Haunted Wood the maw

maybe @Periane and/or @Erebos ?

the gods were quiet this evening. there was no hushed whispers that sounded in his skull, no visions that danced at the corners of his eyes. it bothered him. left him unsettled, unsure, as weren't they the ones who'd brought him to these eerie woods? 

they were fickle creatures, and yet Rhadamanthus was nothing if not reverent. obedient. a servant to them, a herald.

he blended with the night, looking as if he'd stepped from the shrouded heavens to walk amongst man. but he was no god; it would be the greatest blasphemy to believe it so. he was only their tongue. 

erebos had been gone for quite some time. he knew better than to stay separated from his brother for so long. rhad would have a word with his second half; the gods wouldn't tear them apart. 

and so he'd wait. all the while praying that the voices would guide him once more.

periane moved like a shadow beside the wheezing man, their steps threading through the underbrush, the damp earth muffling their passage. she did not speak. his breath was ragged, strained, and hers was steady—but there was no need for words.
he led, and she followed.
the forest pressed close around them, the air thick with something unseen—something that made her chest feel tight, like God himself were holding their breaths.
then the trees parted.
there, beneath the weight of the night, stood another. he was still, dark, and yet he seemed to pulse with something more. not power—something older. something sacred.
her eyes traced him—his posture, his silence—the reverence that clung to him like a second skin.
periane stepped forward, her voice low, careful, as though afraid to disturb whatever rested here.
is this him?
the question drifted into the cold air, a breath of quiet awe.

a scent calms his fraying nerves. his brother—he'd returned. finally. all he does these days is worry over erebos, it seems. but he isn't alone. rhadamanthus does not worry; his brother wouldn't allow just anyone to follow. 

no, this other being must be important. there's a whisper then, in the back of his mind. reverent, feverish. whomever erebos brought with him, the gods seemed eager. pleased.

he pivots in his steps, eyes of silver finding his brother first. a flash of warmth, a kindling meant only for his kin. and then they find the woman. she's beautiful in ways he could hardly understand. gentle, soft. why had erebos brought her here? 

rhad's step are calm but no less demanding as he approached. first, to greet his brethren with an affectionate rumble, a gentle headbutt. and then he straightens himself to greet the girl. 

the whispers grow louder for a moment. he can't decipher them. "what is your name, lamb?" he rumbled, voice deep and smooth. he half-circles her, assessing. 

her beauty isn't the only reason erebos brought her. she would play a larger part in what he'd come to build; he could feel it.

erebos leads the girl, footfalls thudding—lumbering frame corded by muscle. his breathing chaotic now, frayed with emotion. his mind a chaotic wasteland of tortured brooding.
there is no calm until he sees rhadamanthus in the distance. tall, strong; a monument. onyx furred and waiting like a God to receive him. he would be proud of him—this makes erebos walk faster.
breath coming in jagged pulls as he stops before rhada and lowers his head in bow. rhadamanthus comes forth and butts his own head against and erebos rubs aggressively, chuffing a gurgled noise to the man.
he turns intense stare onto the woman.

periane stood still beneath his gaze—silver eyes, assessing, knowing. his presence was like stone, like the sky before a storm. steadfast. inevitable.
the word "lamb" curled around her like a brand, and though her ears flattened briefly in bashfulness, she did not break.
she had been called many things. but this—this was new.
sister periane, she answered, her voice soft but sure. a priestess’s voice. a servant’s voice.
[indenther pale eyes lifted to meet his, steady beneath his circling steps. she knew what he saw—fragility, grace—but she was more than her softness.
priestess, she added, not as boast but as truth. who are you?
there was reverence in her tone—not yet for him, but for the weight in the air, for God that stirred at their meeting.

sister. Rhadamanthus smiled then, calm and collected. the lamb was a priestess. the voices what whispered in the back of his mind grew feverish. wanting. 

"you are a child of faith? this is good." he hummed thoughtfully. "my name is Rhadamanthus, and my brother Erebos." his voice was warm with fondness when regarding his kin. his brother had done very well, bringing this lamb to the alter. 

"i am a servant, same as you. the gods whisper their words to me, and i in turn interpret." he paused, a knowing look in his gaze. "they like you." 

he clears his throat, turns his gaze to the forest they walk amongst. "tell me, sister. would you be keen to help me build a following that will worship alongside us?" an invitation for her to be apart of something bigger. 

something holy.

periane’s head bowed low as they walked, a reverence instinctive and bone-deep. the journey back had been silent on her end, spent in quiet prayer, her steps light behind erebos as though she feared breaking whatever holy thread had brought her into his path.
thank you, she whispered to him at last, her voice soft, like the hush of incense curling in a cathedral. for bringing me. i... was beginning to wonder if my wandering would ever end. she offered him a rare, gentle smile, fleeting but sincere. perhaps i was meant to find you.
and then, to rhadamanthus, who spoke as though he held the keys to heaven itself, her gaze lifted, and her hands folded in front of her chest as if in silent devotion. yes, she answered, simply. unwavering. i serve our Lord, and through him, all who would follow his will.
at the mention of the gods liking her, her cheeks colored faintly, but she did not lower her gaze. instead, her smile deepened, touched with grace. then i am honored. i would be glad to help build such a flock. for where two or more gather, so too does the divine.
she glanced between the brothers, sensing the weight of their purpose. this was no accident.
where shall we begin?

rhadamanthus met her precious smile with one of his own—far less beautiful, but no less amicable. she would serve the lord well—for the gods have brought her to him for a reason, had they not? 

it was no coincidence, as he simply did not believe in them. head held high, his voice was a gentle and smoky rumble. "do you believe in fate, sister?" he inquired, casting a curious look her way. "nothing is done without purpose, without cause. you found my brother for a reason. the gods have a path for you to follow." 

and it was no coincidence that his beloved brother would bring such a devoted woman to stand before the god-caller. even he must feel it too, the thrum in the veins, the whisper of something reverent in the mind. something not quite there and fleeting to anyone else, perhaps, but to rhadamanthus? 

the voices of the gods were thunderous. 

gentle was his trek, as there was no rush, no worries. everything would fall into place. a design crafted by the hands of the divine, the trinity. "it is simple. you find these wayward souls that may not believe, and bring them into the light. prove our cause is worthy. and those who already follow the path of god?"

he trailed off with a knowing smile. "well, i have faith that you will guide them here. to me. to us." and together, they would build something beautiful.

periane listened with the stillness of the devout, her expression soft, contemplative, as rhadamanthus spoke. there was something in the way he carried himself—calm, assured, unwavering—that made it easy to follow the cadence of his voice, to believe in the weight of his words.
i do, she answered simply, her voice a melody spun in silk. fate is but the breath of the divine, moving unseen through the world. shaping. calling.
she lifted her gaze to him then, gentle and bright, yet with a depth that suggested understanding beyond mere faith. it is no accident that i stand before you, nor that your brother led me to you. God's hands have guided this moment, as they guide all things.
her smile lingered, reverent yet touched with something knowing. and so i will do as you ask. the lost will find their way by my words, by my devotion. those who seek shall not be turned away.
her steps were unhurried, poised, as she moved beside him. tell me, then—who must we bring into the light first?