Blackfeather Woods the world is not enough

Heavy steps carried him towards Blackfeather Woods' borders, for it was with a different purpose that he was here today than he would've wanted. Potema was his friend, one of the few things that were only his without any of his family involved, and he didn't like that their friendship would be sullied with the brink of war on their doorstep after what the Woods had done. Surely he'd be able to talk about this with his friend, though, and she would understand and she would punish the wolf who had commited these crimes. He felt weird knowing that it might have been Jorunn. Was Jorunn here, in this very pack, right now? Had he really attacked someone near Moonspear and if so, why?

As he halted upon the borders Charon felt creeped out by the dark scenery and the scent of blood hanging in the air. A shiver ran down his spine as he looked round a moment. He tipped his head back and called for @Potema alone — he would love to see his two daughters again too, but for now it would have to wait — as he hoped to settle the differences between their packs.

Her head snapped upwards from sniffing the ground below, her ears flattening against her head. Of all the voices she heard calling for her, his was the one she least wanted to hear. She looked accusatory towards the roundness of her stomach as she began to rise, wishing that the children would just shrink from sight, or that she could glamor her appearance like in the stories.

But if these children would allowed live and grow past the winter, it would become apparent who the mother or who the father of the monsters were. With their close blood, it would be hard to find some trait that wouldn't resemble either Cicero or Potema. 

She rose anyway, knowing that there was no point in ignoring him to hide the truth. Either she would be the first to greet him, or one of the more malicious members of the Dark Brotherhood. When she arrived at the border she made no attempt at hiding her stomach, grotesquely large as it was, or her shame. She stared him in the eye and opened her mouth to speak: Charon. It's good to see you. What are you doing here?

Waiting among the borders of the dark forest, accompanied by nothing but foul smell of their borders, made Charon feel irked. He wasn't afraid, but he knew the risk of being here after all that had happened. Charon waited with a neutral body, keeping his eyes on the forest at all times so that he would not be surprised. He wondered if it were true that Jorunn was here and that he had caused so much trouble. It would be strange to see his brother again in such a strange manner. Could he really be that much of an asshole though, that he would plague Moonspear's bordering lands now because he was still salty?

Before he had time to properly think of this, Potema came into view. He smiled at first, glad to see her, but his eyes soon fell on her swollen stomach. He supposed that she must have a mate here now, one that could give her what she needed and wanted and who would be there to help raise the pups. "It's good to see you," he said and he closed the distance between them to gently nuzzle her cheek. "I'm here for — something's happened. One of Blackfeather's wolves has attacked one of us in Firefly Glen, just outside of Moonspear." He waited to see how Potema would respond to the news, to see if she would be shocked or if she already knew it had happened. He thought of telling her about seeing one of their daughters at Redhawk Caldera, but it'd have to wait for later.

She had hoped, at first, that he was smiling at her belly. Perhaps he was glad that she had found some mate, or something of the likes. But his eyes soon fell upon her belly and his expression changed. It was unreadable, and she thought the worst. But formalities came — he stepped forward and nuzzled her; she muzzled back, mirroring his movements.

She let him speak, and as he did shock slowly slid over her face. Then realization. Then anger. She made no attempts at hiding the shift from Charon, for the emotions were too strong to hide. She recalled when her son came to her, bleeding profusely from his face. The scar remained, but she had not asked where he had received it. Now she suspected his folly here, his sheer inanity and carelessness. No one died? She figures so; he wouldn't be talking to her so politely had someone died. He wouldn't be alone had someone been killed. What did they look like? It would only confirm her suspicions. None of the others in Blackfeather would brazenly attack someone like that, not without a contract. But her children? Wildcards, yes, but she taught them better. They were taught better than to attack without the ability to kill, to make it quick. If she had to guess, he was perhaps gloating in the moment, rather than doing it quickly. And the proximity to a pack was what truly ruined him.

