Ankyra Sound A place for my head.

After being knocked on his ass by an angry pregnant lady, Firefly had been relocated to the cavern where he could be watched over properly. It took some time before he woke. His wounds were not severe, although they had bled profusely after-the-fact. Maybe all he had needed was a bit of shut eye to make things right? The stress of his position was immense; adding to that the dangers presented on one side from Drageda and the concept that he was going to be a father, and Firefly had been a mess. He'd said some things he hadn't meant — done some things that filled him with regret.

In those first few moments after waking, none of that applied.

It was like he was still dreaming. The light was so soft, but stung his eyes. The smell of salt in the air reminded him of the beach — but he didn't know which beach. The crashing waves reverberated through the earth, their rumble felt more than heard, and it was soothing. The man didn't remember anything for just a fraction of a second, but then it all came rushing back like the tide. Rosalyn's enraged face flashed in his mind's eye; he felt the sting of her teeth, the vitriol in his own words, the dizzying darkness that swarmed his vision. The crunch of his body in the sand.

And when he fully came-to, he only saw @Yami, standing in the cavern entrance surrounded by brilliant light. She was glowing. She was beautiful — Hey, he croaked to her and licked the salt from his lips. How long was I out?

Yami had no idea how to take care of someone who was injured. She had never paid attention to the things her older sister had done to take care of her hurts when she'd gotten herself into trouble as a kid. She'd never paid attention to what plants Lyra fed her or anything else like that. She'd just run off the moment she could to go get herself into some other mess that they'd have to mop up.

No, she'd never learned how to take care of herself. But that didn't stop her from uselessly hovering over Firefly while he recovered. She had nothing to offer him but her company while he laid there, unconscious. If anyone came to finish him off, she liked to believe she wouldn't let it happen. But frankly, some of these wolves scared the hell out of her, and there wouldn't be much use in both of them dying, now would there? Fortunately, nothing like that had happened, and when she stepped up to the den to stare at him for another couple of hours, she was figuring it would be more of the same.

But it wasn't. He woke up. Yami blinked in surprise as he spoke, relief immediately washing over her. He was okay. Thank. Fuck.

"Hi," she replied, surprise evident, "Uh.. A while. How are you feeling?"

She seemed genuinely shocked that he was alive right now. A gasp of a word fell from her perfect lips and she drew closer, Firefly watching her sleepily; it was like he had died and come back different, imprinting on the first thing his tired eyes landed upon. At least it was someone closer to his own age.

Feels like... Like I got throttled pretty good, he tried to sit up as he spoke. The wounds had been well tended while he slept, so aside from some discomfort he didn't have any negative reactions. The wounds were halfway healed. Probably deserved it. 

But then he remembered with a jolt — Where is Rosalyn?

Yami wasn't dense enough to not notice he was looking at her a little weird. But she was dense enough to not realize why. She squinted at him suspiciously, wondering if he had more of a head injury than they'd originally suspected. When he moved, she stepped forward to stop him, but ended up just hovering weirdly near him instead.

"Throttled, yes. Deserved? I doubt it," she said as she watched him. She wasn't privvy to what the conversation had been between the two of them that had inspired the violence, but Rosalyn was a hot-headed psychopath in her estimation. She'd probably just flipped on him for no reason. She remembered her talk of throwing Caiaphas to the neighbors to finish her off. Maybe Firefly had told her no.

"I don't know," she answered, "I don't think anyone has seen her since she attacked you." Which was lucky, because Rosalyn was one of those wolves in the pack that scared the hell out of her that she really hadn't wanted to see at Firefly's doorstep. "Do you remember anything about what happened?" she asked.

So she hadn't returned yet. Firefly didn't know how long he was out but he was instantly nervous for the health of the woman and her children, even if she had curb-stomped him. The pack needed to be made aware of the change in leadership - but then he thought, maybe, it wouldn't hold. Rusalka was a tumultuous place and he knew it was, at least in part, because of him. Firefly let out a deep sigh and felt the sting of his wounds, but was quiet for a moment.

Do you remember anything about what happened? Yami asked, and his attention drifted back to her. He could look at her all day — but made himself focus. She gave up her position and I was pissed off. I confronted her about it, said some things I'm not proud of, and got smacked for it. I was -- I am, concerned about the safety of our pack. It put further pressure on me to find out I was alone in leading us, and I couldn't take that. Maybe it was wrong of him to explain this to Yami; she would see him as weak now, as a burden, and that look in her eye would change. It pained him to admit this to her but Firefly knew he had to explain himself; at the very least, the pack deserved transparency. 

Still, he seemed disgruntled by it. She challenged me and won. I'm not your superior anymore. But where was she?

Okay, so he did know what had happened to him. Good. Yami didn't know medicine very well, but she did know memory loss meant head trauma and head trauma was bad. She was interested to hear the full story too, though she didn't think of him the way he suspected she would. Not at all. In fact, this confession to her was the first glimmer of sanity she'd seen in any of these egotistical morons who seemed hellbent on causing chaos and instability in the ranks. So no, if anything, this just made her admire him more.

