Private See the End as We Begin (Completed)

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Pebble couldn't make out what she was saying, still fighting the wolf, still trying to get Larentia to stop without any success. When Katrine suspended the animal in mid-air, she knew it was for the wolf's own good. She had no choice. It didn't mean she had to like it.

She knew exactly how it felt to be in that position, and Katrine hated it.

As the wolf remained in the air, she calmed. Their eyes locked, upside down, watching each other. Katrine could swear the girl was starting to remember who she was, as if she were beginning to regain her senses, which had been lost until then.

Katrine didn't understand why this had happened.

Wolves grew mad over time or from a lack of change, but what she had witnessed was very different. Larentia had lost herself because of pain, in a moment, unable to take it. This was unique behaviour for the Lupine, something she had to look into. No wolf had ever behaved like this in her family.

Pebble finally dropped, letting go of the wolf, standing beside her as she referred to Larentia as a bad puppy. In any other situation, Katrine would have laughed at that, but it was hardly a funny situation in which her Ward had placed them. It was the first time Katrine recognised the importance of Curupira's actions against her. If her mother had never done that to her, maybe the Witch wouldn't have been quick enough to think of how to handle Larentia now. Perhaps this would have ended far worse.

She still needed to discuss her actions with Pebble.

Not yet, though.

"Larentia." Katrine called out now, watching the wolf completely calm. Only her tail wagged slowly, peacefully. It had worked.

Scherezade deWinter ​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade didn't say anything at first. Not because she was out of quips, as she had a whole collection of those locked and loaded, but because something in the air had shifted. Not just Larentia's body, which now floated like a massive, furry balloon of regret. No, it was something quieter. Deeper.

The wolf whimpered.

That sound cut through everything. Even the post-adrenaline jitter still buzzing in Scherezade's fingertips seemed to fade under it. She stared at Larentia's upside-down face, ears twitching, eyes no longer boiling with fury but clouded with something else. Recognition. Shame, maybe. Fear. The kind Scherezade knew far too well.

For a moment, she almost stepped forward. Almost said something soft. Gentle.

Instead, she cleared her throat and rolled her shoulder, which absolutely had popped earlier. "So. Do we keep her like that until she promises not to eat the furniture? Or…?"

But even that had come out softer than it should have. Her glow-drenched eyes flicked up again to Larentia's. And this time, her smile was faint, but real.

"You're back," she said softly. "Took you long enough."

---

Katrine Van-Derveld Larentia Van-Derveld tia​

 

[Larentia Van-Derveld]

Be it hallucination, vision or a warning, the sight of her mother faded as Katrine's youthful features returned. Larentia whimpered again, wishing for the sight to remain – for Mae to remain. She wasn't here, though, the wolf had to remind herself.

Larentia could understand Scherezade now, talking about keeping her this way until she promised not to eat the furniture. Her gaze shifted to the brunette for a split second, not entertaining the idea at all. She knew well enough this wasn't the issue at all – a mad wolf was dangerous to those around her. They were capable of ripping throats, killing without remorse in the moment. Larentia was lethal when mindless, perhaps even worse so. A mad wolf was still aware of who they were, twisted with their madness. She was not aware of who she was and who the people around her were. Her mind was closed off, seemingly missing.

Yet in the times her mind recovered, Larentia became aware of what the beast had done in her mind's absence. She had felt remorse in the past for the lives she had taken; she had felt the pain of senseless death. It was not who the Lupine was at all.

The girl standing in front of her, from her viewpoint upside down, was a far younger version of Katrine that she knew so well, that she missed.

When her name was called again, Larentia knew she was facing young Katrine. Her paw gestured in the air. 'I'm settled. I'm sorry.' She sent out to Katrine telepathically; her sapphire gaze perfectly focused on the fellow Lupine.

She was grateful now that Katrine had been quick enough to act before Larentia had a chance to harm her or Scherezade, thankful no one had been hurt in her mindless moments. Her eyes shifted to the other girl as she heard her talking.

Had it taken her long enough?

From her recollection, it wasn't too long at all. The longest session Larentia had gone through took half a day. Her parents had not been there; she had been left in the care of the android. The humans on the moon launched a surprise attack, causing her harm and injuring her. Larentia had almost died that day, a trail of blood leading Katrine to her, but not before she had killed several of the humans in ways that haunted her nightmares for weeks to come. It was not who the girl wanted to be.

