The Brotherhood

09

Abel knelt in the snow on the same hillside that he always did. He did what he always did when he was in this frost covered forest. He kept his eyes down and didn't lift them toward the Mother. Abel was beginning to get sick and tired of always kneeling to the Mother. He would keep doing it though. He would keep doing it for as long as he was responsible for all of the brothers in the Brotherhood. 

"Tell me once again," the Mother ordered, her voice raking claws down his spine, "How is Kane progressing?" 

"He's doing well," Abel answered as calmly as he could, "It seems that he's getting closer with his pack. He does well at dealing out fair punishments to them. They all speak highly of him to others. One of his pack members actually got into a verbal sparring match with Willis for him." 

The Mother scoffed. "If he's so powerful then why would he need one of his pack members to defend him?" 

Abel had to choose his next words very carefully. He couldn't offend the Mother by correcting or contradicting her. If he was going to properly represent Kane then he needed to find a way to tell her why it was good that Kane's pack was ready to defend him without making her angry. 

"Perhaps it shows that others are willing to do whatever he asks of them," Abel said carefully. 

The Mother tilted her head to the side as she considered what Abel had said. The movement was purely lupine and a shiver ran up Abel's arms. When she gazed at him like this, he could almost feel what it would be like for her jaws to close around his throat and snap it. Chills cascaded over Abel's entire body at the thought. 

"I suppose you could be right, Abel," The Mother growled approvingly, "That could become quite useful. If he's able to bring his pack under his complete beckon and call then maybe he could do the same if he had more people to influence." 

Abel reeled back, making the mistake of fully facing the Mother in his shock. "What do you mean if he had more people to influence?" 

The Mother's lips curled back in what could be considered a smile. Abel's blood went cold at the sight. He'd never seen her smile, not once in his miserable existence. 

Her voice was bone chilling, "That's right, my dear Abel. I do believe that it's time we discussed what would happen to the Brotherhood if something happened to you. You can't live forever, after all." 

"Of course," Abel said, trying not to grit his teeth, "I just didn't know that we would be figuring that out so soon." 

"It pays to be well prepared, dearest Abel," The Mother hummed gleefully to Abel, "you never know what might happen." 

Abel tried not to think too hard about the words that the Mother had just said. Death wasn't necessarily something that Abel thought about too often, but it wasn't an impossibility as a member of the Brotherhood either. He just hadn't considered that death could be so eminent. More than that, he didn't want to think about death being so eminent. 

"Of course, Mother," Abel said dutifully, "You're right, we should discuss options for the future." 

The Mother's lips pulled back in what might've appeared to some as a grimace, but Abel knew that it was a smile. That smile was always the most blood chilling sight he'd ever seen. The Mother said in that same ominously happy tone, "I have a proposition for who should be the Supreme Inherit." 

Abel didn't dare to lift his eyes up to look at the Mother. He continued to stare and stare at the white, powdery earth. He knew that if he lifted his eyes he would see the Mother looking triumphant. She'd gotten what she wanted it seemed, even if Abel had no idea what that was. He had no idea what game she was playing, which put him at a severe disadvantage.