Private Headstrong, Crazy Dreams {Ket}

[Curupira Hawk]

They howled, sang to the moon as it belonged to them. Curupira wondered sometimes what it was to be a powerful demon as he was, as she was; as they were. She wasn't; her demon side was different, hidden. She was a monster hidden behind the face of a doll; an angel. The Dathomiri recognized that she had been called beautiful throughout her life… it wasn't what she saw. Ruu saw beyond the fair skin and the dyed hair. She could see the burning fire being the golden irises, and the monster always ready to play her mate's games. She longed for it, dreamed of it.

When Curupira vanished, it was because she felt her own weakness. She felt she was losing her power, her strength. Nona called it magic, Seth knew it as the Force. Whatever it was, whatever its name it was – Curupira couldn't feel her connection as she had once. It had been reactionary, as an invisible friend who would listen and make life more interesting. Until one morning, a simple incantation failed, and a small hand gesture delivered not. It was when Curupira Hawk, the mate of Ket Van-Derveld became a petty coward…, she ran, desperate to find that very power. She could not allow herself to stand next to true wolves and be weak. That was not who she was…

Years had passed since. Maybe her face didn't show it, but Curupira felt the maturity creep in. Once, she had laughed in the insanity of being a mother to two grown girls. She knew they were hers, there was no denying, product of Lupine and Witch. Both mad as a hatter, in their own ways. There was never any question what the girls claimed was true; but Ruu wasn't ready to be Ma'dri, wasn't ready grow up. Not until she heard her daughter screaming for her through the Force – Katrine was becoming a mother herself, before she had even become one. Curupira had never quite understood the bond of a mother and daughter, a wolf and her cup; not until her baby girl – not born of her own flesh, but still hers – needed her.

He wasn't here though. Not once.

Somewhere far from where she was, the lone wolf searched for something she didn't know. Curupira didn't doubt he would come home; he always came back. But she grew impatient with the years. Her hand reached to her shoulder blades; the old scars still felt fresh, new. Sometimes, Curupira was convinced they hurt when he was nearby. Sometimes though, she knew it wasn't them at all, it was the Force still whispering to her, though distant. Ket wasn't too far from where she was, wherever he was. He'd come to her if she called.
​

"Come home." ​

There was a time when he was always around, when all it took was for Ruu to think of him and he would come. Perhaps she had been hiding for so long that he could no longer come to her side; or perhaps because Ket had understood she needed this time away. Years had passed, and while there was much Curupira had to re-learn, a new way to speak to the Force when it had stopped listening; she was tired of talking to herself. Me, myself and I was a great companion, but sometimes – Ruu could get bored of herself too.

Obviously, she meant Kat's silly little droid and the program. Not always.

She chuckled and swirled at the mirror; quite happy with her new look. "Pretty," the Dathomiri agreed with her own reflection with a firm nod, before exiting the large room she slept in most of the nights while on the moon. Figaro Favoura VII wasn't always home. It wasn't much of a place of where the wolves had come to, a fantasy to look forward. Maybe sometimes she dreamed of being here, when she listened about it. Admittedly, those dreams weren't fun as the latest ones; but the Witch was going to have to admit she was missing on the only true company she had ever wanted. Needed was probably a different story, but the mad wolf was the only company Curupira ever wanted.

Letting out a random giggle, the woman exited, wandering the long ancient hallways of the Schwartzweld. Such a funny word, she mussed to herself as she made a few random turns. After so long, she did know where she was going; but Curupira still loved getting lost. Sometimes, she stumbled on old dusty rooms full of fun secrets so she and Larentia – who if you didn't know, dear depths of Ruu's mind, is Curupira's granddaughter – could explore further. Her blue-eyed wolf was a delight in her life, curious and bright, and just a bit on the crazy side (so far). Curupira loved her company, as she had come to learn.

"Let's try…. Door number 3," she decided at random and danced over to the heavy doors, waving her thin hands in front of them. They opened at her command, exploring cobwebs and dust. Another adventure for the Witch. ​

Ket Van-Derveld​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

[Ket's Soundscape: You Are The One]​

Lungs expanding, nostrils flaring, eyes shut, head arched back as he took in a breath as deep as he could. The midnight air of Figaro Favoura VII filled his being, the scents of the forest strong and welcome.


Exhale, slowly. Let the air flow smoothly. Relax the muscles. Eyes opened, bright sapphire blue orbs looking up to the gas giant Figaro Favoura proper. The flames of the fire flickered, bouncing off rugged, worn features. He basked in it's warmth, as embers within crackled and popped. Insects were abuzz with song, and the various creatures of the forest did as they would. It had been about a galactic standard week, give or take a day, since he returned once more to the camp on the far side of the forest moon. It was here that he'd spent countless hours, days, weeks, months, even years. It was here that he had meditated upon the mysteries of the Force, of it's light side, it's dark side, and all the stopping points in-between.

He'd been on a fair few adventures since last he left a few months back. To the backwater system known as Islimore, where another race of wolves known as the Lupo fought a bitter struggle against human oppressors. It was there that he'd tried to learn the secrets of how he might fight the madness within. To Coruscant, to a nightclub in the entertainment district known as the Star Lounge. Here, he met someone who proposed to him a partnership, which intrigued him, as he had anger and fury that he could hold back no longer. To a few other worlds at this person's behest, where he let loose the Mad Wolf of old, satisfying the bloodlust within, if only for a time until it demanded more. A few other stops along the way, to Nar Shaddaa, and to Tatooine. For reasons not many, if any, would be able to understand.

Averting his gaze, he looked back down to the fire, and sat quietly upon the rock he had always rest upon. It's surface had become more smooth over time, well worn out by use over the years. He had a ramshackle 'cabin', if you could call it that, that he used as a shelter when the storms came. Most of his things remained within his ship. The Deceased Star had been refit, and was a much more complete and put-together thing these nights, and worked well for a home, albeit cramped. Still, for all this...he had nothing. Ket Van-Derveld had more than most could ever want; power unabated, a true mastery of the Force. A ship to take him wherever he may need to go. Contacts, wealth, high-rise apartments and penthouses, tech, information, he had it all.

