Private See the End as We Begin

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

This is the story of how Larentia walked into my life many years ago…​

Katrine stared in the mirror, brushing her long blonde hair on autopilot. She wasn't thinking about her present actions but the budding future ahead of them. Mandragora was thriving, the spirits calling upon new members, and the Confederacy was growing. It was not at all what the world mother told her about growing up, but it was a future that Katrine was helping to build. She had discovered wolves in the galaxy and adopted a sister.

She had every confidence in what was coming. She wished for Chloe to be part of her life, but it felt like centuries had passed since Katrine left her life for the sake of her older sister, since she had broken her curse and found her people among the Confederacy.

The Lupine had embraced the galaxy she was living in now.

She had found family and love and was slowly discovering her history.

Everything about her life at the moment seemed perfect.

A shiver ran down her spine as Doashim roared quietly. Her hand stopped moving as her head turned to the side, listening to the vibrations in the Force. There was something that had startled the demon and made him call out into the ichor. It was different from any other summoning; it was as if it was calling someone home.

"Hello?" The Nightmother called out. The newly created Nocte Aranea was meant to be abandoned; only Katrine and the three spirits are currently here. No one answered. She has come home, Doashim suddenly answered, startling her with the statement.

Katrine stood, stepping out of her chamber.​

 

[Larentia]

The main entrance to the Norte Aranea was locked, and her gloved palm touched against the metal. Her exposed fingers pressed into it. She had been here so many times that it was a playground of her youth. It rarely flew when she was a child; it seldom left the moon anymore, but there were times when echoes would speak to her. There were many stories behind this massive vessel, stories of her adventures and her remarkable tale.

Katrine Van-Derveld resided here, she knew. This was not the time the girl knew; it was ancient history, stories of youth and maturing. She was only becoming the woman she would become, the woman whose future was set to be bright and strong.

It was years before the second Winnowing, years before the bloodbath would begin, years before Lupine would fight Lupine. It was years before she was going to die.​

He roared in his human form and appeared at her side within seconds. Larentia didn't get a chance to inhale, the blood of his mate dropping from her sword. It didn't hit the bloodied ground before he ripped her throat out. No hesitation, no consideration. He didn't care what she was to him; all he cared about was that in this pointless war of wolves, she had been the one to kill the love of his life… even though she had attacked Larentia. ​

The Lupine shuddered at the repeated vision. She could never be free from the nightmare, the future she was desperate to avoid. Larentia would be the death of Curupira Hawk, and Ket Van-Derveld would be the death of her… unless she found a way to end the war before it began unless she found a way to stop it.
​

Blood must not have blood; the wolves could not fall.​

It was a mantra she repeated to herself every day. Larentia didn't know what had happened to Ket or Curupira; she didn't know why they had become these monsters, but she knew that in the past, they had been far from this. They were not even meant to become this – in Katrine's future, they were not monsters at all; they were loving parents.

So, what happened?

These were the questions that plagued the Lupine's mind.

When she arrived, she knew the time was right – to ensure she didn't go too far and destroy her existence, Larentia had waited until after her mother had met her father after he had left the world he once called home.

There were two ways into this ship – the first one being biometric scanning, but Larentia knew hers wasn't registered yet. How could it be? The second one was the keycode access behind the panel, which was nearly invisible unless tapped in the right spot. She knew its hiding place, though, showing up under her touch. Putting in the code was the easy part: stepping inside before the doors were completely open.

Welcome home, child.

A familiar voice called out in her head. Larentia smiled at the demon's presence. It knew her when no one else did. Doashim had made her a promise before she had left her time: he would not reveal who she was to Katrine until it was time. Part of her wished that time never had to come because then she would have said why she was here.

Katrine would have a hard time accepting the truth of her future.

She moved through the familiar levels, from the cargo bay and the crew quarters, and then proceeded up to the command level. It was when she heard her calling out.

"Hello?"

She has come home.

One voice belonged to Katrine and one to Doashim. One who knew her and one who didn't. Larentia knew there was no going back now as she stepped forward into the suite, meeting the younger version of the Van-Derveld queen for the first time. She was not the queen yet; she didn't even know this destiny was to come, perhaps. Larentia did.

"Hello." She returned the greeting.​

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Katrine blinked at the sight of the brown-haired woman with shining blue eyes. It was an undeniable glow. "Who are you?" The Nightmother didn't wait to ask the question. There were other questions she could have asked, perhaps more pertinent than that one, but the blonde didn't care to wait to find out.
​

She is mine, " Doashim startled her with his statement.

She didn't know this woman, yet Doashim claimed he had already claimed her.

She didn't know this woman, yet she had walked into the Norte Aranea easily.

She didn't know this woman, and yet she was here.

