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+--- Thread: Blackfeather Woods take it in your heart now (/showthread.php?tid=24756)
take it in your heart now - Caiaphas - January 10, 2018
it was duskfall when she emerged from the tunnel, the night sky far brighter than the dark crevasses she had forded. it was the third tim he sylph had gone by these routes -- once to explore and meet meldresi - the second done by the ankyrian wolves in times of war.
caiaphas came by dark design once more; she had learned these wolves had something of hers. only caiaphas would believe a whelp she had never met was hers to claim - only she would stalk purposely across the valley towards the woods with bold intent writ so clearly across her face.
she approached the juncture in which she had first met meldresi and threw back her head in a summining howl for the black wytch. unknown to her, it was not meldresi who ruled this grim bosk. all the same, her howl was high and proud and likely heard by all the black forest held dominion over.
RE: take it in your heart now - Arrille - January 10, 2018
Arrille arrived with Caiaphas, standing by her side. So, this was the Blackfeather Woods. With the dark sky above, it looked so foreboding, a put a small bit of fear in him. He was beginning to wonder if this was a good, or a bad idea coming here.
RE: take it in your heart now - Potema - January 10, 2018
Shadowposted Arrille
Potema had not been asleep when the howl rang out. She was not tired, her body still taut with energy that she exerted in a late evening walk. Her proximity to the border allowed her to be the first to answer the call, her ear twitching at the indignation embedded death within the piercing howl.
When she arrived to the location, she approached the wolf carefully, tail curled upwards. The white witch paused, looking the coywolf over, her familiar form attracting her attention.
I remember you,Were the first words to come out of her mouth. Some long time ago she had accompanied her mother to the borders, where a wolf with a black head and pale body met with Meldresi. What they had talked about Potema did not remember; she was too young and many of the words were too complex for her.
She looks over to the young boy who looked eerily similar to Vaati and @Kjalarr, knowing at once what he must be here for. But, despite his presence, her first assumption is that the black-headed wolf wants to meet with her mother, for the failed contract made.
Meldresi is dead, I'm afraid. She passed 2 years ago,
RE: take it in your heart now - Kove - January 11, 2018
The northerner had since settled in for the night when the howl rang out, causing his body to stiffen in response. They wanted Meldresi—someone that could answer the calls of mortals no longer. With a frown firmly in place, he pushed himself up—with some resistance from his body—and found his legs carrying him in the direction of their visitor. His mind wandered as he neared the border, trying to find a reason for the sudden request to see their late queen; under the influence of the past, he couldn’t remember that the voice was familiar to him.
Reaching them, he was mildly surprised to see Potema there, already speaking with the other woman. He looked towards the boy that accompanied her, briefly, but he didn’t hold his interest. Instead, he found himself gazing at the chimera, vaguely recognising her; he’d met her before—before even Meldresi. Her appearance was hard to forget, having yet to meet another like her in all his life, but he had no name to put to the face. Lingering on it no longer, he closed the distance between himself and the group, coming up alongside Potema—who he offered a nod to in greeting, before giving his attention to the pair opposite them. For now, he said nothing, having caught the end of the white woman’s news and knowing that he need not repeat it.
RE: take it in your heart now - Vaati - January 11, 2018
crap post sorry -- just wanted to get this done!
The foreign howl sends thundering paws beckoningly to the borders; an unfamiliar presence lurking in the distance. A woman -- of pale body and dark head -- stood awaiting the leader of the dark woods, accompanied by a male Vaati recalls quite explicitly. Arrille, his supposed half-brother. In turn, he recalls the white lie he had told the boy that day about the northerner's fate.
The tale of Kjalarr's untimely death, a fabrication Vaati had conjured up to explain the abandonment he had faced by the man himself; left atop the Spire to face his life fatherless. Drawing himself from the depth of the deep dark of the woods, the yearling's striking contrast against the shadows paves his way for a glorified entrance, demanding attention as he halts before the strange woman and his estranged half-brother. "Speak." Vaati commands lowly, his tone reeks of tired impatience brought on by the stress and threat of war. Patience is something he does not hold at the moment, the tense in his form and irk of his brow shown as physical proof of his vexation. They have caught him at a bad time, a fact that trivializes what they have come to say.