Truthfully, he probably would've still gone alone if Rannoch had died, but he definitely would've been a whole lot less amicable now to see one of Eshe's children ripped from life. He shook his head when she asked if no one died, answering, "He was in poor condition, but my daughter managed to save him, it seems." Rannoch wasn't in top condition yet but Charon was pretty sure he was out of life-threatening danger zone, as far as he knew anything about those things.

She asked for a description and Charon frowned, unhappy with having to deliver this news. "He looked like my long lost brother Flóki... It was really weird. Well — or Jorunn, his twin brother, but I haven't seen him in forever either. They're uh — light fur, sandy legs." Potema surely knew if Jorunn was in Blackfeather Woods and if not, what else could be up. Charon looked at her with bated breath as he waited to discover the unraveling of this strange puzzle.

Potema sighs in relief, though not for the boy's life. She is relieved that a unnecessary death would not be blamed on them; that one wolf would not ruin them with a useless war. 

She doesn't recognize the names that Charon mentions. But the description is uncanny, and confirms her suspicions for her son. Either of those men could be Vaati's father, especially if they have been missing from Charon's life for a while. The man who she mated with called himself Atli, but seeing as they were twins...well. Perhaps Atli, whatever his real name was, saw that he was too close to home and left. But she had one suspect, and now, one culprit. I know who it is, She grits her teeth together, anger boiling over. But it is neither of them. With that, she threw her head back and summoned her eldest son, @Vaati. She did not know the significance of the coloring; at this point she didn't care whose child belonged to whatever father. What she did know was that her son had been careless and arrogant, the norm for him. It was my son,

Although it was her brother that had been called for, Kotake had been headed in this direction in any case. She remained in the shadows throughout, however, mute–and when she arrived, she did not come out. She simply watched from the shadows, unable to fully see her mother and the man whose company she kept. Her ears remained erect as she listened, only hoping none would note her presence.

She seemed to think a moment, trying to piece together the names and descriptions, perhaps, considering whether she knew who did it or perhaps whether she should tell him. Charon felt weird, for the first time wondering if Floki could be out here all along, living in their midst.. but much likelier was Jorunn, the one who could not be happy as he were, who could never be satisfied to just be Jorunn.

As she called he tried to decipher what for but he couldn't piece it together until she said it herself... Her son. He stiffened and with a face of indignation, a man lied to, he said with low voice (but perhaps just loud enough for the hidden girl to hear), "You said we only had daughters." He tried to think back to when he last saw Floki, to when he last saw Jorunn. They weren't blood relatives, it didn't add up, how could his daughters be related to a son that looked like his brothers?

Fuck it, he shouldn't have said 'we' at all. He was here to fix things between their packs, not discuss what they had done a year ago. He hastily looked around but was relieved to find no one around him, behind him at least; no cerberus, no one, as he turned back, relaxed and said, voice sounding forced and weird, "I mean, I thought you... only had daughters last winter." And he was pretty sure that was her first time. And she was pregnant now. It seemed impossible he could be from any other litter than his two daughters.

Vaati heeds his mother's call, quickly obeying the request for his company. Of course, he would not hesitate, but it comes as a surprise to him that the pinpointed location of her call should resonate soundly from Blackfeather's borders. It also raises his caution, that despite the lack of panic within his mothers call, he doesn't know what to expect from the ominous summon. And as he draws closer, he, rather interestingly, only picks up two scents — that of his mother and who he assumes is the reason Potema has called him in the first place. But it is even more interesting is that the stranger has come alone. He sniffs the air, confirming the man standing before his mother hails from the same pack his attackers do; from which Cassiopeia comes. As quickly as they come, he shoves all thoughts of the girl from out his conscious, unable to afford the risk of double-guessing his earlier plan to use her as ransom in exchange for the ability to live freely without the threat of death on his back, once again. But as he draws near, with no sign of the raven-haired wraiths in sight, he wonders if he is yet to see another day.

He saunters forth imposingly towards the stranger, lacking any regard for what may come and he stops to stand beside his mother as a threatening force, this is his land that the stranger walks upon and the ball is in his court. Vaati's hackles raise, out of caution and out of spite, unconvinced that a lone stranger (if he tried anything) would be able to take on the dark woods and leave with his life force intact. But it is exactly this reason he finds the other to be suspicious, dangerously questionable even, to come alone knowing the feud between them is one sated only by blood. He knows there is more to the story than just what he sees, but he had waited too long for a confrontation that had not happened, and eagerly his eyes light up with a smoldering flame of anticipation. Vaati looks to his mother, a look questioning why she has called for him and for what reason the other has not been killed, captured or simply chased away, and if he could have the pleasure of doing so.

SORRY FOR THE WAIT FUUUUUCK

She is too caught up in her rage to realize the implications of calling Vaati. It is only when Charon speaks that she understands. Her furrowed brow relaxes slightly as she sees the trust break right on his face. I did, She hadn't lied, not directly. It was merely a lie of omission. We did. My daughters are yours, She feels guilt now, her face betraying the internal struggle between her emotions towards her son and those towards her friend — her only friend. The corners of her mouth turn downward. She struggles to find the words. I—

It is lucky for her that her son arrives before she could finish, but she knew that she still had to explain. Flashing an apologetic look towards Charon, she allowed her face to tense once more in the visage of rage. She turned to Vaati, glad he had said nothing. Ganon would have sauntered here and said something sarcastic, but she was glad for all of their sakes that Vaati simply arrived and looked between them. This is Charon, the alpha of the Moonspear pack, The witch looks to the mottled wolf, then pack to her son. He came here to tell me that one of his wolves was nearly killed near pack borders. She focused her eye on her son, demanding an answer, a confession, anything. And the attacker matched your description,

Her ears leaned forward, trying to catch snippets of what was said. When she could not fully articulate what was said by Charon, she crouched lower and moved nearer to hear her mothers response: my daughters are yours.

Kotake felt her blood run cold at the words.

Here, her mother was wrong. Kotake was no one's, though if any could claim her it was Potema alone. This man was no father to her, and she might have laughed if she was not driven by her intent to remain concealed. Here, she could hear everything. Vaati was soon upon the scene, and when her mother spoke further she felt her breath catch in her throat.

This man came from another pack, expressing that Vaati had attacked another close to pack borders. While it was not the smartest of his ideas, to be sure, she was appalled that her mother did not pretend as though no such wolf ran with them... it seemed her loyalty was to this man before her own son. To her apparent father. She felt betrayed by this knowledge, that her mother would sooner lecture her son at the word of an outsider... although it was entirely believable. Hell, the wound upon Vaati's face was clearly not one he had had for too long a time—but even still. Kotake would never, never do such a thing to her family. The Melonii honored them, and them alone. What worth was this man of Moonspear?

Kotake withdrew deeper into the shadows, attempting to retreat and leave the scene in silence.

Moonspear. Kotake had all the information she desired, now... and some she did not.

"Shhh!" he irrationally hissed at Potema and he looked around, though he saw no one. As he looked round the Blackfeather territory he realised it was irrational to think that any of his own wolves had followed and would be able to hear. He knew he had treaded too deeply into the mud then, but he stayed anyway to listen to Potema's stammers, to watch the guilt on her face. So the child was hers, and he was someone else's. Was he — Could he be Flóki's? The safer choice in his head was to think that he was Jorunn's.

Before he could speak again the child in question came crashing onto the scene, chest puffed and body held as though he owned the place. Charon instinctively raised his body, tail curling over his back and lashing tensely while he revealed teeth in warning. "Whose is he?" Charon demanded with voice dipped in anger as he looked at Potema, finding himself engulfed in his desire to know who the child was rather than the solution to his pack's problem.