Yet, for all he had, he had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

For without her, he was but a shell. A wandering vagabond worth less than the few credits in a beggar's pockets.​

He sighed lightly, sitting there by the fire. His signature coat was back upon the Star, as were his gauntlets, his sabers, even his slugthrower. All he was clothed in were his well worn, faded black leathers, and his knee-high black boots with the silver buckles. Where he was, in the middle of the 'un-walked regions' of the forest moon, he needed none of these things. This was a nexus of Force energy, a place where both the light and the dark mingled freely with one another. A place where he had spent so much time in hibernation trance, contemplating the Force, and trying to overcome his own madness by sheer will alone. Yet, for all he had accomplished, he was still so empty within. For years now, he had been alone, partially out of choice, but more because he had no choice at all. She would do as she would. And somehow, because of this, he lost his entire family. Either scattered to the galactic winds, long gone from the mortal coil, or simply gone of their own accord. He had no one except the voices in his head. And those voices, they were a constant reminder of his sick and twisted mind.

Most of the time, they had much to say, but nothing to agree upon. Yet, this day, they were quieter than usual. It almost troubled him, this minor respite. Nothing happened without reason. Yet, as he sat there, it would seem as if time began to move slower, almost coming to standstill. The flames of the fire that danced so wildly began to move in slow motion, almost stopping. Insects seemed to hover in mid-air without moving. His head snapped to the side, and he felt the ripples of the Force. As he had always reached out within the tendrils of the Force, it seemed as if the Force were reaching out into the tendrils of his own mind.

And then, at first a whisper, he could almost hear a voice. It repeated, becoming clearer each time. He closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate upon the words, trying to make out what it was he heard within his head. And then, as the voice became clearer, he realized he was hearing an echo in reverse within the Force itself. His eyes snapped open, the sapphire orbs a pure, ebon blackness as the voice repeated itself one last time, as clear as the star-filled sky above his head.

"Come home."

He whispered, "...Ruu."​

And like a bolt of lightning, he took off running into the forest beyond, the Force augmenting his body, pushing him further, faster ever still. Like a swoopbike gone off the rails, he was powering through the woods, a man possessed by demons even he cared not to know. The Old Wolf was smashing through brush, small trees, anything in his way was absolutely flattened. He then hunched down as he ran, slamming his hands, palm first, into the ground. He began to run on all fours as his body began to contort in unnatural ways no human could ever survive. His face began to shift, his jaw cracking apart in sickening crunches, teeth becoming longer, sharper. His ears began to stretch, ending in points. Arms and legs began to bulge as muscle and joint shifted in painful agony. His skin, inked, scared, and branded, became covered in jet black fur, with a silvered patch across the chest, as a tail began to form from his hind-quarters...

And as this transformation came to it's zenith, the Man was replaced by the Wolf, for he was the Lupine Lord of all he surveyed. And as he padded up to the top of the mountain pass, below was the ancestral home of House Van-Derveld; The Schwartzweld. And as he stood there for but a few fleeting moments, the head of the Wolf reared back, spine arched, and a howl unlike any other upon the planet called out into the night, powerful, and unmistakable.

He knew she was close, and now, now...

Curupira knew he was come home, home to her, his one great love.

Curupira Hawk​

 

[Curupira Hawk]

Maybe I like Me Broken…​

She forced the window bars out their nails with several hand movements, the Force listening in small actions, as she stepped in, giving light into the room. Ruu felt content when it obeyed, when her hands moved and It responded. Like an old friend coming back to her. The dust particles danced around her, her fingers moving over it. This room was but another bedroom, the Schwartzweld seemed to be in endless supply of them. Sometimes, Curupira wished at least one of these would be properly haunted, to have some kind of fun in them – but frankly, the spirits of Schwartzweld have been at bay for long. They were here, oh, the dead soul were floating about; Katrine knew as much. Her little medium could converse with the spirits, but they didn't find much interest in the humanoid usurper of their not so humble abode.
​

Honestly, it was might rude if you asked her. Being called a humanoid usurper.

Curupira was a Witch. A Dathomiri Witch. Not a humanoid usurper.

She'd made sure to tell the spirits that if wasn't for her, they wouldn't have their precious heir either. Hey, just because she couldn't hear it, didn't mean Curupira wasn't going to drive her point home. There was also some old fart somewhere here who thought her Katrine shouldn't be the next Lady of Schwartzweld, as she'd been told. But their Lupine behind would be evicted soon enough, Ruu promised her pupper. There was a spell for nearly anything in this galaxy, she just didn't know them all. Satara would know though.

Anyway… it had been a fun day, arguing to forces she couldn't see or hear herself.

Not many sane people would spend so long at it.

But Curupira was never sane, was she?

The Witch had let her mind wander as she looked through the room, finding interesting pieces to touch upon. Ruu wasn't a medium, she couldn't feel the beings from beyond the veil the way Katrine could; but she could sense traces of energy left upon the object. They came out as whispers, tickling her fingertips as she brushed them against the surfaces. She would guess a woman or girl occupied this room, based on the ancient hair brushes and the large vanity fair, as it appeared to be. Much the way the Dathomiri had furniture that wasn't quite as modern, the old Lupines seemed to have their own ways of achieving the same.

She sat down into the chair, adjusting a highlight getting into her face before she picked up a brush, inspecting it further. The craftsmanship on the planet was beautiful, particular to the family symbols of the Van-Derveld house. She'd seen the same design many times over the last years. It was a beautiful, the howling wolf standing over the other features. Curupira wondered what it would be like to be one of them far too many times to count even. She was curious on what it would feel to have such power and freed, blood lust and desire to run.

Her finger traced over the wolf. More than being curious, she missed her wolf.

The distinctive howl that reached her ears through the window made her freeze. It was not the howl that belonged to Katrine, Larentia who was only about to begin her transformation….

Ancient hairbrush fell from her hand, the Witch didn't feel it, unaware of her standing up. Her quick walk turned into a run. Curupira knew that howl, being perfectly honest with herself. Years passed since she'd heard it, but the woman knew exactly who it belonged to, which was why her body reacted the way it did, like an old drug running through her system, taken in without realizing.

