Greatwater Lake Empty chairs at empty tables

@Moonshadow set sometime after this thread ignore his sulking. Or not.

Ganon walked to the lake alone, his thoughts bearing down on his thoughts. His uncle Cicero was dead. His grand uncle Miraak was dead. Both were casualties in the war he had fled. 

Guilt gripped his heart as a flow of what ifs flooded his mind. What if he had stayed and fought alongside them? Could he have changed the tide in the war? Could he have healed Cicero's injuries? 

Nothing could change what had happened, he reminded himself. He sat at the water's edge and took a drink. It was not yet summer, but he could sense the heat coming in. Life changed. It went forward. And so he. 

But what now? Blackfeather Woods was not the place he had once knew, for better or for worse. Despite the oppressiveness of the religious group that had long since dominated the Woods, he liked the familial nature of the pack. His family lived there. His lineage permeated the Woods. But the Woods now was better than ever. Stable, quiet, non-denominational. But would he like it? 

His brother was on the coast. Despite his disgust for his brother's arrogance and rashness he still longed for him through all those months. He could go there and find him. 

His uncle was somewhere, the last remnant of his young life. Perhaps he had a successful pack, despite his failings in retaking the Woods. Perhaps, he could join with him. 

He'd have to make a choice soon, but he had no clue what path to take.

It was around this time that the ebony female had realized that the act done a while ago had done something to her. She assumed herself to be with pups but it was too soon to tell. Yet from the knowledge Moonshadow had picked up seemed to point in that direction. The thought of her being pregnant had caused her mind to wander once more about how she was going to do it on her own. Though these thoughts were short lived as she came across a male who seemed to be thinking as well. "Hello." She decided to call out to him perhaps strike up a conversation.

He broke from his revierie as a voice called out to him. He turned to see the speaker, and was faced with an inverted version of his mother. He gaped at her for a moment, before mentally shaking himself and grinning at her. Hello, fair lady, He greeted her, his smug and confident gentleman mask slipping into place. Am I in your way? She had greeted him cordially enough, but he had met with too many smiling masks hiding snakes to be certain of her sincerity. He could not smell her from here, and was uncertain of her allegiance.

The female was met with a smile from the man and in turn she gave him a smile of her own. “Oh no, don’t worry I’m just wandering to recollect my thoughts. My name is Moonshadow, I’m from a pack not far from here.” The girl saw no reason to meet him with hostility so her stance loosened and she hoped he would give his name as well.

She smiled at him, so he lowered his defenses somewhat. You're not alone in that, his tone darkened for a moment as he briefly reflected on his current position — caught in the crossroads of varying fates. Ganondorf, He gave his full name. Sometimes he got laughs from the full iteration of his name (someone has once called him Ganondork and he had nearly exploded with rage) but he sensed (hoped) that she was more mature than that. But he was spit balling here. She could laugh and that would sour his briefly jovial mood. You won't mind if I ask what pack you're from?

The female took not of his name, it was different, unique it seemed. The male seemed to be doing the same as she had first suspected. "Of I wouldn't mind. I come from Blackfeather Woods. May I ask in turn where your from?" She was curious, she had not seen this male around before.

He got no reaction, and was internally relieved. He could continue to have a civil conversation with her. It helped to soothe his pride to avoid such a topic. It was one of the few weaknesses that he still had, or at least claimed to have.

He was intrigued to hear from a subordinate about the modern Blackfeather Woods. What's it like? He asked, cocking his head. A good pack? She asked of his origins. He decided that she would change her mind if she knew of his true origins. He wasn't sure if she would believe him anyway. He didn't meet the standard for a Melonii, and he wasn't sure if the new Blackfeather Woods wolves actually knew the history of their territory. I'm from west of here. Place called Towton. He had been there.

