OPEN — there was a cat that really was gone

[Ivan]

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pixel by tricky

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— Бра́тья Карама́зовы

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His brother's pleading fell on deaf ears. Ivan could not physically see red, but by God, that was all he could sense. The fury of everything that had transpired, he just couldn't take it. He hated Atticus' pain, he hated the precise calculations of the earth that ended his mother's life, but he just could not take it out upon himself. He was far too proud.

It's alright, it's alright. They said. IT'S ALRIGHT.

He didn't stop. He didn't hear the approaches of the Pittians. He only gasped and hunched back as his stomach was pummeled. Ivan was thrown off without much being done. His scrawny body scrambled back to a standing position. He raised his head. There was now a change in Atticus, one that likely had happened because of Ivan's attempt on his life. A different tone of voice was being used.

Even so, the pleading of his brother rang in his ears.

It was so much that he could barely decipher the voices of Dante and Dirt. If he had been in a better state of mind, his soul might have trembled a bit at seeing such a beast. Brave, brave, brave. A paw raised forward. It would seem that Ivan was looking to take another step at Atticus, despite the Pittians' involvement. Both kittens were now equally stubborn.

Mercedes' voice was warped in his mind. He turned to her. He was a little older now, but he still remembered her. He couldn't forget. A friend? "I'm-I'm—" He stumbled. He felt like he was going to be sick.

Another one, this one slightly more professional than the others. What happened, yes, what happened? He didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted his brother's blood on his claws. A traitor? A deserter?

Now he was the one being judged. Atticus' spittle flew towards him, and Ivan's eyes were drawn to that ear, that ear sliced during the tragic day. Ivan wasn't breathing. He was holding his breath again. He always did that when he was frustrated. His head ached. When had his head begun to ache? He hadn't noticed.

"It's you! You're the problem! I don't accept your reasoning! You are wrong!" He finally found his voice, breaking.

Now the ramifications were making themselves clear. Ivan had prided himself on his morality. He stood there to challenge Dr. Caustic when he was experimenting on that rabbit. He was doing his duty. He had never harmed anyone. It was unbearable now. He tried to look in each of their faces, but they melded together. His gaze lingered on Mercede, then switched to Atticus with an unbearable hatred.

He turned and ran, just as they told them do. Running might scrub the blood of his brother from his claws. It was drying and uncomfortable. His pride threw up walls to deceive them all, but he was so terribly afraid. How can one ever love, if he cannot even love his own brother?

[Kydobi]

[align=center]

IM JUST A SOUL WHOSE INTENTIONS ARE GOOD -
♕tags-powers♕

[OOC: ]

If only he had shown up sooner, then maybe he would’ve been able to stop things from escalating. Two children fighting and while he saw Gael there... he still felt obligated to help. Especially because there was an overwhelming amount of adults who weren’t doing anything.

He would look at the faces, a couple were new.

“So none of you tried to break them up?”, he had his ears pinned as he looked down at them. He had heard Atticus speak of the recent loss of his mother. So he knew it was a troubling time for the youth. This child was a Pittian and he was supposed to be protected like one.

How did a kid somehow manage to throw blows when surrounded by adults? Why didn’t anyone snatch them up in their maw and take control of it? Smoke curled out of his nose as he walked towards Atticus.

“Are you alright?”, he wasn’t there when the child joined but he had heard through the grapevine of where they resided beforehand.

[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[DANTE NORTHWEST.]

[glow=white,1,400]I THINK I'M TOO FAR GONE TO SAVE ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Dante huffed at Kydobi's question, almost seemingly offended by the leader's words. He had tried to run up in time, but obviously that hadn't been quick enough. Kydobi should understand, no? A big cat like them would be much slower than say, a fox, for example. "The kid needs to learn to fend for himself." Dante grunted in response, shrugging. He watched as Ivan fled the scene, his shark-like tail flicking. "I'll make sure he's gone, though." Might as well patrol the place after, huh?[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[Atticus Roux]

'You're the problem.'

Atticus ears pinned to the back of his head, a low growl rumbling from his chest. Unsheathed claws dug into the hot sand. Ivan's voice drove him further, piercing phrases picking at his brain. He stepped forward. His chest grew close to the floor and his limbs tensed, ready to pounce forward and attack. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" came his high-pitched yowl. With time for his brother to respond, the male dove forward with paws outreached.

Before Atticus could slash towards Ivan, his brother had already darted away. Narrowed gold eyes stared down the Roux as he ran. The grey tabby's tail lashed wildly. A huff left him. 'Coward,' he thought. Even so, Atticus was hesitant to attack back and relied on the others to back him up. His thought almost seemed hypocritical. In this situation though, he thought Ivan's understanding would overcome his intelligence. Apparently, that was not possible. Even for his brother. Pitiful.

