Once the pups had grown enough to be allowed to lead the den, their lives were filled with rules upon rules upon rules. Thankfully with the tight-knit structure of Ashen and it's Armada, the pups were granted more room to roam then a normal litter might be. Rather then being blocked into the same two territories for their formative years they were allowed to come and go from the Empire's territories as well. Indy and Mort were off with their parents doing some individual training - and they were encouraged to spend their time outside the den in pairs - so Az propositioned Asla to accompany him. Luckily his sister often seemed to be in the mood for adventure and accepted easily. They moved out of the territory of their birth, over the border and into the land Ashen called home. The stark contrast in the environments amazed the boy and he could hardly keep his eyes off the brilliant white barked trees as they wandered. It was growing darker, and as the sun lowered in the sky a new light was visible further into the woods. "Look." He whispered, as if the ethereal glow might vanish if he were too loud. Bright eyes stared unblinking at the distant glow, watching the way the purple hues reflected off the surrounded trees. "Wanna go see?" He turned to Asla, tail wagging excitedly behind him. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

With more than half of her family off doing other things, Aslatiel was beyond bored. She tried to keep herself entertained but it just wasnt working for her. The small girl was used to having a partner in crime. With Indy give, she was a little lost. So when Az suggested that they go on an adventure together, she jumped at the chance.

Full of energy, the creamy pup ran circles around her larger sibling. The varying sights around them as they traveled were amazing. It was a nice break from miles of boring grass, she thought. "I'm glad we decided to do this together," She chirped as she bounced merrily along.

As they walked, Asla often turned her attention to the sky. She was terribly fascinated by the ocean of air and stars that hung above her world and often found herself staring for long periods of time. She was learning the patterns in those stars gradually. The girl had no idea that such things could be useful, but she would eventually.

Coming upon the white barked trees, Asla couldn't help but sink her claws into one of them. Raking downward, she found it fearfully amusing that the bark peeled away in strips. It wasn't until Az pointed out the glow that she even noticed its existence. "Whoa..." She murmured in amazement. Of course she wanted to go see! Adventure was her middle name! "Yes, let's go!" She whispered as well and instantly began moving towards the interesting glow.

Asla's excitement was palpable and infectious, and the more the happy girl bounded around him the more his tail wagged. "I'm glad, too!" He responded cheerfully. The girl stopped to claw at a tree, and Azure looked down at his paws with a frown. His feet weren't like his other siblings, while they could sheath and retract their claws at will his were huge and bulky and caused him to be more wobbly then the average pup when he walked. Her amazement echoed his own as he pointed out the glow, and as he'd expected she had no hesitance to go closer. While she moved towards it, Az got an idea. He moved up alongside her. "Race you there!" The pup gave her a grin and then took off through the woods, hoping to be the first to catch whatever creature was causing such a beautiful purple glow. His strides were longer than hers, though he also was limited in movement by the differences in his body. Whenever he was to run full out the boy felt awful painful aches in his knees and elbows, and the size difference in his forelegs and forepaws off-balanced the pup. One day he'd learn to overcome the oddities in his body to achieve average speeds, but for now every sprint was a lesson. As they neared the glow, it became apparent that it's source was not the air nor the trees but somewhere in the ground. He slowed on approach, unable to see above the circle barrier of stones to identify what secrets hid behind them. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

'Race' was all that she needed to hear. With a yip, Aslatiel stepped back a few steps with excitement before darting ahead. Ears tucked against her skull and she ran as though she was one with the wind. The girl didn't even know if she was ahead of her brother. The excitement within her was too overwhelming to pay attention.

When they neared the glow, however, Aslatiel hung back. As soon as she could see that the shimmering light was coming from water, fear bit at her heart. She allowed Azure to reach the pool ahead of her. Only when he was stopped did she slowly creep up to his side. The tiny girl pressed herself against her larger sibling for comfort. Ears were still tucked back against her skull and it was obvious that she was afraid.

She couldn't deny that the water was pretty, but it was still frightening. She didn't know how deep it was. Water had tried to swallow her up. She didn't want to go anywhere near it though. "Be careful, Az," she was back to whispering. If he fell in... she probably wouldn't be much help.

