Blackfeather Woods Shadows fall

for a dweebee
@Astrid

Darkness falls and Damien rises. The flow of memories has begun to bring back the names, the faces, the smells, but none of his relationships seem to be clear enough in his head. He knows there are some with a more meaningful bond to him, some that he supposed should keep closer and trust rather than avoid. Among them sits his brother, whose memories are full of unsettling pleasure and vibrant sensations. There is also Kove, whose deep voice and wise words Damien had started to recall. But there is one that Damien barely understands, a young set of memories that flourished inadvertently and that keep the dark prince rolling around at night. Two eyes, none of which resembles the other, but that seem to stare at him with delight and curiosity.

It took him a while, a long while of wondering and hating himself for not remembering, but when he did the puzzle pieces matched to perfection. That was why she'd been so shook when Damien returned, and those eyes were hers. Damien had forgotten Astrid, and for some reason he still could not comprehend he felt completely guilty for it.

He didn't know where to find her anymore, she'd grown, she'd changed, and she was probably avoiding him. But Damien needed to remember why her memories were so inexplicably difficult to him, and so he wandered aimlessly around the forest, hoping to stumble across her at some point.

Having disowned one brother and sworn to never care for another being anymore, Astrid waited. She was still trying to figure out what she was waiting for, but it had to be something big - something grand that would get her out of the dark pit she had found herself in. Without her brothers - without her family, what was she? She was of no importance, had no real skills and lacked any sort of feeling for humour. Something had to change before she was forgotten, otherwise she would personally end her suffering or run away. The latter seemed exciting... But she knew she would never be forgiven if she were to just disappear one day. Just like him...

She had found a quiet, cold spot near the West border and licked her wounded shoulder with much effort. She tried hard to keep her wounds as clean as possible, not wanting to know the pain which came with an infection even if she was destined to like it. It was too dangerous, seeing as how no one was paying attention to what she was up to. She wondered then; how far could she go away from the brotherhood to find something bigger - something important?

She weaved her speckled, young body through the many trees to the blood marked border - the smell of which she had grown to hate. She then stared at the horizon, seeing mountain and grasslands and a cloud-filled sky as big as the eye could see. Was she truly destined to stay here?

He found her isolated near the western borders of the forest, just about before his patience ran out and he decided to give up. He was glad he hadn't, and his approach was gentle as he observed her looking into the distance with an emotionless stare that was far from what he vaguely remembered. "Nyx?" he called, a way to announce his presence and avoid upsetting the girl by scaring her. He knew he had enough bad points with her, and he truly wanted to find out why that felt like a real problem in his tangled mind.

For a moment did she linger on what had once been and how it should be; wondering what had went wrong. Had she been... bad? She could not remember and could not get herself to care anymore. If someone somewhere was punishing her, so be it. It was not like it mattered - especially not in the empty void that now was Blackfeather Woods. Or was it her mind? Confused and angry; she stared, but the longer she did so the more the white of everything seemed to fade. Everything was a boring grey - not bad, not good; in-between where nothing made sense and nothing was bothered or bothering.

His voice surprised her for a split second, having had no time to prepare for his sudden presence. She did not turn to look at him and instead let out a long sigh that surrounded her in grey even more. You had a lot of nerve coming back here. She said calmly, not the slightest bit angry or sad. She had rid her voice of those petty emotions and hoped it would one day happen to her feelings deep inside.

She didn't turn to look at him, nor did she lash with anger either which Damien was fearing. She had been rather emotional the last time around, insulting him in some tongue Damien didn't know and running away as though she'd been heart broken. All those things had gotten Damien thinking... What could have he done to hurt someone so much... And no matter from what angle he looked at it the answer was never clear. He was ignoring too many facts to get the whole picture right.

"Nyx I..." he stuttered, making him feel vulnerable like he'd never felt in front of anyone but his closest friends. "This is my home... I never meant to leave for so long," he said, rectifying his voice and reassuring his facts. He needn't any nerve to come back home, for he had nothing to fear within the dark woods, and no matter what anyone else thought Damien had never committed any act of disloyalty by leaving. But then his throat filled with guilt once more as the emotions resurfaced seeing the pain and confusion in which Astrid clearly was. He sighed, treading closer to the sad girl daringly.

"Nyx I'm having trouble remembering..." he revealed, feeling that he could trust it to someone to whom Damien's disappearance had felt so personal. He leaned closer to her, taking a seat in her vicinity and looking down to her dainty face with warmer eyes than usual. "Could you help me?" he asked, and that had been the first time in his life that Damien had willingly made himself emotionally vulnerable to someone else that was not his mother.

