Everyone was settling in nicely to their new home in the mysterious maze of woods, though even she was getting lost at times. If it wasn't for her ravens she would probably get lost a lot more often, but thankfully today wasn't one of those days. Instead, she found herself drifting out slightly west towards the little pond outside the main tangle of their woods. She had a reason for coming here too, a very overdue one.

She would have preferred to meet this boy that Cryptis had apparently been spending all of her time with long before now but she understood that the circumstances didn't allow for much else. Besides, he did agree to join her here, so that was already a gold star on his forehead in her eyes. Letting her eldest daughter go on the cusp of her second year birthday was something she wasn't ready to handle, and knowing that Crux was here made the chances of it much less likely.

That didn't solve the problem of not knowing him, though. She had faith that he didn't have any interest in hurting her or he would've done so already, given that she had already briefly met him and was not blind to their size difference. In fact, the fact that he hadn't hurt her by now was also saying something. She didn't want to like him though, she wanted to chase him away and live in a world convinced that he was bad for her daughter, but he hadn't made a wrong move... yet. Widow would always be watching him for that misstep, and after she was through with him today, he would be very aware of it.

Dipping her head back, she let out a low howl and called Crux to her. There was no question what this was going to be about, so she hoped that he wouldn't leave her waiting.

"Speech!"

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Crux was doing a not so great job at hiding how much Widow scared the shit out of him. She hadn't said or done anything to really warrent it he just had worked her up in his mind, and frankly he didn't want to give her any reason to doubt his care for her daughter or worse force him to leave. He wanted her to accept him, he would settle for that. Didn't expect her to like him, but if he could be good enough to be allowed to stay, be allowed to keep seeing Triss, he could be happy.

Maybe he was giving her too much power in his head. Maybe the woman was much more hands off than he was assuming. But he also couldn't help imagining her being particularly protective of the little wolf with the crystals in her lungs. Not for the first time he worried his own disability would count against him, because he wasn't her kid, because he'd never be able to physically defend Triss the way a more "normal" wolf could. Would she understand if he tried to express how his disability had given them something to connect with, had been the reason he never thought of her as weak, lesser than or fragile? Quite the contrary, he was pretty sure out of the two of them Triss was the one who could hold her own against nearly anything, even if only because she'd will it to be true. Last time he'd tried to take on a challenge he'd gotten the long burn scar across his throat as a souvenir and nightmares. And what he would have called a crippling fear of magma if the substance was anywhere near common.

These were all worries he'd been stewing on since the decision to join Triss in her new home, and they came rushing to the front of his mind when the voice called out for him. Crux wished that Triss was there, then felt a flash of shame that he'd wanted to hide behind her. He took a deep breath and with as much speed as his uneven gait could muster he made off, hoping not to get lost in the process.

By the time he'd found the correct path towards Widow his hip had started to ache, the usual side effect of one leg having to over extend just to move, and he was doing his absolute best not to let it show. At least on his face, there was little he could do to mask the worsening limp. It seemed to happen more often and sooner here, he suspected it was the mists, he'd always found more humidity made his hips ache faster than usual. When Widow finally came into view he was probably not starting with the best impression, hobbling his way over. Still he was on his best behaviour. Giving the woman a respectful dip of his head and a "Ma'am" before slowly lowering himself onto his haunches. Normally he would have tried to sit as close to normal as he could manage but the pain in his joints wasn't going to let that happen. Maybe it would count against him, point out where he was weaker than average. Or maybe not protecting his pride, allowing her to see his biggest vulnerability, would work in his favour. Either way the hind leg visibly marked by the crystals that grew from the inside out, locking his ankle in place and then cuffing the outside of his leg, was not tucked under himself. Clearly visible. "Apologies for the wait." He didn't think he'd taken all that long, longer than an able bodied wolf probably would have mind, but still figured it was better to apologize and not have needed to than the inverse.

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Skelle 2022

Crux didn't leave her waiting long, and for that she was grateful. Though it wasn't for her sake, as she had plenty of time left to do things that needed done, but for his. She understood that he had a disability similar to her daughters and would offer him some leniency... plus, she doubted he'd ever come this far south before.

She watched as he approached and sat in a rather silly and childish position, though given the way his crystalized leg jutted out, she could only assume it had something to do with it. She couldn't help but wonder how he planned on protecting Cryptis. Sure he was big, but the obvious disability wasn't doing him any favors. At least Cryptis' was invisible, though her tiny size was its own challenge.

