Blackfeather Woods he said youre just as boring as anyone else
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#1
Joining 
tagging @Kove for visibility too!

as they near the border of the woods in @Maegi's footsteps the little voice inside their head screaming run while you still can you fool gets louder and louder until it is indecipherable from the pounding of their heart. here's the thing: it's all very droll to be sent out to join your aunt's pack, become a functioning member of your family's religious sect and contribute to the cause. on paper it sounds fine and good and you want to do right by your kindly fathers who you love with all of your being, but then you get there and remember a) you hate commitment and b) you love doing whatever you want with no restrictions.

oops oh well too late now lol. they're here at the borders, as indicated by the stench. they eye the corpses, their usual unimpressed expression fixed firmly in place. to maegi, they say, "shall i do the honors?" lifting their snout slightly to indicate howling for whoever is in charge.
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#2
lmao i love sascha

They made it to the borders in one piece--maybe a little dramatic, but hey, Maegi was still a bit nervous being away from home--and stopped, the familiar, cloying smell of decaying flesh and bones a comfort. Sascha turned to her and asked if he should call for someone; Maegi shook her head.

"I'll do it," she said blandly, tipping her muzzle back and letting out a long howl for her mentor. It was a sound caught somewhere between a puppy's cry and an adult call, and she was slightly embarrassed by it, her ears flattening as the tones shivered and disappeared into the air. She might feel like an adult, most days, but she was still very much a child.

Shuffling her paws impatiently, she waited. There was no doubt Sascha would be welcomed in--he was a Melonii, after all; the forest belonged to them--but she wondered what Kove would think of this newest member of the family. He was not a Melonii (though one could argue Blackfeather Woods was as much Apaata stomping ground as it was Melonii).

"I know it's not much to look at from out here, but it's really cool inside," Maegi murmured, halfheartedly making conversation as they stood still. "Lots of things to explore. I can give you a tour if you want."
Atâtak Atsanik
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#3
Tagging for reference.

The morning was spent with @Shivali, occupying his time with her presence. He continued to be equally amazed and taken aback by her existence, a piece of the north having seemingly worked its way down south to him. But as a howl—as queer a sound as it was—reached his ears he had to bid her farewell, for the time being, leaving her as he made for the borders.

The first he saw was Maegi, her form easily recognisable, but she was not alone. Though he’d seen the other wolf before, so much had happened and such a great deal of time had passed that he did not remember his face—all he saw was a stranger, on whom his stare settled as he approached. Yet, for now, he was fairly relaxed; his tail was raised, displaying his position within the hierarchy, but he made no effort to present himself as a threat. “Who’s this?” the Inuk asked, glancing towards the child.
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#4


maegi calls for audience, leaving sascha, secretly relieved, to wait for the passing of judgement or whatever exactly is about to happen. the whole thing is just for show, really -- they are a melonii after all! -- but being evaluated by a stranger is still enough to put them on edge. 

they're only half listening when their younger - cousin? - speaks again, eliciting a vague nod and a "sure, sounds good." will they be surprised and impressed by the forest's interior? it's unlikely. but, hey, they've been wrong before. thankfully they -- both of them, really -- are spared from any more attempts at conversing  by the arrival of a light-furred man that looks familiar. it takes sascha a second to place him, but he was the weird lurker during that conversation with potema. kobe or something? he doesn't look like he recognizes sascha at all, which is moderately offensive but does mean it's unlikely their accidental faux-pass with their cousin is unremembered as well. phew. "sascha melonii," they answer before maegi can, and dip their head polite-as-can-be. "i was sent to join you by my fathers, evgeni and meldor melonii. i was sorry to hear of your.. diplomatic troubles and of miraak's passing." approximately one fourth of that sentence is genuinely touched by emotion: miraak's passing was an unpleasant spot of news to hear, given they never had a chance to reconnect with their uncle. 

on the other hand, it does mean no one is around to question the training sascha will say they have, so... win some, lose some?
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Kove appeared, an apparition from the darkness, and she gave her mentor a smile, opening her mouth to speak and glancing, a bit piqued, at Sascha as he spoke first instead. He gave the Dark Master all the pertinent information, adding condolences that sounded at least partly heartfelt--well played, Maegi thought--before falling silent, awaiting Kove's judgment.

"I found him just south of here, on some rocks," Maegi explained to Kove, glancing to Sascha before returning her eyes to Blackfeather's leader. "He seems all right." Her mouth firmed as she considered what she had just said. If the wolves of the woods were to survive, perhaps they would need better than all right.

Then again, maybe she'd found Sascha on a bad day.
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Although it was Maegi at whom his inquiry was directed, she was not the one to answer. The male, only vaguely familiar—there was a nagging feeling of necessary acknowledgment but, unable to fully recall their initial meeting, he could not place the origin of the sensation—gave his name and condolences; it was yet another Melonii, though the boy’s parents had names he did not recognise. He gave a stiff nod, accepting the recognition of the man’s passing, but he did not say anything else. His attention was immediately turned to his apprentice, who revealed how the two had come to be together.