With his brother's silhouette faded off in the horizon, he turned his head to the floor. Weary eyes stared at his sharp, ivory claws. The concept of allowing himself to dart forward and considering the thought of hurting Ivan was something that pained him deeply. Family, to Atticus, was important. He never wanted to lose them, but did they think the same? Even with Ivan coming to see him, it brought calamity among their relationship. The attack caused a divide between them. One that might never heal either. But where was his father? Would he visit? He hadn't seen Winston, Alice, or Simon either. Hell, even Aurum or Beck could of shown their face. Yet here he was. Alone. The only one who showed their face was a entitled smartass. Perhaps running away wasn't the best option... For him though, he felt it was right. No matter the outcome.

A tearful gaze turned up to Kydobi. Blood poured down his face, intermingling with his dripping bodily fluids. Snot, saliva, and tears galore dabbled his face. Needless to say, the mental roller coaster he just went through was chaotic. The turmoil brought upon him was unfavorable. "Not really," he muttered. If he was at home, he would of already went to his mother or father by now. Within The Pitt, Atticus had no idea who their healer was. He had barely acquainted himself. His only resource seemed to be Sweeney. There were a few others, such as Dante and Piers, that he had met briefly too, but he did not understand their purpose here. Instead, he defaulted to looking around aimlessly. No one appeared to have herbs on hand.

Dante's words rang in his ears. While the boy didn't know the hybrid's name, he chose to speak up anyways. "No, you're just a selfish prick," Atticus snapped. That said, his eyes returned to Kydobi. He awaited some further assistance, despite not asking for it directly.

[Kydobi]

[align=center]

IM JUST A SOUL WHOSE INTENTIONS ARE GOOD -
♕tags-powers♕

[OOC: purely IC opinions

Also yes it sure is a private thread invite ????  ]

Dante’s response irked him, he flicked his ear as he stared at them.

“This child is a pittian and he will be protected as one. A title you have yet to earn or even prove worthy of. You stay here, don’t offer your help after you’ve been called out on not giving it in the first place.” Kydobi had decided early on the younger children were automatically accepted into the group as full blooded Pittians. Simply because they were easiest to shape and Kydobi truly believed all children were pure of heart. So it especially triggered him when he saw them in unfair or unjust situations especially when something could be done about it.

It wasn’t hard to tell that Atticus was going through a lot. Kydobi could imagine somewhat what that felt like, he had lost his mother and brother in some ways but not exactly the same. Instead of clear animosity, he simply never saw his family again. For all he knew they were dead. Regardless, Kydobi never fully recovered and while he was learning to accept it he hasn’t fully healed from it. Partially because he was alone for so long, that was why he tried so hard to be there for as many as he could.

So in moments like these he wanted to take Atticus to the side and just sit there and have a talk. Let the boy rant. Instead he would walk closer to examine his wounds and a slight frown on his face.

“Let’s get those wounds fixed up. After would you like to go on a walk with me?”

[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[DANTE NORTHWEST.]

[glow=white,1,400]I THINK I'M TOO FAR GONE TO SAVE ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Oh, this was infuriating. Atticus's comment didn't bother Dante too much, but Kydobi's? The fur on the hybrid shoulder bristled, clearly insulted by the leader's words. "Not my fault this place is boring as shit." Dante shot back, flexing his claws into the ground out of frustration. "The Pitt was found on being a place where people worked their fucking asses off, we were supposed to act like hitmen." How did he know this? Well, he was here under Yes Man's rule, after all. He was the former leader's right-hand man; or at the very least, considered himself that.

It was rather insulting that Kydobi claimed he didn't do jack shit around here. Sure, it was true - but where was the motivation? "And what do we do now? Sit around with our paws stuck up our asses." The only reason Dante hadn't tried to attack Kydobi is simply because despite his words, he didn't really care what The Pitt was like. Yeah, it was a shame that The Pitt wouldn't be like it was originally, but he didn't give a damn - unless he was called out on his shit. Kydobi had no idea what Dante had done in his past, and quite frankly, the hybrid believed that he could easily beat the large panther in a fight if push came to shove. Of course, this was mostly all talk, and potentially not true; but could you blame Dante's train of thoughts regarding that? He was, after all, a science experiment made solely to be pitted against others in some sort of fucked up dog ring.

"I'm not here to make The Pitt like it was previously -" Dante went on. "- but I will not fucking tolerate being treated like shit solely because I don't do anything around here. Because you, Kydobi, have yet to prove to me that you should be Ardent." Was he done yet? No, he hadn't addressed the problem at hand; that little rant was purely because Kydobi was insinuating that he was a lazy jackass. "As for the kid? Tough shit. You must've not had a perfect childhood, because all I see is an opportunity for the kid to prove himself. Believe it or not, I'm quite surprised that he managed to chase Ivan off -" Whether or not it was because of the other Pittians coming, Dante didn't care. "- and I'm impressed. This is something that will shape the kid, so explain to me how breaking the fight up would've been a good thing."

Okay, now he was done. Holy fuck. He needed a god damn cigarette and a fucking drink after all this. It was giving him a headache.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[DIRT]

AND HE LAPS UP THE VICE LIKE A WOLF IN THE NIGHT

It seemed that he had been too late, as the kitten bled and the brothers cried at each other, all grief and rage and loss. A couple of others arrived, Gael, notably, and asked everyone to take a step back, and that is what he did, stepping backward and away. Teeth thankfully out of reach of the Tanglewood kitten. On his best behaviour now, you see.