"No need, I wasn't waiting long," she said simply with a light shrug, though her gaze never left him. She was studying him, judging him, doing her best to see in him even an ounce of what her daughter saw. She hadn't already made up her mind about him, but her skepticism was strong and she was almost always worried about her eldest daughters safety. She just wanted to make sure it was his concern, as well. Would he sacrifice his life for her? That was the kind of commitment she was looking for, though even she knew that there was seldom a chance that a man would ever been good enough for Cryptis. She could only hope that for her daughters sake, Crux made a good case.

"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Widow Nightwing. Since my daughter has taken quite the liking to you, I'll even trust you with the knowledge of our bloodname, which is Klein. Though I believe that the family you choose is stronger than blood." she paused briefly, letting him take it in. "My daughter seems to like you, perhaps even considers you a part of her family now." The lack of using Cryptis' name wasn't an accident, as she wanted to drive home that Cryptis was hers, and always would be. He could have her heart, he could even fill her belly with life and make Widow a grandmother, but he would never take Cryptis from her.

"So, tell me about your family," she tested him, though she actually had no real clue who he was or where he was from. While this information was important, and the most obvious response to her request, she was really wondering if he held Cryptis in his heart the same way she was holding him.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Crux fought off the urge to fidget nervously as he felt Widow's keen stare. He even managed to avoid showing the usual flash of annoyance he felt whenever someone focused on his leg for just a little longer than they would anyone else. But it would have been a stretch to say he looked comfortable, because he wasn't. He was very well aware of the power this woman held over him and the future he'd started to envision and for all he felt for Cryptis the last thing he ever wanted to do was get between her and her mother... Good old dead mom issues saw to that.

Still he was doing his absolute best to channel all he'd learned to survive. The careful composure and choices of words to avoid the ire of others. The part of himself that had been raised as the son of a leader and knew that's who he had to be when out in the world beyond his home. When Widow told him she'd not been waiting long Crux still gave her a gracious nod in acknowledgement and waited patiently as she spoke. He wasn't even surprised when the woman gave him a birth name, his memory pinging off his first meeting with Triss. The part of his brain he'd set to remembering that in case it was ever relevant that a Klein was living in Insomnia. It never had been and he was grateful for that. He even nodded in quiet agreement when she brought up the importance of chosen family. Safe to say if he didn't somewhat agree he wouldn't have been here to begin with.

But the mention of Triss possibly seeing him as family did make Crux blush and he unconsciously dropped his gaze for a moment, more and more as of late thinking about Triss in very serious terms made his stomach fill up with butterflies and he failed to stop a small smile at the thought before he snapped back into "Son of the warlord" mode and brought his attention solidly back up to Widow.

As for his family. Crux thought for a moment, mentally mapping out what he was or was not going to share, he figured honesty was a good policy here but the woman didn't need to know about his personal disagreement with his nephew. For all his problems with what had happened he wasn't about to sell his old home and family up the river. Finally he spoke, keeping his gaze evenly on Widow though it wasn't searching her in return.

"My full name is Crux Fatalis. My father is Sirius Fatalis and my mother was Zeitgeist Fatalis. I am the son of the former warlord of Armada. That said my litter is the youngest of three and none of us were expected to take over in our father's stead so my relationship to pack politics starts and ends at decorum and discretion. I am aware of the fraught history between my former home and yours but know nothing of the details." Simple he hoped and a slight indication that while he understood his own heritage might put her off it had no effect on his feelings or intentions for her, her family and especially not Triss. And perhaps a subtle hint that he wouldn't be particularly useful against his former home in the event she was tempted to try.

Crux paused for a moment, thinking before he continued: "My relationship with my greater family is variable, some of my older siblings are as good as strangers to me, some are outright antagonistic and a few are pleasant if a little distant. In that regard I very much understand the value of a chosen family. There are those that if given the chance I would not pick myself. I have gotten on with my litter mates and father better, historically." How they all felt about him now? Hard to say. Crux figured once he was more settled he ought to go see his father himself and face whatever disappointment that would surely bring head on and as for the siblings he'd left in Armada? He still wanted to try and patch things up with them but he wasn't sure that was possible... He was starting to understand for maybe the first time what Dread had gone through. Crux purposefully dropped his gaze then, knowing he wasn't likely going to be able to hide the still raw emotion.

"As for my mother... She passed before our first birthday so I cannot speak much about her myself. She is the reason I have devoted much time to studying medicine." He gently drew a paw along the cuff he wore on his right foreleg, gently brushing the leopard skin fur his mother had once worn. He fell awkwardly silent then, some part of him wanted to profess then and there that because of that he had no intentions of trying to take Cryptis from her mother but felt it would only ring hollow. He quietly brushed his paw up and down a few more times before he cleared his throat, banishing the emotions that were threatening to surface and lifted his head again to look at Widow. He had said his piece and expected there would be further questions. Probably better to wait until he was spoken to than to rather than speak first.

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Rex 2022

As expected, he only answered with the obvious. Did he not consider Cryptis to be a part of his family? Maybe she was wrong in thinking that her daughter held him so close, but she seemed to be quite smitten with him just from the brief conversation that they had regarding meeting him. She hoped that for her daughters sake he did, but she supposed that they were both still young. Besides, what did he have to gain from moving all the way across one continent into another? He didn't seem to have any family he cared too much about to be giving away secrets, and although she didn't know much about the Armada itself, she assumed that he could be a valuable asset in knowledge regarding the pack north of Insomnia. Perhaps he'd even be able to give her a good idea of the layout should they decide to raid the northern pack one day.

When he finally finished, she could only softly sigh. "Hm, I was hoping that you considered my daughter to be your family as well," she said, clearly a bit disappointed. "Medicine is a good path to go down, a good doctor is perhaps one of the most important jobs in a pack. Is that what you see for yourself?" She questioned, interested in this fact. Both good for the pack and good for her daughter, she supposed that she couldn't be upset. While a healthy man would be strong enough to protect her, a good doctor could perhaps find a cure or some sort of treatment to make her more comfortable. Not to mention what they could do for the pack. Widow of course knew about healing herself, though it was nice to not be stretched thin and if Crux saw himself as a potential doctor, Widow was willing to get him there if it meant her daughter would reap the benefits.

"Speech!"

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Shit. He'd stumbled over such an easy hurdle in hindsight and Crux forced himself to take a deep breath and refocus. He had slipped too readily into the version of himself he'd developed for survival. He did not easily let his walls come down and they'd been up the whole time. With a deep breath he was forcing them down, at least a little. Widow didn't strike him as quite as kind or trusting as her daughter and the instinct to protect himself was still strong, not to mention he was still keenly aware of exactly who she was and the power she held to keep him from Triss.

When he spoke again, his voice was even but his words were somewhat less careful though still polite. "Yes, I'm not yet an expert and admittedly I'm less familiar with the local plant life but the role of a doctor or medic has been where I knew I belonged for a while now."

He took another deep breath, quick to follow up to avoid cutting Widow off. "Candidly, I learned from a very early age that there would always be wolves out there who were bigger and stronger than me who would hate me for my leg, for being born. Because they are weak or projecting or whatever other reason. I learned to protect myself with my words and I learned to protect my emotions. Family while as a concept very important to me has never equated purely to affection. Family can also mean the only man, to date, I despise with my whole being." Crux grit his teeth at the thought of Azure but pushed onwards. "The number of family members I've trusted and cared for enough to drop my defenses is two. Cryptis, makes that total number three and is the only one who's managed it that I am not related to by blood." His tone and gaze softened. He couldn't help it, just the thought of the little woman made him feel like his insides were jelly.

"Cryptis is more than family to me. She is something much more precious." He smiled lopsidedly as the next thought crossed his mind and went straight to leave his mouth. "Though as a point of fact it is my hope to be a family. For as long as Cryptis will have me." Crux didn't necessarily think he'd really managed to salvage the mistake he'd made, at best slapped a Band-Aid over it. It was a bad habit really, under selling himself, assuming that there might be a limit to anyone's care for him. Not because he thought Triss was callous or the type to simply get bored one day but because he wasn't sure he was worth it. Crux adored her too much to want to push himself on her. He wanted her to be happy one way or the other, even at the expense of his own heartbreak.

"Speech"

Art by MarkLix

With a deep and slow breath, she settled into to listen as he corrected himself and went on to speak things that she wasn't prepared for him to say, things that she understood far more than he knew. She couldn't even stop a small smile from entertaining the dark corners of her lips, though she was more than patient and waited until he was finished with ease.

Lucky for Crux, it certainly didn't seem like Cryptis would be having anyone else any time soon. Although she had be confined into quarantine, she knew that Cryptis had been spending a lot of time with the boy and honestly believed him to be her only friend. What kind of a mother would take that away from her beloved daughter? Especially now that she knew without a shadow of a doubt that his intentions were anything but wicked, though that wouldn't begin to stop her from threatening him, warning him of what would come if he ever hurt her.

"You are a good man, Crux, and we are a lot more alike than you may think. That fact that you came all this way to be by her side speaks volumes as well. You make my daughter happy and I want nothing less for her," she said sweetly and paused, her expression changing in the brief moment of silence to something more intense and serious, her gaze hard and cold. "But do not think that I won't skin you alive and wipe my ass with your pelt if you hurt her," she finished, though within the next few moments the smile returned to her face.

"That being said, you have my blessing whether you were seeking it or not. I do so hope to be planning a wedding soon," she said as the corners of her smile shifted into a playful smirk.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION