Blackfeather Woods my love

Set after the attack on Flicker & Revui getting hurt. All welcome, someone who knew Potema would be awesome but anyone at all is good. ^_^

It was many years ago that he had first met Potema, the girl with the scarred eye. She'd been torn over her scars and Charon had told her how cool it was to have them. It'd been two years since he had found her that day when she was in heat and they had produced two beautiful daughters together. Daughters that he had never truly bonded with, but daughters that he loved nonetheless, and would stand up for, should it be necessary. Since then they had met on occasion but not as much as before. It was as if something was broken; not because she had roped him into giving her children, but because she had slept with others and had other children. He'd come to Blackfeather Woods when they were at war, when he had information, to tell her to get out. She hadn't headed those words. He remembered that she wouldn't leave that piece of trash Vaati alone here. That was why she stayed.

Since then he had not heard from her at all. It was a dangerous game, but whenever Charon thought of Potema he could not help but feel a flutter in his stomach. She was among his oldest friends and one of the few that seemed to have always lingered around the area. They were not meant for each other, as they each very firmly had their own place they were rooted in: He upon the mountain, for three years now, and she in these woods, ever since she was born.

There had always been something eerie about the borders of Blackfeather Woods, but something was different that day. Less blood, less bones, though many of the scents still remained. Charon lifted his nose to call for Potema, even though his sense of scent had already warned him of her absence. Her scent was no longer to be found at the borders. Charon hoped that it was a fluke, that maybe she had simply not patrolled as much but would be within the confines of the Woods. Now that the dust settled around the war, he hoped to find out how she was doing, if she was still alive, and hopefully they would be able to simply spend a bit of time together.

The woman with her face newly broken and blemished, the gouge under her eye still oozed blood and was swollen, causing her eye to form a squint. It often throbbed, she hoped infection wasn't setting in. At the time of the call, she was wandering aimlessly, thinking over again and again of what had transpired. She felt she had done nothing wrong, and it wasn't like she attacked first.
No, her teeth only met the boy after he attacked her. Her first move was to intimidate and distract; she knew who his first target was. Speedy.

Her ears turned to the call, thinking of who it could be, before trotting to the borders. She kept well back in the shadows, they were her comfort whilst her face tried to heal. She spied a white male, his features were not as easily focused so, naturally, she stepped forward to see better. She recognised him for the man who told them to attack, who encouraged his pack to ask the questions, and some himself. 

However, she kept her cool and her silence. Just stood and stared at the man with hatred. He had the ability to stop the maiming attack, but he didn't. So she hated him. She waited for someone else to come and make him go away, for if she tried she feared she'd drop that tight leash of control.

potema.
she watched the pale man with his great scarrings from the shadows for a time, wondering who it was came to blackfeather's door. there was dread within her, but it softened as the bloodstained scent of flicker swathed her senses. the willowy warrioress regarded the man with no small amount of hatred, and relmyna knew this must be a wolf from the mountain pack, perhaps the same who had wounded her, though she found the latter unlikely.
stepping forward, plume arched imperiously over her thin haunches, the listener regarded the impressive visitor with a cool expression to her gaze. he had called for potema, but it had been many moons since relmyna had seen the witch. she has gone from us, came her gentle mouthing, slow, so that the man might catch it. are you of moonspear?
flicker was gestured to her side, if the woman so chose, both for support and for a show of solidarity before the stranger.

Charon was a foolish man, perhaps, for thinking he was safe here. He'd faced threats here before but it had never turned into anything life-threatening. It was a certain love that drove him there, a feeling that was far bigger and stronger than any form of logic ever would be. Had he known she weren't here he wouldn't have come, of course, but there was a naive hope within him that just because he had not seen her for many months, had not seen her since the war started, that she may still be here.

It was not Potema that greeted him. His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the Blackfeather wolf that he had his pack attack, the wolf that had attacked Revui. Foolishly, Charon did not submit before her, nor the other wolf when she came forth. His body remained neutral, and he resisted the urge to appear dominant in front of these wolves. He waited by their borders, making sure not to cross them, but it became clear to him soon that the wolf he was looking for would not be headed his way. His nose had already told him as much. He watched the wolf's mouth, which moved, but didn't seem to make any sound. It was slow, but Charon hadn't ever tried to read anyone's lips, so he just stood and blinked at the woman.

"I can't hear you," he said bluntly, a little confused, though not unkind. "You have to speak up." He thought maybe she was just speaking quietly, or something. She beckoned the other Blackfeather wolf over, which Charon mostly ignored for now because it would not be smart if he would upset them here, by their own terrain.

 The woman moved to stand by the Listener, starting to unravel her intentions. She didn't see Relmyna speak, but it was clear he didn't understand. Her gaze pulled away from the man to glance at Relmyna before stating, "She can't speak."

She pinned him again with her ice-tainted glare, she did not like his being here. Oh, she wished Maegi was back already. A soft sigh, she looked to Relmyna with undivided attention and was prepared to start interpreting the mouthings to the man; though by no means did she leave herself open for another attack from the scarred man.

whatever the man wished to say, or communicate, was lost by the disrespect he showed relmyna at her own borders. taller than she, larger than she — it did not matter. the listener had gained her rank through loyalty, and had come to expect its usual flag of respect. seafoam gaze grew hard; she lifted her chin and took a single step forward, plume flung high once more, as her hackles climbed into stippled spikes along her shoulderblades.
when he had shown her the proper dues, she would welcome flicker's translation.

It was very tempting to just grab this little bitch and shove her face against the ground for what she demanded, but Charon was no fool. The wolf beside her may still be wounded but there were more lurking in the darkness of the forests, and even when wounded two against one was a risk he was unwilling to take. There were a few seconds when it looked like he might either try something or turn and run, a frustrated grimace on his face, before Charon's tail dropped from neutral to a more submissive position and he took a step backwards as he lowered his head and body. He did not press his body all the way to the ground, but showed the clear dues.

"My apologies. I would simply like to know about Potema's whereabouts," he spoke after taking a few seconds to recollect himself. His voice was calm, though strained, because the thought they would not tell him about Potema occurred to and bothered him deeply.

Her ear tilted, listening to the man carefully. Wondering how this would play out, and what Relmyna would do. She dared a glimpse to confirm his movement of submission. It pleased her to know that he wasn't about to stand up and try to cross -- or anything equally unwanted.

She watched Relmyna's lips, her tail twitching up slightly, and relayed what she was conveying to Charon without a glimmer of reaction, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of her own thoughts of the situation.
Not unless she was told to make him leave.
She would gladly do that for the Listener.

he submitted, and relmyna relaxed only after a low growl of warning that he should remember his place lilted from her throat. onward now to why he had come: the woman potema. turning ever so slightly, that flicker might read her lips more easily, the listener kept her gaze trained upon the male. 
potema left many months ago. i have not seen her since.
whoever this was, he smelled of the mountains, and she was loathe to have him here when surely it was his wolves who had wounded flicker so.

The precious answer was given; at first somehow signalled from the leader to her subordinate, then to him. It was not satisfying, however; she was gone. For months. The mirthful words made his ears fold back against his skull and there was a moment of melancholy in his eyes before his gaze hardened again and he pushed his feelings away. This would've been an easier conversation if Potema had been here still (or would it, really? he remembered the conversation about Vaati well), and he would have given up much to have been able to press his face against her fur and softly breathe in her scent once more.

But life didn't always give you what you wanted. As there were more things to attend to, Charon decided to at least try and be diplomatic with these wolves. "One of my wolves was attacked. By you," he said as he looked at Flicker. "Blackfeather Woods and Moonspear should have no quarrels over the dumb actions of few. It isn't the first time that a Blackfeather wolf has attacked a Moonspear wolf with no precedent. I do not desire war." Charon looked at the scarred leader as he spoke -- imploringly at his last words, so that she may believe them -- not thinking her subordinate as capable of forming a good answer to this -- she'd been one of those wolves of Blackfeather to rashly attack, after all. Just like Vaati had in the past. He kept his body low, though longed for the run back to Moonspear so that he may stretch his body again. It'd been long since he had submitted to anyone, and it was all for nothing, for Potema was gone. But at least she had not fallen in the war, sounded like; there was still a chance to find her again, then.

Her eyes looked to Charon as he spoke, mirth filling her gaze.
His words offended her, rightly so she thought.
She was a protector of the woods and a hunter of neutral lands. His voice had carried to her; the voice that told them to get her. 
Get her like she was some coyote escaping with the contents of a cache.

She rumbled low, displeased openly. She wasn't afraid to hide it, "If I remember correctly, Sir," the words were spat like rotting food, "You told your pack to attack me. And for what, may I ask." 
She sighed softly, smothering the wildfire that was burning inside. She hated the scarred man. She hated his pack. She felt she was right and true. Perfectly balanced. The Blackfeather didn't start the fight, surely.
She turned to look back to the Listener and awaited her next words.
She hoped they were to make sure the man didn't come back.
Not for this Potema, nor anyone.
Potema. Realisation dawned on her for she was Maegi's mother. Did he know where Maegi was? Was that why he came asking for her?

relmyna did not have long to muse over the shift in his expression before he was speaking again — his wolves had attacked her own, and he had the audacity to insinuate it was flicker. she wished then to drive him away, immediately, for his hubris and his wearisome presence.
but she did not; the listener lifted her chin and glanced between the two of them. enough. there was a quarrel. she returned to us alive. relmyna turned her eyes upon the moonspear male now. blackfeather desires no further strife with your pack.
there was nothing more to be said; she would not apologize, for she had not been there. the blackfeather of potema's time was not her own. is there anything else i can help you with? she mouthed quietly, wanting to be shut of him as quickly as possible.

Her response earned a glare from Charon, but no more; he knew he was on thin ice and he needed to behave. But it seemed that they seemed not keen on war either, and so Charon decided: "Good. We all want the same, then." He looked at Flicker as he said it, pointedly so, a strange contradiction to his submissive body stance. "That is all." He didn't think they could tell him any more about Potema's whereabouts and even if they could, they likely wouldn't.

Without another day the pompous Alpha turned away from Blackfeather Woods' borders and started making his way home, though not without looking over his shoulder to make sure he was not attacked on the way. His heart bled for Potema's absence, but there was little that could be done about it for now; she was gone, and she might never come back, he knew from experiencing loss before.

The woman dipped her head, "Goodbye."
Blunt, yet not rude. She didn't want war and wasn't about to initiate it with mere words.
She tilted her head to Relmyna, dipping her head in her thanks.
If the Listener wasn't there, she was sure that she'd would've chased the scarred man from the borders.

She needed a retreat. A respite if you will. Time to be alone with her own thoughts and dissolve the rage that flowed in her veins. Soon, she turned off, heading towards where she knew a hole opened into the ground. A place to explore, to stay for some time.
Ready herself for what may be to come.

the arrogant pale wolf bid adieu and turned away; flicker's voice was terse in his wake. relmyna watched as the willowy she-wolf stalked away, and when they had both faded from view, she herself made a bid for the lengthening shadows, seeking with relief the familiar trail that led to the altar and the semblance of peace therein.