Black Morass sun

maybe @Kovictus so she can meet her other leader? all welcome tho <3

she left the alters that @Ione had shown her.

now she searched for what wildlife and plants might linger here in the morass. she knew much might be halted by winter's growing grip. when it was not snowing, it was misting. it was weather that might have deflated her mood if her spirits had not been so warmed by the reverend mother.

she made for the far reaches of the morass now, where mountain pushed against their borders.

the sound of the morass shifted subtly—the creak of the trees and the whisper of the mist seemed to fall away as his presence filled the space.

he made no effort to conceal himself, the sharpness of his form emerging from the shadows like a predator stalking prey.

you wander far, he growls. he steps closer, his frame towering, his golden eyes fixed on her with an intensity that brooks no argument.

the first thing she noticed was his towering height. she knew she would not even reach his shoulder if she stood as tall as possible. she also could not help but think of how his great height supported his mass.

meanwhile she was low to the earth and rounded from good care in life.

on behalf of the reverend mother, my lord. her voice did not waver and she did not cow for forgiveness. yet she did respect the might he carried with him. her head bowed slightly, her gaze pressed down to look upon such massive paws.

i am genevieve.

follower, believer, star given light by the sun of celestial mothers.

kóvictus’s golden eyes burn as they settle on the smaller wolf before him. she is insignificant in size. the growl that rumbles from his chest is low and unrelenting, filling the space between them like a storm.

my wife sends you to me. he growls, each word slow, heavy, as if carved from stone. his massive paws flex against the damp earth as he steps forward, the ground beneath him shifting under the weight of his presence. his eyes narrow, sweeping over her bowed head, her gaze locked on his paws, her form low to the ground.

tell me why.

this is a man who could easily crush her.

and she might have had a crush, if she did not instead feel such welling fear — or maybe respect? this is not her man to gaze upon in any manner that is not worshipful of his power.

i am to be of imperium. bowing deeper now. to live and learn at the feet of the reverend mother — and you too, if so instructed.

for surely, surely! there can be no other man here that might outmatch whatever claim he held alongside her, no?

she is small, insignificant beneath the breadth of his towering form. and yet her words make him pause. she knows her place—good. but it is the way she bows deeper, and the tremble he can smell upon her, that holds his attention.

his lip curls slightly, exposing sharp teeth stained by the years of countless bloodshed.

then you will learn quickly, girl, that i am no one’s footstool. his nostrils flare, his crooked nose lowering as he leans closer, his breath hot against her crown. there is no safety beneath my shadow. no one thrives here without proving themselves useful.

his golden eyes burn as they sweep over her form, the faintest sneer curling at the corner of his lips. i will not be patient with you. you will keep up, or you will drown.