Blackfeather Woods Blood drying black on your claws (Dark Brotherhood Meeting)

@Bane @Kadence @Crescendo @Slade @Kove This is taking place right after the battle with SC. I suppose this can be considered a Dark Brotherhood meeting too? We're going to discuss a plan of action with SC as our official enemy now. (Those not tagged are free to read this only) This counts as a pack meeting (for EXP!)

Meldresi sat curled outside of her den, her thick furred body blocking the entrance to relieve them of the winter chill. O Mephala, the trouble they gave her when it was too cold in the den.

Normally she would be in there with them, curled about them and singing them to sleep before entering that darkness herself, but there was something else she needed to attend to before she retired. The fight between them and Swiftcurrent Creek.

She had predicted that, sooner or later, the wolves would come to them; they would not just abandon their packmates like that. Kadence had already located one of their patrols sniffing about and sent them off, but besides that pair, no other wolves came. Instead of just waiting, the priestess sent two of her Dark Brothers and another wolf, Crescendo, to escort the hostage back to her pack, and intercept any Swiftcurrent patrols on the way. Whether that has happened for certain remains to be seen.

The alpha tipped her head back and howled, calling for the two other Dark Brotherhood members left behind, Slade and Kove, as well as Bane, Kadence and Crescendo, if they have arrived back to their dark woods. Nearby her, in little bundles, Meldresi had her herbs readied to attend to her Brother and Sister, as well as her subordinate while getting the news of the battle from them. The priestess mused to herself about the success of the fight, did they win or lose? Did they even see the Swiftcurrent wolves? Sighing softly, she tipped her head upwards and closed her dark eyes as she waited for her wolves to come to her, hopefully, with good news.

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Three days had lasted their journey. A journey that never reached it's destiny. Meldresi had assigned a Squad of elite wolves to take their prisoner back home, but most importantly, to deliver a message. Kadence and Crescendo had proven their loyalty and abilities more than once since their arrival to the pack, and lead by the newly appointed Beta, Bane, they left with the prisoner, using her as a map to get to Swiftcurrent, ready for whatever might come.

And now they were back. Without Star, and with less blood running through their veins than before departing. Meldresi's howl rang in the air just moments after the squad crossed the borders back into the dark woods. Bane wondered if the priestess had some kind of arrangement with the crows, using them as watchers. just as if Meldresi knew all that happened under each of the many shadows that Blackfeather cast upon the land. His own voice echoed as a response.

"We're here..."

Followed by his sister and subordinate, Bane quickened the pace, eager to get back home, eager to be healed my Meldresi's tender care. The silver warrior was unrecognizable, his damaged body was now evidence of what an exceptional contender Alpha Scimitar from Swiftcurrent Creek was, torn by his claws and jaws Bane's body ached, his right frontal paw looked awful and his throat was now a cascade of blood. None of his wounds were fatal, Bane was sure Meldresi would be capable of curing them, but all of them would become a lifelong reminder of how much of a flock of fucking bastards were the creek wolves. Especially his face, where Scimitar's sharp claws had left three bleeding lines over his right eye.

"We're here..." the bloodstained wolf barked as he sighted Meldresi curled just outside of her den. "How are the pups?" he asked eagerly, trying to get a look over the priestess. It had been his biggest concern since his departure, and although Meldresi looked at peace, Bane just needed to know by word that his litter was out of harm and he too would be at peace and move on to business. He knew there were important matters to be discussed and that Meldresi would want a full report of the mission.

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Crescendo had been proud to be asked on such a mission with the wolves of the fearsome "Dark Brotherhood", and his wounds made no mark on his pride and happiness. Truly, one of the only times he felt happiness. The task raised his hopes that perhaps he would join the ranks of the guild he respected and admired so much. As he looked at the pale one, Moonbane, he saw strength and cunning and authority, the thing he most respected in a wolf.
As he sat next to the pale warrior, his bite wound throbbed and he snarled softly. The pain in his side reminded him of how sad he had been to watch his little plaything go, and the incredible stupidity of the bitches of Swiftcurrent Creek. The nerve of the pack to attack Blackfeather warriors, who were kind enough the bring their little pet back, astounded Crescendo. The fools had had no chance of winning, and where lucky that they were not all dead.



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Kadence followed her two 'brothers' into the borders of the woods. It had been a long fight with the creek wolves and her cheek was bleeding heavily, matting her dark fur with crimson. Her sides were bruised and scratched but on her face was a look of triumph. They had beaten those mangy mutts and she was eager to find out what Meldresi planned to do next.

