Blackfeather Woods I hope to God you're never leaving

@Damien @Kahlil @Aries - set on the day after she "stole" Kahlil, so yesterday or something XD Tiny bit of pp, tell me if you want anything changed! :))

She nuzzled both boys awake with a small kiss on each head as the sun lit up the sky; colouring the clouds a brilliant orange. Of course, in the woods you could only get a glimpse of the spectacle up there, but what was spotted was enough. Today was the perfect day; without much effort, she had retrieved two new souls for the woods, and she just knew Damien would be so thrilled! Whether he wanted to adopt the boys as badly as she did was up to him, but she truly hoped they could bond over these small beings that would grow up to be perfect warriors for their sake.

She ushered the bunch out of their den, leading them in the direction of Damien's den. She stopped halfway there, not wanting to show up at his den with two stolen children and wake him up with it. That'd be rude, wouldn't it be? So, she let out a long, happy howl for her lover Dark Master and waited for him to show up.

Kahlil prefers a private corner with his back against something solid — a mercenary habit though he does not necessarily pick up on this. He only knows that given the uncertainty of what Neo and him are meant to be to one another — it certainly looks like rivals at present! — he doesn’t necessarily want to sleep near the other boy. The pale boy whose once pristine pelage has begun to darken with dustings of faint soot color in his extremities stirred in his (light) sleep, on the precipice of awake and asleep when he felt a nuzzle and kiss to his head. It was an achingly familiar gesture that in his state of half dreaming nearly brought to his lips the word mama. His tongue, laden and heavy with sleep did not form the words but instead issued a contended sigh despite that he remembers — with sudden bittersweetness! — that his mother is so very far away from him. Sleepily, he peeks a blue eye: still in transition from milky to glacial open and takes in Nyx’s mismatched gaze and almost falls back asleep before he is roused further from slumber at her encouragement to awaken. He preens for a moment beneath Nyx’s affection.

Eventually he is awake, a little hungry perhaps but is corralled from the den with Neo by Nyx who took the lead though where she was taking them was presently a mystery to the thespian. As he becomes more alert with each step he takes his muscles tense and he spares continued glimpses at Neo throughout their journey, stopping when he nearly slams into Nyx’s hind leg. He adverts it smoothly by rubbing against her leg like a cat might, a slightly sheepish and slightly impish twitch of his lips given, ears fluttering back against the strong curve of his skull as she lifts her voice in summons. Anticipation breathes to life within him and his muscles tense with each passing moment making him into a Kahl sized statue as he scans the woods for whom Nyx has called to them, keenly observant.

He slept decently that night, better than he had the previous. But one could not be too careful - he would still have to be on his guard even if he was comfortable in the den. Only three wolves here he had encountered so far, and only one of those were somewhat trusted. Kahlil, though they had not known each other for long, was distrusted by Neo but he was still unsure what to make of him. The Svartell child would not accept a place below the boy, but it seemed they did share a few things in common. Both had been taken in by the Speaker, and both disliked the older child, Vaati. 

He was awoken by a nuzzle and kiss upon his head, which although he wasn't fond of (his mother had done it many times), he did not complain. Instead he opened his jaws and yawned, stretching his forelegs out before lifting himself up off the den's floor. He glanced at Nyx, curious as to what she had planned, for it was clear she wanted them to go somewhere. She ushered the pair of boys outside, where the sun coloured the sky a bright orange. The Spiderling noticed, as they walked, Kahlil glance at him a couple of times, so he nodded to the boy. A sort of silent greeting. The two might not be on the best of terms, but starting fights early in the morning would do neither any good. 

Then the Speaker stopped, and Neo copied, halting where he was. He gazed briefly up at Nyx before sitting down, waiting for any further instructions. He did not know why they were here, but after the daark wolfess called, he knew that they were here to meet someone.

I'm so excited omg

There were no warm mornings in Blackfeather Woods. The faint rays of sunlight that slipped past the tangled canopy weren't strong enough to give warmth, and so the soil was ever cold, perpetually covered by an eerie mist trough which the wolves had learned to walk. Damien was the same, as cold and ever-stoic as the darkness that engulfed the forest. He walked through the fog and always in the shadows, he belonged there, he'd been born there, he'd been conceived there, and he was sure that one day he would die there too.

That, however, did not mean that the Dark Master was always a stone-cold asshole. Damien had a kind side to him that he used whenever it was useful, whenever he saw profit potential, and that one morning seemed to be that kind of moment. He didn't quite smile, but his face was not the usual frown as he approached Nyx. The pups sitting next to her were hard to miss, and by the looks of it Damien could already imagine what was brewing in the night fae's pot. Good morning, he said to all slightly nodding in polite greeting. His eyes settled on the star-kissed lady for a moment before they danced over the two boys curiously. I don't believe I've met these two, he points out while his tail wags lazily behind him.

She made a mental note to feed her wards after their conversation with the Dark Master, seeing that one had been found hungry and the other hadn't had a proper meal she thought. Both were growing boys, and she needed them in their prime to shape them into the warriors the brotherhood needed. Of course, she also cared for their well-being, but saying that it was just to have more meat for their higher ranks was some sort of safety net for her. She had not seen Damien around kids before, except for her herself, brothers and his cousins. Where were those cousins of his anyway? She hadn't seen the little fiery girl in a while, but her scent was amongst them again. Perhaps she could pair the fiery girl up with one of her own boys for future warriors... how interesting that would be.