The kittens explained their reasoning to Gael only in the most dramatic, and heartbreaking of terms. As children do. His orange eyes drift from one to the other, resting on the one that he had truly had every intention to protect. Ah, well. A scar was a lession. Strike first. The darkest one ran off, and Dirt found himself tired of all of this drama, now.

And then there was Kydobi. Asking them why the brothers had not been separated. If only he had been a little faster, had been around a little earlier, to see them try. Dirt could feel irritation rise in his chest at the assumption that he had simply let the child bleed, but. What did it matter, really. A child that can't live through a few scrapes was barely one at all.

Dante and Kydobi's conversation held no interest for him, at least initially, he did make an effort to listen, long enough at least to find a place to interject.

"Forgive me for the intrusion, but we tried to separate them. Angry kittens are not exactly easy to wrangle." Darting between your legs and underfoot and all of that. Dirt had no experience with children on his own, and the prey he caught was very often something larger than a mouse. "I had no wish to harm either of them in the process."

Perhaps next time, his teeth would find flesh. And what then?

Dirt did pick up on the unrest, between Dante and Kydobi then, Dante voicing his experience, from a Pitt that unfortunately was long gone, under the panther's rule. He would keep Dante in mind then, he decided, and see exactly what was going through the hybrid's mind, how he felt about all of this.

He turned to Atticus then, bleeding, grieving child, and his expression softens. He sees something moldable, in the little one. Children carried a lot of potential. Someone to keep an eye on, perhaps. Like Dante had said, this experience may very well shape him.

code by spacexual

[Kydobi]

[align=center]

IM JUST A SOUL WHOSE INTENTIONS ARE GOOD -
♕tags-powers♕

[OOC: ]

Before Atticus could respond it seemed Dante was not finished. The hybrid's reaction wasn't really expected, he was a higher rank... the highest rank and he was supposed to be treated with respect. It seemed really bizarre and idiotic that Dante would retort so sharply and so ignorantly. Kydobi wasn't stricken with too much surprise although he did pause for a moment to process just exactly what was going on.

His eyes stared at Dante, hearing the words but not quite understanding them until after the fact. It did piss him off, the part where Dante demanded that Kydobi needed to prove something. Prove himself? He didn't even listen to Silent although he glanced at them. The massive jaguar doubted that it was really all that hard to be delicate, he was sure he would've been able to do it himself. There was a need to shelter these children from any preventable danger so that they wouldn't lose hope when met with inevitable hard times brought onto them just because they resided within the Pitt. It was Kydobi's and every other adults' duty to preserve that fire and spark for life because they all knew how time would dull it. One didn't need to be a genius to see that 

The brute needed to calm down, calm down quickly. Dante's words struck a cord and it wasn't like him to get so pissed off. While he tried, smoke curled out his nose as he eyes began to brighten with his internal fire building.

"Shut the fuck up. You want to join my group remember that. It's boring as shit? Get off your lazy ass and find something to do other than watch little children fight out of your amusement. I don't have a single thing to prove to you. To anyone for that matter and if i did it would be my people not some stranger. If you're unhappy and feel so high up on your pedestal go find somewhere else cause i wont tolerate disrespectful lazy fucks like you. Ask around to find out what happened to the last guy who couldn't put in the work and at least compensate for his big ass mouth", it was really out of his character to curse but it allowed some anger to be released in a less violent way.

It felt good too, but he knew shame would set in later on when he wasn't made. Royalty? Leaders? They dont lose their heads.

[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[DANTE NORTHWEST.]

[glow=white,1,400]I DON'T NEED NO ONE SCREWING UP MY FUN ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Dante heard Dirt's words, as evident by the fact that one of his ears were angled towards the odd creature. He didn't respond to Dirt's comments, seeing as he didn't really need to, but as of right now, Kydobi was his focus. The smoke that came from the Ardent's nose didn't shake Dante, though he did inwardly envy the ability to do that.

"I have done shit for this place." The hybrid shot back with another growl, getting ever so slightly more irritated as the minutes passed. "Whether you realize it or not, I have been here from the beginning. I have done more for The Pitt than you ever have." Well, that last statement was an assumption but hey - of course Dante was going to pride himself on being the founder's right-hand man. Kydobi went on to say that if he wanted to prove something to someone, it was going to be someone he knew, and not some 'stranger'. Dante snorted at this, shaking his head in what seemed to be amusement. "A leader should want to prove himself to everybody, dumbass. Whether or not they are of anyone to note, you should be wanting to show your worth as a leader."

Dante shrugged after his words, beginning to walk away from the scene. This would clearly end up with pointless bickering, and he needed an escape from this fucking headache. "But whatever, Kydobi. Let your followers lose faith in you." That was possibly the last thing he was going to say, unless Kydobi stopped him with nonsense.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]