Bearclaw Valley nevermore

All her life, the daedra had whispered to her. Now, Maegi finally realized that she did not want to whisper back. Not to all of them, anyway.

The raven had led her to a nearby sect of the Dark Brotherhood, which took her aback slightly, though she remembered, long ago, Vaati telling her that there were others. There she had demonstrated her knowledge, proved her loyalty, and thus was inked with the crimson pawprint upon her shoulder. It was everything she had ever yearned for; it was the culmination of sacrifices made, dedication given.

So why did she still feel so empty?

For one, the name "Dark Brotherhood" in and of itself was one of exclusivity; she was not, and never would be, a "brother." The moniker ruled out, at least in theory, those strong-souled sisters like Relmyna, Potema—Meldresi, for Peryite's sake—and Maegi, too, for she'd come to associate herself with the likes of those women. And beyond

Beyond, for all of these women had been devoted to Mephala, but Mephala was no friend of Maegi's. Neither Mephala nor Sithis watched over her; just as her mortal parents had fled, so too had the Dark Mother and the Dread Father. To remain within the Dark Brotherhood would be a waste of her time and theirs. She would be living a lie; they would be contributing to it.

Mephala and Sithis be damned—and all those other daedra, too. Only Peryite remained, sickly and sour, near and dear to her heart. The rest of it belonged to living beings.

Mou. Her body ached without him, like someone had severed a limb. She had risen one chilly midnight with a gasp, surfacing from a dream in which he had come to her. So warm. . .and so real. And with the voice of Peryite screaming in her ear to go, go, GO!, she fled from the woods without a second thought.

Shot across the plains she had traveled, over rocky crags, slipping and sliding on ice grown too thick to break. The sight of familiar mountains soon graced her vision, but it was only until she reached the valley and its odd shape that she realized she was once again on the wrong side.

Ah, well. She was no longer the lost little girl, bleeding out from Nikan's torture; she was a woman now, albeit a young one. She had faced the demons of the world and won, damn it; she'd won every time. Nothing again would come between her and what truly mattered—she would make sure of it. She'd build a hill of bones upon which to rest, just she and Mou, and those who loved them, too.

There was no one here. Maegi was taken aback at the staleness of the border, giving a brief howl and receiving no response. She crossed over, tentatively, hobbling deeper into the territory. She had hoped to maybe find Kove's son here, or Indra. But they were gone.

She would be nearly invisible against the snow if it weren't for the mark of the Brotherhood. The girl had bathed in a stream, rubbing her shoulder raw against moss-covered rock to make it disappear. It had merely faded, though; a ghastly pink blotch on her pelt, to match the indelible mark on her heart.

A reminder from Mephala. . .that Maegi could run, but the daedra—and her troubled past—would remain with her always.

With the help of the one man (who was a catch. The coast seemed full of them!) Maia managed to find her way at least to the general area of the Hollow.  You would think since she found the place first she'd remember! But instead she overshot, and found herself in a valley surrounded on all sides by low mountains.

Come ON Maia! She groaned at herself, frustrated.  She knew where this place was, and she knew she could find it!  She just couldn't wait to see Terance, and every delay was starting to grate on her nerves.

This place does look familiar.  Kinda. she walked past the edging rocks and stared at the mountains on either side, trying to remember where from here she was supposed to go.  She was too engrossed in talking herself through this to notice Maegi at all.

The sight of the patchwork-pelted girl brought her hackles up, and Maegi turned to face her head-on, eyes flashing. Funny, that. She didn't even belong in this valley—it had only been her home for a short time during a convalescence she hardly remembered—but still, somehow, she felt protective of it. Perhaps for Kove's sake, for the Apaatas who dwelled (had dwelled?) here.

Are you part of the Bearclaw Valley pack? the Melonii demanded, hobbling toward the woman with a determined set to her chin. She took a deep breath, and her eyes narrowed further in suspicion. You don't smell like here, she added, almost an accusation, though riding that fine edge between wariness and outright hostility.

This young woman wasn't much older than Maegi herself; still, she knew all too well that no threat should be underestimated. She stood and waited for an acceptable response, bi-colored gaze drilling into the other.

Oh woah.  Someone was here, and that someone was... pushy.  Maia took a step back, instinctively looking around for a pack.  Bearclaw valley? Ah, no.  I'm just looking for my brother.  He has a pack somewhere close and I thought it was this way but this place doesn't look super familiar so I'm not really sure where I'm supposed to go from here.  Wow, breath.  

She took a deep one, smiling uncomfortably as the girl glared daggers at her.  Normally Maia might have been a little miffed to be getting the third degree but she did not want to mess with a pack if she'd accidentally wandered on their claim.  Sorry!  For good measure.  Hopefully friendly charm would help here?

Ron Howard, Narrator: Friendly charm would not help here.

It did ease tensions, though, at least by a small measure. The way the young woman answered—too forthright and youthful to be sinister—made the tension in her shoulders relax, and she let out a small breath, nodding slowly. The fire in her eyes dimmed. . .for now.

It's okay, Maegi said, not really sounding sincere but at least not openly hostile, now. There used to be a pack here, but I think they might be all gone. I don't know what happened to them or where they went. Ah, well. She felt only the slightest bit of camaraderie with the Valley wolves; she wished them well, wherever they were, but wouldn't try and find them.

Where's your brother live? she asked, pushing on past that point of conversation. I've been around here before; maybe I know the place. Doubtful, but what else was she going to say? After this question, she would go.

There was still definitely some tension in the air, but it no longer looked like she was going to get jumped any second now, so Maia did relax a tad.  She still kept her ears open, but news was good; no pack here, not anymore.  Whew.  Sometimes she got caught up and just kinda... missed borders.

His name's Terance, they're in a forest somewhere near here.  Lotsa trees, um... Yeah that described a forest all right!  And that was about all she could give, because short of finding the place, she hadn't stuck around long enough to learn it.  She flushed, though it was invisible.  Something about this girl kept her nervous.

The name was unfamiliar, and then the girl went on to describe every forest ever, which made Maegi scoff, a little. She shook her head. Never met him, the Melonii said, ruined mouth quirking slightly. Sorry. And there are a lot of forests around here; you might have to try looking in all of them. Gee, thanks Einstein.

I should go. Good luck finding your brother, she added, not without sympathy. She, too, knew the pain of feeling adrift from one's siblings; for her, it had been by choice, and that cut deeper. Maybe that was the case with this stranger, too.

With a brusque nod to the other, Maegi began to pad away, headed out of the valley. There was nothing here for her, not anymore. She had hoped to find some comfort and nostalgia here before making the journey toward the sea to reckon with her sins. As it was. . .onward.

Oh.  Okay.  She didn't try to stop her, though as she left, Maia's ears pushed back uncertainly.  The meeting had been bizarre and even less helpful than the other stranger.  What way did she go?  According to her - all the ways?

She'd had a direction in mind when she started speaking, and she was going to take it! For once, her gut instinct would even be right.

She took one last uncertain look back, then shook her head.  Maybe she was just in a hurry, who knew.  Anyway! Time to go find Terance and tackle him to the dirt with a hug <3