'I am back,' Larentia reached out to Scherezade telepathically now, leaving the gory story of her past unshared. It was, perhaps, a story for another time, when her human form could tell it. It revealed little about her true origins, but now didn't feel like the right time.​

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Katrine glanced at Pebble in response to her question. Would they keep her like this until she promised not to eat the furniture? "It's not the furniture I'm worried about," the blonde answered. She was more concerned about her Ward's life and, on some level, her own, hardly as much.

Even when she didn't often encounter a mad wolf, she had heard stories from her father of what could happen to them when not changing for too long. She knew there was a danger in their madness – but this was something else entirely. "I've never seen anything like this." Her confession came quietly.

It was a truth Katrine wasn't willing to admit to just anybody.

Pebble could have seen their different reaction too. Katrine was in severe pain from the sound, but she wasn't turning because of it. Larentia, on the other hand, reacted to the pain in a very different, unsettling way.

When the wolf looked at her again, Katrine was sure Larentia was sound again. There was a clarity in her expression, and the whimper of… was that regret or something else? The Lupine didn't want to ask right then, so she called out her name to confirm.

She got a response in her head this time.

'I'm settled. I'm sorry.'

Larentia's mind had been restored. Whether it was just the suspension in mid-air or something else, Katrine couldn't say. Their eyes had been locked for a good minute, but she didn't think Larentia was looking at all. There was something more to it.

"I'll put you down now so you can change back," Katrine gently offered, gesturing her hand in a circle to spin Larentia around before allowing her hind legs to touch the ground beneath her gently. She turned and headed towards her closet without thinking, quickly rummaging through it.

Katrine picked a dress that was made for someone slightly taller, knowing this would suit Larentia better than it had ever suited her, then returned to the two. The other Lupine would need something to put on when she changed back.

The other girl was already beginning to twist, bones cracking again as the transformation to her human form began. Larentia's claws scratched against the metal floor. It still hurt her to a degree when making the change.

She held on to the dress for the time being, waiting until she would extend her hand.

Scherezade deWinter ​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade let the moment hang a beat longer. Her gaze flicked from Larentia's floating, twitching form to Kat, who was somehow still composed, still handling it like a pro. But Scherezade had known her long enough to catch the frayed edges beneath. That little crack in the stillness.

She stepped just a little closer, her voice low. "You okay, boss?" No, Kat was nothing remotely similar to Scherezade's boss. But when the Sithling used the word for her, it was one that noted respect, both for the relationship they had both chosen to pursue for each other, and for the hierarchy between that still existed because of the differences in their lives' experiences.

Scherezade exhaled hard through her nose and rubbed the back of her neck, pretending she wasn't feeling all the ways that moment had landed. Instead, she defaulted to the safest armor she knew.

"Well. If I ever lose my mind and go full murder-growl, I expect one of you to float me like a furry balloon too. Fair's fair."

She shot a look back up at Larentia, then to Kat again, one brow raised.

"Still waiting on that debrief, by the way. Like… is this normal Tuesday wolf drama? Or should I be sleeping with more knives in my bed from now on?"

A pause.

Then, softer, and only to Kat, even though she didn't doubt that Larentia heard it too. "Seriously though. You good?"

---

Katrine Van-Derveld Larentia Van-Derveld​

 

[Larentia Van-Derveld]

Her fur body turned mid-air and lowered at the flick of Katrine's wrist. Her paws touched the surface beneath. She began to change immediately, her body twisted as the bones cracked into her human form. It was painful, the act, still, and Larentia assumed this was what always would happen. Her wolf body was larger than her human body and had a different shape, so it made sense that she had to suffer to shift back.

She didn't notice when Katrine had walked away or come back, feeling the fur retract over her body, her hair growing longer as her claws retracted. Larentia remained on all four as the changes went through, feeling it was coming to a natural end. She didn't know yet the potion had worked, and it took her a moment to remember, as it always did, that she was naked.

Pebble spoke about wanting to have the same fate as she had witnessed Larentia to go through. In truth, the Lupine hated the mid-air suspension, though she understood why it was necessary in moments like this. She also knew Katrine hated doing it. "It's nothing to look forward to," Larentia commented as she stood, slowly letting it sink in that she was without clothes.

