Blacktail Deer Plateau ever he is, who takes his seat so close

she led her half-grown son down to where the river curved against the lower borders of rusalka, pregnant with melted snow, its swift rushing studded with ice. for a long time she was silent.
"before you an' your siblings came into de world, we had to fight de wolves of drageda for ankyra soun', where we founded rusalka. dey were tryin' to claim it as dere own; dey lived in de cliffs above. we fought."
their independence had been won in an act of bloody revolution. it had become the core tenet of rusalka; blood, battle, all striving for a fierce and marrow-deep loyalty to one another. she smarted from aningan's reproach, which had been not only the sisters, but to erzulie and her wife also.
and so she would make him part of their crew with herself, bind him with blood.
then he would understand the truest creed of rusalka.
"if i wanted you an' your sisters to claim land for our family, would you do it?"