Blackfeather Woods Wicked Ways

@Nemesis @Cicero and pretty much AW :)

He'd travelled beyond the Greatwater lake, his large white paws having brought him to a darkened part of the land, a twisted forest standing within the distance. The male's cold sapphire eyes gazed upon the gloomy forest, its trees tangled and branches gnarled, giving it a more eerie demeanour. Darkened gray ears twitched at the cawing of the crows, the sound of their sudden cries causing his eyes to search the shadowy landscape, leathery nose lifted to the wind as he scented the passing breeze. Van's nose telling him a pack had made there home here.

Sapphire eyes watched the forest as the brute pondered, white paws bringing him closer to the borders as he scented the strong aroma of blood and piss. Vandal admitting the extra marking of blood to be a new and rather good touch. A singular ear twitched as the male found himself slowly admiring the coverage of the strange forest, his emotionless stare peering into the darkness that masked most of the internal terrain. A chill spiralled down the male's spine, his gray and white fur bristling on end as he rose his head, lips parting as he allowed a call to escape him. Vandal, even surprisingly to him, asking for an audience with one of the pack wolves that resided here.

When he'd finished his melody and it had descended to silence, Van gave a slight roll of his shoulders, his joints crunching some as he then lowered his head to the ground. Dark gray ears pivoting constantly as he listened out for the sound of approaching paw-falls. The male, though homeless and searching, wasn't really sure what to expect out of this. Since leaving his own family, he'd never really asked to join another.

Their numbers had grown as the days had gotten colder, the dark woman made note. Whether it was out of desperation or simply dumb luck, their destined followers had come to make a home with them for the time being; no matter how long that time lasted. No matter the quality of those newcomers who had dared to rest within their borders, the numbers was all the truly mattered. Those blind to their cultures would learn in due time, shaping each and every one to the Brotherhood's will as Mephala instructed. Traveling to the borders, she ran alongside her closest child @Abraxas, the boy who ultimately made the choice of acceptance, rather than the woman herself. The trick was to impress the kid, though many blind fools who came to their bloodied borders paid no mind the silent child; and egotistical trait the Silencer despised. 

Her looming presence made its way out from the darkness, pausing only to wait for her child to catch up; eyes flickering downwards to the male before her. No emotion plastered her face but hardcore ice, resilient to almost everything but the affections of her brood. The woman was a storm in herself, and with her she carried the fury of loss and abandonment many times over; not to be messed nor trifled with. In those moments she loomed down on the stranger, her very presence almost dared him to disrespect her rank, if he was that insolent enough to try. Alas, she knew nothing of the stranger nor the qualities he brought; therefore her Raven was required, the child to judge the soul and decide what was to be kept and what was to be thrown to the dogs. 

The boy accepted his task with vemour, pacing the borders with his mother and playing the roll of silent, staring, unselected judge. Not all were approved by the boy; and his disapproval was matched by the flashing fangs of his mother, this he knew. The boy had never been one for play.

He drew up alongside his mother, dwarfed by her yet unconcerned by this. He merely sat, expression blank and completely silent. His expression fell on the other fearlessly, and then he did what he exceed at. The boy stared.

He stood patiently, remaining silent. Though, it must have been only mere minutes before Van's empty stare fell upon a creature as black as night, eyes watching as she slowly emerged from the shadows of the forest. Vandal lowered his head some more, till his nose was near touching the ground; cold gaze falling upon an unexpected child in tow as the female stopped for only a second, the pup following not too far behind. Sapphire eyes noticed how the young pup supported a similar pelt to that of his mother, though his fur seemed more of a smokey gray shade as they approached.

Dark silver ears flicked back against his head as he watched the dominant pair, sapphire eyes peering from the large, charcoal female to the pup that followed by her side, to then sit and only stare at him; emotionless. For a moment, Vandal found his voice missing as he looked to the pup; it had been months since he'd seen such a young face, though this one held an unusual demeanour about him. It was obvious in a destination such as this, where their borders were not only marked with urine, but blood. And from what Vandal could assume, this pup hadn't had your normal, trivial upbringing. But what could one call normal, nowadays?