"Can you hear him?" The blonde rose to her feet, coming to face the woman in front of her. They weren't that different in age, she came to realise. The woman was slightly taller than her, with darker hair but similar skin and the same eyes and firm lips. There was a familiarity about her that Katrine couldn't place.

It was as if she already knew her.

Her first instinct would have been to think her a Hawk, but the eyes made it improbable.

Her scent made it impossible. This woman was a Lupine.

"I'm Katrine Van-Derveld," she finally offered, extending her hand out to the stranger. Whoever she was, there was something about her that the Force whispered to her was important enough to know.

 

[Larentia]

She heard the first question, it was the most important question of all, skipping through all the little ones that could have been asked in the process. Larentia stood perfectly still, her patience grown in the years of her later youth. She was impulsive as a child, much like her mother, often curious and reckless in her pursuit of knowledge. It had only been some years since then, but the calm had settled into her in her later teens.

"My name is Larentia."
​

She is mine, the girl who heard the demon speak.

"I am. I can."

There was no denying that it had been years since she had been claimed. Larentia couldn't quite remember how it had happened. She was still young, a child, when she touched the grimoire for the first time. The spirits had told her it was time, and she reached for it. The connection to the monster was instant – no hesitation, no doubt for them. Larentia pushed the jacket off her right shoulder, revealing the claiming brand on her skin. She had always belonged to the spirits, but she answered to the demon.

She was his shaman… no, she would be his shaman. For now, another had this role. One Muad Dib who had first taken on this calling. He would hold this until he had betrayed the order. Time does not matter, little monster, Doashim whispered into her ear. She could feel his large arms holding onto her shoulders as she shrugged the jacket back on.

Larentia knew Katrine was inspecting her appearance, as well as her scent. She also knew that the amulet around her neck did its job well; it had been tested on Katrine herself. Taozin's amulet clouded her presence in the Force, hiding the truth of who she was.

Her scent had been enough for Katrine to introduce herself and extend her hand to her.

"Your reputation precedes you, Nightmother," Larentia returned, extending her arm. Katrine wore no sleeves on the offered skin, and her fingers were exposed. Immediately upon contact, she could see something.

"I am Larentia Satara, Katrine. I can save her." The child lay bleeding; she was dying. Larentia knew everything had changed; her life hung in the balance. It was now or never. Either one would live, or both would perish. ​

Her fingers instantly parted from the woman's arm, breaking the vision that had taken her.

Something about it felt final, but the vision itself offered no content.

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Larentia. It was a nice name, Katrine thought. It felt unusual and unique, something she would remember. Larentia answered Doashim's words and her question as soon as the demon spoke. So she could hear the demon talk.

The other woman revealed the spirit's brand on her arm. It was a significant mark, one that was obvious. Katrine didn't need more explanation, even when she didn't know when this had occurred. The spirits didn't always reveal everything to her; she was aware of that.

When their arms held, she caught a flash of something in Larentia's eyes, but Katrine didn't know what it was. She had never seen anything of the sort. Or she had, and it came out differently. Katrine spent time on Dathomir, among other Witches, yet looking at a Lupine, experiencing a vision right before her eyes, completely escaped her. It was different from how she had seen the Singing Mountain witches experience it, except for how Nona had explained it to her.

She completely missed this happening when it did happen.

"Where do you come from?"
​

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Before she had fractured and broken. Before she had become a Blood Hound. Before everything, but slightly after becoming Kat's ward.

The bag on her shoulder clinked with every step she took; glass vials, tiny bones, and a single squishy mushroom that still pulsed faintly. Scherezade didn't know why Kat had asked for these things, but the list had been very specific. She'd even triple checked it to make sure she wasn't missing anything, even if one of the vials collected had tried to bite her before she bit it back with vengeance. Jart, a spirit of Wisdom, had tried to warn her not to do it. As was often the case with teenagers and their guardians, Scherezde hadn't listened, and was now stuck with a yucky taste in her mouth.

Her boots crunched against the dust of the canyon pass as she emerged into sight of the ship. Finally! At the time, the ship was the only home she had known. Seeing the ship meant safety, meant familiar. She skipped the last few steps before starting the ramp and paused. The door was open. Had she left it open? The Sithling sniffed the air before raising an eyebrow to Jart. She wasn't sure if her connection to it was experiencing a burp or it was still angry at her for earlier, but he didn't answer.

She straightened her spine. Now she could feel the presence of another, and that was not something she was used to 'discovering' while being outside. At least, not without Kat mentioning it first. If Kat was in any danger…

Scherezade's fingers wrapped tighter around the sack. She hadn't taken her knife with her when she left, but she was creative enough to use anything for a fight. Especially if it meant protecting her chosen sister.