No longer would she be smothered in words meant for a child - the child she no longer was. At least, she did not feel like one anymore. The past - it was filled with moments of laughter and of comfort and it had all been torn apart. Whether it was because of her or someone else did not matter; it was broken and she did not have the power to fix it. She wanted to start anew - start it with someone else or alone. Her nose wrinkled at the thought of friends as if she had never truly experienced true loyalty and trust. Her eyes turned glassy - glistening with meaningless tears that she did not dare and shed. It was nice having Damien to blame, even though the problems lay both within her and the brotherhood. It felt empowering - as if it was the last thing to hold onto on a slippery, spotless mountainside.

The wrinkles on the bridge of her muzzle got deeper as he tried and make excuses. It does not matter if you meant it or not. You left either way. She told him in a stern voice - puffing out her speckled and scarred chest. Deep inside she wondered what had happened - what kind of adventure had stolen him from her for all this time, but that feeling was not powerful enough to make her act. Never would she reveal her desires to leave and walk the lonely road to find victory or defeat. Both would bring her pleasure, and staying here - unmoving and unchanging was only making her mind dull.

She bit her lip as he dared to come closer letting out a toneless rumble that was neither caused by displeasure or by anger. It was an act of silent power - silent dominance that she now held. She clamped onto the feeling it gave her while trying to concentrate. She was wondering if he was lying to make this whole event less destructive to his reputation. Frankly, she was not willing to help anyone but herself at this point. No one had cared for her - had helped her raise herself and grow up. Why should I? She asked coldly - gaze forever wandering the grey.

Wrong.

Believing that he could trust anyone had always proved to be wrong. Giving someone the power over his heart had always proved to be wrong. And like every other time in Damien's life in which he attempted to be a kinder soul, lean towards the light, become a little something other than darkness, showing Astrid his emotions had been wrong.

She shattered him.

The whirlpool of emotions in which Damien was caught in that moment pulled him off balance. Astrid had become pure rage, rage filled by disappointment, by sadness; and Damien, in an attempt to undo his choice of showing Astrid a more tender side, drew back into his shadowed corner, pulling out a scowl tainted with regret and standing up again as though he'd just been insulted like he'd never been before.

Damien simply didn't understand that Astrid was only asking him -- no-- begging him for a reason not to hate his very existence desperately, and in fact, he probably had a lot more power over whatever Astrid did next than he thought.

"I will leave you if that's what you want," he said after a nerve-wrecking silence trying to gather the little dignity he thought he had left, and stared, wanting nothing but to feel every gram of emotion from whatever the star-kissed girl showed him next.

Trust was an idea - a dream which Astrid had never been introduced to. It were the most silent of whispers that told her to forgive like some weakling - some toon that was only there to please. She had no one to trust and no willpower to forgive. Perhaps later she would regret this choice - this way of living, but for now it was what was keeping her standing. Every atom in her body wanted to scream and cry out for help - for comfort that was needed to mend what was broken and take away these hideous thoughts. Her eyelids rested in the centre of her orbs as her eyes got tired - refusing to blink away the pain it brought her to refuse Damien as a whole. This time; this time she would not fall for this game.

This battle of clashing emotions was heart-breaking - shattering, but it was necessary to start anew. Perhaps a fight was all they had left. One where everyone was wounded, and no one was left standing in the end. Meaningless was what it felt like, and necessary all the same.

His tremble earned the slightest of glances from the girl - bi-coloured eyes peering at his seemingly broken expression without an expression herself. He only cared for himself, did he not? Why else would he have ignored her? Perhaps they really were alike as he had once said. But that did not make things right. She snickered at his comment. Since when do you care about what I want? She questioned, rising from her spot. Her movements revealed her scars even more - not that she was trying to hide them from him. He was at the point in her book that she did not even expect concern for her well-being.

Laughter was the last thing Damien wanted, but laughter was what he got from the night girl in response to his reaction. There was no describing how uncomfortable Damien was feeling at that moment, how insignificant, how regretful, furious, sad; but it all summed up into stillness and silence. Damien had never learned to deal with interpersonal relationships outside his nuclear family, that was all he'd ever known... Strong emotions were simply too alien for Damien to understand and manipulate, so his only response available was to try and scrape them away. He tried, at least.

"I don't," he lied, protecting the little composure he had, believing that to be the only way to save himself from the doom that was feeling anything. He was almost too good at it, pretending, disguising... Not caring.