He was home, he was here. For her.
​

Ket Van-Derveld​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

The wind whipped through his fur as he began running down the mountain pass, the night air cold in it's embrace. He was singularly focused, running on instincts alone. Right now, nothing mattered to him but her. She was close, closer still. He could smell her in the breath of the night winds, he could feel her within his very bones. For years, he'd been wandering the galaxy, alone and empty. Somehow, his very existence began to lose all meaning. Trying so hard to quell his own madness, he never seemed to realize that the voices kept him sane when she was not around. She truly was his anchor in this Gods-forsaken galaxy. He'd always known that, but he never wanted to believe that he ever needed anyone but Me, Myself and I. Yet, there it was, as plain as day, for all to see. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, his heart of emotions, his soul of pains.

Soon enough, the midnight-black furred Wolf came to a trot, and then stood there, piercing sapphire blue eyes staring at the massive, twisted, wrought iron gate that led into the grounds of the Schwarzweld. He let out yet another howl, more powerful than before, with the power of the Force behind it. The gates swung upon their rusted hinges, opening up with a haunting squeal of metallic grinding. He trotted down the ancient cobblestone path, the statues of wolf and man alike seemingly averting their gaze. His ancestors, forever enshrined in bronze and stone, weathered and worn. And soon enough, as he came to the massive oaken doors leading into the main hall, the wolf would let out a cry of pain as bone began to crack and break once more, fur receding, snout shortening, claws retracting, and teeth shortening.

After a few moments, the visage of Ket Van-Derveld stood there, clad in only his leathers and boots, his bared torso on display once more. The tattoos the brands, and the scars. The scars, gods how they hurt this night. They hadn't caused him such pain since that one night, so many years ago. The Night she took him, and made him hers, as he had made her his own. A hand came up, and rubbed across a particular tattoo on his chest. Three simple letters, but they were there over his heart for a reason. 'Ruu'. He could no longer bear it, to be alone any more. To be without her was to be worse than dead. They always said there were fates worse than death, and now, now he could attest to that. Gazing up at the doors, he strode forward, with a singular intent. Mustering strength he'd not had since his youth, his connection to the Force amplified it ten fold, and he slammed his booted foot into them. The huge, heavy doors swung open like they weighted nothing at all, and left an indent of his boot within one of them where the impact occurred. The noise would echo across all of the manor, and he began to walk with purpose.

Yet, before he could even make it a few steps forward, he saw... Her. She was running, at an almost breakneck speed toward him. He would waste no time, and he moved forward, running toward her as she came toward him, and then, at just the moment they would collide, he picked her up by the hips, and twirled her around with him, setting her down gently. Cold sapphire eyes began to warm, as he stared into her own golden pools of sheer beauty. His Ruu...here, in his grasp...He was almost in disbelief, as if this were some sort of cruel joke.

No, it was no mirage or trick of the mind. She was here, right here in front of him, within his arms, where she was always meant to be. And as a single tear rolled down his whethered cheek, his voice cracked but a bit, speaking weakly. But it took on a tinge, a tone that only ever came out when she was there. Something familiar, something that too, was pure instinct.

"...mY moRSeL..."

Curupira Hawk​

 

[Curupira Hawk]

Take Me to the Night We Met....​

She ran through the endless castle, bare feet barely hitting the cold stone. Curupira felt like she was floating through the air, taking forever. Too long. She knew where she was going; there was no more wandering now, no exploring. She knew the exact path to the exit, the large doors keeping her separate from the outside howl. Maybe, you are asleep…, a familiar voice teased inside her mind. Being with the little pup had helped silence the voices to an extent. They were no longer as destructive as they had been for years; no longer trying to convince her she was weak, useless.

Once, the voices and she were friends.

They were good to her once.

It was long before they became the worst inside her mind. They hoaxed and teased, nagged and triggered. They were not her friends anymore. Maybe, you are dreaming…, they kept on. Curupira said nothing to the voices now, the voices were wrong. There was but one howl that could get louder than any of them. He was here, they would lose today.

What if the dream turns into a nightmare? They kept going. Then I'm fine never waking up, she countered now, turning a corner; running faster. She needed him. In truth, she'd always needed him. From the day she had attempted to cast lightning, triggered by the darkest memories of her childhood – it was only Ket's presence that kept her from causing destruction. She couldn't have stopped herself any other way. It was just him.

It was always him.

There were no coincidences in this galaxy, Curupira had resolved a long time ago.

She was never meant to remain on Dathomir, to grow up as a Witch, claim a Jai. No, she belonged in the galaxy; she had to had been sold and bought by Seth – to let herself flourish to the woman she was meant to be. To be with Ket. There were no coincidences. He was her destiny; it had always been.

The sound of the large doors echoed as a gush of wind forced her hair back, the crisp old air of the stronghold awakened by the freshness of outside. She only had to turn another corner and she would see him. And what if…, the voice had attempted one more time, until the turn was made and he stood there. Handsome as always, marked as hers. She might have not been able to see the scars now, but she knew every inch of them. She could see the word over his heart; her feet moving even quicker now.

Voices silenced; they only feared the wolf himself.

Ket ran to her, picked her up. She felt herself twirl in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. Curupira had seen those sapphire blues many times over the last decade, and yet they were not the same. Kat had an innocence to herself even now. His were alive with power and strength; with his love for her making them shine even brighter.

For her. For her.

Hers. Hers.

Her wolf. Her mate.

The sound of his words, speaking words she loved so much spent a shiver through her scars, burning through it like pulse of electricity. "Ket," she only breathed out before brushing her lips to his. It hit her like a giant's hand, the realization more than anything. She never should have been far from him; she never should have been gone. For all the weakness the voices claimed she was to him, he was her strength, her rock, her wolf. They were always going to be stronger together.

'I never should have left.'

Her thought, her head. Curupira never felt herself weave her thoughts towards him, casting them outward. She had never done it before, it had been years since they had been together. She had grown since in many ways, including reaching into her spells in ways Curupira had always thought would be impossible to her. The Witch inside her finally flourished, unaware of her own power.

