Ask Lothal Wolves Among Wolves

[Renfry]

Renfry smiled as he pulled her into his lap, eyes locking with his. There was that icy look in them. It was always there like a mask that he wore. He had spent his whole life gaining control of everything within him and locking down every part of what he was, molding it into precisely what he wanted.

She could feel his hands against her hips and settled in as he told her to tell him a story. Her hands traced along his thighs, but she didn't break her gaze into his eyes as she spoke.

Hmm, she muttered ponderously. It wasn't often he asked about the Nightsisters, and there was much to tell. She wondered which was the best option.

I told you once that my tattoos had a meaning, she began.

All Nightsisters tattoo their faces in memory of the past. Our people worship the Twin Spirits: the Fanged Spirit and the Winged Spirit. The Dark and the Light as off-worlders seem to call them, she said. She knew that he was well read in the histories of the galaxy and the Force, and it was possible that he would be familiar with similar teachings handed down among other sects as well. The Ones, the Mortis gods, the Spirits, the Celestials, the Architects, and many other names were given to the beings she referenced.

When our people were first founded, there were those who sought to channel power from the Fanged Spirit, but the magick he provides is so intense that it ruptured the veins in their faces, leaving bruises that were seen by many as shameful, she continued.

Not unlike the Jedi, there were those who wanted to label things as "good" and "evil" but my people rejected such simplistic dichotomies. All things - Fanged or Winged - have to be in balance. We tattoo our faces in memory and homage to the Fanged Spirit, she said. Her own tattoos stretched far beyond just her face, however, and that was no accident.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc listened to every word, her story taking him back to Dathomir. Though the memories there frustrated him, he couldn’t deny that there was something incredibly alluring about the mystical nature of the Nightsisters. Arcane magic and methods of wielding the Force existed outside of what he had studied. As someone with a hunger for knowledge, Emryc always wanted to devour what he could and horde it for himself.

His hands slid up the sides of her body, fingers tugging away at her clothing so they slid from her shoulders. Emryc’s gaze left hers, falling instead to her collarbone and shoulder. The fire accented her skin, and his eyes lingered on the markings there that continued down her body.

“And what do the rest of the tattoos mean?” He asked quietly, sliding the clothing down further to reveal more of her torso. This was nothing he hadn’t seen before, but it was certainly the first time he bothered to ask in over two years of knowing her. Her words about the origin and the power of the Twin Spirits caught his attention. Did the two powers coexist in a way?

“Is it possible to master this power without being destroyed?”

 

[Renfry]

He always had a different look in his eye when it came to knowledge he craved. While she knew him well enough to know that he also heard what she said - even when appearing not to pay attention - there was a different level of engagement when they discussed things of history, the Force, and power.

She watched as his eyes fell to her skin and the tattoos that covered other parts of her body. She felt his fingers work at her clothes as it fell away and savored the feeling, letting him take his time.

I have more tattoos than my sisters because I - more than them - am devoted to the hunt and the Fanged Spirit, she said. It was what had led her to the Sith. They followed the Fanged Spirit whether they called it that or not.

She paused at his question. The Shaman of her people could probably be called masters of their craft and were not destroyed. She aspired to it someday as well, but only time would tell.

Perhaps, she finally said.

But magick is wild. I'm not sure anyone ever really masters it, she said.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc heard her words, but he still didn’t look at her. He thought about Dathomir, and the vague mysteries and the constant withholding of information. One of his hands came up to clutch Renfry by the hair, pulling back so her head tilted backwards. Her neck was exposed to him and he eyed it for a moment.

“Anything can be tamed with the right amount of force applied,” He said smoothly, a glint in his eye as his thoughts drifted far away. There were hints of yellow that streaked through the silvers, his mind going back to Dathomir. He thought of the closely guarded secrets and the wealth of knowledge that existed there.

