It was a one hour journey or so to their neighbor's pack, even a less time consuming one for the fast trotting queen. She had left right after the meeting where she had told her members to listen to Sage, and if she did not return in two days, the black girl would lead them somewhere safe. Who knew what the alpha, Burke, of the Dark Brotherhood had in mind. Perhaps they weren't all as nice as Cicero, perhaps they were all like Nemesis. A shiver ran down the ying-yang female's spine at the thought of being murdered by the alpha she was meeting, not knowing what to expect. but there was no backing off now, she had to do this. Not only to not having let Cicero talk lies about her visiting, maybe even getting in trouble for it, but for the safety of her pack, her friends.

She reached the big lake, stopping a moment to get a drink and to rest her paws for a few minutes, before getting up and trotting farther and farther away from home. She nervously flicked her ears from side to side, actually expecting there to be an ambush or something. Maybe even revenge from Nemesis, but nothing came. The scent of pack was beginning to fill her nostrils, making her sick. It reminded her of her little fight with Nem, of the wolf she was back then. She had changed so much, now for the first time having experienced love, heartbreak and fear. 

When the scent became too strong for her to bear, she stopped in her tracks, sending up a cloud of dust by doing so. A nervous look was given to her surroundings, one eye even twitching in fear. She didn't like being here, at all. Despite her fear, she lifted her black and white muzzle up into the air, her eyes quickly scanning the sky, before calling out for Burke, alpha of the Dark Brotherhood. When she was finished, her howl probably reaching every soul in the dark woods, she stared straight ahead, waiting for the alpha. Her muscles didn't relax, they did quite the opposite really, but the determined look on her face made her almost look like a brave knight. Her tail wagged slowly, but it was more out of nervousness than happiness. 

Out of the shadows of the dark forest came a great male, his presence sending another shiver down the female's spine. The dots on his face, the lighter gray on his belly, both stood out the most to her. This guy was maybe even scarier than she had imagined, yet he was so calm, so formal in his movements that it made her question if he was indeed the one she was looking for. Was this really the leader of the crazy girl? How did this seemingly calm and peaceful male want someone so crazy in his pack? She shook the questions away as he neared, her ears lowering to almost look like wings on her head. The brave look did not fade with it though, her standing proudly before him, though anyone watching could see that he was the boss in their conversation. Behind him was his pack, while she was all alone.

He greeted her, confirming that Cicero had indeed talked to him. Or maybe he had gotten it from Nemesis as some MH members had met her and probably had mentioned her. She liked being talked about, though maybe it wasn't the smartest move of her members to haven given her name. Oh well, he knew it, that was all that mattered. Burke. She responded, her voice carrying a brave tone, yet her fear of being here could be heard too. She dipped her head as a formal bow, something she had learned from her dad. It had been a must for her while wanting to speak to him as it showed respect. She found it appropriate to use it in this conversation as Burke definitely looked older than her.

He continued, revealing that both the story of her fight and her nice conversation with Cicero had been told to him. Further interaction between her and his pack hadn't really happened, so she was just assuming that that was the case. Her ears lowered even more in embarrassment, now resembling a stiff, old pancake stuck to her head.

I assume you're talking about both my... interaction with Nemesis as well as with Cicero. She said, embarrassed about her fight with the crazy girl. The Malice Nemesis had met was foolish, arrogant even, and a lot had happened in the time between both conversations. The Malice Cicero had met was a true leader, thinking before doing, something she wished she had done while meeting the other girl. The me Nemesis met is gone, it was the me I am ashamed of now that fought her. She hoped the topic would go by rather quickly with this, though she knew Burke probably wanted to know more. Perhaps he wanted to know of her past as well as her present, something the female wasn't all too comfortable with talking about.

What would you like to know about the me of the past before we continue with the present one? She asked nervously, knowing she had to tell at least something. A bond could never be created if one did not know the full story, but she would spare him the details of her past like her relation with Avalon and her former pack members. She actually wanted to spare him the whole gruesome tale of the arrogant little brat she was back then, but alas, the question was already asked.

