Private Whispering Rocks Cave

[Darth Mortyra]

Dathomir

Whispering Rocks Cave
Tag: Tayja​

Moisture clung to the cave’s stone walls, illuminated by the glow of green bioluminescent mushrooms scattered in uneven clusters across several rocks.

Darth Mortyra stood near the edge of the pool. Her damp hair hung loosely around her shoulders, darker in places where the water had yet to dry. It was rare to see her like this, without it tied back.

She had redressed, though she was still not fond of how the red Nightsister attire looked on her. The pool lay nearly still once more, disturbed only by the slow, steady drip of water from the cave ceiling, leaving her reflection clear and crisp. It did not please her, but not enough to warrant comment.

"Well then, what's next?" Mortyra asked.

Her gaze slid to the side, settling on Sashina. A trace of curiosity threaded her voice, though her expression remained composed and cold, her features set in that same distant, unreadable calm.

She waited.

 

[Sashina]

Tag: Dreadling
​

Sashina remained where she was for a moment longer, half-turned toward the pool, watching the last ripples settle into stillness. Her fingers trailed absently along the damp stone beside her, feeling the quiet pulse of the Veil beneath it…

Only then did she rise, taking a moment to gather what she had cast aside, drawing her cloak back over her shoulders, slipping her boots on with practiced ease. The faint green light still caught along her markings, softening the edges of her otherwise unreadable expression. Her gaze lifted to Meya's face, studying her in that same quiet, piercing way.

"It suits you, you know," she murmured thoughtfully. A faint tilt of her head followed, pale hair shifting against her shoulders as she took in the red attire and loose hair. She knew the woman had not been enthused by the outfit when she gave her it, but that did not mean Sashina couldn't enjoy it.

"As for what is next…" Her eyes flicked briefly toward the tunnel beyond the chamber, the one where they had entered from some time ago.

"The tomb. You wished to see it." Her gaze returned to Meya, steady now. "But to do that, you must first meet my kin." A faint, knowing glimmer touched her eyes then. She was sure Meya would be thrilled at the prospect.

"It need only be brief," she added softly, "they will not bother you while you are with me." At least, she hoped that would be the case. Only time would tell.

"Shall we?" she asked finally, taking a few steps towards the entrance.

 

[Darth Mortyra]

Tag: Tayja​

Mortyra turned more fully to face her, her posture straightening just slightly, attention sharpening as it settled on Sashina. There was a faint shift in her expression, subtle, but there.

“Red does not flatter me,” she replied candidly.

She did not linger on it. The subject was dismissed as quickly as it had been addressed, her interest already moving elsewhere before Sashina could press further. While the woman had proven herself useful in many respects, Mortyra had seen nothing to suggest her sense of color or fashion was among them. If anything, it lacked refinement.

At the mention of her clan, one of Mortyra’s eyebrows lifted slightly. The less attention drawn to their association, the better. But Sashina was aware of that already, and there was little value in repeating it.

“Brief, then,” she said, her tone even.

Her eyes narrowed slightly next, not quite suspicion, but not far from it, as she continued. “Are your kin as welcoming to outsiders as you are?” A brief pause followed, just long enough for the question to settle. “And where will this meeting take place?”

Her gaze lingered on Sashina, assessing. If she intended to lead her into the heart of the clan's territory, Mortyra would refuse. She was well aware that hospitality had its limits on Dathomir, and had no intention of placing herself at the center of an unwelcoming coven, regardless of her own abilities.

 

[Sashina]

Tag: Dreadling​

Sashina resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the comment. She could claim red did not flatter her all she liked. Sashina knew better. It was not the colour that mattered… it was the woman wearing it. And everything seemed to bend to suit her, whether she approved of it or not. But she would not give her the satisfaction of hearing it aloud. For now, at least.

Her gaze flicked back briefly to the slight lift of Meya's brow, catching the question beneath it before it was fully spoken.

"Welcoming…" she said, the faintest trace of dry amusement touching her voice. "Is that what I am?" She paused then, turning back to face her fully, her eyes glinting faintly as they settled fully on Meya once more.

"We are not a clan who would harm you for being an outsider," she said simply. The answer came without hesitation, without softness. Honest, as she had promised.