“You have chosen your loyalty,” He all but growled when he spoke, leaning to brush his lips along her collarbone. His words alluded to when she had sworn herself to him. He still held her head back so she would gaze up at the ceiling of the cave, watching the shadows dance against the rock from the flames. Emryc traced faint kisses and bites along her shoulder.

“I want to bring Dathomir to heel,” He spoke against her skin, “And I want to take from them whatever I please.”

 

[Renfry]

She felt the grip in her hair, yanking it back and forcing a gasp from her lips. She couldn't see the look in his eyes as she was forced to look at the ceiling, but she didn't need to. She already knew what it looked like.

I have, which is why I did what I did at Ajan Kloss, she said. She had crossed a line forbidden to her people with that ritual. A defilement of the spirits that she was never supposed to have done.

And I haven't withheld anything from you, she said. She had taught him rituals of her people that shouldn't have been taught and there was much more she could have taught him if he'd asked.

She could feel his lips against her neck and she shifted her hips forward against him. She found herself unable to resist him when he was like this.

Why? Not satisfied with your own personal witch? she asked, using a term to reference herself that she never allowed others to use and typically hated with a passion, and yet here and now, it didn't feel so wrong.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc heard her words, thinking back to Ajan Kloss. The twisted way she used her powers had caught his attention back then. It was a complete perversion of the Force, an act that left the sacred Jedi temple grounds tainted and scarred. Emryc’s hand that was still on her hip gripped harder when he recalled the incident. It was becoming clear what truly drove his desires and where his mind truly was.

He paused for a moment when she referred to herself as a witch. There was nothing but silence as his lips remained against her skin, eyes gazing over her shoulder. His fingers slowly untangled themselves from her hair, allowing her to tilt her head down again. Emryc had clear opinions about her using that word for herself, but he withheld them for now. He was methodical with his intentions.

He raised his eyes to meet her gaze, a faint grin playing at his lips, “Perhaps I want a personal witch that has all other witches bowing to her,” There was an almost wild look in his eyes. The thought of harnessing the secrets of the Nightsisters and their magic with Renfry bringing them to heel exhilarated him.

 

[Renfry]

She could feel his hands grip her tighter as she spoke. She could tell very clearly how he felt about the event she referenced and smiled even while looking at the ceiling.

She felt his hand release her hair and she tilted her head back down to look at him. She knew his eyes well and recognized the streaks of yellow that were now there. Her heart was pounding as she listened to him. She had avoided going back to her people, and she hadn't intended to take over the Clan. But better her than someone else, perhaps?

He would be able to see the surprised look on her face despite her attempt to hide it. But she thought back to the intruder on Dathomir. The Clan Mother had either ignored it or was in league with the defiler who was siphoning Dathomir's power. It was Renfry who had put an end to it. Perhaps she could do a better job.

The thoughts flashed through her head at the speed of light and she snapped back to the moment again.

Mmm, does that excite you? she asked, letting her finger run along his neck and down to his collar line.

You enjoy subjugating nature, don't you? she asked.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc didn’t miss the surprised look on her face, and he knew there were a lot of conflicts going on within her mind. At the end of the day, however, she would have to decide if she remained on the path she chose or turned from it. After Ajan Kloss, there was no going back to how things were. She had warped and twisted her magic, and she had left evidence of it permanently in those ruins.

He looked into her yellow eyes, his own lined with streaks of it to match. Emryc pulled her closer at her words, “I think you can tell,” He said smoothly, pressing himself against her. He wasn’t tender or gentle in any way, and she only saw the almost animalistic side of him. It had been there since they had met, and it hadn’t changed over the years.

“No more than you do,” Emryc said to her second question as he reached down to undo his own clothing, reminding Renfry of the twisted ways she had turned on her own people and their way of wielding the Force. There was a cruel grin on his face as he looked at her again.

 

[Renfry]

He was right, and she knew it. The seeds were planted in her mind, and she knew it would be something to sort through in the hours and days to come.