Ket was that strength that made her amplify, grow stronger. He always had been.
​

Ket Van-Derveld​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

[Ket's Soundscape: Love Controlled Despair]​

As her lips touched his own, his eyes closed within that moment, and everything that possibly could feel right again in his life did. It was as if she had torn back the misery, ripped away the pain, and filled him with the will to go on once more. To do more than simply exist, but to once again live. And as they drew ever closer, as they both could feel the heat radiating from one another, it came suddenly; he could hear her. As clear as day, he could hear her speak within his mind in a way that he'd not felt before. It was as if she were another one of the voices within his head...

'I never should have left.'

...and now, now she too could hear the voices within his own. Those voices he always spoke of, they were laid bare to her, no longer able to hide within the confines of his consciousness...

~'Well, well...Curupira...'~
~'She can...hear us, now? What sorcery is this??'~
~'Oh, she's so much more beautiful than we remembered!'~
~'Can she still play hide and go bite?'~
~'...tHe liTTlE mORseL waNTs tO PLAy...'~
~'Ring around the Ruu-sie, pocket full of posies...'~
~'HeHehhEEhh...she's a tasty little treat, now isn't she?'~

They kept speaking over one another, spouting their vulgarities, their euphemisms and innuendos. He could not stop them before, when they decided it was time to speak. It was the root of all that made his madness so unique from the rest of his bloodline. Yet, in this moment, as she exhibited power Ket never knew she could, it lent itself to another voice. This was a voice that always lurked, keeping to itself. It was a voice that never tried to assert itself, not because it wouldn't, no. Because it couldn't. It could not withstand the dozens of voices, how they overwhelmed and held down anything they did not like.

But this night, in this moment, something gave it strength. Something gave it power. Something allowed it to assert itself. A voice not heard in many decades, that had tried so desperately to be heard, only to be drown out time and time again.

The true voice of Ket Van-Derveld roared over all the others, finally given the power with which to do so by his beloved...

~'SILENCE!'~​

Ket pulled back from Curupira, his sapphire eyes filled with a look of genuine surprise, almost one of shock. She was his cure!? She was what he'd been searching for all this time that they had been apart?? Perhaps his suffering was needed, for her to find herself. She was his muse, his all-encompassing reason for being, and he felt such a fool that he'd not seen it sooner. And as their minds entangled, woven together by what Ket could only begin to guess at, he spoke to her, softly. With love, caring, and a gentle touch.

~'My sweet, sweet Curupira. I know not how I can speak like this to you, nor do I know how long it may last. But I would be a fool not to take this gift. I... I...' the Old Wolf began stumble, not having spoken like this in so long, he couldn't even remember the last time. Tears welled up, and began to slowly slide down his cheeks, one by one. 'I love you, Curupira. With all that I am, for I am nothing without you. I have spent so much time trying to say those simple words, but every time I tired...the voices took hold. I've yearned to tell you so much, how much you have always meant to me. That I would rather be dead a thousand times over than to spend even one more moment without you. You need not apologize for leaving, my sweet Ruu... I am so sorry I did not give chase when I should have. I beg of you, Curupira D'arr Hawk...'~

And in that moment, his voice trembled, and he spoke aloud.

"...forgive me."​

Curupira Hawk​

 

[Curupira Hawk]

I'd Overdose from Just a Touch...​

She hadn't realized what she had done, not when she was getting lost in his embrace. Ket felt real, the warmth of his flesh kept trying to prove it to her own head over and over. Curupira wasn't sure where the line of one was ending, and another beginning; her own insides felt to be burning too. Her eyelids fluttered slowly as they came at her.
​

~'Well, well...Curupira...'~
~'She can...hear us, now? What sorcery is this??'~

One by one. The voices; same voice, same man… but they were different. The voices, the Witch recognized them; her head tilting as she listened. Curupira grinned, unaware his lips hadn't moved to produce the sound, staring into the sapphire stones leading into his soul. They were there, like in her head. The voices she knew, recognized; but couldn't place how.
​

~'Oh, she's so much more beautiful than we remembered!'~
~'Can she still play hide and go bite?'~
~'...tHe liTTlE mORseL waNTs tO PLAy...'~

They have been with her before; they had whispered through his lips into her ear. She knew them; and she preferred them to her own voices right now, her grip tightening against his neck, forehead pressing into his. "Always". Curupira assumed this was how it was forever; that everyone had voices clear and strong inside their heads. Not their own voices, but other demons that haunted them. She believed this was how humanoid was.

And if to judge by Ket, this had to be true, no?
​

~'Ring around the Ruu-sie, pocket full of posies...'~
~'HeHehhEEhh...she's a tasty little treat, now isn't she?'~

Coming out over each other, the Witch looked up again. It was not the way it had been. They came out one by one always, through his mouth… mouth that was not moving now. It was only then, as the last words came at her, that the Witch realized – Ket was not speaking. Her lips moved to speak, just as the loudest voice hollered, her golden gaze zeroing in on his. The wolf appeared in shock, a sight Curupira had never witnessed.

The same loud voice continued softer, gentler. Though Ruu couldn't count the times she had heard this voice, she knew it was her Ket. The man behind the wolf, behind the voices and the demons. How she knew that? It was one of those things she couldn't answer. Curupira just knew in the very depths of her own, recognizing the voice itself.
​

'I love you, Curupira. With all that I am, for I am nothing without you.'

She blinked, slower than she had ever before. Ruu had always found more value in actions against words – she knew he loved her; she knew he adored her. There was never any doubt in her mind on this; she felt it, in every maddening action, in every gesture and murder. She would have died for Ket a thousand times over, but she also lived on for Ket a million times over; knowing a time would come when she would go back to him. If that wasn't in her mind, if she did not think they would be together some day, Ruu would have no reason to carry on. Future be damned, repercussions be damned, she would end herself without that knowledge.

The wolf professed so much more that she thought he ever would, speaking over his own demons now to say what he had to say. It was when Ruu realized he had heard her thoughts, knew what she had said to him. Instead, he sought forgiveness for leaving.

And she understood.

Her fingers traced over his neck, to his jawline as she stared up at the man, she worshiped in ways no humanoid could understand. Satara had warned her there took a particular power to reach one's mind into another, and rarely anyone but one's soulmate could hear those words. 'I love you. I've only lived this long for you. My body would decay and fade if it wasn't for us.'

