Wolf RPG

It was concerning to know that Kove was no longer the alpha of Bearclaw Valley. He had been the only tie to the Dark Brotherhood and Blackfeather Woods the pack had, and not Scarlett nor Raziel felt the same way as he did about the guild. Damien had a few messages from Meldresi directly to Kove, but things were different now.

The dark pup was aware that the Inuit's children had been born just a few hours ago, but he was eager to see his friend, Alpha or not he was still family, a Dark Brother, or so he would find out. He lingered around the Alpha's den, knowing that the new father was in there taking care of his new family, but Damien couldn't help feeling desperate to see Kove again.

Trying to keep his mind busy until Kove came out of the den, the dark pup laid by the den with a deer bone, and he gnawed on in, getting the last pieces of meat that clung to it and sharpening his fangs in the process. It was a bit boring to be honest, but he didn't want to be too far away from Kove.

Since they were born, the Inuit had made a point to stay either in the den or close by, guarding it and marveling at the little furballs. It was insane how much they could fit in their little bellies, but then again, they did need all the nutrients they could get to ensure they would grow big and strong. It was only after they'd fallen asleep did he quietly exit the den, wanting to stretch his legs. He would not go far—he couldn't go far—but he had originally intended to go at least a little ways off in order to catch a meal for his lover. The Inuit did not make it that far, however. He was stopped when he saw the young shadow, gnawing on a bone outside the den. Kove had nearly forgotten that the children had arrived, so seeing Damien came as a nice surprise. He sat down and gave a fleeting glance back into the den before looking back to the teenager. “Damien,” he started, voice still quiet so as not to risk waking those within the den. “Did you need something?” He wondered if something had happened, or if maybe the boy was just bored. There probably wasn't much he could do to entertain the little shadow, given that he wasn't yet comfortable being too far from the den, so he hoped for both their sakes that wasn't what he was after.

During the time he waited for Kove to pop out of his den, Damien had been thinking of how things were going to change for Bearclaw Valley, and how that would impact Blackfeather Woods as well. Not because of the pups, both packs had been expecting them for quite a while, but because of the changes in leadership that the valley was going through. Scarlett and Kove had been the founders of the pack, and Kove, under the concent of the Dark Brotherhood was the only link the pack had to Blackfeather Woods, so now with neither Scarlett nor Kove as Alpha the relationship between the two was uncertain.

The bone Damien had been gnawing had already been cleaned from end to end, and now it didn't hold any of the meat it used to, but the dark boy kept going at it just because he was bored. It all ended though, when Kove finally came out of his enclosure and greeted the pup at last.

"Kove!" Damien said in a silent exclamation, and went in to lick his friend's chin both in respect and greeting. "I'm fine, thanks, but I was hoping we could talk..." he said, his face turning somewhat serious as he tried to think about what was going next.

In all honesty, Kove had been expecting a conversation from the teen. The Blackfeather children had arrived just as things had started to change within the pack, and so they'd been there to witness it all firsthand. The Inuit's leaving was, as he'd come to realize, a mistake—still, he couldn't regret it. He'd allowed the pack to fall into the hands of the Roman, and while he hadn't been all too happy about it, he'd accepted that he'd needed to step down as the leader. He had yet to earn his place back, and probably never would, but regret was still something he couldn't harbor.

The ghost returned the greeting by giving a nod of his head, which also served as his answer to the other's wish to speak. Kove rose to his feet, gave the den another look, and then motioned for the young shadow to move closer to the river. It wasn't too much farther, which allowed the pale lupine to keep watch over his family, but it was also far enough that they wouldn't need to whisper back and forth. "I'm sure I know what you want to talk about," he started, sitting down as the words left this maw. "But please, share what you wanted to say anyways." He was not trying to rush the younger, not in the slightest, but he wanted to hear what was on his mind.