One of the dots on the male's face lifted, almost like the mist in Phantom Hollow did every morning. It was subtle, almost invisible, yet a whole life of backstabbing and betraying had made the female more aware of those little changes. She was an observer after all, and to be honest, she wasn't all too bad at it. The reason why he did it was still a mystery to her. Was he not fond of hearing stories of one's past? Or did he wanted to waste no time on details? Malice couldn't quite understand, she didn't see talking about herself to him like wasting time at all. Heck, she would love to hear his story, yet the way he acted didn't seem like he was going to tell her.

The way he said her name, his cold blue eyes, everything was interesting about him. She wanted to know more of how this being had ended up as an alpha, yet she lacked the courage to ask him. Only now did she notice his tail, well, more like the lack of a tail. There was a bit of tail left, yet the graceful, long piece of body was almost entirely gone. She caught herself staring behind him, and quickly returned her gaze to the dots just above his eyes as he spoke. The words hit her like a rock, so full of truth that it almost hurt. Yet, there was some kind of relief coming with it. She didn't want to talk about it at all, she had only offered to tell more out of politeness. She sighed, softly, almost unnoticeable. You're right. What is gone, is gone. She responded, a faint smile playing on her face, showing her relief.

Their conversation went on, much to her liking, his cold eyes burning on her, like when you put salt on skin and add ice. She listened, her mind still a bit blurry because of the smell that constantly reminded her of her first day in Teekon. But with every passing minute, she noticed it less and less, clearing her mind to focus more on why she was here. If she screwed this meeting up, things could end grim for both her wolves and her. Yes, right, right. She said like a bunny that was too late for a family meeting. I truly appreciate you meeting me here. You see, I am scared that my relation with Nemesis might turn out to be a trigger for our packs to start a war. I want to prevent that from happening, that's the main reason I am here. She explained, a guilty look in her eyes. She didn't want innocent wolves to suffer because of her mistakes, especially not the ones that were following her. The wolves that were following Burke, well, she only knew 2, but Cicero definitely seemed like a nice young male. 

Their conversation left the topic of backstories behind, continuing on with more serious ones. Malice silently thanked the Gods above that she didn't have to tell him anything, though it didn't show on her face. Her pale yellow eyes were now focused right between the dots on the male's face, not wanting to look into his blue ones. Yes, they were on neutral grounds and yadi yada, but it didn't feel right to make eye contact. Maybe he wouldn't mind, given his cool and calm behavior, but the queen felt like it wasn't worth testing out.

She listened carefully, almost chocked at the word 'beta'. Was Nemesis a beta?! She tried not to show her shocked mind, hoped he wasn't an observer like her. Nemesis seemed like the complete opposite of Burke. Though, who was she to talk? She had barely met the girl and Burke, so who was to say what they were really like. Still, Nemesis seemed so different from the calm, sophisticated alpha with the docked tail. After her little shock, she now knew that her worries had been for nothing. Burke stated that her fight would not mean 'war till the death', and she sighed once again. I am glad to hear that. If you see her, can you tell her that I am sorry? She murmured, not happy that she had yet to send another male to carry a message to someone. She would much rather meet Nemesis face-to-face, but didn't know how she would react to that. It seemed much safer to send someone to say it so that there would be no tension between the two once they meet again. Once again, Malice was being selfish with this, but old habits die hard.

Burke continued, now blabbering on about hunting grounds. It wasn't interesting, nor was it boring to listen to. Maybe it was the calm way he explained it that made her listen to every word, or maybe it were her nerves that were driving her to do so. Him saying he wasn't here to lecture her was unfortunate, she wanted to know more about how the Dark Brotherhood operated, but it didn't seem like he was going to tell her anytime soon. Perhaps never. The guy was a real talker though, that was for sure. She didn't know if the comment on her reasonable personality and willingness to avoid a war was a compliment or not, yet it made her feel prouder of herself. His last sentence before his break in his constant talking made her ears perk up from the stiff pancake state they were in. A suggestion, ey?