“Based on what you’ve seen of him, not his relation to you, would you accept him into our home?” he asked the girl, sparing her relative a brief glance. The question was asked out of curiosity alone, really—Sascha was a Melonii and, as such, would always have a place in the woods no matter the circumstances.
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#7


despite their perfectly suitable answer and the fact that they are clearly capable of speaking for themselves, kove continues to address maegi instead. frankly it's real fucking rude. but they keep their mouth shut even as the pair misgender them repeatedly (their eye only twitches slightly with each fresh him).

that maegi's assessment of them is only 'all right' doesn't go unnoted either. jeez, why is everyone so blind to what a stunning, important individual they are? sascha clears their throat. "they, actually. not he." their gaze switches between the two, firm -- they know their gender isn't exactly common but they certainly expect those from the house of melonii (or whatever kove is) to listen to their correction.
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#8
lmao sorry for Maegi

Kove's question made her twitch with momentary indecision. She felt suddenly on the spot, and shuffled her feet awkwardly. She was about to give a diplomatic answer to her mentor when Sascha opened his mouth instead, giving them a command to--wait, what?

"They? There's only one of you," Maegi reasoned, a question in her voice. Her ears rotated in puzzlement as she gave Sascha a long look, then turned to Kove once more, lips lifting in a wry, almost cruel smile. "Probably not," she responded coolly. Eyes back to Sascha. "No offense. But he--uh, they," she corrected herself, her tone carrying a hint of acid but going with it anyway, "is a Melonii. Meloniis belong here."

And Blackfeather was in short supply of Meloniis, these days. Miraak was dead, Potema had fled, Cicero and the boys were gone, all of her older siblings, vanished. . .

Right now, it was just her. And Sascha. Gods help them.
Atâtak Atsanik
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kove, u old, stubborn sack of seal blubber, water u doin

Though his attention lingered on his apprentice and what she had to say, Kove did not forget that they were not alone. He remained fully aware of the other individual, who earned his attention when a correction fell from his lips; that there was more than just her and him in the world was something he either knew little of or simply refused to acknowledge—which it was, one could not tell. He did not make any attempt at correcting himself or altering the manner in which he referred to the male, his focus soon returned to Maegi—who seemed to not quite understand, either—as she began to speak.

If not for the boy’s lineage, he would have no place in the woods. That she could remove herself from the reality of their relation in order to speak honestly said a lot about her, which the northerner approved of. He gave a nod—there was a hint of a smile that graced his lips when he looked at her, but it vanished with such ease that it could not be said for sure if it was ever there at all—and then turned his head to view the dark one. “It sounds like you haven’t made much of an impression,” he noted. “But you are a Melonii and your family is always welcome here.” Sascha was accepted, technically, though there was much improvement to be expected from him.
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#10
last from meee? i love maegi and kove omg

traitor! they level the child with an unamused stare, not bothering to cover their creeping disdain. was she not the one who'd invited them back in the first place? they could have happily continued their nap without her yammering on about melonii this and that. such disrespect! they've never. if only evgeni and meldor were near, surely they'd have some words for these two.

sascha huffs slightly, their fur puffing up in indignation, but they bite their tongue. the truth of the matter is this: they don't have anything to prove to anyone. they don't want to be some power hungry melonii leader or whatever, they want to make their fathers pleased enough with their efforts and that's that. so against their better judgement they nod, accepting kove's lackluster acceptance.

to maegi (loudly) they say, "thank you for inviting me." brat. and then they carefully step forward, lowering their head as respectful as can be to kove, and say, "of course. i look forward to being of use," their voice a flat line.
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She returned Sascha's glare with a cool look, nodding as Kove gave his verdict. It was the right thing to do. Maegi hadn't meant any malice, truly, by speaking so poorly as she had of her cousin. Unlike most Blackfeather wolves, she didn't quite have the knack for lying; the truth, often vicious, lay heavy on her tongue at all times. One day it could very well be her undoing.

For now, though, she was safe here in the Woods, and it was with this knowledge that she strode past Sascha, looking over her shoulder at him--no, them. "Welcome home," she said softly. "I'll give you the tour if you still want one."

She padded away, heading first toward the Redgrove. They'd follow if they wished, and if not, she'd have some quiet time to herself, at least. With another Melonii now in the forest, it was a winning situation no matter how the cards fell.


exit Maegi
Atâtak Atsanik
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Kove watched the younger male as he stepped closer, then nodded in response to their words. He was about to motion for the newest addition to head into the woods, but cast the thought aside as Maegi spoke; moments later he watched as the relatives went off into the woods, gaze trailing after them until they were engulfed by the shadows and foliage. Thereafter, he turned his attention back towards the lands beyond his home, giving them a good once over, then turned back around and headed off to find Shivali.