Blackfeather Woods mother, meet my friends

@Vuk @Freyja-set to the 23rd!

they had travelled south, and quickly, for they would journey soon and he could not in good conscience leave behind his mother without a word. he was nervous,  in the slightest,  as he tread near the border, stopping a short distance off. he was of Blackfeather, yet not for much longer, and he did not wish that this conversation should happen within the borders of his once-home. 

glancing once to his companions, he smiled softly, lifting his muzzle and letting a melodious summoning pour from it, yet selectively for Vuk. he must speak with her first- he would summon the Dark Master when he had done so, for he must make his intention clear and handle this with care, he felt. but for now,  his piercing gaze searched the wood for the slight figure of his mother, not quite comfortable enough to sear himself.

Their journey had brought the trio further from the child’s mountain-side home than she had ever been. Though the constant travel was starting to wear on her, she kept stride with her companions knowing that it would only get harder as they progressed. The snow did not make traveling easy, nor did the lack of food, but, regardless, they pressed on to their first destination: Blackfeather Woods.

Freyja had briefly met Seff’s mother and though she knew this meeting was for the son and mother, she was interested to see Seff’s mother again. As they drew the the borderlines, Freyja reached over to nudge her brother’s cheek as the former Apprentice addressed his presence. She was unsure of this pack, especially with Seff’s commentary on the matter, and this knowledge caused the slate-haired girl to stand on edge. Without another word, as she turned from her brother, she peered into the foreboding woods with a frown, hoping that this pack wasn’t as truly bad as it had been built up to be.

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she'd been beside herself with worry. seff was very nearly a year — this was the only knowledge that kept the woman rooted where she was, though worry sapped her energy and robbed her appetite away. vuk threw herself into mindless patrols, keeping to the edges of the territory, and frustration mounted in her breast. she had sought a new way for her family, a new life — was it all to be undone? 
the woman calmed herself. seff would return. and if he did not, she would leave blackfeather to search for him. 
as if her chaotic thoughts had been audible, the voice of her young son sounded over the trees. a sharp intake of breath caught in her throat, and the tyro leapt into a quick trot that carried her swiftly to the borders.
seff was there, and alongside him a young she-wolf vuk vaguely recognized. however, for the moment, she buried her muzzle in her son's ruff and licked joyously at his cheek. i was afraid, her gaze murmured as she raised her eyes to meet those of the tall boy. it was after this moment that vuk turned a warm glance upon the girl, who seemed rather perturbed. 
"freyja," the tyro said gently, stepping toward the creature she had met only once. if allowed, the pale wolfess would take in the scents upon the girl's ruff, and realize she had only seff's fragrance woven into the fur there.[/tr][/td][/table]

He met her embrace quickly, drawing in her scent and not failing to notice the worry in her gaze.his gut twisted at the sight of it, and of what he knew he must tell to her. it was a wordless moment that he stood close, stepping back when his mother moved to greet Freyja. he offered a soft smile to his companion before addressing Vuk. "I'm sorry I have been away so long. there was a coyote; a fight. I was injured, and Freyja's pack cared for me." he explained quickly, voice soft.

he did not want to breech the second topic just yet, it seemed wrong to announce his intentions so quickly and callously. thus he waited a moment longer, hoping his explanation would not worry her, which was unlikely. the wounds around his neck had mostly disappeared into his thick pelt, mostly scabbed, and seldom bow did they pain him.

Freyja watched on in silence as Seff’s song faded into the air, waiting for whomever would appear before them. Before long an answer came in way of Vuk’s arrival to the scene. Despite the stiffening of her body, Freyja managed to smile in light of the other’s arrival. She offered the other a gentle wag of her tail once she was before them, but she did not say anything until she had been addressed. Instead of speaking, she watched on fondly to their embrace and quickly felt a pang of homesickness for her own mother. Gyda’s departure had happened so swiftly, and so unexpectedly, and Freyja still had not fully wrapped her head around the situation. She was distracted from such remorse as Vuk greeted her.

“Vuk,” she replied warmly, her tail wagging once more as she reached out in way of a wolfish embrace. Taking in the other’s scent, one that had once been so heavily apparent of Seff’s pelt, and pulled back in due time. Despite this, the fondness for Vuk’s presence was still apparent through her expression.

Seff offered an explanation what had happened and to this, Freyja looked to the sand-colored boy as he spoke. “He saved me from the coyote,” she interjected quickly after he had laid out the situation, her eyes turning to the Tyro once more. “I wouldn’t be here without him,” she turned to Seff once more, smiling despite the subject matter.

