Private Spiritus ad Spiritum (Completed)

[Aston Jacobs]

"Mae, why was it okay to lie about this?"

. "The ancestor said I was born Lechner Van-Derveld. And that Lechners were an abomination. He wanted to kill me because of who my real dad is, Auntie Alwine."

She was lashing out, and it was completely okay. She had been lied too, but it wasn't out of spite or anything of that sort. He in truth wasn't aware the reasons why she wasn't told the truth. Nonetheless he was a part of that lie as well. He too went along with it and had that secret buried. He too should have been on the receiving end of her anger.

"Sweetheart......" Aston voiced with a soft yet confident tone, yet that melted away as he looked upon her face. The pain she felt, he could feel it and he didn't need to the force to sense it.

It was then he listened to Scherezade deWinter words, about removing that blood from her. He wasn't going to argue, that wasn't his place. That was a choice for Larentia to make, hers.

And hers alone.....

Katrine Van-Derveld

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Spirit to Spirit

Location: Katrine's chamber, The Schwartzweld Wearing: This (no mask)
Tag: Aston Jacobs Scherezade deWinter Alwine Bergen​

The hug given by her daughter felt tight, tighter than any hold Larentia had offered since becoming a teenager. Katrine didn't waste it, keeping her in her embrace for as long as the girl needed it. The spirits became quiet after Doashim claimed Ren, and Katrine had focused on questioning Alwine about her heritage.

Until she heard the girl ask her question… "Mae, why was it okay to lie about this?"

Her gaze shifted back to Larentia, hearing her daughter speak to Alwine next, revealing the secret Katrine didn't want to share about her paternal origins. She didn't dare stop her now, despite it being her deepest wish to end this right here and now.

"… Auntie Alwine."

Katrine felt herself freeze at the statement, the revelation and the familiarity. Ren never called Alwine her aunt because that's not what she had ever been to her. She was close enough to the adult Lupine, she had been throughout her life, thanks to her friendship with Alwine's children. Katrine didn't fight this, she didn't mind Alwine despite their past – it wasn't, after all, Katrine who had been angry at the Lupine, she had always hoped they would be amicable if nothing else.

The truth suddenly felt real – not only did Ren know the truth, but so did Alwine.

Aston called out to Ren, her head turning enough to smile at her mate.

What was next? Him? No. Katrine settled quickly on this decision. She would speak to the other Lupine once this was over. Ren had a father, and he was right here with them. She didn't want this to go any further. As far as she was aware, Alwine had no contact with her family and had settled into a new family since her marriage to Bergen's.

She still wanted to make it clear once this was over…

Katrine inhaled a deep breath when Alwine began to respond, calling her wronged by the silence that surrounded it. She immediately narrowed her eyes at the other wolf. She wasn't the least bit happy with the woman's choice of words. Yes, she had kept this from Larentia, but she had her reasons. Despite the secret, Katrine had given her a life despite it, and even with Aston becoming her mate, which hadn't been planned at the time, she gained a father who was there for her.

Perhaps, logic could argue a chance hadn't been given for the other…

The Lupine refused this logic. He was given a chance to come, to prove the words given, even in the dire situation that made her lose Pebble for several years. She had thought she had lost her for good for but it should have been true love. Instead, it was a lie! It was Aston who made her truly recognise this, though being who he was, for being there for her always. No matter what happened to either of them, he always came to find her.

Katrine suddenly realised she hadn't said a single word since questioning Alwine.

She didn't know what to say. She couldn't deny what Ren had learned.

That didn't seem fair.

At least Alwine acknowledged what Katrine had tried to tell the spirit, too – Larentia was not an abomination, no matter what.

"Alwine is right," she quietly agreed now.

It was only then that Alwine addressed her, but only for a moment, offering lil' to'ryll solen to answer her question. Her eyes followed where Alwine was looking – at Pebble. Katrine couldn't recall ever hearing this name being used before.

"Did you know, Auntie Rezzie?"

Larentia focused next on Pebble, questioning her as well. Of course, Pebble being a bloodhound was something Katrine hadn't hidden from her daughter, even though it had never been truly explained. This was mainly due to Ren's age, though the girl did seem to understand it well enough to now question Pebble.

Or maybe, she simply thought that because of Pebble being in her life for so long, she might have known the truth about her origins anyway…

When Pebble began talking, Katrine leaned back, still holding on to her daughter's hand despite the broken embrace. She talked about ties that bind, and experiences lived, but they were not related? Her head tilted in surprise. She listened on, hearing the long story that came from her sister, Pebble's abilities was able to deduce that Alwine was not a Lechner at all. Katrine didn't understand this. She was still Lupine but she wasn't that Lupine. This was news to the woman. She did offer a possibility of the ancestor's words being true, as Pebble's abilities weren't strong enough then.