RE: take it in your heart now - Caiaphas - January 11, 2018
first to come was a wolf that boasted the opposite pelage meldresi had, though she carried with her that distinct mystique that compelled caiaphas to believe like meldresi, she was some practitioner of foreign magicka. caiaphas leveled the red and empty socket a cold glare -- she did not recognize potema, for the last time she had seen her, she had two eyes. and was also a puppy.
she took the news with a thin purse of her lips. how typical, she thought irrationally -- that the wolf would inconvenience her one last time by being dead.
caiaphas stepped instinctively closer to arrille as another wolf came, this one black and silent. for a moment she thought she detected a familiar scent, and she extended her muzzle to the wind and drank deeply of it. it would take her a few minutes to recognize it as kjalarr.
at last the leader came, a wolf caiaphas identified as nearly the same age as arrille. he carried himself with significant weight, and it was immediate that he was the wolf to answer in meldresi's stead.
never one for gallantry or long-winded, tiresome speeches, caiaphas launched smoothly into conversation. "a blood debt is owed," she started gravely, her flinty gaze studying each successively. "for as you may well know, meldresi failed to honor her end of the pact." caiaphas spoke grimly, her tone crisp and cold. she drew onto her haunches, signifying despite the presence of strangers, she was quite comfortable with her position here.
"but i would not be a leader if i did not learn to forgive mistakes." a lie - she was neither of forgiving nature, nor presently a leader.
"it's come to my attention that you have something i want, and i have something you... need." she leaned forward and her expression twisted into one of strange and almost cruel delight. she turned to her pale comrade, and motioned to the crowd: "arrille here tells me his brother is here, and i've come to take him." only caiaphas could be so bold -- so assured in her providence -- to make such demands of the blackfeather wolves. that was her way -- to be demanding, calculating, and always looking for the extra leverage to hedge herself against the world. revenge had been in her heart when she came here, but that scent came again, this time unmistakable as kjalarr. not dead, not missing -- here.
"i will also take kjalarr." she leaned back, satisfied with the cold command that seeped from her voice.
"now, it occurs to me that you want to know what it is i have that you need. can you trust these two?" she canted her whip-thin muzzle to potema and kove, for she did not know their affiliation with blackfeather. once vaati confirmed, she would continue: "arrille tells me you are in war with drageda." she looked so satisfied then, like a sleek domestic cat that had just downed an elusive finch. "he also tells me drageda plans to attack you alongside the caldera. apparently, they have already taken their warriors. valuable information for you, isn't it?" she canted her muzzle to the side, once more casting each of them sly and sidelong glances.
"what is more valuable for you is the proposition i have: leave here. gather those you trust, and follow me -- there are tunnels that connect all along the valley. there is no easy route from here to the sound, but there are a few tunnels we can take that will shield us from unwanted attention. follow me back through them and i will lead you to the heart of ankyra sound -- directly under drageda's nose. meanwhile, drageda will come here and find naught but failure and frustration for their efforts. they will not expect it, their energies will be spent, and it gives you time to prepare your soldiers for your next attack." caiaphas cracked a mischevious smile; this was perhaps her most machiavellian moment yet and she thrived to know she was the source of potential ruin. "the reason i tell you this, and offer you and your kin my home is simple - i dislike neighbors in my sound. you are in a proposition to dispatch them. we both benefit from this arrangement, wouldn't you agree?"
she paused for a moment, as if expecting an answer to that query. "with their warriors traveling here to end you, the rest of their pack on the cliff lies vulnerable -- fat and easy for the taking. they likely left those unable to fight behind. with a surprise advantage while their strongest are out looking for you, you can end this war once and for all. should you elect to massacre them all, so be it. you could also take them hostage. your choice."
she licked her lips, satisfied with her delivery. it had been a long speech, and the siren queen was not one for loquacity. "oh, and a piece of advice. they will hunt you down, and find you -- eventually. i need not tell you to cover your true tracks well. i suggest you gather the scouts you trust the most to lay down false tracks -- do you have tunnels here? have them walk in, and walk backwards out -- and then collapse the tunnel if you can. they will waste time following these false tracks -- giving you ample time to seize the cliffs and show them what it means to hail from blackfeather."
maybe caiaphas should have been a blackfeather wolf -- she certainly possessed the bloodlust for it.
"so, do we have a deal?"
RE: take it in your heart now - Arrille - January 11, 2018
Arrille shrunk back a bit behind Caiaphas as other wolves arrived, one of which being the look-alike. He did not smell the scent that Caiaphas did, instead focusing his attention to the other wolves of Blackfeather. And then, he listened to all that Caiaphas was saying.
He realized now that in having told Caiaphas about Drageda, he may have endangered them. He thought of those still there, like Prince and other young members.
