Monarch of Blackfeather Woods.

That title did not suit Damien at all. The young shadow did not feel worthy, for his mother, Meldresi, was the only one with the stature to ever be called the Queen of Blackfeather Woods. Burke had been a disgrace to the pack in the end, staining over a year of successful leadership with his ultimate betrayal. Akela had been a horrible mistake, and Bane, which Damien knew had been the Beta of the pack before his disappearance was but a traitor not even worth mentioning.

Now it was time for Damien to take the reins of Blackfeather Woods, and knowing the record of failing leaders, he felt it was his duty to do things differently, keeping his mother's original vision of Blackfeather Woods and the Dark Brotherhood alive. He was not going to claim the title of King, he was no king. No, Damien would be something else, a different kind of leader and he would do things right. But for that he needed not only to be head of the pack, but also to gain access to the Dark Brotherhood Ranks once and for all. He, and his siblings, had been ready for so long that they only needed to say the words and get the red mark in their shoulder, for they were Dark Brothers in every way but officially.

Among the mist of the morning, Damien rose from his slumber and reached Ilinalta's Keep in utter silence. He went through Meldresi's old stuff, hoping to find a reminder of her. The herbstore looked different, and Damien figured Kendra had something to do with the re-arrangements. He wasn't mad, in fact, he was happy the girl had found a way to connect with the mother she could not enjoy the way he had. And that had been enough for him to gather the inspiration he was looking for. Family.

The young shadow broke the cold silence with a warm howl, calling for the pack - no, his pack to gather around him at the gates of his mother's keep. There were things to say and titles to claim, and although Damien had the pack's support already he had always had a thing for formalities and rituals.

In silence, the young shadow awaited his subordinates' arrival, calling Nemesis to his side the moment he could make out her figure from the pale mist. They had an arrangement, and her place was as his co-leader. She had been a good Beta for what Damien knew, and he was willing to see how their joined efforts influenced the pack's transformation. She, like him, was fierce and ambitious, traits that Damien respected and valued in a leader.

As soon as the circle was completed by the remaining pack-members, among them family and friends, the dark prince's pale eyes loomed over them blankly.

"Blackfeather Woods suffered under Burke's reign. But all of us are stronger than his treason," Damien claimed, trying to think of what Meldresi would have said in his position. "We all believed in him, we followed his lead and he betrayed our faith. He betrayed us, his sons and daughters, his brothers and sisters and then he abandoned us. For that, he has become our enemy, and all ties he had to this pack and it's members are now broken forever."

"You have put your faith in me now, to right the wrongs we've suffered, to lead the pack in the right direction, and I intend to do so. But I cannot do that, I cannot succeed my mother, not without first being able to call myself a Dark Brother..." Damien explained as his pale eyes went over every face around him, stopping at a pair of cold blue eyes. "Kove. You're the longest standing member of the Dark Brotherhood, and the only Priest that bears the red mark. I believe my siblings and I are ready for you to welcome us into the ranks of the Brotherhood. claimed the dark prince with determination and looked at Potema and Cicero, who he believed would be excited to finally get the red mark on their shoulders.

When he had been called, he'd answered, leaving little time between the sound and his movements. He had been neither the first nor the last to arrive, settling somewhere in between, but just as attentive as was necessary. The words were heard, many of the beginning statements having silently been agreed with, and never did his gaze stray far from the newly crowned king. Burke had truly abandoned them; he'd marked himself as a traitor and then left for lands unknown. A decision had been made—the wrong one, Kove would always believe—and thus changes followed. What was to be expected could neither be predicted nor spoken of, but he felt certain that it would all be correct. The woods would be righted under the rule of the late queen's son, the leader and Brother-to-be.

The three were approached, then, expression remaining neutral despite his own joy that was felt. It was time that they join the Brotherhood, and had been for quite awhile now. It had been their mother placing the mark upon his shoulder so long ago, and so he felt honoured to be able to now do the same for her children. "I do not feel that it's necessary to ask if any of you are ready for this, because you each have already shown in different ways that you are. Born into Blackfeather Woods, born to be Brothers and Sisters, and born to serve Mephala and Sithis just as your mother had." It was their right to wear the mark. "The tenets that the Brotherhood live by are to be both known and followed, and it is my responsibility now to make sure that the latter will not be an issue. I do not doubt any of you, but your acceptance of the tenets must be confirmed verbally before we can proceed." His own acceptance lingered hazily in the back of his mind, though he knew already several sections had been skipped over. They were, however, deemed unnecessary given who the Spiderlings were, for there was no denying that they'd be aware of the tents and religion as a whole.

