Venom led the young girl towards the driest of Ashen’s lands, and very well the most dangerous. This place had been invaluable in saving the pack from the volcano’s wrath but for curious unsteady puppies it was one of the worst places. What a better guide than Grandmother herself though? The Empress kept a close eye on Delphi while also allowing her the freedom to look at the sights and smell the strange smells of the canyons. She did her best to keep her mostly away from the ledges, so they were starting at the bottom of the red stained canyons.

She had only taken few steps before her paws were stained in the redness of the dirt and sand. "What do you think?” She asked as the pair of them came to a fork in the path. "Which way should we go?” Of course Venom knew her home well enough that she could just tell the girl which way each path would lead, but where was the fun and mystery of that?

"Venom & Maverick"

Delphi was more than excited to be exploring with her Grammy! Knowing that she was going somewhere dangerous was part of the thrill. While some would believe that pups should be cautious, nervous, and fearful of new things, Delphi was the opposite. She quite literally laughed in the face of danger. Nothing particularly spooked her and she preferred to face things head on. It was safer with Grammy though. The little pup knew this and in a way, it made her braver. Knowing that she had someone there to save her settled any doubt that would possibly rise. So she enjoyed her time. With a skip in her step and her nose touching every little thing that appeared interesting, Delphi followed along close to Venom. Her paws and ankles were quickly dyed red from the dirt and that didn’t bother her much at all.  When they came to the fork in the road, she looked up at Venom with a smile and a wag of her tail.  Delighted that she was allowed to choose where they went, she stared hard at the two options. Both looked like normal dirt paths at the bottom of the ravine so she wasn’t quite sure which would be more fun… “Hmmm…” Delphi begins as she lifts a red-stained paw to tap her chin. “Lets go to the left!” She exclaimed as she pulled her paw away to reveal a newly stained chin.

Little Delphi was no different than her own father, or her young aunts and uncles. Perhaps it was a natural Klein trait to be fearless in the face of the unknown. Venom couldn’t decide if it was an endearing quality or just a dangerous one. Perhaps it just depended on the pup in question. Delphi was quite good at listening when told what to do, made obvious by her first reluctance to explore this place.

The two of them came to the fork in the road and the young girl was given the decision as to which way they were going. Delphi paused, and seemed to summon all of her concentration as if she could make a wrong decision. With her own red stained paw, which then made her cute little white chin red, she debated. The girl was lucky she had her grandma there to escort her, it wouldn’t take much investigation to realize where she had been today had she disobeyed.

The girl eventually made her decision and to the left they would go. "To the left!” Venom reiterated and gestured for Delphi to lead the way. There were no sudden drops to worry about so the girl could run quite freely. They wouldn’t be walking for very long when the elevation would begin to change though, they were slowly going down further, and before long the curving smooth sides of the canyon began to converge above their head, leading them into a cave. By now the faint sound of water could be heard, and Delphi could easily guess what was in store for them.

"Venom & Maverick"

Delphi was having the time of her life. Being given the freedom to run through the canyon and throwing caution to the wind, the tiny pup went on. Paws slapping the hard rock ground as she shot a toothy grin back at her grammy. Oh, this was so much fun! "I wish I could stay here forever!" She shouted as she did a little leap into the air as she felt the earth begin to curve and decline. Slowing her pace ever so slightly with her tail wagging furiously behind her, she began to focus more on what was ahead. The shadows of the tall canyon walls loomed over them, hiding the sun that dipped slower and slower away. "Where we goin'?" She asks curiously as her bi-colored eyes blink rapidly to adjust to the change in light. Her ears began to pick up the faint drips of water. Plunk, plunk, plunk they went on the rocks. Delphi's lips curl into an 'o' shape as she looks once more back at Venom. As they continued toward a dark cave, the sound of water grew in sound and repetition as if there was more than just a dripping ceiling hidden in the depths. "Are we goin' swimmin'?!" The pup exclaims, her tiny voice echoing slightly as she is nearly vibrating with excitement about where their journey would lead next.

Delphi was so much like her father, as well as all of her uncles and aunts. The brilliant koi like colors she flashed reminded her far more of the first litter she had raised. As well as her first husband. Venom had let go of her grudge against the man, though she still wasn’t sure a friendship was in order. He had given her such a lovely set of children, and now she was enjoying those grandchildren even more. Watching the girl play and explore without a hint of caution truly made Venom’s heart soar. Of course the little princess was in no real danger, Venom would make certain of that.

Venom chuckled as the child proclaimed her desire to stay. "You can stay as long as you want, but I think your mom and dad might need to have some say so.” All of her grandchildren were more than welcome within the Klein lands. The Empress would be overjoyed to have her stay.

The girl slowed a bit as they approached the caverns, she seemed uncertain about the walls closing in on her, but at the same time her sense of adventure would not be stopped. She timidly asked where it was they were going. "I think some swimming could be arranged.” Venom chuckled softly as she encouraged the girl with a nudge to her hip. "Follow the sound of the water.” Venom gave her a clue. After only a little bit of walking, and some twisting down a couple of tunnels, they would eventually find themselves at a pool and waterfall. The water fell from high up, but even higher still were ancient water carved holes in the ceiling that let in enough light so it trickled down in many beautiful beams.

"Venom & Maverick"