The only company she ever wanted.

Her eyes closed. Ruu had her own voices, and she had her demons. But there was one demon inside her that didn't belong to her. A spirit that kept company of all Witches of Ryctor. In her time with Kat, Curupira learned they too were Mandragora, they had been destined to be Mandragora. And the scary demon in the depths of her mind was a spirit of power, a monster. And he was her friend, unlike her own. 'To the voices, if you ever silence my Ket again, I will banish you from his mind.' And Doashim spoke with her then.

Perhaps they would think her selfish? Curupira loved all those voices just as she loved Ket, this she could not deny; but she loved none more than her own mate, the true soul behind the madness.
​

Ket Van-Derveld​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

There was an old saying that kept rippling through his mind these past years away from her. It was something that he'd once read in some ancient, dusty tome somewhere, a long long time ago back when he was far too young to understand it's significance...

"Never raise more monsters than you can lay down."​

He never really understood it properly until this very moment in time. The power that emanated from her, that reverberated within his mind, and shook his soul to it's very core, it frightened him. For the first time since the moment he drew breath in this galaxy, he knew fear. The voices within his own mind fell silent, one by one, fading out into the void of nothingness, seemingly pushed back by her thinly-veiled threat. It wasn't out of that fear, though. Oh no, it was out of a twisted form of respect. None had ever spoken to them in such a way before. Not at this level. None had ever been so bold, so full of pure, unadulterated madness.

Yet, here they were, as his mind began to crack even further into the abyss. Was it intentional? He knew she would never do anything to hurt him in such a way, never would she seek to do to him what he had done to others. He broke free of her, stumbling backward as he slowly raised his arms, his weathered and rough hewn hands gripping at the sides of his head. His eyes shut tight, and he tried hard to find footing. His mind was absolutely ablaze, the fires of his own madness welling up from a place he'd kept locked away for years. He could feel it, a part of him was clawing at his very essence, trying desperately to free itself from the bonds he'd placed on it so very long ago.

The halls echoed with his groans and cries, as he fell to his knees and hunched over, his head touching the ancient stone floor of the grand entryway to the Schwartzweld. Over and over it cried out through the Force...

~...release me...~​

He had tried desperately to keep it locked away, thinking that it was the reason she'd stayed away for so long...

~...Release Me...~​

It wasn't something he was ashamed of, oh no, not at all. But he'd gone to such great lengths, taken such drastic measures to bury it far, far away within his core...

~...ReLeASssE MeeEEeee...~​

Through her influence, the chains of bondage had been broken. Through her, the voices had gone silent. Through her, he could control the madness, bend it to his will. And in that moment, the darkest aspects of Ket Van-Derveld came roaring to the surface once more. In this moment, the Dark Lord Ahroun would surface once again.

~...RELEASE ME!~​

And with a powerful wave of dark energy, his arms were thrown open, his entire body arched back, and a screaming, howling, maddening laughter began to come from deep within the very bowels of his being. Cackling like madman of old, he looked to his hands, and began to grin widely. His canine teeth were sharp like razors once more, and his eyes seemed to swirl within the sockets, a mixture of inky black and bright sapphire hues. He was absolutely oozing Darkside energy, a beacon to all that would traverse into the stars beyond this world and into the next. He then looked up at Curupira, and that voice that was only ever for her ears and her ears alone spoke for the first time in almost a decade.

"Thank you, my loving morsel. It's been far, far too long since last I was able to gaze upon such a glorious sight. And a sight you are, for these sore eyes." He winked at her, that trademark grin plastered across his face as he stood up once more. "I'm not sure how, but it seems we've-" he tapped his temple at that, "-all come to an accord. So now the we...is just me, and that, my dear Ruu, is the way it's going to be. If it pleases you, of course."

Something inside him did whisper, and it was only the man behind the madness, hoping she would accept this new aspect of his evolution.

Curupira Hawk​

 

[Curupira Hawk]

You were never gone.​

The beast inside her retracted, quietly growling to let her know what she already knew – he would be near by if she needed him. Golden eyes watched, the yellow alive with her emotions as it had always been. The Witch meant every word and a part of her could feel the gravity of the moment, the seriousness with which she had been taken. They would listen.

He faltered from her hands, bare feet touching the hard floor beneath. Her fingers twitched, the lack of embrace in the moment making her feel a tiny bit lonely. It was far too long, Curupira missed the comfort of his touch. Golden gaze remained on her mate, the way had stumbled and succumbed, the way he held on to his head. They should have listened; they should have obeyed. They were hurting him. Her whole body moved forward, wanting to make it go away. The beast held her back, his claws digging into her shoulders. Wait.

Curupira didn't want to listen, she wanted to make it stop.

For far too long, she had nurtured and protected an innocent pup that it had become an even more natural instinct to want to protect those she loved; no more than Ket himself.

Doashim did not let her.

The hall came alive with his cries as he fell, making her fight harder. The claws pierced through the skin; she could hear him, it was like nails against the Force, scratching and screaming without sound. It was as she had seen his eyes thrown open that the monster could no longer hold her, the blood marks remaining against her flesh as she stumbled free from him; Ket's mix of screams, howling and laughter startling her. It was the scream she did not want; but it was a laughter she remembered all too well.

Curupira used to hear that cackle when she slept when he wasn't near.

It used to haunt her most beautiful dreams and scariest nightmares.

The sound of the laughter brought a calm Ruu hadn't expected to have, not when mixed with everything else she had witnessed. The spirit knew it was to come, he would return to her. It was the sound of her madman. Golden gaze met sapphire, more alive than the flames inside her own irises before the sound of his voice came through, loud and clear. He spoke and he stood, grinning wide as he teased. His demons appeared to be in accord, and quiet.

It was just them now.

Her own voices grew tired with his return, no longer trying to break her.

