You got a friend in me

The forest was quiet, as it usually was this time of night. The child of the night was awake as always, sitting in his favorite clearing with his eyes turned up to the sky. It was a moonless night and the starts shined all the brighter for it. Rhiannon’s speech still rang clear in the sky. The goddess wanted atonement and only blood would satiate her. It didn’t trouble Anwyn the way it troubled some of their coven. The goddess was everything to their coven, he had no reason to not want to appease her. There was simply no other way. Even the youth recognized that it was risky business, messy business. No one would give up their life willingly, each one would have to be taken, ripped from their very grasp. He sighed wistfully. Blood would stain all their hands, but in the name of the Goddess Divine, it was worth it.

Somewhere behind him, a twig snapped. Ears would twitch before he looked over his shoulder. He may not fear the shadows as he once did when he was a pup, but they were still intimidating all the same. He scanned the tree line. Something was out there, he could feel it. Straining to hear, he could barely make out the sounds of something moving around, making its way closer. Dark hackles bristled as the youth stood, his body curling towards the tree line, muscles tensing with wary anticipation. This was no wolf slinking towards him. Dark lips curled in warning, the whites of teeth barely visible in the moonless night. A low growl would follow, vibrating in his throat just as a small kitten appeared.

Immediately, his defensiveness would drop, feeling rather foolish with himself. It was just a kitten. The ball of fluff had a coat as white as freshly fallen snow and eyes such a pale blue they were almost colorless. His exact opposite. Dark brows furrowed. He would attempt to shoo it away, but the kitten didn’t scamper off, instead it came closer. The tiny creature meowed, staring up at him with innocent eyes. Again, Anwyn tried to shoo it away but the critter was oddly unafraid. “What do you want?” He grumbled, though he got no reply. Deciding to ignore it, Anwyn would turn his attention back to the stares, reseating himself in hopes that kittens would scamper back to its mother.

It didn’t. Dark eyes turned from the sky when the ball of fluff tumbled over his paws clumsily. With another sigh, this one more agitated than the last, he nosed the kitten away, an attempt to deter it that was as futile as the last. With each attempt failing, Anwyn finally decided to ignore it, letting the kitten do as it please because maybe it would get bored of him. It didn’t. The ball of fluff curled up between his paws, snuggling in amongst the warmth of his body heat before it finally fell asleep. Now what was he supposed to do with it?speak like this.

table ; bunny

Darkness enveloped the land. Its inescapable reach touched every corner of the woods. It had been an evening of collecting, working in quiet solitude until the sun set and it became too difficult to see. Now, in the depths of the abysmal night, she carefully carried her finds: sprigs of holly, with bulbous, deep red berries still hanging from the branches. She was cautious not to hold it too tightly, since it was poisonous. It was one of the few plants that thrived in the dead of winter. On the brink of adolescence, Datura would soon be a yearling, as she had been born in the earliest days of spring. But it seemed spring was still far away… which was why the ritual was necessary, according to Mother Rhiannon. Datura remained the smallest of her coven family, even as the months passed and the others grew.

She thought often of the impending ritual and her assigned role. Part of her wished that she had been selected to be a Keeper, the one who used plants to doom their victims to die a slow, painful death that they couldn’t escape. Henbane had been chosen instead, but that wouldn’t impede Datura from her learning – hence the holly she carried gingerly, until a sudden sound would stop the youth in her tracks as her ponderings were interrupted. A flash of obsidian darted to her, and the holly fell from her mouth as she exclaimed: ”Oh!”

But it was not a fearsome attacker that she found perched before her. ”A kitten?” All black, save for a crescent-shaped marking on its forehead, the tiny cat mewed at Datura frantically. Perhaps it was in need of care? This was enough to convince Datura to follow the cat, which would lead her to something – or, rather, someone – unexpected.

”Anwyn. Hi.” There was a hint of nervousness to find him there, but more than that, she was surprised – in a good way. Their meetings remained secretive, and thought she wouldn’t dare say so aloud, she had come to relish their brief interactions. Then, she noticed the kitten resting between large, pitch black paws. The dark kitten she found pounced closer to the ivory ball of fluff cradled in Anwyn’s paws. ”You found one, too? They must be siblings.” Not that Anwyn had the best experiences with siblings… ”What should we do with them?” A concerned frown tugged at the corners of her lips.



@Anwyn

coding: gutz

Anwyn and his new companion didn't remain alone for long. Looking over his shoulder, he was met with another kitten, this one black aside from a crescent moon on its forehead, followed quickly by Datura. Her nerves invaded her greeting, buried amongst the surprise. In truth, he was just as surprised as she was - to find not only each other but also a pair of kittens, in the same night? He simply couldn't believe it was just coincidence. Onyx eyes flickered briefly to the sky, a slight frown tugging at his lips. What was the goddess trying to tell him?

Commotion at his paws pulled his gaze down to find the darker kitten bounding closer. A paw would lift, intending to shoo the rambunctious kitten away from the sleeping fluff ball that was no longer bothering him. But it was too late, having heard its sibling, the once sleeping kitten leapt at its sibling and the playing resumed. "It found me." He grumbled, eyeing the creature with uncertainty before looking at Datura.

A shrug would lift slim shoulders. "Wait and see if their mother comes looking for them?" If experience had taught him anything, it was that their mother would definitely not come searching for them. But maybe their mother would be kinder to them. Though it did beg the question - "What if she doesn't?" He didn't mean to ask it out loud. It shed light on his own insecurities. Dark jaws snapped shut with a subtle click as a result.

His stare grew wary. In some ways, it was an unintentional test. He hadn't meant to test her, but here they were. Her pity wasn't what he wanted, though he wasn't entirely sure what exactly he wanted from her. Surely she had heard the story of his own mother by now, her departure from the coven, the abandonment of her own children. And if she hadn't, would he tell her?speak like this.

table ; bunny