[J] Descending into Darkness

Hadn’t felt like posting any “official” travel threads, but noticed Lusa and them had been moved to the lone wolf group and had to jump on this before all the adult spots were taken again, aha. Tagging @Meldresi since she’s the one Kove spoke with, but @Burke can pop in if you’re busy, Alisha. c: Maybe @Damien too if he wants to meet Kove at the borders?

 
In the end, it’d been just him and his son left. Scarlett had departed for who knows where with his three other children, each having decided to go on their own. He was disappointed about that, yes, but was also glad that at least one of his children had chosen him over their mother. It was bittersweet, in a sense, but was something he knew he needed to live with. And for the time being, he did. The man had stayed in the valley a bit longer after the others had gone, giving his goodbyes to the territory and allowing for the boy to collect his bearings. The elder had explained what had happened, and told of where they were going. After about a day, the two had set out, leaving the valley behind them.

The journey itself was not hard, but not easy, either. Perhaps Kove could have arrived sooner, had he been travelling alone, but he had needed to be extra cautious while leading his son. Every time the Inuit had taken a step, he’d needed to make sure the area was fine, and that Alexander was still trailing behind him. The younger’s smaller legs had also meant needing to take more breaks, as well as hunt regularly to keep his energy up. Though it had proven to be troublesome at times, the father did not complain, having still been coming down from his high of emotions. There were so many different things to feel, both negative and positive, but the ghost did his best to keep it all hidden away from the whelp. Worrying the little one would only make the journey that much more complex, which was something he didn’t want. So, for majority of the time spent trotting along, Kove would go through and teach Xan things. Telling him stories and informing him of a number of things. It kept him excited, and also made him less likely to stray away—which was definitely an added bonus.

Before the man had even noticed, the silhouette of the dark woods was before him, and his steps were quickening. Despite his relief to have finally reached the forest, he managed to keep himself from running right towards it, remembering that his son was trying to keep up. Once he’d gotten close enough, his steps came to a halt and he motioned for his son to stop as well. Without allowing himself even a breath of air, the male tipped his head back and let out a howl to Blackfeather, calling for the Dark Queen.

Xan wasn’t happy. Not entirely, anyways. He was still upset over the leaving of his home, the leaving of the only place he’d ever known. The child had also found himself missing his sisters, which had come as quite the shock. Moreover, though, he was tired. They’d been travelling for what felt like ages, and though rests were given generously, he really wanted to find a nice place to lie down at. A comfortable place that would keep him warm and out of harm’s way. The only thing that kept him from wandering off to find such a place was the constant sound of his father’s voice. Every word he spoke had the young Inuit waiting to hear what would come next. It was nice being able to not only hear about numerous things, but to also see them. He enjoyed that quite a bit, and so he couldn’t let himself wander away from his dad’s form.
 
When his father’s voice had ceased to reach his ears, Xan grew curious and looked around to see what was happening. Looking past his father, his eyes were drawn to a dark form in the distance. It was nothing like the valley he’d been born into, and yet, he was not afraid. The albino trusted his father, and if he said the place wasn’t bad, then he would believe him. When Kove stopped and motioned for him to do the same, Alexander obeyed and stopped moving, deciding to sit beside his dad’s front paws. Secretly, he was grateful for the stop, since it meant he could rest and give his legs a break. Then a shock of excitement jolted through him as he heard the elder howl from beside him. He wanted to know what was in the woods, what the place his dad had come from was like. As he watched the forest looming before him, he waited—albeit a bit impatiently—to see who would emerge from the shadows.

She was preparing for new arrivals, though not the ones who were walking slowly to her doorstep. The ever growing movement in her body warned her that the pups she was growing inside were about ready to come out and greet the world as a new litter of Blackfeather royalty and Dark Siblings. She spent most of her time in Spiderlings' Glen, arranging the den to her specifications, now that the den was open to her and her pups alone. She was meticulous, needing to have this many herbs and this many pelts and this much food and the pelts have to be arranged this way and the "playground" had to be free of dangerous things and this and that...

She only paused in her cleaning when she was summoned by a howl she did not expect to hear so soon. Why was Kove here so early? Grunting, the Queen pulled herself up the slopes of the Glen, waddling to the borders of her realm. She had not frequented the area, not with her pups so close, but for him, she had to come. Burke would run him off and anyone else would try to kill him.

In true Night Queen style, she stayed in the shadows and watched her guests before she revealed herself, enveloped by the darkness. He had brought his son, the boy he had named Alexander, or Xan. He looked like a perfect mix of his mother and father: albino like the former, proud and strong like the latter. Content with her evaluation, she pushed her head out of the darkness, allowing them to see her front half, but hiding her pup-swelled stomach from view. "You are here earlier than expected." She said, her eyes flickering over the young boy's body to see his reaction. "What has happened?"

The male had waited patiently for the Dark Queen to arrive, needing to quell his child’s movements only a handful of times during the wait. He’d been checking on the younger when the woman’s voice came from the shadows, and he looked towards her. Still half shrouded in the darkness, it seemed almost as if the shadows were clinging to her form. He gave a dip of his head, as usual, keeping his expression neutral. That is, until he was given a question. The corners of his lips pulled down faintly, allowing a trace of a frown to show through. The event was still fresh in his mind, threatening to drag his negative feelings straight to the surface. Before that could happen, however, he shoved them back down and willed the frown away. He hoped it had gone unnoticed, and yet a part of him knew it most likely hadn’t.
 
“Raziel is assumed to be dead,” he started, not wishing to waste time just standing around and fighting with himself. “Scarlett decided that, because of that, she would leave the valley. At least one of the members, that I know of, followed her, as did my three other children. I saw no purpose in trying to hold it together, since everyone was practically gone already. Xan was the only one to follow me.” He left out the little verbal spar he’d had with the female albino, not seeing a reason to bring it up. “I know you had wanted to wait until my children were older, but with what has happened, I would like to request being permitted back into the ranks of your pack, along with my son.” Kove kept his head lowered as he spoke, looking to the woman’s face only briefly to make it known he was being truthful, and meaningful, with his words.

Still being a child, Xan was not nearly as patient as his father, and perhaps never would be. Waiting for the appearance of the woman his father had referred to as being their queen made him antsy, eager to meet whoever the stranger was. Normally he was not a fan of strangers, finding them to be highly annoying—especially when they didn’t know who he was. The way Kove had spoken of this Meldresi lady, however, had made those usually feelings die away. He wanted to meet her, and to see what his father’s life had once been like. He found he knew nothing of his dad’s past, of what he’d done before the boy and his sisters were born, and especially not what he’d done before meeting his mother. He was curious, at times, but often refrained from asking whatever questions he’d come up with, figuring he’d learn about it all when the elder felt like telling him.
 
Alexander was looking up at his father, a defiant glint in his eyes as he’d continued to move around while they waited, when the dark wolf had arrived. He heard her voice, but did not turn to look in her direction until his father had done so. It took him a second, then, to spot her shaded self against the darkness of the woods, but once he did, he couldn’t look away. Even from a distance, she seemed extremely different from his mother and the other woman of Bearclaw—and not just because of her colouring, either. When he finally looked back to Kove, he noticed the Inuit was bowing his head to the woman, confirming his suspicion that it was the same wolf he’d been told about. Realizing that, Xan bowed his head as well, though the motion probably looked sloppy in comparison to the older male beside him. He wasn’t use to giving such a demonstration of respect, after all, having been reluctant to submit practically since birth. He stood silent as his father answered whatever question he’d been given, growing more and more curious about what else resided within the shadows Meldresi had emerged from.

