There was no amusement in his eyes. She grunted in resignation and took his hand. He led her behind a wide tree.
"Not too far Blade, I want to be close to the girls, Winter-"
She didn't get in another word; Blade had wrapped himself around her and they kissed. Her eyes widened before closing and kissing back, she gently wrapped her fingers around the back of his head and pulled mercilessly until he let go, folding under the pain.
"First Ferry, now you!" She yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"
She slapped him, it wasn't hard but enough to get the point across, it was important he got it.
He grabbed his face in anger genuinely surprised that lunging at her hadn't worked.
"We should be mating right now! We should be having a baby. Growing as a tribe." Blade said, his voice firm.
She stared; it was enough to make her hesitate.
"Why would you be saying such a thing?" Her tone, soft.
"I can smell that you're in heat, it's the best time. Your heat spell is shorter than that of every woman in our tribe."
"We are not a tribe!" Fury demanded, her shoulders rising. "We're." she stopped, Fury grabbed his collar and pulled as she returned to the others. "I'm not going to explain it more than once, so I want everyone to hear at the same time."
She marched him up to the rest of the girls and sat him down. The girls closed in by her command.
"Where's Ferry?" Fury asked.
"He needed to clear his system" Hawk replied.
"We'll wait."
Ferry came soon after and sat on Blade's left. They looked like kin. Had they been talking? She was going to lose everything.
Her glare didn't soften.
"Good, we're all here. This is vitally important! We boys and girls are not a tribe. We're mercenaries, when we need to make money to feed and shelter ourselves. But primarily, we're a group made to protect each other. We live together because no one would live with us. We're outcasts, wanted outcasts. More than half of us were pulled from prison cells. I know because I pulled you from them! The rest of us were sacrificed by leaders we trusted with our lives. Before that you lived in a military which segregated your sleeping quarters from pure breeds because of our mixed skin." Fury demanded before raising her fist. "Who here dreams of children?"
Both Ferry and Blade stood but only them.
"Sit" she said growling.
"No," Blade yelled. "We all dream of children, to say that you do not is a lie. You want one as much as the rest of us, but you deprive us!"
"Damn you Ferry, Blade do you know nothing of the hardships we face? Are you blind? The decision never was and never will be yours, but mine!" She took a breath, but it barely helped "I hold none of you under this group's control, even you! I myself only hold control of the 'group'. Including any individual within who wants to be in it. You may leave me and have children wherever you went. But remember you're wanted, you're of mixed blood, you have no land and not enough men to take or buy land. I will not allow any kind of child birthing for my group. I absolutely love and adore every single one of you, Winter, Ashley, Sabre, Hawk, Hydra, Sheila, Brook" Fury called them one by one touching the sides of their heads individually and she looked into each one of their eyes.