May 5th - 7th, 2022
“Two Brothers” - 2022
More so than her naive ecstasy that greeted me at the door, I was immediately struck by Reu's soft coat. I would gently graze the silken surface of her fur, which paradoxically felt like it had been both freshly groomed and was also wild and untamed. It was a clear indicator of her youth; a fresh, freely-flowing garment birthed from the womb, untangled by the explorations of life. Like Nellie, her colors were of the earth. Across the surface of her body was a primary brown so rich and dark that apart from a trick of light it was indistinguishable from black. Dipped in each foot and crawling up her youthful, powerful legs was a wooden peanut brown with hints of a darker orange amber. This color also bathed her cheeks and the overall sides of her profile, receding up into the inner flaps of her ears. The dark black/brown of her coat converged between her brows and down her snout, accented by a pale, yellowish ivory that dotted each eyebrow. The tip of the nose was a moist black, but surrounding it, the peanut faded into an off-white, which could also be seen resting on her chin as well as beneath her paws and down her chest.
Reu at this point was still a malleable creature in the snares of her infantilism, and so her personality was perpetually curious and unrestrained, but she had a glimmer of intelligence that I could discern was being fostered in her by Ted and Kara. Upon receiving attention she danced in eagerness, but if she had to be ignored or if she was truly tired, she diverted her energy to the cats, and finally inwards to herself, until exhausted she would lie sprawled out in various corners throughout the house, waiting for something new to present itself or for the familiar call to bed.
Juneau seemed the most willing to join Reu in her great scramble, Nellie less so. She tolerated some tussling from the child until it was too much and she'd dart into some hidden nook. Winston enjoyed spectating from a distance, but gave a cautious warning hiss if Reu approached too close, followed by a reprimanding swat if his gentle cry was not heeded. As with his other children, he had little desire for direct interaction with these bursts of energy, but still found himself orbiting the battleground from afar, surveying and perhaps feeling content in the presence of others. His affection was reserved for quiet moments, which Reu could not yet understand or navigate with diplomacy. In these introspective hours, he lounged in the fog of a lethargic afternoon haze with Juneau and Nellie, licking their fur tenderly.