In the eyes of the noble hearts of Molodian, darkness had no part in the world. That was where they were wrong though. Darkness was the thing that plucked the weakness from the world. Darkness is what drove the weak to become the strong. Without adversity, what would these wolves be? Puppets to nothing of any meaning. The mere existence of the Darkbringer gives them purpose. It is why Zelda has come all this way to figure things out because now she had a purpose. To save the children, as her noble heart demanded. To find an end to a darkness that had barely begun. It was said that the beginning of life was rooted in darkness: once there was nothing and then there was two halves of a whole. Night and day. Everything had an equal and opposite. Without it, the other would collapse.

The visitors were at least a bit wary of him and the Darkbringer was pleased in this. The act of trespassing was obviously a problem in the past but since his arrival it had, to his knowledge, not gone unnoticed if one slipped the borders. Ceres had come and he had let her, curious to the would-be thief who was brazen enough to meet him face to face. Yet even she had recognized the danger in dealing with the viper that was Blackthorne, his moods as mercurial as the tides of the sea. Ebbing, flowing, withdrawing, and then raging. His being was as a tempest locked into the vestiges of a wolven body.

Upon arrival his charcoal eyes observe the dynamic shift as the female moves to the apex, clearly the diplomat here. It is obvious to him that the male is meant as a bodyguard which almost makes him snort. The male was large and bulky, no doubt one of the many trained warriors of the forest pack, but if he brought with him a mouthy female, well, then Thorne wouldn't hesitate to take a bite out of both of them. Even if they did so back. He knew that nearby any one of his pack lurked. Natiya had seemed a constant ghost since his takeover and the Darkbringer was silently impressed by his sister's determination even if she had lacked any chance to prove herself.

Aspis did not move, standing silent and still at the hip of Blackthorne. Though he loathed him, as each day passed, he grew to respect him in certain ways. The brashness of the Darkbringer was not a thing uncommon to the boy, who took his temper after his mother and boldness after his father. There WAS a sort of structure and purpose here that he had lacked and he saw the way the others seemed to gravitate towards Blackthorne. What was it about him that drew them in? Emerald eyes flick to the male, who frowns at the situation, but Aspis' stoic expression remains the same as it jerks to Zelda.

Unlike the last female, she does not begin by demanding nor throwing out insults. Perhaps the last one had thought the Darkbringer would be intimidated or that perhaps he would feel ashamed in his actions. Even now as she points out how he made a 'point', he feels nothing. Yet as her first little stanza ends, Blackthorne snorts before a deep chuckle. "What point was that? I could have challenged Pine but I doubt she would have been left with much when I was done with her. Maybe she even might have done damage to, as little of a queen as she was," he says, his voice purring and smooth. "But I managed to take what I want without bloodshed. Well, it would have been without if that fool had not decided to attack. It is amazing how much disregard everyone seems to have to rules." He frowns in a false thoughtful manner but pricks his ears forward once more to catch the rest of her words.

So, she was the Queen of Taviora. She did not need to introduce herself, not formally, but he knew of her. Hers was not an uncommon name, the bright and noble creature she was. Pretty too. His head turns slightly as he looks upon her, silence resting between them before abruptly he spins on his back legs, body turning to walk behind Aspis so that they are perpendicular almost, both staring at Zelda. "Aspis. Have I harmed you? Have I punished you without any cause?" Aspis turns his head slightly now so that he could see the Darkbringer out of the corner of his vision. "No." Blackthorne grins, a sudden brightening of his features as he walks up to stand side by side with Aspis. "No! Isn't it wonderful when bargains are kept, Queen of the Forest? I told the parents that no harm would come to their children as long as they listened and as long as the adults didn't try anything foolish. Lo and behold! None have and look, is he not a healthy and fine growing boy?" Aspis tucks his ears back, a look of annoyance cresting on his face, all eyes shifting to him it seemed. "In fact, I shall even endeavor to teach the boy to fight, something I doubt even his parents have done. Am I not a better care taker than the ones who did not even teach him caution as a pup?"

The words, as he talks, grow colder. Meaner. His eyes flash silver as his head rises, staring hard at them. "But if you insist, Queenie, fine. You can have one. Pick." He lets those words stand for only a second before he grins once more, wicked, cunning. "But only in exchange for something else. This is my bargain to you - take on pup back with you as proof that I have kept my word. I will continue to do so unless provoked. In exchange, if any of your pack bother mine, I will take personal pleasure in destroying all you hold dear. That means assisting any enemies of mine that might come to call." They both knew who he was talking about. A war was brewing, he could feel it, the bloodlust settling in his bones. If Zelda wished to watch the blood of her champions be spilled then she would double cross him. "I've already heard the lies that spill so prettily off those gorgeous lips. I suggest if you accept my offer that you best sever times with any foolhardy parents set to cause mischief. We shall see who is truly the noble one here." The last sentence comes out as a hiss, ears cocked back, rabid eyes focused on her. What would the Queen do?