Blackfeather Woods calls the faithful to their knees

located on the northwestern border

edit from jb: this thread is closed to new participants; i've edited the icon to private to reflect this.

She smelled her everywhere. Damien, too, Aries, and another she didn't know. But her scent was pervasive above all others, perhaps because treachery on a personal level just happened to be more pungent. Maegi stopped on the edge of the trees, looking out to the flatlands. The wind buffeted her pelt, and she sighed, ruing her own lapse in judgment.

But she couldn't have known—right? The amount of foresight needed to understand this would come to pass was. . .incalculable.

With her ears laid flat against her skull, she lifted her muzzle and called for @Flicker. Her tone was insistent, commanding; it brooked no opposition. There was no place for traitors in her home.

Flicker arrive at an easy pace. This could easily be a trap.
She held her head and tail high, her gaze hard, cold. She walked stiffly as she neared the pale-pelted woman. Everything about Flicker's posture screamed dominant.  She did not come running to the call of Maegi but came as if she'd taken a nice meander. She'd disregarded the commanding tone she'd used.

Flicker stopped, staring with her stoic mask at Maegi. A challenge.  One ear tilted, still aware of everything around her. She was ready. If this would indeed be an ambush, she'd be ready for them and meet them too with fangs bared. She was here for her pack. The Melonii. Not for those trying to restart Blackfeather woods. She only cared for one of them, even then that care was strained. 
No, three. Relmynas children, wherever they were, were always welcome to Flicker. It was the least she could to for the late Listener.
"You're late doin' this, eh?" she said to reference the revival at the woods. A jab at her leaving. A low blow but Flicker didn't care. She used what she saw fit for the recipient 

Maegi had no patience for shows of arrogance. Perhaps she could have entertained the idea of a chat with her old friend, but this went beyond the pale.

You betrayed my trust, she said simply. She dipped her chin at the open land before them. Get out of my forest, and get the hell out of my sight.

She snorted, dipping her chin slightly if only to give Maegi a look that said what?
"You didn' trust me 'bout 'em. This could've been 'voided."
"It was true. She could have joined forces with Damien then they could've all moved here. No stress of marking. No stress of claiming hunting grounds. It would've been easy.

"You brought this on yourself," she moved closer, her lips rising up to flash her teeth at the woman, "you know we will fight fur it."  Damien didn't want to kill any of his blood. That was clear. She wouldn't kill Maegi either, partly pack law partly from that kindling of lost friendship.
She wondered what was happening with the rest of the offense group - was Damien rounding them up from the Web? She hoped something would come of this.

She stood firm, gaze fixed on Flicker even as the woman bared her teeth. That was the thing about traitors. . .they always shifted the blame. Flicker didn't know Damien. He'd go mad again, eventually, disappear.

But Maegi wasn't going anywhere. Not again. 

This is my home, she said, voice quiet and cold. Leave it. Now.

She turned on her heel and padded back into the trees, looking to find any more of Damien's wolves that might remain.

Flicker waited to be shown the door.
Nothing came.
Instead, Maegi turned her back and started walking away.
"That's right. Run away like always Maegi."

The woman laughed, her position still high and commanding. She'd seen little of that in Maegi. Whatever she thought of it, it made her look weak to not do so. And she always seemed to walk away: The fall of the woods, when Flicker had tried to stop her, and now.
The woman turned side on from Maegi, making it somewhat easier to see if she came charging back and to not expose her throat so cleanly, and howled a challenge. She half wanted @Wintersbane to answer it but also wanted Maegi to turn around. If she wanted to stay here, Flicker would have to be beaten down to the ground for it.

:eyes: cameo post, unless he’s acknowledged. if you don’t want him here lmk and ill delete this.

maegi’s call rang through the woods and he knew he had no business answering it. but zeus was a curious, stubborn man and he couldn’t resist to see a show. and a show is what he received.

zeus stayed hidden, watching the two go back and forth with a glint in his eye. he was unaware of the context, but that didn’t make this any less entertaining. and just when he thought the drama would end with maegi’s departure, the stranger made another jab. his gaze shot back to the pale girl. common, are you really gonna take that?

She was angry at the words behind her, angry enough that her muscles strained with the effort not to turn back. She stopped for a moment. Waited. Her eyes, double-hued and chilly, met Zeus's. She gave him a nod.

Then the other corner of her mouth lifted to match her ruined side, and she let out a laugh that would have done the madman in her father proud. She continued to walk, laughing, laughing, until the wraith was well within the bounds of the woods.

New thread with Zeus and Flicker?

Her eyes snapped to Maegi, her challenge made. She'd stopped.
She nodded?
The scouts' eyes instantly went to the direction she picked up on, bristling. Waiting for her new contender. Maegi's laugh echoed off.
So this was how it would be?

All the while coward was on her lips, wanting to be hurled out at her retreating form.

She made a decision and dived for the pale ghost, her eyes finding the hidden form. She feinted and turned on him, teeth bared and ready. Maegi wouldn't fight? She'd make sure her pack couldn't do so for her.

