Seaside Moors we got three more days 'til Friday [CHALLENGE]

3C°, currently it is clear and set during the morning. Located in Sequoia Coast, seaside moors | ooc notes: here we goooo, bound to happen again eventually lmao | tagging: @Aningan

Erzulie was about to burst. The pack still hadn't settled in the moors completely yet and Aningan was barely around to help with the tasks. Though Rosencrantz held nothing against the younger pale man, trying his hand a new challenge for the title of Alpha was beginning to play within his thoughts again - this time, for more reason than just to see what he was capable of and create some kind of camaraderie between them. 

This time, it was for the pack's sake. They needed someone more present. At least that's how he felt. 

Sending out a howl to call the current Alpha, hopefully, they could come to a verbal agreement before things got hairy - but Rose was willing to see how much effort Aningan would put into keeping his title too should he chose to fight for it.

rolling tomorrow, when we’re both online/present!

Anxiety was a terrible thing; the sea tried to crush them all once before but, after death was realised, he knew the inland was no better. No matter where they went, terrible things seemed to follow—were they cursed? It was a possibility he tried the best he could to not acknowledge, wanting more than anything for it to be untrue. And yet, when left alone with his thoughts—a common thing as of late—he found his mind drifting back to that one. But cursed or not, if it meant to kill them all, he was prepared to see them all taken by the sea again over anything else.

When a howl sounded over the Moors, he found it difficult to be surprised. Casting a glance out towards the sea, suspicious of it still, he did not immediately break away from his spot. Only after a moment or two of staring did he abandon his place, turning and seeking out the source of the howl—and when he arrived his silence followed him, gaze meeting that of the marred man with the question left hanging within his stare: what do you want?

As Aningan approached the knight's expression had not broken. His thoughts remained the same. I think you're tired. It might be time to allow someone else to lead. He began, hoping that Aningan would willingly step down instead of fighting it out. We have puppies coming, I don't see you around often unless called.

Spar thread here. Because I am blind when it comes to finding things, lmao.

Rosencrantz was quick to make his intentions obvious: he wanted to lead. The corners of his lips shifted downwards as a frown settled across his features—a frown that soon morphed into a scowl. Truth be told Aningan was tired, but not of leading. No, he was tired of having such little respect shown to him, of being doubted—and for a male finally coming into his own, there was only so much he could take before it all came spilling over. Whilst he wanted to be himself, to continue to lead without force, instincts and events made it clearer and clearer each day that he couldn’t. “You’re not taking over,” he stated, staring the other down. “They’re my puppies that are coming and I’m not letting anyone else take over. They need me to be the leader for them.”

Briefly, Aningan thought back to his conversation with Nieve. How he once wondered if he would be more respected had he come to power by other means, by the will of the pack instead of a mere challenge. But now the knew better—challenges were the Rusalkan way. The only way to have and maintain power was to win them.

That thought drove him to silence—drove him to lunge forward, jaws agape and seeking to grab hold of his packmate’s muzzle.

As Aningan's answer came, Rosencrantz frowned as well. Corners creasing as he continued, and Rosencrantz could only think of one thing: how selfish Aningan sounded. Not every puppy in this pack is yours, you must think of each life who look to you to lead. The words came tumbling out, flat, unimpressed, rolling with a tune underlying of a growl. A young leader who was barely around to help with the tasks, only living with the title under him and using the words "mine", Rose, for the first time, was beginning to rethink his loyalty. Perhaps he had none for Aningan after today and only thought of the Betas as the true leaders to this crumbling pack. 

What a selfish leader you've become. He spat out the wicked, hate-filled words. "Me", "mine", he sounded like a whelp not a leader of any type - and he lunged. Stepping back enough to shield him from the brunt of the attack, still, his skin burst, and blood spilled but that didn't stop him. Like a dance of gladiators, he stepped forward once more, into his own attack and with a maw spit wide open aimed to grab onto the boy's shoulder and tear any bit he could.

All further words spoken fell on deaf ears. Aningan tried an alternate way—he tried being the leader he through he should be, tried leading as himself—but all that ever got him was challenge after challenge. If they would respect him neither as a leader nor as himself, then he had to change. He would change, in whatever ways their actions pushed him to.

The metallic taste of blood on his tongue was startling, to say the least; this was still a new thing for him, something he didn’t feel entirely right committing to. There was a moment of hesitance after he released his grip, an echo in the back of his head saying you shouldn’t be doing this. Rose was a member of his pack, a member of his family. Could he really continue with this? The feeling of teeth against his own flesh brought him back to reality, reminding him that he couldn’t just end it now—he couldn’t surrender, despite realising how much he hated this violence against the male. Shoving his shoulder further into the maw of his opponent, Aningan sought to take hold of an ear, a scruff—whatever he could reach.

