Blackfeather Woods He-Who-Guards-Unseen

¡MANDATORY PACK MEETING!
This is set in a weird space-time place because I should have started this right after Burke stepped down, sorry about that! I guess we can assume he and Malice escaped before this thread takes place.

There will be three rounds, and three rounds only. There are a few things we need to cover in this thread, so please make sure you post in every round!

I will assume the pack gathered instead of dedicating a whole round to arrivals, so I hope you guys don't mind the mild PP <3
- @Nemesis @Kove (& Xan) @Cicero @Potema @Kendra -
(@Canine was not in the pack when this occurs, so he's exempt from posting)

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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.

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I should respond to this before I go on absence > - >'''''

Potema responded quickly to her brother's call. She wasn't doing much before Damien's howl summoned the pack together, too angered at Burke and Malice's final betrayal to do much. The witch left her moping point to gather around her brother, knowing that this was Damien's first summons as leader of Blackfeather Woods. This was important, a monumental event.

It would be when they received their red marks.

It was a long time coming, this marking. They had received marks for being born under the canopy of the dark Woods, important marks on their own, but nothing compared to this. The red mark brought them into the fold of the Dark Brotherhood, finally bringing them into the organization their mother had founded moons ago. The Spiderlings were coming into their own.

She was still angered by Burke and Malice's departure with her pups, but no matter. More would come. She was far from her time, but Nemesis wasn't. They would have pups come fall, she knew. But pups could wait. The Dark Brotherhood would expand threefold tonight. She sat their beside her brother, her tail wagging in anticipation to feel the dye-soaked paw on her left shoulder, opposite of the spider drawn into her skin. It would be a marvelous feeling, she was sure.

He took place beside his brother at the meeting, for it was his place — at Damien's right side, where he belonged. The famine had been harsh on Cicero, but his brother had ultimately saved him. It also helped that Malice and Burke were gone now, their pups too; they no longer needed the scraps he fed them. Or at least they were not near enough to receive them.

A lot had happened and although Cicero did not agree with all of it, he knew that it was Damien's place to stand at the head of Blackfeather Woods in Burke's absence. It was his place as Meldresi's child and the one who was most ambitious and fierce of the three of them. Cicero thought it his place to stand beside his brother, but that had been made clear enough to him. Whether he would act upon it now was up to him.

A place in the Brotherhood meant very little to Cicero — it was different for Sheogorath, but he was suppressed, had been for a while, might never even return — but he knew it meant a lot to Damien, and so he awaited the rituals to happen in silence. It was good to see Kove in a more respected place in the pack, for he deserved it, in Cicero's eyes; that was the only misstep that he felt Burke had committed, truly, to not put Kove in the place he deserved and to shun him and his child for so long without just cause.

Kendra came when called. Her life had changed again, and not for the better. The girl wondered if anyone she was close with would stay. The dark girl's coat matched with her mournful mood. She lost her mother, she lost her brother and she lost her father. She didn't have a lot of faith in her two brothers or sister. Her sister left before, so she was not attached to her that much. Damien promised a lot but how much was he going to keep? Cicero well, he was Cicero and her traveled, which he was probably going to do after he gotten well again.

That only left Xan. She looked at him briefly. He was probably going to leave to. His promises weren't real not any of them are. She sat at her usual spot. Looking regal and showing nothing of her actual mourning, and broken ties. Her face didn't gave anything away, not happiness or sadness. Her pale eyes looked at her brother. She disliked his words. Kendra felt empty, Damien's words meaningless. The words that she disliked before had less of an effect now. She was the daughter of a traitor, the daughter of the apparent eternal queen, the princess of these woods, she was Kendra too. What if she didn't want to be any of those?

Just gonna throw this in here and hope that it makes sense in the morning

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.

Shooort phone post that I forgot to make the other night

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.

She arrived to the meeting, late, to her distaste. Her journey would have taken less time had she not stopped several times to empty her bladder, more times than she had ever before in a single day. Yet, still she could not come to terms with the reasoning for her wayward bodily functions; and refused to. Her reign had only just begun, a crucial time in which to uphold images and most of all, prove to Damien that she was not a weak link; she could not afford to have anything in the way of that. 

Yet, she listened as she arrived, taking her place beside Damien while keeping silent. Passing by the other's that had begun to arrive, she noted Cicero's choice to sit on the other side of Damien, to her curiosity. Before, she never would have suspected a thing; they were brothers after all. She knew from his own words that he loved his brother in a way that not most siblings could understand; yet she often wondered how much Damien could be swayed if Cicero one day chose to be the whisper in his ear, bending his rule to fit his ideas. But she did not think more of it, an accusation such as that was a heavy one indeed and she did not need that kind of drama to arise, especially after Burke.

