Ravensblood Forest if you looked at my life, and see what i see
nothing in life is to be feared,
it is only to be understood.
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#1
All Welcome 
Looking for Rusalkans!

Rusalka was a conflicting memory. She had built bonds within their territory, and unlike the sisters, she found it difficult to throw them away. Had everyone been against them? Ying shook the thought from her head. She didn't think that @Erzulie or @Rosalyn had been against them, either, not until the end... What changed?

She wandered aimlessly through the forest, allowing her mind to roam.
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sequoia coast · open for threads (3/5)
Fear is the heart of love
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#2
Since their expulsion, Rosalyn had thought of the sisters very little outside of the conversations shared with a few packmates.  Right now she was preoccupied by other things... her wife's time left her lingering on thoughts of future children.  She was excited, but anxious, and she felt the familiar discomfort leading her to roam the neighboring forests.

When she spotted the familiar form, she stopped, pulling back abruptly and watching Ying impassively.  She didn't approach; while she meant them no harm, she wasn't stupid enough to think the sentiment shared.  It might be better to pass as though they'd not met.
nothing in life is to be feared,
it is only to be understood.
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#3
Rosalyn might have gone unnoticed. She was but a flash of red, visible beneath a ray of sunshine. The huntress noticed this against the blanket of white and looked up, but the Rusalkan had disappeared from her line of sight.

Ying shrugged and continued onward. A passing breeze blew in the distinct scent of her prior clan, which she assumed was due to her proximity to their border. Her eyes latched onto another glimpse of red, prompting her to investigate.

Rosalyn? she asked, drawing nearer to where the Beta stood, What you doing? There was no malice in her voice, though she held the reserved posture of someone with a secret to guard.
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it was too soon to know if her time with aningan would be fruitful, but the potential of such set erzulie on edge.
she roamed, extending her patrol to the shared lands, and here she found the trail left by her wife. winds played through her dark ruff as a smile arrived upon her lips, pleased to be alongside the pirate once more 
but when she arrived to flank rosalyn, her two-toned eyes fell upon ying. like the pair, erzulie felt no true need to attack; of all the sisters, ying had been her favored. the harlot said nothing, watchful.
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So they would talk.

Of the three, she'd perhaps liked Mei most.  Both Ying and Hua had made the unfortunate (in her eyes) mistake of misrepresenting her children... and while she could forgive it, it had cooled her on them.  There was no enmity to her as she listened, but there wasn't much warmth to her response either.  

Nothing important, she replied, a little dismissively.  Just looking for quiet.

It wasn't until she felt Erzulie come up alongside her that she smiled, but that was directed in her brief shift of attention.  It faded as she looked again, curiously, at Ying.  You have found a place on the coast?  It was a guess.  She knew they preferred it, but she hadn't bothered to confirm where they'd gone once they'd left.
nothing in life is to be feared,
it is only to be understood.
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#6
Yeah, she replied, Hi, Erzulie. The lingering scents — a woman's scent — enticed Ying, but she knew better than to approach any further. A sheepish grin was tossed to either wolf as she shifted her gaze toward the canopy. Faint birdsong was a reminder to maintain her composure in the presence of her assumed rivals. 

Was that really it? The energy shared between them didn't feel hostile, as it might between enemies. Having had time to think about things, Ying wondered if it was really fair to consider Rusalka evil, or innately bad. It came down to motive, of which she was still unaware.

She nodded to Rosalyn. A, uh, island, Ying confirmed. Her nose scrunched into an involuntary frown and as she opened her mouth to apologize, a small laugh was released. Sorry, she said, folding back her ears, It stinks there. Was she blabbering? She was blabbering.
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"hello, ying," erzulie murmured. her wife remained cool, but the jezebel had spent long enough in contemplation to truly wonder if she and rosalyn had chosen an incorrect route.
yet in truth she stood by her decision: once made, why lament the choice? and so she stood affably alongside her mate, reassuring ying with a vague smile that was warmer than she had intended.
"de tide can reek at times," she commented, flicking tail behind her.
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If Rosalyn knew her wife's doubts, she hadn't shared them.  But she felt the awkwardness hanging over them like a silent shadow.  She'd never been a fan of niceties.  Today would be no exception.

