Curiosity killed the Cat

[Gerwald Lechner]

What happened over the next several moments was exactly what they had needed. Gerwald didn’t keep track of how much time had passed, he simply stayed in the moment. There was something about it which had been healing, and Gerwald felt as though despite the events of the last week, things were going to be okay. He had never felt as though he had been so close to losing everything, which made him want to cling even tighter to what he had now. His future.

He laid on his back for several moments before he decided to get out of the bed. A few moments were taken in the fresher to refesh himself, and grabbing a towel he simply wrapped it around his waste. As agreed since the shirt had stopped smelling of Katrine, it was hers wear, sleep with, or to simply smell when she wished. Whatever she decided to do with the shirt was not his concern until it was his again.

For his part, Gerwald went back to the books. His mind still wondering about what Katrine had asked. Could it be that Lechner’s were not always using that name? It spured another thought. Was there a variant of the name in the books, or at least a family with similar proper names that were common to their family history? It was certainly a question he was going to ask his mother when they returned to Stewjon, amongst a great many questions.

He still had to read aloud. It was a skill he was not good with. Gerwald could kill better than he could read. Each word was one he had to work at, and so the process for him was slow. His caste was not well educated. They farmer or they fought. What reason was there to give them access to the same education as those who were above them. Ger had been learning so much, and he knew the more he read the better he would become. That was partly why he was back at it with the books.

Frustrated with the pace, he shut the book rather loudly and cursed. His hands went to his forehead where he had been sitting with them, and elbows on the desk where he’d set up. Perhaps he needed to ask Katrine to work her magic, literally. Ger wanted to know, he wanted to find where they fit. He wanted to see what line was going to be mixed with the Van-Dervelds. Yes, he’d been reading about what inbreeding had done to the Lupines. This was another chance. It was an odd thought, but with Gerwald and Katrine came an opportunity to strengthen their species once again.

The thought, no matter how logical or not, brought a smile to his face, as did the familiar scent of the blonde who he was with.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Katrine had stayed, stirring after a bit and stretching herself as she lay down. She was aware how to large bed had suddenly become vacant, felt the bubble disperse with just the lingering scent. Eyes opened, her gaze staring into the ceiling for a few months before she'd sat up then got off the bed.

On her way to the bathroom, she registered the familiar shade of the shirt on the floor and summoned it to her hands as she walked. A quick shower later, wet hair only partially dried like the rest of her, she slipped into the large piece of clothing. It definitely no longer had her scent, she took in before she'd gone out of the bedroom, into the nearby study where the books were and where Gerwald's scent moved to.

He had refused her idea to use a spell to find his family but the sight of him, forehead in hands and elbows on her desk told her he might have needed it. Katrine moved closer, hands reaching out for his shoulders as she did. "Nothing yet?" she asked gently, sapphire gaze wandering over the books.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

”No,” he answered as he pulled his head up from his hands.

Gerwald looked at the pile of books and knew Katrine had been right. She could use his blood to craft a spell to find them, but could he ask her. It was dangerous, he would imagine. Gerwald was no expert in magic by any means, and the Lupine was not familiar with the practice known as Blood Magic, but anything like that had to come at a price. What would the cost be for this?

He sighed at her touch. It was gentle, relaxing, perfect. There was something about it which took all the stress away. His eyes moved to her. She was wearing the sweater which they shared. The sight brought a smile to his face knowing that it would already smell something of her if she took it off. Gerwald craved her scent more than he could have known until he had been without it. He was certain his need to smell it would always bring him back to her, and what was more, he wondered as to why he should ever be rid of it.

”Perhaps I should not have been so hasty to refuse your offer. It may be the only way to save a potential lifetime at the pace I read...”

Gerwald shrugged. It was an admission that he was not as capable as others with the written word. He was strong in other ways, and he knew Katrine did not care that he was an uneducated warrior. Her love for him was evident. He’d felt how deep it was the moment she opened himself to her. There would never be any doubt in his mind that she belonged to him as much as he belonged to her. Feelings were fleeting and fickle, but what they shared was much more than feelings. They were bonded by something which had the potential to become unbreakable.

”I’m guessing you need me to cut myself,” he asked as he willed a blade to his hand with the force.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

The short reply told Katrine what she had deduced already. One hand stayed on his shoulder as she moved to his side, looking over the books still. With this blood find, the words began to form in her mind. Maybe he shouldn't have been too hasty to refuse her offer. "I didn't see it as a refusal," Katrine admitted, "more like a postponement." She'd already been through a lot of them. There were even more on Figaro Favoura VII where she'd read with the intent of finding his family name. The name hadn't been there.

He was guessing she needed his blood. "In a moment," Katrine instructed, letting him go as she pulled a small piece of parchment and writing pen, putting down the first line she thought of. In this blood find Lechners written on the pages, Lechners name on the pages, she kept scribbling as the words flew into her mind. Katrine no longer wondered too much how the words came. It only took a small reach towards the Force for the words to flow. Most spells became easier to create in time. "Find the blood, find the name," she muttered as she scribbled the last line and glanced back at him.

"Okay, you can cut yourself," the Witch instructed and waited. "Just a tiny bit." It wouldn't need much. Combination of words with the blood would form plenty of trail for her to use, to find what she needed.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

At least she hadn't seen it as a refusal even if it had been somewhat of one. She knew better because she had been looking for any sign of his family much longer than he had been. It was a fruitless thing to try and do the research without help, and Gerwald was finally resigned to the fact that they needed it. His curiosity was going to kill him one of these days. For now it was going to help him find his family. At least there would be some kind of peace offering when he returned, he hoped. He was pretty sure they were going to hate him for leaving and taking so long to come back. All he had were excuses at this point, and the fact he had left partly for a girl was not going to make them happy at all, even if that girl happened to be another Lupine.

He listened and watched as Katrine formed the words to the spell she was going to case. Just a little blood. Gerwald nodded and cut his forearm. It wasn't too deep at all. The blade was sharp so he did not need much pressure to produce the blood required for the ritual.

His arm was presented to Katrine so she could take what she needed. It was time to watch, or wait. Once she had what he needed Gerwald would attend to the cut, and find some pants. The towel was getting uncomfortable around his waist, and he did not expect the spell to produce results right away.

"This will work even if Lechner isn't the name in the books right?"

He wanted to be sure. Gerwald really wanted to know where his family fit into Lupine history. Knowing would somehow make it more real. Not that it mattered. Katrine had already chosen him to be by her side, and Gerwlad had said he would be. This would only bring light to his past, and in his mind had no bearing on his future at all.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Once she was ready, she waited for Gerwald to do his end. The sight of him cutting into his forearm wasn't at all what she'd expected him to do but he'd already cut in, making her wince slightly. Not because of the blood but because he'd unnecessarily harmed himself. "Pricking your finger would have been plenty," she pointed out before the arm was offered. There was something about blood magic that didn't sit well with her, all those times she had heard her Nona explain its many dangers. It was risky all together, the way it connected people. Especially some of them. This spell was harmless unlike it how it normally worked.

Shaking her head, she reached out with her right hand, two fingers running across the open wound before she'd smeared it over the spell. He asked if it would work even if the Lechners weren't mentioned in the name. "I noticed on some of the books, there are traces of blood. They used it on the inside of the covers, on some of the pages," she explained as her hand returned to his injured arm, palm moving over it as she began to concentrate, working on healing the inflicted wound. It would only be a few more moments before she would cast the spell.

"We don't waste our blood," Katrine pointed out, sapphire gaze shifting over to look at him. They were Lupine, so few in numbers as it was. Before it had been only the Van-Dervelds, now there was the Lechners too. A little blood wouldn't change their numbers but Kat took it so seriously. So seriously that she couldn't let a small wound which seemed even smaller on Gerwald's arm take its time healing. No, Aston had shown her this power for a reason and Katrine made sure to use it with a purpose. This was purpose, reason.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald shrugged. If all he had to do was prick his finger then why hadn't she just said a prick. Then again, Gerwald was a warrior and they always were dramatic over injuries. His body was was a collection of scars, each with a story that only he knew. Scherezade had not heard any of them, and neither had Katrine. He was sure each story would be told at some point, he was more than certain about that. Whether he told them to Katrine, or to the children he hoped to have one day. Perhaps it was being Lupine and what his mother had pushed about keeping their line going, but Gerwald looked forward to another generation.

"So the Lupines have dabbled in blood magic before then..."

It wasn't a question, but rather a statement. He watched her smear the blood over the spell. This was intriguing to him. He had used the force, Shcerezade had used the force, but he had not seen a spell cast before and certainly not on Stewjon. They still held witch trials on his world, and Alwine had been caught up in one of them. They had to get her. They had to rescue her. It wasn't an option, and Gerwald kept telling himself as soon as Metus knew. They could not just bring judgement to a world without his knowledge. However, Gerwald would kill them all... everyone of the magistrates that dared to touch his sister as they have.

His eyes watched as the wound had healed itself at Katrine's touch. That was weird, but cool.

"We don't waste our blood," she said, and Gerwald nodded.

"I will tell that to the next man that slices me open with a sword, or I will simply kill him before he can!"

It was a reality of what he did. Gerwald fought, and he killed. It had never been an issue with Scherezade, and Katrine had said nothing, but he wondered. She had killed, Gerwald had seen it. None of them had clean hands, none of them were innocent when it came to taking another life. Gerwald had even taken lives unjustly. There were those he could not justify.

"So... what's next?"

He moved on from the thought before he asked something he already knew the answer to.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Lupines dabbled in blood magic before, Katrine heard and lifted her shoulders in a shrug. She didn't know. There was an old religious older that had been long abandoned but Katrine just knew she had seen the markings on a lot of the books. Whether it was blood magic or decoration, she didn't know.

Once she healed the wound, Gerwald made a comment about letting know the next man that sliced him open with a sword to hers about not wasting blood. She tilted her head and released the tiniest chuckle. "Yeah, kill him before he can, please," she returned quickly. It was a whole other thing than him cutting his arm over a tiny bit of blood, which was exactly what she had asked. He was raised to be a Warrior same as she, and in some ways, their planets were both backwaters. Though nobody intended for her to go into battle unless the situation required of her, he was.

What was next? "Now we cast it," Katrine answered as she looked back to the spell, concentrating as her eyes closed and the words in her mind. "With this blood find, in this blood find, Lechners written on the pages, Lechners named on the pages. Find the blood, find the name." She felt a weak wind brush against her skin as the spell began to work its magic. Her eyes opened as she felt it. She could see the magic in the words, the lines forming that were more in her head than real. They traveled from the spell and divided into a million lines, spreading across the room, searching, passing through the books. She continued concentrating, watching. In a matter of moments, the lines had passed through some of the books already and moved on.

Book after book passed and Katrine watched, slightly discouraged as more and more books were passed but she refused to let go of her focus. Then all of a sudden, a book on a pile opened, pushing four books on top it off it. Then another after that and then at the very end, buried under other books, a third one opened, books covering it falling to the ground. A wide smile plastered to her face. "The spell worked," Katrine happily declared as she moved over to the opened books, bringing them over to the desk as she pushed away from the other books from it. Mostly her desk was covered with books from the Schwartzweld library at this point but right now, they were getting in the way.

She picked up the very first of them and handing it over to Gerwald, still happy it had worked but it was his family to find out about. "Go on."

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

The spell sounded awkward, though Gerwald wasn’t one to ever use magic. He didn’t know how these spells were supposed to sound or work, just as long as it did. Books tossed about, some fell on the floor, while others seemed to fall open to certain pages. Ger was tempted to walk up to them as the spell worked itself, but Gerwald didn’t want to stop the spell prematurely. What if it took a while before it worked? Gerwald wasn’t about to ruin this chance to find out about his family. There was the chance that she didn’t have the right books, but then why would some lay open on the desk, or the pile they had been in?

Kat told him to look. The spell had worked. There was a hesitancy which came over him all of a sudden. What if he didn’t like what he discovered? It was possible the history wasn’t a good one. Knowing about the culling which was recent, and the inbreeding, it was very possible that his family would be recorded in a negative light.

His curiosity would win out as his feet carried him to the books. The first one was picked up gently, with an awe and reverence that suddenly fell over him. He scanned the words written on the pages and found names, stories of their ferocity.

”They were a powerful family once,” Gerwald said aloud as he mused over the rest of what was there.

Moving through several of the books he took in their story until they suddenly were silent on the page. They had disappeared, left or run out, Gerwald couldn’t tell. He faced Katrine as he sat the final book down. His face seemed satisfied, though not overjoyed with what he had read, but now they would have an answer why the Lechners were forgotten.

”The Lupines were inbreeding too much. This book, it talks about an argument the head of the Lechners had with that of the Van-Dervelds. To preserve the species they left, or something, but it seems they didn’t want to see the species die off because of what was happening. They sought to create a pure line. It doesn’t say why there is just my family left, but it explains why neither of us knew about the other.”

He offered the book to Katrine for her to read for herself. Maybe there was something else there he had missed that she might find.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Katrine waited as Gerwald looked over the information offered. She was definitely impatient to find out but this was about his family and his past so she forced herself to stay. When he finished going over them, he spoke. A powerful family once, she'd heard him say and still made herself wait, made herself let Gerwald tell the story rather than finding out for herself.

Inbreeding, a problem among the Lupines she was warned about. Madness and inbreeding killed the wolves and exactly what kept the Van-Dervelds from completely disappearing. One book, however, spoke of an argument between their families, and why the Lechners had left - to preserve the species. Sought to create a pure line. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to understand. "Wait, pure line? We're all pure. The blessing of the gene makes all Lupine children Lupines," she suddenly wondered. Katrine loved to say she was her parents' first born second born. She loved knowing her Mother was a Lupine when she came into this world but that didn't change the fact that Chloe was a Lupine too even when Father was a Lupine.

He offered one of the books too. Katrine took it, palm holding it from underneath as her index finger trailed over the next. Definitely, an argument though it didn't say clearly what it was. The book seemed to serve as a summary of why a notable family had abandoned its own kind. The Van-Derveld that wrote the words seemed angry with the betrayal. After she'd read the whole page and turned to see if there was more, the information still seemed insufficient, making her brush her fingers against the page as she concentrated. Her ancestor wrote quickly and angry, furious with the decision of the Lechners. He agreed with them on the inbreeding, however, there were still possibilities of joining families. Lechners believed the problem would still exist, Van-Derveld wished to remain in their seats of power despite the decrease in their numbers. Reading into the energy of the book had offered her plenty but still, there it seemed lacking still like there was more. Katrine chose to flip a few pages back before she repeated the process, running her fingers against the page. The Lupines were in a constant argument about how the bloodlines could survive. Families were arguing leaving, one family was claiming they were losing the ability to change but her ancestor noted with a disgust that they refused to mix their blood with others, thinking others tainted when they hadn't begun inbreeding. They thought the humans to be filthy, impure in every possible way and that they would because of it taint the Lupine blood in the long run. When the page gave her nothing more, she looked up at Gerwald.

"He was furious when he wrote the page. He agreed with your family about the inbreeding but saw the departure as betrayal worse than anything else. He wanted our families to merge but your ancestors were right, it would only postpone the problem." Kat spoke of what she saw. "They were all arguing all the time about how to keep the Lupines alive. Some of them wanted to join families, others were already heavy in the inbreeding and thought the humans would ultimately taint the bloodlines." All those arguments and disagreements. In the end, only the families that did do what the Lechners did survive, it seemed. Even the Van-Dervelds who had been so hellbent on keeping their power. Though Diego had left for a completely different reason according to what Father told her.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

"That's what it says," he said with a shrug.

Gerwald had to admit that he did not know much when it came to pure blood, and pure lines. All Gerwald knew about the subject was Lupines always begat Lupines. It was one hundred percent sure. He waited is turn, as she had done, as she read the book, flipping through pages faster than he had been able to. Ger could have been jealous of her ability to read better than he could, but he was confident in who he was, for the most part. It did bother him to a small degree that he knew they were not fully equal in some regards, though she would never treat him as if those areas were an issue to her. She loved him, and he loved her. They were complete in a way they could not be with anyone else.

"So the Lechner's are good at leaving. That's good to know."

It was only natural for Gerwald to pick up on that part of the story, though he did hear the rest. He chuckled finding the humor in it. What grabbed most of his attention was the idea of merging the families. He wondered how that was proposed. Maybe there was a deeper reason the leaving was seen as a betrayal.

"Does it say who it was that made the decision to leave? There is only one way to join the families... marriage, offspring..." Gerwald knew he was using words that Katrine didn't always understand, but even she had to be aware of the practice of political marriages. Perhaps it was seen as a betrayal because the Van-Derveld had been in love with the Lechner. Knowing how it was between he and Katrine, it would not have surprised him.

"It depends on how you look at it. Both may taint the bloodline, despite the fact the Lupine is dominant. Joining families in the right ways would work. You can't join them all, but the different families would be needed to avoid the dangers of inbreeding. In the end I can see why the Lechners left. It protected the family from the issue that befell many of the families. It's all just so vague..."

Katrine had not found anything more than what he had managed to see. Though, there was the discussion of joining families which could possibly be brought to the forefront. Gerwald didn't want to talk about it too much, because what they had was so much deeper than an effort to save their species. Their species was in danger, but as long as there were Lupines, there would always be hope, and hope is what they needed. Gerwald was not worried about their species. Katrine and Ger had found each other, whether it be fate or not.

His hand rest on her shoulder, and he locked his eyes with hers.

"What is not vague is that we belong together. Despite the rift that seems evident from this between our families... we belong together. Once my siblings are safe..."

Ger paused because he wanted to be sure that he was not rushing his thoughts. Perhaps she would know what he was going to say, that they did not have a reason to delay claiming each other. She had explained it to him, he wasn't blind to the level of intimacy it was for her. If they were going to be equal, and if they were going to choose each other, then why wait. Gerwald was ready of his own accord.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Lechner's are good at leaving. That's good to know. Katrine looked up at him and gave a tiny head shake. "No. They left to save themselves. Van-Dervelds weren't that smart." It was obvious now that they weren't. They didn't want to leave the planet, they didn't see that their salvation was in leaving. At that point, Diego's selfish reasons seemed like the only reason the family survived. "So it was a good thing Diego was a selfish coglione." Who knew?

Who made the decision to leave? Katrine shook her head. There were no names. They were regarded as the pack and if Katrine had to guess, a decision was made by Lord Lechner, whoever that was because it was the only thing that made sense, for the entire family to leave. One was to join the family, with marriage and offspring. "No names in this one. A decision like that had to have been made by Lord Lechner," she shared her thoughts. "And yeah. Van-Dervelds normally had a couple of pups in a generation. I doubt they'd let the names fade. They were obviously desperate." That much she had managed to find. She doubted either family wanted to do a complete merger to do this. And the other books told her about her own family. "Normally, a minimum of three Warriors of Ulf was enough to protect the Lord and their offspring." At least that was what their records showed. A minimum of two in any story related to the protectors though their collection of the armor was bigger than that so obviously, it was a question of numbers.

Gerwald opened the possibility of humans tainting the bloodlines. She narrowed her eyes slightly. "You have a human parent, so does my sister. The only thing it effects is our human form. They were idiots to think it would taint the blood. Same way royal families are morons for thinking they have to claim their first cousins to keep their blood pure." Katrine knew about that. She'd been read stories by Mother. Even those books she loved so much about the boy Witch, how desperate the pure-blood families were to keep their blood pure and keep the mudbloods out of their schools. Katrine disagreed completely with it.

Sapphire gaze turned to look at the hand on her shoulder before she looked back at Gerwald, listening to talk about them again. It wasn't the issue at the moment at all. And then there was going back to the rift. Once my siblings are safe..., he'd said. "We'll go to Figaro Favoura VII and figure this out, she finished the sentence. "Their rift is irrelevant. It died with them. But I do want to know what else there," she explained because she needed to know their history before she inherited her title. She hadn't missed though the way the sentences were going, and it did make her think that he was under the impression the reason they hadn't completed the claiming was that of him. That was actually wrong. After what he said to Pebble after it had caused in her even when it wasn't true, even when she had actually gone to think she could with her lying there... It was so simple that the most important part of it could have been done earlier already. She hadn't. Now though, she knew she needed to tell him.

First, though, she put the book back on the desk before she turned around to face him before taking a seat into his lap, palms on his shoulders as she did. "This isn't just you, we're not just waiting for us to get Varick and Alwine," she pointed out. "I think after she left the way she did, I've waited. Part of me is terrified to say you were wrong and give her any sort of hope and then just drop on her that we did anyway." It wasn't supposed to be like this, she wasn't supposed to feel the way she did. Katrine still couldn't even believe her sister had walked out on her after what happened. She couldn't relate her actions with their connection. Even with what she had thought in the darkness, what it had convinced her. It shouldn't have convinced her she wasn't still Katrine despite it. They were supposed to be stronger than that, stronger than any of this. Maybe she was the one that was actually naive. "I know what I said about all of it but I already belong to you in here," her finger pointed to her heart, "I just need a tiny bit of time to sort what else is there."

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald nodded. As much as he had been trying to find the humor, he had also seen it that way. However, Katrine said they were the smart ones. It was hindsight, but it was encouraging regardless. There were only the four Lechners, and Gerwald would need to find out why. Their mother seemed to make their father take the Lupine name, but they were the only ones that Gerwald knew of. Was it possible there were more and the famly adopted a policy that kept them from looking for each other? Regardless, if that were the case, it was time for that to end. With what Katrine knew, and with what Gerwald had learned, they knew how to make the Lupines thrive again.

Katrine explained some things that Gerwald really knew little about. The Ulf was primarily that. He didn't know about the guards or warriors at all. In his family he was the warrior, they protected each other rather than others to do that for them. The idea that it would have been a political joining only, that surprised Gerwald. Maybe it shouldn't have, but was it hard to consider there were other motives? In the end Katrine was likely correct as the Lord of the house would have been the one to make the decision, and what he could read of everything about that time, they were a male driven species then.

"I still have not seen the planet where we came from. That is exactly where we will go," he said not caring if Katrine addressed where his words had been headed or not. It wasn't the time, and he knew it, even if his tongue and his mind wanted to push things faster.

He smiled when she sat in his lap. She was so petite, so light. Gerwald knew that in this form he could more than lift her about anywhere that he wanted to. He felt so powerful with her by his side. Perhaps it was the size difference between them that made her attractive to him, it was a factor at least. Gerwald nodded at her words. It made sense what she was saying. There was also the factor that Gerwald loved both of them, each in their own way. He had revisited what happened many times in his mind, and while it would not have been fair, both of them filled something within him that had always been empty.

"No, after what happened, I do not want to give anyone false hope. It has already been difficult as it is for both us, and her as well. I'm not... I don't want to rush anything at all, and there are things to figure out, I get that..."

Gerwald didn't want to per se. He knew what it could mean. There was more than what happened with Scherezade floating around in her heart.

He sighed, pushing it down. That was a conversation Gerwald did not want to have in the moment. He simply just put his giant palm over her heart.

"And until then... that's all I need to know..."

And as if his mind was chasing a squirrel, he suddenly thought of something else.

"I wonder if any of these books speak about any of the holdings the Lechners had? If they were a powerful family, they must have owned land."

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

He still hadn't been to their planet, which was where they would go. "As soon as we get your siblings," Katrine promised, small smile on her face. They'd be so over the place but she was eleven when she went, it was only fair he saw Figaro Favoura VII too. Hopefully, Alwine and Varick would want to go though since it was their homeworld as well but she figured with what they knew about Stewjon and what she assumed about Alwine, she wondered. They'd been abandoned, she'd been tortured for so long, most likely didn't dare change to save her family. It was a completely false upbringing, one she would have gladly ripped the old Lechner woman's throat out for if she wasn't Gerwald's mother. She did say not to spill Lupine blood but honestly, the woman deserved a punishment for forcing her children into hiding the way she did, treating them the way others on Stewjon were treated. It was all wrong.

Now though wasn't the time for that, as she'd gone to explain why she felt the way she did, why she hadn't brought up claiming again after explaining the process. Gerwald agreed, the last thing Pebble needed was false hope. I don't want to rush anything at all, she heard him said and looped her arms around his neck, hearing the sigh. his palm came over her heart. All he needed to know. "I want to rush everything, Gerwald. We only get an average of seventy years in this galaxy," she pointed out. "My mother will outlive me, my Nona had already has. Our lives are way shorter." Born and raised around a species that lived for centuries, it sunk in very deeply into her head a long time ago just how short their lifespan actually was. This though was like a block of sorts, making her not want to rush the claiming or bringing it up herself yet.

His hand rested on her heart after a moment as he said it was all he needed to know. A tiny smile appeared on her face again. He did, however, wonder if there was a mention of any holdings. She rolled her shoulders into a shrug. "You saw the rest. I didn't find anything in the book you gave me," Katrine replied. "There might be though. They'd most likely refer to it by nothing by its name. Like I found the Schwartzweld mentioned in a lot of them. It's vaguely described in one of them but mostly, it's just mentioned in name." If he did read it, maybe he didn't recognize it was stronghold name. She imagined most Lupines would just mention it in name only same as her family did.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

He imagine what her home would be like, and he tried to imagine what his would look like. The writing, prose and text, seemed ancient, and his mind imagined a palace. Castles seemed to fit the vibe all the books were giving off. His mind saw him sitting on his own massive throne ruling over his lands with justice and equity. Sure he might take a tax or two, but for the purpose of making sure everyone had a nice palace look at. Who knew what he would really do? Gerwald was no ruler, he was a fighter, a warrior, and a killer. Anyone who knew him knew that much.

She wanted to rush everything, and Gerwald nodded.

”I am already 26, Katrine,” he said. ”If we get about 70 years then I only have 44 left,” came the rest of his reply.

There was no doubt in his mind they had been made for each other. Gerwald didn’t care that Katrine ir Scherezade had not believed in fate. Gerwald still did to a degree. The more he was with Katrine the more he believed in it. Yes, they should rush, and no, they shouldn’t. The issue was whatever and whenever, it needed to be what they both wanted.

”I only meant that if this what we both want, and if there is no reason to hold back...”

He was in her heart, and she had already claimed him there. They both had. Perhaps Gerwald has been only half wrong when he told Scherezade they had claimed each other. The two had all but done the act, but the feelings and the commitment had been made. He knew it from the moment they had made love near the waterfall, Gerwald and Katrine belonged to each other.

When Katrine spoke of the House it was clear that it should have a name. Gerwald thought for a moment and when back to the first book he had been reading. There was something that stood out to him.

He smiled when her arms looped around his neck. The book he had been thinking of was reached for and he used the force to hold it in place for Katrine to see the page.

”There was mention of a Shattenfeld... it seemed to be in conjunction with Lord Lechner, and their attempt to stay out of Van-Derveld affairs. Here...”

The page seemed to indicate it was fifteen kilometers southwest of the Schwartzveld, and was surrounded by water so still it seemed like a mirror. It was all they had to go with, but it seemed the best hope of finding his ancestral home.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

A small frown formed on her face when he pointed out he was twenty-six, with only 44 years if seventy was their limit. "Don't remind me," she muttered. Katrine knew what two slow passing years were, she didn't have to think what five would feel like. Though, it suddenly made her think of something else. "It can be outlived though. Father did. It's not an exact science, it's an average." Now, she was mostly telling herself rather than Gerwald even though she was looking at him still.

She nodded. She understood what he was telling her. "No reason to hold back," Kat repeated, mentally chewing out the words, well aware of the reason that she actually was. Part of her did think it made sense that she did, another part thought it wasn't fair to either of them.

He brought to book to them through the Force, a small reminder of times past. Enough for her to unloop her arms around his neck and pick up the book, glancing at him for a split second as she said there was a mention of Sttanfeld. Katrine looked it over, seeing the word as he described it. Conjunction with Lorc Lechner. It appeared in the text similar to the way Schwartzweld appeared normally. "I think this is it," she said after a moment, seeing its location as he eyes drifted to the side, drawing from memories. "It's surrounded by water," she suddenly remembered before she looked back at the page, seeing mention of it, confirming to her she had seen it. "I know where this is." Katrine had never been inside but she'd seen it from a distance.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

”Don’t remind you... this is the first I’ve heard. Don’t remind me!”

The sudden realization that he had 44 years give it take bothered him slightly. It was news that he didn’t want to hear, but now that he had it was rather sobering. Forget what he had said about not rushing anything. Now he wanted to know why she hadn’t just claimed him already. Yes there were things to work out, but he wanted as much time with her as he could have.

”We will see then, because I don’t want a day to pass without you.”

She understood what he meant when he said there was no reason for them to wait or hold back. The reason she did, or the reason he thought she did, nothing could be more importent when things were put in the context of time. Yet here they were, holding back because time seemed to move as slow as it was also fast.

He peeked up when she mentioned the home was a place she knew. It was surrounded by water, she knew it, and maybe had even seen it. Could it be that easy? If the Van-Dervelds had a library, then would the Lechners?

”Then we know where we are taking my siblings first. Our home, our estate. They need to know what being a Lupine is before we unleash them on the Galaxy. We will be strong, and not what my mother tried to make us. We can be smart about not killing off our own species without hiding who we are...”

Ger kissed Katrine on the cheek. He wanted them to meet her, to know her, and while he knew they would be angry with him, Gerwald wanted them to accept Katrine. Their families were going to be united it would seem after all these years. The Van-Derveld who had wanted it was in a way getting his wish. Even if his siblings didn’t like it, Gerwald was remaining with Katrine.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

She smiled just a little bit at his response. "Sometimes you might have to. I can't always go where you go," Katrine teased just slightly. She was just glad he didn't want to, responsibilities were a whole other factor but in this case, they were a good reason to lift her spirits just a little bit after that gloomy realization. Because if anyone was gonna miss any days, it was going to to be the one whole five years behind. Father had passed that well enough though, she was sure they could too. Well, Gerwald needed to. She was fine with hitting seventy if he was going to wait a few years for her.

Since they knew where to go, they knew where to take Alwine and Varick when they went to their ancestorial planet. They needed to know what being a Lupine was before they were unleashed on the galaxy. She smirked at that then nodded. The Lechners would be strong and not what their Mother had tried to make them. Again, Katrine nodded.

Her cheek leaned slightly into the kiss as she thought about what he had said, wondering about Varick and Alwine, what they were like, how much would they hate her. She was the reason Gerwald had left. Even if she hadn't had known, it wouldn't be any excuse to them considering what sort of place Stewjon was. "Almost everything they know about our species is wrong. Your Mother really did a number on her. They're in for a big shock, I imagine. I just hope they won't hate me so much so we can show them." With so few of them out there, they all had a responsibility towards their Houses. Not families per say, considering how their Mother had treated them but to their Houses.

"I wonder though," it occurred to her, considering what Father had done, "if Alwine is the type of wolf to just let your brother take the title or if they're going to fight over it. I mean, my Father could choose. And he chose to not think about the fact that I have two living brothers. He chose me for his heir. You don't have an acting Lord to make that decision for you. With the way your Mother has behaved, she forfeited the right to choose anything for you. They'll have to figure it out between them." She was definitely curious what kind of Lupine Alwine would be once she was freed from the shackles of Stewjon society. Katrine kinda wanted her not to sit down and take it quietly, she wanted her to thrive in her own right.

Katrine put the book down after a moment, open where he had left it before she looked back at him, her hands looping around his neck as they should have been if she wasn't reminded of how he learned his abilities. "You don't get to fight with them though. You can't sit on two chairs, I won't allow it," she pointed out, sticking out her tongue at him before she grinned. It was totally true though. It was going to be either Alwine or Varick.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

”I know... I’m a warrior first, no matter what you kind of chair you give me, I will always be a warrior. There are places where I will have to go because you cannot. It’s the nature of leadership, my love...”

There was something about the moment which seemed to have shifted something for Gerwald. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something felt... different. Perhaps it was the realization they already belonged to each other, perhaps it was sinking in that she had chosen him to rule, and that he would not have to stop being a warrior to do it, but something inside Ger had shifted again. It was going to be a slow process, freeing himself from what his mother had done, and it would be slower for his siblings if they refused help.

Gerwald nodded.

”I hope they accept our help, but I’m afraid their anger will be red hot. Lechners can have a hot temper and they are Lupine as well. I left them, I broke our pack. That will take time to mend and heal. We were close because of what our mother had done. We hunted together, changed when we could, and ran through the forests. We did everything together and then I left... it won’t be forgotten, and it won’t be forgiven easily.”

Katrine mentioned their fight over the Lechner throne. He shrugged. If he could have his way, Gerwald would be the one in the seat, but Katrine had promised one of his own. She forbid him from fighting for it because could not have two chairs. He grinned, a funny quip coming to mind that he pressed into the back of his mind.

”No I will not fight them for it. The truth is I will always be the bridge between our families. As much as I am yours because I want to be, I will also be what brings our families to the same end. One day, when you sit on your father’s throne, Lupines will thrive again, and you need the Lechners to do their part in that. Our union will ensure that, it’s a fringe benefit of what we have already decided. Even if it had nothing to do with the decision.”

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

He was a warrior first, no matter what kind of chair she'd give him. Brows narrowed lightly as he continued about him going places where she couldn't. Nature of leadership. "I was talking about the Knights Obsidian," she responded first before her lips formed a pout. "You think you'd get to go off and play warrior while I sit in the skull throne all day? How about I let you sit there and go? How would you like that?" Pfft. Thinking he was the only warrior here. If Gerwald thought for one moment he was going into any battles concerning their planet alone, he had another thing coming. A whole other thing.

I'm afraid their anger will be red hot, she agreed with a nod. She imagined it would be so. I broke our pack, Gerwald mentioned and her face suddenly turned sad. Is that what happened when you left your siblings? She'd left hers to find her eldest. She left them home with their Mom, it was far better than what she found. Where they were, their Mother wouldn't abandon them and they wouldn't have to go through what she did. He talked about how he was close with his siblings and she recognized her own pack in all that. Not because they were taught to hide their nature but because it came natural to them. "Is that what we do when we leave? Break our packs?" Quietly, the words had come out. Wolfram hadn't seemed upset with her. In fact, he acted similarly to how Father did, how she did, wandering off and meeting up with her when he did. Katrine hadn't thought it strange. And Seren, she'd felt him once, on Relovian, or at least she thought she did. It had turned out she was hallucinating, hearing Father and Chloe even as she felt him. She didn't know anymore.

Had she broken up their pack? Just how angry were Alwine and Varick were going to be angry with him? Both of them. "You should have listened to Pebble and gone sooner," she ended up saying. She had known sooner than Katrine had and she was right. Gerwald shouldn't have postponed it for so long. Now, it was only going to be worse. "Especially if your sister hasn't changed in so long. And after everything you told me, I'm sure she hasn't. For your brother if for no one else." After what she knew, Katrine was sure. She had managed two weeks. The incident on Stewjon occurred months ago.

Gerwald said he wouldn't fight them for the Lord Lechner title. Katrine had been partially joking but still, it wouldn't have been fair to either of them if he hogged both positions. He was right though, he would be the bridge between their families. He was hers but he wanted to bring their families to the same end. The Witch gave a slow nod as she listened. One day when she sat on her Father's throne, the Lupines would thrive and the Lechners would play their part. "Actually, I think you can take the skull throne. Might have to have another one made for me. I'd look ridiculous in with my size." He hadn't seen it but that throne was massive to her when she was eleven and still was.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]