Almost...

Why did it not just hurt the way she liked it? Why did it have to actually pain her in ways she never thought possible? For a moment did her eyes flicker - a faint, somber frown on her young face before that, too, disappeared. Why did she care? Why couldn't she just stop - why couldn't he just stop pestering her with these haunting emotions that were not useful to anyone?! Anger showed as flames in her once friendly, wondering orbs of cool spring as the simple words rolled off his tongue. Whether it was a lie or not, she did not care. Both ways did it hurt - did it break her. The words were not as poetic - as full of mystery as the stories he had shared with her moons ago. Everything was crooked and broken and bent in these damned woods.

Then why do you speak my name as if you do? Why did you bother coming back - bringing me this pain - were it not to reclaim the throne you lost long ago? She asked as panic slipped into her voice. Deep down she was pleading him to just say nothing at all and curl up against her. He could not be what she wanted - no one could - which left her on her own. Atshen she had tried, and she was not about to embarrass herself yet again - never again.

There it was again, the sorrow in her voice, the pain in her eyes... The pain in his eyes...

Her words cut like hot knives as she went, pushing Damien backwards as the madness in her voice filled the air. How could he just stand there and watch, why didn't he lash out in return, why couldn't he simply reprimand her for her boldness... Were it another one, anybody, Damien would have taken their tongue for talking to him in such a disrespectful manner... But this time he simply didn't.

She asked answers to which he didn't really have an answer. Perhaps he did, but none would please her or himself the way they both needed. His one drive to come back had been his blood, his family, to protect them; but somehow Nyx wasn't excluded from that fold.

"I don't know..." he repeated, his throat made a full sailor knot by now. "This is my pack... I do not need to reclaim my throne because I never lost it." he stated, still oblivious to the fact that Nemesis was flaunting his title around town. But his words were a decoy to divert the attention from his-their pain. Damien was feeling cornered by Astrid's demands, but he did not know how to meet them.

Astrid felt it was her right to talk to her Forest King like this. He was no longer in charge and she believed he held no power over her. She was wrong. He definetly held some king of power over her - a power no one else held. Why she allowed him to play with her emotions like this was lost on her mind but her heart knew everything. But Astrid wasn't the kind of girl to listen to her heart. Logic - reasoning, actions with reactions and the clashing of personality traits. She knew naught of how it was to love and how it affected someone, simply because she did not believe it was that that was keeping her interest in Damien so high.

Her brows slowly furrowed. Of course she would tell him - if only to break his heart further. Nemesis holds the highest rank. She is in charge now. It did not show how much she loved those words rolling off her tongue - words that would surely hurt the man before her. She dared to come closer and yet held her tail neutrally behind her - looking slightly up at Damien. What is it you plan to do now?

The news of Nemesis' unspoken overruling hit Damien exactly the way Astrid wanted. He didn't believe it at first, not having had any thoughts about Nemesis' behavior since his return, not having crossed paths with her due to his seclusion, but would the night girl's words be true, Damien would have one very good reason to let out all he'd been holding back against the dark sister ever since Burke had wrongfully trusted her. How stupid could he be, trusting her himself...

The shock in his face morphed into a snarly grimace as the disbelief gave way to wrath. "That bitch!" he hissed, looking away from Astrid, forgetting she was there for a moment. But she was still there, looking smugly at him as though it had all been her own doing, and Damien's face turned to her, a scowl deeply rooted in his features. "She will know the wrath of Sithis..." he snarled, somber, determined. There would be no questioning his authority after he was done with her.

It was no real secret that Astrid disliked her mother more than most wolves in the dark woods. She wasn't sure, however, if she disliked Damien even more. She barely found it possible; perhaps they were on equal level when it came to how much Astrid hated them. For a moment did her eyes linger on the dark form of Damien, almost feeling the breaking of his spirit underneath her words of sheer despise. There was no denying that the first calm, reserved man before her had morphed into something of hatred himself. It was... admirable in a way.

She smiled slightly at his scowling face, not mockingly, and raised her eyebrows. The speckles on her forehead moved with every change in her facial expression. Good. She answered approvingly, deciding that it was best that the Forest King would indeed reclaim his throne. She hoped Atshen would be kicked down from the ranks too - wished her family the worst before she did Damien.

The pieces of the puzzle were slowly falling into place, and Nyx loved every second of it. The man before her had left, surely, but something asked her; was it his fault? Nemesis could have gone out of her way to comfort her daughter in the time of need; she held no excuse for what she had not done.

