Author's note: This fanfiction is originally a role-play.
Disclaimer: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters.
Brothers and Lovers
Chapter 1: Reunited
Sometimes he awoke at night and heard the last, desperate cry of his brother. Since he had been released of the spell the Dathomir witches had woven above him, his memory was fully restored. The strange shreds he had only seen in his dreams were now clearly visible and he recognized the whole scene now. It was a scene of sheer cruelty, his hand, deformed to a sturdy claw, clutched the fragile neck of a young Zabrak man. Panic was in the clear eyes of his brother, he was gasping and whimpering his name. And then... then, that awful crack when his neck broke and then the silent moment as the dead body hit the floor with a thud.
Savage sweated, he wiped his forehead and felt his broken horn. Would he ever be able to forget what he had done to Feral? What happened to him? Did the Nightbrothers bury him traditionally with fire? There was no way of forgiveness without returning to Dathomir, he needed to know the truth. Ventress betrayed him, a woman he was meant to be slave and partner at the same time. She had broken the old tradition, she refused to mate with him, instead of that she used him as a pawn in her little game of revenge. And now he was on his own, returning to Dathomir, back to Mother Talzin. She was the only one who could help him now.
Savage stepped out of his starship cruiser and began to limp forward as he clutched his aching abdomen. His breathing was deep and erratic, and a pained look played across his yellow and black tattooed face. He had just escaped from the fight of Anakin and Obi-wan, and Ventress and Dooku. As he dragged his hulking, battered body forward, his thoughts lingered on the fratricide he had made upon his young brother. 'How could I have done that?' He thought. It saddened him deeply.
He had grown up with Feral his entire life. He had protected him, he had watched over him, he had devoted himself to making sure that Feral learned the essential survival tactics that the Dathomirian-Zabraks needed in order to live. It had always frightened him since he was a child to know that one day, either he would be taken from Feral, or Feral taken from him, by the dominant Nightsisters. It was only fate that he was taken and not Feral. He had always been stronger than his little brother, but that hadn't made Feral exactly weak. Feral was one of the strongest of all the Nightbrothers. But when it finally came down to the last two choices of a Nightsister, in this case Ventress, to take either Savage or Feral, Savage had been the ultimate choice; proving himself to me stronger. He had thought that the trade he had made with Ventress had kept Feral alive, but because of Ventress' decision on how she would use Savage, it caused him to kill his own brother as a means of initiation. He had killed the only person whom he had grown up with and loved more than anyone else in the galaxy… All for a Nightsister witch who ended up betraying him once she was finished with him.
Again, he thought, 'My own brother… Feral… I loved you… My hands are tainted with your blood…'
Savage continued on, making his way up the steps to Talzin as he only thought about his little brother. A few Nightsisters stared at him as he sadly and slowly dragged himself up each stone step.
It was not true that all Nightsisters were cruel and merciless. Some of them, for example Savages' mother Kycina were very kind although they were powerful witches. Sometimes there were longer lasting relationships between Nightbrothers and Nightsisters and sometimes there was true love on both sides. He just remembered a Nightbrothers couple who had lived together for years until they died in a battle between the clans. Once he had wished that in the future he would someone love dearly like these two did. Not only brotherly love, but...
"Savage, my god, what happened to you?" a Nightsister called him and he gave her a weak smile. He knew that sister, she once had a relationship to a good friend of him until she was pregnant and her man was killed. Her name was Selene and she was something he would call a friend.
"Nothing. I need to see Mother Talzin right now." he grunted as an answer and Selene gave him a dismissive look. "You need some bandages first. You're looking like you had a pretty hard fight and your armor is..."
"No time for that." he interrupted her rudely and she raised an eyebrow in surprise. He sighed. "We talk later, but there is something more important than patching my wounds."
"If you think so." Selene shrugged. "You can find Mother Talzin in the ceremonial hall. Oh, and be careful. She is in a very bad mood."
Well, he was not very happy, too.
Mother Talzin stood near the long table that her crystal ball sat upon. She awaited Savage to return to her, as she sensed Savage's loss in his battle against the Jedi, Dooku, and Ventress. The sounds of footsteps belonging to a large man got closer and closer, and soon she was able to see Savage limp into her doorway. Talzin turned and looked at Savage as he grabbed the head of one of her chairs to lean his injured, weakened body on.
"You have come home to us." She said to him in a ghostly voice. Savage only breathed out harder and grasped his hurting stomach, and afterwards lost his balance from the pain and toppled over to the ground. Talzin walked up to him and kneeled down, helping him to sit up.
"I was betrayed by Ventress." Savage hurriedly said. "The Jedi are after me. I'm not nearly strong enough to defeat them all!"