When they reached the alpha's cave the dark assassin stayed behind Bane and dipped her head respectfully to her leader and role model. She waited intently for the dark queen to speak but she couldn't help straining her neck a little to get a glimpse of the little bundles of pup that were tucked away in the darkness.

With the amount of trespassers they had seemed to be getting, it was no surprise Kove had been taking the time to trail the borders of the territory, especially the ones that had other packs lingering close by. When the call of the leader broke the silence, though, he'd stopped dead in his tracks in order to answer it. He was curious to hear what she had to say, and wasted no time in his trek to her location. As he neared, however, he was slightly taken aback by the physical appearances of three other members. It was hard to image a member of Blackfeather could take such a beating, but he was sure the other side had sustained injuries far worse—especially since he knew two of them were members of the Brotherhood.

Kove came to a stop once he was a decent length from the two bloodied shadows, but said nothing. His head dipped in both greeting and respect to the Queen, but after that he made no other movements. The only thing that moved were his coppery orbs as they traced the wounds of the three returning lupines.

Since Slade hasn't replied yet I'm just going to continue this! (no official rounds, just until everyone posts. @Bane @Crescendo @Kadence @Kove

Meldresi did not have to wait long. Bane responded, telling her that they had arrived in the territory. After a few moments, her fighters had returned, bloodied, but with the sharp glint in their eyes that accompanied victory. Bane spoke to her, inquiring of the pups first as she rose and examined their wounds. "As of right now they are sleeping peacefully." She said, circling him to assess his body. She did the same with Kadence and Crescendo, surmising that the trio had sustained wounds that would scar, but nothing life-threatening.

Kove had come in soon after the victorious warriors, staying a decent distance away from them as she strode towards the herbs. The priestess noticed that Slade had not yet answered her call, but pushed the matter aside. It was not a formal pack meeting anyhow. He could afford to miss it this time.

She tended to Bane first, recognizing that his front paw was going to need the most attention. It looked horrible, mangled and bloodied like that, but she was certain it would heal. She cleaned the paw tenderly, pausing for a moment to give orders to the four gathered wolves. "I want reports from all three of you, especially about who you fought and how many wounds they themselves received. Kove," She said, her eyes briefly fixating on the white male in the shadows. "Come here, I need you to help me with their wounds."

When his name was called, Kove stepped forward and walked over towards the priestess. He'd never known much about herbs, only that a leafy one called 'plantain' helped with cuts and scrapes. Going by the look of the wounds on the three returning wolves, however, he wasn't so sure how much help those leaves would be even if they had some. He was positive the Queen had stronger stuff that would work much better, though, so he looked to her once he was close enough to speak respectfully. “What is it you need me to do, exactly?” the pale wolf inquired, ready to do whatever he was told to.

While he awaited instructions to follow through on, his mind wandered to thoughts and images of what the other party might look like. He imagined them being far worse off, as he could not see any others as being capable of matching the strengths of the Blackfeather wolves. The marks left would heal, he was sure, but how long it would take was a different story. That, he was unsure of, but hoped it to be sooner rather than later. Another topic that came to mind was what hey would do in retaliation. Kove wanted to know what type of plan the priestess might have in mind, but did not ask right away. They had a bigger problem at the moment, which was working to do whatever it was to clean the returning wolves' wounds and help them along in their healing process.

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A faint relief sigh escaped Bane's mouth when Meldresi told him that the pups were out of harm. He had grown very fond of them in a short time and the last thing he wanted was losing them. But then, just as he had expected, Meldresi went into Business mode again. She wanted a report, Bane was expecting it, and he was more than happy to give it out.

"You wanna know what happened? We kicked some ass out there, that's what happened," Bane joked, but a chuckle failed to come as the pain stung his bloody face. "They were looking for her," he started again after a short silence, "three of them. We crossed paths in the middle of Blackfoot. I confronted the Alpha, Scimitar," he said proudly, "and you can be sure they'll think twice before trespassing again." He finished with a sly but somewhat painful smile, then slowly, the snow warrior turned his gaze upon his warriors with pride. "They did great, Meldresi. They've proved their worth out there." he barked and waited for either of them to take their turn to speak. He knew they had a lot to brag about.

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A small smile touched Crescendo's features, a rare, real one. "It was a honor to fight along with true warriors," he said humbly, dipping his head to Bane and Meldresi. He shifted slightly in order to put less weight on his mangle foreleg, but quickly looked back up the others. "They were fools, to attack us." he said proudly. "They were lucky to escape with their lives."In his mind, no wolf stood to win against any member of Blackfeather. Though he had sustained a few wounds, his enemy had sustained many more.