The male didn't know whether to speak first, or await till he was spoke to. Having lowered himself before the towering female and her offspring, Vandal found himself feeling somewhat vulnerable for the first time since leaving his original home. Tail swayed nervously behind him, brushing against the ground as black lips finally parted, the male speaking only a single word, ”'Evening.” His eyes looking between the two before trailing back to the ground, ears still pinned to his head as he fell silent, feeling his audience peer down at him with their discriminating stare.

She disregarded his greeting, to be truthful. Little did she care for what he felt, or the need the stranger carried to put up the polite play of innocent respect. It was not to her that his greetings would fall upon, but her child for it was in the boy, that the stranger's future lied. However, her child would not speak for the amusement of another; only when the dire time came would the boy use the vocal chords he was born with. The mother herself had only heard her child's voice once since his birth and still, it did not bother her. In the absence of Abraxas' speech, she would be his mouth to ask the questions he would not, to speak for what the child ought to know when making his decision. "What do you want?" Her inquiry met the silence, optics narrowing upon the male. Her patience had run dry through the day, her children having used up what little tolerance she had managed to salvage. For this fact, her tone was dry, leaving absolutely no room for small talk of any kind. Her job was to instate and accept, yet often the task grew wearisome. In the future, she hoped to see Abraxas take on the task himself as an official job of the Brotherhood. Already, the boy was on his way to becoming far greater than her expectations had inferred, beyond all that the others of the litter would ever accomplish in their later days. Who the boy deemed suitable and who was not meant more than the worth of the world to her, and for that, it was truly not Nemesis who the man had ought to impress. 

The male before them spoke but a single word as he lowered himself, seeming a little...uneasy. he did not evert his stare, yet gave no notion to his thoughts. for there was nothing to judge; not yet, at least. however, the boy was patient,  and still silent he sat as he waited.

As his cold eyes stared down to his dirt covered paws, the male slowly felt somewhat anxious with the on going silence that commenced between the three of them. Vandal's blue eyes peering to the young smokey male and then finally to the female, whom he assumed was his mother, as her sudden response to his presence was cold and straight to the point, having completely dismissed his greeting. The young silver and ivory brute felt a slight wash of uncertainty grasp at him as he began to think about his decision; even though it was already too late. Dark silver ears twitched against his head as he cleared his throat to speak, two words leaving his leathery lips, ”A home.” Dark blue eyes looked back down to the pup; unbeknown to Vandal that his future lied within his paws. His black nose twitched as he finally brought his gaze to the night colored female, silence befalling the group once again.

Though he'd spent most of his life alone and also preferring it that way, Vandal knew he wouldn't survive the oncoming winter alone. So to survive he needed to join a pack and to join a pack meant being surrounded by others; playing your part. This he knew. So with this knowledge, (though his knowledge lacked when it cameto knowing the pack). His bushy tail swayed slowly behind him as he remained still, ”I want to survive.” He licked his maw for a second before adding, ”For a chance of survival, I offer myself and my services.” He kept his head low, eyes trailing from each of them before allowing his final words to sound from his mouth, ”Whatever you need the most, I'll do my best to become.” In truth he had no idea what would be in store for him in this place, that's if he made it through this icy welcoming of course. Vandal remained silent, his blue gaze cautiously peering from mother to son as he waited patiently, observing the pair.

last post for me! welcome to BFW!

 

The days got colder, and in no time would the snow fall upon the dark woods. Nemesis was no fool to decline a perfectly healthy man from their home when times of such need would no sooner meet their wake. Silence stilled, and not after long, the woman nodded. Eyes met her child who nodded along with her, and she returned to the man before them. “Very well, come,” She beckoned, leading the man within the dark woods. It would not be for a little while that the stranger would learn about the Brotherhood and it's existence, and until then, he would be watched. The trail period began before the man would even be made aware, and for his sake, she hoped he stuck around long enough to see what he may become. He said he would adapt to what they were lacking, to what has needed, and it was those wolves she found were the most devout. They were willing, and perhaps, even blind. But no matter, it was the will not to live but to survive, within the wolf that brought forth the best. “You may survive very well here,” Her tail swished behind her.

After a moment if careful staring, eye contact was made an an affirmative nod given. Then his gaze was back to the male, chin lifted proudly and eyes of ice boring into the other's, a silent message. And a warning, to quite simply, don't screw up. For the boy knew what happened to those who did, to those who did not meet his approval, and seldom did they rise after his mother's jaws had ended them. 

Then boy slipped after his mother, into the shadows were his small form vanished quickly.