When a howl had risen through the treetops, he'd considered whether or not to go simply out of habit. He'd grown used to considering the meaning for every summoning, especially when the matters seemed important. Yet, this time, he'd made up his mind quickly and followed the call, arriving after his father but before Damien had started to speak. Xan had glanced towards his family for a moment, but decided against settling beside them and had instead chosen to sit near to Kendra. The boy had refrained from getting as close as he usually would, but left the space so small that he was sure his intentions would be understood. From there, he'd sat, looking around as words were spoken with his gaze always finding its way to the current speaker.

As everyone gathered around the keep's entrance, Damien's pale eyes danced around as he greeted each of his subordinates with a respectful nod. They had always been his kin, but now they were also his army, and he would do things the old way, Meldresi's way.

Kove stated that only a verbal confirmation of the spiderlings' acceptance of the five tenets was needed for them to be finally marked, which Damien saw fit. They were ready, they had been for months, and now it was finally going to come true.

"The tenets have long ruled my actions, and they will continue to do so from this point forward," vowed the dark prince and fell silent to listen to his siblings' response.

Silent had he been, awaiting their vows for only after that could the ceremony be continued. As each spoke, he'd listened, accepting their words and believing them. As Meldresi's children, they were destined to be welcomed into the Brotherhood, and it was also expected of them to have decided to live by the tenets long ago. Their vows, though, made it known to all those that had gathered where their morals lied, and so it remained as a necessary thing. "I'm sure your mother would have been proud to hear each of you now," he'd voiced, offering a slight smile before turning away. Still, though, he'd looked back over his shoulder, gaze drifting over the three of them before eventually settling upon Damien. "I have no dyes ready for you three, but I do have something that I've been saving for such a moment." The timing was perfect, really. His little captive would serve a great purpose, for not only would she be sacrificed to Mephala and Sithis, but also would her blood mark the shoulders of the new Brothers and Sister. It was an honourable way to die, and so he could feel not even a morsel of regret for that which was to come. It was after a moment, then, that he'd departed, returning shortly with Vada in tow. Always was it easy to get her to follow, for simple was her mind and unrefined her instincts.

Before the trio was where Kove had made his follower settle, his demeanor calm and not at all capable of betraying his plans. Originally, he had wished to paralyze her, but no longer did he think it to be necessary. She would obey him, he was certain of it, and swiftly then would her life be stolen away. Once she'd been settled down and her position there made solid, it was again towards the siblings that he'd looked. "Each new recruit is usually supposed to take another's life before being given their mark," he began. "While none of you are required to do so on account of who you are, here is your chance to assist in a kill anyways." With that, his head had swiveled around, body moving to allow for the motion to continue. By the time he'd grown still once more, already had his teeth met the female's flesh, yanking back and tearing into her until a decent flow of blood had began to fall. From there, he would move back, allowing for the Spiderlings to step in if they so pleased. Otherwise, he'd simply wait until the blood loss had completed the task for them all.

No matter which path he was made to go down, the destination remained the same. After the heart of Vada could beat no longer, Kove would move forward and coat a single paw in her blood. From there, he'd approached each of the siblings individually—starting with Damien, of course, and then ending with Cicero—and then pressed his paw up against the shoulders opposite to the ones that held their spider marks. Once finished, he'd backed away, glancing over the scene laid before him. Three new members of the Brotherhood, each having been marked by the sacred blood of a sacrifice.

Damien looked proud upon saying his vows, and proud when hearing his siblings say their vows. He would have liked Cicero to be a little bit more expressive, of course, but he could do little about his brother; he had always done things his own way. However he didn't give much thought to it, ignoring the fact that Cicero was most likely saying the words just out of loyalty to Damien rather than for the desire of becoming a dark brother how Damien had always wanted all three of them to be.

Kove gave them warm words, making Damien's eyes fill with a nostalgic, almost sad expression to them. But he stayed strong, and proud as he was. The young wraith was finally getting what he'd always wanted, a red mark on his shoulder to symbolize his success, and access to the deeper secrets and appointments of the brotherhood. For him it was different though, he was also taking the reins of the pack and this branch of the brotherhood, making him the most powerful wolf in Blackfeather Woods. Something he did not want to take alone, not anymore.

