Shadewood spare me the details

@Cry backdated a few days maybe? @Nocturnal (and Lumi) @Zan @Flicker (?)

Never mind the disillusionment of his family's betrayal, never mind the loss of a home, two homes, a place to belong. Never mind the heat, and the loss of his apetite. Damien was still here.

And his family, the ones that really mattered, were with him. Venamis would be found one day and brought back where he belonged, and they would take it all back. Everything. All the lands, the titles, all the power and the soldiers. Damien Melonii's legacy would not be ash and dust. Damien Melonii's legacy would be the world, and his children to rule it.

As a child Damien had been hot headed and impatient. As a child Damien would have demanded to be given the things he felt entitled to. But Damien was a child no more. There were times for war and there were times for power. But most importantly, and this Damien had finally understood and taken to heart, there were also times for laying low. Until he figured out a way to make things work, Damien had his family to look after, and he was lucky to have a back up plan.

Only at the Keep's doorstep did Damien stop to rest. With a whole family on tow the shadow king had forced himself through a most tiring and dangerous journey, but he had the assurance that he would find a welcoming friend to make up for it. With a hopeful howl did Damien announce his arrival to his benefactor, and there, without lowering his guard for the sake of his children's protection, he waited for someone to attend his call.

@Amaya had done well, leaving her cookie crumbs lovingly to their doorstep, her playing the Melonii as the fiddlemaster should have. Regardless, the singular timber greyscale woman led them with a determined and brisk pace to the borders. Cry hadn't known she would return so soon with the catch. But indeed she came home with the bounty, and that tended to be the actual Melonii. Cry came forth with the howls, melting from the forest like a true phantom. Greeting them with no hostility in his gait, his voice only came to be once he came close enough to hear better than speak. "Greetings, Amaya...and hello to you as well, Melonii." His tone was calm and appreciative of the presence of the company, though his heart was thudding as he wondered what brought the ones he sent Amaya to spy on to their doorstep. Hoping she didn't get caught in her mission, he didn't ask. 

Remaining as patient as he could, he awaited the meaning of this meeting. Eventually the seconds tickeled his gullet before he asked curiously "What brings you to  the Keep?"

She'd returned to the keep after a lengthy absence and felt she should be home. With the family from the Melonii at the borders with her she didn't see any reason to return for more information. She belonged in the keep and she wanted to know how Cordelia was getting along. She just hoped Cry would be in agreement with the decision she'd made.

When his dark figure appeared and greeted her she gave a respectful bow of her head, "Hello Cry, it's good to see you again," she greeted politely. After that she remained quiet to observe how the keep leader would handle this new development.

The pain in her chest was near to unbearable. She'd lost her child, her ward and her home in such a short time that she really wasn't feeling well. She wasn't eating or sleeping much and the only ones she somewhat exchanged words with were Damien and Tulugak. Even Lumiya was treated coldly, almost as if Nyx blamed the disappearance of Venamis on his siblings who didn't keep him in check, but she knew deep down that it was all her fault. Even the child she adopted and raised to adulthood had left her, awarding him a nice place at the top of her shit-list, but at the moment she was more sad about him than mad at him.

With her raven familiar on her shoulder did she follow behind quietly, keeping a close eye on her remaining children. When the children even stepped a little out of line, Tulugak swooped down near them to scare them back into place. They weren't about to lose more Spiderlings, not on their watch.

They arrived at their allied pack's border, her expression defeated and tired. She kept her lips tightly pressed together, looking to her mate to answer Cry's questions before she pressed her nose to the Lumi's back to get her to sit down.

She was scared. Her brother had disappeared and, even though she didn't like him, she missed him somehow. He was the only one paying any kind of attention to her. Well, no, that wasn't true anymore. She felt Mother's eyes burn on her small frame almost constantly, her raven friend rudely keeping her from picking any flowers or gather the few herbs she now knew about. She hoped the place they were going to would occupy her mother so she was free to explore a bit more, but somehow she doubted it. This all made her feel very unhappy, so she stuck close to Father whose broad and tall frame was comforting to the svelte little Lumi.

With a small huff was she pressed down by Mother, but she looked up to the stranger coming to greet them. He was handsome. So was the lady she assumed to be Amaya because Mother and Father weren't called that and neither was she or her siblings. Mother was quiet so Lumi assumed she should be too, giving a confused little look up to Father. Surely he would explain.

He watched the trio, unaware of the last pup, @Revan, who’d been hidden with the siblings, and wondered what might become of their small family now that their supposed ‘enemy’ was among their unit. An indisputable tool of turmoil would baffle the common wolf, but Cry was no common wolf. He had his share of working behind enemy lines, and surely this could be no different. “Regardless, welcome to the Keep. Keep your eyes peeled; storms brew in this sect of Teekon whether we like it, or not.” His patience boiled with most of it, but what could you truly accomplish without it? Without trouble, clarity was often not found. It was the detail of this crack which would bring about change, and Raziel had come to accept this. 

No no matter how wicked it would soon become.