Blackfeather Woods bloom, gloom & doom

@Astrid

Damien was a creature of deep thought, those thoughts often too dark to bear alone, but he had never really shared much with anyone else. He was usually content to spend his time alone. His mother was no longer around, and with her his safe haven had disappeared. now he was truly alone, and from time to time he just felt that isolating himself would kill him.

So, although it was a rare occurrence, Damien sometimes sought out the company of others, not actively, but placing himself in reachable areas where he was likely to come across another soul. This time, for some reason, he went near the denning area - particularly close to Nemesis and Kove's lair. And there he laid down, pulled out the Moose femur he'd brought along and started gnawing at if feverishly

The little, star-kissed girl was always wandering, especially now that she could move freely in and out the den without a pardon. Everything was going smoothly - save for a few hiccups she meant to "fix". She had to find a way to let her mother see she could do just as much as Abraxas, have her favor her over him before her mother made a big mistake by perhaps giving this place to her silent brother, and she still had to make some connections in this forest. So far, she knew the male with the white chest who had so rudely picked her up, father, mother and her siblings. It was not nearly enough - she needed a flock of wolves to adore her, of course.

And what a day it was to do exactly that. The familiar man was lying down very close to what she called her home, and the dots on her cute face raised as she pulled up an eyebrow. She made her way, proudly and bold, toward him - speckled tail high in the air. Never again would he pick her up. 

Makik. She spoke to him, not knowing if he could understand her father's language as well as her mother and brothers. Ânniaven? She asked him with a grin.

Her approach had been noticed long before her delicate voice reached Damien's ears. Her scent was by then stored within Damien's memory, and despite her rapid growth she was easily recognizable from her siblings. The light shading around her eyes and the speckles all over her body had always picked up Damien's attention. Eyes of moon silver looked up as his tail offered a friendly wag, and the femur between his paws got a short rest as Damien attended the star-kissed spiderling.

"I can't speak Inuttut," he informed the girl, recognizing the sound of it as Kove's mother tongue. "I know you can understand me, Astrid," he added then, figuring that Nemesis would have taught them the common tongue since she did not talk Inuttut herself.

She took some time to really look at him closely, now that she was given the opportunity to do so. He was not at all like Father, more like mother if she was being honest. For a long time she had thought Damien had been a brother too, but since he never treated Kove and Nemesis like parents, that theory had been thrown in the trash. He carried with him a paw of some red liquid that smelled somewhat intoxicating and exotic and a mark or scar of some sort. It had a body, and 8 "legs", and Astrid was kind of jealous. Why did she not have these marks? All she had gotten were some speckles. On his chest, a patch of white lay neatly positioned between his bulky shoulders - and a long scar ran across his face as if it split him in two.

Very well, Ipik. She murmured, letting her young body flop to the ground with only a small bit of grace and femininity. I asked if you were in pain. She informed with a smile that was neither sadistic or sweet. It was somewhere in between, as most of her facial expressions. 

Damien allowed the girl to settle beside him, ignoring the Inuttut muttering as he resumed the bone chewing. But she demanded his attention once again, repeating her question, this time in the common tongue. Damien observed her expression with a deadpan stare, which slowly turned into an amused grin. "Pain?" he chuckled, a deep laughter that rumbled his chest. "What makes you think that, Nyx?" he asked, using her middle name as he favored it over the one her parents had given her.

Unlike the first time they'd met, Damien was grateful that the star-kissed girl could at least manage speech this time around. He didn't have it for certain, but he'd come to that specific place for a reason that day. Was it Kove, Nemesis, or anyone else for that matter, that he'd been meaning to find was unknown even to him, but he felt a lot like glad to have found the little girl anyway.

Why she had not noticed the bone he was holding, she did not know, and she hid that she had not seen it upon entering the scene. Not often did she miss details, but Damien's appearance had just been too interesting for her to focus upon anything else. Not that she would admit that too. Her captivating eyes stared in his cold yet entrancing ones, many tiny dots on her face moving as she raised a brow. Had she amused him, perhaps?

Nyx? She questioned. It sounded familiar, as if it had been said around her, but she could not remember what it meant or who had called her it first. You looked... droopy on your own. She explained, a little softer, ashamed that she had wanted to comfort him if he was feeling low today. She blamed it on instincts - for she knew he was definitely the alpha male around these woods, and she needed to get on his good side.

Her stare caught his attention, and for a while he held it with his own icy eyes. She carried herself with confidence and pride, traits that reminded Damien of his own infancy. He'd been the boss ever since he could remember, in control of his surroundings as though he'd been born for the task, and he had come to believe that to be true.

