Blacktail Deer Plateau I've swam the beaches on the west coast

Rosalyn and @Erzulie had spoken, murmuring long into the night.  Their discussion had contained a good many things, but first and foremost, an answer to @Aningan's question. As promised, Rosalyn summoned him.

She stood near their densite and waited, patiently, for the young leader to arrive.  There was a calm about her that hadn't been there in a long while.  In this discussion, she'd suddenly found something she hadn't had in a good long while.

Direction.  Purpose.

flanking her wife, erzulie awaited the leader also. their conversation had been intense, passionate, waning, waxing; sleeplessness chased her.
but even with a lack of slumber, she was elated.
satisfied.
determined.

Aningan was initially surprised by the summons, and then excited; he wondered what it might be about and if their former conversation could be coming back to light. The boy made quick work of seeking Rosalyn out, discovering upon his arrival that she was not alone. He approached the pair with a wagging tail and smile, greeting them with, “Ilitannamek.” That they were together made him feel better—did that mean they’d already spoken? As eager as he was, he did what he could to stay calm and maintain his composure, patiently waiting for either of them to speak.

Aningan was as eager as ever in appearing, and Rosalyn warmed to him.  She knew the decision that they made was right; the pack would thrive and he would grow, but their future too would be secure.  They had spoken long that there was only one way for this to be the case.

We spoke about what you asked me, she said, and smiled at him.  I will not be your second... unless we both may be.  She would not rise if she did not do so alongside her wife.  She paused, allowing him to respond and Erzulie time to add.  There was much for them to discuss.

he had begun to grow on her, the bearish young man. rusalka owed him a debt, though the harlot did not think she would ever admit it.
a slow blink of mismatched eyes toward rosalyn as she spoke, but her attention was regifted to aningan when the pirate had finished.
"we know dis is unexpected, and dat is why we wanted to offer you somet'ing. a show of good faith," erzulie went on, pausing to gauge rosalyn's reaction or hand the reins of the talk to her wife.

The conversation took a turn in the direction he hoped—and the smile she showed made him all but certain she would agree. But as she continued to speak, saying she would not be his second, his expression briefly faltered; disappointment flitted across his face, brows pulling together whilst he fought off the frown that tugged at his lips. A fight that he easily won, too, as she continued—agreeing to take the position, as long as she was joined by Erzulie.

Aningan remained silent for a good few seconds, processing what was said—whilst the decision itself required no additional attention. “Âhailâ!” was the first he thought to say; if he could have two seconds instead of just one, that sounded like the best possible option. Especially if Rosalyn and Erzulie were to be the ones to fill those roles. “Kangâ. I didn’t think to ask you before, Erzulie,” he continued, apologetic. “Having you both as my seconds is even better than having just one of you. I like that idea.” He felt foolish for not having thought of it himself but was glad that they did. Too caught up in the good news, he didn’t think to ask more on the offer mentioned.

The Pirate hadn't thought it would be a battle.  Surely if he regarded her highly enough to ask, his dismissal of her wife was purely because he hadn't known to ask.  It had been apparent when she made the statement he hadn't realized seconds could be chosen.

Erzulie looked to her for confirmation, and Rosalyn tipped her muzzle, but did not speak for her.  They'd talked about this too... and while Rosalyn had shared her fears, she'd also shared her joys.  These past months had shown how wrong she was in her estimation of what family meant, and her heart was full of what their love had brought.  She wanted only for her wife to be happy, and if that meant the wish Erzulie had spoken, she was elated.  Her shoulder touched, and she held her tongue... and her breath, momentarily.  Would she?

a pause. a breath. a nod to show aningan her pleasure at being considered, thought of so highly.
"aningan," the harlot began, buoyed by rosalyn's support. "would you consider being de father to dis years's litter?" out now, the words curled in the air between he and they.
but erzulie was not regretful. 
this was the correct choice.
she fell silent then, her eyes filling with a gentle encouragement.

In his mind, things were settled: Rosalyn and Erzulie were both to be his seconds and the reason behind his being summoned was addressed.

But they weren’t done yet!

Whilst Roz remained silent, her wife did not. Any and all attempts at processing her question resulted in Aningan basically blue-screening. Holding the pair in such high regard, he struggled to figure out if he could even do… that. But his offer was accepted, with a slight modification, so would it be rude to decline theirs? “I… um—” Well, answering proved harder than expected. It wasn’t a hard question, though. “Okay,” he finally managed to squeeze out, shoving himself from the nest in the process. But the thought alone terrified him—what if he messed up or did something wrong, what if this was a trick, what if they didn’t like him, what if...? “Are… are you sure?” he asked, (failing to) swallowing his panic. This was more difficult than anything he ever encountered before.

She did!

With a quiet exhale, Rosalyn released the breathe she'd been holding.  She quickly had to hold back a laugh, however, as panic writ itself clearly across the young leader's face.