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For a moment he was alone, like the only living soul in Blackfeather Woods, like an arrow aimed at Nemesis, held only by the unstable hands of the eager shooter that was Damien's ego. But he was snapped back into reality by Astrid's voice. His face, become the definition of pure anger, turned to her in flames. Hard eyes, filled with fire stared down at her with the same, untouched rage, and she was object of his ire too for sharing blood with the traitor.

You! he exclaimed, taking one rushed, heavy step towards her, releasing his fangs from his lips' imprisonment. Do you support her claim, child? that was all he cared to know. Whoever did would fall right behind the usurper. There would be no one left standing after Damien was done purging his pack from the traitors.

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Whatever she had said had angered him - had broken him and now his soul lay exposed. Astrid had never imagined the Forest King as a child. She hardly knew him at all and had judged him for things that may or may not have been out of his control. Mother held the strings now, but Astrid had cut herself free a long time ago. It became apparent that Damien, too, was no longer held by her sickening spell. They could erase her together... how scandalous!

She remained calm, even as he snapped and turned to her - threatening the traitor's daughter that obviously had nothing to do with all of this. She had missed him - might've been the only one who had and now he was accusing her of standing with HER? She shook her head with a serious look - the board had been flipped, and now all the pieces were back on it, it seemed the tables had turnes drastically for the one claiming to be the queen of their woods. 

Absolutely not. She answered with a hint of satisfaction. Something bothered her though, and she felt like adressing it. Please refrain from calling me "child" - a child needs their mommy.

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His nostrils flared with anger as Damien expected the girl to pick her words. He demanded an answer, and little to nothing would please him if her chosen response didn't align with his claim to Blackfeather Woods. He knew nothing about the girl's relationship with her mother, nor the fragility of their bond, and so he was surprised to hear that Astrid did not support her own mother's claim to the pack.

Disconcerted and distrustful, Damien took one step back in silence, a frown looming darker in his face as he debated whether he should trust her or otherwise kill her before it was too late. But he could never fool himself into doing it, ending her life when there was still so much he needed to know of which only she had answers. Prove it... he demanded, and his judgement of her next actions would be unforgiving.

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She completely understood his distrust - she was a creature of logic. She had screamed at him - called him names and had even disrespected him to make him feel as ignored and abandoned as her. She was the daughter of Nemesis, but that did not define her. She was, in her humble opinion, prettier and way better with actually showing affection to the wolves she cared about. Not that that list was long or anything, but still. 

It came as no surprise that he wanted proof - and she had to figure out a way to convince him that she was on his side (or at least on a different side than Nemesis'). She took a deep breath and her ears slid down. She knew not much of actually being submissive, but she let her instincts run loose and with it came a bow. Her nose close to the earth, tail loosely hanging between her speckled legs, she almost crawled closer to him. It was this, death or a place beside her mother. The latter two options were out of the question.

If silent permission was given, she'd look up to try and lap at his chin with the smallest of whimpers. Yes, this was embarassing, but luckily for Nyx it was just Damien. She had the strange feeling he would not mock her for showing her respect in this way. I never bowed to anyone. She revealed.

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As though it was painful to do so the night girl forced herself to bow to Damien, putting herself down in the most awkward of positions to which the dark prince could only react by staring. But his stare carried a lot more than distrust. Yes, he didn't quite feel fully confident around Nyx yet, despite her willingness to lick his chin and show her most vulnerable side, and although her submission had done wonders to add even more fire to Damien's ego, he wasn't yet prepared to let her go on her way while the traitor, her own mother, was still out there believing herself righteous. There was still much left to desire. What good could she be to him, if he decided to spare her?

Why? he asked, a single word that trailed the edges of a growl, resulting of Damien's impossibility to simply ending Nyx's life and the need of a reason not to. Why do you bow to me and not your mother? he elaborated, holding his place and staring down at her with the fire of his honest desire to get the right answer burning through his eyes.

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It was... strange to stand so openly in front of Damien - crouched and bowed with a desperation for acceptance greater than her desire to wander. Her hate and fear of abandonment had been replaced with an eerie kind of lust she was unable to act upon but also unable to ignore. She wanted to be on his side - to please him. She certainly had attachment issues, but this was the other side of the spectrum. Suddenly she realised something; he had said he hadn't thought he had lost his throne. Did that mean he... partially came back for her? Astrid grasped that theory like fact and looked away when Damien spoke again.