Editing my post to reflect what was agreed pon on Discord

And what Maegi found was no less than Damien himself walking out of the shadows right up front. He'd seen enough to know that Maegi would not take the time to discuss how great it would be to be a cute little family again, so he decided that there was no other choice than to resort to plan B. But today would not be the day for challenges. In the time Flicker had taken to meet his niece, Damien had realized just how little he knew about Blackfeather Woods' evolution. There were many wolves that he hadn't accounted for, and it had been Flicker who had relayed the incomplete information, which would be addressed later. So as soon as Aries and Moath came through the web he sent them out to find the rest of the group and prevent them to enter the forest. Maegi and Ramsay seemed to be adept on the art of secrecy and stealth, and there was just no way for Damien to know for certain just how many more wolves there were hiding their tracks among the shadows.

Damien swept past Maegi as though she wasn't even there, focusing instead on his new scout with a dead serious stare. Stop that, we're leaving he said in a volume meant for her only, and then stopped for a moment to turn around and address his niece. He noticed the ugly scar on her face, teeth showing through like some sort of walking, half-eaten corpse, but made no mention of her appearance. It's quite a nice set-up you have here... he said sarcastically, but not the slightest sign of friendliness crept upon his features. Hope that it holds when we come back to take it. he said, and it would be the last she'd hear of him until that prophezised encounter, for with that Damien marked his retreat, and walked out already planning on the tactics for his next attempt at reclaiming his home.

And thank Sithis Damien made his entrance at the time he did, just in time to react to Flicker's vengeful move before she could reach anyone. Damien threw himself upon her, easily tackling her down with his tank of a body and sinking his teeth hard on her scruff to apprehend his subordinate before signing an act of war that was not hers to sign. He felt the blood running through his tongue and after tussling her to submission Damien moved his weight away from her to watch the party that had already gathered around them like owls watching from the trees. His eyes focused on Maegi for a moment and noticed the ugly scar on her face, teeth showing through like some sort of walking, half-eaten corpse, but made no mention of her appearance. It's quite a nice set-up you have here... he said sarcastically, but not the slightest sign of friendliness crept upon his features. Hope that it holds out our next visit. and it would be the last she'd get from him until that prophezised encounter. Then he turned down to Flicker with a death look and commanded her to get up with a slight kick. Get up, we're leaving. he said, and with that Damien marked his retreat, and walked out already planning on the tactics for his next attempt at reclaiming his home.

she had been quite nearby when maegi's call had gone up and so had stopped in her tracks- ears craning forward. she was aware of the foreign wolf scents in the area and could tell by the tone of her new leader's howl what was about to take place. for the moment she waited- not wanting to intrude but remaining near enough that should a scuffle take place she would hear the sounds of distress and be able to help.

however not long passed before she noticed the form of a male picking his way towards them- a quick sniff confirmed he was one of their own and so she followed silently until maegi and flicker came into view. flicker , anger would boil in her stomach at the words she threw at maegi. how dare she...it took the pale woman a great deal of effort to maintain her composure, the red woman had told her of her friendship with maegi before and now she had the cheek to behave like this? nevertheless she would smile very lightly as maegi gave the other nothing and simply walked off, leaving flicker to turn to the male she didn't know. nevertheless he was of the pack so she stepped forward from the shadows like a ghost- standing by his side as dark eyes narrowed on her former packmate. but before anything could happen a dark man approached, telling flicker to stand down. he must be the intruder band's leader- dark eyes observed him coldly but she said nothing as he retreated, simply remaining by her packmates side and shooting daggers at the two. 

[size=11.6667px%%]this was the first time she'd had a home she cared anything about and she'd be damned if she'd let these swoop in a claim it as their own.[/size]

that rested side of her face lifted to mirror that permanent grin, and she cackled and did not stop until she disappeared into the trees. it wasn’t something he would’ve done, but it seemed to affect the intruder. now he had to face the brunt of her rage. definitely not what he signed up for.

his lips peeled back when she lunged for him. so it was a tussle she wanted? how foolish to choose a beast as a target. he would ruin her.

but before anything started a shadow flashed before his eyes and the girl was put down in her place. the man’s vague statement bought a smile to his face. my, my, there were many secrets about this forest wasn’t there? he’d have to ask later.

he chuckled as the mysterious man retreated. “you’re lucky your friend stopped you when he did,” he grunted towards the crazed woman, “who knows what i would’ve done to that pretty little face of yours.”

there was so much commotion that he’d hardly noticed a familiar situated next to him. he gave her a nod before retreating back into the woods, muttering under his breath: “delusional fools.”

Her body slammed to the ground, grunting under the weight she first thought was Wintersbane, about to turn fangs on him. Luckily for her, she recognised who he was and what he was doing -- for biting him now would be rather disastrous for her. 

Flicker lay still, har tail tucking in and her ears sleeking back, not looking at him. She licked her lips, swallowing the pain. Her eyes stared fixated on Zeus and Tundra, her lips curling at them. Her eyes locked onto Zeus at his words.
"Just wait until I turn your face inside out." She muttered low whilst Damien was talking. She marked Zeus, made sure she'd stick to her promise. 
She got up, pain slicing through her scruff. She kept low and her tail firmly between her legs, slinking after Damien. This was the sort of pack she was used to, the one she worked well in. The sort that could keep her under control.