Blackwater Islands schism

the wispmother continued to serve dutifully despite the slow erosion of her mind. every day she seemed to fall further into insanity, forgetting where she was, her position, even herself. the children, she hardly seemed to see at all; when she looked on them, her eyes were blank as if merely observing a piece of scenery. she knew only her name, her duty, and her melena. rarely did she address the listener by her rank, but this was forgiven, as all things. she had fulfilled the task given to her, though it had taken much from her, and naught but the listener's presence brought her peace now.

this in mind, the listener had sequestered her away for the final time. she was hidden among the myriad channels strewn underneath the spiritglade, never to be found by any save the listener herself. the children no longer had need of her; their teeth had come in, and now they could live as any other wolf.

the listener, for all her wisdom beyond her years, had no experience in raising children; her own vessel had scarcely left adolescence behind when she became a mother. even now she was only a pseudo-adult, not yet worthy even of the title of yearling. she thought to chew the meat before presenting it to @Morgra, @Isangrim, and @Ptolemy, but did not think to anticipate a gradual introduction. the shift would be immediate, she was certain.

she watched the children carefully after bringing them to her offering, encouraging each with a gentle nudge to move forward and eat.

As for Isangrim, he perhaps wondered where the milk bank went. Perhaps he cried a little for her. But other than that, he did not acknowledge the Wispmother was gone.

He was content to play with beetles and stare at feathers.

It just so happened he was doing that when the approach of Mother made him glance up expectantly, tipping his head to the side to stare up at her. Then, she placed something before him, and gently pushed him towards it. The boy frowned, reaching out to prod at the meat with a toe, before turning a skeptical eye to his mother.

Wha?

Morgra hardly noticed the absence of the wispmother, as well, her baby brain not meant to hold such memories. For all she knew, the listener had been the one feeding them this whole time. 

So when she found the children today and placed some weird substance in front of them, the spiderling just stared for a moment. It smelled like food, but it didn't look much like food. 

Morgra stood and trotted over to it, sniffing it hesitantly a few times before she started to drag her tongue over the flesh. It tasted good, but she didn't get the warm relief in her tummy like she did when she was eating the other food. 

After a few moments, she sat back and looked up at the listener, a confused frown on her little face.

though he noticed the wispmother's absence, he had no reason to care; she had been nothing to him but a spigot, and the listener had imprinted herself upon them early.

ptolemy stepped forward as she urged him towards the meat.  it was unlike him to be the first to anything, as he often preferred to observe, but unaware of his siblings' hesitance he allowed instinct to take hold and consumed their offering.

bold little morgra was the first to taste the meat, followed soon by ptolemy; there the similarities in their reactions ended. ptolemy the darkling, ptolemy the perceptive; he seemed to understand the intent of the offering. morgra seemed driven foremost by trust, perhaps duty if one so young could grasp the concept. isangrim demanded answers, and his sister soon joined him with her own silent question.

this is meat. food. it will sustain you for now, the prophet looked to each of them in turn. in time, when you are bigger, you will be introduced to meat in its true form. for now you are too small, and you must eat this. when the time comes, i assure you, you will enjoy it far more.