As the pups reached the shrine and it's faintly glowing water, Asla's excitement faded away. It was like a change in the air he breathed, and Az turned to her frowning as she displayed her fearful worry. His father's protective streak hadn't passed over the boy, and he turned his head to lay it down upon the smaller girls neck as if he could shield her from the world with his oversized frame. "I won't let it get you." He promised, though truthfully the pup did not know if he could fight the glowing pool for his sister's life if the situation called for it. Pulling away from her slightly he moved forward to place his paws upon the etched stones, peering down at the water's surface. "Look, something swims in it." He beckoned gently, looking back at her to see if she'd be brave enough to come closer. "It reminds me of Indy, same colors." The way the creatures moved within the pool shifted and swirled the colors, and he could see the bioluminescent glow intensify where they brushed against the algae within. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The moment that Az embraced her and told her that he'd keep her safe, Aslatiel felt relieved. She stopped hiding behind her giant brother, but she continued to stick close to his side. She trusted his word that he would protect her. The girl didn't know it now, but this gesture would serve as the beginning of her desire to protect him as well. She would develop a great desire to keep her whole family safe.

Tentatively she came to the edge of the water. Azure's excitement was contagious and she, too, was intrigued by the swimming fish. "It's so pretty," She spoke, her little voice filled with awe. "I wish Mort and Indy were here to see it too." Maybe they would bring their brothers with them next time.

Asla would always be overly affectionate, especially with her brothers. She leaned against Az and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for spending the day with me." Although 'day' want exactly the correct term now. The sun was faking asleep and night was taking its place. Looking to the sky, the girl frowned. The water was too bright to see the stars clearly. She didn't like that one bit.

Azure watched as his sister neared closer with him, eyes firmly upon her so that if she were to slip or fall that he could quickly catch her. He wasn't sure if it'd be a successful catch or if he'd simply be towed into the pool as well, but regardless it was his intention should she lose her balance. As Asla offered him a kiss upon the cheek he grinned, nuzzling her softly in response. The pup lay himself flat upon the stones, stretching out so his weight was distributed more evenly. "If we do this, we can get closer." He instructed, letting his bottom half weigh him down so he could work closer to the pool. Once he had settled, the pup's elbows down to his paws hung down towards the pond and his rear end was safely upon the rocks and grass. He tried to swat at the fish as they swam, but even with his oversized paws they barely reached the water's surface. Instead, Az simply lay staring into the glowing water. The darker the sky got, the more beautiful it seemed. When he turned to look at his sister, the glow was reflecting off her face. "You're purple like Indy." He told her, smiling. "I wish you could see." "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Az crept towards the edge on his belly and Asla did the same, only not as close. She did want to see the fish though, so she peered over the side. They were pretty little things and their movement seemed to make the pool glow brighter. She was intrigued, but the fact that they were in water dampened her interest. As she looked towards the stars, her brother commented on the water making her purple like Indy. She laughed and looked at him. "You're a little purple too." The lavender glow from the water illuminated the markings on his face, mostly. His eyes also had a purple sheen to them. Rising from her crouch, Aslatiel moved away from the pool a bit. The more distance she put between herself and the glow, the brighter the stars seemed to be. "Do you think we'll get in trouble for being out so late?" She was tired of getting in trouble. It seemed to be a daily event for the girl. "Speech"

Azure was transfixed on the fish and the way that they made the pool grow brighter, but when he turned to see his sister her eyes were upon the night sky. He followed her gaze, staring up at the stars that were beginning to appear above. She moved away and Azure followed her, moving up close to her and craning his head back to see what could have been so interesting. His sister asked him a question, and Az shrugged. "I don't think so. This is Aunty's home, we're allowed to be here. Momma never said we couldn't." He couldn't see why the rules would change after dark, and only focused upon exactly what he'd been told. Until the pups were given a curfew directly, he could feign innocence. Regardless, he wanted to ensure his sister felt safe and comfortable. "Do you wanna head back?" He asked softly, head turning as he tried to figure out which direction they'd come from. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

It was true that they were never told that they couldn't be out after dark. The girl sat and looked up at the stars. She was torn. Part of her wanted to go back just so that she didn't get into trouble. The other part wanted to stay here with her brother. He could enjoy the glowing pool and she could enjoy the glowing stars. Grey ears tucked against her skull and she cast a plum glance at her sibling. "I've been in so much trouble lately... I never know what's right and wrong anymore." Plus mom and dad had different ideas of what was right and wrong. So many mixed signals. She shook her head lightly. "Would you mind? We can come again sometime soon." "Speech"

