe, and Kokkinos tried to give it to her. She may have been young, but she was proving herself.
He sighed as he padded through camp, unsure of what to do at the moment. He'd sort of been awkward about the whole thing of becoming Yellow. It was odd; he'd been a Green-Earth for so long, just another face among the crowd. And now... now he was second in command. If anything were to happen to Alcina, Spirits forbid, he would be the next Silver-Earth. Honestly, he wasn't sure that he would ever be ready for such a responsibility. Nor was he sure that he wanted it; would he even be able to lead? Alcina had been giving him lessons on being a Yellow, but he was still having trouble adjusting. Ordering cats around wasn't in his nature, yet now he was in charge of them. Strange how things worked.
As the Yellow-Earth padded through the camp, he came across another cat. He had a dull brown pelt, one that Kokkinos didn't instantly recognize. Had to have been one of the newer additions to Earth-Tribe; that was the only explanation. Padding towards the new cat, who he saw was a Green-Earth, Kokkinos caught sight of him with a mangled bird. What....? Flicking his ears back, the large tomcat padded up to the unknown Green-Earth with concern. “Erm.... What are you doing to that bird?” Smooth as always; good to see that being Yellow hadn't affected his conversation abilities in any way.

:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
Mar looked up, ears aflicker.
Of course, the cat had not taken him by surprise - he'd been keeping aloof tabs upon all passersby - only this fellow hadn't wholly passed him by, instead pulling up to him and beginning to converse.
He recognized him - a longish-furred tom with a pelt blotched like river rocks. The Yellow-Earth. He'd seen him at the induction, when his little friend Alcina had disclosed that she in fact, was the new leader for their Tribe. Nauseating. And she'd chosen this young fellow to be her new second-in-command, even more to Mar's dismay. He and Neytiri had almost disbanded from their 'tribe' then and there, upon that inconceivable revelation. Their new liege's fur was bright and whiskers prim and straight. He couldn't have had many more winters than the grey kit that was their leader had. A youngling, softpaws. Mar could see it all in the softness of his eyes, as he inquired after what he was doing with his bird.
The dingey chaussie's ears pinned back, tail flicking as he looked the deputy askance. “What am I doing with the bird...” he repeated wryly, as though it was the most inane question he'd ever heard. He took a moment to dip his head and remove some of the flesh from the thin avian bones, and swallow. “I am eating it, Yellow-Earth,” he answered, brows lifted sardonically, as though the deputy might somehow have a problem with it.

:bulletyellow: Baerrito: :bulletyellow:
The large tomcat carefully examined the other, taking in small details. He was a rather big cat, probably as big as Kokkinos himself, which was pretty rare now a days. He was relatively thin, at least he seemed that way to the muscular Yellow-Earth. What really stuck out to Kokkinos though were those eyes; those startling eyes. They seemed to stare right into his soul. He felt stripped of everything: his fur, his pride, his entire essence. It was all right there, out in the open for this strange Green-Earth to see. Those haunting eyes just continued to look into him, almost as if to mock him.
Kokkinos flicked his large, tattered ears at the Green-Earth's response, feeling the fur on the back of his neck prickle. Well if his eyes hadn't been a dead giveaway, then his reaction certainly was: this cat was going to be difficult. Usually Kokkinos hated making judgments upon first impressions; in fact he tended to reserve judgment all together, as he felt it was wrong. However, this time he could see it. Well, not so much see it as feel it. There was something a little off about this cat. It wasn't something obvious nor crucial, but deep down there was something that deeply unsettled the Yellow-Earth. Kokkinos wished he could be ashamed of himself, being so hypercritical of a new comer, but he found he couldn't help himself. This cat just gave him a bad vibe, like he might rip his throat out if he got the chance.
Instead of portraying any of this to the other cat and giving him the upper hand, Kokkinos simply rose a brow at him. His one good eye narrowed in suspicion, taking note of the mockery in the Green-Earth's voice. He didn't really care if this cat thought he was suitable to be the Yellow-Earth or not, but he did care if this cat respected him or not. And right now it appeared that this troublesome Green-Earth did not. Oh spirits don't let him be difficult.... “Well,” Kokkinos said skeptically, trying to keep a hard edge out of his voice, “It didn't appear to be what you were doing just a moment ago. What were you really doing with that bird?”

:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
Mar let out a sigh, breath sanguine from the consumption of the bird’s flesh. After a moment of tautly exchanging measuring looks, the Yellow-Earth had opened his mouth to pry into his subservient Green-Earth’s dining habits. The chausie’s tail flicked with distaste, and he looked drolly down at the dismembered carcass of his prey. “I do not wish to share it, if that is what you are insinuating,” he purred brusquely. “But if you are referring to the manner in which I am eating,” he met the tom’s large blue eyes squarely before looking down over his raptor, “know that one of my hobbies is playing with my food.” He withdrew some feathers from the limp, reddened wings of his kill. “It is one of life’s simple pleasures,” he smiled with insolence before flicking the plumage over to his ever-loving deputy.

:bulletyellow: Baerrito: :bulletyellow:
The large snowshoe regarded the tan tomcat carefully, feeling the distaste rise in his chest. Something about this cat just rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was the way he spoke, or how he seemed to disregard everything his deputy said. Instead, it was like Kokkinos was below him, a little apprentice with no title. Of course Kokkinos didn't think all that highly of himself, but still. A little... respect would be nice. The Yellow-Earth wrinkled his nose as the Green-Earth tossed some feathers in his direction. Well that was.... odd. Rude definitely, but Kokkinos couldn't really process that. He'd never had anyone fling feathers at him before. This cat was weird, really weird. He flicked his large ears back, feeling a small prickle of hostility as his neck fur rose ever so slightly. No. He could not show any kind of hostility or anger towards the other cat; it would make a bad impression on him. Plus, Kokkinos feared that the tall tomcat wouldn't respect him if he behaved in such a manor. “I did not mean that you intended to share it at all,” he replied stiffly, still in shock about the feather thing. “I did, however, mean that you should not play with your food. That bird gave its life so that you may live; treat it with a little more respect.”

:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
Mar’s roused defense settled a little with the fur on his shoulders – well, at least this cat wasn’t dumb enough to make him share – that would be a whole other realm of unreasonableness that he had to deal with. So instead of bristling further, the chausie settled his head loftily upon his shoulders to peer at the Yellow-Earth from a better angle, smiling a little with subdued acid. “Oh, you mean this,” he said, looking oh-so guiltily down at his red paws, claws smeared in his meal. He looked up at his deputy, head cocking with feigned-guilt. “That did not occur to me at all, truth be told.”
His claws ran haphazardly down one of the legs, to the wicked talons at the end. “Gave his life, hnn…“ he purred caustically. “That is funny – I rather remember me taking it.” He then looked the other tom square in the eye. “Respect – you tribe-cats have such strange ideas. This hawk hadn’t given his life that I could live at all – if it could have, it would have snatched up one of those precious little kits over there to sup on – you ought not talk of giving it any special considerations.”

:bulletyellow: Baerrito: :bulletyellow:
Kokkinos regarded this Green-Earth with feigning neutrality, feeling the dislike brew within him. He tried his best to push it down, but he found that he couldn't do it completely. This cat.... This cat was the most brutish creatures he had ever met. Not to mention exasperating. The Yellow-Earth felt his fur prickle more and more with every word that left the snotty Green-Earth's mouth, and he suddenly felt the urge to smack that smug look off of his face. Try and try as he might, Kokkinos couldn't get his neck fur to lie flat as the Green-Earth ran his paws over the bloody, and basically uneatable, bird that he had caught. Kokkinos wasn't sure what it meant, but it seemed like he was subtly mocking his deputy. What an ass. “It could have tried to pick up a kit, but it wouldn't have succeeded. We would have prevented it,” he mewed sternly. He squared his shoulders a bit, silently daring the other tom to challenge him. “This bird may not have given its life to us, but the fact still remains that it died so that we could eat. Or rather, so you could eat. It was a living creature, and it had is own life and soul, which it lost when you killed it. So I do believe a bit of gratitude should be shown.”

:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
Mar’s lip curled in minimally-concealed distaste, as he absorbed his deputy’s unyielding words. “Well,” he said disinterestedly, looking at the Yellow-Earth with unfazed eyes, “I can see that you and I shall never come to agreement on this front. I should not like to pick a fight with my revered leader’s first-lackey, and so I shall desist in my argument.” In his voice he held the utmost civility, taking what of course was the more mature path, he thought sarcastically in his head. When he beheld the irritation that made the tom’s fur rise like static, knew with satisfaction that his politeness could only rankle. And so he smiled, an expression of acerbic smarminess on his face. “Now that that’s taken care of, my good tom, would you pray let me finish eating?”

:bulletyellow: Baerrito: :bulletyellow:
First-lackey? Ouch. That was actually a little bit of an insult to the Yellow-Earth, who never usually took offense to anything. Well, maybe it was just his distaste for this Green-Earth that made him feel so insulted. Either way, that comment just didn't sit right with him. First-lackey? Psh, nah. He was more than a lackey; he didn't just follow Alcina's orders like some kind of mindless creature. He had thoughts of his own, as well as ideas! He didn't need Alcina to tell him what to do... Okay maybe he did since Eileen was gone and he kind of sort of stopped taking care of himself... But that was beside the point. He was not Alcina's patsy, and definitely not the type of cat who could be played quite like this cat was playing him. It didn't quite anger him, as that took much more, but it annoyed him a great deal. Just... the lack of respect this tomcat was not only showing his prey, but showing his deputy as well! This kind of cat didn't seem like the type that could be reasoned with, and for some reason that thought alone scared Kokkinos deep in his core. Pushing away the fear that gnawed at his brain, the large tomcat flattened his tattered ears. “It would do you well to show your Tribemates a bit of respect, Green-Earth,” he hissed through gritted teeth, ignoring the rest of what the other said.

:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
If Mar was younger, and perhaps stupider, then he would not have been able to keep a squeal of delight from escaping his mouth. But he smiled all the same, though with comparative silence, at the flash of his Yellow-Earth’s teeth. Oh, what a delight this was. He veritably saw the activity behind the bulky cat’s eyes as he seemed to be processing Mar’s acid, and had only expected the tom’s words of vindication, which he was well ready for.
He looked with a plaintive sigh from the hawk he may very well never get to eat, up to the eyes of his deputy, before drawling, “Oh, would it?” he asked, as though genuinely surprised. And then he sat up, forgetting his bird, that he could be quite eye-level with the other cat. “You must forgive me for my insolence, Yellow-Earth,” there was a veritable sneer behind his smile, “it takes some patience to beat an ignorant native like me into submission.”

:bulletyellow: Baerrito: :bulletyellow:
The Yellow-Earth couldn't help but let a scowl find it's way to his marred face. Spirits alive this cat was driving him insane. Insolent, brutish, brat of a cat! Kokkinos had to resist all urges he had to raise his hackles and hiss at this cat, whose name he realized that he did not know. Though perhaps that was for the best; exchanging names seemed like it could get dangerous very quickly. With how this cat was behaving, it was probable that he would sell the Yellow-Earth's name to a secondary Shadow-Triber. He imagined that Shadow-Tribe would enjoy knowing the true names of all of the other Tribe authorities.
When the other cat rose to look Kokkinos in the eye, the snowshoe found that he had to resist the urge to growl and bite the other cat. Though maybe a good bite would wipe that stupid smug grin off of the Green-Earth's face... No. That was savage and inappropriate. It was on the level of this other cat, and Kokkinos would not stoop that low. Bristling, he glared at his newfound opponent. “Well, I'm not going anywhere,” he growled, finding it impossible to keep the malice out of his voice.

:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
Hnn, is that so?” Mar smiled with the flick of his tail. “And they call me the uncivilized one.” He knew that egging the tom on could do nothing but earn him more scratches, but decidedly would not put off. He was debasing the high-and-mighty peacekeeper, and that was all that mattered. Even if this cat could very well be a match for him – despite his youth, which made him a fool by default – the deputy’s strength in the tattoo-arts could be second only to Alcina. But the threatening light in the Yellow-Earth’s stormy eyes was only encouragement to the insolent chausie, as he dipped his head in mock-reverence, sliding his eyes around camp to take note of all the passersby, before turning his cheek to face the tom and whatever strike he might make. “Shall you begin, then, my good deputy?”