"You are my guest. And will be treated as such." Her eyes lingered a moment longer, as if weighing whether that would be enough. Whether she would be enough to keep this from turning into something… unpleasant. Once, she would not have been certain. But now... now she knew she was capable of seeing it through.

"The tomb is partway up the mountain. We live higher still… but there will be some wandering further down. They will require a conversation, when we come across them, that is all." A brief silence followed, her gaze drifting for a heartbeat toward the darkened passage ahead before returning to Meya.

"I would not suggest something if I believed it would put us at risk," she went on, voice calm, though there was a quieter insistence beneath it now. There could be no doubting she believed the words. Deep down she also knew it was inevitable if they wished to spend any significant time here, but she would not force it.

 

[Darth Mortyra]

Tag: Tayja​

Mortyra held her gaze for a moment longer, silent. Her expression did not change. Then she moved.

A few slow steps closed the space between them. As she approached, one of her hands lifted, and her fingers paused for a handful of heartbeats at Sashina’s chin.

Her touch was light. Her golden eyes did not leave the other woman’s.

When those heartbeats passed, her fingers moved, tracing the line of her jaw with deliberate slowness before her hand settled, briefly, to cup it, holding her there beneath her gaze.

“You are that, and more,” she said, her voice low and even. There was no softness in the way she spoke, but those attuned might sense the faintest shift of emotions beneath the surface. “Unique… beautiful…” The edge of her mouth twitched upward for a fraction of a second. “…and entirely too naive at times.”

She withdrew her hand, the contact ending as cleanly as it had begun. Whatever lingered in the gesture did not remain in her expression.

“However,” she continued, her tone sharpening just slightly as she stepped back into herself, “I will trust your judgment, for now.” A faint pause followed, her gaze narrowing a fraction. “Any sign of trouble, and I will not hesitate to leave.”

The moment passed as quickly as it had formed.

“Now,” she said, turning toward the passage ahead, already moving past it, “guide me.”

 

[Sashina]

Tag: Dreadling​

Sashina paused as Meya's fingers brushed her chin, the unexpected gentleness sending a quiet warmth blooming low in her chest. She didn't pull away. Instead, her gaze remained locked on those yellow eyes, steady even as the slow trace along her jaw made her pulse quicken.

A faint, wry smile touched her lips at "and more," then softened further when Meya added "Unique…" The word "beautiful" drew the smallest tilt of her head, something almost vulnerable flickering behind her amber eyes for a heartbeat before she tucked it away.

"Naive," she echoed softly, the word carrying a trace of dry humour as she turned to face the passage fully. "Perhaps. But I have been called worse."

Before Meya fully withdrew, Sashina lifted her own hand and lightly brushed her fingertips along the back of her wrist. At the conditions that followed, Sashina simply inclined her head once, accepting them without argument. She had expected nothing less. Deep down, she didn't truly believe Meya would leave her at the first sign of trouble, but she let the warning pass without challenge. Maybe she was naive... putting such faith in a Sith. She didn't much care.

She moved ahead then, her cloak whispering against the damp stone as she led the way towards the entrance. The green bioluminescence clung to the cave around them, spilling from the crystals and mushrooms that lined the place. As they emerged from the cave mouth, the chill Dathomir wind greeted them. The jagged cliffs rose steeply above, their shadowed faces etched with narrow switchback paths worn smooth by generations of Nightsister feet. Sashina paused just outside the entrance, letting her gaze sweep the slope for any sign of movement. The climb would be quite long, even if it was not overly difficult.

She glanced back at Meya, the faintest trace of that earlier warmth still lingering. "It will be a long walk," she said quietly, almost reluctant to break the quiet between them. "Stay close."

With that, she started the ascent, boots finding familiar purchase on the red rock. The wind tugged at her cloak and white hair as she reached up and pulled her hood over her head, shielding her face from the biting gusts.

 

[Darth Mortyra]

Tag: Tayja​

Mortyra followed, her cloak shifting and snapping in the wind as she stepped out onto the narrow path. The cold did not bother her, or if it did, she gave no sign of it. She did not linger behind Sashina for long.

