Barrow Fields who is doing you wrong?

rus/st/other seawolves

debriefed upon their perilous claim, erzulie had spat in the direction of the sagtannet-drenched tangle and stalked down from the cliffs to the field stretching beyond ankyra. the sound she stopped to watch for a long time, before at last turning away from the stands of oceanpine and allowing the brisk wind to steal her breath as she stood in a huge expanse of flatland.
reminded of the moors. reminded of how she had come here before, with rosalyn; how they had fled beyond this place the first bear. always a bear. lip curling, wind clawing the edges of her pelt up and up until she was wrapped in allspice war-robes.

He kept along the ocean's side, his pace had slowed since his visit to the moors as his feet dragged along the sands with heavy prints. The fields that took over the landscape felt strange, he was certain the sea-side wolves would never claim such a desolate-looking place despite its vicinity near the sea - and so he kept walking. Fatigue was becoming a real problem, knowing very well he had to rest at some point, it felt as if it was an impossible task as all that lingered on his mind was to find where they had all gone too. To know they were all fine even if he was to be turned away. That his absence didn't mean their destruction and complete loss of life.

And then, almost like a mirage - a familiar figure came to sight. In disbelief the paladin watched the figure for a bit longer, slowly approaching cautiously... and yet, the closer he got, the better he could see her, the more she seemed really there. Erzulie. He croaked, almost questioning but not quite. Half expecting this one to just be some kind of doppelganger to tease his senses.

erzulie did not hear the tread of the prodigal above the crash of the waves. it was not until her ears beheld the familiar ring of the man's voice did she turn her head, setting a thoughtful gaze upon him.
she was not surprised to see that he had returned; the archangel had been ever-loyal to rusalka since he had been among them. perhaps it had been the woman tundra who had turned his head, but she could not know this for certain. only that he, that tundra, and that rowan had all departed the moors not so many days in between.
but rosencrantz was here now.
"why did you abandon us?" words without judgement, hovering between them and threatened by the wind.

Her words cut deeper than any wound. He felt them wiggle their way into his chest, into his belly, and they sat there. Abandoned. It was calm, the hate didn't radiate from the harlot but instead, there was an air of callousness about it. The paladin fought to keep her gaze, despite how much he wanted to look away and avert his own remaining eye from the thing that felt like hurt - the hurt he must have caused them. But he didn't, his gaze remained steady despite his own wishes knowing very damn well she deserved all his attention right now. 

I was supposed to be back long ago. Was that even close to being good enough? It left a bitter taste on his own tongue to speak it. For so long he patrolled their borders, kept his place, listened and fought - and then when they needed him most, he wasn't there. She wanted to find her family... and I wanted more time. More time with his new wife before she ventured away. 

It was much longer than anticipated. He scanned her body, looking out for any possible injuries the ursine may have left if there was indeed such an attack.

erzulie watched the warrior for a long moment, listening. he was truly contrite; it was visible to her very gaze. she had already forgiven him.
but she looked out to the sea all the same, lapsing into thought.
their chacal, this man's biological child.
and erzulie did not wish to see him fit himself into such a young life. chacal needed only her mothers. there was no intelligence in keeping any father save aningan close.
she did not think it was her place to tell.
"we move to claim de seacliffs now, dat way. old history." voice light, gaze searching.

There was no venom being exchanged, no more inquiries or questions about his loyalty to their claim. If he was seeing it properly, Erzulie had already forgiven him for leaving earlier as long as he had. So it seems he has crossed one of the two bridges with only himself to give the paladin grief over the lack of presence. Is that an invitation back? He had to be sure.

Wanting to ask about the rumors of a bear causing them to scatter did cross his mind, but this was not the time. Not unless he wanted to overstep some boundaries on such a fresh reunion if his forgiveness was on a thin line. There was much he wanted to ask and most would be answered in time he was sure, rather than bombarding Erzulie here and now.

a quirk of her mouth, something impassive. "you did not'ing to me. but i leave dat decision to rosalyn." it was the pirate that held the feeling for how the archangel had gone, and she knew her wife would share the misgiving of having chacal's sire in rusalka again.
she turned then, traversing through the sea-grass with an easy step that beckoned rosencrantz along if he so chose. "aningan no longer leads us. a man came to de pack an' joined. not a moon later an' he had challenged de boy. he won, but rosalyn an' i refuse to bow to men any longer." a cool smile. "we t'rew him out. and now rusalka is ours."