:bulletyellow: Baerrito: :bulletyellow:
Kokkinos had to resist the urge to either squint or just stop and stare at the insolent Green-Earth. Now what did he mean by that? How had he become uncivilized? Well, he had kind of turned hostile in every physical sense possible. The clay-colored tom had egged the Yellow-Earth on, and due to how stressed he had been lately his temper had flared. Normally he probably would have just been annoyed by the comments this Green-Earth was making, but now he found himself teetering on the verge of utter rage. This bastard was really pissing him off. “And what exactly do you mean by that?” he growled, not even bothering to mask his hostility. There was no point with this Green-Earth; if he was determined to be a jerk then Kokkinos could be one right back. At his comment about making the first move, Kokkinos found he was rather appalled. He wouldn't strike another cat just out of the blue, even if they were the most annoying, insolent ball of fur he had ever met. “I will not strike you,” he snapped, “that would be uncivilized.”

:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
He wasn’t biting yet, Mar was less than pleased to see, but he could tell that he wanted to. The lanky tom’s tail-tip flipped from side to side as he gave the shaggy feline an appraising look, green eyes gleaming, as he reevaluated his approach. A condescending purr thrummed in his chest as he stood, fluidly coming beside the deputy and meeting his hardened blue gaze. “What do I mean?” he asked innocently. “Oh, but certainly you know, my clever Yellow-Earth. Your bristling spine and borne teeth tell all.” Mar smiled, tail flicking with mock-sympathy. “But of course,” he said, as though regretful, eyes sweeping around the surrounding camp, “you cannot strike me indeed, for what could your naïve tribe-mates think then? ‘Oh, how uncivil.’“ The tom sighed with the utmost wistfulness. He was enjoying this more than he should, and was quite conscious of the proximity of the deputy’s claws, as he brought his tail forth to tap the tom’s nose. “How dreadful is this revered ‘civility’, when it is all that keeps you from rightfully disciplining the insolent bastard before you now.”

:bulletyellow: Baerrito: :bulletyellow:
Kokkinos stood and squinted at the lanky brown tomcat, his blue eye locked on the skeletal form. What in the name of all of the Tribes was this cat even doing? Why was he trying to taunt another Tribemate- and his deputy, nonetheless- into a physical altercation? What was he trying to prove? Kokkinos wasn't sure, having never been the brightest of cats, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that this cat was trying to pull him into a fight, and trying to make it so that he would be the first one to unsheathe his claws. Well, tough shit. Kokkinos wasn't going to give the Green-Earth the pleasure of winning that battle, nor was he going to strike him. That was barbaric and uncalled for, even if this cat was a complete asshole. “I cannot strike you because I am not petty enough to resort to physical violence, no matter what my body language may indicate.”

:bulletgreen: Takethra: :bulletgreen:
“Oh, how mature – how admirable,” Mar purred with bitter rancor, tail flicking tetchily as he looked at the other tom sidelong. He recognized now that unless he himself made the first move – something he deigned not to do at this juncture – there would be no riling this cat into a fight. So the warrior sighed, “I’m sure our honorable lady is very proud of her deputy in all his even-headedness and wisdom,” and he dipped his head in mock-respect, lips curly wryly, “even if he is quite the insipid fellow – he certainly doesn’t make any messes the busy Silver-Earth need clean up.”
And then, without minding whatever response his dismissal might have roused, Mar shot him a disdainful and incredibly-bored look, before quite turning his back on the tom altogether, beginning to pad away, and leaving his bloodied hawk behind and ignored. “It was good to meet you face-to-face, Yellow-Earth,” he drawled, without looking back and with no attempt at sounding sincere.
Roleplay between Baerrito and I! ;w; When Mar meets his oh-so-revered deputy in person for the first time... |-D Much banter ensues! >:3 Huhuhuhuuuuu~

:iconthe-golden-butterfly:

WC: 3700
Points to Earth Tribe! >8D
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animefreak120's avatar
Mar is such a little shit, I love it