He was beginning to feel guilt over it. But he did not speak up, remaining behind Caiaphas in case something happened. He was afraid to speak up now, seeing a side of Caiaphas he had not seen in the short time they knew each other. Was it all worth it, he had to wonder.
RE: take it in your heart now - Étoille - January 12, 2018
c-c-cameo for max drama. edit: to clarify, he only heard a little bit & yall can notice/not notice/go after him later etc, he just didnt stick around in the moment!
He tries not to make lingering a habit, lest it look like he's waiting for something. Is he? He knows he is the one who has technically made the choice to forgo part of his mission. But he had expected something by now. He thinks about Miraak's words -- would you kill for us -- and his answer. He thinks: if Drageda does not come, this is who I am now.
He's mostly okay with that. So it goes.
There is a gathering at the borders. Intrigued, he moves closer, careful not to interrupt -- less a desire to sneak and more ingrained politeness, to be frank. Argent had left before Arrille's arrival, and so does not recognize the boy beyond a fleeting acknowledgement of how similar to Vaati he looks; he does not recognize the slight woman accompaying the Vaati look-alike either. The spy has not arrived in time to hear the full of her speech, but he hears Drageda and must hold his breath lest surprise and recognition filter through his ever-dull gaze. What comes in snippets is enough to construct at least a partial picture. Either way, several things are immediately clear: one, while none here have any reason to link him to Drageda, his position is nevertheless compromised; two, if Thur and her wolves are at the Caldera (and he honestly has no way of knowing), their plan is in danger as is the home they left behind; three, Argent must decide on a course of action and fast.
He allows the shadows to swallow him, stepping back and falling into his normal path -- should he be seen, it is simply that he was passing by, as he tends to do, as he's cultivated his odd obsession with the corpses by the borders and in general tends to wander the forest a bit aimlessly. He does not dare to linger to hear Blackfeather's reaction to the news. Whatever it is, it will not be good.
RE: take it in your heart now - Kjalarr - January 13, 2018
would this have not come off as a very serious and potentially grim circumstance kjalarr might have laughed as he arrives on the scene. as it was he is still in some sort of shell shock at hearing caiaphas’ howl rise through the dark trees. her’s was a voice that the northerner hadn’t thought to ever hear again, having assumed that the sea had taken her life in the sam way it had taken whittier’s. there is still certain disbelief as he focuses upon the coywolf, his good eye assessing her alone as all others are ignored for the time being. is she a ghost come back to the land of the living? or had her disappearance been the beguiling trick? or earnestly an accident? he does not know and frankly does not care. what matters is that she is here and wants him — although a twitch of his lips in distaste follows the thought that she has asked for his son first. which brings to kjalarr’s attention that his second son partially cowers behind caiaphas. so, this is what his seed had wrought: a cowardly traitor and a madman. how…utterly disappointing. “i suppose it should not surprise me that your mother raised you to be a traitor.” kjalarr says to arrille without affliction. kjalarr’s disdain for ondine is cutting and poisonous and it easily switches to her son. “if you are going to betray your kind then you should at least stand tall while your efforts come to fruition.” but on the matter specifically he has no true feelings. his connections to blackfeather are strained and thinning and to drageda he has no connection at all ( he considers wildfire but she had long ago chosen her path when she left floki and is of no concern to him any longer ).
kjalarr looks between vaati, potema and caiaphas then fully ignoring arrille now. there is a strong part of kjalarr that wants to go with caiaphas. he had mourned her and grieved her and though her return uprises a miasma of emotions within him it becomes readily apparent to him that he still cares deeply for the sea-witch, just as he had ever since he’d been young, when she’d first found him. he will not bow to his boy-king son, does not particularly want to stick around to see this war, either. he will not fight for vaati, for the wolves of blackfeather. it is not his war. potema has taken him back and he would feel guilty leaving her but he is exceptionally good at being self-serving — a trait he has evidently passed down to both of his sons. for now, he holds his tongue, figuring he would hear what potema and vaati have to say to caiaphas’ demand regarding him before he speaks on the matter.
kjalarr looks between vaati, potema and caiaphas then fully ignoring arrille now. there is a strong part of kjalarr that wants to go with caiaphas. he had mourned her and grieved her and though her return uprises a miasma of emotions within him it becomes readily apparent to him that he still cares deeply for the sea-witch, just as he had ever since he’d been young, when she’d first found him. he will not bow to his boy-king son, does not particularly want to stick around to see this war, either. he will not fight for vaati, for the wolves of blackfeather. it is not his war. potema has taken him back and he would feel guilty leaving her but he is exceptionally good at being self-serving — a trait he has evidently passed down to both of his sons. for now, he holds his tongue, figuring he would hear what potema and vaati have to say to caiaphas’ demand regarding him before he speaks on the matter.