His plan sounded right, and the newbie alpha had no real complaints. It seemed fair, even smart to make the lake their line. It was like a fence between two neighbors, both just doing their own thing just living next to each other. That sounds like a good plan to me, and I'm sure my wolves will not have a problem with it. And if they have, I will make sure they won't hunt on your pack's part, you have my word. She felt like this had been the whole meeting, not sure if Burke had anything more to add. She had more questions, for sure, but that would have to wait for another time. She was sure Burke and her would run into each other one day or another, them being neighbors and all. Perhaps Cicero would come to visit again soon. Her eyes widened, she had to thank him personally for carrying the message to Burke. Can you also tell Cicero that I want to thank him face to face? I couldn't have done this without him really and would like to see him again. She sounded so desperate, and she was, for sure. She needed to thank the young male for keeping his promise, let him know that his deeds were appreciated by her.

Malice, slowly got smaller, her ears going lower, as the once calm and sophisticated male didn't want to do what she had asked. If it wasn't for his bigger build, his high rank and the fact that she needed to keep him as a sort of friend, she would've barked back, but that wasn't an option. A-alright. She stuttered, her eyes darting to the ground and her once brave stand turned into a more scared one.

the topic of the hunting grounds were closed with a nod from Burke, and Malice really didn't feel like adding more. She was anything but a talker in this kind of situations, unless it was with wolves she could overpower. Clearly, this was not the case. Besides, the things that needed to be discussed were discussed. Perhaps a more ignorant, sassy lady would've made smalltalk right now, but she felt like the male didn't want to spend more time with her than needed. His face switched emotions once again, this time it was grumpy. She couldn't spot the sadness in his eyes, and perhaps if she had, she would've thought about Cogitemus and how he had left her too. But no, she was now more scared than anything, the male's lip curling up more and more. She didn't like where this was going and knew it was her own fault for asking such ridiculous questions. Stupid, stupid, stupid. How was she going to talk her way out of this now?

She got smaller and smaller, all signs of the brave woman slowly fading, as the male spoke. Perhaps she could've done it without Cicero, but still. He felt so important to her. While she disagreed with Burke, she showed no sign of it, not wanting to make this situation even worse than it already was. The sassy words next even angered her, but she kept her cool. She almost wanted to ask where he was then, but felt like questions were out of the picture right now. She needed to get out of her, as formal as possible before he would eat her alive. Right, right... She murmured, her ears now draping against her skull as a blanket. Stupid of me. She added, admitting her mistakes in her own way.

Well, guess I better be going. It was a pleasure meeting you, Burke. She didn't know if the male had anything more to add to their... pleasant conversation, so while she said that she showed no signs of wanting to leave before he said his goodbyes as well.

The tension slowly faded between them, or so it seemed. Malice got up again, her tail almost laying limp against the back of her legs. Her eyes met the white dots on the male's face again as she waited for his reaction to her wanting to go back home. At least she had good news for her wolves. It didn't seem there would be a war between the packs. Plus, Malice now had new goals. Apologize to the crazy beta and find Cicero, after having a meeting with her members.

As she was planning her future, the docked tailed male spoke again in a calm voice. This almost made the female sigh in relief, though she knew not to cheer so soon. While he may not be mad at her, she wasn't safe until she was farther away from the Dark Brotherhood. He just stood there, watching her for a moment, before saying goodbye in his own way. Indeed you will. She replied, a small smile on her face. Would he believe her? She hoped not, so she could shock him once she indeed came back to meet Nemesis. Until next time. She added, slowly turning around to walk away from both Burke and the smell of the Dark Brotherhood. She would repeat her actions on her way back, stopping at the lake to drink before traveling farther, back to Phantom Hollow.