private PEARL DIVER .☘︎ ݁˖ PEARLKIT

[Bogkit]

Perching on the riverbank just before the shallows is Bogkit. He sits on that section of the earth before the incline to the sandy banks. Happily sitting behind the sturdy den of the nursery, paw resting against his chin as another paw lightly bats at the water. Sucking in air and grimacing every time he did so as the water was just far too cold for his liking. In actuality it wasn't that cold but he was trying to find any possible reason to dislike the water. It's a nice day, he finds himself particularly fascinated with the reflection of rolling clouds overhead.

Though what actually caught his eye was the shiny reflection of the sunlight against some particularly smooth stones at the bottom of the riverbank. It's not very far out, in face he could probably make it with his minimal swimming experience. He didn't want to though, the thought upsetting him greatly. Sinking his chin further against his paw with a sigh he closes his eyes, only to notice the warm beam of the sun dip into something a little colder. Groaning in irritation he opens an eye to see Pearlkit standing next to him "Pearly!" he grins and scrambles up, aiming to butt his head against the firstborns shoulder.

"Are ya busy?" There's an assumption that he musn't be because he's here with him after all. After a moments pause he continues "Do ya think you could get that rock for me?" gesturing to the river as he speaks he looks to his littermate with wide pleading eyes. "Pleaseeeee? The waters coldddd" the whine in his tone is played up, hoping that if he begged enough his brother would give in and get it for him. "We can give it to ma together!" He thinks she might like it, and if its kept near the nest then he gets to play with it in the quiet hours of the night when he just can't quite sleep yet.

@pearlkit 𓇼⋆｡˚𓆝​

 

[pearlkit 𓇼⋆｡˚𓆝]

Pearlkit stands on the riverbank, casting a long shadow over Bogkit as the sun dips behind him. He tilts his head slightly at his brother's greeting, lips twitching with the ghost of a smirk. "Bogkit," he replies, voice laced with easy amusement. He watches as his brother scrambles up, all bright-eyed and eager, aiming a playful headbutt at his shoulder. Pearlkit lets it land, but only barely, shifting just enough to make Bogkit stumble a little. Not enough to send him sprawling—just enough to be annoying.

"Am I busy?" Pearlkit echoes, as if considering it. He shifts his weight from paw to paw, flicking his tail lazily. "Yeah. Very. Super important things, actually. You just ruined a whole plan. I was gonna go hunt down a fox terrorizing the Clan and beat it in one-on-one battle." Of course, there had been no plan, and Bogkit probably knows that. But Pearlkit never makes anything easy. His ear flicks as Bogkit continues, gesturing toward the river with an unmistakable plea in his voice. Pearlkit follows his gaze, peering down at the smooth, sunlit stone resting at the bottom of the shallows. He snorts.

"So let me get this straight," he says, tilting his head back toward his brother. "You want me to go into the 'cold' water—" he makes a point of using Bogkit's own exaggerated words against him, "—and fish out a rock? A rock?" He acts as if this is the most ridiculous request he's ever heard. Bogkit, undeterred, hits him with the wide, pleading eyes. The desperate, over-the-top whine. Pearlkit exhales sharply through his nose, somewhere between exasperation and amusement. It's ridiculous. But—it's for their mother. That makes it harder to ignore.

Pearlkit flicks his gaze back to the water, considering. It's not far. And the river isn't moving much today. He could do it. Easily, in fact. He's a much stronger swimmer than Bogkit, and maybe, if he's lucky, he can use this as an opportunity to rub that in later. He rolls his eyes, sighing dramatically, as if this is the greatest inconvenience of his life. "Fine," he drawls. "But if I freeze to death, it's on you." Before Bogkit can reply, Pearlkit steps past him and wades into the shallows without hesitation. The water isn't that cold—Bogkit was being dramatic—but Pearlkit shivers anyway, just to make a point. He ducks his head beneath the surface for barely a heartbeat, snatches up the stone between his teeth, and then hauls himself back out onto the bank.

He drops it at Bogkit's paws with a shake of his head, flinging water everywhere. He gives one more firm shake of his body, making sure he stands right beside Bogkit as he does so to let the droplets spray all over him. "There," he says, smug and no longer dripping. "One very important rock. Happy now?"​

 

[Bogkit]

"Wuh" he stammers with a grunt as Pearlkit moves just that ever so slightly, causing him to stumble ever so slightly. It doesn't stop him though, still bumping his head against his brothers shoulder. Honestly Pearlkit should be thankful he's grown out of the habit of doing it as hard as he could, mainly because it hurt his head rather than anything else. With a twitching tail he holds back from doing it again, though it's clear from the way his eyes twinkle that he had been thinking about it.

