Wolf RPG

It felt good to be back in Blackfeather Woods. As soon as the shadows of the Woods slid over her pelt she knew that she would feel better than she had in months. The darkness of the forest was comforting after moons of the light. Even Hag Fen wasn't as dark as her birthplace. Some part of that darkness had wormed its way into her soul, she supposed, making it resonant whenever she entered darkness once more.

But Potema felt empty, despite being on familiar ground. Her family, especially her brothers, were strangers to her, the other residents unknowable, her mother was dead. She had no one even though she had a whole pack behind her.

The white witch wandered at the edge of the swamp, searching for the dry land bridge that connected the forest to Nightcaller Temple. It had been so long she had forgotten where the path lay, and she wrinkled her nose at the familiar stench of the Mire as she searched for it. It was one of the only things in the forest she hadn't missed, that stench.

Alone was short a word to describe what it felt to be in Blackfeather Woods after all the tragedy it had suffered. Damien had detached from his young self and had fallen deep enough to be numb to feelings. He had crafted that strategy himself through the time, after abandonment, loss and pain he had become immune to feeling, or at least he tried.

Potema was back from Hag Fen, and Damien had been there to welcome her home but all the memories that remained were of her leaving him, right after mother died. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to feel happy she was back.

Damien followed his sister's scent through the woods with one thing in mind, to see whether she was actually back or if she had plans to return to her new temple. He walked across the muddy swamp behind her, walking in silence without minding if she noticed him. It would be however she wanted it to be.

It took her awhile, but soon Potema stood at the edge of the dry bridge, looking down its length to Nightcaller Temple. She breathed softly, feeling the rush of memories that soared into her brain. She was now the only wolf in the Brotherhood with the power to use the Temple as it was intended. Kove, while a priest, did not know that proper rituals. Perhaps she should teach the northerner, in the case that something happened to her or she wandered off somewhere for too long, but she wanted to savor the feeling of being special, important.

Potema stepped forth towards the Temple, faintly seeing its glowing vistage in the distance. She walked quietly towards the monolith before the air around her shifted. Potema's head turned and she met the pale gaze of her eldest brother. A smile crossed her face. Hello Damien.

Potema turned to look at Damien with a smile, setting the field for Damien's own response. He could not avoid seeing his mother in Potema's only blue eye, so full of knowledge and passion, yet so calm and penetrating. Weren't it for the brightness of her pelt, and the tragedy her eye suffered, she would be Meldresi's clone, a young version of the night sorceress.

The smile brought that side of Damien, the one only those tied to him by blood would ever get to know. He needed not words to tell Potema that this place was not the same without her, for she would have, by now, noticed how the lack of a true priest affected the forest. He walked forth, letting his flank skim across her pelt, and landed a gentle lick on her cheek followed by a brotherly nudge of his nose. In that precise moment a Will o' the wisp lit up, hovering over the swamp waters drawing Damien's attention. The rush of memories came to him as well, the ones of mother bringing him and his siblings to the Grotto to play while she gathered herbs for her stash. And then it occurred to him right there, something that he hadn't thought about before.

"Sister," he said, looking back at the blood princess with nostalgic eyes, "did the priests at Hag Fen teach you some kind of magic that could... Allow me... To talk to her?"

If told to choose who was her favorite brother, Potema would never decide. Both had a special place in her heart and she loved them enough to long for their presence while she was training in Hag Fen. But she could not deny that she and Damien were closer emotionally. Cicero still remained an enigma, though he was one to all, but he was still her cunning, philosophical, intelligent brother; the Spy to her Priestess. Perhaps it was because of their adopted trades that they related to each other so differently. Priests were comforting to all, a spiritual guide who was skilled in the art of herbs and magic. Assassins and Spies had much more in common with each other than they did with Priests. But that didn't bother her. She still was happy to see both of her brothers alive and well, none moreso than the other.

She returned his physical greetings with ones of her own, licking Damien's face, right underneath his eye, and rubbing his cheek with hers. Her eyes followed his as a Wisp bloomed in front of them, and Potema breathed wistfully. She had missed those little balls of light.

Potema turned back to her brother and listened to him as he spoke. She understood immediately what he wanted: to speak with Mother once more. It wasn't fair to call Damien a momma's boy, but he had taken her death the hardest out of them all. Potema nodded hesitantly. She wanted to say: "I want to take care of the living before I take care of the dead." But paused before the words slipped her lips.

For a moment Damien felt a rush in his gut that, maybe his sister had been blessed with the gift he was looking for, but that was short lived. Damien did not need to hear her response to understand that he would not be talking to mother anytime soon, or perhaps ever again. It was hard believing that she was gone for good, and although there was still a part of Damien that believed something could be done about his mother's death Potema made him think that perhaps it was not the right time.

"Forget it," he said in a sad tone as he looked away. "I thought you would want it as well..." he added with a hint of disappointment.

I DO! She yelled suddenly, then froze at how unintentionally loud her voice was. The wisp faded almost immediately, as if cowed by her outburst. Potema looked around, slightly frightened by what looked to her to be an explosion of her magic brought on by reckless emotions. She sighed and composed herself. There's a lot of things I have to prepare for. Herbs I have to find for the ritual and the pack. The herbstore needs to be organized and I need to start teaching Kendra some things. She looked at her brother apologetically. I really want to see Mother again; I do. But Mother has an eternity to wait to see us again. She can wait a few days for us.

Damien was startled by his sister's sudden emotional spike. His ears flattened for a second and his eyes widened. The wisp that had lit up just a moment ago had suddenly extinguished, and like Potema, Damien believed her magic had caused the reaction. Perhaps she had after all, inherited their mother's sense for the obscured.

The young witch explained that, although she wished to see mother again as much as Damien did, there were earthly things to take care of, and that Meldresi could wait for them eternally. Damien disagreed, but did not voice his thoughts. He had not had a chance to speak to mother in her deathbed, only Potema and Burke had that privilege. That was, in Damien's opinion, why both of them were so calm about his mother's absence.

"I didn't have a chance to say goodbye..." he spoke, driven by sad anger and nostalgia. "But you're right, the pack needs you, sister. We've been too long without a proper priest..." he nodded, acknowledging his sister's right to hold such title.

"Kendra needs you most... She and Pietro, they need us." he stated, feeling the guilt of pulling back to the shadows after all that happened, instead of being strong for those who needed him. He was supposed to be the strong one, the big brother for all of his siblings, but he had hardly even been there to support any of them. He had basically abandoned Cicero, neglected Pietro and pushed Kendra away. He felt like a huge failure.

I'll have to make sure the ritual is safe before I'll let others try. Crossing borders like this is dangerous...you could get Void-touched. She had seen the results of improper preparation of rituals, or the bad luck of the user. Madness of varying degrees took hold of them, warping them from normal, often intelligent individuals to babbling idiots. While she trusted herself not to get too lost in the embrace of her mother and the Void, she didn't trust the others one bit. They didn't have the experience in magic that she had, and even hers wasn't enough to deflect the tricks of the Daedra. Kendra and Pietro...they have gone their whole lives without truly knowing what the Dark Brotherhood is about. I need to change that. We need to change that. It wasn't too late for them to truly learn about the Dark Brotherhood and their Gods. Kendra especially, if she wanted to be a priestess and follow after her sister and mother's footsteps. Things are going to change here.

To hear that working on contacting mother again was still on Potema's to-do-list gave Damien the tranquility he needed. Without a father, Meldresi and his siblings had always been Damien's everything, so a part of him had died with his mother, and the young shadow had not been working on his fullest potential ever since.

"Whatever you need for it to work, just name it." offered Damien, agreeing to the new priestess' terms. He would wait for however long it took, but perhaps he could accelerate the process by aiding his sister. He did not imagine what form that aid could take, but he was willing to try.

With Meldresi, the connection there was in Blackfeather Woods with the gods and the daedra had been interrupted. But Potema was back to fix that, to put the Brotherhood in the right tracks again and make it what it was supposed to be. And if Damien was ever to claim the lead there would be no stopping them. But they needed to build that back up from the bottom, just like Meldresi had in her time.

Pietro and Kendra were still young enough to be taught what Damien, Cicero and Potema had been taught themselves once by their loving mother. They had their older siblings to do that for them, it was their duty and there was no one better for the task.

"They will, indeed, now that you're back." he said, and landed another kiss on his sister's cheek. He was glad to find out she was still the passionate princess he'd known all his life.

Potema smiled, banishing the worries that had clouded her mind for a brief moment. She was home! With her brothers! Nothing else should matter now. Mother could wait. She would wait. But she wouldn't let Mother wait for long. She made sure of that.

For now, she pushed Damien with her shoulder in a loving shove. For a moment they were inverted: she was the forceful one while his affections were gentle. The two of them together in the Grotto, playing like the pups they had once been a year ago. The thought brought a smile onto her face. Mother would be proud of them. No, she is.