Normally, Larentia would dispose of her favourite pieces, but the change occurred too fast today, so she didn't have time. Katrine was holding her hand outstretched, with a black fabric in her hand. "Thank you." She didn't put much thought into what she was putting on until it had covered her body.

This was when Larentia became very aware of how exposed her flesh, her brands and tattoos were. Her whole body had been covered with faded scars, protection spells written on her in Rylothi Rancor blood, the protection tattoo on her back which had come unaligned, Doashim's brand on her right upper arm. She dressed, suddenly becoming aware of her exposure.

The dress was lovely, fitting rather than a bit loose as she had hoped it would be. She couldn't complain, though, as the options were limited.

Scherezade was looking for answers, addressing Katrine rather than her. Was this a regular Tuesday wolf drama? Larentia looked away, not wanting to start this conversation with the girl she had only just met today.

"Care to shed some light on this?"

When Katrine questioned, Larentia had no choice.

"It's not typical," the Lupine started carefully.

It was hard to explain this to someone witnessing it for the very first time. "I have always had this, anything extreme like pain or stress can make me shift involuntarily. And it's always extra painful when I'm not choosing to do it." The words made it sound simpler than it was. "I lose myself, I become dangerous to those around me. I have no control over it."[/colour] Her bare foot now passed over the damaged floor.

Mother always said this had to be her version of the family madness.​

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Her gaze shifted to her Ward. Was she okay? Katrine rolled her shoulder. "I'm fine." She was confused more than anything right now. The twang of pain was still echoing in her ears, reminding her of everything that had happened today. Pebble liked to have her fun, and Katrine often wasn't opposed to it, but the choice of it today put them both in harm's way, causing her pain… it wasn't at all the type of fun Katrine wanted.

Pebble insisted she be given the same treatment if she ever went full murder-growl, making her sigh. "I don't like doing it." She admitted, before looking back at the human-looking Lupine, offering her the dress. "I'm sorry about that, by the way, I had no choice." Katrine hated doing what she did, knowing it was the only way to handle this situation.

Her mother would have a good old laugh in the future if she ever told her. Using her parenting skills to de-escalate the situation.

Katrine took a moment to observe Larentia before she dressed. She had already seen Doashim's brand on her earlier, but the tattoo on her back seemed strangely… alive. And the other marks that covered most of her body reminded her of her own. Larentia wasn't just a Lupine; she was a wolf with a Witch background.

That hadn't come up yet.

"You're a Witch?"

Mandragora were witches, but the markings looked more like Dathomiri rather than Rylothi. Katrine could spot her ancestral words with ease.

Pebble was already asking another question immediately after her. Was this a normal Tuesday wolf drama? Katrine encouraged Larentia to tell the tale, surprised by what she was being told – the Lupine had a condition that caused involuntary changes. "That's odd," she muttered, unaware this was a thing until now. She had grown up with wolves and met others, but as far as she knew, well, maybe Alwine could be considered someone who let her anger speak for her, but Katrine assumed this was voluntary. She had no reason not to.

"And you have had this since your first change?"

Larentia nodded without speaking.

"I don't think you need more knives…," her body turned to Pebble now. "…as long as we have none of those surprises anymore." It was high time the matter was addressed. "What you did was incredibly reckless. The bomb itself could have been funny, but that sound was atrocious." Katrine might have been able to find the humour in it before, but not now, not after what had happened.

Katrine took another glance at Larentia, taking in the pink hair all of a sudden.

"The hair looks good on you, by the way."​

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Her mouth opened, some sarcastic quip already half-formed, ready to make light of the whole wolf-float-opera fiasco. But it stalled at the back of her throat.

Kat had scolded her. Not hard, not cruel, but with that moooooom tone. The one that didn't just skim the surface, but landed with impact. And Larentia… she wasn't angry. She was hurt. Not by the prank. By something deeper that Scherezade had never meant to poke at, but had clawed open regardlessly.

This was more than she understood. Wolf-things. Magic-things. Deep, tangled roots that wrapped around who they were before they'd even met. And Scherezade, for all her glitter and bravado, knew she was just a tourist in this part of their world.

She could fight monsters and chew glass and laugh with blood on her tongue. But this?

This was delicate.

So instead of making it worse, she did something rare.