Yes, it was Rosalyn who he possibly hurt more - though, she didn't ask him to be around for the puppy they made. It was complicated, at least to him. Nothing but a donor, not much of a word of a choice thereafter. There was even a chance that his child would never know he was a part of them, it wasn't his choice, but, in a way, was Rosalyn and the child still his responsibility? This whole thing made his head hurt. 

Erzulie began to speak again, stealing his attention immediately as she explained some new occurrence he wasn't even remotely aware of. Aningan was overthrown by some new man, someone Rosencrantz would likely never meet since as quickly as it happened, the wives banished him despite the traditions of the pack. He nodded. As it should have been from the very start. It was without question that he respected the wives more than he ever did for Aningan's reign. The crown suits you well, as it does Rosalyn too. 

Aningan was but a boy, barely certain of himself and his own decisions from what Rosencrantz had seen during his time in the pack. Maybe it was just sheer timing, but from his observation when around, Aningan was mostly absent. Is that why you moved? It was his attempt at prodding without ripping the wound open by even mentioning an ursine, leaving that up to her to chose to speak of it or not.

so far rosencrantz had not asked after the girl, which earned him more respect in the eyes of erzulie. their conversation despite the situational aspect had grown more easy; she was reminded of how attentive the archangel had always been. "de moors were flat, not suited for all de rain earlier in de year. we had to move to de nearby fores'. dat was when i found dat de firebirds were near, a pack rusalka had not de best history wid. de bear came after. we lost a boy of ours."
outpouring, somehow; she steeled herself. "an' dese cliffs have stood empty. dis part of de worl' be makin' de mos' sense." so they had come back. "i am going back to search for him again, once i have shown u dere."

He nodded as she spoke. The moors were flat, and he didn't miss it. The exposure he felt in its presence, made him feel like they were vulnerable to not only the weather, as Erzulie had clarified, but to anyone looking in. Despite the difficulties in finding them, he was glad they chose somewhere else and looked forward to seeing what they have chosen as their new home (and how long they would remain there until once again forced to move for one reason or another). 

From the sound of it, they were cliffs too, another higher elevation like the plateau with which he could look out into the distance - preferably ignoring the island that haunts him so. At least it sounded safer than the moors.

More information was thrown his way, unaware of the bad blood between Rusalka and the pack called Firebirds, he would remember that now. A frown etched across his face when the mention of one of them being missing, what he assumed was one of the youths. Who is it? I can help. It's the least I could do.

"valravn. he is dark wid white paws an' soft green eyes. just now six mont's," and she let the wind carry her next words off and off and again, spiraling out toward the salty depths. "he is de son of raleska, but he has only known myself an' rosalyn as his mamas."
time now to broach the subject of previous aversion. a blink, and the she-wolf had turned her direct stare upon the scarred features of the battletorn man. "all de children in rusalka have only known us as mot'er." and she would not have that upended, nor eclipsed by his return. rosencrantz must make his choice now, before erzulie led him back to rusalka and the pirate's judgement.

Remembering Raleska came back with an extra load - that she also disappeared to deliver them, breeding season this year was nothing less of an absolute clusterfuck, one of which he had participated in a low-key sort of way. Not even a word from @Vespera was spoken since their last meeting, he wondered how she was doing too. Hm. There was no need for words as he accepted the description, to keep an eye out for the pup and seek him out as he should, like any other member of Rusalka. 

If you're thinking I will infiltrate your family, fret not. I pledged myself to Rusalka last year, and I intend of continuing so. I was told I'd be a donor, not a father. And nothing more. Though his desires for a blood bond within the pack had been created through Rosalyn, the idea of becoming "father" seemed like a fever dream at this point. He was getting older with a wife who wandered and desired to find her own kin instead of making a new with him. 

Whatever blood was in Rusalka now was all he had left, what he had admitted to solidifying his loyalty - and his return should prove as much. Do you suspect otherwise?

fade w ur next post? ill start us another at rus <3 wb!

"no way of knowin' dat lest i ask." a curve of her cinnamon ear forward; as far as erzulie was concerned, she reserved the right to question him. even loyal as he had been to rusalka before.
"come. we be dere by night." she rolled a honeycream shoulder; he belonged at her side as he had before, and his return assured that for the harlot. 
come what may of the pending war with sagtannet, erzulie was pleased that rosencrantz had come back to them at last.

With that final statement, silence fell as the two began to walk once more, this time, together toward the final verdict of Erzulie's other half. During their travel he didn't speak a word unless spoken to, he simply counted down the time until finally a decision would be made and one of two paths would open up before him. One of more wandering, or one to return to something somewhat familiar. His fate was in their hands and he had no right to question it.

Fade <3