Coconut Grove a rush of blood booms in my ears,

the plateau was permanently behind them.
erzulie breathed out. dawn, and it stippled the edges of her pelt with gold until she was haloed and blessed and finally weeping quietly to herself over how welcoming already the sea had been to she and her own.
it spread wild and azure and mythical before her eyes, and the harlot was flushed with contentment to see it again.
along her flanks the children stirred, kicking their own yearning for the saltwater.

All other moving threads are a bit slow, so why not toss Rose at another thread lmfao

Over and over again he patrolled the borders. Legs tired, pads hardened and sleep evaded the solider as he continued to circle the new lands they hoped to claim. Erzulie was expecting, that was certain, Raleska had yet to be confirmed but he would remain vigilant none the less. He didn't see much of Aningan lately, and so he felt the crushing burden push him down and forward to take up the slack that their Alpha had left.

Speaking of Erzulie, as he neared the grove Erzulie's scent marked the way. Not wanting to nose around or poke his nose where it didn't belong, he padded to her side. For a moment the light against her fur was beautiful, and with what beauty he now lacked, he observed with greed in others. Has he been caring for you and the children? SHIT so much for not sticking his nose where it belonged. As panic rose in fear of already fucking this all up, he waited with as a calm face as he could muster right now, almost regretting offering his intact face to her side rather than the barren one.

<3!

it was more than time enough to rest, but erzulie found she was restless. she devoted most of her energy to locating new places for caches, though frequent forays to the sea soon tangled her cinnamon pelt with salt. it was brimming with such crystals as she cocked a spiced ear toward rosencrantz, then gave a soft chuckle, inhaling as she willed the tears to dry.
"we women be takin' care of ourselves widout men since de beginnin' of time," the harlot teased her stoic packmate. "dat bein' said, aningan was a good choice for dis." 
erzulie stretched, eyed rosencrantz. "you do all dis patrollin', but i wonder if you are finding a little fun heah and dere as well."

Ready to be chewed out for overstepping a personal line, instead he was met with a giggle instead. Curiously he gazed over to the harlot, brow arched toward the sky. The light twinkling off of her warm brown tones brought to life with the sand and salt that speckled it - she truly did bloom in these lands more so than the plateau. 

I'm glad to hear it. With that said, the gamma relaxed. Curiously his eyes searched the harlot, her question coming off as odd to him. Fun? I'm too preoccupied to look for games. Even now he was checking up on her by mere coincidence. Okay, perhaps he enjoyed Erzulie's company every now and then, she and Rosalyn were the few he came into regular contact with.

"well, so am i," erzulie clucked. the feel of his eyes upon her, even if they only appraised in a medical sense — she could not know his thoughts — was somehow pleasant. a reassurance that she was still worthwhile.
carrying young could be a blow in that regard.
"but even i go an' swim in de sea, whenever i want." she cast rosencrantz a sly glance.
"have you ever been in de ocean?"

Of course she was, carrying children had to be a busy task and he wouldn't dispute that fact. It was a task he would never be able to accomplish, not even in his wildest dreams. As a man, it was something that simply could never be done. 

I have. He spoke softly, remembering his time on the island during his time pledged to Aristos. Before Rusalka, I use to guard the Isle of Gulls. The pass isn't always available. Come to think of it, he hasn't swum since then. Since his departure of that cursed island and its previous inhabitants.

"de islan' where de sisters settled?" erzulie inquired, head canting toward him with interest. "what did u t'ink of all dat?" her tone was conversational; the harlot had put it behind her, save for mei. that one she would gladly drown in the beloved waves.
plume beat at her flanks. "i am fat, like a seacow. perhaps you come wid me on a swim, rosencrantz?" the beta smirked, already beginning to wheel in that direction.

Yes. A different group tried to settle there before the sisters did. Though he knew a bit of what had happened with the sisters that stayed temporarily with Rusalka, he heard of the troubles they had caused, one even challenged him for a rank before leaving with the rest; he was uncertain of the details. Of the sisters? I don't know enough to have an opinion.

As Erzulie already began her journey toward the sea, naturally the paladin followed when invited to do so. I wouldn't liken to you a seacow. Searching his thoughts for something else to describe the pregnant beta to, More like a cute plump seal. Teasingly he continued, keeping with the sea theme she began with.