For now, however, she was caught up in the moment. Even his words didn't deter her because on some level she realized they were true. It was a revelation in its own right. She loved nature and living within it, but she loved being the apex hunter that dominated the rest. Her body that he now saw was marked from head to toe in declaration of that truth.

And the Fanged Spirit had only seen fit to make her stronger for it. She hadn't been rejected. Perhaps this was the way. The thoughts consumed her as their bodies touched and nature took its course.

---​

Renfry had little success sleeping in the night. It seemed each time she slipped off to sleep, something awoke her and the thoughts of the night before clamored out again. After enough time, she finally gave up. The wolf had returned late in the night, and she decided to acclimate herself to her new partner.

She got up and sat across from the wolf, closing her eyes and reaching out her mind to his. Although the creature couldn't speak, there was a great deal she could still learn from him, first and foremost about himself and then about their other target.

As the sun crept up over the horizon, she opened her eyes again and smiled up at the wolf. She could almost sense its thoughts now, for now only as faint whispers, but with time she hoped the connection would be stronger.

She stood and made her way back into the cave to see what Emryc was up to, she'd learned on his ship that he rarely slept.

Morning, she said, coming in to sit near the embers of the dying fire.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had opted to meditate the whole night. It rested his mind as sleep would, but it kept him alert of his surroundings. He wasn’t in the habit of sleeping around others and this was no different. The meditation cleared his mind and allowed him to venture deep into his psyche and visit the beast that dwelled within without any interruptions. He sat with it and exchanged unspoken words and agreements before he finally walked back to the surface.

He opened his eyes when Renfry spoke, not glancing at her right away. Emryc reached into his pocket to draw out a small bottle of mouthwash in the absence of doing his usual morning routines. He always carried emergency grooming kits with him. A quick swish and spit later he was rising to stand and stretching out his muscles. He was usually in a less frosty mood after a night of intimacy and Renfry would notice he didn’t look as grumpy as usual.

“Are you learning anything from him?” Emryc asked as his gaze flicked over to the wolf. The beast once again stared at him silently. It may have been Renfry’s companion, but it took a keen interest in Emryc that was clearly not reciprocated.

 

[Renfry]

Yeah, she responded with a nod. It had been quite the good opportunity to get acquainted with one another over the last several hours.

His name's Siph, she said, though she also realized that given she'd had to force him to ask her name, he probably didn't care about that.

His pack used to protect a gateway here, but I think it's closed now, she said. It was what she was hoping to find here, and though it didn't sound like they could reopen the door, she wondered if perhaps they could still learn something.

She glanced over at Siph and then Emryc and tried not to smile. The wolf had taken quite a liking to Emryc or looked to him for guidance, treating him as the new alpha.

You also have a new friend, she added after a moment.

You don't like him? she asked with a quirked eyebrow.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc stared at the wolf the entire time, not reacting to the name reveal. He was slightly disappointed to learn that the gateway was closed. He scowled at the wolf, his mere gaze causing the wolf to flatten its ears and look down. Emryc’s face relaxed as he reached for a cigarra and popped it between his lips. A few clicks from his lighter lit it and he quietly exhaled smoke.

“I liked him more before we gave him a lobotomy,” He said curtly. Emryc glanced out of the cave, watching the valleys stretch out for miles outside.

“If the gateway is closed, is there anything else to do here?” Emryc asked as he walked over to stomp on and put out the last bits of the fire. He stuffed his hands into his pocket, preparing to leave the cave. In the end, they only did just come to get Renfry a stupid pet. She owed him big time for this one.

 

[Renfry]

She frowned. He baffled her sometimes and yet there was probably something to be learned about him from this. She decided not to argue with him even if she disagreed.

I was going to go check it out anyway, she said.

Even if we can't open it, there might still be something I can learn from it, she said.

I can go by myself, though, if you don't want to, she said, standing and heading for the cave exit. She got the sense that he didn't want to be on this world any longer.