Katrine looked at Larentia. If she wanted to know, as her mother, she would not oppose Ren giving blood to Pebble. She knew the words had come to her head, but she trusted her sister enough to know it would be done for a good purpose. She didn't say it, though, letting Ren speak up for herself.

But when Pebble offered to remove the blood that made her Lechner?

"You can do this?" She was a little taken aback – magic could do a lot, but Pebble was suggesting removing blood from Larentia. "How would this affect Ren, her whole being?" Maybe she shouldn't have been asking, maybe Larentia wouldn't appreciate her asking, but she was the adult right now. Katrine needed to ask these questions before Ren agreed or refused.

Her attention returned to Ren. "Pebble can read your blood," Katrine gently offered out loud. "If you're okay with that?"​

 

[Larentia Van-Derveld]

Ren's wide eyes stared at Alwine as she recognised her complaint – she had been lied to.

She inhaled slowly, somewhere deep inside her, something was calling for calmness and straight head in this situation, but Ren knew that wasn't her. That was Larentia, for as long as she could remember her. There was a maturity in the Warrior of Ulf the teenager didn't have now. She wanted to lash out; she could feel anger inside her.

At the sound of Papi calling her, only her sapphire eyes shifted to look at him.

Deep down, Larentia knew Aston Jacobs didn't cause this. And she knew now he had come after all this. The Warrior of Ulf was here when he came to meet her. She didn't remember that, but the adult's memories told her when Papi entered her life.

Ren could never say she hated Mae, but she hated her right now.

Alwine assured her she wasn't an abomination, and Mae agreed.

She didn't look away from her paternal aunt despite the words. She didn't want to look at her right now. It was building slowly, coming to the surface. Mae had lied to her, and now she was being confronted by the truth.

Was it true, though? Was she not called an abomination so many times today?

Did the ancestor not insist her blood was tainted?

Alwine insisted the blood didn't define her worth, neither blood nor genes.

Next up was her aunt Rezzie, settling herself and starting on a long tale. Quickly, she began to claim Alwine was not her aunt at all by blood. Ren felt her confusion rise now, enough to muffle the rising anger inside her. Larentia knew Alwine was her aunt; she had been raised with that knowledge of her paternal family. So, how was Aunt Rezzie now saying she was not her aunt by blood?

Was she not who they were saying she was??

The story continued, though, in a lot of details about how Alwine was not the child of someone called Ubba and Brigid? Ren blinked, as the memory of these two people didn't come to her. Just names… Lechner grandparents. That was all that had come to her mind. Larentia had never met these wolves and had no emotional connection to them.

Alwine was still Lupine, just not related by blood.

None of this rang true in the memories that didn't belong to her.

Larentia loved Alwine and had always seen her as her aunt.

Her hand pulled away from Mae as she felt it squeeze her hand, refocusing on her Aunt Rezzie as the traces of anger began to resurface as she was offered to take it out? Ren looked to Mae now, for the first time since facing her, then to Alwine, Papi, Nona and back to Aunt Rezzie. She wasn't just angry at Mae; she was angry at her Aunt Rezzie.

"No!" She quickly rejected and stood up. Ren felt a little lightheaded then, shaking her head slightly to try and get rid of it. "You can't take what's part of me!"

She paused, though, as the question came… would she be okay with her aunt Rezzie reading her blood? "I don't give you permission to take it away, but you can read it." Ren heard herself say the words, a sentence she couldn't imagine herself saying – it was as if it wasn't even her saying them. It was more something she could imagine the Warrior of Ulf saying, but she meant it nonetheless.​

 

[Aston Jacobs]

"No!"

"You can't take what's part of me!"

"Sweetheart...." Aston spoke again, this time he moved. He moved forward as she stood up. To comfort and to stabilize her when he noticed she seemed a bit shaken. He reached for her hand if she allowed it and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was the love that a father had for her daughter. It was a realization for him, perhaps a fear that he might lose her. If she knew the truth about her parentage, would she seek him out. For a brief moment Aston grew scared that he might lose her forever. But no matter what he would always be here for her, just like he would always be here for Katrine.

Their family would always be first in his heart.

"Whatever you decide we are right here with you. I am right here with you. I always will be no matter what."

He looked over to Katrine, and showed her a small smile. Stepping back beside his great love. They would have the opportunity to talk later, amongst themselves.

Katrine Van-Derveld Alwine Bergen

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade stayed quiet in her spot on the floor, legs still crossed. She'd had ample time to process what some of it may have meant to Kat and Renfair, but they needed their own time to do the same.