"Good," the Witch settled, moving closer to her wolf. "You've frightened mine into silence too, it seemed far to return the favor after so long." They had been such damage to her, no longer in any regard to her psyche over her years. Her voices used to be fun friends who got her into trouble, now they had come to make her doubt. It was Doashim who would silence them when she could take no more; but no one but Ket could make them truly quiver and hide. "The quiet pleases me, for the moment," the blonde settled, stepping closer still, a smirk forming on her face. He was home. All of him, the true core of her Ket Van-Derveld, he was here. It was only now that Figaro Favoura VII had truly become home to her, even after so many years.
​

Ket Van-Derveld​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

~Watch, how I strangle this... it's the infamous kiss. Watch, when I lick your fists, I'll give you endless bliss...~


[Ket's Soundscape: Lupine's Lust]​

He had to laugh at her little smirk, just a bit. She had always been the most sublime creature in the galaxy to him, his own little monster who complimented him so well. Fate, it seemed, had indeed given him one truly wonderful thing in his life. He remembered the night he first laid his sapphire eyes upon her visage, in that hellhole of a bar. The sight of her alone would have been enough to drive him mad, if hadn't been already. He could even still smell the scents of that fated night; still-smoldering corpses with just a hint of fried ozone mixed in. Delightful, really. But then again, only to those who shared such an intimately psychotic bond like them. That grin of his toyed upon his face, elongated canine teeth shining brightly as the moonlight broke through a nearby window of the hall, glinting off them.

"Oh, have I made the voices tremble with fear, my morsel?" he said, reaching out toward her with a single arm. Within the dark conduits of the Force he reached as well, and tugged her playfully, bringing her up against the inked and scarred flesh of his torso. He wrapped that arm that beckoned her so around the small of her back, his fingers one by one falling ever so gently along her hip, raising his free hand upward, and tapped her nose ever so lightly. "Do they have nothing to say to me now? No? Well, how about you, my pretty little thing?" he said with a devilishly evil tone, his voice slithering around her eardrums like a poison you just couldn't help but want the more you heard it.

Slowly, he began to walk down the grand hallway, leading her along with him every step of the way. The Schwarzeweld held true to it's name; a dark and foreboding place where ancient dust settled on relics of a by-gone era, cobwebs hanging from the corners of the ceilings, grand archways looming heavy overhead. He craved her in ways he'd not felt in what could have been eons at this point. Everything seemed so familiar about her, yet he was seeing her with new eyes for the first time again. The way her dress cascaded along her legs, the way it held her upper portions ever just so. The way her hair fell across and framed her face, how the dim lights played off her alabaster features, golden eyes shining like the stars in the heavens above. He made absolutely no effort to hide how he was feeling, letting it pour out of him into the tendrils of the Force, touching her mind as much as she was within his own. He slowed, coming to a stop. Turning his gaze to her own once more, he whispered to her, those sweet little whispers she always seemed to like as the moist, warm breath played along her earlobe...

"So many rooms, so many choices. Oh, my tasty little Ruu, wherever shall I take you next?"

Curupira Hawk​

 

[Curupira Hawk]

[ I am his, and he is mine. In the end, it's him and I. ] ​

It was the sound of his laughter, her shoulders rolling as she settled into the feeling. He was here, he was home. She was the home she kept thinking about. It wasn't that this big rusty old place wasn't a home; it was the birthplace of wolves – and she was to become mother of wolves, and as such seemed fitting for her to reside here. Yet, Ket was her home more than the big walls and long hallways. A house was only a home if one made it so…

The sight of his grin made her grin too, biting on her lower lip.

His question got a nod of a reply. Yes, he made the voices tremble in fear. "Only you have that power over them," Curupira continued as he reached out, arm and Force. The Witch felt the double pull to him, her protest only part of play. Her feet shuffled closer, guided by his hold. There was a warmth to his flesh that she had missed, an energy of strength that she used to cling to almost desperately. She couldn't have realized it back then, when she had been weaker but Curupira craved the strength Ket Van-Derveld possessed, longed and lusted to be with him. It was one of the reasons why she loved and admired the wolf. Now, she was aware of that power, and though it didn't have the same hold over the woman, she could still find its appeal, feeling herself beautifully trapped inside his embrace.

Ruu giggled to her nose being tapped; letting her nails dance against his arm gently.

"Not a sound. They're been far too mean to me to speak up now," Curupira told all. It was funny that, the way her voices might have been an extension of her, but she had never thought them to be her. They might have been hers, but they were never going to be her.

Her head leaned into the sound of his voice, golden eyes hiding behind eyelids for a second. "Yes." Ruu had something to say. "Stay with me." She didn't mean forever or all the time; they were never going to be those people, but Curupira couldn't stand to be apart for another decade from her madman. She needed him closer. Ket began to lead her, her feet moving, but not once did the woman look ahead to see where it was that he was taking her. She didn't care; not for the cobwebs or the dusk, the long hallways of the Lord's chambers. Her golden gaze remained on him. Ket could lead her to the edge of the world right now and let her fall, she wouldn't have noticed.

It was far easier to read him now, to feel what he felt. She didn't have to, she knew.

Whether he knew before or not, Ket would probably find out now just how obsessed she had always been. Ruu loved and admired her madman, craved him like air and water, longed for him as a starving person needed food… Someone else would have been afraid of the intensity of their feelings; but Curupira wasn't those people. Everything about her was always more intense than an average person. When she loved, she loved like the apocalypse was coming. When she was afraid, she was in hiding for a whole decade… everything was more.

He slowed, then stopped, facing her. The voice with which Ket spoke to her now was like a tickle to her neck, making her smile. Choices. Her lips parted, she longed to say the nearest one… but then her mouth closed for a moment as she thought of it, having had the thought a moment ago. Her smirk returned. "Take me to the Lord's chamber. They already have issue with me not being Lupine. Let's give them something else to rage about." The spirits took issue with a human residing inside their house as if she was one of them. It wasn't so much that Curupira cared, but would bring her even more joy to mess with the dead. ​

Ket Van-Derveld​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

"Stay with me..."

Stay. With Her.

His girl, His Ruu, His one great love and truest obsession. He instinctively knew exactly what she meant, and he felt it just the same. They were never going to be the types who never left one another's side. No, no, no... far too bland an existence that. Absence made the heart grow fonder, they say. But another decade apart? He'd tear his own face off and set himself aflame if he had to endure that again. Oh no, no, no no no...Me, Myself, I , We, They, and Them all agreed. Never again would they be subjected to such an existence. He'd been away for far too long, and never again would he ever let her be that far from him in time again. He'd leave the skipping of times and eras to their daughters.