Another step in. She raised the sack, ready to slam it into whoever might be hurting Kat. She could already see their backs, and the bag swung into the air.

Scherezade screamed as she realized this wasn't someone hurting Kat. They were holding hands. And she was a mere few inches from slamming a possibly sentient mushroom into the stranger's skull.

Oops…


Katrine Van-Derveld Larentia

 

[Larentia]

The question was somewhat surprising, but not so much. Perhaps she had hoped that the subject had been closed for the moment as they shook hands and made introductions, but Larentia should have known better – Katrine had always been an inquisitive being by nature. She had watched her ask many questions of those around her.

Where did she come from?

From the future, from your dark future, from a horrific time that you couldn't begin to imagine or accept, Larentia thought to herself for a moment before pushing those thoughts far inside her. She shouldn't have been thinking about that.

"I…," the wolf began as her ears picked up a sound, only to see something flying in her direction. There was no time for magic, no time for the Force. Larentia still reacted on instinct, activating her light-shield bracelet. It was rusty technology, outdated, but it would have been enough to protect her from whatever was coming in her direction.

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Just because Katrine couldn't quite read the woman in front of her, she didn't miss everything about her. Like the way she looked, slightly startled by her question, filled with hesitation in her willingness to answer.

Larentia was looking to hide something from her.

Everyone had secrets and a story they weren't willing to divulge to a stranger. Katrine could recognise and accept this. Everyone had a story to tell, and right now, she wondered if she should have pushed. She could feel her Ward coming up, though. Unlike the stranger in front of her, Pebble's signature in the Force came much easier to the wolf.

It was too late for her to prevent what happened next – Pebble was able to attack Larentia with the bag of items she had purchased. Which would have been an entertaining sight, considering the content of the list Katrine had given her, but she needed those ingredients.

Her hand rose as the shield went up, suspending the bag in the air with her telekinesis, holding it in place, inches away from the shield.

"Pebble, we don't attack our guests. At least not until we find out who they…," Katrine began to explain when she took another look at the shield Larentia was holding from the bracelet. The shield was cracking as if the technology were outdated, but it had only been a couple of years since the first bracelet had been made and barely a year since they had gone into production. It couldn't be so weak and outdated.

"What's wrong with that thing?"
​

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

The bag in Scherezade's hand, ready to explode all over the back of Larentia , froze mid-air. Katrine Van-Derveld was trying to explain something about not attacking guests, and Scherezade was all too happy to reply that she had no way of knowing if the ship was invaded by friend or foe so better stab first and ask questions later. But as Katrine asked the question, the Sithling noticed it too. And while she wasn't as versed as Kat in the tech (not yet, anyway), she could easily understand something was wrong.

"That's… not supposed to happen," Jart murmured, the mental tone somewhere between warning and exasperated sigh. Scherezade took another look. "Clearly," he resumed, "we're surrounded by amateurs." Another pause. "Something in her energy is bending what should be stable. I suggest you watch, child, rather than flail bags at it."

Scherezade let go of the bag, letting Kat decide where to set it down. Jart wanted her to watch. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if he actually knew her, making demands recommendations like that.

"Amateurs? Rude!" she tried to mumble under her breath, but it likely came out louder than intended. Scherezade stared harder at the bracelet now, eyes narrowing. Were those cracks in the bracelet on Larentia 's arm? It didn't look like a mundane thing. Something deeper buzzed at the edge of her senses. Jart's whisper had stirred that much, at least.

"That thing," she pointed at the bracelet on Larentia's arm, "isn't supposed to be doing that, right?"

Without waiting for permission (because when did she ever?), Scherezade reached out, not to touch the bracelet, but to let her presence brush against it in the Force. Testing. Prodding. The way a child might poke a strange bug with a stick, equal parts curiosity and potential chaos.

"Is it broken? Or are you broken?" she asked, eyes fixed on Larentia now, the question more sincere than mean.

 

[Larentia]

Larentia never took notice of the bracelet's behaviour; it was normal to her. So, she wouldn't have known it would have caused such a discussion. When she looked up, the bag, which she could now tell was a bag, was suspended in mid-air.

A glance to the side showed her that it was Katrine who had done it.

Her blue gaze moved to the other woman as Katrine began to lecture the other girl. Pebble, she had heard, recognising the name. Scherezade deWinter. It was a name Larentia had heard about, the once Ward of Katrine, a little sister to her. She wasn't in her life growing up, and she understood the reason in minimal detail. Larentia understood there was cause for this, but this was far in the future. The Lupine knew she could not interfere in the actions that were to come. Her existence could depend on it.

As she shut the shield down, the question from Katrine startled her.

What was wrong with that thing?