RE: take it in your heart now - Vaati - January 13, 2018
Drageda. He breathes in sharply as the name of his enemy of an enemy is made known. He wonders why they have joined the Caldera, and why they had waited so long to make their move. According to the woman, they have gathered their forces and likely wait at the Caldera for the time to strike. If so, Blackfeather Woods has run out of time. Perhaps that is why he listens intentively to every word spilling from the strange woman's jowls, calculatively and with intrigue. "Valuable information indeed," The yearling mutters lowly; a hint of suspicion laced delicately within his tone.
However, before he can utter a word in return to the woman's offer, Kjalarr makes his presence known unto the scene, striking out verbally against the bearers of information, against his own child. Vaati watches, bemusingly, at the display between father and son unfold before his eyes, unable to feel anything but sorry for his estranged half-brother. This is the father you wished for so dearly, Vaati looks to Arrille with a pointed, pitied gaze. He too has felt the Northerner's hate, an unwarranted and misplaced hate but hate nonetheless.
A low grumble develops within his chest, disliking the way the man speaks to his guests on his borders. Betrayal is a recurring theme in the tales of Kjalarr and Blackfeather Woods; it is only ironic that the man should stand there, interrupting Vaati's business to begin to talk about traitors and betrayal, as if those are not the very reasons he sits at the bottom of their ranks. "You would know a lot about betrayal, wouldn't you." Vaati turns to Kjalarr with a dismissive glance. "Go with them if you wish." You will not be welcome back. The man has come and gone too many times, taking for granted the generosity of the dark woods too often. It is insulting. No love would be lost in his traitorous abandonment, only a mark of death should he venture near the woods again.
Returning his attention to the stranger before them, his brow piques with consideration. It is an interesting proposition, one that if he could trust, would guarantee many things on their part. However, he doesn't trust it. A stranger from another land comes to deliver a miracle? No, he is not a fool to accept so willingly, and without question. "And what do you want with me? Should I choose to believe that your plan has no ulterior motive, hm?" He glances to his co-leader, and then his mother, questioning their take on the matter. Hydra had already warned him -- advised him -- to take Blackfeather and leave, lead the others to believe them gone entirely. This scheme the witch provided was not so different, yet held many opportunities for treachery along the way. It would be easy to believe her. They have the tunnels she speaks of, the will to do so; but at what cost? He wishes to survive, more than he wishes to prove a point as the woman suggests.
Desolate optics return once more to the female, weighing the consequences. "Why risk fighting abroad and at greater risk while our forces lie here prepared, with all the advantages of our land. I wonder if this plan of yours would prove more trouble than its worth." Vaati says so without hostility as his words may imply, he simply seeks only to eliminate uncertainty. He paces silently for a few seconds, uttering as he thinks. "However, one of the leaders of Moonspear suggested a similar thing to me -- let them believe we are gone, only to turn the tide of war in our favour. It may work, if we play this correctly. What do you think?" Vaati looks to Kove, to Potema in earnest, unable to reach a verdict on his own.
RE: take it in your heart now - Cicero - January 18, 2018
combo breaker cameo! :D will be my only post here - if you prefer an interaction of sort, feel free to start a new thread and tag me @Étoillee, but Cicero won't press anything.
Cicero was lingering nearby but did not pay much attention to what was shared. He lingered in the shadows as always, and though he imagined the information to be valuable his time to bother with leadership things was long past now. Vaati and Kove could make their own decisions; part of this judgement was an apathy that was frightening and numbing to him, a feeling that he just did not care what happened to him or anyone else much any longer, except perhaps his children. Part of the judgement was that Kove was there, who'd always had the Woods at heart, and there was a trust within him that was much akin to the trust he had felt for Burke at the time of his leadership.