When she moved past the Nightsister, she asked a question, “Why should I stay close?” Her voice carried easily through the wind as she advanced along the path, boots finding steady purchase without hesitation.

If Sashina wanted something of her, there would be a reason. Mortyra did not follow instructions simply because they were given.

She slowed only briefly, turning her head just enough to regard her over her shoulder. “And why walk the whole time?”

Before an answer could fully form, she stopped, one foot braced on a higher jut of rock. For a moment, she stilled.

Then she vanished.

Green smoke curled and snapped in her wake, dissolving into the air almost as quickly as it appeared. A heartbeat later, she reformed further up the path, higher along the switchbacks, already continuing forward as if the distance between had never existed.

She had learned on her own. Through observation, repetition, and instinct. Sashina had grabbed and teleported her enough times for Mortyra to gather all the information she needed.

 

[Sashina]

Tag: Dreadling​

Sashina's steps did not falter when Meya moved past her. But her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Because this is not your world," she said, voice carrying cleanly across the stone. "And it does not always welcome those who walk it alone."

Her gaze followed Meya's footing along the path, noting the ease with which she moved. Not careless… but confident. As ever. At the second question, the faintest trace of a smirk touched Sashina's lips.

"How else would we..."

And then the Veil shifted. Her eyes flicked upward just as the green smoke curled into the air, her expression stilling for a heartbeat as Meya vanished… and reappeared further along the path. Sashina exhaled slowly through her nose, something flickering across her features. Surprise… yes. Brief, but there. Followed quickly by something warmer. A quiet pull she did not bother to hide from herself.

"… show off," she murmured, mostly to herself. The corner of her mouth twitched faintly. It suited her. Of course it did. But her gaze lingered a moment longer than it should have, narrowing just slightly... not in disapproval, but in thought. Such a thing was also dangerous.

A moment later, green fire snapped into being at her feet. It coiled upward in a sudden surge, wrapping around her form before collapsing inward with a sharp pull. In the next breath, Sashina was gone. She reappeared further ahead, not quite beside Meya… but close enough that her presence could be felt again, her boots landing soundlessly against the stone.

"You mimic it well," she said, voice low now that the distance was gone, her eyes sliding briefly toward her. "But you should be cautious. Using magick when you do not speak our language carries risk."

Her gaze drifted ahead again, scanning the path, the cliffs, the spaces where shadows might watch. That Meya had not yet asked Sashina to teach her such things she had always found curious. Whether it was because she respected it was a well kept secret too much to ask, or she was simply biding her time for Sashina to offer, she wasn't sure. Perhaps it was something else entirely.

"If one of my sisters sees you do that… they will not believe you learned it alone," Sashina added, not bothering to voice the implication. "I would rather you made a good first impression."

She moved on without another word, her pace steady… though it did not escape her notice that the paths remained empty.

 

[Darth Mortyra]

Tag: Tayja​

“I do not need to remain that near, do I, for others to assume we’re together?” Mortyra replied plainly, continuing forward as if nothing had happened. “You simply wish to enjoy my proximity, don’t you?” she added, the question rhetorical. Her eyes drifted briefly toward the Nightsister, her expression remained mostly unchanged, though a faint, fleeting glint of amusement touched her gaze.

“Very well,” she said after a moment, accepting the other warning without resistance. Perhaps they would see her as a threat if they were aware she could learn some magick through observation and sense.

A shift in the air caught her attention. Not sound alone, but intent. The feeling of hostility tugging at her senses. Her gaze lifted toward it.

High above, a creature circled against the sky. Its wings were long and ragged at the edges, stretched between thin, finger-like bones. Each slow beat of its wings stirred the air beneath it, creating a low, leathery thrum. Its body was gaunt, almost skeletal, with a long, hooked head that turned in sharp, unnatural angles as it tracked movement below. It did not drift aimlessly. It was watching her and Sashina.

“That is?” Mortyra asked, her voice unchanged.

She did not reach for her weapon, nor shift her stance. She remained where she was, exposed, unbothered, waiting for Sashina to answer despite the creature’s attention fixed upon them.

