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Everything was routine for The Soaring Horizon, the only exception was the tag along that followed them around. Their well oiled teamwork had a small snag during the prep from resources to cartography equipment, what rations and how much would they spend on it.
Dylan had a very different opinion on their routine that starkly contrasted Alexander's, igniting the never ending argument about financing the party, all the way down to what each member's needs were necessary.
The tension was suffocating without a single break all afternoon but eventually everything was collected and the party was ready to set out for their next adventure.
Feathers and Ethan had done most of the work setting up the camping spot by clearing debris, pitching the tents, gathering wood and feathers, and picking out the bad wood from Ethan's pile so they won't be smoked out again.
At the center of camp, Alexander went over the details of this mission on some logs he snapped to have a resting spot. He went over their supplies, different routes to their objective and assessed the risks and benefits to each path according to the supplies they settled with begrudgingly, thanks to Dylan's stubborn inputs.
Dylan stayed out of the way this time, standing by the treeline just outside the edges of their camp area and quietly observed with scrutiny of the gator that didn't go unnoticed.
With the tall mountains, inevitable cliffs and narrow pathways waiting for them the next day, the sun disappeared quickly behind the towers of stone.
Just before joining the rest of his teammates, Dylan pulled Ethan to the side, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. "You need to be safe."
"Everything will be fine. In the last three years, I never came back with an injury worse than a slash that got healed overnight." Ethan smiled back, patting Dylan's arm before turning to join by the fire's warmth but Dylan still stopped him. "I'm being very serious Ethan. If anything bad happened to you, the consequences would be worse-"
"I know." Ethan interrupted. "I know if something bad happened it would make everything else worse. That's why, we are going to think about how nothing bad will happen, just so that comes true."
Ethan paused for a moment, taking in the worry that shined behind the dullness of calloused years.
"Grior Worn. When you're done here, meet me in Grior Worn with your new extrapulator." He held up his own new device, a steel watch accented with traces of blues and reds. It bode as a silent reminder to Ethan of the life they've left behind, the only one Dylan had ever known.
Holding up his own new device, Ethan's was fashioned as a leather strap that secured around the arm, accented with small gold plating.
While Dylan was watching he strapped it on to assure he hadn't lost it.
"As soon as we're done here. One message a day, even without service, till messages go through." Ethan repeated what the other specule wanted to hear, earning a curt nod with a sorrowed furrow of the brows.
"And what's with the conspiracy?" Alexander asked from over by the fire.
Feathers was already looking over a map, scrutinizing the details while occasionally glancing at the supplies.
"No conspiracy Alexander, just a good ol' brotherly talk." Ethan waved off the comment while joining the rest of the party; Dylan waited longer before following suit.
"Giving you a fat kiss on the cheek before you get sent away?" Alexander chided. "No basket of freshly baked bread?" he continued, which was enough to egg a response from the tag along.
"None of your concern, Alexander." He sat down next to Ethan, staring down the antagonist through the fire and taking in the warmth to combat the chill of the night.
"Here we go!" Ethan exclaimed excitedly, breaking their tension in a dramatic fashion. "A brand new extrapulator so that we can continue planning together as a team with an official team device."
He extended his screen to feathers first who continued out of curiosity while Alexander inspected it from a distance.
"And where did you get this from? Is it legal? If you're getting a new device, then what's happening with the old one?" Alexander asked. Once passed over, he scrutinized the quality and make of the projected screen before considering putting any kind of information in it.
"It's from the adventurer's guild and it's very legal. As soon as we get back, the old one will be retired." Ethan assured him while pulling up the receipts and legal documentation of transferring to the new piece.
"And where did you buy this one?" Alexander asked, looking over the new armband that he hadn't seen there before.
Ethan was about to answer but instead his older brother asked. "And why do you care?"
A log broke, making the fire between the two grasp for the stars, separating specule and trac're only for a moment. They assessed each other's physicality, each observing the tension that waited for the right kind of provocation for violence.
"You're right, I don't care. Simply was asking" the gator smirked while leaning back. "And why does it bother you that I'm asking questions? It's usually suspicious when someone gets a new extrapulator out of the blue. It felt like you were trying to hide something." He prodded Dylan's patience with his own arrogance, enough to see the eldest's lips purse tight into an unpleasant frown.
"It's sentimental." Ethan interjected between the two. "For starting a new chapter in our lives, I wanted to start it off fresh and clean. Like a symbolic thing. There's no hiding, just special occasions." Ethan chimed in a more pleasant tone. Trying to lighten the mood, he reached into his new inventory space, grabbing containers of alcohol he had brought.
Dylan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, the gator smirked in amusement, while Feathers stared at Ethan as if his disappointment stretched further beyond the physical gap between them.
"Since when?" "Before we started packing to get ready." Ethan answered quickly. I didn't really think or have much time to consider what everyone would like but there are some options. Some of these would need to be chilled after opening and we're not exactly bringing a fridge with us. So, I guess that means we have to try finishing these together amongst the 4 of us tonight."
Ethan handed a couple of bottles around the fire, and the odd bunch of bachelors picked their preferences before settling.