"And you weren't gonna invite me?" He flounders at the idea, pouting at the thought. How unfair that Pearlkit wouldn't involve him in his plans of fox hunting, clearly make believe but even so! It's the thought that counts. "Since your not busy" he then makes his plans known, the desire of the day being wanting a particular rock. It's rare that his littermate says no, Bogkit likes to think that they're thick as thieves no matter how sarcastic he is at times. So the snort wasn't alarming, it didn't deter him from being confident that he would say yes. "Mhm" he nods aggressively, long loose curls bobbing back and forth as he does so. Staring up at him with wide pleading eyes "mhm! mhm!" he nods again with another rather put on dramatic nod. "That's right! For a rock, have you seen it?" Clearly his brother had not taken the time to look at it properly. He must be thinking too hard about how cold the water is, as if he wasn't used to the water being like this. The argument could be made against him in that regard too, something he's sure his littermate would do, so he doesn't bring it up.

Tail unfurls and flicks against the bank, sweeping over dirt and sand mixed together. In the time that Pearlkit takes to assess the water he stretches with a grunt, staying close to his side in case he decided to not do it. So he could try and tackle him and introduce him into a spar, Bogkit supposes while he wants the water what he really wants is to spend time with him too. Though fortunately he doesn't seem to need to, it looks like the rock is enough. "Even if it's just a rock?" He repeats in a tone that indicates he was trying to sound like his older brother, he drops it just as quickly as he starts. While he likes to tease his siblings he doesn't want to push his luck. "I'll say super nice things at your vigil?" He offers with an octave higher tone as Pearlkit steps past him and into the water.

An amused snort escapes Bogkit at the dramatic shiver, ah so it is super cold! He holds satisfaction that it wasn't just him that thought so. He watches his sibling with enraptured attention, there's a grace he carries while in the water. One that makes him think of him as super cool, though he tries to not look so impressed when he comes back. "Hey!" His call is a squeak, raising a paw to cover his face far too late as water is sprayed everywhere. "Very happy" he calls back with an equally as smug tone, rolling the rock between his paws. "We should find another present too... So dad can have one too" it wasn't his fault that he couldn't stay in the nursery, at least in Bogkit's eyes. And he visits all the time so he should have something too, mainly so that way Bogkit could present it later in the day when he sits by the camps entrance waiting for his return.​

 

[pearlkit 𓇼⋆｡˚𓆝]

Pearlkit huffs a laugh, low in his throat, as Bogkit stumbles but still manages to nudge into his shoulder like some half-grown badger kit trying to start a scuffle. He doesn't flinch away from it—not really—but he doesn't lean into it either. His weight stays steady, grounded, like always. Like he's the one who holds the world still when it threatens to tilt. "You'd just scare off the fox," Pearlkit replies, dry as sunbaked stone. "Too much noise." He flicks an ear toward Bogkit's dramatics, though there's no real bite in his words. There never is, not with him. Bogkit's chaos is... expected. Loud, clingy, a little ridiculous—but it's steady in its own way. Predictable.

Pearlkit watches the way his brother's curls bounce as he nods like a bobbing fish, and for a second he debates turning away, just to see if Bogkit would follow. (He would. Every time.) Instead, he rolls his eyes hard enough that it might've physically hurt. "If it's that important," he mutters. And it is, apparently. It's always something—a beetle, a leaf, now a rock—but somehow it matters. Somehow Bogkit makes everything feel like it matters. As he emerges from the river and shakes off, there's satisfaction in seeing Bogkit squeak and try to shield himself from the spray far too late. Serves him right, Pearlkit thinks smugly. Still, he doesn't move far—he stands close, watching as Bogkit rolls the stone between his paws like it's some kind of treasure.

But then Bogkit says it—something about their dad—and the bravado that usually clings to Pearlkit like a second pelt shifts, just slightly. He doesn't show it on his face, not really. Doesn't let anything slip except the subtle stillness that creeps into his limbs. He doesn't say anything at first. Just drops to sit beside Bogkit, tail curling around his paws. "Yeah," he says eventually, quieter than before. "Okay. We'll find one for him too."

He nudges Bogkit's shoulder—not playful this time, not rough. Just there. Just real. "He better like rocks," Pearlkit adds after a moment, smirk sliding back onto his face like armor. "If not, we can pretend it's some ancient relic from the river. Legendary. Cursed. Whatever makes it sound cooler." But his eyes—his eyes linger on Bogkit a heartbeat longer than necessary. Because he knows, deep down, this isn't really about the rock. And he's not going to say it. But he'll stay, and he'll search the river for as many stupid gifts as Bogkit wants. Because that's just how he shows it.​