Instead, she stayed silent, though her approval was prominent in her features. For this, and this only, the cold and distant tones from her eyes had dropped. Instead, filled with pride as her lover began the initiation, assuming his valued role. Yet, her pride was not only for Kove and his success in the Brotherhood but the Spiderlings as well. While Damien and her had not always gotten along, she had voted for their immediate acceptance into the Brotherhood itself, a task Burke had forgotten while he was too busy fondling his whore. They would do it right this time, regardless of the past mistakes.

this is confusing even for me, sorry, but only @Kove, @Potema and @Cicero need to post again this mini-round (with a little bit of @Vada on the side)
The true second round will start on Thursday the 7th

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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.

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Kove stepped forward and began the ceremony. It wasn't as formal as she would like, but hey, it still worked. It still got the job done. Damien spoke first, as befit his station as the current leader of Blackfeather Woods and the Dark Brotherhood, as well as being the eldest brother of the three. With his pledge finished, Potema spoke up. While Cicero was older than her by mere moments, she thought that it was her turn to speak. The position she would uptake was as, if not more, important than Damien's: that of Listener. In other sects of the Brotherhood, the Listener was the highest position, but here it was different. Not that she was fond of leading, anyway. The Tenets have, and always will be, the center of my morals and actions. With this mark, I fully commit myself to living by the rules dictating by the Tenets.

Cicero listened in silence to Kove, who spoke of a variety of things, but the thing that stuck out most was living by the tenets. Damien spoke first, vowing that he would always live by them. All of this was, of course, mostly just a show, a play for the rest of the pack to see that they followed the rituals; all of them had been part of the dark brotherhood for some time now. Cicero allowed Potema to speak first; he did not care to start a fight over which of them could speak first, did not really think that it would give either of them advantage to do so. Age did not really matter within a litter, anyway, except if one was the runt. Cicero considered them all equal in age.

When she finished to speak, Cicero was to speak next. He felt empty on the inside, did not feel like this was anything but pointless words. Looking to his sister, Cicero hoped that Damien would make the choice to set her by his side, for she would be a better choice. Cicero was not sure what he would bring — a moderation to Damien's fire, yes, but he knew that he would always be biased towards Damien at the same time — and he could not tell if his desires to lead were fueled only by the desire to channel Blackfeather Woods in the right direction, or if he only wanted to selfishly get closer to Damien. He could not tell, could not decipher his own emotions in that, and in a way, that was terrifying.

"Cicero lives by the tenets," he said when Potema was done, simple and clean, and he looked towards @Kove, waiting for him to finish this ritual.

Thalia gave me permission to PP @Vada. If this is too much, lemme know and I'll edit.
This may seem a bit rushed.

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.

wasn't sure if i should wait for Damien to start the next round or not but this seemed to make sense c:

Cicero watched as it transpired. He had never witnessed a sacrifice before. Yet when he looked into the eyes of the wolf they were to sacrifice, he did not see a wolf that deserved to die for them. He saw innocence and purity to match the vacant and willing expression, and while that was likely part of why she was chosen it made Cicero feel like this was an injustice. He would much rather tear into one of their enemies and if not that, a wolf who had done wrong in their lifetime too. This seemed wrong somehow, and he could feel his hackles prick in agitation.

And so he accepted the invitation, in a way; he moved forward as quickly as he could to wrap his teeth around the girl's neck. It would be foolish to try and save her, for it was clear she were to die today, but the least he could do was give her a swift sendoff so that her pain would be brief. She deserved that, for so loyally offering herself as sacrifice to the dark brotherhood.

Ok I know I said the 7th but I was forgetting I had a trip planned!
Second round starts today, and the 3rd starts on the 22nd/when all of you reply
I'm hoping to finish this soon because we need to give this plot closure, so please make it a priority to reply to this thread <3
- @Nemesis @Kove @Cicero @Potema @Kendra -

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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.

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He had the advantage of speed, for he had reacted quicker than Damien did. Damien, however, had the advantage that Cicero was doing this only to spare their sacrifice a slow and painful death. He did not need to be pushed aside, for he moved away. His teeth had already connected at that time, likely snapping her neck, but he could not be too sure because of the speed with which Damien overtook his position by the girl's neck. It was likely each spectator would have their own story about which of the two brothers actually managed the kill, that is how fast it all went.

Kendra sat away from them, watching the ritual but not really watching. It wasn't like anyone was bothered by her. They were all more focused on making her older siblings part of their cult. What did it even matter? She didn't believe in Mephala anymore. She brought nothing good to her in this life. Her life sucked, filled with pain and hurt. All she thought would stay wouldn't. She would always be alone, so in her eyes this whole ritual was utter bullshit. Wolves weren't loyal. No wolf was. Hence why she was watching and not really watching at all, sunken in her own thoughts.

With the vows spoken by all three of them (Cicero's unenthusiastic words didn't go unnoticed), Kove praised them all, something that made Potema smile. She was wistful, thinking of her mother as Kove spoke. She would be proud, wouldn't she? Of them at least, not of what happened... What would she think of what happened?

