[J] Descending into Darkness

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."