She backed off.

With a little exhale, she clapped her hands softly, almost ceremoniously. "Okay, I'll go… not touch anything for a few minutes. Let you two have your cryptic mystical girl woof woof talk."

She gave Kat a half-smile, one that said I see you, and I'll be nearby, and I'll keep my glitter to myself.

Then, to Larentia: "Sorry, fluffball."

And with that, Scherezade turned and wandered off into her room on the ship, which sure, was a little bit close, just far enough to give them space, but not far enough to stop listening. Because you never knew when things would turn sharp again.

---

Katrine Van-Derveld Larentia Van-Derveld

 

[Larentia Van-Derveld]

The Lupine noticed her scars and recognised them. Of course she did, Larentia thought to herself. Katrine questioned her on it. "Yes, I have some connection to the Dathomiri culture." Larentia wasn't raised on Dathomir; she hadn't set foot on Dathomir in her entire life, but she was raised with respect for her grandmother's culture and knew many of the names.

Katrine found her condition odd and even questioned when it had started.

"Not long after my first change. Those times are in a haze. It's only nightmares of fragmented moments that may haunt me later." Larentia had killed in that state, and those deaths would haunt her for months after.

When Katrine began to lecture Scherezade, Larentia looked away.

She remembered what it was like to be on the receiving end of lessons from Katrine. Most of the time, her voice was calm. Katrine was strict but grounded in her deliverance. It sounded strange hearing her now, looking and sounding younger than Larentia had ever known her. It was enough to make Larentia want to send herself to her room.

Without missing a beat, she commented on her hair, making her gaze meet hers as she remembered the purpose of the potion before the explosion and chaos ensued. Larentia moved towards the mirror, examining the new hair colour. It looked… odd on her. It made her look cheerful and carefree. This was the exact opposite of who the Lupine was.

"I can live with this for a day."

This potion lasted for a whole day. It faded away quickly.

Hers was the only voice for a few moments after Katrine had scolded the other girl, and after speaking, Larentia wondered if she should have interrupted the moment.

Pebble finally spoke after a few moments, announcing her departure and advising them not to touch anything for a few minutes. The smell was still disgusting, but Larentia hadn't fully inhaled a breath until now. It had taken over her nostrils, her senses, making her frown. It was foul.

Two words were spoken to her: Sorry, fluffball. The Lupine waved her hand dismissing it. "You couldn't have known." She was not against pranks per se, though she never took part in any. Katrine didn't seem to mind the first part of it anyway, just the horrible sound that followed and the effect it had on Larentia. It was worse than Katrine could have imagined in her young age. It showed her Scherezade liked to have fun. She was young and adventurous, with a predicament for causing chaos.

She would have to keep an eye on her.

When she was alone with the Lupine again, Larentia looked over.

"She's an interesting character," was all she said.​

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Katrine was aware of the other wolf's movements, perhaps a little weary of her previous behaviour. It didn't mean she disliked the girl, not in the slightest. It was something she would have to keep an eye on. Larentia always had no control over this condition.

A day? The blonde thought about it, looking back at Larentia. Would the effects of the potion last a single day? "Uhh.. maybe." It was a brand-new potion, and neither of them had set an expiration time for it. It could have lasted a day; it could have been a permanent change. It was one of those trial runs for a new potion.

Pebble didn't argue with her over her words. Katrine was grateful for that.

She didn't try to make it seem like it was still fun despite what had happened.

The Nightmother sighed, hearing her Ward was going to leave them alone to let them have their cryptic mystical girl woof woof talk. That was a lot of words to say she was going to leave them to talk. The warning not to touch anything for a few minutes wasn't necessary; the nasty smell that lingered made it obvious. "Of course."

She caught Pebble giving her a half smile, understanding the message hidden inside it.

With her Ward out of her room, Larentia commented on her.

Katrine thought about it for a split second. Scherezade deWinter was an interesting character, and the galaxy didn't have a clue about it yet.

They will soon, Jart agreed.

She will reign chaos, that one, Lylek added.

Between what Larentia had said, her thoughts and the spirits agreeing, Katrine laughed. She already knew Pebble was destined for greatness, even when they didn't know just what that was yet, a union between the two Lupines and the spirits had been formed on her Ward's future, and reasons unknown to the Nightmother, she found it funny.​

The End​