Fireweed Rise and so he spoke, that lord of Torbine

that's all the truth I know

And who are you, the proud lord said,
that I must bow so low?
- The Rains of Castamere, Game of Thrones

---

March 21st; Sunset; Moderate snow; 32 ° F, 0 ° C.

When the day had come that Skoll had decided to seek out his Uncle, he had been calculating his every move. He had slept a good amount of hours as to allow his body to prime up and prepare for what was about to unfold. This would be his second day without a meal to keep his stomach occupied; the feeling left him light on his feet, the slightest hint of hunger in his gut gently nudging him into 'hunt' mode.

As soon as the sun had set, the prince was up on his feet, slinking about just as he had before when the lands had belonged to his mother and he was free to roam and steal as he pleased (not that he hadn't done that at all recently - as with picking at the caches and feeding them to @Hecate - but, in all truth, he was certain that he had been on his best behavior as of late... Someone ought to have taken notice.). He stopped by the pack den first, to gather what strength and support he could from Angier, then continued his search.

He traversed the borders at first, sweeping along the western edges before dropping south again in hopes that he would at least catch a whiff of the older Archer; as much as Skoll knew, if he checked the parts of Willow Ridge where he typically did not conduct his nightly vigils and patrols, his chances of finding Nicolo would possibly be greatly increased. Eventually, however, he found himself out in the open air, vulnerable and exposed beneath the storm clouds. The white flakes gathered in his fur, clinging wherever they were able to find purchase in his rough, wiry coat. It was still a few weeks until he would properly begin to shed the fur he had acquired in the winter.

Unable to wait any longer, he raised his head then tipped his nose skyward in a haunting, warbled song. He sang for the Leaders of Willow Ridge, letting his sister Morganna know that he was going to keep his word and summoning Nicolo for yet another request for negotiation.

His sister’s land was nothing like the Torbine and he hated it. While his sister lived for change, Nico opposed it and much preferred for tradition to stay in place and for laws to be upheld. It appeared that Morganna had no such things in mind. Nicolò had complete respect for his dearest sister, Elettra, despite the delusion she was under just because her daughter was at the helm. Family could blind anyone and the dark Archer feared that it had indeed taken a firm grip on his older sister. He did not condemn her for it, he knew that if it came to it, he would do anything for @Adele , even kill.

The dark man should have known that it was coming. The tension within the pack and the man below him obviously power hungry for his rank the last time. The bond between siblings was too strong. It was with irritation and trepidation that Nicolò pushed forward. Perhaps, if they were alone, he would be able to talk Sköll out of this and make him see reason. And if not, Nico would gladly give him his rank, if only the younger man would see his side of things. Morganna was not stable enough to lead. She was inconsistent with her laws and it made her susceptible to treason. Morg needed to put down before she brought Willow Ridge down with her. And if Sköll would not see reason, then he did believe anyone would be able to and he knew that he and Adele’s time within Willow Ridge would be at an end.

He came upon his nephew, his banner arching above his back, in a non-mocking manner, his pale yellow eyes seeking out his nephew’s greyish orbs. He remained blunt with his actions, delaying a spar(hoping it would not come to one). If they could get through this without any visitors, then it would be a delightful evening. When he spoke, his voice was calm and smooth, "Sköll, do you believe your sister is worthy of leading alongside you?" His dominant stance did not falter but if he had learned anything from his encounters with his nephew, it was to play on his ego. And the Archer siblings were…demented and he felt the need to play on this. Nico knew that one way or another, the odds were not in his favor and if he had any chance of winning Sköll over, he was going to have to play nice.

WesternStock @ DA, KYghost @ DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

that's all the truth I know

Everything about Skoll was absolutely neutral by the time the Torbine Lord had appeared. One couldn't be quite sure what could have been the culprit to explain such levelheadedness but, surely, a part of the reason was Piety's disappearance; for this was not the blood-thirsty Skoll that probably should have met Nicolo in the first place. This was neither the yearling who had killed his cousin in a lack of empathy nor the assassin that had taken out that old Leader in cold blood for a sin he had not committed. The way the younger Archer thought of himself, he was going to do this properly, the way his mother and sister required of him.

