Blackfeather Woods My mistakes were made for you

being super vague because reasons
@Nemesis

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Despite the unfortunately long time it took Bane to return to Blackfeather Woods, the darkness within it still felt like a piece of him. That had been where he'd grown as his own self, where he was able to forget about the bullshit that he'd gone through all that time up there in the north, and now that he was free from those chains again he could not wait to come back home.

But Bane Blackfeather was not a fool. He knew that Keith had taken him away long ago, and that perhaps, if they had not forgotten him completely, the Dark Brotherhood would consider him a traitor. Still Bane was resilient about his desire, and he walked by the borders of his land under the moonlight, not daring to call for an audience, but hoping he would be found by the right wolf in the right state of mind for there to be the slightest possibility of being welcomed back.

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She almost mistook him for Kove, but upon noting his various and multiple scars, she did not think her husband had been in a war so recently to earn such markings. Instead stood before her the father of Damien, not that she knew, and she liked what she saw. However, his outward appearance spoke nothing of his intent at her borders. Never before had he passed through them, yet seemed to know them all the same, judging by the way he looked at the woods with earnest, searching for something but nothing she could identify. It quelled her yet pulled her interest, and she made her presence known with a low growl, signifying both her claim to the woods and his dangerously close proximity. She would have no problem running him off, regardless of how pretty his face was. 

“You wish to join then?” She inquired, perhaps almost lazily as she broke through the shadow of the underbrush; her feet placed just before the bloodied line that divided the two realms. She was unsure of how much longer she would remain the dark forest’s ruler, and she had little muse accept someone who would turn on her as quick as he came. She eyed him over, taking in his structure, his scars, everything about him that told her what she needed to know. He was not a man of weakness, it was evident in the way he held himself; shockingly similar in comparison to her. Perhaps it was refreshing, that she could be acquainted with someone who could work, perhaps think like her. But she did not solidify her opinion of him within her mind just yet, often she found herself turned off by the words spoken of a male who thought they owned everything; she was yet to find out what sort of man this was.

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The memories kick in, like a fast film full of sensations, sounds and feelings, as he brushes his nose over a coyote skull placed over the heavily scented line of blood that bordered the dark forest. None of those memories involved the bloody borders but he sure liked the touch of mystery it added to the whole setup. Nostalgia was an appropriate word to describe what he was starting to feel, but it never came to materialize for his thoughts were shattered by the black beauty that turned out to be his host.

Blackfeather Woods had improved in more than suspense and theatricality.

You don't sound surprised... says the male across the red line in a deep, charming voice. At first, before looking closely, Bane had thought he'd been greeted by Meldresi herself and the beating in his heart became uneasy. But against this female there was nothing for Bane to fear. Though she bore the dark mark on her shoulder, she was unknown to Bane as much as he probably was to her, and that was an advantage he needed if he wanted to learn how Blackfeather Woods had evolved since his sudden departure. He needed an insider.

It looks like your pack has a lot to offer, he purrs as his full-moon eyes shift from the skull to scan over the female's figure teasingly. He couldn't quite tell, but Bane was almost sure that the Dark Sister was oblivious as to who she was dealing with. He knew the Tenets, and he knew that he would be labelled a traitor by the Dark Brotherhood if they found out that he was back. They would surely send for his head, but that was not enough of a reason to give up on coming back.