It was unexpected, the way Kove intended to mark them; but Damien did little to express rejection. Taking a life was the minimum requirement to join the brotherhood, that was how Meldresi had dictated, and a life would be taken for the Spiderlings to join. Damien's eyes widened in excitement the moment the sacrifice came waddling submissively into the circle, and he would have been the first to dig his fangs into it if Cicero hadn't done it himself. For a moment Damien was taken aback, surprised by the weakling's action, but then his surprise became anger. He was not going to be out-shined like this, not in this day. He flung forward, trying to take the same exact piece of flesh as Cicero by pushing him away.

Who had done it was unclear even to Damien, but the sacrifice's neck had been snapped in no more than two seconds, ending its life without interim. Damien growled, and jerked his head, still holding the offering's neck in his jaws, making it an even bloodier scene, likely for Cicero's dismay. Damien enjoyed it, both for the meaning of the sacrifice and because he had tasted the blood longer than his brother because that's what the weakling had wanted in the first place, wasn't it?

Satisfied, the dark prince finally let go of the dead body after an overly violent scene, and looked around, blood dripping from his chin. He was ready, and in the rush of things he had forgotten about Cicero's previous actions. He was convinced he had been the assassin, as it was his place to be among his siblings.

Pale eyes shot a glance at Kove. This was taking too long now, and Damien had other important announcements to make. Impatiently, Damien allowed Kove to finish the ritual, and felt his heart rush for a moment when he was finally marked with blood. A red paw, a symbol of achievement. He had finally got what he'd always wanted, but after a short five seconds it was over and Damien felt no different. He looked at his shoulder, drew in the metallic scent of blood that reeked the whole place and glanced at each of his siblings, both of blood and oath, and fell silent for a moment.

"This was always meant to be," he stated firmly, his mother's image vivid in his eyes as the red paws dried on his shoulder. "We will bring Blackfeather Woods back to it's former glory and dust off the crap Burke put us all through," he glanced at Kendra, knowing how hard it'd been for her to find out about her father's desertion. "There is no other rightful ruler to us than the Night Mother, our eternal queen, Meldresi. But I will take the leadership of the pack and see to it that her beliefs and intentions live on through us." Damien's eyes fell on Nemesis then, a renewed sense of partnership in his pale glare. "Nemesis remains your leader too," he spoke to everyone, "But now my siblings will join us and complete a council that from now on will dictate the rules by which we'll live, he announced, and glanced at both Potema and Cicero, lingering for a moment knowing that this was what they wanted. Their positions and titles would be revealed to them only, being each of significance in the Dark Brotherhood and requiring a high level of secrecy, but for all intents and purposes they sat on top of the pack and would have the right to enforce the rules with Damien as their head and Dark Master of Blackfeather Woods.

"The hunger has dragged us down for too long, but now Blackfeather Woods is ready to come back stronger than ever. You know what to do, search food where you can  and inform the others if you do. We need to track down the herds because we cannot live on small game forever," Damien instructed licking his blood-stained lips, feeling now more than ever in charge of the pack and the lives of those around him. "Now don't waste any more time. I want to see each of you working from now on," and with that Damien gave closure to his speech. He may not be good with words, but he knew how to get a message go through. He was straightforward and left no space for refusals. This was how the pack would work now, and with a howl, long and imposing, Damien sealed off his claim to Blackfeather Woods and dismissed the meeting.

There was some satisfaction having a pull over others, she could not deny. She met the gaze of Damien, her expression mirrored the new found leader of the Dark Brotherhood. Yet, something nagged at her, warning her that their partnership would be a fickle thing; two wolves of the same determination did not mix, she knew. Damien was rash, arrogant, and Nemesis would not be tied down by another. While Damien called himself the Dark Master, she knew he would never see her as an equal. She would never see him as anything more than a pompous boy. Some day, they would clash, she knew but she would not be the one to submit to the feet of a boy she had conquered before. Nemesis would not submit to anyone again, as long as she lived. Burke's reign had taught her all leaders were corrupt, she had little hope Damien would prove to be different after all she had seen come from him. Still, she did not think he was ready for such a title. Yet, at least now, she shared a similar reign, one that she would not be letting go of any time soon.

With that, her head swung back howling her claim with them. Even as she howled, she could not shake loose her previous thoughts. It was true, she had supported the idea of the spiderlings becoming apart of the brotherhood without real training, but she would have never anticipated it being under the circumstances it currently was. She willed the morbid ideas that this was the dawn of a new destruction away, her paranoia was just what it was, nerves. As the group slunk from view, the meeting dismissed, the sought out private shelter to think.