Katrine being somewhat taken aback did surprise her though. Scherezade knew the answer wouldn't bring full understanding, not yet. And if she were being honest, she herself didn't know the actual specifics. Taking a father's DNA out of a child? Easy. But that hadn't been what she had offered. Whatever had happened four decades ago, she wouldn't tear a child away from its parent. Not when she cared about the child, anyway. Renfair was family. That meant extra terms and conditions; others might end up collateral, but not her.

And of course, Ren's Papi, Aston. He was… genuinely just trying to be there for both Kat and Ren. Scherezade had no beef with that. But she could already guess there'd be a storm of words between him and his mate later.

Still, the Sithling nodded to Katrine. They could discuss the details later.

And now Larentia… Little Renfair, who wasn't so little anymore. The universe was against them after all, wasn't it? How much had Katrine toiled and worked to give her daughter the life she deserved? And here she was, the anger in her flaring up, and though Scherezade was acutely aware of it, she wasn't sure how to help soothe it. Her Renfair wasn't likely to burst out and scream senselessly. Her words still sounded like someone who was maintaining perfect control. But beneath the surface, the pressure was already causing cracks.

Scherezade wished with all her heart it hadn't been so.

Still, Larentia had given consent to the reading bit. That was a good first step. It also showed the girl was wise beyond her years. Scherezade at a younger age would have just screamed no or yes and gone full throttle on whatever direction she'd chosen. She'd never have even though to advocate for patience or being careful.

"I only need one small drop," she said, her voice trying to join Larentia in the adulting and soothing thing with very little luck. One of her blades slid into her hand as the other hand took Renfair's in her own. The tip of the blade came against the child's thumb pillow and pressed. It was as gentle as the Blood Hound could do it. And just as quickly, the blade vanished, leaving the teenager with a swelling blood drop on her thumb.

Scherezade bent forward and gave Renfair's thumb a lick, cleaning the blood off. Sithspit, no matter how many times she did this, she always hated the taste of blood. In a better 'verse, the gifts of the Blood Hound would be bestowed on those who actually liked drinking that crap. In this 'verse, Scherezade did very much not enjoy it. But Ren was family, and there were no lines Scherezade would not cross for family if need be. Especially these days.

The coppery tang took her mouth-feel over. It was everywhere. She could feel it on her tongue, on the inside of her cheeks, the roof of her mouth, and spreading to the back of her throat. That was always the hardest part, those first few moments.

And then the visions came, in quick succession, all appearing in the front of Scherezade's thoughts with a layer of red haze over them.

The first one was a familiar one. Little Ren running in the snow towards her mother, not yet realizing that Aunt Rezzie was there, because she hadn't been Aunt Rezzzie then. Scherezade tried to make the equivalent of a mental swipe away when the memory was then crashed by an older Larentia walking up a ship that… Was that Katrine's ship, over fourty years ago?! Why was that there?

Go back, she commanded herself, forcing to leave that afternoon that had ended up in unwanted shifting and a guilty conscience that had been very confused.

The sounds of a baby crying in the night. A tired Katrine. No father figure present.

Earlier! Scherezade almost roared. She didn't want just the memories of the person, of Renfair. She wanted the memories of Renfair's blood. And she was just realizing, it was going to be a lot less simple than she had initially thought. This wasn't an exercise in collecting bits and letting her brain puzzle it out, this was very intentionally looking for bits that rarely wanted to be found.

The red haze turned to black before colors filled her mental image again. The wolf moon, she somehow knew, just as she somehow knew it was not the wolf moon as it were today. This was older, but not ancient. Some parts were the same, but all parts felt different.

Scherezade's breath skipped as the images came running now, a kaleidoscope of moving memories of wolves, of a scientist, of a banishment. Less and less she could see in any corner, but more and more did some of what the blood had gone through, now screaming inside her head, warning of the dangers. She could feel her own blood pumping in her ears now, warning of as well.

She did not let go.

This was not a story you told children when you tucked them into bed.

The scientist, a mad Sith, who thought he had a good idea but lacked the heart to get it done properly, changing the blood so that it was no longer pure, but intermingled with parts of… Puppies? No. Those were not puppies. Those were the cubs of Lloth-wolves, and they were easier for his purpose than using the adult ones.

Why? Why would he do that?! And how-

No, the precise details of the how escaped these memories. The blood didn't care about the how, it cared about the what, and it was now changing, no longer alone, but joined by that of beasts. That was where he had gone wrong. That was how he doomed the new mingle of blood into something that looked like Lupine but was not. It wasn't Lupine, but it wore Lupine like a second skin. Same. But so very, very different.