Either way, thank you for coming, she said.

She felt uncomfortable as soon as she said it and immediately felt the need to shift the conversation. She didn't have many friends and... well, she wasn't sure Emryc really had friends, so she supposed he didn't count either? Was that how that worked? She didn't know and tried to push the thought aside.

Where will you go after this? she asked. She knew he was busy and it struck her that he had come all the way out here simply because she'd asked. The feeling made her chest tighten a bit.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc watched her for a moment as the cigarra lazily hung from the corner of his lips. He didn’t look away as she asked her questions and awkwardly tensed up. It was entertaining watching her like this. Emryc reached a hand up to draw the cigarra away, blowing out a cloud of smoke as amusement glinted in his eyes.

He watched how she looked after asking where he was going after this. Emryc grinned at that, smoke trailing from his nostrils, “Don’t worry, I’ll call you if I get lonely,” He began to walk then, making his way towards the entrance of the cave.

Emryc paused there, glaring ahead for a moment.

“So we going to this gateway or what?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before he began to walk again.

 

[Renfry]

That was not the answer she was expecting at all, and she stood there for a moment. It managed to snap her out of her initial thoughts, however, and she came up with a response rather quickly.

Well, as far as your weapons go, I'm a much better kriff than a lightsaber, she said with a smirk before heading out of the cave as well.

Yep, it's not far she said, heading in the direction of the gateway with Siph heading out in front of them and drawing them toward where the gateway once had been.

They walked in silence for a while and Renfry thought about what this world had been. By her understanding the gateway had been somehow linked to a Jedi temple here. Jedi seemed weird. She wasn't sure she understood them. They seemed to follow the way of the Winged Spirit, which was fine... but there was more to the galaxy than just that. It left them surprisingly weak.

Why do the Jedi restrict themselves so much? Dampen their power? she asked. He was well studied and she wondered if he had some insight into them that she didn't.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc kept his gaze trained ahead when Renfry mentioned being a better kriff than a saber, “Perhaps we’ll include the saber next time,” He said curtly in response, blowing out another cloud of smoke. As usual, his voice and expression suggested little else outside of what he bluntly stated. No further elaboration would be given.

He walked in silence with her for a while. His gaze took in all the sights of the planet, something he hadn’t exactly done when he was in a foul mood and carrying Tiamat across some plains. In some ways he missed her complaining, but he would die sooner than ever admit that to her. He was drawn back to the present when Renfry asked her question.

Emryc kept walking for a while as he continued to smoke. For a moment it would appear as if he had no intentions of answering as was often the case.

“Because they are ultimately smarter than you and I,” Emryc said after a long moment, “They learn from watching the Sith of the past that have repeatedly fallen prey to their lust for the Dark Side. They have seen their brethren twist and contort into mere shells of themselves. And so they keep themselves at a respectable distance and instead harness the Force only just enough. And when they meet their end, they embrace the Force like an old friend.”

Emryc kept walking, a curious gaze in his eyes as he stared ahead, “It is foolish to consider the Jedi weak. The Jedi have much to teach us. It is only by understanding them thoroughly that we can learn to harness the Force in a way that spares us also from falling into the same trap as the Sith of the past. The Light is an ally to the Jedi, while the Dark Side is controlled and maneuvered.”

He turned to glance at Renfry for a moment, “And what happens eventually when a being is subjugated against its will?” Emryc looked ahead again as he ashed the cigarra, “It is a precarious line to walk to avoid the cancer that is corruption and allowing it to fester and destroy us.”

Renfry would understand then why Emryc was so meticulous and obsessed about knowledge and history. He desperately wanted to search for a 'cure'.

 

[Renfry]

She listened to what he said. Every word of it was absorbed and pondered as he spoke. She frowned in contemplation. In the Nightsisters, they were taught that to achieve what Emryc sought it required balance. Reverence to the Winged and Fanged. It was known that Nightsisters didn't experience corruption from their Shadow Magick in the same way that Sith did.