The man asked about the pack and with a soft smile. “Well as of right now we are barely settling back into the woods. As well as with a new leader but I have both known and watched her grow into a fine adult since we first met and I have no doubt that she will be a great leader.” She held Maegi in very high esteem. He also mentioned where he was from. “And I’ve never heard of that place is that a nice place?” She mentally slapped herself because she felt as though she sounded stupid. However she waited for him to speak again, her right eye squints as it tries to focus but she managed to settle it hopefully before he noticed

This had all been new. The reclamation of the Woods, their homeland. He wondered how long it had laid empty, and who, if anyone, had lived there while Blackfeather Woods was ousted. It made him angry, to imagine a Blackfeather Woods without a Melonii within it (luckily for him, that had not been true at all), but there were ones now, and he was satisfied. The rabble who followed his younger sibling-niblings were harder for him to create a mental image of. There was her of course, but she could be an image of the very best or the most middling of them. Perhaps even the very worst — but she was far too polite for that.

Settling back? he asked, hoping to lure the events out. Towton's far from here. I left. Not because it was bad, mind you. I just felt cloistered. He shrugs, then grins at her, cocksure. I wanted to see the sea. And his brother, and perhaps his other relatives. He didn't know. He had no idea what he was doing.

He made another inquiry and she felt obliged to answer. “After the war between Redhawks I believe it was a while ago and I forget but there were little members left, our original leader had left or so I assume after that me and a yearling at the time, Maegi was her name were kidnapped by a pack in the mountains. Although they planned to do something evil towards her I stepped into a fight between her and another wolf holding off the male until she escaped. That resulted in my wounded eye and side although my wounds were nothing compared to what happened to her.”

Moonshadow winced as she remembered all the events of what happened and it pained her to do so. “I still wish there was more I could of done. After that we parted ways and I believe she went to a pack by the sea. Eventually the last of Blackfeather disbanded and most parted ways. But A few wolves came back and the pack was reborn and now here we are.”

A lot had happened. To Maegi, to the pack. She said nothing of Ramsay or Euron, so he wondered where they had been within the story. There were too many sides of the story — not even the players knew all of them, he thought. It would be impossible for him to gain the complete truth, but he could try, he supposed. 

He immediately took a shining towards her. He didn't know what bastards had attacked his little sibling-nibling, but he'd get back, if Maegi hadn't already. At least you got it in a good cause, He said, gesturing towards her eye. My mother had a similar scar, but I don't think that it was gained in such noble circumstances.

There was another mention of the sea. The sea, the sea, the sea. He wondered what had lured both Maegi and Vaati there. The same thing, or two completely different ones?

The female watched as he seemed to take in everything that she had stated. It had been a while since she had someone to actually talk to, let alone listen to her. It was new and she kinda liked it.

He mentioned her wound and all she could do was softly smile. She had never thought of it that way. She seemed to see it as a constant reminder of how she failed. “I suppose your right” She said softly. He mentioned his mother had a similar wound. “Oh.” Was all she could say about that.

The conversation dipped into a lull. Ganon sighed, his choices coming back. His thoughts really. Everything that he was mulling on flooded back into his active consciousness. 

I don't know where she is. My mother I mean. He began. He wasn't sure why he was telling her this. Perhaps... It was because he had just met her and she wasn't related to him. She wasn't a great person. She was honestly shitty if I'm being honest. But she was my mother. That's enough right? He made himself smile, but a pit of sadness had formed in his chest and was sinking him down, dragging him somewhere.

Cicero was dead. Miraak was dead. Mother was gone. He looked away, suddenly embarrassed. Whatever outpouring had begun was suddenly stemmed. He couldn't. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you this.  

He bagan to divulge into talking about his mother and she couldn’t help but feel a little bad. But she knew how it felt a little bit to not have your mother around. “Don’t be sorry. I knew my mother for about a month after I was born so I barely remember her. Me and my brother were either drove out or abandoned by our mother. My memory is a bit foggy at that time due to age.” He had shared his so she thought it only fair to share. “I guess I was lucky I had my brother around then but now he’s gone to either moved in from here or has passed on”

The sudden tumult of emotion had shaken him. The realization that he was deeply, painfully sad was a surprise, let alone the fact that he had laid his emotions bare in front of a stranger. She began to say something about her own mother, but that only served to make him angry. At least she had no memory, no void to fill within herself. He had an image of a beautiful, strong woman that had been corrupted over the years before crumbling into ash. He didn't even know if she was alive at this point. He had so much he wanted to say to he—I think I need to go, his voice was sharp. He needed to be alone. To collect himself. There was a lot more going on than just him being unsure of the future.