 

[Sashina]

Tag: Dreadling​

Sashina's gaze slid toward Meya at the remark, the faintest narrowing of her eyes betraying her thoughts.

"You got me," she murmured, the corner of her mouth twitching ever so slightly. "I simply must have you within reach at all times."

Her attention shifted before anything more could follow. Her eyes lifted, tracking the slow, circling shape above them, her expression settling into something quieter… more focused.

"…A Chirodactyl, perhaps," she said after a moment, voice steady. "Though it is not quite like any I have seen before." Her gaze did not leave the creature. It looked far more gaunt than any Chirodactyl she had seen before. Almost more dead than alive, though the distance kept its details obscured.

"Nor do they usually stray so near to our home." That, more than anything about its appearance, she found concerning. Her Sisters should not allow such a creature to fly idly over their mountain. Large as they were, they could not threaten a clan alone. But a wayward child or nightbrother?

Her eyes narrowed faintly.

"Their sonic howl can be quite dangerous," she added. "If it comes closer, do not stand in its path." That was to say nothing of its claws and teeth. But she did not believe Meya needed instructing on those.

"Come," she said more quietly, already shifting her weight forward. "We should continue."

As they continued their ascent, the creature would eventually dip lower. Not much, but enough that Sashina felt the need to keep it in her peripheral vision. It might be large, but that did not mean it couldn't sneak up if allowed to do so.

Between the louder beat of its wings, another noise carried from further up the path. Faint, but unmistakably there. Sashina slowed a fraction.

"…We are not alone," she said quietly, her gaze flicking ahead rather than up this time. She made out two voices, female by the sounds of them… but as yet she could see nothing.

 

[Darth Mortyra]

Tag: Tayja
​

Mortyra kept the creature in her sights for some time and showed no shift in her expression or posture. She had no fear of its sonic howl. She had encountered similar creatures before and already knew how she would respond.

The only question she had was— "Is this creature sacred?" The meaning beneath asking such she assumed it was clear: if it attacked, would killing it carry consequences? Sashina had mentioned it strayed far from where it usually dwelled. That did not mean it held no significance on Dathomir or in her clan.

Mortyra also heard the voices, faint but distinctly female. She did not turn toward them or react when Sashina pointed out they were not alone. For the following moments, her gaze continued to shift between the path ahead and the creature circling above.

She considered shifting her perception, using Force Sight to perceive any threat around them more clearly. But she did not. Not yet.

Instead, she waited to see how Sashina reacted. As long as the woman responded quickly. Mortyra would only delay her own actions so far for the sake of first impressions.

 

[Sashina]

Tag: Dreadling​

Sashina's gaze remained lifted toward the circling creature, watching the slow beat of its wings as it dipped once more against the wind.

"No," she said simply. "Not to my clan."

Her eyes narrowed faintly, tracking its movement.

"But we do not kill things simply for the sake of it." A slight tilt of her head. "Unless you wish to eat it, leave it be unless it threatens."

Her attention shifted then, not upward… but forward. The voices were closer now. Sashina's steps slowed, just enough to seem natural rather than forced. Her posture remained relaxed, but there was a quiet tightening beneath it, a readiness that did not show itself outright.

Her gaze flicked briefly toward her then, a fleeting look, measured.

"Come. Just let me speak first."

Sashina slowed as the voices grew clearer, the edge of them carried down the stone by the wind.

"…I am telling you, it has been circling since first light."

"It is a scavenger. Let it circle."

"It does not circle like that. Not over us." Their words were sharper now, no longer distant murmurs but distinct, threaded with tension.

"They should have driven it off already." A pause. Then, lower: "…It feels wrong."

Sashina's gaze flicked briefly toward Meya at that, just for a heartbeat, before returning forward. Another step brought them around the bend.

The two Nightsisters came into view further up the path, standing near a narrow outcrop where the rock widened just enough to pause. One, the younger of the two at perhaps nineteen, was pale haired. The other sisters was darker, and she was far older. Both were cloaked, heads tilted upward toward the circling shape above.

The youngest stood rigid, posture tight, fingers flexing faintly at her sides. The other was more composed, though her gaze remained fixed on the creature with quiet suspicion.

"…Then you deal with it," the older sister muttered. "Since you are so certain."

