After his talk with Io, Sirius knew he could not delay the upcoming conversation. He went searching for his wife, making his way back across the land bridge, and towards home. He entered by Sea’s plain, and made his way up, following the beach. He found their den, nestled in the little inlit, with shallow water outside their doors. Fresh flowers kept in little holders near the entrance. Along with the lanterns that he and Io had made, a lifetime ago. The place smelled like Io, and kids. Like home.

Guilt trickled up his heart. He loved Zee, he loved her so much. He hated that he loved someone else, as well. That he hurt both of them, purely by feeling. The guilt and worry wasn’t going to go away any time soon. It was better to get this over with. Zee deserved the truth, and what she did with that was up to her. Sirius had no choice but to face the consequences.

He stepped onto the small bridge, made for their children, and raised his head. Calling for his Wife.

Admittedly, Zee had been moping when Seer called to her. Multiple wolves had seemingly vanished over the past few seasons - a complicated thing, especially when the Armada had rules in place preventing them from leaving willingly. Rather then believe they'd broken pack law, Zee was forced to assume foul play with each consecutive loss of wolf. The mosr recent of these disappearanced had been hee very own handmaiden, the wolf who had helped her through her insecurities and shown to Zee her hidden strength. She did not take the loss well. Was something nefarious lurking around their borders kidnapping Armada wolves? It seemed unlikely, for no matter how often her warlord sent out patrols there was never any sign.

Her small head lifted at the sound and she reached a paw up over her muzzle to wipe away the sadness. If Sirius needed her it was likely important, perhaps they'd found sign at last of a long-missing member. After all, Meadow had returned to them after seasons away. She got to her feet, squinting into the daylight as her head crossed out the den. He was easy enough to find, towering above the bridge he had made for their children and so dangerously close to the water he used to fear. He had grown so much since their litter was born, and Zee gave him a soft wistful smile as she approached.

"What is it, my love?" While she had wanted to ask for the hundredth time if her missing handmaiden had been found, she contained the question. It did no good to anyone and only upset seer further that he was unable to return Odette to her. Zee was beginning to wonder if she ran away, perhaps with Killian who vanished at the same time. She sighed, pushing past the thoughts and directing her attention towards him once more. He looked sad, and her smile melted into a frown, "What's happened?"

Zee appeared from the doorway of their den. Her golden coat catching the sun, thr antlers adorning her crown gleaming. The guilt took his breath away. She nuzzle against him, and he lenwdd cautiously against her. Not resting his weight, so she could free of his touch easily if she chose to. He kissed her soft fuzzy crown, between the space of her antlers. "Beloved," he said softly. He had not rehersed what to say. He was a wolf of spontaneity, but it left him speechless now.

He let out a soft, low breath. "I went to patrol Ashen with Deathbelle." Another soft sigh. The truth. Zee deserved all of the truth, always. He wohld not keep things back to preserve their relationship. Sbe deserved for it to be an educated decision. "You know that Deathbelle and I were childhood friends, and that I was sworn to her. You know that we loved each other, and that I chose you. That I will always choose you. You are the wolf of my life, and home, and heart. But feelings still exist there. Ones I could never act on, but Deathbelle... I should have left, but I didn't. My presence stirred her, and she kissed me. Kissed and left, I believe, in tears. I should have stopped it, but I was caught off guard. Now, I fear my mere presence has hurt her, and now you. I'm sorry Zee. You deserve to know." Another soft breath, his eyes focused on the small wolf below him. How much would her pulling away hurt?

It was not difficult to notice his hesitance, and Zee leaned into him further to share her comfort with the wolf she loved. More then once she felt a sigh blow over her head and her frown deepened, though she could thank her much smaller height that such expressions could pass by his notice. It was beginning to worry her, and the rest of the world faded away as he began to speak. Every word she absorbed, trying to anticipate the next or guess upon what had happened to possibly upset him so much. With each new statement her heart pounded harder and as he spoke of the feelings that lingered past his childhood, she wanted to beg him to stop.

His admittance hit Zee like a mighty slap of his paws, and she felt her confidence begin to crumble beneath the weight of his words. "Your presence... stirred her." She repeated slowly, her voice cracking. She broke away from his embrace with a poorly concealed whimper. Every ounce of strength she had been fighting to regain over the last year was suddenly for nothing, and the insecurity began to crash into her once more. If she'd been born larger or stronger, then perhaps others would think twice about trying to sway her husband away from her. If she had been an alpha partner worthy of Sirius then maybe he'd have fought to stop it before his lips had been stolen from her.

Zee squeezed her eyes shut tight, her horned head bowing beneath the pain. She suddenly felt very cold and her body - as if on cue - shuddered violently. Nausea began to eat at the depths of her chest. Deathbelle was not only his first love, but his Empress whom he was loyal to above any other. If the Klein woman commanded him to warm her bed that evening, would Sirius refuse? Would he want to refuse? Every time Zee had questioned that very scenario, she had always been confident that Deathbelle would never cross that line. She was her best and truest friend and the closest thing Zee had to a sister. Never could she have expected this betrayal.

She needed several quiet moments to absorb the hurt, though with each passing moment she felt the pain only grow. Pain turned to bitterness, bitterness bled into anger. Zee would live in the shadow of their forbidden, childhood love for the rest of her life... unless she did something about it now. "When I challenge her for your heart, will you fight on her behalf?" Her words were dry and cold, directed to the water that lapped softly beneath the bridge. Her eyes remained shut tight to keep her tears from spilling over. It did not matter whether Sirius had chosen Zee in the end or not, the only thing that mattered was that clearly Deathbelle had not accepted it.

Already she was expecting him to confirm her suspicions and she curled her lips into a grimace to hide her pain. Or maybe his loyalty ran even deeper then she'd expected, and hearing of Zee's plans he'd strike her down here and now to prevent his Empress from being harmed. Regardless of the choice her warlord was to make, Zee knew she would not waver in her decision. She'd fight for his heart with everything she had, and Sirius would be matched with whomever had the strength to rival his own.

Death wasn't the only one stirred. And well he had intended to be fully forthright, her reaction still the words on his tongue. Her reaction worried him. He had expected anger. Expected to feel the sting on her paw across his cheek. Or perhaps her antlers against his throat. But then, he would have liked that response. Her anger and love were fuel to the fires of his heart. The coldness he felt from her made him weary. In fact, it made him dow right anxious. She could not leave him. She could not. She was Zee, the other half of Sirius. Of the Armada. The mother to the heirs. She was everything suddenly, the full weight of it hit him. He realised, with a shocked pinch in his heart, that some part of him thought she would understand.

"When... you."

Pause, breath, the sound of running water beneath them. "When you... wait. You want to fight for me? You would do that? You would fight to prove your love for me?" He asked softly. The devotion in that single statement of hers. After he had hurt her. Gods, but he loved this woman. The scent of his desire was subtle benearh the scent of ocean.

He thought of how shy and unsure she had been lately, how much she needed a boost to her confidence. Maybe this would help. He should not have let things get this far with him and Death, and the idea of the two licked in battle should not feel erotic to him. Those were things that made him a bastard. But it was love for Zee that he lowered his body slowly, non threatening on the bridge below them. Did she really think he would fight her on behalf of Death? "No. This isn't a fight for her life, or her empire. You wouldn't be fighting to undo her world. This is personal, and if you feel that its something you need to do, I won't get in your way." How much would this hurt Deathbelle? He couldn't think about this right now. Every path lead to hurt to one of the three. He has started this, and he would do what he could to see them all throigh it in one piece.

A short sharp hurt stabbed at her heart at his response and she barked a pained laugh in return. He had not given her the reply she expected, but somehow this one was so much worse. Was he that excited imagining the two women he loved battling for his paw? Was he considering at all what would happen if she lost? Or had he considered it, but decided that he could live with the outcome? For as long as she knew him Zee had been unable to dodge his protective fury whereever his wife was concerned - where was that untamable passion now when there was potential to lose her? Or did it simply not occur to him that she may not win. Zee exhaled a long sigh, her breath shaking. The bridge beneath her paws shook as the titans weight lowered onto it, though she barely offered him a glance. More questions swam in her head but she shoved them down. Wondering about what-if's was only going to risk changing her mind, and she couldn't do that now.

"Tomorrow then." Barely any time at all, though still too long to bear. Would this be her last night wrapped in her titans powerful arms? She expected she would even miss his ridiculous, silly charms. A sad smile tugged at Zee's lips as she thought upon their history together and all the times he had made her want to skewer him with her horns.

With a heavy sigh she turned back towards him, striding purposefully to where he lay prone before her and aiming to close her jaws tightly around his scruff. While intended to be - in their own weird way as usual - affectionate, she found she wanted to bite a hell of a lot harder then was safe to. The heat of anger remained even as she longed for his intimate touch.

He wasnt sure what to take away from. Her response. She seemed angry and driven, prepared to take what was hers. But also upset, and hurt. Betrayed by both Sirius and Death.

When she turned back to him and grabbed his scruff in her teeth, he was surprised. Her teeth bit hard into her flesh, and he pushed back a bout of lust. He still had important matters to speak to her on. "To be clear" he whispered softly. "This fight is to prove to yourself that you will stand up and take what is yours. You will win, because my heart is already yours." He grazed his teeth gently across her cheek.

"I am sorry, I am sorry how this is a mess for everyone. But I want you, Zee. Win or lose, what does this mean for us, to you? I might be a horrible ass for putting you in such a position, but I won't let you go easily. If lose means to leave, you will still have to fight me for that. Because I will hold on to you with everything we have. If you leave me, the Armada disbands and I leave Ashen behind. Its not you or Deathbell, Zee. It's you or no one at all."

Through her grasp upon his scruff she let out a frustrated growl. Her head wanted to shake, to reprimand her titan the way she used to with his children but it was impossible to forget how much larger he was, even through her anger. Instead she spat out the fur, lifting her front legs to place upon his back firmly, wishing she had the brute strength to shove him over and make him listen. Once again she hated that she was small.

"I can't live like this, Seer!" It was a nickname she hardly used - if she ever had at all. It felt wrong on her tongue, like it belonged to Deathbelle. "If I lose what do you expect I do? Submit to my Empress like a good dog, accept her transgressions against what is mine and welcome her into our bed? At least the last time she wished to fuck you, she had enough respect to ask me." The anger hardened her words, and the vulgarity felt wrong even to her own ears. "She was my sister and she has broken me. How can I ever trust her again after this? How can I send my wolves to fight and die for her now, knowing how little respect she has for our marriage?"

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she threw her paws down once more angrily upon his back. As if it was Deathbelle she had below her able to beat upon. "I had thought that when she had given us our children's freedom back that it was a show of respect. Now I feel like she merely regretted giving us her blessing, and that by taking back our part of the agreement she would be allowed to take back hers."

Now came her anger. The fear that he might still lose her lingered. She was frustrated at their predicament, at what it meant for her. He couldn't turn off his feelings for Deathbelle. They lingered, hurting all of them with their presence. He felt Zee release his scruff, but only to shove him and beat upon him with her paws. Lying as he was on the bridge, she shoved him slightly to his side.

He didn't retaliate, he knew Zees anger was well placed. She had given him all of her heart. What had he done in return? Given her the half that didnt belong to Deathbelle. He hung his head in shame. The part of him that wanted thr best of both worlds shone for was it was, a shameful illusion. He kept telling Zee that he chose her. Prove it, you fool! Prove it!

He got to his feet, catching one of her paws as it slammed down where his back had been. He dragged her into a bear hug. Holding her against his rapidly beating heart. He knew Deathbelle wasn't capable of deceit, like she seemed to think. Their attraction was accidental, not malicious. But they should be fighting it. They should be protecting Zee, honoring her as his mate. "Then what do you want, Zee. What do you want me to do?" It wasnt rhetorical. She was his compass, and he was asking her for her guidance. Did she see a path that allowed her to live in peace with him? "Because I'm not giving you up. Line in the sand Zee. You have always been my line in the sand. It was for you that I claimed the tank of Warlord. It was for you that I created this pack. Because I would not allow you to be a slave for a moment longer. Because I wanted a place to call ours, where you would be safe. Where do you want my love for you to take us next? What do you want Zee. Tell me." His voice was soft, his hammering heart telling her plenty. His head he dropped across her neck and shoulder. Holding her close and tight. Next to his heart, in the safety of his arms.

He grabbed her suddenly and small and weak as she was, Zee couldn't fight his powerful embrace. Her ears flattened to her skull, a soft whimper pulling from her muzzle which she laid upon his muscled shoulder. It wasn't fair, none of this was fair. Her hatred burned and faded away in waves, the anger warring with the hurt. "I want you to stop loving her." She admitted, defeated.

Her nose pressed into his plush fur, wishing she could push away the shame. It was an impossible ask, but it was the truthful answer he had asked for. "And I want her to stop loving you. I don't want you to hide your feelings or hold your lust for her behind a cage. I want the feelings gone. I want you to think her name and remember how it made you feel when she invited her brother into her bed. You are mine." Her voice cracked at the end and she was unable to put as much conviction to the claim as she wanted to. Sirius would never be hers, not as long as he was the sworn shield of Deathbelle. "You can't give me any of that." Sad voice became a whisper, muffled against his fur. "And I will never be strong enough or frightening enough that she will respect my claim."

"Your one of the only wolves that has beaten me in a fight. Your one of the most fierce wolves I know. When you decide to put your foot down, nothing can get in the way. You've proven that to me again and again. If you fight her, you will win." He told her softly, unhappy that her fire had drifted away again. She sounded broken, and sad. Asking for something he did not know how to give. But if he could, he would. Then and there. The feelings between him and Deathbelle were nothing but pain. A hurt that kept on giving.

He buried his face in her neck, before lifting it again. Letting his fangs drag gently scross her cheek. Blazing a trail to her horns, and nipping gently at the hardened adornment. He could not give her what she asked for, but he could give her something else. Something close.
"I will make an announcement tomorrow. No longer will we be the Ashen Armada, and I will no longer be Warlord of the Empress. We will be our own entity. We can still offer aid to Ashen, but as equals and allies. We will be the Fatalis Armada. And you, my Queen will be the authority I fight for." He could give her this. Freedom from Ashen. Separation, distance. Their own path. He could consider in what ways this huet him later. For now, it only mattered what he could give Zee. She did not want to owe Deathbelle any longer. He would give her her final freedom.

Even through her many feelings Zee could tell he was trying, though with this much hurt bottled up inside she was not in the state of mind to accept any compromise. Deathbelle herself could be here, stating her intent to step down from the throne and leave Boreas forever and Zee would find it hard to let that relief into her heart. She could feel his teeth gently crossing her skin, though it felt like his arms were further away. His soothing presence was fading as her anger flared once more, and her teeth bared against his fur.

"Right." She snapped back sarcastically. "Like a change of name will ever pull us from the shadow of the Empire. You're acting like she will just allow us to leave or that leaving would free you from your obligations as her 'shield'." Special emphasis was placed upon the word, her tone bitter once more. Once upon a time calling Sirius her shield would have been accurate, but that was not how Zee would label a man she lusted for.

"If she was to refuse, do you intend to fight her? Her son, he would rip the muzzle from any of our wolves if given the opportunity. Would you dare to take from him an appendage in return, with what that would mean to Deathbelle?" Already the boy had sent one of their wolves home in tears, calling her a lowly dog. Her son had come to her, asking what he could do to defend her honor and Zee had been forced to reign him in for the sake of the prince. "And if the Klein bitch herself snuck through our borders and begged for your cock, would any of these superficial adjustments change at all how fast you'd obey her request?"

Her was her fury, back again. He basked in it, even as she snapped at him. Her lashing words like caresses, for he knew it meant that she loved him. Sbe was frustrated, angered, and fed up with everything. He got that, he did, but some part of him rejoiced to see her find her voice again. His Zee had been swallowed by thr back, he had felt her retreating, her uncertainty. She was finding her feeling again. She just needed a reason to be angry. He just wished it didn't cost pain to himself, Zee, and Death.

"If I make a decision, I stand by it. If I call our pack separate from the Empire, then it is so. If I must fight her to seperate, I will do so." His eyes flashed. "Son or not, if one of her wolves messed with mine, I would teach him is place, Zee. You doubt that? These are MY wolves and I will fight for them!" He said, anger leaking into his tones. Anger, possession, obsession. Of course he would fight for the wolves of the Armada.

Her next words left him gapping. Testing his newfound determination with insult and slander against the one he had always been sworn to defend. Obsession was a hard thing to let go of, and he opened and closed his mouth for a momentm astounded at the sudden change in her referral to the Empress. Her crass wording catching him off guard. "If Deathbelle crossed my territory, I would give her one warning for old times sake. If she persisted, then I would fight her. I would not... 'give her my cock' as you've so boldly put it.

The protectiveness returned to his tone and Zee somehow found herself thankful, glad to be met with something other then unconditional love when she wanted so desperately to be mad at him. If she could direct her anger towards him it would be better, miles easier then hating the Empress to whom she'd devoted her last two years. Anger towards Deathbelle was hard, even when she'd hurt her so badly. Anger towards her husband who had allowed the woman a kiss upon his lips, yes, that was easier.

His words fueled her, and she pushed hard against his arms to separate their chests and direct her bared teeth towards his own instead. "Then why, Sirius?" She snapped. "How is it so easy to say you will protect your wolves no matter the cost, but you've failed in protecting me and my heart?" Her jaws snapped shut audibly, her temper flaring and the temptation to bite building once more. "Why was Deathbelle allowed to flee in tears, why did you not punish her? You cannot have it both ways, you cannot be loyal to her beyond any fault but still find it so easy to break from her without a second thought! What rules you, your rank or your heart? Are you the Warlord of the Empress or the man who has loved her all his life?" Even fueled by her anger, Zee was unable to infuse the same bite to her words as she had when slandering Deathbelle. No matter how hard she tried to be mad at him, it was pain breaking through her tone and not hatred.

"I Don't know, woman!" He roared, rearing up his full height as he glared down at the small wolf of his heart. "You think I want to hurt you? That I do this on purpose? I was raised devoted to her. Raised under the protection of her circle, where she shielded me from the vindictivness of her cruelest family members. I gave my life to defend her, and somehow lived. I found her again, and then I found you. My ENTIRE life changed. Every aspect of it for you. I would be Empirer at her side if I had stayed in her pack. I created the Armada to give us space from her. You think I want to love her? It hurts everyone! I would banish the feeling in a heartbeat." He didn't notice the tears dampening the fur beneath his eyes, or how his paws thundered then shook upon the poor bridge.

He did not even hear the crack as the beams creaked and began to give beneath the punishment. "I want to love you, and only you. Thats MY choice. The way to do that is space, to take us away from her. To make us seperete so we can create our own place, our own lives. So I can love you, and only you. I can't change what I feel inside, but I can choose where to put myself and thats in YOUR PAWS, WOMAN!" He snarled, the bridge bowing beneath them.

Every strand of fur along her spine rose in unison as the titan before her rose to his full height, her instincts driving her muzzle to wrinkle into a snarl and her tail to flag behind her. It was incredibly rare for him to act this way, she'd not seen it from him since they'd first met and he threatened to break her should she dare touch his Empress. The comparison only drove her anger further, her annoyance building at how easy it was to continue to connect his actions to the Klein woman. "Exactly!" She snapped back. "You're stuck, forever a slave to her heart! Nothing could ever change that so why should I possibly believe otherwise?" The floor beneath her shook, and for a split second she hoped the wood would give way so she could drown him in the ocean below. "You created the Armada to 'give us space', you want us to break from the Empire to 'give us space'. Space doesn't work! I will always be second to her!"

Her small body shook violently, utterly overwhelmed by the emotion. She gave herself to it then, launching herself upwards across the short distance towards him, with aim to latch her jaws upon the sensitive flesh of his throat. Zee was a small wolf - holding no advantage over a brute like Sirius - though she knew where his faults did lay. If she could maneuver him into the water below he would grow heavy with the weight of the water in his thick fur, and while he no longer was afraid of the ocean they might be better matched if he was weighted down. Her snarl intensified as she attacked, alerting her companions who slept nearby in the den.

Zeitgeist Fatalis vs Sirius Fatalis for Dominance
Round 1/?
Age: Over 1 Year
Size:> Small
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Thorn wrappings
Defensive Battle Accessory: King cheetah pelt armor
Companion 1:> Bush Viper, Female - Battle
Companion 1: Channel-Billed Toucan, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Kudu horns (small) - Offensive
Skills: Master Navigator & Master Fighter
Specialty: Fleet-Footed

"Speech"

"YOU ARE SECOND TO NONE, MY IDIOT, BELOVED WIFE!!" He snarled angrily, rising up against her attack. He tried to grab her, to score his teeth along chin. The act one of aggressive passion instead of attack. As he did so, and his paws slammed hard down on tnr wood planks beneath him, they gave.

The snap of wood beneath him plunged him downwards, but not before scouring him in multiple places along his legs. When he tried to grab on for dare life, he was distracted with trying to shove Zee to safety. The precious second spent enshured he missed saving himself, and his momentum brought his head forward, quick and sharp. Smacking his noggin against the planks as he went down. His eyes rolled into his head, showing Zee the whites of his eyes as he finished plunging hard into the cold water below he sank instantly to the bottom of the ravine, and went utterly still.

She hardly noticed the danger, noticing only the force of his shove and hating him in that moment for not being able to even pretend she could rival his strength. She skidded back across onto the part of the bridge still standing, a determined snarl still upon her lips. When she turned back to face him once more he was gone, as was the wood he stood upon.

She threw herself back forwards, her paws scratching against the edge of the broken boards so she could look down at the waters depths. Her warlord was not inconspicuous, even when sinking to the bottom of the ravine. The stillness in his limbs told her something was wrong, and immediately her head threw back in a commanding howl. It called for the nearest warrior, one who's strength was enough to drag him from the watery grave. The companions who had begun racing to her aid too stopped, the toucan turning swiftly to find a wolf to answer the call. While she would have dove in after her, she was not so foolish as to think she could haul his weight. His chances were best with her upon the bridge to swiftly direct his rescuer.

A howl of urgency caught the scarred womans black backed ears. With a growl, she altered her course, throwing her weight into big black paws. The woman was quick for one so large and, thankfully, she wasn't terribly far away.

A colorful bird met her as she ran towards the call. She thought that she recognized it as that of Zee, but wasn't sure until the woman came into sight. She was obviously rankled and stood on a collapsed bridge. Putting the pieces together, Resin rushed towards the edge of the water, her golden eye looking into its depths. A dark shape was sinking to the bottom. Great.

Wasting no time, the giantess dove into the cool water. It quickly engulfed her frame as she paddled to the bottom. It was difficult to see with only one eye, bubbles everywhere and salt water stinging. She found Sirius by touch, her paws hitting him first. Jaws opened wide and she grabbed the warlord by his scruff like he was a pup. Planting her hind paws on the sandy bottom, she pushed off, sending them both back to the surface.

Head above water once more, the waterlogged woman breathed hard through her dusty blue nose. Muscles straining in her legs and neck, she pulled the unconscious man to the bank. He was much heavier out of the water than in it but she managed to get him onto dry land. Resin then had to take a moment to catch her breath. She was getting too old for this shit.

The heavy thudding of paws sounded behind her though she did not turn, focused only upon the water and how still he remained as he sunk beneath it. A part of her had expected it to be a joke, some sick prank to tear her from her anger. The longer he remained beneath the surface the less likely it seemed.

Resin wasted no time diving in after him and Zee abandoned her watch to pace along the broken remnants of the bridge. Once more she found herself too small and too weak to help him, a pitiful excuse for an alpha who would have been forced to allow him to drown if the bigger and stronger pack wolves were not present. Her emotions were draining quickly, and as Resin pulled her warlord free she realized how tired she had become. "Get Io, then Deathbelle." The command was given to the toucan, who lifted back into the sky to search for the healers.

Seeing him back on dry land was relieving, though she struggled to let the emotion in. "Will he be okay?" To Resin, her first acknowledgement of the wolf who had come to his rescue. "Can you manage him to our den?" She needed to see him safe and breathing, the rest she would figure out later.