"Nothing," Larentia dismissed it.

She heard the whisper of a familiar spirit, her head turning to the side. Larentia recognised Jart's voice, but his words seemed to be distant and muffled. It had been years since the two spirits spoke to her; only Doashim had remained, overpowering the two.

Larentia could almost make out his words, though.
​

Not supposed… amateurs… her energy… should be stable…​

She narrowed her eyes. Doashim knew who she was, and she had to assume Jart and Lylek knew who she was as well. Why the wise spirit was now throwing out words like that confounded her. Did they not know? Doashim squeezed her shoulders tighter, urging her to silence her thoughts.

As Scherezade spoke, she focused on her.

It, being the bracelet, was not supposed to do that… why were they saying that? The bracelet worked precisely as it had in the last ten years. The shield cracked more than before, and the bracelet itself had become worn over the years, but it had always cracked a little bit.
​

Is it broken? Or are you broken?​

Larentia blinked at the question.

"I'm not broken." She refused the possibility. She wasn't broken. "Pebble, is it? That's not very nice of you to say." It was on purpose. Larentia had no right to call her that, yet she hadn't been introduced to her.

The Lupine felt a delayed reaction as it tried to pierce through the protection the amulet provided. Scherezade was probing at her, trying to read her.

"Hey, what are you doing?​

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

As Pebble released her hold over the bag, Katrine refocused on it long enough to gently place it on her desk, then turned back to look at Larentia when the shield was already gone. Jart had something to say about it. Her head tilted as she listened. The spirit wasn't pleased with the work, calling it amateur.

This shouldn't have been the case. Katrine had personally designed the piece of jewellery, and it was Uncle Isley's company that had seen its production. She, too, wore one on her wrist, and it didn't do that.

While the spirit considered whether Larentia's energy was making it unstable, Katrine looked at the item, as Pebble noticed it too. The bracelet looked old. She looked at her own, which was pristine, showing barely any sign of age. Her Ward commented on its look as well. "Where did you get that?" Something else occurred to her. This bracelet was a gift for all of Mandragora, but one had to know where to get it. Katrine had the most access to it, having a small collection intended for new members. Her Shamans had some as well, but none of them should have looked the way they did.

She watched her Ward, feeling the Force at work. Katrine chose to let this play out to see how Pebble would perform and what the outcome would be.

Katrine let out a tiny chuckle at the choice of Pebble's questions. She did partially agree with Larentia about it, it wasn't nice to ask at all but still funny. However, Katrine didn't appreciate other people using her nickname for her Ward.

"Her name is Scherezade, not Pebble." The Witch corrected.

Scherezade deWinter ​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

"Pebble, is it?"

The words weren't mean. But they still struck harder than they should've.

Her name had always come from Kat. From safety. From being hers. No one else had the right to use it. Especially not someone who looked at her the way this woman was, as though she knew something. As if they were supposed to be in the room with her but hadn't earned it. Scherezade opened her mouth bite back, don't worry, only with words, but Kat beat her to it.

"Her name is Scherezade, not Pebble."

The correction made her flinch. Just a little. It wasn't a scold. But it wasn't what she expected. She didn't want everyone to call her Pebble. But right now, she wasn't sure who she was supposed to be. She took a step back, eyes flicking between them.

Jart stayed quiet. That almost made it worse.

Something still echoed against the Sithling's senses, but it wasn't the bracelet. It was something else now. For a moment, she ignored the other two in the room, and focused on those echoes. Not the bracelet. Not the armour. Not the eyes. Not the- there. She wasn't sure what it was, but her sense grabbed it, swirled around it.

The room disappeared from Scherezade's vision, instead she saw only Larentia's face. Something or someone in the background roared and the next thing she knew, Larentia's face had become bloody, and the sounds of an entire existence shattering filled her ears.

Scherezade blinked, and she was in the ship again, still looking Kat and the other one.

Her breathing had stopped, the echoes of the vision clinging to her throat like cobwebs she couldn't react to. Something ancient, something half formed. Was it the future? A warning? Madness…

And then she moved.

Scherezade lashed out with a sharp breath, uncontrolled but extremely directed, towards the table. A small and hopefully empty glass container skidded off the edge, and she could hear the shattering. Not an attack. A surge. A reaction.

She turned to Larentia again, fists clenched.

"You didn't answer," she said, voice low. A low voice was dangerous territory with Scherezade. It wasn't when her brain was hot that she was an actual danger to anyone unless she chose to be, but when the temperature fell, even if only in vibes, the old deWinter ice could easily mount and kill with absolute silence. "Where'd you get that bracelet?" And then added, "…Do you even know what you are?" And then she turned to Kat, "Do you know?"

Katrine Van-Derveld Larentia