The conversation stumbled at first but soon enough they dragged on late into the darkest hours of the night.
At one point, when stretching their legs, Feathers seemed to have vanished into the night. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for the crow when they weren't found in their tent or the nearby woods but no one was worried. Long ago they gave Feathers a whistle to use for emergencies, a special sound so the others knew where to find them and know they were in need of immediate assistance.
Ethan, on the other hand, kept rambling on about how wonderful everything in all the goddesses' worlds were. The adventures they've already been on and the stories that came with them, explaining them as if these weren't the very people that were on those same adventures. Continuing on about how excited he was in making more memories, finding the next place they haven't explored yet, and how the sky was most beautiful during cloudless nights when stars shine so bright across a silken canvas of dark.
Dylan gave him a quick glance when Ethan fell silent. Slumped back over the log and staring at the sky, soft snoring could be heard.
That left just Dylan and Alexander, the only two still awake, sitting across the fire of each other.
A long pause of silence hung between the two as they listened to the night, only until Dylan spoke up first.
"I still don't trust you." he said coolly, barely hiding the spite.
"So you want to bring up the dust of the past." the gator snorted before taking another swig of his drink.
"Yet you're still starting fights." Dylan stared unwaveringly at the reptile.
"So this is really what you want to do tonight?" Alexander asked, his voice monotone and void of any feeling, taunts, or jests.
Finishing what was left he stared back at the other, flexing his size as he leaned forward and rested his arm against one knee. "So what's the real 'special occasion'?"
"That's private." Dylan said flatly, full concentration on holding his own composure above anything else.
"So you want to keep secrets?" He asked. Turning the empty glass over in his hands, he listened to the scrape of his claws against the fragile shine with a hunter's fascination.
"What do you care, Alexander?" Dylan asked, the corner of his lip pulling into a disappointed scowl.
"You're right I don't." He stared at the reflection on the surface of the empty container. A strong but cruel face stared back, marked by scars of the world that predestined him to be.
"Then keep to your own business" Dylan ordered, like a sergeant down to a new recruit.
"Just like Ethan, when he begged that I join this team." he growled. Placing the bottle on the ground gently, he moved forward to the edge of the log, ready to end this lineage of specule.
Dylan held his stance.
He was not scared of Alexander. He knows the other's skills, his strengths and weaknesses, so he stood firm.
"I don't believe you. You're full of shi-"
The rest of Dylan's words faded when the air pressed out of his lungs from the crushing force into his stomach.
Alexander had moved through the fire, stepping one foot on the log Dylan had sat. They knew each other too well that the gator didn't need to check before catching the arm that failed to land a retaliating blow.
Dylan's movements were slowed, lacking the trained focus and precision he was known for.
When the swing missed, Alexander pushed the arm across Dylan's chest, using the inertia from the left hook to twist his torso away while the specule leaned off balance. Powerful jaws clamped down over the shifter's head, holding the smaller of the two in place while serving as his only support unless he was willing to allow himself to be dropped prone to the ground.
Alexander held him there, hesitating for a moment as his anger rumbled through his throat, barely rational through the pent up fury, his heart pounding in his ears.
Dylan didn't realize how much his senses were dulled by the drinks until he was easily overpowered and subdued by the brute. Alexander never even hesitated when he walked through the fire, the blazing flames heating the skin that now seared against Dylan's cold sweat.
Not an ember grabbed the clothes that adorned the muscle and leather of the man holding him, to Dylan's own astonishment that moment.
But what if it had?
Without inhibitions, that question infected itself into the mind of the soldier.
What would the fire have taken to? The shoes or pants where he stepped? The fabric of his shirt, where the flames could reach out and caress? Alexander didn't wear too much armor, nothing heavy like he did. Would his minimalistic armor be the only thing to resist the flames?
The expanded pupils of the hunter easily reflected the roaring flames in the black depths of his sight.
Dylan grabbed onto the gator's arm timidly, his heart racing out of his chest, ready to burst. With no one else around he imagined the large white teeth biting into him, trusting that if Alexander did, they wouldn't cut into his skin too deep.
The wrath of Alexander slowly eased by the silent insistence of Dylan's hand on his arm, shifting his attention. He could barely feel the beating of Dylan's heart against the knee that pressed him back.
Pressing his tongue against Dylan's neck, Alexander checked the vitality of his pulse, confirming that adrenaline, liquid courage, and more coursed through both of the other's thoughts and veins.
Their scuffle barely disturbed the silence of the night, which surprised both in the moment into a stillness, daring not to let out a single breath when something else did.
Ethan groaned as he rolled over in his sleep, facing his back towards the both of them.
A long moment of silence returned as they listened to the forest ambiance of the night until it was joined by Ethan's snoring.
Alexander let go of Dylan's arm and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, not letting him fall back while he pulled his head out of his mouth.
Standing up, Dylan was lifted and pulled close in one smooth motion, leaning in close the reptile whispered so only the other could hear. "We're going to continue this conversation somewhere more private."
Dylan kept to the silence and only nodded without another word before the two stepped off into the woods for a more private conversation over their long-time feud.