All second thoughts of the challenge had flown out the window. The paladin had no regrets for issuing the challenge for the throne of Rusalka now that he knew where Aningan stood - his own puppies would not be watched by their leader, but by the knight and their mothers alone while Aningan only focused on his own brood. 

As the boy glanced by the ear and took his scruff, Rose twisted while attempting to rip into his own previous attack and continue shredding through the wound to make his point as well to attempt to shake him off.

The tearing of his shoulder only made the younger of the pair tighten his grip on the scruff, holding back the yelp that threatened to fly out. Aningan shoved forward through the searing pain, scruff still secured tightly betwixt jaws. In an effort to save what flesh he could, he attempted to use his weight against Rose by leaning into his scruff, hoping to force him down enough to have his shoulder released and his opponent beneath him—much the same as during their first battle, now with the roles reversed.

Bitting and chewing his way through. Though both men were large enough that Aningan's weight against his back didn't go much against his own grip keeping him anchored to his shoulder, what was next decided the battle. With a frustrated growl, his fangs slipped, cutting through the flesh instead of gripping - losing what hold he had and finding his face hitting the dusty ground. 

He knew the outcome of this battle by now, losing his grip was the turning point and of all the battles to lose, this one had to be the most bitter of them all. Even with his head on the ground, the pushed forward, determination driving him to try and bite at Aningan's leg, ankle - he had puppies coming too and the selfish boy was in no right to ignore the other lives coming! Rosalyn, and possibly Raleska too should her heat filled adventure bear fruit. 

Not to mention him protecting Cupid after she selfishly poisoned the rest of her little within her womb... More and more he lost the desire to follow the boy in white.

A slip of teeth against flesh, his shoulder freed and the other male cast downward. Aningan shoved him further to the ground, pinning the older male beneath him; he loosed his own grip in order to snap his jaws next to Rose’s ear, a growl emitted from deep within his chest. He didn’t want this—he never wanted things to end up this way. Even as the other tried to snap at his legs, the Inuk’s mind was filled only with regret. Attacking a packmate—what type of leader did that make him? Not one he wanted to see himself become.

“Kangâ…” he said first, heaving a sigh. “I didn’t want to fight you, Rosencrantz. I didn’t want this to happen.” He didn’t want to be a leader that led this way—he didn’t want to be like the leader he overthrew, nor like Caiaphas, as much as he still missed her. “I just want this to stop,” he said, although he was yet to let the other up—he had things he wanted to say and he was going to say them. “You’re part of my family. Rusalka… Rusalka is my family. I want to keep everyone safe and I need this position to do that. I can’t let anything bad happen again…” He couldn’t and he wouldn’t.

Slowly, Aningan removed himself off the other and moved back, wincing as he used his shoulder, allowing some space between them. “I don’t want you to hate me,” he continued. “I want us to be family.” It was what he wanted, what he has always wanted, for the entire pack.

Despite his efforts, his desire to win, sometimes, things just didn't go in one's favor. Fighting often had luck be a part of it, skill played the largest part but of course, sometimes, things didn't stack in your favor. Aningan pressed down on him, halting any further forward movement. Angrily he scowled and snarled at the leg just out of his grasp.

His words fell on deaf ears, the roles seemingly reversed as now Rosencrantz was fueled by rage. Quickly he rose to his feet once Aningan got off of him, a quick glare was shared before he turned his back on the boy. Fur still on edge, muscles coiled as tensed. I have no family. He spat - though Rosalyn may change that should their coupling bring life, for now, he could only hope until he was certain. My, me,— he parroted Aningan's words. there are other lives you are responsible for as a leader than just those you made. And with that, he was done here.

we need a non-bitey thread at some point, my dude lmao thanks for another fun challenge

Aningan watched and he listened, and he wondered if his own words were truly heard. Frowning, he pulled his ears back and stared at the other, only just able to get out the words, “I know.” The lives he helped create were not his only family—those were not the only ones he needed to protect. He took over to protect the pack. He moved inland, then back to the coast again, to protect the pack. Everything he did, he did with them in mind—but it never seemed to be enough.

Whether he was believed or not, whether his true intentions were ever known, Aningan would always wonder. But he knew now there was nothing left to say, nothing that would be heard after what just transpired. So with that, he took his leave, seeking to bury his wounds beneath the crashing waves.