He was merely the guard who noticed the little mice that slipped through the cracks. Argent did not go unnoticed; Cicero had not taken him for the snoopy bit, really, and was surprised to find he had such roguish ambition. Or perhaps he was merely curious what was to become of the pack now. As he made to leave Cicero followed after. When out of hearing distance from the group of wolves he quickened his pace to intercept Argent and said, "Curious, hmm?" There was a smirk on his face that betrayed little — could be kinship, could be scepticism for his intentions, but it could also just be downright insanity — and after this statement and giving Argent plenty of time to hear it and notice him he split off once more, vanishing into the shadows from which he had come. Perhaps, if Argent were interested, he would find Cicero later, if he wished to learn how to become a proper spy, but as always Cicero left it up to the potential pupil. For now, he simply turned to move away.
RE: take it in your heart now - Kove - January 22, 2018
given the okay to skip Potema
The woman went on to speak, sharing information pertaining to the war that they would have otherwise gone on not knowing. But she knew, let in on the secrets by a traitor of the coastal pack, and shared it with them. Although Kove listened closely to all that she had to say, paying particularly close attention to her proposal, he knew not what to think—not yet. It seemed too good to be true, her being there and offering them another option, but he couldn’t say that he wasn’t intrigued. It was a safe option, taking their members away from the frontlines and allowing them to attack with stealth, as the Brotherhood was known for. Yet, at the same time, leaving the woods—even for a set amount of time—meant leaving so much behind, leaving so much open to being ruined and disgraced.
His conclusion was barely formed when the attention was turned to him, his thoughts requested along with Potema’s. “I can see the benefits to following her,” he began, directing his words towards Vaati whilst stealing a glance or two in the chimera’s direction. “We would have forces on our side far stronger than what they left behind on the coast, but those are not our only enemies. The pack to the south is also out for our blood and we can’t forget about them. If we focus only on the coastal wolves, that leaves us without a plan to take care of our neighbours.” And they would need to do something about them eventually, as they would always return to the woods. No matter how long they spent away, if they were to leave, the shadows would always drag them back in; they were inescapable, and they were home.
“We have a lot to protect here, sacred sites that we can’t let our enemies destroy. We have to defend our home.”—he looked towards Potema briefly, knowing she would understand—“I think we stand to defend ourselves against our enemies, should they come here. They do not know this land, the tricks and threats that it hides—they will be entirely out of their element.” The swamps, the tunnels, the willow… they had not only wolves on their side, but the territory itself. “I say we stand our ground here and then, as they’re all retreating to the caldera to lick their wounds, follow you”—he swung his muzzle towards Caiaphas—“back to the coast and take out the rest of their members.” However tempting it was to go with her right then, he couldn’t leave the woods defenseless. He couldn’t leave Meldresi defenseless.
RE: take it in your heart now - Potema - January 22, 2018
Potema's just aggressively holding onto Kjalarr here
Potema felt a spark of possessiveness light a fire within her. Kjalarr was hers. She would not let this woman take the only thing left that truly belonged to her, and for what? That was not part of the deal, any deal Mother might have made was not worth the lives of two wolves, not before the war. But more than the war, Kjalarr was her man — she carved the branding mark into his thigh and she was the only one who could change it and make him worth something again.
Where once Potema looked at the woman with interest, the witch felt anger welling up in her eye. When Kjalarr himself finally arrived Potema was quick to latch herself to his side. She didn't care that she was showing her emotions where it was not needed or desired. She didn't care that it made her vulnerable. She wanted it to be known that this part of the deal would not go through, no matter what the woman could give to them.
The information and strategic advice the coywolf gave washed over the white witch's head. She was not responsible for leading anymore, no matter what Kjalarr said. For as long as Vaati was alive, he was leader. Perhaps he might die during the war or after, or he would go with the woman (she doubted this), then she might take the reigns. But until then she was just another necromancer within their midst.
He will not,Potema hissed at her son. The words Kjalarr snapped at the Vaati-lookalike told her that there was no love lost if Kjalarr did not go with them, but she was assuming that this was for the boy's sake rather than Caiaphas herself.
Vaati looked to her, seeking her verdict. Potema wanted to laugh. Her son despised her, ridiculed her so often, and yet now when all the odds were against them, did he want her advice? It was ridiculous. It wasn't until Kove spoke up and caught her eye that she said something on the matter. She had said something similar to Charon not too long ago. She didn't think that her words would get much thought, but she spoke her mind.
We would also risk angering them further through this attack. Even if we somehow killed all those back in their home territories, the returning warriors will know who killed them. Sending them back to us,And continuing a war that they would not be able to win. Against one pack, perhaps. But not against two when they had no allies.