She couldn't see where the rest of the blood went to, or what had happened with it. How could she? That was not inside the blood that ran through Larentia's veins. What ran through them was the survival of several generations despite the madness.

And then came more of the black.

Scherezade opened her eyes and covered her mouth, spitting the remains of the blood into it before realizing a napkin would've been a better option.

"Not an abomination," she confirmed with a dry voice, looking around for a glass or a bottle or any fluids she could drink without dying if she wanted to wet her throat.

Krak her sideways. She was going to have to explain. All those memories had felt like forever as she ran through them and saw them, even though only a handful of seconds at most had passed to the others in the room. Time was stupid. Always was, always would be.

A glass of water had somehow ended up in her hand. The Sithling drank from it as though she had not had a drop in weeks while walking through a desert, and a second one soon replaced it. Only now did she notice it was Alwine who had understood the signs. Somewhere in the back of her mind, that made sense.

Her thirst quenched, Scherezade turned her attention back… Well. Both Katrine and Larentia. How the heck was she supposed to put all she'd seen into words and explain it to them without freaking everyone out?!

"So…" she fumbled, trying to put her words very carefully into the right order, somehow feeling like it was doomed in advance, "Part of your blood, is just Lupine," she began, sending a quick look to Katrine. It was Katrine who had told her all those years ago that a drop was enough, that Lupine would always take over whatever other species had come into the mingle of children making because it was the dominant one.

"That's the part you got from your mae," she explained in clearer words, "the other part…"

You buttholes, you better be prepared to soothe her once I finish speaking, she yelled, nay, shouted at the spirits through the Force. She had no connection to the three anymore, but she knew they were listening to every word.

"The other part I only know because I've met Lloth Wolves before," she sighed, "the other part is Lupine mixed with Lloth Wolves. Some idiot a while ago, and I don't know if a while ago means decades or centuries or longer, thought it was smart to mix the two and see what happens."

She needed to dig deeper. She wanted to dig deeper. She also knew she couldn't, because that would require a lot more than blood.

Scherezade sighed and shook her head. It was too hard to compare the precise outcome of what would happen to those who had that Lloth Wolf mixed into them. Could they breed with other species? Were some things certain to happen, while others were not? Unless she had one of those experiments to test, she couldn't be certain. If she ever had children of her own, she knew she would push them to go into the STEM fields and not the Blood Hound fields. Being a Blood Hound felt so useless when it truly mattered.

But, it also explained why she had thought they'd all been Lupines at first. They were so very, very close. And she wasn't sure if she'd be able to tell the difference at a glance if she hadn't seen what the blood had just showed her.

"So like I said," she emphasized, "not an abomination. Anyone ever calls you that, you punch them right in their ugly faces. And if you want the weird stuff out of your system, I can do that only the specific Lloth Wolf chit out, but leaving the rest of your sperm donor's blood in you. But never, unless you ask for it."

With that, Scherezade switched from sitting on the floor, to just lying on her side on it. Force, she was tired. She wouldn't fall asleep. She was here for Kat and Renfair. She just needed to go horizontal for a wee bit before she could do something hard again.

---

Katrine Van-Derveld Larentia Van-Derveld Aston Jacobs​

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

The smaller hand pulled from her grasp, startling the woman. She could feel the anger inside her daughter in its earliest beginnings. Ren was never angry, but she was temperamental in her teenage years and often impatient. Katrine hadn't thought too much of it, relating this to how she used to be at that age. She never thought of Larentia in those moments, unaware of the connection.

Now, it did come to her mind… the way Larentia shifted from a severe reaction to the sound hurting her ears. It was not something that happened to Katrine. Not shifting for too long had its repercussions for her, but she could still choose to stay human.

But never had she considered the effects of other extreme feelings on Larentia, as the Warrior of Ulf kept herself in such check; it felt like a dead giveaway that she was nothing like the Van-Dervelds she surrounded herself with. Katrine wondered now, just what sort of teenager the other woman was, in comparison to the one right in front of her…

Ren quickly rejected the possibility of losing part of who she was. Katrine had no choice but to stay silent.

She did permit Pebble to look into her blood, though.

Her mate intervened now, approaching their daughter, giving her a small smile. While they had never discussed it clearly, Aston knew enough to know or deduce what Larentia's origins were. Her brown hair made her stand out among Katrine and Curupira, though there were members in both of Katrine's trees with brown hair.

Katrine waited now, letting Pebble and Ren interact, her sister taking the tiniest drop of blood and letting her ability tell her the story. Not an abomination, was the first thing Pebble shared, her head nodding. The sentiment had already been shared, but if Ren still had her doubts in just the words of those around her, Pebble being able to see it in her blood should have helped now.