Very, she replied, but the amusement in her voice was good natured.  She had none of the threats for Aningan that she'd delivered to Firefly the previous year.  She trusted both he and themselves too much this time to bother - and perhaps, if she began this with welcome rather than fear, things might turn out differently for them all.

aningan seemed quite green for a moment, struggling through an answer. his expression dispelled the last tinge of tension; erzulie's soothing laughter joined that of her wife.
so unlike the last time this was.
"very sure. you have been good for rusalka," the harlot said, genuinely meaning each word. "we would like you for dis, but only if you be wantin' it too."

Their shared certainty on the matter helped relax him, if only a little bit; if they were sure, then he should be, too. And although being certain of it didn’t necessarily make him any less worried, it did soothe him of any lingering panic—quelling the worries entirely would be for another day.

“Okay,” he repeated, a little sturdier with his words this time around. “I’ll do it.” Maybe, when the time actually came around, he would be a bit more confident (he was banking on this thought, actually). And perhaps, over time and as his anxiety died down, he might even grow to be excited. But in the meantime, he wore a ghost of a smile and said, “So then… after”—a pause, short-lived—“our family will be even bigger. I like the idea of that.” Even if the entire situation itself made him feel awkward as hell, he hung onto that part. For dear life.

He still seemed nervous, but he would not agree she felt if he did not know.  Besides, she thought with a smile, there would be none better to walk him through a nervous first than Erzulie.  If this was indeed his first.... her intuition was rarely wrong.

It will, she affirmed.  Even moreso, now.  With reason to grow she would explore once more, ranging for recruits on the plains and shoreline.

Thank you, Aningan.  Sincerely.  She'd been banking on his youth to see them raised without argument, but this second favor had been an unknown.  She appreciated both wholeheartedly.

our family.
the thought paused erzulie. she listened, gaze warm, as her wife thanked the young man. but did they truly wish him to be so involved?
it was vastly different this time, she decided. aningan was kind and would be a good father. and if he attempted any blustering, he had now given the feminine pair equal footing with himself. 
but she did not think such foolishness or cruelty was within the pale wolf.
"dis is a blessing. t'ank you first for tending rusalka so well, an' den for dis." a teasing glimmer to her mismatched eyes. "when de season is underway, may i seek you out?"

Seclusion in his youth made many social interactions difficult the first time around. And although he was getting better with time, this new task to befall him still filled the boy with anxiety; he wondered what would happen if he messed up, then how at risk he truly was of faltering. But for as nervous as he was, he tried his best to hide it. “Thank you for, uhm… considering me,” he told them, offering a slow wag of his tail. If he just thought about it less, maybe he wouldn’t be so nervous (brilliant plan, Aningan).

Despite the panic that was steadily brewing within him, Aningan did not regret agreeing to what they asked; if doing so made them happy, then he wanted to do it. Besides, the thought of their family growing was too enticing to turn down—briefly, he wondered what their children would think, if they would even be told what was happening. “Y-yeah!” he said then, yanking himself out of his thoughts. “I’ll be around whenever you need me.” In the meantime, he would be doing whatever he could to not think about it or psyche himself out.

Rosalyn just let out a small breath of laughter when Aningan thanked them for considering him.  Again she wondered how he had managed to hold the helm here so long... but perhaps it was that exact, charming naïveté that disarmed any who might challenge him.  There was nothing about the boy to be challenged.

Doubly pleased with the choice, she awaited any last words from Erzulie.  He would be happier with his agreement after, she thought with a smirk.

there was something peculiar here; erzulie rather suspected that aningan did not understand the levity of their request. there was more than one way to discover the truth for herself, the harlot thought to herself amusedly. "dat is good to me," she declared, shaking out her cinnamon ruff.
"if you have furt'er questions, you know where i can be found." if allowed, the beta would seek to place a gentle brush to his cheek, reaching up, for the boy was far taller than her despite his younger years.

Further questions—the number of questions swimming through his head was immense, truthfully, yet not another was voiced. There was something he was asked to do and he agreed to do it, simple as that; this thought overpowered all others, silencing the questions that plagued him. And further silenced was he by the brush of muzzle against his cheek, tail swaying back and forth once or twice. “I’ll ask you right away if I think of any,” he told her, blatantly ignoring his inner monologue and its nagging. And if neither had anything else to add, Aningan would (awkwardly) dismiss himself after that, likely to go distract himself.

Rosalyn gave Erzulie a knowing, amused look, one that was directed so Aningan could not see.  So innocent!

She stepped away, having nothing more to add, but with sudden excitement quickening her pulse.  She hadn't expected to even want more, but here they were.  The heart could be a fickle thing.

fading!

erzulie watched the large bearish boy move off, perturbed, and cast a sigh toward her mate. he would make a good pupil, the harlot decided, and match her voraciousness when the heat truly came.
she hoped their children would inherit some semblance of his kind heart, and the thought pleased erzulie as she fell into step alongside her wife.