"Calm yourself." Talzin opened the palm of her hand to help bring Savage to stand. Savage placed his hand in hers and she began to lift him up. "You will be." She continued.
"I… I don't understand…" Savage questioned what Talzin meant. "Who will teach me?"
Talzin used the Force to draw her crystal ball close to her. "You have a brother." She pointed to her crystal ball.
"A brother?" Savage stared at the crystal ball. He slapped his hands down on the table and stared into the ball. "But all of my kin were killed!"
Talzin's lips curved into a smile and she placed her hands behind her back. She looked behind, over her shoulder into what seemed like a dark corner. "Not all of them."
Savage stared at the crystal ball and didn't see the person sitting in the corner of the room, as they were shrouded in darkness.
The person in the darkness stood up, but didn't walk up to them.
Talzin once again spoke about the person in the crystal ball. "He lives in the Outer Rim, in exile. You will find him. He will teach you everything you need to learn to become even more powerful."
"My brother." Savage quietly said. He thought about Feral again. Maybe he could redeem himself for the killing of his younger brother by helping and joining this other brother that he just now recently found out existed and was alive.
The person in the corner of the room moved forward slightly as he heard Savage say, "My brother.". Talzin nodded her head at the person, telling them through the Force that they could present themselves to Savage.
"You will not be alone, my dear Savage. It is good that you have returned, Son of Dathomir. Now, there is someone who wants to greet you." Talzin remarked mysteriously and made a step aside, back into the dark background of her room, hiding like a spider in a web. This was going to be interesting.
Savage tried to see something in the dim light of the ceremonial room. Talzin's glowing fire balls were not very bright and he needed a moment to realize who stood before him. Then, he moaned painfully and grabbed the head of one of the chairs so hard that it broke. Blood trailed down his fingers, but he did not feel the pain of the wooden fragments cutting into his skin.
"Welcome back, brother." That calm voice...!
"No... it can't be... I killed you..." The pain in Savage's voice was unmistakable, but Feral smiled.
"I am very alive, my dear brother. You killed only an illusion, merely a shadow of myself. It was a test. A very cruel one, but a test." He took a step forward and smiled again, a bit shyly.
"Look at me. Touch me. I am real or do I look like a tattooed ghost now?" That sounded very familiar, Feral had always been a man with humor. He took Savages other hand and brought it up to his cheek. "Touch me and feel it."
Savage was not a man of many words and he was still silent as he stroked the tattooed skin. It was warm under his fingers, it was real... Feral was alive. This was not an illusion anymore. Something snapped in his brain and suddenly he grabbed the younger Zabrak roughly, embracing him. He could not describe the feelings that rushed through his body. Anger and hate and a unbelievable relief. He was not a murder. His beloved little brother was alive and god, holding him felt so good.
"Savage... ngh, please, not so tight please, you're going to crush me."
Savage squeezed Feral tighter to his body. "You're here, Feral… My little brother, you're still with me!" He sobbed. He tried to hold back his tears, but a few escaped his eyes.
Feral blushed and breathed out hard from his older brother's tight hug. He could barely breathe, but he was happy. Happy that Savage still loved him and that he was hugging him.
But he felt a deep sensation arise in his stomach and travel up to his chest as he felt the skin on Savage's cheek touch his own. The warmth he felt from it caused him to think strange thoughts. He loved his brother deeply. He always had and always would. But the feelings he was getting from Savage's touch felt different from just a normal brotherly love… He had been having these odd feelings towards Savage since he was a young boy, but he always tried to block them from his thoughts. It wasn't right to feel such things for his own brother! But he had decided long ago that he wouldn't ever let anyone know, especially Savage, that he always got the weird feelings when he was around him. But secretly inside, he had wished that one day, Savage might feel the same for him. But those thoughts also caused him to feel disgusted towards himself.
He allowed himself at least this one time to act on the abnormal feelings and on happiness. He slowly brought his arms up to clasp around Savage's back. Of course, he knew that Savage would only see it as brotherly love and nothing else. And that's what he wanted, because he was afraid that if Savage knew how he really felt, he would disown or hate him. He felt Savage's body to feel so different than it had used to, due to the spell the Nightsisters had put on him to make him much larger and muscular. But he was still his brother, no matter what size he was.
"Savage… Brother." He said as he continued to hug back and smiled.
Savage stopped hugging him and grasped him gently by the shoulders. He noticed how large his hands looked on Feral's smaller shoulders and body. He looked into Feral's eyes, and saw him smiling. He had once thought that he would never get to see his little brother's smile again, but seeing him here and now made him feel entirely content.
Feral smiled at Savage in a slightly worried manner as he noticed how swollen his older brother's eye was from the battle. He tenderly brought his hand to his face and touched the eye. Savage only continued to smile at his younger brother.