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He spoke, and his charm held no sway over her. Perhaps it would, had she not become increasingly suspicious of his intent; he had not given her any indication of his wishes which was uncharacteristic of potential joiners. However, Bane was wrong. Nemesis would not be giving any information on the dark pack, not as long as she had no idea who he was. He was a troublemaker looking stranger who seemed to have more confidence in his looks and sultry words than his ability to talk with meaning. “Why would I be?” She retorted with little amusement on her tongue. Arrivals were increasingly frequent during the winter months, his presence was one of many she had met in the last few weeks. If his words were a play at being coy, he was not doing it very well, instead pointing out things she already knew. She didn’t care that he was metaphorically undressing her with his eyes, she had no patience for games. “Yes, it does,” She deadpanned, casting him a look as if to say  “yeah, and??”. If he had no interest, nor took his presence at her borders seriously, she had little problem shooing him away. Their numbers were good enough, and the ghost held no importance in her mind. She met his eyes, staring at him as her optics narrowed as if to urge him to get to the point. Nemesis had little time to spare for small talk, she was a busy woman. Certain things needed to be dealt with in the coming hours and the man before her was simply a roadblock to all that needed to be done, if he did not hurry along with his purpose or even give her a name. “If you have no wish to join, leave,” It was not a suggestion, but a command, spoken with the authority of the woods. Perhaps he did not know who she was, nor what her claim was to the pack, but he would know that she was not a woman to be messed with, and would not fall prey to his supposed charm.

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The woman did not respond to Bane's approach as he was used to. He blinks, looking at her, inspecting her demeanor as if to decide what to do next, and she gives him little to no option. He knows already that the female is a dark sister, he's noticed the dark mark pained on her shoulder, and as such she must know whatever secrets existed within the brotherhood. She's the best chance he has to know anything, if he got to discover any information at all.

No, he speaks, voice serious now that the game is officially over. I do not wish to join, but I do come looking for an audience with your priestess, he dares to request, hoping that she will refuse to grant him the pleasure. With his question he appeals to the one thing they have in common, both of them know that within the woods resides the Dark Brotherhood, and whatever the female's response should be Bane would get a clue of what step to take next.

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Their Priestess, by technicality, was Meldresi. She was the eternal queen, but one of which was meant to be unknown to any outsider, especially one Nemesis had no recollection of inhabiting the dark woods. The man could not mean to call for the since deceased Queen, it seemed all to unlikely to breach the very hush-hush topic of the dark wood’s legacy to a perfect stranger, even if he had a history with any of the two women in question. She speaks after moments of silence, taking into account of the fact that this is not a man she can simply shoo away, but a man who has a purpose at the borders that will not rest easily. He will not leave without what he has come for, and he will not stay. “Potema?” Her brow furrows out of genuine concern, suspenseful curiosity, and she wonders if this is one of the men whose children the white witch bears. “What business do you have with her?” She demands it with the authority she gives, her tone growing even more frigid if at all possible. Threatening-looking strangers at her borders requesting the presence of someone of value to her pack was not a request she would so easily oblige. Yes, it was true. The woman still has a sense of humanity about her when it came to protecting those within her own home. Potema was a vital part of Blackfeather Woods, even a fool could realize, and she would not permit the wood’s only available Priestess to walk into a situation where trouble was soon to follow, for nothing about the man before her gave her any assurance whatsoever.

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The sound of his daughter's name had been completely unexpected. Meldresi was the priestess, she was the one he was talking about, and something about the Dark Sister's eyes was telling Bane that she knew this. So why had she mentioned Potema instead? Was she really a priestess? How had she replaced Meldresi? The shock was visible in Bane's expression for no more than half a second, but he swiftly masked it with a gentle smile and hard staring eyes. No... I think you know who I'm looking for, Sister... he implied, lifting his brows as he dipped his head ever so slightly.

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The stranger veered away from caution, and ventured on to curiousness within her mind. While she remained diligent that he would not pass her borders, which each passing word that left his lips, she was drawn as bit by bit did her deattached facade fall. It was not by his charms but by the overall complexity of his nature; something so dark it was almost able to match her own persona. Only one other had been able to do such a thing, and he was currently sitting at the bottom of her ranks. However, her eyes narrowed as he called her by a title she had not been called since the reign of Burke. Sister. He spoke it with a knowingness she could not ignore, and it signified al she needed to know. He was of the Brotherhood. "Meldresi," Finally, she breathes out; the name a ghost on her lips, quite literally. "Meldresi has been dead for a very long time," She speaks it with a tone that verges on something unknown to her, a tinge of something odd. Whatever it may be, she does not speak the proclamation of Meldresis's deceased state with forlorn eyes, as the other's do. Ignoring the abruptancy of her earlier tone, her eyes searching the other's with a morbid intruigue as to what his reaction would be.

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She had gotten the message, it was clear. The way her eyes changed in the way of looking at him betrayed it, and Bane's own eyes had grown quite daring in response. He'd stolen a few glances at her face, it's sharp lines and edges, and the color of her eyes. Those eyes carried within their cold blue the same darkness that engulfed Blackfeather Woods, and it called for him to delve deeper.

But his intrigue for the dark female was overtaken by the ardor of hearing Meldresi's name again. He'd hit the target, pulling the conversation in the direction he wanted. But then all emotions were shattered the moment she revealed Meldresi's status. Dead. The world fell silent, dormant for as long as it took Bane to process the information. He wanted to ask about the pups, whether they'd made it out alive unlike their mother. He wanted to curse at himself for not being there, for being too weak to hold it out against Keith, and end him for his terrible timing. How long? was the only thing he felt was safe to ask. His voice was devoid of emotion, he'd hidden them along with the pain he felt for not ever being able to see her indigo eyes again. He'd cared for Meldresi in a way that he had never been able to define. Not as a lover or as a savior, but more like a master that had shown him a way to overcome his seclusion. She had freed him from oblivion, she had given him a purpose, and now she was gone.

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He stares at her, and she stares back and she can see him searching her eyes with something she cannot identify. Perhaps it is the availibilty of a man that matched her sense of authority around her that pulls the feeling of want from the woman, a feeling she sorely missed around that of which she called her husband. Nevertheless, his attention was not for her but the information she could give, and thus, she was restrained from advancing further. But what is more curious is the look of utter desolation within his features, something that even she could not say she understood. "Almost two years," She sits down, knowing she will not be leaving the conversation for some time. "Died in childbirth," She lacks the empathy she could have given, but Meldresi is not a senstive subject to her; not after her name was used to restrain Nemesis's authority in Blackfeather Woods.

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'In childbirth' she says, and Bane's expression regains its life. It's dull, clearly sad, but he does not feel the same way inside. Meldresi had survived the birth of his pups, and that had been way over two years ago. Damien, Cicero, Potema. The memories of those three were vivid, and in all of them Meldresi had a part. But that it hadn't been his own, whose pups had taken the priestess' life? And if not Meldresi, who was leading Blackfeather Woods?

Suddenly so many questions he didn't feel ready to ask exploded in Bane's mind, but he kept them down, choosing to make a smarter move instead. Ah... Such a pity... But I see the Brotherhood still stands... he spoke, the tone of his voice resembling a mixture of citrus and warm honey. He was fully on to get her now, whatever it took. This female was his best, and probably only shot at getting an inside look at Blackfeather Woods and so far he'd managed not to screw it up. Was it her offspring who kept it going this long? he shoots, knowing very well that he was talking to the one in charge, risking everything with a sly smile on his face.

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She listens with interest as he talks, and she nods as he acknowledges the standing presence of the Brotherhood within the woods, and the presence of those within. "For a little while, yes," She replies with a light shrug of her shoulders, unable to deny what was and what had been. She was unable to change the mistakes of the past or the ruling of both Burke and the original Spiderlings and so she lives with it, knowing that both had brought good and bad.

However, the Melonii's had done her wrong; the very insinuation that they had survived by the sweat of their brows was insulting. But he needn't worry, he was in the clear. "Until they proved ineffective to carry their mother's throne," She returns the sly smile, mimiking the other with eyes full of burning amusement. For Damien to hear her words now would simply be amusing.

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Somewhere inside Bane's heart a string is pulled and it hurts. Knowing that his own offspring had failed to maintain Meldresi's standards was disappointing, but Bane knew better than to believe everything he was told. This female still meant nothing more than a link, an informant, to reach a goal with which he'd come in mind, and so far his strategy was working.

And who rules, if not them? he asked, gracefully faking surprise with a gentle tilt of his head and the slightest of squints.

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The woman leans in, eyes searching for the optics of the other, pacing a step forward but she chuckles a light and sweet hum, amused if not knowing. She was a woman who had been taught to decive and had done so before, and she would not break when faced with a pretty face. She had done much harder things before. "I don't think so," Her tail swishes as she stands up, pivoting to make her leave. If games was his only reason for his visit, she had more important matters to concern herself with. The dark mistress would not oblige the mockery of an educated outsider, one who could have very well been a traitor. He was someone of which she had not heard of, and she knew better than anyone that what was unsaid was something left in the dark for good reason.

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His smile breaks as she stands, turning to make her exit with a stately swish of her tail. Bane coughs as he realizes he's been failing to catch the female all along, holds his breath before he screws up even further and lashes his tail in anger and frustration while he watched his plans crumble to the ground.

Ugh, come on! he barks, already facing the fact that he'd been caught. I thought we were having a fun little chat here! he adds desperately, taking one daring step towards the dark mistress in an attempt to catch up and reach out to her before she vanished into the shadows.

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It is the desperation in his voice and the fall of his face that procures her amusement, and she halts, turning around once again with a coy smile playing on her lips. "This is your definition of fun?" Her tone embarkes on a suprised disinterest, as if she expects more of him. She scoffs, "You are going to need to try harder than that to get any information out of me." But it is almost a dare, a dare to see how far he might go to get the words he wanted to hear. And admittedly, Nemesis did not care enough anymore to not give it to him. Her time in the dark woods was souring by the day, and she had little interest in staying much longer. She did not share their secrets any longer, and she grew to feel less inclined to keep them.

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His move proves to be useful as it gets the female to turn back around and face Bane again with a coy smile across her face. Bane halts right behind her and looks up at her glacier cold eyes with the same smile, but moves forward to block her way in an almost playful dance. I thought you were having fun... he speaks lowly and doesn't break the eye contact for a single second. I wasn't even trying, he lies, a thoughtless response to the female's dare. And still, you've already told me everything! he laughs, regardless of how much truth carried his words.

There is a playful ring to the arctic devil's voice, dancing around his words and scratching deeper every time into the dark mistress vulnerable facade. Deep down Bane is still confident he can manage the female for as cunning and deceitful as she might be, for he not only likes playing with fire, but he fights fire with fire.

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She smiles, gliding closer by every second he attempts to prove his own superiority. He locks eyes with her, and she does not break it; her words aggrivate him and she knows it. But she knows all too well how to break down the male ego, how to twist and turn it until it breaks from within, she needs only to bring light to what he already knows to prove his point irrelevant.

"If I've told you everything, then why are you still here?" Her inquiry comes in a low whisper riddled with mockery, belittling his over abundant ego with the faintest hint of amusement. But she does not pull away this time, saviouring the moment for its worth. She does not break from his eyes, even as they stand mere centimetres away. He wanted the Dark Master, and now, he has it.

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She leans closer and Bane can feel her warm breath caressing his face. There is little keeping them apart, and the eye contact hasn't wavered for the shortest of moments. Such intensity was a rare occurrence, and Bane savors it just as much as Nemesis. She teases, a sign that she's given in to Bane's charms and like a trophy he pulls out a smile with which he pushes himself even closer.

Can't leave without doing this first.. he whispers, leaning closer to lick the female's dark lips daringly, only to step away and into the night once more.

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He ignores what she says and insteads, swipes a tongue across her cheek in attempt to woo her into intriuge. She dares not to make a move, as if a deer caught in the headlights, and does so for some time after his presence is no longer detected in the vicinity. She is utterly still, and as the world moves around her, the only indication she lives is the fact that she breathes. Even that too, is silent. But internally does a war rage, a war sparked both of terror and of desire, and it wrecks hell within her mind. Seconds turn into minutes which turn into hours and then she blinks herself back to reality, faced with a new consious and a new path. A path that will rip her from all that she knows; all in a fleeting moment of flirtatious intent. "Damn," The single word escapes her lungs, pulled from her vocal chords and staggered from her maw, and she retreats once more into the shadows of her home.