"I said…"

The first stopped mid-sentence. Her head turned, eyes narrowing before widening a fraction. Sashina recognised her, though the girl had only been perhaps fourteen when she left.

"…Sashina?" she said, uncertainty slipping into her voice for just a moment. Not doubt of who she was… but of seeing her here. The second followed her gaze, slower, more measured. Her expression did not shift as quickly, but her attention lingered longer. Then her eyes moved to Mortyra. And stayed there. Sashina approached without much caution.

"You two argue loud enough to be heard halfway down the mountain."

The first sister straightened slightly at that, seemingly embarrassed.

"We thought..." she began, then stopped herself, her eyes flicking once more toward Meya. The second did not bother with hesitation.

"Who is this?" she asked, her tone cool, direct. Not hostile… but far from welcoming. Her gaze swept over Mortyra again, slower this time, assessing.

"She does not belong here." Whether she simply meant Meya was not their clan, or more, was not immediately apparent. The wind tugged at Sashina's cloak as she came to a stop before them, ensuring she was well placed to prevent any violence.

"She is with me," Sashina said simply, as if that settled the matter.

The first sister shifted, gaze lingering on Mortyra with more open interest. "Do you have a name? I am Elaena, this is…"

The second sister scowled at her, making Elaena pause.

"Idriel," Sashina finished. "As grumpy as the day I left it seems." She paused then, allowing Meya to answer Elaena herself.

Elaena hesitated only a moment longer before speaking again, her attention drifting back toward the visitors.

"Maybe they can help with the things at the tomb," she said, a little too quickly, as if filling the silence. Sashina's eyes drifted toward Meya at that, curious if she would immediately refuse.

 

[Darth Mortyra]

Tag: Sashina
​

Mortyra remained quiet as the three spoke. She found it mildly surprising that none of them showed even a hint of aggression. Perhaps their Clan Mother would be less accepting.

“Meya,” she answered plainly when asked her name. Her tone remained as it always was, flat and controlled, mirroring the stillness of her expression as she observed them.

The next question came, and Mortyra did not hesitate to answer. “If I can be of service, I will,” she offered, her voice steady.

Mortyra did not offer herself to risk without purpose, and there were rewards to be found here. She did not look at Sashina as she spoke. If that surprised the woman, then so be it. Perhaps she would find some satisfaction in it, despite the selfishness of the act.

The creature moved without warning.

It dropped sharply from above, far faster than its kind should have been capable of. Its maw opened wide, a distorted sound building within it—

Mortyra raised her right hand.

A barrier of Mortyra’s making formed instantly around them, a seamless shell of force snapping into place just as the sonic wave struck. Some of the sound itself bled through, a low, jarring pressure against the senses, but the destructive force shattered harmlessly against the shield and dispersed outward into the air.

She did not move beyond that. There was no fear in her gaze. Her stance remained unchanged, not relaxed, but held in her usual rigid composure.

 

[Sashina]

Tag: Dreadling​

Meya's response drew three different reactions from the Nightsisters.

Elaena looked pleased that her request had been granted, her gaze lingering on the woman with open fascination. Sashina looked pleasantly surprised, even if she was unsure on the reasons. Idriel's expression, however, bordered on why should I not shoot you where you stand—and she was about to speak when the creature dove.

The barrier formed an instant later, the force of the creature's cry slamming against it with a violent distortion that rippled the air. The pressure still pressed through, dull and invasive, tugging at her senses… but it was blunted. Contained.

Sashina's eyes flicked sideways, just briefly, toward Meya. The faintest flicker of something crossed her expression. Approval, perhaps. Or something dangerously close to it. Then it was gone.

"Thank you," Sashina said quietly, her voice cutting through the lingering distortion as her gaze returned upward.

The creature wheeled above them again, its movement erratic now, its form twisting unnaturally mid-flight. Its wings snapped too sharply, its descent too sudden… like something puppeted rather than alive. There was a green fire in its eyes.

"It should not move like that."

Behind her, Elaena had taken an involuntary step closer, instinctively gravitating toward Sashina despite the barrier holding. Idriel did not move as much, but her posture had shifted, tension coiling beneath her composure.