If only she had an inkling of what was going through his head each time he looked at her.

At his final comment, Yami could only give him a skeptical smirk. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll last all of five minutes," she said, glancing away, "And anyway, if she gave up her position, what does it matter if she won? Doesn't that mean she doesn't want it?" Unless she gave it up because she didn't want to share it, but the smacking seemed related to what Firefly had said, not because she wanted him out of the picture. Rosalyn was kind of nuts though, so Yami supposed all things were possible.

He frowned as he listened to her synopsis, but couldn't find fault in it - maybe because he was now so biased. Her view made sense, and made him worry all the more if Rusalka could survive the next few weeks. What would happen if they didn't have a leader? It called in to question the lives of the unborn, but also the state of their pack. They couldn't be seen as weak if the wolves on the cliff were to choose to retaliate after all (it hadn't been brought to his attention yet that Drageda was no more).

I guess that means someone else will take over, but... Who would do that? His frown returned, and he made sure to look away from her so she didn't take it personally. Maybe Illidan will take it, its his land. Or I could take it back. He tried to shrug his shoulders and winced when he remembered the injuries, which tightened with stabby pain.

Yami frowned at his response. She didn't know Illidan well enough to have anything good or bad to say about him, but it still wasn't computing with her why Firefly was no longer the pack's alpha. If Rosalyn had dethroned him without taking his place, didn't that mean he could just... step back up? There was no one to take it from, so...

God this pack was fucked up. Yami shook her head lightly to brush the thoughts aside. Why did she bother trying to figure out how it ought to work when it was all anarchy in the end? "You should take it back," she encouraged, "I mean, doesn't seem like there's anyone to even take it from."

She frowned thoughtfully, then added after a beat, "Is this how the pack has always been? You all just... constantly fight each other for control and have someone new at the top every week? Does anyone even like each other?" Yami hadn't wanted to ask before. She hadn't felt comfortable doing so because she knew it would be obvious she was judging the hell out of all of them when she did. Firefly had been the one to bring her here, though, and she wasn't sure she could call him her friend, but he was the closest she had. And frankly, she was tired of walking on eggshells around these crazies.

She supported him with her words — and in his current state it was all he needed, really, to cement the concept in to his mind. He'd take it back. He could do it, he had done it before - poorly, yes, but - with Yami on his side then anything was possible. Boy, was he ever delusional. He was about to say something very important but as soon as his mouth opened, she jumped ahead with questions that were so boldly spoken that he was, temporarily, stunned by her. Not only was she beautiful, but she had a spine too! He couldn't love her more than he did in that very moment.

I guess. We haven't been on the beach for very long, just a few months I think? Caiaphas was the original alpha, and then there was me. And I don't think it has anything to do with liking and disliking; this isn't a popularity contest, his brow furrowed as he frowned, finding the comparison too simplistic. We want whats best, and so we fight to be on top.

I'll take it back though, because she told him too - but also because he now felt like he could, with or without Rosalyn. And I think you should lead with me. Get a taste of what its like. She was being bold so, why not repay that charming attitude with some surprises of his own? He watched her calmly, waiting to see the fallout of the proposition.

Yami wasn't surprised to hear the pack had only been together for a few months. Well, she was. But she also wasn't. When Caiaphas had been in charge, she would've suspected the pack had been here for years. But the moment she'd been displaced, her doubt about the pack had begun to grow. Firefly insisted this wasn't a popularity contest, and truly it didn't seem to be. But Yami's only experience with pack life had been Moonspear, and she couldn't imagine even her most ambitious of sisters ever trying to dethrone Charon. No, there was some element missing here, and while it likely should've been obvious to her, Yami couldn't see it.

She shortly quit trying to come up with that missing puzzle piece when Firefly unexpectedly made his propostion. Yami snapped her attention back to him, her eyes widening in shock and confusion. She should what now? "I... Why?" she blurted, even though he had sort of already explained why he felt the way he did. Her heart was suddenly beginning to hammer in her chest at the prospect of rising into something even Hydra would be jealous of. And Firefly. What did. Firefly.

Because you're just as qualified as anyone else here — and you're level-headed, and gorgeous, and probably saner than Rosalyn. He replied without much thought involved, blurting it out with more of an up-beat vibe than ever shown before. If it wasn't clear that he'd been curb-stomped in the head yet, there was the big clue.

As highly as Yami thought of herself and of her potential, it didn't say a lot to her that the other members of this pack were just as qualified as she was to lead. She blinked at him, her expression bewildered, but thoughtful. She was pretty level-headed, and gorgeous, and definitely saner than Rosalyn. That was also not saying much, but true nonetheless. Maybe it wasn't a terrible idea. It was what she wanted after all...

"I'm... gorgeous?" she asked softly as that part of his comment suddenly burst into her mind ten times louder than it had before. It should've occurred to her that physical attractiveness being part of the yardstick he measured leadership ability on was something of a red flag, but she was distracted by how gorgeous he thought she was.

He grinned when she finally caught on to what he said, unable to help himself. She seemed utterly bewildered by it, which was charming in and of itself; and he just nodded. You were pretty cute when I first saw you, if I'm gonna be honest. He'd keep on loading her up with compliments if it meant she'd rule beside him; she could do no wrong in his mind, in the state that it was in post-pummelling. 

Without thinking about how dizzy he was feeling right that second (whether it was from his injuries or from her presence), Firefly lunged and got to his feet, then staggered over to the grotto's arching entrance, where she was stationed in the light. If you're scared to lead, I'll be beside you to help. We're both young and bound to make mistakes; hell, I've made a bunch already. But you can't really fuck up. Have you noticed how quickly shit changes around here..? If you want to step back from it, someone will happily take over.

He was a little bit toooo close to her now but hey, he wanted to bask in her awesomeness. Someone get this guy some drugs because he was clearly in need of something.

She was cute? When he saw her? Yami watched him as he smiled at her, then stood and came nearer. He was talking about things. Leadership and... leading. And things. But all she could do was stare at him. He was so close to her, and he was so full of compliments (okay, well, one compliment, but that was all she really needed). He was making her feel like she was something when for so long she hadn't felt like anything except not good enough, a waste, worthless.

Yami did catch onto one thing, however, and her eyes narrowed when her brain caught up to it. "I'm not scared of anything," she insisted, her voice a small growl. The whole she was gorgeous thing would definitely remain on the table for discussion, but if there was one thing she needed to make clear above anything else was that she was not afraid. She was not some useless, stupid child cowering in the shadows of a family that was just too large for life. She was better. She was gorgeous, yes, but she was also fearless. And she was determined everyone know that.

Even though it was only true like maybe 23% of the time.

He'd got her snared to the idea of leadership, which thrilled him more than it should have. That defiant look was scrumptious; he felt a sudden hunger — maybe for her, maybe for power, maybe it was really a small aneurism forming in his stupid head, who knows. But her agreement was met with a bigger grin, and he opened his mouth to say something — Good, then lets --- at that precise moment a call rose in the air, and as it funneled through the grotto's gaping stone maw, he was cut off.

It sounded like Vaati calling for -- Rosalyn. She was home. He flashed a look at Yami as he side-stepped around her, rushing outside even though his body was protesting against his movement, he was still aching from the beat-down. With a muffled exclamation (Oh, shit.) Firefly stood outside of the grotto and side-eyed Yami, wondering how she'd take the issued challenge. A part of him should've been worried for the matron but after having his ass thoroughly bludgeoned, Firefly assumed Ros could take care of herself.

But if she couldn't, that meant a lot was about to change.

He was so close, and that look in his eye. It was one she had seen before. Tru had gotten that look in his eye from time to time, when they ran into a lonely female on their travels that he had taken a liking to. Yami had thought she could make him look at her like that, and make him do to her what he did to them. She couldn't. He never looked at her like that. He never looked at her like Firefly looked at her now. Yami had never truly understood why she had craved it so badly before, but now it was all making sense. She liked being looked at like this. She liked it a lot.

Rosalyn.

And just like that, the spell was somehow broken. Yami hadn't heard the howl. She'd been too busy subtly leaning in closer to Firefly, hoping to feel his touch. But it apparently had happened, and he had moved, and he had said that psychopath's name as he turned away from her. Anger and indignation flooded through her, but she merely looked at him as he turned back and looked at her. She didn't give a crap about Rosalyn. Why the hell did he?

"Yeah?" Yami said, her position on this situation abundantly clear. At that moment, she wasn't thinking about how they had just been discussing taking control of the pack themselves and how this challenge meant they clearly had competition. She was thinking about how he had been so close to her, and now he was over there, looking worried about freakin' Rosalyn.

Oblivious to how Yami felt for the time being, Firefly felt the need to charge on over there and figure out what the hell was happening. Vaati wouldn't really hurt a pregnant woman, would he? And what if he did...? The man's body trembled as his blood began to heat; the thought of his unborn dying over some stupid dominance shift was too much. Yami had turned away from him now; he didn't notice, and cursed under his breath, If my kids die to that man — but he's already on his way, launching in to a run and leaving Yami in the dust — although his thoughts are with the unborn, not Rosalyn, which might give the girl a glimmer of hope.

And just like that, he was gone. Yami sat there, staring after him as he retreated, presumably to go after Rosalyn. Her anger burned hot and wild, but was extinguished as soon as he was out of sight. Hurt replaced it. Hurt and that horrible, awful feeling that Tru had once made her feel. That her sisters had made her feel, and that her parents had made her feel.

Second best. Never important enough. No matter what she did, how close she came. Always in the shadow of someone else that was more worth their time, their attention. Their love.

Yami didn’t follow him. She left the cave and slipped out of the grotto in the opposite direction. She wanted nothing to do with him, the pack, any of it.

His kids?