Kadence nodded in agreement to Crescendo, him voicing her exact thoughts. "They definitely know that we are not a pack to be messed with now. Hopefully they will spread the word." she said smirking, imagining the stupid mutts running back to their pack, terror clear on their faces. It's what they deserved, trying to mess with the Blackfeather wolfs.

She was grateful that Meldresi was such a good healer, because even though she hadn't attained any major injuries, the scratches still stung like hell.

@Keith @Kove @Crescendo @Kadence

Despite the gashes and bruises her warriors received, they had won the battle, and crowed it to her without hesitation. Bane himself even fought and alpha, and won. She was proud of them, and she let it show in the smile she gave to all three of them. "Good. Very good." She praised them.

Meldresi turned to the Dark Brother who had not participated in the battle, his white pelt looking like fresh snow when compared to the likes of Bane. "Pass out these pieces of moss so they can clean their wounds, and help them clean whatever they can't reach." she said, wandering from Bane to Crescendo to examine his paw. "Bane, tell me about Scimitar. I want to know what Swiftcurrent's leader is like."

When the order was given, Kove carried it out quietly, not wanting any of his words to overlap with those of Bane. He picked up the moss and gave some to each of the wolves, letting them go about their cleansing once done. The man was not entirely sure as to who would need—or even want—help cleaning, so he awaited for any of them to speak up and say so. In the meantime, his eyes looked closely at each of the wounds he could see, and his ears listened for what the other pale wolf had to say about the leader of the opposing pack. With how easy it had been to get some information out of an allegedly loyal member of the pack, he wouldn't be surprised to hear just how weak the other had to be. From what they'd already said, it appeared as if the enemy was not nearly as strong as those in Blackfeather.

EDIT: let's get this thread going! @Crescendo @Kadence @Meldresi @Kove ·

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"Scimitar is a bitch." Bane started, smiling arrogantly as everyone else expected. "Swiftcurrent Creek is no match to Blackfeather Woods, that's clear. Scimitar is big, I'll recognize it, but he's a fluffy little puss... I'm not worried about him. I don't think they'll want to come back to us ever again, but we gotta keep our eyes open, I don't want to take any risks..." he said turning more serious. Blackfeather was his home and he would keep it safe from whatever threat was upon them, if he didn't he would've never gone to confront another pack willingly. Or would he?

After the speech, Bane reached out to take the moss Kove had passed over to him and started pressing it against his shoulder with difficulty. There were many wounds he would never be able to reach, but he wasn't going to ask for help, he was too proud for that.

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@Damien @Kadence @Kove Going to post one last time to finish this up.

Meldresi nodded; Swiftcurrent wolves would know better now than to trespass or to provoke their pack. Word of mouth would spread the tale, corrupt it into something darker. The priestess smiled. Perfect. "You have all deserved your rest, and a meal. Relax and let Kove and I tend to your wounds and you can sleep the rest of the day away if you wish." She grabbed her supplies and began dolling out the herbs, wrapping wounds with cobweb-laden herbs. They had begun the Dark Brotherhood's reign of terror, and who knew where this dark path would lead them next.

Last post for me!

Kadence nodded and gave Meldresi an appreciative smile as she took some moss from Kove and started to clean the scratches that littered her body. She took a seat as Meldresi went presumably to get more supplies. It had been a tough battle, but just as she had expected, the Blackfeather wolves had come out on top and she was proud to be in their midst. She let her thoughts drift into a haze as she sat there, content with her place in the world.

Last post from me. c:

The man was oblivious to the ways of healing, but was actually somewhat thankful it was he who would be helping out the Queen with tending to the wounds of the injured. It presented him with a learning opportunity—simple, but useful nonetheless. He paid careful attention to what the dark woman did to the first few wounds she encountered, before going about with helping and repeating her actions himself. It wasn't perfect, and most likely paled in comparison to Meldresi's work, but it was good enough to get the job done. That was all that could be expected of Kove, though, since he'd never helped out with the wounds of another before. As he went along, he tried to imagine just how badly those on the opposite had it, before chalking it up to just being worse than what he was seeing on his fellow pack members. It would teach them, the enemy and anyone else, to not mess with those from the dark forest. The Inuit liked that idea, too, and kept it in his mind as he continued on with helping with the wounds.