For a moment, he looked down at her as her golden gaze met his own, the obsidian and sapphire hues swirling about like chaotic pools of starlight in the great void beyond. He could feel her still, within his skull, her own emotions and thoughts mixing with his own. It seemed her voices and his own had come to their own accord, as all he could hear was silence. There were no voices, no little quips from the dark corners of his mind, nothing to suggest to him a next course of action. He was rather stunned by it all. She truly was that missing piece of his soul he'd been searching for. Never once did he stop to think that perhaps the answer had been in front of him all that time. He was a selfish, inhumane, monster of a man. But to her? To his sweet Morsel? He could bear no thought of doing her even the slightest harm. She was his eternal muse, and for her, he would burn the galaxy down into ash, system by system, star by star, city by city.


"The spirits are giving you grief? Now, now, now, we simply cannot have that, now can we? Just isn't proper, my chosen Queen being shunned in her own home..." Ket's voice was smooth, subtle, and to her alone, caring. He was her silver-tongued wolf in demon's clothing after all. That dammed grin, it just would not let up, not even a just a teeny tiny bit. He forever would be a lunatic on the fringe, dancing on that fine line between madness and rationality. He could not help what he was, not anymore. Trying to hard to hide his own nature, to run from his own past, to change that which would not budge, he could do it no longer. He had to accept that this, this was who he was.

Ket Van-Derveld; The Lupine Lord, the Mad King, the Creature in the Shadows, and Father of Wolves. He was what he was, and was always meant to be...

A moNsTEr​

He knew that Curupira could feel it now, she could sense the changes. The way his very essence began to ripple and flow back into what he used to be, but with the eyes of the newborn pup he once was. Innumerable aspects of his being began to flow into one another, merging, convulsing, pulsing. His mind was repairing the damage done, but in ways no one could have foreseen. He was, in essence, becoming something more. No longer did the voices in his head speak for themselves. They had succumbed to his will, with her help. She might not realize it quite yet, but now, like herself, he was not his voices. His voices were all him now. Even that of Ahroun, that darkest, most violent and unforgivingly cruel aspect of himself. Truly, the broken shards of the mirror that was his mind had formed into a coherent and singular thing. All was finally as it should be, and he found that he was at peace with himself. But then again, what was peace and tranquility to him was absolute chaos and pure horror to most others.

In those few moments, he reached down, and scooped his beautiful witchy woman up into his arms, and that grin of his finally let up, if just for a moment. In it's place, a genuine smile, as he could feel her within his soul, giving him strength past his own. She had always seemed uniquely obsessed with his own strength, but he felt she never gave herself the credit she deserved. She was, in some ways, even stronger than he was. And he admired her strength just as she admired his. "I know just how much you love me, Morsel. Believe me, I do. You never needed to say it, I knew it. With every fiber of my being, with every bone in my body, I knew... It's what kept me going, all this time. Knowing that you were there, somewhere among those stars, it gave me life when I thought there was none left to live."

It was then that they would find themselves in front of the massive, black wooden doors to their chambers. As he cradled her within his arms, muscles tensing and taught, he looked away from her for but a moment. As his eyes gazed upon those familiar doors once more, his eyes would lose their sapphire pigments, the entirety of each becoming that black void. His voice would speak in low, bass-filled vibrations, as he did not ask, but commanded the spirits beyond the threshold.

"OpEn."

~I believe there will always be you and me, never mind the pain and misery, tonight, right here right now, is our utopia...~​

Curupira Hawk​

 

[Curupira Hawk]

She could feel as his mind settled and calmed, knowing his decision had been made same as hers. Two magnetic poles could be kept apart only from a right distance; anything less than that and they were being pulled in, to each other. And Ket was surely that, her positive end of the magnet. Curupira grinned, knowing she didn't need to ask what she already knew.

Ket would stay with her, for her; next to her.

His sapphire gaze focused on her, and she could see how alive they were; her grin softening to the sight of them, to the sight of his face. Where was a monster, she saw the soul inside. And Ruu loved that soul at his worst and best. All those parts of Ket belonged to her, just as all her demons were his. Even they knew as much.

Curupira gave a good strong nod to his question. Yes, the spirits were giving her grief. Rudely so, if you asked her. Her head moved again as Ket continued. It most certainly was not proper of the spirits shun his queen in her own home. Most impolite. Which is why the Witch thought her idea was an absolutely fabulous one.

"I agree. We should do something about it."

The blonde let her fingers dance with the sides of his neck. She could feel the calm and turmoil mixing together, his mind settling into a peace of a thousand storms. She could feel the stillness of his voices, just as there was a quietness of her demons. It should have terrified her, the very idea that the wolf was truly unhinged, uncontrolled. It thrilled, excited.

Just think about it, the possibilities were truly endless now…

He lifted her up; her body succumbing to him command. He addressed the feelings inside her, the ones she did not say. Ket could feel them now. Curupira focused on his words, zeroed in on the way he understood and held to them. She didn't notice him moving, taking in elsewhere in the house. Instead, she focused on him, and his words. And she knew he felt the same as she did.

Knowing that you were there, somewhere among those stars, it gave me life when I thought there was none left to live…, the Witch heard and held tighter. She would have died for Ket a thousand times over, but she also lived on for Ket a thousand times over… His own words mirrored her thoughts. He could see them now… see Ruu for all that she was.

It was only when Ket looked away from her did Curupira realized they were in front of the massive doors, all too familiar. They were disrespectful, Kat said. They did not acknowledge new power. They failed to understand the power of the wolf and the medium. Between Ket and Kat on this planet now, they could be gone tomorrow. Neither of them would hesitate, and all the Witch had to do was sit back and enjoy the show.

His voice changed, the power boomed over her at the dead. Ket commended with a single word.