Pebble first identified her Lupine origins, which came from her.

The second part… Lloth wolves? Katrine stared at Pebble, her mouth opening and closing. She had no idea what Pebble was talking about, what those were. But Lupine, combined with these things, as the mad scientist decided to mix the two species to see what would happen. "Wait… what are Lloth wolves?"

Everyone here could tell she had no idea what they were.

But she was beginning to understand how someone with pure-blood ideas, like Wulfram, would abhor anything that was not Lupine. And how come she had never heard of this? "Are they like us? Shifter wolves?"

The image of adult Larentia suddenly came to mind – bigger, stronger, involuntary change. These were all traits that didn't belong to Lupine. "Is that why Larentia's wolf was as it was?" She could feel herself babbling right now, trying to wrap her head around this new vital information. Katrine didn't judge the new information; she was trying to understand what the adult and teenager were and what this meant for her daughter.​

 

[Larentia Van-Derveld]

Papi called again, making the teenager look away from Aunt Rezzie. His hand reached for hers, keeping her standing through the dizzy spell she experienced. Larentia held on tightly as the moment passed, hearing him make his promise to always be with her.

Ren believed him more than she believed her own life right now.

It wasn't just the fact that the teenager loved her Papi as she did, but the confidence and trust left behind by Larentia. As an adult, she could see the love and devotion this man had for the girl, and she respected him for it. Ren couldn't fully grasp how she was being influenced by Larentia now—by her memories, feelings, and thoughts. They were there, but jumbled and foreign, coming to her in waves and at triggers.

She winced as Aunt Rezzie pricked her finger, watching her lick the bubble of blood that formed on it. Ren wondered if the sight of it should have caused any sort of feeling that didn't seem to manifest. She'd ripped small animals to shreds since becoming a wolf, eating raw meat from her prey. The sight of her aunt licking off a drop of blood didn't seem to do much for her still-developing mind.

Ren didn't realise she was holding her breath as she waited.

…she wasn't an abomination. "Then why…?"
​

Why did the ancestor call her one? She wanted to say it, but the words didn't come out, not when Aunt Rezzie continued talking. She called her Lupine first because of Mae. The second part was Lloth wolf mixed with Lupine. Larentia looked between the other adults in the room and her aunt, never having heard of anything like it. She had thought wolf meant Lupine and vice versa until now.

Strange thing was... Mae didn't know what they were either. And Mae knew everything, Ren thought, until this day.

The rest of what her aunt said went with what the ancestor said. A man, an idiot, as she heard now, had mixed a Lupine and a Lloth wolf to see what would happen. Ren didn't understand it. Mae was Lupine because Nono was Lupine. Nono was Lupine because his Papi was Lupine. His Mae was human, but that didn't matter. Nona was human, too. So, how could she be anything other than Lupine, then?

Aunt Rezzie gave her permission to punch anyone who called her an abomination.

"Okay," the girl took that to heart.

She offered again… "NO!" Ren shouted now. "I want to know what it means!" She was getting angry again at being asked to remove something that was part of her. Mae questioned if Larentia's wolf was the way it was. She had only ever seen Larentia change through her own eyes. She thought the adult was so pretty and unique, bigger than Mae, and quieter when she travelled through the forest. Her fur matched her hair. She could remember now, thinking she was beautiful. Larentia told her she could move like she could, that she would someday.

Ren was quiet too, but she didn't think about how this happened. She assumed she had tried and succeeded because some wolves could do that. She didn't think it was unique to them both, different from what Mae and Nono were…
​

Scherezade deWinter Aston Jacobs​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

What are Lloth Wolves. Scherezade was taken by surprise and she looked at Kat for a few seconds before remembering that she had never actually met Baal. She opened her mouth to explain, but more questions followed, so she pressed her lips again, giving the effect she had just taken a breath in fish form.

When Ren screamed her NO, Scherezade raised her hands. She had given her word. She would do absolutely nothing unless Renfair came to her of her own free will and told her to do it. Until then, the teenager had absolutely nothing to worry about. Family was to be protected, not manipulated.

But now the teenager was getting even angrier, and the Sithling cursed that she hadn't brought a can of shiftglue with her. She'd been so worried over getting there on time, thinking Kat and Ren were in danger from others, that she hadn't considered either one of them might wolf out and be a danger to the other for herself.

She took a mental note to send Kat and Aston a crate at some later point in the future.

"What it means," Scherezade explained, trying to calm Renfair with her voice, "It's like… You know how some people in the galaxy are the result of cross-breeding? Like they're half one species and half another."