Azure gave her a sympathetic look, knowing that his sister had been in trouble a lot lately. It only confused him more, because to him her transgressions did not seem nearly that bad. "That's okay we can come back tomorrow or something."He told her, nosing her on the cheek affectionately. "I don't know the way back though. Do you? Everything looks so different at night." The pup's uncertainty grew as he admitted being lost, and his tail moved to tuck tightly underneath him. What if a mean wolf showed up while Deathbelle's wolves were sleeping, took them both and ate them? Azure would fight for his life and Asla's, but he didn't think he could fight good enough to get them free. He looked up at the stars then squinted out into the dark horizon, his teeth pressing divots into his lip anxiously. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Azure agreed to head back to the pack and he gave her a nuzzle. She kissed his cheek and grinned. "Thanks, Az. You're a good brother." Perhaps they would come back tomorrow and see the glowing pool and its fancy fish again. Now that she'd been close enough, the water here didn't frighten her as much. Maybe it was the presence of Az and his promise to protect her, but the small wolf didn't feel afraid. Concern etched Azure's features and Asla tilted her head in question. He admitted that he didn't know how to get back, then asked if she did. The cream colored girl frowned slightly. She... didn't either. With an open mouthed sigh, she cast another glance towards the sky. "Oh!" she exclaimed, hopping to her paws. An idea struck. "We can follow the stars home, Az. That big one right there," She pointed to one particularly vibrant star, "I always see that one on the other side." Perhaps not the best explanation, but she knew what she was talking about. "Follow me!" With confidence, the girl started in the direction that she believed home was in. "Speech"

Asla gifted Az a kiss upon his cheek and he grinned at her. He was a good brother, wasn't he? The pup was happy to think so, and as her confidence came forth and her paw pointed to a particularly bright star Azure nodded his approval. "Okay! Let's follow the star, I trust you." His sister started off in the direction of home and Azure bumbled behind her. Luckily, Asla was so small that her stride was not too much to handle. if it were a pup his height Az would struggle to keep up as he still hadn't figured out his paws. "Hope we get home soon." He said as they walked. "I'm hungry. Maybe momma will let me have a snack before bed." He contemplated more than once taking a nibble out of the captive chickens, but had heard enough of their parent's response to Asla ending the life of the injured bird. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Her brother agreed to follow her plan and the girl grinned, moving along merrily. She noted that Azure wasn't in the same mood. Tilting her head as she walked, she looked to his big, wide paws. "Do your feet hurt? Do you want to take a break?" Her pace slowed a bit even though her strides were much smaller than her siblings. She didn't want him to be uncomfortable. If he wanted a break, she had an idea that might help him. If he wanted to keep going, however, they would do so. When Azure said that he was hungry and was hoping for a snack, Aslatiel giggled softly. "Why ask for a snack?" She knew where the food cache was. Plus Aunt Io had shown her that there was fruit in her garden. "We can have Aunt Io's fruit as long as we're careful. Or I could get us some meat." Or she could try to hunt them something, but it would be difficult in the dark. Especially since they weren't completely sure where they were. Looking upward, Asla kept track of the position of the stars. Everything seemed to be in place and they were still on the right heading. After a while, the girls nose wiggled. "Smell that? Almost home!" The familiar scents of the Armada lands wafted up the girls dusty nares and she shot her brother an 'I told you so' grin. "Speech"

Asla looked over at him while they walked and he frowned as her concern reached him. "No, I'm okay." He insisted. Weakness was something he didn't like to feel, and if his little sister could handle the walk then surely he could too. When she slowed down he appreciated it however, and he gave her a smile as they walked on. She'd told him that she knew where food was kept and Azure considered it briefly. Did he want to get home and fetch his own food, pick out for himself what he wanted to eat? His paws were sore. It sounded like a better idea to just ask mom to grab him something from their stores. Then he could lay down, cuddle his siblings and absorb the excitement of the day with a relaxing nap. "Mmm, I dunno. I'm hungry but tired too." Hungry, tired, and sore. Maybe that's why he was feeling a little moodier, all the boys he knew got grumpy when they were hungry tired or sore. it wasn't long before Asla led them home, and Azure was able to forget the ache in his paws as they stepped over the border. "Home!" He cried happily. "Thank you Asla, I knew you could do it but I'm so glad you didn't get lost!" It would have been a nightmare for the directionally-challenged pup to make it back alone. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Az denied rest and the offer to raid the food cache. She surmised that he must be very tired indeed. The walk was taking a lot out of him. She was a little exhausted herself, but the stars would be there all night. She would lay outside the den and watch them until she fell asleep.

Her brother complimented her navigational skills and Asla bristled with pride. She was glad that hey idea had worked. It opened a lot of possibilities fur future exploration. She wondered if she could draw a map of the stars. Maybe she would ask her aunt Io about it.

Once back in the safety of their own home, Asla kissed her brothers cheek and went off on her own. He would probably beg their mother for a snack, but she threw herself in the soft grass and looked up at the stars.
-exit-