The news that Nyimara brings with her is disturbing to say the least. So far, his bloodline had been protected by the fierceness of the legacy that the wolf left on the islands and the memories of those that haunted in Warsaw’s prime. He is not without his own faults, but at least Rougaru could say that aside from the truth known only to himself, Monster and Warsaw, he had never purposefully caused the death of another. Despite the feral and often carnal nature that came with the golden eyed beast within him, the wolf was not ruthless. This murder, for it could be labeled as nothing else, was far more than just a mere attack on Nyimara. This was an attack on himself and his pack.

Paper thin nostrils began to quiver as the tension built beneath his supple skin. Muscles harden, flexing with the creature’s desire to exact immediate revenge on the life that was robbed far too soon. Were it not for the careful press of Vanya’s silken shoulder against his own as she slid past him, he might have sounded the bugle of war then and there. It was clear that the news his daughter brought with her was enough to unsettle even the queen of hearts.

Emerald eyes draw away from Nyimara to fixate upon his newest drappa as she slides in front of him, drawing the eyes and attention of all with her. Small ears perk forward amid the tangle of his cream and caramel mane as he eyes the bulge of her swelling belly with pride. The beginnings of a smile curling across his ash dusted lips, there was no denying this child’s lineage, even if she wanted to. Vanya is the first to speak up, offering condolences that he knows falls on deaf ears. He has seen mothers who have lost children before and that same look stains his daughter’s damp cheeks. Wild fury glows in her dark eyes, fury that mirrors itself in the eyes of the wolf within him. Fury that he feels in the tension of every fiber of his skin and that of the rest of his herd that gathers in loose silence around them.

However, the subtle change in Vanya’s posture as she turns her attention back to him is enough to draw even the wolf out of its dark abyss. Firmly he nods his proud head in agreement, her words sticking to his core. Yes, too long Faolain, Solomon and their likes had pressed against the threads of an alliance Warsaw set into place, testing its tension and unravelling the coils of threads with the bluntness of their teeth. Vanya’s statement glitters in his eyes as a malicious smile tugs at his lips. Too long the wolf has played the dutiful companion, the loyal canine and the silence watcher in the woods. It was time to remind them all that despite the friendly smile, he was still a beast and Paradise was a force to be reckoned with.

It does not surprise him that Vanya’s thoughts lead to kingship of the island, it is a goal that he has silently set up for himself many many years ago. Vanya has always been ambitious, it is perhaps one of the main reasons that he first found himself drawn to her. She was determined to get what she wanted, one way or the other. Being a queen of Paradise was not a big enough crown for her, no. Her eyes were set on all of Atlantis and she hid it so neatly behind the desire to exact revenge. Faolain had just handed the painted ballerina a perfect meal laid out on a silver platter. Were it just him, perhaps he might have called her out with a dismissive laugh. It was his plan and though it had been spoken in hushed whispers of a lover’s bed, it would always be his plan. As tempting as Vanya could be with her silver tongue, she would not play him.

However, at this moment, he cannot dare it. They needed to show no weaknesses, especially if his intent was to remind the islands of just how fierce the wolf can be. Vanya knew her game, that was to be sure. Proudly he takes a step forward, his emerald eyes fixating upon her own as he matches her darkened smile with a wolfish grin of his own. He opens his mouth to speak when Monster pushes forward with her own command. Dark eyes shift to his painted viper as she offers the silver haired woman a look that he could not even begin to describe. It was not sympathetic as Vanya’s glance had been, but instead something more akin to understanding and promise. The promise of one mother to another to shoulder the burden of pain that choked her with grief. In another time and place, Nyimara and Monster might be a force to burn the islands to the ground. For now, it was clear that they were both as content with just settling Faolain ablaze as he was.

Monster does not address him directly, but instead addresses the herd, making a point to offer Vanya a glare of contempt that brought his own ears back and had the beast shrinking backwards. In truth, his promise to make Vanya drappa had been one spoken more out of lust filled hunger than true love or adoration as it had been with Zjeena. However, since her return to Paradise, the painted dancer had risen to her role and though still reeling from the idea, Rougaru had come around to it more and more as the days passed. Where once their conversations had been filled with spiteful, lust filled competition; now he found himself enjoying the peace and attention that Vanya offered.

However he had not yet braved the threat of Monster’s retribution with the news. There was a small part of him that thought perhaps he could just toss them together and let them work it out, however as Monster turned to him with a gaze filled with contempt, he knew that was not how this would play out completely. Rougaru and the wolf were in agreement in the fact that Monster had her own plans to chew him apart, luckily, she did not begin now. Like himself, she knew that together they must unite as one if they were to stand against Faolain and the Ridge.

He stepped forward now, turning his gaze back and forth between the two before glancing across the rest of the herd gathered. ”No doubt if Faolain suspects anything, she will run to her allies. We have been good neighbors too long and now it is coming back against us.” he begins, pausing for a moment to let his words settle between them before continuing. Yes, this part was his fault. ”I should have kept closer ties on her alliances but I do know without a doubt that Solomon is among them. He too has shown very little respect for us but we must prepare for a war for that is what will come. We need to draw out our friends and encourage their backs to turn against the Ridge.” he adds with a resounding stomp of his hoof. ”Faolain will pay….”