Ankyra Sound And raised up to be the rebel, I was made with a little bit of fire, you see.

How dare he? And how dare she?

As the howl faded, at first, Rosalyn was shocked.  This slowly, gradually, turned to incensed as more time passed.  The pirate had been growing to like Firefly, but the fact that he'd claimed Rusalka as his own immediately threw her back up.  Erzulie was not nearby, so she paced alone along the strand, working herself up into a right fire.

If she weren't pregnant, she'd take him from it herself.  This was a plan, right? A way for him to force them to allow him to claim the children he'd given them.  He said he had no wish to do so but he'd also threatened death to her when she'd so much as joked about dethroning the witch.  Now this? The timing was too convenient.

And Caiaphas.  She'd thought her rival stronger than that, to be bested by a man like that.  Well.  If he threw his rank, she'd not submit.  And if he wanted to force her to, he could try.  She glanced at her softly rounded sides.....

It was tempting.  It was so tempting, to take it now that the siren no longer held.  She had no wish to be ruled by Firefly, no desire to bow her head to another man who would only disappoint.  Slowly, resolutely, she turned, and began walking towards the sound of the call.

Shed make up her mind by the time she got there.

With Raleska dealt with, the man was left to wait at the cave's mouth for signs of the rest of the horde. He wondered who would be next; his mind drifted to the pale man (Vaati) who he had tried to challenge before and, surprisingly, was amused by the thought that he'd won a step higher without as much effort. He could not be as proud of his win as he'd like. Perhaps if Caiaphas had been in her prime things would have gone differently - but he was the king now so speculation did not matter much.

The wolf that did creep across the sand was one of the women. He noticed the scent of her first and was briefly elated by the thought of seeing Erzulie — thus he turned with a smile and a swagger, but the look hardened somewhat when he recognized that it was not her. The dark-coated Rosalyn, her features unreadable to him. Firefly wondered what she was thinking and hoped she would not do anything to contest what he'd done — for the sake of those precious children inside of her. How would Erzulie react if something terrible happened, and who would be blamed?

She did know by the time she arrived.

She wasn't thinking about the fact that she had no desire to lead.  She wasn't thinking of how Erzulie would feel about this, though her wife's reaction was something she'd likely have to deal with later.  Rosalyn was growing to like him, but she did not trust him, and her unbalanced emotions at the moment were leaning heavily on one thought - he would try to enforce his position on her children.  A position and power she was not willing to give.

Her fur spiked as she approached, but this was the only warning she gave.  Doubtless he'd won the title fairly from the witch - well, now he'd need to win it from her too.  As fear and anger overrode reason, Rosalyn lunged for him, aiming to snap in from the side and unbalance the larger wolf.

The last thing he would've expected from her was any shred of glee, or praise. Maybe from Erzulie. The longer he basked in her company the more he could see she was seething, but he couldn't tell what emotion ruled her. She was a woman so he presumed there would be a mess of them - and a hormonal one at that, so none of it would hold any sense.

When she drifted closer he was starting to tense. Then, as she struck at him, Firefly did what came naturally and shifted his weight - but he let her grab for him, figuring her own balance would be insufficient because of the additional weight and odd distrobution. As an addendum Firefly lanced at her muzzle with his own, intent on striking her chin and preventing any harm from either of them; the fact she would try to brawl in her condition made him frown, and soon his chest rumbled with a warning.

First the kid, now you - the fuck is wrong with everyone, he murmured through a grimace, and paced away from her before she retaliated. I'm not fighting a pregnant woman, so quit it Roz. All the same, he stood tall and let his tail raise to enforce his new position. He wouldn't accept a challenge from her but he wouldn't lay down and take her shit either.

He judged correctly.... she did stumble, with an internal curse, but caught herself and shifted, eyeing him warily as he spoke.  She had no intention of letting him talk her down. Erzulie perhaps could have, or maybe even Caiaphas.  Anyone but the source of her now insecurity.

You won't fight me, but I won't submit to you, She said, lifting her own head and letting her eyes meet his.  She couldn't.   Submitting would mean signing herself and her children over to his rule, and that wasn't what she'd agreed on coming here.  Caiaphas was the one she'd joined, and even that grudgingly.  This was unacceptable.  Pregnant or not.

Her words weren't as lancing as he'd expected but they held a truth to them, and her additional posturing would have caused him further agitation if he'd been at all interested in the power associated with his rank. Firefly should've known not to speak. They didn't have a strong relationship, at least not strong enough for her to trust him or his word, and this secondary truth slowly dawned upon him - and with it, an idea.

So don't. It was an easy fix. No fighting, no submission. They were going to be bringing a new generation to the Sound and while Firefly had no desire to insert himself in to the lives of the children, he could not be expected to go head-to-head with their mother at every opportunity either. Firefly did not think of the fears she held; he didn't care about the children beyond the limit of what the pack expected of each member, they weren't his even if they had his blood or were grown from his planted seed. It was the agreement that had been made, and he would obey it.

But that could only mean, you should lead beside me.

She was preparing for a fight because in her mind, twisted by pregnancy and years of mistrust, his intentions couldn't be unrelated.  So what he did say took the wind right out of her sails.

Some of the shock definitely showed in her expression, though she kept her lips tightly closed, watching him as warily as when she'd begun.  Later when her senses returned she would likely kick herself for the position she'd thrown herself into, but right now, there was no real hesitating.  It was the only outcome that required no fight.

Yes.  I accept.  She backed up, some of the tension leaving her as she did so.  She did not care if he led the others, so long as they did not care either.  It was only her and Erzulie's autonomy she wished to protect, and by placing herself at his side, she ensured it.

She saw the value of his offer, and while the surprise registered across her face he wondered to himself if she would be able to handle it. Then he realized, maybe he wouldn't be able to handle it? Leading wasn't what he had been after; it had been as whimsical a challenge as her own when he'd faced Caiaphas. At the very least Firefly was pleased he wouldn't have to fight her.

Without another word, he gave her an imploring look and then lifted his chin, and after a pause to make sure she was following his lead (it would be the last time she followed anyone's lead), called out to the pack with his deep voice yet again; he hoped to hear her song entwined with it, unifying the pair of them and showing their combined strength to all that surrounded the Sound.

She caught his look, but didn't detect the meaning until he lifted his head.  As he howled, she did raise her own voice to join his, their tones twining and raising above the Sound.

When they had finished, she would need to seek out @Erzulie - and as it dawned on her what she'd done, and agreed to, it occurred to her to wonder just what the other woman might think of this.  

can be last from me unless we wanna continue! Oh man <3