Chapter Text
The old wooden door was slammed behind him with far more force than he’d intended. Wincing inwardly his ice blue eyes levelled as he looked across the room relieved to see that his father was not home yet.
“Welcome home Noatak, dinner is still going to be a little while. Oh, and please leave your boots by the door today. I don’t want you trailing snow through the house again. Not everyone living under this roof can waterbend and clean it up.”
His mother was standing over the stove, her lilac eyes only casting him the most fleeting of glances before returning her attention to stirring the food. Just like always, coming home to her was as warm as the hearth. She gave him orders just like his father did, like any parent would do... but it wasn’t the same.
“Yes mom.” He sighed contently reaching down to pull his boots off leaving them in a heap by the door. His gloves soon followed dropping them on top as he lazily moved toward one of the small side rooms of the quaint home.
The teen had barely set foot into his bedroom he shared with his ten-year-old brother Tarrlok when he could already tell something was off. Even if Noatak couldn’t sense the extra presence in the room he would have known something was wrong just from the way his little brother acted. The moment he had been spotted Tarrlok had sat bolt upright on the bed, his eyes wide and fearful. The younger boy’s hands were hidden behind his back – holding something. Something alive. Something filled with blood.
“What are you hiding Tarrlok.” Noatak asked, his voice sound tired as if he really couldn’t be bothered to deal with whatever his little brother was doing right now. It was already unfair that he was finding himself with more and more chores to do now that he was thirteen.
“Nothing.” Tarrlok grumbled back attempting to be as nonchalant as possible but failing spectacularly.
“I’m not stupid Tarrlok.” Noatak growled, though he kept his voice low as he made his way to the bed. His eyes narrowing at his sibling as he loomed over him. The one good thing about becoming a teenager was that he’d had a growth spurt and was now quite a bit taller and thus hopefully more intimidating.
“You’ve got something behind you. Alive.” Noatak continued. His sharp eyes fixed on Tarrlok watching his brothers throat bob as Tarrlok’s panic set in.
He could feel the heart of his brother beating more rapidly as he wordlessly drew his arms in front of his body folding them. His glare growing darker.
Finally Tarrlok, realising he was caught, moved his hands back out in front of himself, a small lump of white fur placed down on his lap.
Noatak’s cold expression remained unchanged. It was not a surprise to the already accomplished bloodbender.
Now that the creature had been set down its small head was lifted. Tiny ears were raised as the creature no bigger than his fist stared back up at him with bright hazel eyes.
“What is it Tarrlok?” Noatak sighed dramatically, his arms still folded but the ice to his glare had thawed as the teen scoffed and looked away.
“It’s an arctic foxcat kitten.” The younger brother mumbled, gesturing to the kit with a single hand.
“I can see that. What. Is. It. Doing. Here.” Noatak paused between the words of his question. He didn’t like it when Tarrlok tried to be a smartass and the best retaliation was to patronise him.
“I found him... I was going to keep him.” Tarrlok openly pouted.
Noatak couldn’t believe what he was hearing, was his brother insane?! They couldn’t just keep some random animal they found from outside. They would have to feed it and care for it and their father would absolutely never allow it. Tarrlok was already on thin ice as it is with his progression during training.
Unlike himself, Tarrlok still had not even come close to being able to psychic bloodbend. Something that clearly bothered their father and just like when Tarrlok had been slow picking up other skills right from when they first discovered they were waterbenders his brother was often punished.
Was he looking for another reason to get himself in trouble?
Noatak’s glare soon turned into a wide-eyed realisation.
“You got it for extra training, didn’t you?” The teenager sighed, almost relieved. That made the most logical sense, a training doll of sorts so that Tarrlok could try to catch up to him in skill.
Tarrlok gaped at him in horror.
Maybe he was a little off with his assumption.
“Where did you even find it?” Noatak sighed deciding to change the subject in the hopes that Tarrlok wouldn’t start crying. He had that tell-tale look on his face that he was about to, the one Noatak could read like a book.
“Behind the house, where we hang up the fish.” Tarrlok answered in a sniffle, wiping his nose on his sleeve with one hand while gently holding the small arctic foxcat kit with the other. It seemed complacent enough sitting there, it's dark eyes looking around curiously and long whiskers twitching every so often.
“It was hungry and I couldn’t find it’s mother...” Tarrlok admitted.
Noatak hummed thoughtfully. Arctic foxcats weren’t all that common and they usually avoided the human settlements. The kit must have been separated from its family (or something bad happened to them) and either didn’t know any better or was really that desperate. It would need intervention at that age to survive.
Is that why Tarrlok brought it inside? Because he didn’t want the thing to die? His little brother really was a softie – or a coward. Probably both.
“Look, if you don’t have the stomach for it... I’ll take care of it. I can make it quick and painless.” Noatak tried to broker a deal but for the second time tonight Tarrlok looked pale and horrified.
“NO!” Tarrlok whisper yelled in a shriek. Mindful that their mother was just in the next room. “I want to keep him as a pet.”
Noatak dragged a hand across his face. He could kill the little creature in seconds without even raising his hands if he wanted to – but he loved his brother. It would crush him. The only hope he really had was to try to talk Tarrlok out of this lunacy. He had to make him see reason.
“Tarrlok you can’t just keep a wild animal.”
“Why not?” The little brother huffed.
“First of all you have to feed it, brush it, take it for walks, clean up after it... It’s a big responsibility.” Noatak frowned.
“I can do that.” Tarrlok retorted coolly.
“Might seem easy now when it’s only small but it’ll grow.”
“I know.”
“Well if our father finds out then it’ll die anyway after he kills it.” Noatak folded his arms again giving Tarrlok a pointed look. “Then he’ll kill us too.”
“We just don’t tell him. He’s not a bloodbender anymore remember? Unless you tell on me...” Tarrlok sent him a glare.
“I won’t tell on you. But I ain’t sticking my neck out for you either.” Noatak practically growled in annoyance.
Meanwhile Tarrlok’s whole demeanour seemed to have changed with the sudden realisation that his little pet was here to stay (for now). Petting the little kit until it was pushing its head into the child’s hand and softly purring.
Noatak groaned inwardly. This was going to be even harder now to part them. He wasn’t trying to separate them because he didn’t want his brother to be happy – he was just trying to look out for him.
“We have a hunting trip in two days... what are you gonna do with him while we are away?” Noatak was hopeful that perhaps Tarrlok would release the creature just before they left and that would be the end of it.
Sadly that wasn’t the case.
“Sikku is coming with us of course!” Tarrlok piped up with a smile.
“Sikku.” Noatak drawled bluntly unimpressed.
A fitting name that meant ice in their northern dialect, matching his glossy white fur. He wasn’t going to openly admit he liked the name however. Tarrlok might get the wrong idea and think he liked Sikku. Ugh.
That night when the two boys climbed into their shared bed Noatak begrudgingly let Tarrlok keep the kit with him. Almost instantly Sikku had curled up into a ball on his brothers chest falling into a deep sleep.
As Noatak lay there trying to fall asleep himself he still couldn’t think of a way to lose the kit without hurting his brother too much. If only the creature wasn’t so happy to be with Tarrlok and was trying to escape then things might have been easier – he could have accidentally left the door open and let it out.
But no – instead it was snoring softly as it rose and fell every time Tarrlok breathed. Maybe tomorrow when he wasn’t so tired he could think of a plan as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.