Danifa and her band
Danifa is a witch and a wolf shapechanger. She is also Lokan's adopted mother, who took him in after he had been driven away from home at the age of five. She taught Lokan how to live in the wilderness, to hunt, to steal, and to deal with normal humans. Though Lokan left to live on his own a decade later, the other members of the band remained. They included Vagran and Iar - ruffians and woodsmen, like Lokan; Tserg - the cunning warrior who possessed magical abilities; and the mighty warrior, Zhelan. After Lokan had left, the band also took in a new favorite - Zabav - a handsome youth with a gift for song and telling entertaining stories.
Lokan encountered his old band while on a journey from Ladeisk to Malinka with his new Zmeebortsy comrades. His mother called to him from a bush as he kept watch somewhere on the outskirts of Sitnitsa, and then bewitched him, and made him take the sleeping Agapia to the band's hideout, located some versts away. Though Agapia woke while being carried by Lokan, Danifa assured her that she was being taken to a place where there was a cute wolf cub. To Lokan, she related the story of the band's travails since he left, saying they have been living by their wits. She also confessed to him that she was drawn to Agapia because she had eaten the egg, and now thought that through the girl, wolfkind would be able to reverse the settlement that marginal and despised. She also denied being Cherniava - the witch the Serpent Slayers had met earlier in Sitnitsa.
The band made its home in a large hut, hidden behind shrubs and hedges, and protected by a variety of snares and pits. After arrival, Danifa put Agapia, bound, in a loft, while the band had a homecoming party for Lokan. Zabav told a story about Grey Wolf - their kind's Tsar, and concluded by promising his imminent return. Then Danifa revealed their plan - they would eat Agapia, and having thereby eaten the egg, would draw all wolves to them. Lokan objected that the band's goal was to win human acceptance, but Danifa told him that the egg was a game-changer, and that seeking the humans' favor was no longer necessary. The son said that Agapia was special to him, and that his companions would come to her rescue, but Danifa was unperturbed. In the meantime, the girl realized that she had been tricked, and escaped. Once the wolves realized this, they set off in pursuit. Lokan, Vagran and Iar, swifter than the rest, caught up to her (and Zalyn) just outside of Sitnitsa, and chased her into the church. After a brief altercation with Vagran, Lokan gained entry into the church, and the three led Agapia away, back toward the band's hideout. Lokan asked Danifa why they don't simply eat Agapia now, but she replied that they had to wait for their other three comrades to return, as they had made a pact to eat the girl together.
After Tserg, Zhelan and Zabav returned, the band began to prepare for the ritual. Danifa again dispelled Lokan's concerns about resisting the rest of the world, saying that as top predators, they will be able to command all other creatures of darkness. However, at this time, a horde of navii, that were also pursuing Agapia from Sitnitsa, arrived, and as the band fought them off, Lokan helped Agapia escape back to the village.
A few days later, as the Serpent Slayers camped by a large oak tree, the band hunted them down. Danifa and the rest expressed their disappointment with Lokan's betrayal of their cause. Yuri challenged Zabav to single combat, but after Lokan intervened on the cossack's behalf, and general melee broke out. While steel rang against steel, Zabav tricked Agapia into jumping inside the hole at the bottom of the tree. Though Augusta followed her, the wolf band was ultimately subdued by the Serpent Slayers, though Lokan made his new companions promise not to kill any members of his adopted family, though the wolves say that now that Agapia has gone into through the portal into Grey Wolf's realm, the fight had no meaning. The Serpent Slayers then all went after Agapia, though Zalyn made Tserg accompany them through the portal. When they got to Grey Wolf's fortress, he thanked Lokan and Tserg for bringing Agapia to him.
During the conversation with Grey Wolf, Lokan became convinced as to the rightness of his cause, and when most of the companions emerged back from the tree, he chose to accompany Tserg back family back to their hideout. They soon found the rest of the band, licking its wounds. After returning, Danifa made clear to Lokan that they do not trust him anymore, and told him to go to Malinka, to prepare it for Grey Wolf's assault.
That was the last time any of the Serpent Slayers had seen Danifa and the rest of the band. After leaving, Lokan once again had a change of heart, and began to work to stop Grey Wolf and his minions.
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