There was no shame in it. There were no laws against it. If people were compatible for breeding, one could safely assume that said breeding would happen sooner or later, and that was how many other species evolved as well. She herself had various kernels of other species running through her, though for her they were so miniscule that they didn't really matter.

Renfair though… It wasn't miniscule to her. It was as 50/50 as it could get, from what the Blood Hound had gleaned.

"Lloth Wolves are not shifters," she remembered that Katrine had asked, "they're giant sentient wolves. A close companion of mine is one."

And Larentia…

"I don't know," she admitted, "I was never able to scent Larentia's blood. I don't know if it was an artifact or a spell or anything, but she had something that was actively blocking me from having the access."

Her focus shifted back to little Renfair.

"None of this is bad news," she said to her softly, "It just means there's a part of you that's unknown to the rest of us, and you're going to have to figure it out if you want to know what it means… Or doesn't mean."

If Scherezade was one to pray, she would pray that Ren would know the room, and beyond it, was filled with people who would be more than happy to try to keep her safe while she embarked on the adventure to find that out. To the Sithling, there was no question that Renfair would want to investigate rather than let the entire thing drop. Maybe not now, but… But soon enough, probably.

 

[Aston Jacobs]

Aston looked over to Katrine, he gave her a gentle nudge and he joined back next to her as he listened to Larentia Van-Derveld and Scherezade deWinter discussion. There was so much to talk about and much that could be debated. However with all that on the table it was up to Larentia if she wished to pursue this. Perhaps it was something that she needed to do, for herself.

He showed Larentia a small smile even amongst her outburst as one could tell she was getting angry once more. Rightfully so, she had every reason to and he wasn't going to fault her for it.

He just wanted to be there. Be that support, the support meant everything in the world.

Especially that of loved ones, it could move mountains.

"Perhaps sleep on it, sweetheart. Get some rest and things can be figured out tomorrow?" Aston recommended, yet he didn't fault her if she wanted answers now.

Who wouldn't?

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

She heard a quiet question leave Larentia when Pebble declared her not an abomination, and when her sister didn't respond, she chose to: "Because Wulfram is so stuck in his ways, he didn't even know most pairings resulted in pure-blood Lupine." It was a revelation Katrine had given him just a little while before the attack began. He had never known this fact, one that was now common knowledge among wolves. Katrine was pure-blood before she was born to two Lupines, but Chloe was Lupine because of what their father was.

Wulfram came from ancient enough times to have never learnt about this. The Lupines were still breeding only among themselves and refusing the possibility of diluting their blood, as he'd considered it.

An explanation was offered, explaining about the mix of genes, which Katrine was aware of. It was just not something that was ever a possibility when it came to them. She explained as well that Lloth wolves were not shifters but giant sentient wolves. Katrine let that sink in, comparing it to what she knew about Larentia, who was still able to change, obviously due to her Lupine genes.

She also learnt Pebble had a Lloth wolf for a close companion.

"Close companion?" The Lupine questioned now. This term had several meanings, but in Dathomiri culture, this was often used for rancors that a Witch bonded with. How could her sister have a wolf for a companion, then?

Pebble had permitted Ren to punch anyone who called her an abomination.

The "okay" that left her daughter's mouth was the same as when Katrine told her something important. It was a healthy reminder of how much Ren was like she used to be.

She was definitely going to punch someone in the future.

When, once again, Pebble offered to remove this Lloth wolf part of her, Ren shouted, preventing Katrine from asking any further questions about the subject. Her daughter was adamant and getting angry over the fact. In truth, Katrine couldn't blame her. If someone had offered to take her wolf from her, she would have got angry too. Pebble wasn't offering that at all, but she was offering for her to remove a piece of herself. Her hands rose, with the adult Larentia in her mind and her involuntary change. "Okay, nobody will offer that anymore," she offered, suddenly filled with the understanding that getting Ren to calm down and let go of some of that anger was important. Katrine knew of exactly one way to subdue Larentia, and it was something she wanted to avoid doing right now, given the situation they were in.

Pebble addressed her question regarding Larentia, unable to provide an answer.

She was never able to sense the adult's blood, unaware if this was due to an artefact or a spell, but something was undeniably blocking her from knowing. This was when Katrine remembered what the Warrior of Ulf had given her just moments before her death. The chain of the necklace was still wrapped around her hands, the pendant hanging just beneath her hand. She raised it now, showing it to Pebble.

"It was this," observing it herself as she spoke. Katrine knew exactly what this was, as she had it among her collections. "This is the amulet of Taozin, whose sword I possess," Katrine explained. "It's meant to contain Taozin's skin and blur the Force sense of someone who wears it."

