Blackfeather Woods your beauty makes them weak

no need to match the length of this. i was super inspired and as a result i wrote you a novel, haha.

the ravens hold a significance to those more familiar with their ways than the tundrian, he knows and though he has never spared the birds more than an errant thought here and there he admittedly finds it rather fascinating that the largest of the bunch that inhabit their home gifted her with it. is that a sign from their gods, wintersbane wondered? or did the largest raven find her an ethereal sight as the man before her did? the gamma lets out a contemplative hum with a soft smile as his gaze touches the feather once more as it flutters along her flesh as the dark priestess looks towards the canopy.

"i'm glad she's pleased with me," wintersbane replies with relief, shoulders steeling and chest rising to use his silver-blue mane to protect him from the brief icy wind that rushes around them. "i was nervous that i upset her by not praying the day we first met." but as a man that spent most of his time being selfish it didn't seem right to pray for anything when he had no one else to pray for. holy words, he personally feels, should not be for himself. if he is to pray it should be for someone else who needs it more than he; it should be an act of selflessness.

a laugh leaves the listener's lips, a low sound that wintersbane finds rather pleasing; made more so by the fact that it was jovial, borne earnestly followed by her mouthing to him that the night mother listened to them even now.

the jovial moment turned serious with a quickness that wintersbane found a bit disarming. the listener mouths of change, danger and monsters that are drawn to the woods because of it's magic. change wasn't necessarily a bad thing but as he assumed the change she spoke of was linked with the danger and monsters it stirs something in wintersbane's breast; the studious and purposeful stoking of a fire. defiance, determination, and a ferocious protectiveness of a place and wolves that have come to mean something to him in a very short amount of time.

with moonspear he'd been rather indifferent about it all; about the pack and even to an extent his ex-girlfriend. maybe, wintersbane considers, it's because he's always belonged here. "they will have to get through me first." his words are a rough rasp; a promise. a promise to her and to the daedra that he knows now are listening. the thought of battle does not scare him; he's a beast built and born for war; it runs through wintersbane's veins just as thoroughly as cunning ran through arturo's own veins ( and though he spurns the the idea of being anything like arturo he has inherited traits from the gangster too ). the gamma is the product of generations of battle-born soturi and he does not shy away from the prospect of danger. it unnerves him, yes, shown only in the bristle of hackles along his spine. he's finally found happiness and looks to the future with bright, hopeful eyes ( settling down, starting a family of his own as just a few of the top things on his list ) and the prophecy of having it threatened by the vague dangers and monsters she mentions does not, admittedly, sit well with him.

it comes with the territory, he thinks. there are always obstacles in life, this wintersbane is no stranger to. the reputation of blackfeather woods is so twisted and dark and drives fear into the hearts of many to the point that wintersbane ponders the consideration that such fear might cause wolves or packs that feel threatened to lash out in desperation. fear was a powerful motivator, yes, but it could also inspire bravery and courage. a cornered animal might be terrified but that only meant it was going to lash out and fight harder. which reminded him...

"i met a male a while ago; tried to recruit him. he told me that a woman named liri had warned him to stay away from us." wintersbane conveys to the listener with a soft rumble in his throat. wolves speaking ill of the woods might stoke that fear but it was also extremely bad for business. "he might not have been a good fit for us in the end but it troubles me that the rumors are costing us potential recruits before we've even had the chance to recruit." and, that was an issue from what wintersbane remembered. they'd been on the brink of extermination when he'd joined their ranks. he's contemplated finding this woman, having held onto her name for as long as he had; but he has yet to attempt to seek her out. what would he say? he is no leader and it's not his place to judge whether to address the ill-reputed rumors borne of past leadership or not to.

the tundrian looks to the dark priestess for guidance now, on whether he should pursue or cease and desist and let such concerns for the dark council to handle as they saw fit.