Gaining Azure’s agreement had been easier than he expected. The willingness Azure showed to support him was very different to what he had expected. Perhaps a part of him had hoped for a fight. A chance to bleed out some of the coiled emotions he was keeping tightly bottled, away from the kids. But he couldn’t deny that this outcome was better. They would work well together this way. No resentments.

“No… They won’t” He agreed tightly. But he thought Azure deserved the chance to ask them. He closed his eyes for a moment. “I won’t be needing my den back, either.” He would make other arrangements for himself and the kids.

“...What!” He said, startling in surprise. “...When?” he asked, already raising his eyes over Azure, as if he could catch a glimpse of the kids on the horizon. It seemed he had another stop before he would be making his way to the Hallows.


"Speech"

Art by Salt

It made sense that in grief, Seer would make decisions that shocked him. This one was one of the less expected of them all, and Azure's head tilted slightly as he regarded his father in question. Give up his den? Where would he and the pups stay if not there? It was a difficult line to toe, but Az only gritted his teeth a moment before speaking up on the issues beneath this decision. "I understand why you would want that." He said hesitantly. "Though, what would we do with it? Do you want the entire stairway and the half-dozen rooms within collapsed?" Or would Sirius intend Azure to take it, and force him and his family to sleep beneath the grief of Zee's memory? Or Aris and her puppies? Who in the Armada would it be fair to ask to move into it, and who would not be pained by the request? "Where will you and my brothers and sisters den? What else has enough room for so many young ones?" Azure's head shook, his uncertainty clear. As for Aris he simply shrugged his shoulders and gestured with his head into the mountain range beyond where she must currently be. "I don't know, little while ago. Days go by quickly. Didn't even count them." He gave back. He had given her permission for her litter, he'd not pretended to care any further about the young lives at least until they started to form personalities. "Speech"

Sirius paused, his attention returning to Azure as he frowned. He had expected Azure to continue to want it. He had been using it since Sirius stepped down, and he assumed that because of this, Azure’s association to the den was less to do with Zee (he hadn’t been raised in there, nor slept under its roof with Zee) and more to do with his position as Warlord. His words now seemed to claim otherwise. No, collapsing them would be a waste of space…” He grimaced again. There would be plenty of hard choices ahead as they came to terms with what they had lost. “I will put it to vote with the children.” He decided.

“Do you know how many Aris had? Was it an easy birth? And who is their father? Is he someone who will want to claim the children, but live outside the pack?” He frowned at Azure.


"Speech"

Art by Salt