Her last bit of advice to Ren was sound, Katrine thought. Her not being all Lupine wasn't bad; it was part of who she was, and unknown to them all. It was something she would have to learn about. Much like Katrine had been born with purple hair and assumed this was who she was, when in reality it was something to overcome for her. She didn't want to bring up that tale; it would imply getting rid of something that was part of Ren.

As Aston nudged her, she locked her free fingertips around his forearm, giving him the tiniest smile. His advice to Ren was to sleep on it and figure things out tomorrow. "We have a whole database for you to explore." While her intention was innocent, she did want to let her daughter learn more about these Lloth Wolves, the moment Katrine said it, she knew it was a good idea.
​

The databank was on her ship, away from Wulfram's domain. Perhaps this would be a good time to get Larentia out of the Schwarzwald. Ruu, you and Kree, take her to the Nocte Aranea and have her spend the night there. She can explore the database there and stay out of Wulfram's reach. She reached out to the adults as the plan formed in her mind.

If the prospect of using the database would entice the girl enough not to cause a row now, Katrine needed her out of the stronghold to face the spirit who tried to kill her daughter. It felt like Ren's near-death, the loss of Larentia and the revelations made here tonight had managed to distract her from the still big issue within these walls.

Katrine wanted it done with before the next dawn.​

 

[Larentia Van-Derveld]

Mae now claimed Wulfram thought she was an abomination because he didn't know any better. "Shouldn't he be wiser when he's dead?" Of course, all of them thought Lupine made Lupine, no matter if it was one parent who was Lupine, but obviously, the spirit knew even less than any of them.

Aunt Rezzie explained crossbreeding. It was not a term that was used often, if ever, in this household, as it meant nothing. Lupines were always Lupine until now; it was how Larentia had been raised. Every family tale held the same background—Mae was Lupine because someday, Nona would be Lupine too, but her aunt Chloe was Lupine anyway. The idea, the concept, of crossbreeding was an entirely new thing for Ren.

Lloth Wolves didn't shift like they did. They were giant thinking wolves. Ren took the explanation, not thinking too much about the companion bit, even though Mae had asked about what it meant. She, instead, focused on the giant sentient wolves part, thinking back on adult Larentia and her wolf. It wasn't like she could think of her own; she'd never seen it other than in the water reflection when she hunted… Ren didn't think she was too big, but she could have still been small like the rest of her.

They talked about Larentia too now, Aunt Rezzie wondering why she couldn't read the adult, and Mae showing the pendant and explaining what it was. Her hand moved under her neck at the sight of it. She could remember wearing it now, always hiding it from the people around her. These were not her memories at all, but the Warrior's.

"It helped her hide," Ren whispered.

She was assured then that this news wasn't bad. Her sapphire gaze focused on Aunt Rezzie, taking in what she was being told. It wasn't bad; it was just new. Something to learn about, to figure out what it meant and didn't mean. Ren nodded, listening.

The anger felt calming when Mae had promised the offer to remove this part of her was gone, but annoyance replaced it instead when Papi suggested she sleep on it. Ren couldn't sleep now; this was all too new and unclear, so she couldn't imagine herself falling asleep at all.

Instead, to her surprise, Mae suggested she explore the database.

Larentia wasn't always allowed on the Nocte Aranea, and she rarely was allowed to explore the magical world behind the screen. They had books here, and there was never any limit to how many of the old books she could read, but this was different. Mae was suggesting she explore it now. Her eyes lit up, smiling for the first time at Mae at the offer.

"Yes, can I, please?" The teenager was so excited now, looking between both of her parents, waiting for confirmation she would be allowed to go, to find out more about those Lloth wolves, to find out more about what the galaxy said about wolves in general and even crossbreeding, which Aunt Rezzie mentioned. She didn't think of the spirit in the moment or what ulterior motives Mae might have had to get her to go.
​

Aston Jacobs Scherezade deWinter​

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Wulfram? Scherezade blinked. She thought she'd heard the name mentioned earlier that day, but now that it was said again she suddenly took notice. It wasn't a name that was known to the Sithling. It was also weird to think of whoever it was like they didn't know the Lupine gene was usually the dominant one. But whatever.

Kat's response surprised her too. Close companion? Had she really not told her that? Now felt sort of like way too late. Still. "I rescued a litter of Lloth Wolf puppies while we weren't speaking. One of them decided to adopt me. He keeps the Darkness at bay when I'm weak."

A full explanation. Sort of. The main thing was though, that Baal, for many years, had been Scherezade's diligent protector while she slept, when all her defenses were down and the nightmares tried to creep in. In all their time together she had only actually heard him speak once and that had been to a child. To her, to others, he offered no words, only his presence. She loved him.