There was shame in her eyes and soft voice for a moment, to which Damien offered a reassuring gesture of his snout, nudging her head up as though telling her there was nothing to be ashamed of. "I was actually hoping you'd join me today," he said, unsure still of whether his statement was true. For a reason he'd come there, and for a reason Mephala had pulled her out of the den to find him. The only thing left to do was to find out why.

"Nyx is the goddess of night," he explained, seeing that Astrid wasn't familiar with her daedric name. "She's also known by the Name of Nocturnal," he added, linking his previous statement to the lore of which he was keeper. "I gave you and your brothers Daedric names so that you'd be guarded by our lords, the Daedric Princes... I believe you've heard about them," he teased with a taunting smile, trying to gauge a reaction from her girly features.

In some ways, Astrid could relate to Damien. She also though she was the boss around here - especially when it came to her brothers. While she was not the oldest of the litter, she definitely acted like it. Why? She asked with big eyes. Yes, she was amazing, but why did he want her around? It was not like they got along well or that she had been nice to him. A voice told her she should feel honored, yet she felt nothing. She was just confused.

Ajaitsiavak... She breathed out, her habit of talking her father's language overtaking her once more without a single thought. She did not feel like correcting herself, even if she had remembered he could not understand. I do not know about them. Tell me. She informed and demanded of him. Her bi-colored eyes were wide, ready to soak up any new information about the interesting religions in this dark forest. Maybe she had been told about them, but she could not remember. Perhaps as she grew, her memory would get better. 

To why Damien did not have an answer. Out of all the Spiderlings of her brood, Astrid was the one on which Damien had found the most interest. It had to do with the fact that she'd been promised to him as soon as she'd been able to stand on her own paws, but her peculiar personality, likened to his own, fueled his curiosity even further.

"You're a lot like me," was all he said, and he'd offered a smile to go with it. He didn't explain why, hoping that she would ask again, but to her other question he didn't hesitate to answer.

"The Daedric Princes are the true divinities, the ones with power," he said, inspiration flowing easily through him. "They live in another dimension, which we call The Void, while we're bound to this mortal plane irreparably. We can't understand them or their morality, but we can sense their energies shaping our surroundings," he explained, glancing at the shadows cast by the forest all around him. "Mephala, for example, is a sewer of discord, master manipulator and Prince of unknown plots and obfuscation. She is the one we work for," he added, enthusiasm about his lord clear in his voice, "but there are many others... Each ruling over metaphysical aspects of our reality. There's Hermaeus Mora – The formless Prince of knowledge and memory, Mehrunes Dagon – The true Master of destruction, Sheogorath – The infamous Prince of Madness, whose motives are unknowable, Vaermina – The old Prince of dreams and nightmares, bringer of omens and premonitions," he listed, each name bringing his voice  to a deeper and hushed level, as though the trees were prying on him. He stared at the girl, holding her attention with his pale eyes and his breath to add, "and of course, there is also Nocturnal – The beautiful Mistress of Night and darkness, the patron of all things secretive. Prince of thieves and ruler of the mysterious realm of Evergloam," and fall silent in anticipation of Astrid's reaction.

Not yet did she know she had been given away as some kind of gift to the man before her - that she would perhaps one day carry his children instead of being given a choice to pick a suitable partner herself. If she had known, she would've avoided Damien at all costs, even if he were the king of the woods. She did not like being controlled and would not likely play along if elsewhere she could find a place she could rule instead. But, for now, she found enjoyment in being around Ipik. He was more... verbal than her brothers, nicer than her mother and not nearly as serious as her father. Yes, with time, she believed they would get along just fine - if he were to not pick her up again, that was.

One eyebrow raised, and with it did her freckles. You are a boy. You are grown. Your eyes... they lack color. She pointed out only a few things. We are nothing alike. She shrugged. What made him think they were alike? Was it a compliment or an insult? She did not know how to take it.

Shifting into a more comfortable position, she perked her ears and paid all the attention a child could pay to a story. Well, she supposed these were not just stories. They were what they believed - what she was to believe to be apart of these woods and their deep culture. She understood, she was willing to learn - and that could be counted as an achievement for the male. She had to come closer to hear Ipik better, for his tone became softer with each higher being he counted, and Astrid wanted to make sure she did not miss a thing. The names were all stored in her brain, and she repeated them silently a few times. Luckily she had a great mind to remember details. 

You named me after a beautiful Mistress? She asked after a silence that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. And I assume all these true divinities have their own stories, right? Does Nocturnal have one? She asked a little later, not wanting to drop the topic for she was genuinely interested. 