I'm glad.  What we did... it was not personal.  She couldn't help but glance aside, to Erzulie, silently meeting to align.  Even if she didn't know Erzulie wondered, she sensed some measure of unease.  It would be good, for all of them, to air this.  And she was confident enough in her own right to be the one to answer for it, should her wife decide to allow her.
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#9
The guardian returned to her neutral expression and gave an understanding nod. She'd left the plateau angry and hurt, but time spent in thought brought about clarity. I know, Ying replied. If it was a personal matter, the pair would have already moved to attack. But why? Whatever the reply, her open gaze implied that she was seeking only harsh honesty.

Ying felt comfortable with the distance between them and the island. She allowed a portion of her guard to fall as she bit anxiously at the inside of her cheek. How is Ru-sal-ka? she asked. Her primary concern was for Aningan and Harps, neither of which she'd seen since the incident.
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rosalyn was often more direct than erzulie, who ironically was swifter to physical engagement with an enemy. while the harlot had her own thoughts upon the matter, it had been she who began the confrontation along the sisters. and so she would not answer, meeting rosalyn's eyes resolutely.
she looked upon the gentle dove-grey of ying's young features, the careful seafoam of her gaze, erzulie too allowed her own tension an ebb. 
perhaps even now the new season of rusalka grew in her belly. but she would not mention aningan's involvement, wondering if it would only be hurtful.
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Rusalka is well.  she affirmed, but did not go into details.  She knew she didn't owe an explanation of any of this, but she would have wanted one were she in Ying's place.  They had so many enemies; she did not wish for more.

We have a history.  You were not there for it, but Rusalka has been overtaken many times over the course of the last year.  A few of those times by newcomers like you, who thought their place was to lead a pack they knew nothing about.  She smiled, a little allowingly.  We did not know for sure if those were your intentions, but we could not risk it.  I've watched packs split and splintered by leadership, only to leave themselves scattered when trouble comes.  Ironsea.  We couldn't let that happen.

Their family was too important to her, and Ying and her sisters threatened that. Perhaps they would have fallen in line and joined the family someday... or perhaps not.  But the risk was larger than the reward, and Rosalyn wondered if Ying understood that.

A pause invited Ying to respond or Erzulie to clarify.  She spoke mostly from her own perspective... her wife may have had other logic.
nothing in life is to be feared,
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#12
The explanation was straightforward. Each phrase brought about a different rebuttal, but Ying waited a moment until after Rosalyn was finished to reply. I do not like to lead things, she explained, but I hear your words. The foreigners joining their ranks filled her with a similar anxiety, and she had acted out on these feelings with her attack upon Orochi. 

On the day of their exile, she had scolded Erzulie for her use of force. Was Ying any better? New wolves come and live with my family — a forceful shake of her head — and I am scared, too. She doubted that either foreigner carried any ill-intent, but how was she to be sure? Having something valuable to protect provided her with a new mindset.
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#13
she only listened for the duration, but rosalyn had struck every point that she herself would have made. and it inspired a new camaraderie of sorts between ying and the two rusalkan leaders.
"dat is why we seek to make those in rusalka our family, at least in some way. and when your sisters looked to you, it was as if dey would only listen to de ones dey called family." her eyes lingered on ying. "it is natural to be wary, to protect your sisters from those outside."
blood ties ruled their kind, and erzulie saw little way around such, save to be wary for a trial and react to any potential threat with a quick directness.

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Finally, some warmth entered the pirate towards Ying.  There were few things that could make the pirate friendly faster than an admission of a fault.  She saw this as an offering, a grounding self-awareness that made Ying rise a few measures in her eyes.