"cute? an' just plump?" erzulie laughed, a rolling sound that carried out over their path. "i will take de flattery," the harlot declared, shelving talk of the sisters. what did it matter, now rusalka had come back to the sea? they would bring forth a new generation here and bind themselves to the moors, as they had done in the sound.
but this land, truly, would be free to them.
"it is still cold dis time of year," she warned him, pushing through the grove toward the pale beach beyond. there the sea lapped, its darkened waters beckoning her paws. she strode gratefully into the surf, ankle-deep within the waves shortly thereafter.

Like a ripe blueberry. He continued with his own imagery. Again, she didn't seem fat to him, her legs, face, and neck were still clear on her healthy stature - just the growing belly full of life. She lacked the rolls of fat and obvious signs of a sloth-like life.

Pushing through the current, he waded into the waters until they reached the base of his neck. The water was indeed still cold, but as history would dictate, as well as his time with Tundra - the cold rarely bothered him at all. A welcomed stinging sensation actually, awakening him from the inside out. The seabird isn't comfortable in the cold? he teased softly over his shoulder, watching her in the shallows while he happily let the current push and pull against his body.

erzulie laughed again. a blueberry! she was preparing to tease him when the man slid confidently in the water, cutting its surface like a pale shark. the harlot, sensing a playful challenge, slipped into the ocean to follow, toes gripping the silt below as she was embraced by the cold lapping once more.
"nevah," erzulie declared. "salt in my veins." wintertime upon the sea was one of my favorite t'ings." ironic, the jezebel supposed, grinning once at rosencrantz, that she should love the ocean so very much despite being born into humidity.
erzulie dipped her head beneath the surface.

Wintertime by the sea, one didn't often associate the beach and the sea with wintertime. Usually, it was reserved for cutting through the summer heat. Why is that? Curious, he wanted to know why such a thing could be something she enjoyed so much. Dipping her head underwater, he simply stood in the weak wake and watched as she frolicked about.

"i do not know. perhaps de sea is a novelty," she chuckled. "still. an' de cold surprises me every year." she paddled lazily near the man, then moved back to the shallows, shaking water from her pelt. "you look like you were always suited to it."

I am. And the longer he was away from the frosted lands of home, the more he seemed to miss winter as its time here was never long enough in his opinion. Sure the cold to other lingered longer than necessary, but to him, the snow, the bare trees and tracks in the snow, the way his milky pelt blended with the ivory snow, he missed it all every year that it melted away.

As you with the sea, I belong in the snow. The way the chill would caress his body and numb any pain, how one's metabolism slowed in the cold, and needed less food to sustain life, it all seemed better when things were cold.

we can fade this in another round for the move <3 & we need a new one!

"before you know it, de winter will be here again," erzulie crooned, though she suspected rosencrantz meant himself to be high atop a mountain. she licked the salt from her spice-cream fur, reveling in the contentment of its taste. "every year, rusalka feels as t'ough it grows more tightly toget'er. we are small, but fierce."
an affection leapt to her breast; she leveled a grateful glance upon him. "your loyalty has been part of our solid foundation."

Feel free to archive here or post once more! Last post from me! and yes! Maybe something more recent?? he hasn't seen the puppos yet :eyes:

I look forward to it. He said absent-mindedly. He knew he was getting older and couldn't help but wonder how many more winters would he be able to see before his time would inevitably come? He could only hope that his final moments would be in the comfort of snow and not in the heat of summer, should he be lucky enough. 

His eye flashed at her as Erzulie spoke of the compliment. Weirdly enough, it meant more to him than he thought it should. Though he was not the biggest fan of Aningan as of yet, growing more and more frustrated with their young leader - he certainly had respect and found himself growing fond of the betas. 

He nods in appreciation of her words, incapable of finding anything to say in return - at his own fault not hers naturally.

EYES

aningan was young, but he had gained erzulie's like. it was under his far calmer reign, after all, that rusalka had found its footing and moved back to the sea. he had been correct to appoint she and rosalyn. rosencrantz, however, had the experience writ into the fibers of himself that no young man could have. and he too had come to esteem with the sapphic pair.
rusalka was in good hands, erzulie decided.
she was content to remain with the archangel for a long while upon the beach, trading talk of small things.