"I told you it was wrong," Elaena muttered. But she was already moving. Both sisters reached for their energy bows, drawing them free in one smooth motion. They fired them almost immediately, bolts of energy cutting upward through the air, streaking toward the creature with a sharp hiss.

Sashina did not watch them land, making a split second decision of her own. Green flames snapped into being at her feet, flaring upward in a sudden surge that wrapped around her form. For a heartbeat she stood there, and then she was gone.

She reappeared directly over the creature's back, her boots striking hard against its spine. Her hand shot forward, fingers sinking into the ridged flesh at its neck to steady herself as it bucked violently beneath her.

With her free hand, she drew her lightsaber in one smooth motion. The blade snapped to life with a sharp hiss, casting purple light across the creature's twisted form and her own pale features. For a heartbeat, she watched the way it moved. Then she drove the blade down into its neck.

It did not have the desired effect. The creature simply let out a piercing shriek, and started trying to dislodge her violently. Sashina felt her grip slip on the slick, unnatural flesh, and forced herself to hold on tighter. This was perhaps not one of her best ideas. But at least it was forcing the creature closer to the ground.

 

[Darth Mortyra]

Tag: Sashina
​

Mortyra released the barrier the moment the sisters loosed their shots, the shell of force dissolving cleanly into nothing as the bolts streaked upward unhindered. Her gaze tracked their trajectory, then she paused.

Sashina.

For a fraction of a moment, something colder passed beneath Mortyra’s otherwise steady composure. The woman had placed herself directly along the line of fire. Inefficient. Unnecessary. The shots could have struck her, given the creature’s erratic movement.

Mortyra did not comment. Instead, she raised her left hand to match the height of her right.

The creature’s wings faltered mid-beat as her unseen grip seized them both at once, halting their motion. Not enough to tear—not yet—but enough to control. Its descent shifted, no longer wild, but forced into a controlled glide downward against its own momentum.

Its shrieks grew sharper, more distorted as it fought the pressure. Mortyra’s gaze remained fixed on it, and on Sashina atop it. She projected her voice telepathically to the woman.

The neck. Cut it.

If the creature was undead, or being driven by something beyond itself, severing its head cleanly would likely disrupt that control.

 

[Sashina]

Tag: Darth Mortyra​

The sudden shift in the creature's movement did not go unnoticed. Sashina felt it beneath her almost instantly… the frantic, chaotic bucking smoothing into something forced, restrained. Not by the creature's will. By hers.

Sashina's eyes flicked downward for the briefest moment, as if she might see the invisible hold gripping the beast. The voice that followed was colder than the wind tearing past her, threading through her thoughts with unnatural clarity.

The neck. Cut it.

A faint smirk ghosted across Sashina's lips, fleeting as the moment itself.

"Always giving orders…" she murmured under her breath, the words warm with quiet amusement rather than protest. Still, she adjusted. If the thing had not so clearly already been dead, she might have hesitated. She had seen such creatures tamed before. But there was no such chance here.

Her grip shifted, legs digging into the creature as it strained against Meya's hold. The unnatural resistance made it easier.

"Let us see if you are right."

With a sharp pull, she dragged the lightsaber across its neck in a clean, decisive arc. The creature let out a piercing, distorted shriek, the sound warping into something jagged and unnatural as its body convulsed beneath her. The green fire in its eyes flickered, its wings ceased their struggling as its form lurched a little in the air, gripped as it was.

Whether it was dying… or simply losing control, was not immediately clear. Sashina had seen dead things reattach themselves before. She did not wait to find out. She pushed off, kicking free from its back just as its descent began to turn, her body twisted cleanly through the air as the creature dropped away beneath her.

Green fire burst into life around her mid-descent, coiling tightly as gravity took hold. She vanished. And reappeared moments later on the path below, boots landing lightly against the stone as the creature's body continued its descent.

For a moment, she said nothing. Then her gaze lifted, finding Meya's.

"…Effective," she said simply, though there was something in her eyes now that had not been there before. She held her gaze. Waiting. She could already hear the quiet correction, the measured critique that would follow. Though it might be later, given their company. Part of her enjoyed it.