Talzin smiled as she sensed the feelings that Feral had for Savage. But she would not embarrass or hurt him by telling Savage of his little brother's hidden feelings. If Feral wanted to, he would one day tell Savage himself how he felt.
But there were more serious matter to attend to. Talzin looked at her crystal ball, then back at the two Zabrak brothers.
"Now listen. You have a very important quest to fulfill. You are two brothers of Dathomir with a destiny: to find your long lost brother." Talzin commenced to speak. "Ten years ago a Dathomirian male was killed on Naboo by a Jedi knight named Obi-Wan Kenobi..."
"I've heard of him." Savage retorted. "We had a short encounter just some hours ago on Toydaria."
"Do not interrupt me again, Savage." Talzin was about to slap the back of his head.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi killed your brother and thought him dead, he did not know that Darth Maul has survived. To train you both to your full strength, you must find him."
"But where can we find him? Nobody has seen him for years." asked Feral and shared a look with his brother. "I mean, after that incident on Naboo, what happened to him?"
"He lives in the Outer Rim, this is all I can tell you for this moment now. This one will help you on your quest." Talzin summarized. She gave Savage a blue glowing pendant on a long leather strap. Strange symbols were engraved on a small stone slab and a steady blue lightning was glowing in waves. Savage nodded.
"We will find him."
A few moments later Savage was placed on wooden bench in a small chamber and Feral opened the lateral buckles of his heavy armor. Savage had tried to protest against the wound treatment, but he was ignored and simply forced to sit down.
"Hold still, brother." grumbled Feral and poured a little bit of an antiseptic lotion on a small cloth. "I know, you are a mighty warrior and you don't need a treatment, but you're looking horrible. Let me help to heal your wounds."
He dabbed the wounds gently and ignored Savages protest. Feral was too abstracted of his feelings to hear the hissing sounds of pain Savage made. What was that feeling? Seeing that handsome man in front of him, topless and muscular, awakened a whole army of butterflies in his stomach.
As Feral continued to tend to Savage's wounds, he tried his best to avoid eye contact with him. He didn't want his older brother to see him blushing. He focused on the wounds, cleaning them gently with the cloth and antiseptic. Savage began to get annoyed with the pain of the antiseptic and how long Feral was taking. He smiled gently and laughed quietly, slowly moving a free hand to rest on the hand Feral was using to tend his wounds. Feral stopped and gasped as he felt Savage's hand rest atop his.
Even with both of them sitting down, Savage was still much larger in size than Feral. He looked at the top of Feral's head, and breathed out slowly. "Feral, it's okay. That's enough. I'll be fine, brother."
Feral looked up at Savage, his face blushing slightly. His hand was still being clasped by Savage's. He stared his older brother in the face, and Savage looked back at him with a smile. Feral smiled tenderly at Savage and sighed. "Brother, you were always like this… Even after the Nightsisters changed you, you still try to be strong and not show weakness, even though you're deeply wounded. Can't you just relax for once?"
Savage averted his gaze from Feral by turning his head to the side. 'I want to be strong for you, little brother. I want to still protect you… I have to be strong in order to do that.' He thought. He sighed through his nose and moved his hand from Feral's, resting it on his knee. "Maybe you'll understand one day, little brother."
Feral moved his hand from Savage's wounded body and grasped it with his other hand, then rest it in his lap. He stared at the cloth he still held, noticing a small bit of blood on it from Savage's wounds. He looked at it sadly. "Savage…"
Savage's expression changed to a more calm and serious demeanor. But he still stared off into the room. "Yes, Feral?"
Feral clutched the cloth tightly in his hand. "…Brother, I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I don't want to be a burden to you."
Savage was taken back by Feral's words. But he knew that he didn't mean what he said to be hurtful. He moved his large arm around Feral's back and pulled him close to him.
Feral continued to stare at the cloth as Savage hugged him from the side.
"You're not a burden, Feral. I want to protect you. You're…" Savage looked down at Feral. He could sense through the Force how sad he felt. "You're all I have. Even if we do find our brother, Maul, you'll always be special to me."
Feral smiled sadly when Savage told him he was special.
"You're the most precious person in the galaxy to me. I would never to anything to-" Savage paused, remembering that he had "killed" Feral. Even though it had only been an illusion, he hadn't known that at the time. In his mind, he had killed Feral. Mercilessly, with no care or love, all on the orders of a woman who completely betrayed him. A woman that he had met only the first time. A woman he had no emotion for. And for her, in his mind, he killed someone he loved and cared for dearly, his own flesh and blood, whom he grew up with since childhood.
"…I don't ever want something like that to happen again." Savage continued. "I want to always protect you, little brother. I swear on the Force that I will never to anything to hurt you."
