Blackfeather Woods There might have been a time

The sound of his own name drew his attention away from the sunrise, head turning to face the speaker: Vaati. To say he was surprised would be an understatement, though his expression, like in most situations, did not reveal this. He nodded, acknowledging him, which was followed by a simple, “Hello, Vaati.” He knew nothing of the younger male aside from his lineage, and even half of that was a mystery; he did not know of Kjalarr, having not seen Potema in a long while. All he knew was that the boy had risen to power somehow, taking over where Damien and Astrid had left off and had a leading role in the start of the war. For the longest time, and even slightly now, he’d viewed the yearling as an unfit leader—something he would have had no problem with saying aloud, should he be asked.

Kove expected trivial a conversation topic, something simply to pass the time, or perhaps an update on the progress of the war. Instead, he spoke of naming a new Listener. Interest piqued, his ears swiveled forward and he offered his full attention, listening closely to what was being said. Potema was not able to take on the role, so it was being offered to him in her place. In truth, he had never strived to lead before, content with working behind the scenes as a member of the Dark Brotherhood. Yet, at the same time, he could recall a time when Damien spoke to him about someday leading with the Melonii children. Since then, the seed had been planted within his head, though it’d received no attention—until now, that is.

“I accept,” he decided after a long moment of thought. “As a Brother, I can’t let this pack fall to ruins. I’ll accept the title, only to keep things from falling apart should you not make it out of this war alive.” He felt it his duty to Meldresi, too, to not allow her legacy to fail.