Damien followed as Kove lead to a more private place. Damien did want to talk some serious businness with Kove, and he knew that probably doing it right outside of the den where his newborns and wife laid wasn't a good idea. He walked in silence, thinking beforehand how he would approach the topic with his friend.

Kove seemed to get the hints on Damien's voice. He knew that he would speak seriousness with him, and he asked right away what his concerns were, "It's about the Brotherhood, Kove." Damien started with a stoic expression, "They're curious about your loyalty..." it was not that the Guild doubted Kove, but they had not been in contact with him for too long and it seemed like things in Bearclaw Valley had gone out of control.

"Why is Raziel in leadership?" the teen asked. The brotherhood didn't know it, but that was his own concern.

The Inuit was not too shocked to hear that the Brotherhood was curious over his loyalty to them. Of course, he kept his face clear of any small traces of surprise, finding the situation to be too serious for something of the sort. There was no denying that the male would forever be loyal to his Brothers and Sisters. They were his family, after all. Not by the blood coursing through their veins, but by something stronger than a bond made at birth. There was an understanding in the Brotherhood, and a sense of loyalty and respect to those higher than oneself—both things that the ghost could never go against. "My loyalty to the Brotherhood will never falter, not as long as I am of my right mind," he responded, words of nothing but honesty exiting his maw. He could not lie to the young shadow, nor did he have a reason to. Despite no longer being a member of Blackfeather, he was still a Brother, and a subordinate to Meldresi. He would, if need be, travel to the Woods as often as his body permitted him to, if there ever came a need to further solidfy the vows he'd made upon joining the Brotherhood way back when.

While the question of his dedication was a simple one to answer, the one that followed was not so simple. Unlike Scarlett, Damien had been raised with a family who cared for him, just as the Inuit had. He hoped that, because of that, the younger would understand his answer better than his lover had, but he could not be entirely sure. Either way, he still allowed for the words to leave him. "I had left the valley without warning, after having heard news about a blood sister of mine," he started, not wishing to leave anything out. "Before I'd left my home up North, it had been believed that three of my four sisters had perished. My brother had visited briefly, however, and informed me that one was alive and well, and even living in the pack I'd been born into.

"I had to be sure for myself that she was truly alive, and so I left on a journey back to where I'd originally come from. When I had finally returned to Bearclaw, I was given the leading title back, but then Raziel confronted me. I had not possessed the strength to fight, having just returned home after a rather long trek, and didn't feel as if I was deserving of the title, anyways. I had abandoned my pack and family without warning, and things haven't quite been the same since." For a moment, he stopped, needing to fill his lungs, and then continued on. "Scarlett stepped down after taking our children into consideration, believing herself to be better fit as a mother than as a leader. That lead to Raziel taking over, and though I am not happy about it, there currently is nothing I can do about it." The albino hadn't quite understood his reasoning behind leaving, as her family background was unpleasant at best. Kove felt the boy would be able to understand it better, given the fact he hadn't grown up in the same manner, and also because he had a sister. No matter the situation, a brother would always be protective of their sister when it came down to it—well, in most cases, at least.

Damien listened cautiously at Kove's explanations. It made him feel important, like he was already part of the Brotherhood and was carrying out a mission, but the things Kove said also made him feel connected in a way, but mostly sorry for what the consequences of it could be. Damien had a sister, luckily for him she had been born with him into the dark paradise that their mother had created for them, unlike Kove's. There would always be conflict between the blood family and the Brotherhood.

"There is nothing I can judge you for, Kove." Damien said apologetically, "But you must know that you have put the relationship of our packs in danger..." that, he'd noticed it since minute one in Bearclaw. Kove's pack - no, Raziel's pack was no longer an extention of Blackfeather woods. Kove had allowed what was supposed to be it's mask to become the real face of the pack, and they were no longer tied the way they were supposed to be. Damien understood the dilema Kove had suffered, and was suffering, but he had always thought and believed that the Brotherhood would always come first. Thsi, he would have to communicate it to Meldresi, and it would not be good news to her.

Kove was not blind to what was happening. He'd seen the shift since he'd first stepped foot back into the valley, and it'd moved farther than he'd planned for it to when the Roman took power. He knew the consequences of his actions now, but back when he'd left, he hadn't. The Inuit had allowed for his emotions to cloud his judgement, and upon his return he'd sworn to himself to never allow such a thing to happen again. It was too late now, however. The deed had been carried out, and the results of his actions had been quick to follow suit. "I realized that the second Raziel took power," he admitted, rather ashamed it'd taken him so long to see. His skills in reading others were definitely rusty, which he would need to work to fix later. "I had assumed things could be fixed right after I'd returned to this valley, but the change in command showed me my judgement had been flawed." He could make no excuses for himself. It was his fault that the pack had changed, that the valley was no longer an extension of Blackfeather and the Brotherhood. The conclusion had been drawn out by his mind only a mere seconds after he'd been confronted by the silver man. There was no one to blame but himself, and he accepted that, along with whatever would come along with it.

With his acceptance of the situation, came an array of thoughts. Blackfeather had been the first pack he'd joined after swearing he would never request joining the ranks of one, and Meldresi was still the one he was loyal to. Though he'd founded Bearclaw alongside his lover, his loyalties were bound to the dark woods, and so they would stay until his soul left the physical plane. "For now, I must watch over my children and make sure they are not harmed," he started, having already started to piece together a plan of sorts. Whether or not he would be successful with it was up to fate to decide, though he would work out separate plans to follow through with no matter which way it fell. "When they are old enough to travel, I wish to bring them to the woods to meet your mother, to show them who they should be loyal to. If Meldresi wishes it, then, I will challenge Raziel upon my return to this valley." The idea had flaws, as he would need to convince the children to follow him and Scarlett to let them leave, but such things would be worked out later. Kove wished to make up for his mistakes, and to prove that his mind was now clear and his ties to the Brotherhood as strong as ever. He would not leave again, and he certainly wouldn't allow for the valley to turn into some Roman dynasty, or whatever. Not as long as the Dark Queen still wished for a branch of her empire to exist.

It seemed to Damien that Kove was trying to amend his mistakes. That was a good thing. But he had his doubts about the Dark Brother. Damien had grown hearing stories of the undying loyalty of the dark members of the Brotherhood, and it was a bit disappointing to see Kove fail on his simple task.

"We will wait for your arrival. I'll tell mother you send her your regards." said Damien broodingly, with a certain darkness surrounding his thoughts. "May the shadows hide your family, Kove. Congratulations on your brood." he commented and went in to put his neck around Kove's in a hug-like manner before turning to leave.

The failure of the task he'd been given did, without a doubt, weigh heavily on the Inuit. It pulled at his bearings, and allowed for uncertainties to take root within his cranium. Of course, he wouldn't give such saplings the light of day that was necessary to grow, causing them to die almost as quickly as they'd begun to bud. Still, that cycle did not stop them from arriving altogether. There was always one or two there, and at times the number would rise even higher. There was no fighting against it, as much as he tried, leaving him with hiding such thoughts away as his only option. There were things he'd needed to fix, items torn apart and in desperate need of being stitched back together. His goal was, ultimately, to be able to accomplish such a task, but for the time being he felt himself incapable of doing so.

Kove gave a nod of his head when the younger spoke once more, appreciating his words more than he probably showed. "Thank you," he voiced then, as the congratulations on his children had fallen from the teen's maw. He returned the hug-like maneuver, though he'd not expected such a thing. It reminded him a bit of the time back when he'd first met the boy, despite the situation back then having been entirely different from the current. Nevertheless, the memory had been pulled from the depths of his mind, and lingered briefly. As Damien turned to head off, it began it's descent back to wherever it'd risen from, and the ghost watched the shadow take his leave.