She addressed the child in the meantime, and when she finished Charon asked, his voice cool and business-like, "Did you have personal problems with this wolf?" He wanted to know because he could understand it if he did. It happened. He'd had personal problems with wolves — and Charon would be better able to understand what went on in the mind of the child. However, considering the way he had crashed onto the scene and the way he held himself Charon wondered if this boy did not simply have a taste for destruction and did not care who he dragged down with him for it.

i completely forgot it was my turn, sorry!!

The stranger, he finds to be quite concerning. The manner in which he addresses his mother lacks any respect in the slightest, disregarding who she is and the fact that he is seriously outnumbered. This is the dark woods, not the playground or no-mans land. Should he exceed the tone of which he was welcome, it was in their every right to simply end him right then and there. And they very well could, with a justifiable reason. Vaati's ears flicker slightly as Kotake retreats into the shadows from which she came, something that he finds odd of her to do. It had been her that confessed a desire to inflict a form of revenge upon his attackers, and he would assume that in the presence of the attacker's Alpha, she would be more apt to linger longer than she had. He makes a mental note to question her later, once the temper-tantrum throwing man who reeks of self-importance is thrown from their lands. "Do not speak to my mother that way," Vaati snarls in the stranger's direction, reminding him that despite the fact that he may be important in his own lands, he has no worth among Blackfeather Woods.

He scoffs at Charon's change in tone, and the fact that the man had blatantly twisted his words to make it seem like Vaati had done something wrong. As if he had attacked the man on Moonspear's grounds. As if it had been an attack against Moonspear itself. No, he was not that idiotic to mark war against an entire pack for no good reason. "Would it make a difference if I did? If I did not? Your word does not protect me, your three wraiths will not hesitate to kill me regardless, if I ever have the misfortune of seeing them again," His reasoning for doing what he did will never spare his life and he knows this, for had the tables been turned, Vaati would not have rested until all three of the Cerberus's heads littered the Blackfeather borders. However, their will to see him dead is one that he does not understand in the slightest. It had not been them Vaati attacked, but a wolf unaffiliated to them, their scent, and, judging by the massive differences in appearance between Rannoch and Charon, not of their bloodline either. 

He steps forward, "Besides, what business is it of yours? As I recall, the victim of the incident was not of your pack nor, I assume, of your bloodline. Perhaps I should be questioning why you come here, disrespectful and arrogant, demanding answers from things that have nothing to do with you," This was not his father. He owed this man nothing, and the fact that he dared to throw a fit on borders that were not his own is both insulting and kill-worthy. Vaati has killed for much less. It is clear that the man holds a higher opinion of himself that he was allowed to have when visiting a pack that was not his, where he has no standing and no authority. The teen finds it foolish that he should believe himself to be above the law simply for having what seems to be a connection to his mother, and it was foolish indeed that he should choose to bear his teeth to the one being that could perhaps save him from simply being run-off. "I have done nothing against you, your pack nor its members, so perhaps it is I who should be bearing my teeth against you for the unwarranted assault of your pack members against me, against Blackfeather Woods," His hard gaze does not falter, steady and cool as if unfazed against the troubles that lay ahead.

Truthfully, Vaati does not know why they had intervened in the first place, without knowing why he had done what he did and for what reason. They had simply looked at him and decided that he was a crazed lunatic with no justifiable reason for doing what he did. In that sense, they were right, but they just as easily could have been wrong. For all they knew, it could have been Rannoch who had attacked him first. Perhaps yes, Vaati was dangerous, a liability to those around him. But the Cerberus was not entirely saved from that title themselves, when they had attacked him on assumption alone. What would happen if the next stranger they targeted had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Who would stand up against them? Perhaps that was what made them more of a liability than him, for at least he had a vendetta, while they, they attacked without the slightest hesitance that perhaps, they were wrong.

She was taken aback by his insistent noise, suddenly silenced by his insistence. She had nothing to hide from the circumstances of her children's birth — at least the one borne by Charon and the others. He did, on the other hand. She knew why — the wolves outside Blackfeather Woods borders were not as open or loose when it came to mating or bearing children. She only had one taboo, one that she had committed, one that resulted in the spawn currently leeching from her body.

