Blackfeather Woods Full of death and glory

The sun had risen fully although was shrouded by clouds and a soft, cold wind has picked up, brushing through the trees. Flicker had come to her senses, feeling well enough to now seek @Relmyna, for she knew her. She had to tell her of Maegi's departure. 
She was ready to accept the consequences for her idleness; despite the state of her drug-addled mind.

She followed the freshest trail she could find, weaving through the trees and doubling back now and again to make sure she was correct in her followings. Then she saw her, and chuffed lowly to the pale woman as to not alarm her. She drew closer, her tail lowered but waving softly in greeting. Flicker paused for a moment, sorting her words before laying down the story to Relmyna.

"Maegi left, she said she was going to an island,"  she paused if Relmyna had anything to say then before continuing, "I couldn't stop her for I was unwell. And I'm worried for her, Listener, I didn't feel right." She let out a heavy sigh, again pausing to collect her words. "I remember one name, I don't know why but when I said it, the air seemed to..."  She trailed off, not knowing how to explain how she felt but, in truth, she was trying to convey that she felt possessed; but that didn't sit well with Flicker, so she denied the possibility altogether. "Molag Bal," she finally finished with, hoping the Listener would understand what had happened and what should be done.

The woman was ready for what was to come, and she would accept it as she should.

she blinked. maegi had gone. and she had not taken the boy named mou.
for a long moment, relmyna gazed unseeingly at the woman before her. there was no anger within her heart, nor annoyance — she was surprised to discover she found not even sadness there. 
it was not your duty to stop maegi, flicker. only to tell me she has gone. a smile, fleeting, wan. sorrowful now, if only for the pain she imagined maegi must carry, to depart her birthplace yet again. thank you.
molag bal. relmyna did not recognize the name, but the eldritch sound of it warranted research, insofar as she was concerned. however, for now, the seafoam eyes rested on flicker thoughtfully. would you like a purpose here in blackfeather?

Relmyna’s sorrow did not go unnoticed, and the cream woman offered a small sound to show her sympathy. But nothing more. 

The woman nodded solemnly to her thanks, but simply didn’t believe those words were in order.  However, the Listeners next words intrigued her, ”Of course, Listener, anything.” Her tail swayed gently by her heels, showing her appreciation for the offer; for it would put her mind to something else.

phone post

she gazed at the woman, considering carefully for a moment the fact that maegi had brought her to the wood. where did the loyalty of flicker lie? and yet, it was the elegant wolfess who had brought to relmyna the news of the young melonii’s departure.

a pause, a breath; her ragged lips curved into a small bow. i need a scout to rove out and check for herds in the area. we will need them if we are to survive the winter.

a long blink. it will take you some time, flicker. but i cannot leave, and it is necessary. what say you?

Her ears tilted slightly, the prospect of following her trade was inviting enough to make her immediately agree. She already knew where to start, she’d been hunting with that other wolf — even if he did smell like a different pack — and she’d followed the deer since. 

”Of course, Listener, I won’t let you down. Are you looking to hunt soon?” She thought it would be good to ask, incase she wanted a meal before the snows came in heavier. She’d already been stocking up the caches, and would always come back to the woods with something to store; provided she found something. 

She smiled softly to Relmyna, her ears twitching to listen to the birds that remained in the forest. She waited in case she had any more to ask of her.

flicker was quick to agree, and relmyna smiled, beginning to pad through the wood and inviting flicker to join her with a low muzzle-dip. i would like that, yes, at least one more successful hunt before the true snows come. we have much small game cached, but a large kill could tip the scales in our favour.
as if they had memory of their own, her trail was beginning to lead them both toward the altar, the singular source of relmyna's comfort these days. did ... did maegi say anything else? her seafoam gaze drifted toward flicker; even if the other woman did not remember, the listener had enough to begin her own searchings.

The woman sought through her memories for the words that Maegi spat at her like venom. She knew she'd said something, but what?

"It unsettled greatly," the woman followed at the side of the Listener, "she told me to never say it again." Just the hazy memory of the light leaving the wraiths eyes and the emotionless voice. Perhaps whoever Molag Bal was, he had scared Maegi greatly.
Oh, what little did the woman know about her friend.

Looking up slightly, the trees still flitted with the images of the black-birds that must stay here throughout the winter. At least some semblance of life would remain here, then.

relmyna paused in her steps to regard flicker with a somber expression. it would help me to know if she is safe, perhaps, the listener murmured. if you can remember. not wishing to pressure flicker into an answer she did not possess, relmyna decided to move onward with the conversation, opting for a different direction. how are you liking blackfeather? she mouthed, turning toward the taller woman so that her lips might be seen.
molag bal molag bal molag bal — on and on in her head it reverberated.

"I can not speak for her safety," she murmured her reply, unsure on how she could console the Listener, in preparation of the worst. Wintersbane would be best for that task, she supposed. He'd been here longer than she. "I do fear for the worst." 
The words were barely a whisper, a plume of vapor washed away of the cold air. 

A few steps in silence before another question was posed, lightening the mood and bringing a careful softness to the woman's eyes. 
"I like it here, it is mostly quiet and you don't seem to have wayward beings."
Little did she know of Titmouse's past, nor the disturbance he may hail these woods. 
"I feel at peace here, and Maegi has mentioned some of its history." A soft, almost sympathetic smile came to her lips. But the grand woman beside her had done well in her task of a leader, and Flicker didn't doubt her choices at all.

relmyna smiled. blackfeather is rich with a vast history. even i do not know all of it. a good deal, however, and she was pleased to turn from the subject of the melonii for a moment. but first — maegi will find her own way. she has suffered greatly in her young life, and i imagine she has gone to seek her own way.
time would tell whether or not she would return, but for now, the listener moved on. molag bal sounds like the name of a god, though it is not one i know. here we serve sithis and mephala. a thought came to her then; she turned a pleasant expression onto the taller woman. do you have belief of any sort?

She listened -- well, watched -- and thought carefully. She was getting better at reading the lips of the Listener, and was glad for it. It had been many moons since she'd seen those who gestured the way she did.  "I believe he is a God, and I can follow what you wish me to follow. I myself do not know of deities but, the longer I am here the more I believe."

It was true, she'd experienced the effects the drugs had had and knew there were ones more potent than them. Perhaps one day she would dabble in them and learn of how fragile the divide between the two worlds really is.  "I may one day follow a God or Goddess of my own, but for now I think I shall pray for Peryite, to keep Maegi safe. I will often leave a sacrifice to both Mephala and Sithis, hopefuly they will give these woods better luck." In her words, she spoke of hope and truth.
It was a task she needed to carry out, needed to do to keep her friend safe. If she had not already pledged herself to the support of these woods, she would've gone with the young Melonii to keep her safe. She knew not when she would return; if at all. 

let's fade this since i am so slow <3

flicker was to be a servant to all gods, it seemed, and the listener could see no fault in that. i thank you for your devotion to us. perhaps in time, another deity will speak to you.
the woods seemed to spin — she paused and focused upon the earth as she sought strength. leave me now, please. i go to pray. it was a more abrupt dismissal than relmyna would have wanted, but the threat of a skull-throb had begun, and she did not wish the gamma to see what was to follow.

The woman merely nodded, accepting the praise silently. She felt no need to confirm her alliance with the woods again.
At her dismissal, she inclined her head respectfully,  "As you wish, Listener." 
She turned from her side and started into a trot before breaking into a lope, heading to the outside to hunt.
To hunt a sacrifice, perhaps. She was yet to make her plans so far in advance.
But underneath the cover of her duties, the fire-licked woman worried for the Listener's health.