Meldresi managed to look at both of their reactions and read them swiftly. Kove betrayed his sadness, and Meldresi, without him saying, knew what had happened. She let him speak anyway, giving her vital information. Raziel was gone. Bearclaw had disbanded. The Night Queen absorbed the information, knowing that she would have to speak of this to Burke as soon as she saw him; perhaps the news would calm him down and give Kove a bit more time to settle down before Burke confronted him.

The Night Queen kept silent for a brief moment, watching the child, noting the defiant glint she saw in his eyes underneath the awe at her arrival. He could be an assassin, brash and bold, similar to her eldest. But she would not know, not yet. Time would tell, and he was still young.

She strode away from the borders, breaking away from the darkness, allowing Kove and Xan to see her full girth. She walked closer to the white pair, settling down a tail-length in front of them. "Even though this is not what I have expected, I am glad to see you both here." She looked down at Xan, meeting his eyes for the first time. "A few wolves and their pups have recently left. For the good of the pack, but it still means the pack has grown smaller." She hadn't ordered that they leave, but their departure resolved much of the tension that was still lingering in their ranks, though she was sad that the pups had to go too. They could have become Dark Siblings themselves. But no matter, she had a Dark Brother and a Spiderling that she was certain would be twice the wolves Lusa and Grimnir were combined. "This has happened to benefit all of us, even if you had to make many sacrifices in return. You are where you belong now. Both of you." 

The Inuit watched the woman leave the shadows fully, his gaze following her movements up until the point in which she settled down before them. Given her size, there was no denying the fact that there were children growing within her, perhaps even close to entering the world. That, he wasn’t sure of, however. They could just be large, or many in number, which would cause the obvious difference in her appearance. Having never been one to take up an interest in healing and the like, he couldn’t tell for sure, and wasn’t keen on the idea of asking. He gave a soft ‘congratulations’, still not entirely sure how to act around pregnant woman. Scarlett had changed quite a bit during the period in which she’d been carrying his children, so easily set off and easily effected by the smallest of things. While he could not view the Dark Queen as being similar to that, he didn’t want to press his luck.
 
Kove was glad that his sudden arrival was not viewed as being a negative thing. He hadn’t know what to expect, exactly, as a plan had been made prior to the disbanding of Bearclaw. It came as a relief knowing that his early arrival hadn’t caused any issues. He was taken aback, though, by the news of others leaving, and with whelps going along, no less. It made him think of them as fools, since winter was just around the corner. Though he, too, had departed from a pack with a child at his side, he viewed his situation as being entirely different. The ghost had needed to leave, as a pack no longer remained within the old territory, meanwhile Blackfeather was still there. He wondered, for a moment, what had caused them to make the decision to leave, but then decided it wasn’t worth thinking too much into. Their decisions had no effect on him. “It is disappointing to know others left, but I am still glad to have returned here. Sacrifices or not, I know returning here was for the better,” he stated. It had been tempting, at one point, to follow where his daughters had gone, but in the end he couldn’t. They were his blood family, yes, but his and their mother’s paths had been separated.
 
Giving a dip of his head, once more, he took what she’d said to heart. It was where he, and his son, truly belonged, wasn’t it? Kove did not regret his children being born into the world, but there were times in which he’d found himself regretting having ever left the dark woods in the first place. His relationship with the albino had seemed bright at first, too much so for the shadows, but it’d died out almost as quickly as it’d formed. “How much has changed since I’ve been away?” he asked, his memories being chased away by his interest of what he may need to adjust to.

Alexander stayed by his father, uncertain of what exactly was happening just yet. Where they going to be allowed to stay, or did they have to go somewhere else? The latter didn’t sound right in his mind after taking into consideration all his dad had told him. Nevertheless, he stayed quiet, thinking it over with himself. That is, until he watched the woman emerge from the shadows entirely. She was huge! He’d never seen a wolf with a stomach as large as the dark woman’s. Even Desna’s paled in comparison to what he was seeing now. He sent a quick glance up to his dad, expecting an explanation, but received none. Instead, he heard the elder congratulate the lady. Congratulation for what, though, he had no idea. His invisible brows furrowed, trying to figure out what had made her so big. It looked extremely uncomfortable to him, especially as she drew closer and settled down by them.
 
The young albino found his odd eyes moving from the woman’s stomach, to his father’s face, and then finally to the woman’s face when he felt her gaze on him. Even her eyes looked different from anything he could remember seeing. Were all wolves so different in the shadows that laid behind her, or was she the only one to stick out? He didn’t bother asking, wanting to find out for himself when, or if, he was able. When she got to the part about them belonging there, he looked up at her with a new wave of interest washing over him. “Is this home now?” the boy questioned, earning him a neutral glance from his father. While Kove had already told him it was to be their home during the journey over, something urged him to gain confirmation from Meldresi.

Her head dipped silently at his silent whisper, noticing that Xan stared at her with a kind of awe that told her he had not seen a pregnant woman before. She chuckled lowly at the gape, but turned her attention back to his father. "There was a flood during that large storm a moon ago." She would not mention that she had been missing from her pack for a few weeks, but he must have known from her presence in the Valley, even if they did not see each other. "The swamp waters overflowed into the forest. Several trees were knocked down during the storm as well, but the forest has recovered."

She looked down at Xan when his voice peeped up from beside her. "Yes. This is your home." She looked back up at Kove and back to Xan. "Do not let anyone else tell you otherwise." She knew that Kove's return and Xan's arrival would not sit well with some of the wolves of her pack (ahem, BURKE), but they were welcome in her eyes. Kove was her Brother. Xan, by this notion, was her nephew. They were family. "Come, let us go home then." She turned towards the forest and starting walking, her ear cocked back to listen to their movements.

The news of flooding didn’t come as much of a shock, considering just how much rain the storm had brought with it. Still, he nodded, taking in the words and making an effort to commit them to memory. He would have to check the swamps out for himself, just to see how severe it was with his own eyes. “It’s good the forest was able to bounce back from that,” he commented, unable to imagine what would have happen had it not been able to recover. He couldn’t think of a world in which Blackfeather did not exist, or where they lived somewhere other than the dark woods. The notion itself was ludicrous. No matter, the time for such absurd thoughts was not upon him, and he hoped it never would be.
 
As a voice sounded from his side, his eyes were drawn to the pale child. Inwardly, he smiled at the boy’s question, liking his reaction thus far. He hadn’t acted out or complained about the move, and his query had the elder believing he’d already accepted the woods as his home. The response he received from the queen brought a small smile across his maw, eyes lingering on the younger Inuit for a moment longer, before drifting back to the priestess. With a single nod of his head, Kove followed the woman, but not before checking to ensure Xan was right there with him. The final walk before entering the woods. The final stretch before returning home.

Xan did not understand what had caused the woman to chuckle, but still didn’t feel offended by it. In the past, the sound of someone’s laughter being directed towards him would infuriate the young lupine, and yet he was not filled with that feeling this time around. Unconsciously, perhaps he understood what was happening, which would allow for him to be a bit more laidback than usual. Uncertain of his own reasoning, he pushed the ounce of confusion to the back of his mind, not wanting to miss what was being exchanged between the adults. He didn’t want to miss out on anything being said, or focus on something that paled in comparison to what was currently happening.
 
When his question was answered, Alexander’s tail wagged slowly. It was a fleeting motion, having only lasted for a moment before he stopped himself, but it’d shown his true feelings towards the situation. He nodded a bit more vigorously than originally intended, taking her words seriously. It was his home now. He would live in the forest with everyone else, he would grow in the forest. He liked the vision of that in his mind, and was actually grateful that they’d arrived there. When Meldresi said those last words of heading home, he was quick to follow after her, not wanting to spend any longer outside of the woods. He wanted to see what laid in wait within those shadows, and his eagerness showed with each step he took towards it.