Potema smirked evilly at the sacrifice's approach, her tail swishing at the thought of sacrificing to her god and goddess. The sacrifice looked complacent, with a twinkle of innocence in its eye. She stepped forward, ready to draw blood, only for Cicero to jump ahead of both her and Damien and sink his fangs into the sacrifice's neck. Potema scowled, having wanted to prolong the sacrifice's death; at least to let a bit more blood spill out.

Damien had a similar feeling, pushing roughly against Cicero to secure his position as the killer. Potema, neither a fighter or hunter, settled to sinking her fangs in a different part of the sacrifice's body. Her fangs met in the sacrifice's haunch, knowing that the flow of blood would be strong and steady back here as up towards the neck.

Final round, finally!
@Cicero and @Potema have joined the Dark Council and the pack has been given instructions. Feel free to join, or not the howl, but Damien will notice your choice and have it in mind for future occasions. We will likely be implementing a hierarchy system aside from the pack ranks, so this may have an impact there if it gets through!
- @Nemesis @Kove @Kendra @Mikasi -

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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.

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Mikasi will be in the background :)

 He had been late to the ritual, to his dismay. The male traveled as quickly as he could, hoping he wouldn't miss too much. When he had finally arrived, Mikasi stayed in the back, not wanting to seem disrespectful. The hope of not missing much was gone, because he was only able to catch Damien's last words and claim on Blackfeather.

 The male studied his surroundings. Things seemed to be relatively normal. There were all the familiar faces, the only things out of the ordinary was the deceased body and no Burke. Why wouldn't he be here? That was a question for another day.

Kendra's pale eyes instantly locked onto her brother's when he mentioned her father's name. Her eyes with clear disgust, yet it wasn't for her father, it was for Damien himself. However he would not know that. The girl was done with this. Mephala wasn't real. It was all bullshit. How come she had such a crap life so far? No, Damien was selfish and only cared for himself. This was what he wanted all along and he didn't care for the collateral damage.

The male kept speaking all sorts of things Kendra felt distanced from. When the male howled for his claim, eyes up to the sky the girl instantly turned and used the shadows as a way of vanishing. She was like a teenager that was forced to go to a church, as soon as it was over she was gone. The girl felt herself grow more distanced from all of the wolves in this pack. They didn't care at all, they just wanted the power she hadn't even cared about. She just wanted her father and brother back.

- Kendra Exit -

The bloody scene did not faze Cicero much. He had taken his place after Damien and Potema ripped the body from his teeth, sitting down and waited for them to finish. With stoic mismatched eyes he watched the scene, unfeeling. He was glad that he had taken her life quick, for such a willing sacrifice deserved nothing less in his opinion. He had intended for her death, so to be splashed in her blood did little to him. It was the way of the pack, and to be truthful, he felt like revelling in the blood himself. He was not so sure what even stopped him; perhaps it was that he was still in mourning for Burke and Malice's departure. Maybe next time.

It was surprising and yet predictable when Damien appointed both himself and Potema as his co-leaders. While Potema brought some brains to the otherwise selfish and abbrassive team of Damien and Nemesis, she too was known to make decisions in her own favour. If not for her decision and wish to take Malice's pups for the Brotherhood, perhaps they would not have felt such dire a need to flee.

And so he decided that he would take the position Damien had announced him in, for now. He would see if time would see him fit to carry this task and burden. Time would tell how that might evolve, if it did. For now he decided he would watch over them and see what needed to be done so that he could do it. He held his tongue for now, silently accepting the tasks bestowed upon him — ironically so, considering the title he was dubbed.

As the ceremony was concluded, the male had stepped back. Briefly, he'd observed the marks made, before returning to his previous location and settling down to hear that which was to be said. He had supported Damien, and perhaps always would, and so he'd remained attentive until the very end. With the three spiderlings having each been marked and then made into leaders, order seemed restored. It was Meldresi's blood that would lead the pack and Brotherhood alike, rather than a disloyal man that was interested only in satisfying his personal needs. Things had returned to how they'd always been meant to be, and so the Inuit was proud; he felt it not only for the pack as a whole, but for his long-time friend and the boy's siblings.

Without word, he'd joined in on the howl, letting his voice merge with the others. Blackfeather would be returned to its former glory, and would then become the same home that he'd gone away from so long ago.

From his place near to Kendra, the boy had been watching the entire scene unfold. His father had left, only to return a short while later with an unknown female in tow. Curiosity had led to his gaze never leaving the gathering of wolves, watching as a life was taken and then the marks of the Brotherhood bestowed—the very same mark that he wanted. Would he, too, someday partake in the killing of another individual? Would it be required of him? Either way, excitement could be felt bubbling within his chest, but it was not for the newly appointed leaders. It was for himself, and the future that he would surely achieve.

Xan had only really paid attention to the parts that had interested him, everything else having been listened to but not actually heard. And when a howl had began, he'd waited, eyes trailing after a familiar form as she departed until his father's voice had drawn his attention back in. It was then that his own head had tilted back, joining in on the howl and pushing any thoughts relating to Kendra to the back of his mind.

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.