He wanted the blood on his paws and in his jowls to be washed away at last.

His ears swiveled forward with utmost interest as Nicolo spoke. What kind of question that was, Skoll could not be certain, but he was sure that it was a foolish one. "Need you ask?" he riddled back. "Of course I would deem her worthy of a place at my side." His quicksilver eyes dared to size up his superior but the heir, himself, made no move to counter an display of dominance. He had something better: his words.

"I mean," he began again, readying their conversation for the question he was about to pitch, "Isn't that what you would do for Aunt Adele?" A trace of confidence in the form of a small smirk on the right side of his muzzle appeared on his face. Like Morganna, he, too, was well aware of the close relationship his aunt and uncle might have had. Twisted or not, Skoll was willing to let Nicolo believed what he wanted. At least Elettra's son knew better than to even try for cubs at all at Morganna's expense. No, the two of them were much too sharp and rational for things like that.

Sven had made sure not to wander too far from his father's stench that day. He was just as interested as everyone else to know not only if his father would be timely in carrying through his promise, but also if he would succeed in toppling Nicolo. Despite the man being family, Sven knew little of him; that truly wasn't anything significant, however. There were a handful of Archers within the pack that Sven held indifference for, that had neither sought him out nor been pursued by the youth. It would have been clear then that the near-yearling was rooting for his father, if it weren't for the dirty skeletons that had been dug up days before.

As his father's summons wavered through the air, Sven immediately put aside what he had been doing to follow the echo of it. His uncle beat him to the scene, and Sven's ears lifted to greet the words at play within the air. For now, he found what was being said utterly uninteresting. Gathering his legs beneath him, he reclined at a distance from the two powers. What he wanted to witness was a physical challenge, and he dearly hoped that at least one of them would rise to sate that desire.

Regardless of how it was done, however, he would remain, seated and watching with pale silver eyes that were both cold and judging, until the end of it.

The dark man held no great affection for his nephew so this meeting was quite insignificant to him. In fact, most members of the pack had made their loyalties crystal clear to him from the start. The only one whose loyalty had generally perked his interest had been Enoki's and he had remained silent on the subject since they had spoken by the marsh. Nicolò would not betray her and he would not do anything that could bring her harm, even if she did choose to stay in this hellhole and he was forced to leave. Nico, however, had to try to see if Sköll could see reason. During their brief interaction, the young Archer arrived, Sven and due to this, Nico clung onto the hope that this meeting would not turn into bloodshed. Pale yellow eyes flicked from Sven, back to Sköll hearing the question posed to him. He shook his head at the younger man, his tenor rumbling firmly, "If she was manipulating me, along with others, no, no I would not, and that is exactly what Morganna is doing to you and the rest of the pack." The dark Archer remained calm with the resolve that if he lost his temper, Sköll would as well and their peaceful chat would turn into something much more deadly.

The storyteller's lips pursed, yellow eyes trained on the young man in front of him, mindful of any muscle twitch that would give away an attack. With an irritated sigh, he spoke again, "Sköll, all Morganna is going to do is use you for her personal gain and then throw you away, that's all she is about. All she wants is power and she'll destroy you to get that, can't you see that?" The man would never go as far to call himself impatient but he was irritated. Ever since he had come, since the first meeting he had attended, all he had seen from Morganna was her need to power over everyone. It had happened to Piety and while Nico had not minded at the time due to the circumstances, he had come to realize that all his niece craved was the very thing that her mother had: power. That power had come with leadership and now that she had a taste of that leadership, she was now pushing it even further. Eventually, it would come back to bite her in the ass. Perhaps, it would be when Nico was long gone, but he hoped that it would be sooner rather than later.

WesternStock @ DA, KYghost @ DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief