Anger still twisted at her gut -- and disgust -- but she did her best to force her feelings down, a heavy knot weighing down her stomach. She hunted in silence, following Deteste's most recent trail with lengthy strides, her tail lashing against her thighs in an indication of her irritation. The nerve! She growled again to herself, lurching forth in a graceless gallop as she searched fervently for her mate before finally letting out a series of disgruntled barks, hoping it would draw him to her sooner. She needed him, needed to remind herself that he was hers, but also to talk to him before Medusa did; to make him understand her decisions -- and her ultimate trust of him. "speech"

Deteste sat silently, his back against the rugged bark of a redwood tree. It was here that her scent was strongest. Here she had dug a home for herself. He was not used to the sudden confidence and self reliance that Laxago now had and in planning to find a decent tree under which to make her home he had found that she had already completed the task. It warmed his heart. To see her so strong. She had been so distant in these years but she had returned. Nothing separated them now and every part of his being rejoiced in her health. He had, had hope for this day and not it was here. The move to Amenti would be challenging and new but he could not ask for a greater improvement to his life. He was content. Extremely content.


It was not long before he could hear her in the distance and he mistook the speed in her step as excitement for their first meeting in Amenti territory. He could feel his tail thumping softly against the redwood behind him. Laxago was the only woman, the only person whom Deteste could never hide emotion from. Her urgent barks drew him away from his thought and yet again he took the urgency for excitement. He stood and made his way to her, his gait casual but rushed, only ceasing his own urgency once they were half a stride from one another. Laxago! My dear! he exclaimed, immediately pressing his face against the side of her own.

Her heart pounded rapidly against her breast, anxiety coursing through her veins. She did not want this, she did not, but she had little choice now but to go through with her agreement. For the pack. Her stomach all but plummeted the moment she saw him, looking so happy, and all because she was well again. She bit her lip, skidding to a halt before him and allowing his affections but for a moment, her muzzle twisting upwards to offer a kiss to his jawline before she recoiled, her ears pulled back against her skull in uncertainty. "De I- I need to talk to you. About Medsua." Her tail all but tucked itself between her thighs, claws digging nervously into the soft earth below. They were blunted now from her fervent digging out of their den, her pawpads cracked from being unused to so much travel after her years of listlessness, but it was all pointless in the light of what she had to tell him now, her wild gaze settling nervously upon the familiar contours of his face.

He could feel her heart the moment their bodies touched and as the reality of her distress sank in his lips tightened and his ears flattened against his skull. He had human expectations for Laxago since her return and since the return of her health. There would be disagreements and moments of saddness. But he could not help the dread that tightened at his throat now. The dread that she may return to that distant and vegetative state. He could not let her go back now that he had her again. He did not know if he could live that life again now that he had tasted the fruit of his labors.


Medusa of course. He understood that she was a strange character and from the start of their relationship he know that there was a slim chance Laxago would like her. He hoped the woman had not assaulted Laxago, given the level of her distress but Deteste also didn't expect such rash behavior on Medusa's part. He did not believe she would do such a thing. I know she may be difficult to be around Laxago and you will not believe me but she has a shard of goodness in her heart. We will return to the mangroves soon. I promise. If you are greatly unhappy here then we will leave immediately. He meant the words though such actions would be a breach of his valor. For Laxago he would break even a promise to his beloved Sol.

"speech"

He sobered somewhat, seeming to realize her anxiety but she did not calm, her body swaying from one side to the next, unable to stand still. She had not been this nervous in a very long time, if ever, and was clearly uncertain how to handle her own emotions and the situation at hand as she whined quietly, a huff fleeing her jaws. "No, it's not that," she said, trying to get his attention and to get him to stop talking. She couldn't say what she had to if Deteste couldn't realize the gravity of the situation, and she growled quietly to herself, turning in a tight circle before she made herself still, her muscles quivering with the effort. "I did something. Er, agreed to something, I guess. Medusa said she wanted pups to help build Amenti up. Your pups." In times like these, Laxago lost any ability for eloquence that she may have had, and she whined quietly, hoping (praying) that he would not be angry with her, that he would understand.

A sense of dread began to pool within Deteste's chest and as it gathered it gained great weight. Yet his mind did not completely register Laxago's words, for they had been spoken so casually that he could not register the seriousness of her meaning, and in his confusion his initial reaction to her words, or at least some of them, was to laugh. And this was what he did, a throaty chuckle rumbling from his throat and pushing through his otherwise clenched jowls. My pups?! he exclaimed, his words laced in hysteria, I can't believe this. I mean I can. But pups? This has to be a ploy to... Intending to lurch into an analytical explaination of Medusa's behavior and motives Deteste instead found himself coming to a complete stop. The weight of his dread knocking the wind from his chest.


I did something... agreed to something For a long while Deteste only stared at Laxago. He was still confused but he now understood that there was much more weight to this conversation than he had previously guessed. His eyes questioned her. Not cruelly but with an expression that pleaded for relief and clarity. What do you mean you agreed to something? he inquired the words slipping from his lips at a tone much softer and inaudible than he had intended. The dread in his chest pulled and his body obeyed it without resistance. His neck stooping, his crown hanging lowly.

"speech"

She did not expect him to understand, for she didn't fully understand it herself. Her acceptance had been a surprise in itself, an odd agreement that didn't quite make sense to her -- so how could it to him? She bit her lip, watching him quietly and pulling her ears back against her skull. Submission. The last thing Laxago wanted was to upset him, to make him uncomfortable or angry with her but she had already accepted Jupiter's offer, and had to convince Deteste or else go back on her word. Her tail tucked between her hind limbs, his exclamation causing her to jump, a whine slipping from her jaws. She didn't speak again, not yet, waiting for him to mull it over, to consider what she had said though it seemed confusion that struck across his features, the next question that slid from his jaws causing her to sink, lowering to the earth in a gesture of her anxious tendencies. "I'm sorry," she whined, her haunches leaning lower to the ground than her chest, muscles quivering beneath the female's taut flesh. "I... I thought she was right -- that pups would help Amenti thrive. And she... she didn't trust anyone else, De. I said you could but- but you don't have to." The salmon flesh of the she-wolf's tongue ran nervously across her lips, hoping he would be mad -- or that if he was, it wouldn't ruin their relationship. She couldn't lose him, not now, not after everything else they had been through.

Laxago! What are you talking about! his voice echoed among the redwoods, the tone much more accusatory than he had intended. He still could not completely understand what had happened. He had ideas what this agreement had been but the way Laxago spoke of it was casual. The matter was spoken of as if it had already happened. As if his choice had already been made for him. Tense and unable to withstand the anxiety and weight that pulled at his gut he began to pace. A stiff-legged walk taking him to the furthest redwood from them and then back again. And again. And again.


Upon completing his third loop Deteste's pacing ceased. He bowed his head as to rest it parallel against the trunk of the redwood before him. He focused on the rough texture of the park. The piney scent of the tree. Taking a deep but ragged breath Deteste addressed Laxago once again. I don't understand. Please explain this clearly to me. And in a method in which I'm not treated as an object. This isn't just some trade. Some conversation. I don't know know clearly what you've done but you need to speak with me seriously and concisely. It was now that Deteste felt the ache of his tired body. He had been doing so much. Patrolling Amenti. Patrolling Ludicael. Tending to members of both packs and attending diplomatic meetings. Since Jupiter's deathmatch he had had no rest but the pride he felt for his work had hindered the aches. At this low point, with his pride stripped from him there was no way for him to avoid the masked pain.

"speech"

Laxago loathed the idea of displeasing him. It send her into turmoil, confusion, uncertainty and most of all fear as she watched him, pulled her ears to her skull in submission and quivered. She was a metaphorical wreck, a maddened mess of contorted emotions, guilt twisting in the pits of her stomach, her claws furrowing into the supple earth below as her tail lashed against her shuddering thighs. "Medusa asked me if I would let you breed with her -- if you wanted to. I relented." Her voice is flat this time, cool, hiding emotion and concern though it ripples blatantly across her features. She would not make decisions for Deteste, had not told Medusa it was a done deal -- her only part in it had been giving the harpy queen her blessing, in a way. Still she loathed the idea, and loathed the possibility of putting a dent in her relationship with her darling lover; it was the last thing she wanted, but the Amenti alpha was a forceful woman, one who was difficult to say no to. She gritted her teeth, recoiled back as though fearing his reaction and praying for his understanding, her entire body coiled closer to the earth in a display of her cautious submission to him.

So there it was. It was a simple statement and though Deteste had understood what Laxago meant the initial moment she began explaining herself he had buried himself in an impossible denial. The blatancy of Laxago's words prevented him from immersing himself any further in the disbelief. He swallowed. His spit thick and tugging roughly at the inside of his throat as the muscles contracted. They stood in silence. Deteste did not understand why Medusa would request such a thing, nor did he understand how Laxago had allowed even the idea of Medusa's request to exist. He had thought that Medusa respected him and the sacrifice he had made for Jupiter's sake. She controlled her flirtatiousness in his presence and they ruled peacefully together and he'd never seen the slightest expression of desire from her. In the same way Deteste did not judge her lifestyle and respected the level at which she completed her responsibilities.


Deteste understood that many saw him as a virtuous character and in this moment it was his virtue that had ensnared him into such a deep trap. He had, perhaps, become forbidden fruit to the Madame who otherwise had anything, or anyone that she wanted. And it was his sense of virtue that would force him to abide by the agreement that had been made without him. He would, even under such circumstances, not cross Laxago's word. Nor was it a good idea to take from Medusa that which she thought she had. He could not risk putting Laxago in a vunerable position. Both in rank and in wellness.


His body relaxed without meaning it, sinking shakily towards the ground until Deteste lay fully upon it. The damp ground smearing onto his black pelt with the careless action. okay. he finally croaked. His voice perceived as distant and alien by his muddled consciousness. With all his heart he did not want to do this task and it was not with any content that he submitted to the agreement and he hoped that Laxago would understand his intentions, and more importantly his unconditional love and forgiveness for when he could not express it in words. His crown fell towards her, cheek and muzzle resting against the soft pillow of ivory fur on her chest where he could muffle the childish whines and sobs that would spill from his lips. His body shook and as did the red woods. For his cries were fierce and echoed in the short distance.

"speech"

She waits, bites her tongue and watches him in wary silence, expecting him to be angry, to lash out or protest. Instead, she is met by his stilled figure and pursed lips, bile rising in her throat before she forces it down, whines quietly seeping from between her lips, her skull lowered in the shame of her defeat. He does not move for too long, an eternity of stillness and silence and she takes a tentative step forward, pauses, a shudder running down her spine. At last he alters his stance, turns towards her and sinks to the earth as though defeated and she sighs, her eyes closing in momentary sorrow though she is surprised when he brushes against her, his muzzle pillowing in the soft flesh of her breast and she submits, sighing against him and crumpling to the earth, her chin coiling over his nape. "I'm sorry," she murmurs, a tepid breath that peels against his flesh, and then a mantra, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

This wasn't at all what Deteste had wanted for his second litter and he mourned for many things, including the children to come. He would love them without doubt but he knew that for some his love would not be enough to content them. He hoped that Laxago would love the too, for they would be his children though he knew the idea was unlikely and the sudden responsibility that he would need to undertake was too much and too painful to think of. He had wanted more children from Laxago and now he was unsure if that would ever happen. They were aging. It would be a long time before this litter would be grown. His sobs quieted but his heart was weighed like lead.


I just wish it were you. he whined, I just thought... I'll love them all the same. I will. I won't resent them. And I beg that you won't too. I just.. I just had other plans. It's so much to think about. his speech was somewhat nonsensical but he didn't know what else to say and in his desperate state he would talk like a drunkard. Revealing the most insignificant or unrealistic of ideas. He shuffled closer to Laxago, pulling a limb above her and pulling her close to his side. His nose flared in a deep breath as he attempted to bury himself in her comforting sent.

"speech"

She is as miserable as he, perhaps more so, for he will be granted more offspring, and she will not. She will still be a failure to the children she already had, sons who loathed her for her imperfections, and again a whimper slides from her, her muscles returning to their sorrowful quaking. There are no words she can say to comfort him, and she falls into a semblance of silence, clinging to him, knowing that he is hers despite the agreement she has made -- he will never love Medusa, and she finds solace in this. "I love you," she murmurs, pressing her snout to the delicate crease of his lips, pressing her brow to his cheek and breathing deeply, calmed by the familiarity of him. "Show me you love me too," a plea, a whimpering beg on the edge of her lips. Perhaps they won't have more children together, perhaps that time has long passed, but still she feels the need to consummate their love again, to make it real, to prove that she was his and he hers despite the difficult circumstances, that their love would conquer all.

Show me you love me. The words roused him from his muddled thoughts. His head rose and his jaws parted momentarily as he kissed the woman gently upon her cheek. He had not the heart to show her in the way she wanted that he loved her but he hoped that his submission in this cause would be enough to convince her. In this moment he thought he would like to be reminded of the significance of their relationship. It had been a long time since he had seen her so capable. He wondered what would happen now and whether or not her health would persist. He was grateful that her depression was controlled but they were still on unsure ground and as of now Laxago's social life was non-existent.


His crown was lowered to rest upon her forelegs and he sighed deeply against the sod. The scent of the moist ground fresh. Had Deteste been in a different mood the scent would have invigorated his mood but instead the piney smell reminded him of where he was and how he had become irrevocably trapped here. He would not be able to return to Ludicael. He would stay and care for his children until they were confident enough to care for their selves. A groan rumbled within his chest. He had nothing to say now and he could not pull himself away from the relentless worry that occupied his thoughts.

"speech"