Thought Contagion

She had released a summons minutes ago, awaiting her audience. Absinth stood at the center of the clearing, her sleek ivory fur catching the dappled light filtering through the forest canopy. Springtime filled her nares as footsteps arrived one by one. Her sharp eyes scanned the gathered wolves – her offspring and a few others drawn by curiosity. Ravens flitted through the trees above, their black feathers glimmering like obsidian as they took their positions, ready to relay any disturbances as was her duty even while she began this new lesson.

“Perception. Do you know how far it can take you?” She began, her voice a blend of cool authority and subtle menace. Perfectly Absinth. “It’s just one of the lenses through which we view the world. Not only what we see, but how we interpret what we see. Sometimes, it’s the difference between living and dying.” The smart, the cunning, the strong lived through their own power. The weak bumbled about life, surviving on luck and coddling – she would not see her children even come close to that shit.

She paused, letting her words sink in. “Let’s simplify it. Consider the forest around us. To some, it’s a fucking paradise. Prey, shelter. To others, it’s a death trap. The bears, and us, the Syndicate. Both views are right, depending on how you look at it. Your reality will never exactly match another’s.” Of course it wouldn’t. No two could ever have the same experiences, the same thoughts, and that was the fine line they could either exploit or fall victim to.

Absinth moved fluidly, her steps measured and deliberate, as she circled the group. Her gaze met each of her student’s attentive orbs, a grin splitting her maw as she continued. “Our perceptions are shaped by our experiences. You’d do well to understand how to use it to your advantage. A skilled hunter sees the forest differently than a clueless pup. A wolf who’s won battles sees fights differently than one who has only known defeat.” This lesson would be one for the thinkers and one for the fighters of the group.

"Absinth Artemisia Inferos"