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vuk gave a soft whine; despite the fact that her son's wounds had healed, she moved to examine his neck all the same, exploring the mended edges with her lips. satisified, she smiled at freyja again as the girl spoke. "i am g-glad he h-had y-you," vuk murmured, glancing between the young pair. she noticed how they moved beside one another, the glances of their eyes — she was no fool, and moreso, she was a mother.
vuk sensed there was more here, and looked to her son, wondering if he had brought freyja home to stay. the idea warmed her heart, for it spoke of a future for vuk in the form of grandchildren. the woman's turquoise eyes glowed and a small, knowing smile curved her lips.[/tr][/td][/table]

At Freyja's words he glanced to her quickly, offering a small smile. Normally he would have said more, but a tightening in his stomach held his tongue as he turned to his mother once more. "as am I" he agreed softly, small mile on his muzzle.

"This-Blackfeather...is not the place for me." he admitted, looking to her. "I am no spy. I am no priest, and I could never be an assassin. I-I am so sorry, that I led you here without knowing the true nature of the wood" he said in a tangle of words, all previous words rehearsed and pondered were blown to the wind now, finally face to face with his mother. he had hardly seen his father, and after learning what he had, he did not know what place the man held in his heart. he was grateful for him having stood beside his mother,  but it was there his feeling for the man ended. it was only his mother he truly cared for, and now for Freyja, and by extension Hvit. "Are-are you happy,  here, mother?" he asked of her, guilt tinging his expression. he would hardly forgive himself if she was unhappy here and he had left her for so long.

A gentle blush settled upon the bridge of her nose at both Seff and Vuk’s remarks and to this, she smiled. Despite the things she wanted to say in that moment, the teen-aged wolf was tongue-tied. She continued her silence as Seff’s admission came-- that concerning Blackfeather. Knowing that this was their moment, Freyja looked to Seff in way of showing her encouragement-- not knowing how she could contribute in that moment.

Though a grin lingered on her soft features, it lessened as he spoke and perhaps even a pang of guilt overcame her. She knew that, in a sense, she had some doing in this. Despite her own happiness she felt for the mother before them and she hoped that she would understand. Remaining silent, she turned her eyes to Vuk with an apologetic expression.

this is a phone post! please forgive ♡

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in her mother's heart, vuk knew that there was more to this meeting, more to the reasons for her son standing upon this earth before her alongside a girl who kept her silence. vuk fought the tremble of her lips as a myriad of emotions came to war within her.
first was the overwhelming grief. the she-wolf had done well to stave it off this past year, dragging herself from despair to focus completely on seff once more. she had given up her home twice for her son, and vuk knew she would do it again in the span of a heartbeat.
but the second was anger, and vuk found herself struggling with its very embodiment in her heart. how could she find ire with her son? no, vuk decided — the anger was for herself, that she had failed him so completely and utterly, that she had planted the seed of dissatisfaction in his spirit and nurtured it with her weaknesses.
and now it seemed she would lose him again. only a handful of seconds had passed but the tyro realized she had not answered her boy. no. she was not happy, not when her soul was departing a second time. but perhaps she was not meant to be happy; perhaps joy was not her lot.
vuk could not bring herself to lie to seff, nor to hardly speak  — his questions were preliminary and she knew his fate lay with the girl at his side. her beloved child was loved, strong, tended. it was all she ever wanted for him. and so the patchwork wolfess lifted her chin and sighed into seff's fur, willing the tears to hold themselves back. 
she discovered she could not even inquire as to where he was going, nor finish their meeting — the throb of her broken heart was growing. "i love you, seff," vuk whispered, holding her son's eyes for a moment before she glanced gently at freyja. she had no words for the girl; she bore the child no ill will but neither could she speak, and it was then that vuk turned and let herself fade into the gloomy forest that had become her home.
only when she was at its heart did vuk break into great racking sobs that caused her throat to ache; she could scarcely see the ground beneath her paws as she began to search for the one wolf who could give her back what seff had taken.[/tr][/td][/table]

She did not know much of Seff beyond his capabilities, nor did she particularly care. It was his mother that was of use to the Brotherhood, however promising Seff had seemed. Vuk held more worth than she perhaps would ever know. It was the patchwork mother that Nemesis would not let slip away, not her son. Her presence imposed upon the scene, yet the regal title she held signified that it would be by her discretion that Seff could take his leave. The boy owed much to the dark forest, and for him to leave in the midst of a season where they were at their worst was a heavy request to make. That was, if he even had the courtesy to ask. “I take it you wish to leave, then?” Narrowed eyes bore down on the boy, ignorant of the rest present in the scene until a flicker of grey flashed in her peripherals. Pivoting, the Dark Master’s unapproachable optics met the one who wished to whisk the Apprentice away, and they hardened. A girl. “You wish to leave all that you have been given for a girl?” The dark woman assumed, though the closeness of the duo spoke volumes. “To throw away a chance at a glory you would not find anywhere else?” Perhaps, she seemed overbearing. To her, it was a test. Seff had no idea what he would be discarding upon his leave. His family, his sanctuary, his shot at something greater than himself. She would not take any uncertainty from him that this was what he wanted. And she certainly would not let one of their most promising apprentices go to the affections of a rather plain girl that would certainly leave him once she got what she wanted.