Erzulie made a good point, and she nodded.  Of the crews she'd seen rise and fall, those who were family survived.  Those who sought only to survive crumbled. You and your sisters, what you have... give them some of that.  Those that won't take it, or don't deserve it, you may need to send their own way.

She gave some more than others. But all received at least some measure of it.
nothing in life is to be feared,
it is only to be understood.
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You are right, she said to Erzulie, They are afraid of other things. Ying frowned and searched her mind for a better way to phrase her explanation. Like, not our family things. The sisters had something against the foreigners that she didn't understand. Were they not foreign, too? 

She didn't hold anything against the "foreign" wolves, but she did think that they belonged on their own land. Interactions were rarely less than cordial, save for situations wherein she felt her family was at danger. That's who Ying was: a protector, born to keep her loved ones safe. I will try, though, she ensured Rosalyn.

Hua and Mei wouldn't understand what had just transpired. Knowing this, Ying decided not to mention it. She was ready to turn and take her leave, but another thought arose. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth to speak, How is Aningan?
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their meet was over as soon as it had begun. erzulie listened to ying's words, somehow at peace in the moment. perhaps this would mark the beginning of an agreement between rusalka and the wolves of the island, one far less hostile.
save for mei. when the girl had screamed at erzulie, she had still been a subordinate within a pack, submission demanded by a leader. and while the harlot was prepared to like ying once more, she would not suffer mei's presence.
"aningan is well. we all wait for de springtime," erzulie murmured in answer.
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Whether Ying did or did not no longer mattered to Rosalyn - it was advice, free to use or disregard.  But she did wish their new home well.  Maybe their packs could be friends, of a sort, when all was said and done.  It was more likely, however, they'd fail to interact at all.

Unless they too sought the shore, as they'd spoken about.

She was surprised to hear Ying ask about Aningan.  She'd almost forgotten about the woman's supposed attentions towards him, dismissing them as an attempt then to lead.  She kept silent and let Erzulie answer, unsure how far she should breach that subject as well.
nothing in life is to be feared,
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#18
Erzulie's answer was somewhat confusing, but Ying refrained from additional questioning. Did she still feel something for Aningan? He'd been cruel at the challenge and hurt her in the process. She thought about what his motives might have been, and if they were as forgivable as the Betas'.

She smiled and gave a respectful dip of her head. Can you...? Ying stopped herself mid-question and shook the thought from her head. Thank you. Bye, Ru-sal-kans. The huntress turned and headed back into the forest's depths, having decided that it was time for a rest.
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erzulie would have agreed to what ying asked, suspecting the young woman of wanting her to carry a message for their youthful leader. yet she paused, opted not to inquire, and bid the rusalkans goodbye. "au revoir," floated the voice of the former courtesan, and then she glanced to her wife pensively.
what had all that been for? came the wondering expression; in the next movement she had moved to press onward, knowing rosalyn would wish to discuss the encounter.
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Erzulie was right.  As Ying departed and Erzulie's final parting faded, Rosalyn turned toward her.  I didn't expect that, but I'm glad. she said, quietly.  She hadn't paused to think that there might be bad blood until she'd spotted Ying, but she was pleased the woman hadn't seemed to harbor anything.

It was good to clear the air on all sides, even if it was still awkwared and in the end it did not matter much.  They may never see them again; but even ill will could sometimes breed bad fortune, she wondered.
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#21
fade? :D<3

a wave of her plume. "i am as well," she murmured, before nipping rosalyn playfully along the jaw. "i wonder what kind of huntin' be in dis fores'," the harlot mused aloud. "we should find out." a grin tossed to her wife; would the pirate be up for it?
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As usual, they were not preoccupied for long.  It was strange, but a good thing, and not one worth dwelling on.

She ducked her head as Erzulie nipped her cheek, but she felt her face flush with pleasure.  All these years, and still the harlot could set her heart to racing with a single gesture!

She returned the nip and set off with a playful smile after, ready to explore the forest and see what bounty it had to offer.