She thought about the spirits of Nightsisters past as he mentioned the Jedi greeting the Force as a friend. Many saw no concern with fading back into the ichor of Dathomir, but others sought to return to the world. She wondered if there was a difference between the two types.

Have you studied the Light? she asked. She didn't disagree with the assertion that understanding both was critical. She'd left Dathomir to learn about more aspects of the Shadow, and the Jedi were another view. She just disapproved of the fact that they seemed so... dogmatic and narrow.

And yet, it made sense now why he was the way he was. The level of control he had far overshadowed any other Sith she had met, and this was why. He tried to get there through discipline, and he may well have been right.

She also now understood why he'd once asked her if there was a cost to her magick. She pondered the question in a different light now.

You should learn to use magick, she said after a few moments more. It may not be the answer to his question, but it would be of assistance nonetheless. The offer was one she'd not truly made to anyone else before and that alone spoke volumes. She turned back to continue on their path, feeling odd at even having said it, but not retracting the offer.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Her question was met with another long pause as he kept walking. He glanced briefly towards the sky, judging it to be almost mid day. Emryc considered the question for a while, knowing that it was almost blasphemous to explore that avenue.

“Yes,” He admitted quietly, “I have studied it, but I have not attempted to practice it. I obtained the holocron of Jedi Grandmaster Wyck when we attacked Ajan Kloss,” Emryc glanced over at her, “Do you recall him from when I taught you the history of Andraste?” Those days seemed so long ago now, “Understanding how the Jedi operate is critical to destroying them. It is not killing their people that deals the fatal blow to them, but seeking out and exploiting every bit of knowledge. Ancient temples, old texts and tomes are worth far more than the lives of individuals.”

Emryc was surprised as she mentioned learning Shadow Magic. She seemingly blurted the words out, and he had to question where she was going with it. Nevertheless, Emryc stopped walking then and turned slowly to face her.

“And where I learn it, Renfry?” He used her name in a rare occasion, frosty eyes meeting her yellows.

 

[Renfry]

She thought about what he said, but unlike some other Sith, there was no indicator that she felt what he was saying was unreasonable. It was not entirely unlike what she'd been raised with.

Yeah, she replied as he asked if she remembered who Wyck was. He had been Andraste's master... wait, no. No, that had been that woman... uh... Evalyn. No, Wyck had been the Grandmaster during Andraste's rise. Right.

He was probably right about defeating the Jedi as well. It was better to turn your enemies to your side than to simply destroy them. Taking their knowledge was potentially even more valuable.

The logical progression of her statement had made sense inside her own mind, but now that she'd said it, she realized it was probably a bit abrupt. This was indicated in part by his response. He stopped walking and she stopped too, looking up into his eyes. He didn't need to be tall to be an intimidating person, and the intensity in his eyes only amplified that.

From me, she said, noting his use of her name.

At least if you want to, she said. The rituals and spells don't affect the body and mind in the same way, she said. At least that was what she thought he was after.

That's what you want, isn't it? she asked. She had offered her services to him before, and this was perhaps the greatest demonstration of that she could make.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc silently stared at her as she spoke. He considered the words, mulling them over. She had hinted at it before, but this was the first time she bluntly offered to teach him. Years had gone by and he never asked her for it. However, here she was offering it to him. In the end, it would be on her own terms.

“Then teach me,” He said simply. Emryc didn’t know what that entailed, and if that meant they would need to go back to Dathomir. He knew that he had a constant thirst for knowledge and finding a way to manipulate the Force without submitting to it was at the top of the list.

He broke his gaze from Renfry’s only for a moment when he caught the wolf staring at him again. His eyes narrowed slightly, the wolf sitting down obediently as it continued to stare. Why did it keep doing that? Emryc’s jaw tightened slightly before his silvers flicked back to Renfry.