Because... Even with your absence, you felt more like a friend to me than Nemesis ever felt like a mother. She dared not to look up, fearing she might say the wrong thing and did not wish to see her killer go for her throat. You said we were both meant for great things... Throwing her from your throne certainly would count as great... don't you think? She left pauses in her speech for a more dramatic effect - much like how he had told her stories moons ago.

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Her honesty had taken Damien to a calmer state, far already from the rage he'd felt just moments before when the realization that he was being played came up. Unlike Nemesis —whose only effect on Damien had ever been bringing the worst of him to stand out— her daughter was proving to be a soft spot. He hadn't realized this yet, of course... Else he would have probably done something about it, end it before it was too late... But Damien was still oblivious to the power he was starting to give the young night sylph over himself.

Yes... he said looking straight into Nyx and catching a distant flash of a memory. It was about the day he'd told Nyx what she was repeating to him, and the sound of his voice vocalizing the exact same words was as lucid as ever. With that, his acceptance of Astrid's proof of her true loyalties had been expressed. This time Damien had gone way below his own standards without even knowing it, but in his defense, there was something about Astrid, about the nature of their relationship that Damien couldn't quite put his finger on yet, that he felt a great need to preserve.

But what makes you think that I will allow you to assist me? he countered then, still looking right into each individually-colored eye. All you've done since I came here is reject me... I still don't know what to think of you... he explained, unknowingly letting show how heartbroken he still was about her ignoring his initial request. He didn't remember her completely yet, and the quote about greatness he'd managed to remember still lacked a context. He didn't know who they were to each other at this point.

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The fire dimmed - the rushing of blood through her veins was the only thing she could focus on as the quiet that came after her words left her lips stretched and stretched. Any moment with Damien could be her last - knowing that put her on edge since she knew fleeing now wasn't possible. She had to finish what she had started; with or without the help of her Forest King. Nemesis had to fall and the least Nyx could do was work against her in ways she would never expect. Astrid ultimately teaming with Damien instead of anyone else surely would be a shift and the thought brought a flicker of hope.

The hint of a smile played on her maw as he remembered and agreed. It was all she needed to be convinced of his true hate for the creature that called herself the mother of Nyx. The question that came after was unexpected and, at last, she looked up to try and meet his eye. Her brows were raised in shock and slight disbelief and the desperation in her eyes was clear to see.

I was bitter - I was... sad, but now that I know we hold the same goal in mind I cannot think of you fighting her alone... She said in a rather beaten tone. You are the closest I have to a true friend and I will stand beside you in the midst of battle - whether you wish for me to be there or not. She spoke now with an unwavering determination - her morals finally lining up. It would only take a few words from Damien to see if her world was doomed to be grey forever or would light up with colour as soon as their alliance was official.  

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He gives in to thinking as Nyx speaks of her intentions and her reasoning. Damien had felt truly hurt by the girl's response to his well-intended approach, and it was hard for Damien to move on from those things coming from someone that was as meaningful in his life. There were only few who'd managed to awaken true affection from the dark prince, most of them already gone, and Nyx was getting more rooted in Damien's fragile-but heavily armored heart.

Very well he decides, finding no way to give any other kind of response to the star-kissed girl. I could use an ally, he admits, looking at her with growing fondness and an ardor that he would only share with a true friend.

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In contrast to Damien, it was very easy to win Nyx's true affections. Damien; a large, strong male so stable you could build a house on him was very attractive to someone as her. Even when she "hated" him had she longed for him to get back home - back to her. She was simply a minion at that part; a deadly, sexy one, for sure, but not the least bit powerful. Disowned daughter of the false Dark Mistress, all she had was her brother and her Forest King. Allies... who also wanted to kill the other. How wonderful.

Her face lit up with the faintest of smiles - a huge step for someone like Nyx - and she nodded determinedly. I will not let you down then, Dark Master.

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I don't take these promises lightly, he warns, seeing the tinge of malice that always seemed to spark on the young one's hypnotic eyes. I will not let you down either, little nightingale... he says, sealing thus a pact from which neither of them had escape now. Perhaps that was how things were meant to be, it felt right... Eerily so.

You'll get word from me when the time to strike is right... he says in a low voice, words meant only for her, eyes meant only for her. Then he connection breaks as Damien turns to leave without anticipation. He delves into the shadows, silent, calculating, and shuts himself in that cloud of shadows in which his plan to get back to the top starts taking shape. Now he didn't only have blood on his side, but the very enemy's family under his command.

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