Her son's arrival was not silent, or neutral. When she turned her head to look at her son fully, she saw nothing but postering. Potema's lips curled downward into a frown, displeased by his mannerisms. She was at first relieved that he had stayed silent rather than bursting into threats and accusations, but she could not say the same for Charon. His body mirrored Vaati's and soon that anger was turned to her. Her ears went flat against her head briefly, only to return to their normal position, staring at him levelly. Kja- She began to answer, only to be cut off by her son's snarl. Potema's head whipped to him once more. Vaati, She hissed to her son, anger quickly returning to her as her primary emotion. Do not speak for me. I am capable of speaking and defending myself on my own. Her fur was ruffled, hackles raising with the tension of the situation. 

The business at hand began, Charon returning to a calmer state. It was not reflected by Vaati. Instead, his impetousness only grew with Charon's words. He began to lash out, words cutting and dripping with contempt. She did not know who the three 'wraiths' were, but could only assume that they were three wolves of Charon's pack who had attacked Vaati, giving him his scar. He continued, clearly wanting Charon out of this as soon as possible. But she found that, as he spoke, the most important fact was being overlooked. Something that Vaati had never voiced in his whole tirade. As his words fell silent, she spoke up, cutting in before Charon could get another word in — he must have many. So why did you attack him? She looked at him, demanding an answer out of him that was true and succient. You must have had a good reason to do so — since nearly killed him, ​

"You promised you wouldn't," he hissed as he suddenly remembered the passionate way that she had promised him 'he would be the only one, she just wanted pups, but then she would really stop, really, and if he didn't then she would find someone else'. Turned out that someone else had been... She was cut off as the rude asshat snarled, and he narrowed his eyes with frustrated fervor. 'Kja' — Well, that didn't sound like Flóki, but it was likely just another one of Jorunn's thousand names. That made the mose sense and that's what Charon wanted to believe, no matter how badly he wanted to find Flóki. His brother would never do such a thing as impregnate a wolf like Potema.

Vaati was the name of the rude youth, the other child. Jorunn's child. He certainly was every bit as much Jorunn's child in the way he acted and spoke, thinking he owned the place when clearly his mother was the one with the real power. Everything about Charon's face and posture showed that he was not taking this shit, even though he was at another pack's borders. He was on edge, muscles tense, ready to turn and run should there be a confrontation (though he foolishly thought that Potema would take his side should one arise).

"Three wraiths!" Charon spat the words back indignantly. "My daughters are perfect little angels and you will not speak of them that way! The Glen is near Moonspear enough to warrant suspicion and Rannoch a friend of my family's." Brows sank further if such a thing was possible as he spoke, the boy now in his bad books if not only for the sake of having badmouthed his daughters. He considered giving him an ass-whooping right here but that would hardly solve anything. "And since then he has become a part of Moonspear, so it is now very much our business too."

Potema did seem on his side, for now; he had not forgtten what she had said to him but some of the tension between them had dissipated as she spoke to her son, and she asked him 'why'. This was what Charon wished to know. If he had a good reason, then maybe all this shit could simply be forgotten. Charon had no reason to seek beef with the Blackfeather wolves; he liked Potema and wasn't going to nuke a pack over one rotten apple. To be truthful, he had hoped to simply get answers, find out that Rannoch and the other had gotten into some sort of fight verbally and that it had been just a spat, nothing serious, maybe Rannoch'd been the one to taunt to justify... but at least with a reason, a thing that was painfully absent right now as he looked at the beast who'd harmed Rannoch.

After a short spat Charon decided to leave, his blood boiling but knowing it was a dumb idea to fight Vaati here on his own borders. With narrowed eyes, raised hackles and a grimace on his face Charon made his way back home, blood still boiling, while he thought of all the gruesome ways he would kill Vaati were he to run into him on more neutral territory for the insults delivered to his beautiful daughters.

editting in a fade :)