RE: take it in your heart now - Caiaphas - January 22, 2018
forgive caiapants for being huffy - i still like you guys
for perhaps the first time in her life, caiaphas felt a sliver of disappointment. these wolves were not the hardened mercenaries she believed them to be: they quaffed and crumbled at her suggestions, hemming and hawing with a collective ineffectiveness that caused the siren queen to scoff in disgust.
their impotence in times of war caused her mind to reel -- she made her own assumptions there about their abilities. perhaps it was better they stayed, so she did not face disappointment and defeat on her own soil.
when kjalarr appeared, caiaphas felt something close to joy in her heart -- until she witnessed the manner in which he coldly spoke to his son. this was not the kjalarr she had known - he had never shown so much as a contrary hair to her, and yet here he was, lambasting his own blood with a derision fit only for a profligate. caiaphas realized kjalarr had changed.
perhaps irrevocably so.
her tail lashed against her hips and her long, mule length ears pulled back in a grimace as she stepped in front of arrille protectively. she would have crafted her own crippling riposte had vaati not callously dismissed kjalarr. "he did no such thing." caiaphas growled, lifting her muzzle high as she looked kjalarr straight in the eye without fear. "he had no idea i would enact on this knowledge. perhaps it is you who betrayed him - and me. you are not the wolf i came for." she finished cuttingly, eyeing potema with a rueful glance that seemed to infer she could keep him for all the siren queen cared. her tone carried a keen finality to it that almost harmed her to utter.
she turned to vaati then, her wicked yellow gaze lacking remorse. he was young, perhaps that was his only flaw -- he lacked the experience to lead effectively, or to know which battles were worth picking or leaving in the dust. perhaps his advisors were to blame. perhaps, the fault was in caiaphas -- expecting any inland wolf to be as cold or ruthless as a sea-wolf. "it is no trick. i do not beg. stay here and die, it means very little to me." she cut a discouraging look to kove, who suggested use of her land at a later date -- the notion caused a crooked sneer to appear -- what use would they be to her later? after the drageda and red hawk wolves had eviscerated their numbers? caiaphas suspected none knew how war worked. an opportunity was to be seized -- not squandered.
"no. this is not an extended offer. when i leave, it dies here - just like you." with that she nudged arrille roughly, motioning for him to step quickly. she would not linger here -- the woods carried a doomed and spectral quality to them -- and she had many duties to attend to back home.
RE: take it in your heart now - Arrille - January 23, 2018
Arrille flinched, even froze when he appeared. His father...he was alive. He had to stop himself from running ahead. "Father...you're..." He sent a glare at the doppleganger. He had lied to him. He wanted to take him on, fight him for lying to him. For shattering his heart, for...
He felt his heart stop for a beat upon hearing that from his own father. And then, he was ultimately surprised by what Vaati said in response. Was it possible he did not like Kjalaar either?
"I...I..." He could find no words, and then Caiaphas stepped in front on him, and he stepped back behind her. He felt like just curling into a ball, hearing his own father he revered as a teacher, call him that. He hadn't even seen his mother for so long.
Arrille moved along, his eyes to his paws as Caiaphas nudged him back the way they came. He dared not look back.
RE: take it in your heart now - Kjalarr - January 27, 2018
potema clings to him, and hisses at vaati that he ( kjalarr ) won't be leaving with them. it reminds kjalarr — who has become so brazen in his liberties — that his opinions do not matter. he's potema's captive. he chose this. and it would seem his eagerness to be glib with arrille so quick to point the finger and quick to assume that arrille would be just like vaati has earned him caiaphas's ire. he would not respond to vaati's words of betrayal because it's not as if he's ever truly conscribed to being apart of blackfeather woods the first time. he had not given ( still hasn't ) them his all: has not forsaken his religion, beliefs, culture for the adoption of theirs ...and he's never sold them out, never placed the pack in any position to be in danger. their opinions on the matter of betrayal were very different, but so is many things between father and son. "no, caiaphas. i have never and would never betray you." even as she chose his son over him — as to which stung terribly — kjalarr still admired her. still cared for her. but it is done. his tail twitches against his hocks and he turns to potema, waiting to see if she would linger or if she would return to the heart of the territory.
RE: take it in your heart now - Caiaphas - March 13, 2018
just concluding this
kjalarr's rejoinder was heard but no evidence she had processed it marked her features. already she had turned to leave -- ushering kjalarr's son in front of her.
a failed enterprise, the siren queen thought grimly -- they would likely lose this war, but it was not her head at stake so she thought little more of the encounter. they would return to the sound and it would be as if this had never transpired -- life would go on, for the ankyrians anyway.