The doors swung open after a few seconds, slamming to the sides with a strong gust of stale air. Clearly, the dead did not appreciate being ordered, but could not disobey. A quiet chuckle, a rustle of teeth reached her ears. The monster inside her took pleasure to their cowardliness against the living. In turn, the Witch smirked too, facing the dusty old space with a glee that belonged to Doashim, not herself. There was room for only so many spirits here…

Doashim left her be, her head turning back to face her own loving monster.
​

Ket Van-Derveld​

 

[Ket Van-Derveld]

The energy that resided in this place could be felt, if one knew what to look for. His bare feet grounded him to the spirits that surrounded them, he could feel them and their loathing. It was as it always was, generations of wolves long gone whom had such fierce hatred in their hearts, they could not, would not ever rest. For all his might, even he alone could not exorcise them from this place. They were a part of the very foundations, they filled the walls, and roamed the rooftops of the sprawling, ancient manor. Ket's eyes seemed to scan the room as the doors opened, and his brow furrowed as those very spirits tried to tell him to leave as they always did.

Looking back to his love, his gaze softened once more, and he chuckled a little. "They most definitely do not like me either, it would seem. Consorting with 'lesser beings', is how my brother might have put it, once upon a time." he said with a wink. "Then again, I did rip his throat out and feast upon it as he took his last breath with abject terror playing upon his face. So perhaps the spirits cannot decide exactly why they dislike me, but that's for them to figure out. I have other plans." and so he did, as he carried her beyond the doorway, and set her down upon the massive four-poster bed that occupied the middle of the room, dominating the decor. Wolves heads carved into the ancient, ornate oak headboard, sheer shades of black and gold tied to the corner posts, the bed somehow still soft and inviting, the bedding somehow freshly laundered.

Turning away from her for a moment, he looked to the rest of the room for a few moments, taking in the sight of things he'd not seen in many moons. There was an odd sense however, that this was actually home now. It had always been a place to lay his head at night, when he was a younger wolf than he was now. Still, it was never more than that. His family never let it be anything else for him. It why he was so nomadic, never staying anywhere for too long. First it was Nar Shaddaa, then it was Tatooine, then it was here. Yet, home was never a thing for him, it was an alien concept he had no time for. Yet, there, behind him, was his reason for having one now. He stood there, his back to her, the scars of her claiming bared for her to see, criss-crossing his tattoos, the ancient twin oak trees linked by them for all time. The Lupine turned his head, and looked over his shoulder, his gaze fixated upon her.

Truly, obsession was something they both knew all too well. They were forever linked, and now, that bond was stronger than any other in their lives. It would take a thousand stars going supernova to separate them again, it would take a dozen black holes to pry them apart, and even then, they would find a way, against all odds. She always came back, and so did he. But this, this was the final time, and she knew it as much as he did. No longer would they worry about one another disappearing into the aether like so much smoke into the wind. Where he went, she would not be far behind, and wherever she decided to be, he would be always near. Turning toward her, he paced the few steps, and gently, he sat down beside her, reaching down and taking one of her hands in his own. He traced her palm with his fingers, the sigil of the wolf, his bond to her. "I will always be with you, Ruu. Even if we are separated by stars and space once more, merely call out to me, and I will hear you." he looked up from their hands intertwined, and met her golden gaze. He reached up with his other hand, and with his fingers, he grazed an alabaster cheek, leaning toward her.

"I promise, I will never truly leave ever again. It is my oath to you, my vow, and our bond."

The Lupine felt lost within her gaze, his head swimming with thoughts of her dancing upon his mind. Thoughts of carnal knowledge and the physical need of her, it was almost too much for him to bear. He let his hand dance backward, and pulled at her once more, slowly bringing her closer to him. He was gentle, yet, he was firm. He knew all too well that he would end up with even more scar tissue this night than he already had, and he relished the thought. After all, she was his witchy woman, and she had that way about her he found so intoxicating...

Curupira Hawk​

 

[Curupira Hawk]

His face read the truth; the same one his daughter had told her. These spirits didn't favor anyone, their attitude was a nuisance. They scrabbled around each other too, leaving them less time to focus on the living wolves. Her head tilted into his voice, smiling. The wolves of old called her a 'lesser being', which Curupira was well aware.

The Witch grinned and glanced into the dark room, then back to Ket as he talked about ripping his own brother's throat. "That fine, they don't really know me yet," she reminded, giggling gently. The spirits would know soon enough who they were dealing with, they hadn't seen anything yet. Curupira had learned patience over the years, to bide her time.

Same as Ket, she had better plans for the time being.

He lay her down on the center piece of the room, surprisingly soft and comfortable. Curupira settled onto her knees, drawing her eyes to Ket's back, to the sight of the scars she had left behind. She'd ruined piece of his tattoo, for sure; but he'd never complained about her ways. Except, the woman had scars of her own, which was not very common in her culture.

Not that Curupira Hawk every did things as everyone else did.

She felt his gaze on her, her golden gaze shifting from the ink to his sapphire blues. Ruu wasn't looking to read his thoughts now, but the words appeared in her mind like images anyway; whether she liked it or not. The link between the was strong enough that she had little power of it; much as she had little power over how she felt for this man.
​

Obsession… forever linked…
Thousand stars going supernova…​

The Witch smiled, the sight of it covered her mind, her mind getting lost in the sensation when she felt him sitting beside her, taking her hand; before her vision cleared. Ket was making a promise, like the one they had never made before. Their vows were forever, but they had always lived their own lives; connected but not attached the way couples tended to be. Instead, the wolf was promising to always be with her, even if separated, he would hear her. There had been a time when she didn't want to hear that. As much as she wanted him near, they both enjoyed what was before. That was then.

Perhaps it was age, the maturity; but it brought her great joy to hear him say the words.

Their fingers intertwined and his other hand touched her cheeks as he promised never to leave her again, making it an oath. Before she could say a word, Ket drew her in closer. "Until death or murder do us part," she muttered her own vow, before leaning in further to kiss him. Curupira knew the only way she was getting out of this bond was through death of one and both of them. There was nothing else, no other way. They were forever, bonded. Until the after life and rebirth; whichever one it was. She honestly didn't know which belief there was, she had been through so many of them through her life that it hardly mattered anymore.
​

All there was, all there ever would be was here and the now.​

Him and her.

[ Forever. ]​

Ket Van-Derveld​