Soon enough the Dark Master materialized before them and she noted his calmer face. Had she gotten him on a good day? The air did not feel like solid ice around him anymore. Had he opened up to her, or was he holding back hatred  for the fact she had let the wards into their woods? She dearly hoped it was not the latter. Keeping her cool, she pointed at the whiter one of the two. This is Kahlil - and this is Neo. She introduced them, with a nod to the respective owners of each name. My wards - I found them both without a caretaker near. She informed formally. She left Damien to introduce himself to the boys - surely the massive man would find a way to impress them in ways her words could not. Do you like them? She asked then, finding his approval to be of the upmost importance.

Eventually, a dark figure emerges from the shadows, as if he is, himself, a shadow given form and the breath of life. Kahlil eyes the man that draws nearer to the trio mostly apathetically with muted curiosity. He cannot help but wonder who this man was and why The Speaker deemed it so important that he meet the two of them. Whether they are destined to get along or remain rivals for the rest of their days matters little: they are both in Nyx’s care and thus this makes them brothers of a sort. Not in flesh and blood, of course, and possibly never in bond but by Nyx, at the very least. The shadow greets them and the thespian returns the small nod of the Dark Master’s head with one of his own but chooses not to break his silent reprieve. He does not need to, not really, for Nyx is quick to make the introductions. She introduces him first — something that does not fall so easily out of the imperial’s notice and he cannot help the (slight) vainglorious puff of his would-be maned chest as his mistress nods to him in introduction. She explains how she came about them — it would seem that Neo is a similar situation to Kahl himself and at this the legionnaire spares Neo a quick glimpse but holds steadfast to his silence, turning gaze that is partial milky and partial glacial to the Dark Master as Nyx asks a question that hangs in the air with unparalleled anticipation: does he like them? It carries a weight to it, Khalil notices and cannot help but shift his weight as if he is Atlas and he bears the burdens of the sky. Unbidden Kahlil cannot help but wonder what will happen to them if the Dark Master does not like them and has a feeling that there is nothing good that can come of such a thing.

Sorry for crappy post!

Neo watched as the dark, shadowed wolf emerged from between the looming trees and greeted them (mostly Nyx), though his following words were seemingly directed at him and Kahlil. The Svartell child would have introduced himself, but he waited and listened as the Speaker did just that. He couldn't help but notice how she introduced the white-coated, younger pup before him, and although it was only a small detail, he shot Nyx a slightly questioning glance - though the spiderling gave a respectful nod in greeting to the Dark Master. Neo was slightly bigger than Kahlil, though that was most likely due to his age (he was a month older than the other the other boy), and he found it irritating that the younger boy puffed out his chest slightly at being introduced first. Neo ignored him, focusing his attention on the large male before them. If the boy thought that he was above him, then he was very much wrong. Neo would, as he had promised before, not take a place beneath Kahlil. He would, gladly, fight the other youngster for it, though there was no need for such a thing right now. No, they were meeting someone who the ash child assumed to be of importance.

Nyx asked for the man's approval of them, confirming Neo's earlier thoughts. This wolf clearly held a high rank, if not the top spot. The spiderling gave a respectful nod in greeting to the Dark Master, awaiting what words he might have to speak about he and Kahlil.

Sorry guys and thanks for your patience <3

Your wards? echoes Damien in a thoughtful tone, eyeing the spiderlings once more as though his evaluation was never going to end. He had always known the potential that existed in the young ones, the wonders he believed himself capable of achieving should he take the reins of their education soon enough... These two weren't as young as he would have wanted, but he'd seen beyond their age and through their eyes, there was ambition, pure ambition, and there was no drive more powerful than that.

They would do.

Well done, my dear... he speaks to her, still watching the little ones. They will be an exceptional addition to the Brotherhood one day, I'm sure of it... he added making sure to accentuate 'the brotherhood' clearly in an attempt to spark an interest in the young ones. He remembered his own pass through the spiderling ranks and how much effort he'd put into becoming the great mercenary he thought was today, he remembered the dreams and his own ambition. It wasn't blindly that he believed in the power of youth.

Damien did not introduce himself, leaving her wondering if he just like being concealed in mystery before her attention shifted to her wards. The mind games they were playing went over her head since she did not favour one over the other; they were her wards and as long as they did not betray their woods they would be until the day they grew up. Perhaps one was stronger, perhaps one was smarter, but their places were under her and besides each other. If she had known even the order in which she had introduced them in had triggered some kind of dominance game among them she would have scolded them both. 

She glowed up at Damien calling her his dear but was quick to conceal the pleasure that came with his approval of something she had done. I truly hope so. She nearly purred, giving both pups a glance and a smile to match her pride.

last post for me & khal! :-)

The soturi feels the weight of the Dark Master’s gaze upon him, knowing that it is focused just as much on Neo as well but is quiet, perhaps for once in his life. This feels like they have been brought to court to be judged and for the moment it matters to the young tundrian. No one can predict that in a month’s time it will cease to matter but for the moment it did and it begged obedience from the normally unruly child. He spoke of some brotherhood, spoke of it as if it was some big secret that he was offering them an elusive tease of only to pull it back without any further explanation. Nyx appeared to know what it was the Dark Master spoke of, though, so he thinks he may probe her for more information about it later (to be perhaps [and unknowingly] disappointed). He waits until they are dismissed before he returns to the den not paying much attention to whether Nyx and Neo are in tow or not.