Since I know very little about TES I took all of it from here to write this post lmao

"You're right... We don't look alike a lot..." he answered to the girl's notations with a nod, "but we're both strong, and meant for great things..." he added, clarifying his point to the young princess and hoping to stimulate that ambition he'd seen in the small one's early blue eyes. It was satisfying to have all of her attention as he spoke to her, for Damien believed his deal with Nemesis to be an apt one for his and his pack's future. If he did things right, Damien would have gotten himself a loyal, and politically beneficial wife, whose good genes were undeniable. That was all a male of Damien's position could ever ask for.

With her undivided attention, Damien's words to Astrid flowed like the creek around them. Flawless, charming and deep was his voice as he delved into the aspects of his cult. "And aptly so, if I may say," he complimented with a charming smile, for Astrid could only become beautiful from that point ahead. And again he smiled to the girl's question, but this time his smile carried a mystery to the edges of his lips that were only fitting for what he was about to share. "She has many stories, but none... She is the Daedric Prince of mystery... From her realm to her teachings, she remains forever inscruttable, forever the unknowable..."

"She exists as an incarnation of the void that is Oblivion, shrouded in enigma and secrecy... She is the Daughter of Twilight, and the Empress of Murk... She is a goddess, the one whose sphere of influence is darkness and night..." he spoke as the dark ravens fluttered above, agitated by his words. They knew what he was talking about.

"Like I said, her realm is known as Evergloam... A place of perpetual half-light also known as the cradle of shadow... There, Nocturnal looks out over her plane of oblivion and the many pocket realms that reside within it such as the crow's wood: an eerie forest inhabited by all manner of bestial nightmare creatures, and dominated by the Blackfeather Court: a great host of sentient crows who make continual war with the wolves that also populate the forest," he explained, and a raven caws from above. His pale eyes lift up from the girl's bi-colored gaze, inviting her to do the same, and he finds the web of branches to their heads to be coped with blackbirds, holding the lupine duo in sight. They had been summoned by the words spoken by the dark master, for they related to lore of which they were full.

His voice, turned down to a whisper, spoke again to Astrid as his eyes held the crow murder's glare. "My mother named this forest after the Blackfeather Court... I believe I wouldn't have to explain why..."

She was surprised he agreed. Not many agreed with her. Maybe that was because her brother barely talked - and yes, that bothered her. Meant for great things. How do you know? Can you see into the future, also? She asked, not even sarcastic. She was genuinely interested in why he thought this of them. She agreed she would one day achieve greatness, but had not thought she had shown signs so early in life. She smirked at his comment. Did this flattery have a point other than make her more fond of him, or did it mean something?

She scooted closer to him, both due to the cold and the whisper she knew he would speak in sooner rather than later. She listened, ears pressed forward not in challenge but in pure curiosity. The ravens fluttering above did not escape her - they gathered above them, somehow attracted to the entrancing words of Damien. Where did they come from? Why did they stay? How could they fly?

She looked up with him to find a gathering of ravens on the branches above, looking at them as if they were meals. You do not. She whispered, agreeing that he would not have to explain the name. The story was still sinking in, but already she was filled with a fiery love for the lore that lay within these woods and in the other realms. She wondered if the more she went along with Damien, the more she would get to know about the woods and their workings - the world and the others. Her mouth was agape, her gaze never leaving the ravens. Would they leave now the story was over.

I'll fade here to start us a new thread! :D

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Pure curiosity filled the girl's words as she asked the dark prince whether he could see the future. Damien smirked, almost chuckling at the thought of him being a listener like his sister. No, Nyx, I'm no seer, he said, shaking his head with that smile still painted across his face, but let's say that being the Dark Master comes with its perks... I know some things... he added, bringing his voice down once more, suggesting that his words were for none but her.

Damien enjoyed the girl's interest in his teachings, and the sparkle in her eye as she listened was the reason Damien had chosen to be the lorekeeper of Blackfeather Woods. He wondered whether he would take it as a full-time job when he was older and unable to carry on the tasks of an assassin, and the thought did not bother him. But for now the short moments during which he was able to share what his mother had taught him were rewarding enough, and so was Astrid's company. He spent the rest of the evening with her, answering her questions with characteristic mystery for as long as she kept him company. The Dark Prince was warming up to the idea of wedding her at some point in the future, the night princess, a female brought up within his culture, adoring his gods, believing in his creed. That was all he could ask of whoever gave him an heir, and at some point, Damien knew that he would want that more than anything.

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