Feral looked down and said nothing. He had heard of Selene what had happened some months before in the ceremonial hall outside. Savage had killed him mercilessly, just after a short moment of hesitating and no matter how hard he tried to forget that, he would always know what his brother did. But now Savage was back and it seems that he regretted very hard what he had done.
It was time for a new beginning with his brother.
Feral looked up and smiled cheerfully, like he did not want to worry Savage. And again he wondered how handsome his brother was. Although the witches changed Savages stature he was exactly as he remembered him, tall, muscular and well built. Feral wanted to lose himself in these golden eyes, wanted to touch the muscular chest, taste the skin with his tongue …
"Little brother, what are you thinking?" asked Savage jokingly when he saw that Ferals' cheeks flushed.
"N... nothing. Um, I'm finished now, I mean, with the treatment. If you want to dress now, you might do that." Feral turned away. Fuck, that had been close. What a shame, he acted like a hormone-driven teenager just because of a sexy topless man!
"No, I think I'm walking topless a while. You know, that armor is heavy and first I have to flatten the damage the blaster shots made into it." Savage replied and stood up, stretched himself. "Are we going back to the Nightbrothers' village then? I don't want to stay with the witches."
"I am a servant here, but maybe we can go back." Feral replied. That was the truth. Selene choose him as a simple servant for her when Savage had left the village with Asajj Ventress and she had done very much for him. "I have to ask Selene. She is my mistress, you know?"
"Selene?" Savage raised his non-existing eyebrows. "You tell me that she mated with you?"
That was unbelievable! Feral blushed heavily again.
"No, not in that way. She choose me only as a servant, nothing more. She never touched me."
Savage grinned jokingly. "So you are still a virgin." Okay, that was a bit mean, but older brothers had always teased their younger brothers.
Feral laughed at his brother's remark. "Yes, Savage… I haven't mated with anyone, yet." He crossed his arms. "What about you and Ventress, huh?"
Savage gasped. "No, she only used me as a tool to fight against Dooku." He said in a serious yet at the same time playful voice.
Feral crossed his arms. "Then you can't tease me either, can you brother? You're a virgin yourself, too!" He slapped Savage playfully against the back.
Suddenly, Savage and Feral heard the door that led outside of the chamber open. They looked at who came in, and saw that it was Selene. Selene smiled gently at them both. "Savage, Feral… I'm glad to see that you both are reunited with each other."
Savage smiled back at her, then looked down at Feral. "Me, too. I've missed my brother so much since that day that Ventress took me from him."
Selene nodded in agreement. "He has missed you to." She looked at Feral. "Not a day went by that he didn't speak of you."
Feral blushed and shook his head at Selene. 'Don't tell him that!' He thought.
Savage smiled softly at Feral. "Is that true, Feral?"
Feral rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…"
Selene interrupted. "Of course it's true, Savage. He is your brother, after all. He's your blood, and he cares for you very much. He was worried about you the whole time you were gone."
"Enough already." interrupted Feral and turned towards Savage. "Brother, when will we start to search for that one named Maul? I even can't remember him, you know." he added thoughtfully. Savage nodded. "I can't remember him too, but I don't think that Talzin wants to employ us with a pointless quest. In my opinion finding our lost brother is very important for her even if I don't know why..."
"Okay boys, don't talk in that way. Mother Talzin always has her reasons for everything." Selene tossed and gave Savage a warning look. She might be a friend, but she was also a Nightsister and loyal to her mistress Mother Talzin. Savage nodded and bowed his head. Feral watched him silently.
"My apologies, I don't wanted to be rude."
"It's okay. Well you two, do you want to go back to the Nightbrothers' village? I asked Mother Talzin if you can go and she said it's okay. So...?"
"Yeah, that would be nice." Savage replied and shared a look with Feral. He didn't know what he would find in the Nightbrothers' village. Would all of his friends still be alive?
Back in the village the two were greeted with much respect and relief that they were still alive.
"Great job, I suppose you banged the Nightsister nice and hard, huh?" said Deimos jokingly and slapped Savage playfully against the back. Savage grinned. Okay, from where should the others know what really happened?
"Brother, do you want to join me for a bath in the hot springs?" Feral asked shyly when they were alone in the hut they had shared for a long time. It was an old ritual between the two brothers and Savage smiled at the memory of it.
"Sure, why not?" The hot springs were a popular place in a cave and the Nightbrothers used it for years. It was great for relaxing after a hard training day. Some Nightbrothers also used the hot springs with their chosen Nightsister. Savage hoped that they would be alone in the cave and Feral was nervous as never before. In Savages' absence his feelings had grown to a great intense. Now, the sole thought of his handsome brother naked and sweating in a hot tub made him nervous.