he felt an overwhelming feeling of failure. He had promised to make her proud, and his love for her was the greatest thing that he had yet to experience. And yet, he wished to leave. He swallowed drily, unlike her, failing to hold back the tears as they moistened his optics. He he leaned against her when she sighed into his fur, his resolve wavered when she spoke words said often, but seldom with the sincerity and emotion that she delivered them with. His eyes met hers, and without pause, he said in return, "I love you, mama."

but then she was drifting back into the wood, leaving his question unanswered. And so much else. Feeling a tightening in his chest by likes of which he had never felt before, he called out, desperation tingling his voice. "Mama! Wait, please!" But her slight form was gone into the trees, and with a emotion that felt like a paw had thrust his heart onto the ground, he felt that something had changed. But he could hardly elaborate in the feeling, for soon the Dark Master was before him, and he ripped his gaze into the darkness between the trees and fixed it in hers, as she spoke, feeling numb, her words having not the effect he would have expected them too. 

He could stay. Stay, with his mother, and gradually become calloused and changed so that he may adapt, fit in. Spy and kill and summon dark princes. But he quite simply could not, and a glance at Freyja assured him thus. Then to Nemesis he turned, and his expression was still, his words oddly steady as he uttered them.

"I do. Nemesis...I am eternally grateful. To you. For allowing me a place, and my mother. But...it is not my place." He admitted, looking to her, former nervousness gone suddenly as he made this decision. He did not know what she thought of this, and did not turn to leave yet, instead looking to her with a lowered head and tail in reverence to her position and her power, and hoping that she may allow their leave to be clean and easy; though leaving Vuk was anything but.

She watched the scene unfold before her and despite the words she wished to say, she remained silent. Chestnut eyes locked in on the embracing pair, her heart tender. But these emotions came crashing down as Vuk pulled away and retreated into the forest, leaving the trio alone. It had all happened so quickly that it had left the former member of Drageda speechless. Turning, she looked to Seff, frowning at his loss. What could she even say to make him feel better? Nothing, she assumed quickly. In a sense, Seff had just lost his mother and there was nothing she could do to bring Vuk back.

They did not last long without company. Soon enough another was upon them. Her eyes widened at the raven-haired woman’s approach and she shuffled uncomfortably in the other’s approach. Had the wickedness of the forest been suddenly thrust upon them? She hoped not. But, as Nemesis spoke, Freyja felt felt a chill run down her spine at the other's words. Several hairs along her back bristled and despite her uncomfort and displeasure, she held in the low growl that she very much wished to push out into the open. Quickly, her gaze went to Seff and she felt a pang of doubt in that moment. Would Seff really leave his forested home for the open road? Or would she be abandoned on his doorstep? Such doubts brought a frown to her face and she watched on until he replied, holding her breath all the while.

It was only in his reply that Freyja could finally exhale. Mimicking his stance, Freyja shot Seff a small smile before returning her attention to the dark woman and anticipated the reply from the leader of Blackfeather Woods.

Nemesis did not want an unfaithful child within her home, and so, she expelled Seff and stripped his title from the border and woods with one domineering step forward, as if in her weight brought the whole wickedness of the forest within. So much had been given to the boy and his family, and for a little girl did he cast his blessings aside. Seff had been promised to the woods, and it  was only his life that could be taken as penance for his abandonment. The dark woman would be doing him a favour, just to not cut him and his girlfriend down where they stood. It was mercy, simply for Vuk -- who she knew would not recover from the untimely death of a son she had left everything for to bring to the dark woods, simply for happiness. Seff was ungrateful, and had not lived up the promise of his worth. It was punishable by severe circumstance. Nemesis was doing him a favour. They would not survive the winter, should she exact what she would only any normal circumstance. The only thing that saved Seff from dismemberment was the fact he had asked.

“You have some nerve, boy,” A snarl rippled through her lips, the ivory of her teeth more than just peeking from their nest within her mouth. In seconds did her hackles raise, ears falling flat against her skull. She was holding back; the boy would know. “You will not return,” Was her partying command, and with so, she expected they run. Seff would be marked a traitor, per custom. He would not be allowed to return, on any circumstance. She doubted Vuk would wish to see him again.

you will not return
suddenly, there was a horrifying realization that change had come, swift and brutally, and it was all his doing. He had effectively cut himself off from all he had known,  and the thought was terrifying. Freyja could return, should she wish to, to her family, or so he thought. He could not.

it was as if something crumbled within him, and he could not speak,  merely dip his head in meek agreement. With a glance at Freyja he backed up, then turned, and left behind him all he had known and the one thing he had loved for all of his life. He walked into uncertainty and feelings of quilt and grief and failure, and yet, he did not turn around, merely look once to the girl at his side, and wondering if he had truly made the right choice.