And then came that amulet. Glowing green eyes narrowed with distaste. She didn't actually care that Larentia had wanted to protect herself. Walking around with that amulet, whatever defense it had offered to the young woman, was also a clear "you're not invited" sign. She did not approve.

Databases. Renfair removed from her anger now, after a rollercoaster of mostly bad emotions. That was good.

As the teenager asked her mother for permission, Scherezade got off the floor, dusting herself off in a most dramatic fashion. Aston was still there, a steady, quiet fixture in the room after offering Renfair to sleep on it earlier. Everything was done and cared for as far as she could assist.

But she did decide to wait a moment before leaving.

For one thing, she'd come to the wolf moon through a ripple in the fabric of reality, so she needed a ride to get back to the Unknown Regions. For another, she really wanted to know who this Wulfrum prick was.

For a second… Nah, there was no second, she wanted to know.

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Katrine released a tiny chuckle at her daughter's words, echoed by Jart, Doashim, and Lylek. She would be inclined to agree; one expected Wulfram would have found wisdom in the afterlife. "Yes, one would hope," the Lupine responded, offering her daughter a small smile.

As she revealed the pendant to Pebble, she heard a small comment from her daughter. Yes, it had helped Larentia hide who she was from everyone around her. She considered for a split second that this was insight into the adult, alongside suddenly knowing Alwine was her aunt… none of these had been known to Ren before. The thought left her quickly due to the pressing matters at hand.

Like the matter of her daughter's safety. Rather than take up Aston's suggestion, Ren seemed more interested in what Katrine came up with. The mother knew the girl wouldn't want to be sleeping now, when she had been given so much new information and made a startling discovery about what she was. It didn't seem fair to suggest she did go to sleep—it would feel more like punishment if she was in Ren's face.

"Yes, you can," she encouraged.

Glancing back at Curupira, she nodded to her. "Nona and Kree will keep you company," she softly announced, without making too much of an emphasis. She hoped Ren wouldn't make too much of a fuss about being sent away, but that was exactly what Katrine was doing.

Pebble drew her attention back when responding to her question about the companion. She had rescued a little one, one of them staying with her and protecting her from the Darkness. Katrine nodded slowly. Yes, it was quite common in her culture that rancors chose Witches, and this held more value than the other way around. It sounded to Katrine that it was exactly what she had gained, even when it was a wolf.

"So, in my absence, you took another wolf as family. Interesting," a smirk graced her face, teasing her sister ever so slightly now.​

 

[Larentia Van-Derveld]

Spirit to Spirit

Location: Leaving The Schwartzwald​

Yes, Mae said she could go to the ship; it was official… but she was going with Nona and Kree. Larentia watched her for a few moments, wondering why she wasn't coming with her. "You could come too, Mae?" Ren suddenly heard herself saying, despite being angry with her just minutes ago.

"It's fine, we'll go," Curupira offered, approaching her.

Larentia watched her mother instead, hoping she would change her mind.

Come, little one, Jart called out to her.

Ren didn't respond to the wise spirit, understanding she knew exactly who it was when this was the first day she had heard him talking. The teenager was never able to hear the three spirits before, but she knew Larentia always could.

Little monster, let's learn about Lloth wolves. Doashim interrupted instead, his massive paws pressing into her shoulders. His words came with more weight on her young heart. Larentia didn't just hear Doashim; she felt as though she had gained a third parent today. Even when hearing Jart, his words had no effect on her.

Mae nodded in encouragement without speaking anymore.

Her Nona had her hand out, and after a lot of hesitation, Larentia took it and followed the woman out of the room. She gave the rest one more look – Mae with Papi, aunt Alwine, aunt Rezzie – they were all staying behind. The teenager was quickly starting to understand this wasn't just permission to research the database, which interested her, but also a way of getting her out of the stronghold.

"I can help, Nona," Ren tried to convince her elder as she followed her. "I know you can, but right now, the best help you can give your Mae is to let her deal with the spirit without being worried about you." Curupira didn't lie to her, helping her understand what was at stake.

"Kree, with us," unlike the soft tone given to her, her Nona had a much harsher tone towards the android, making her tag along as they exited the Schwartzwald. The sight of the ship distracted the teenager, making her let go of Curupira and run to it. "Ren, slow down." Her Nona tried to slow her down, but Larentia was no longer listening, wanting to reach the ship as soon as possible.

She forgot that Mae was about to face Wulfram, who had always killed her.

She forgot Wulfram hated her because of what she was and called her an abomination.

She forgot for a moment that she had been so close to dying and lost Larentia.

For a moment, the teenager was just that, running to the ship she was rarely allowed on but loved playing on. She was running towards the whole world of information she was never allowed to explore – today was the day she was allowed…
​

To be concluded... ​