As soon as Pestilence had heard that her tutor Sirius had a sister the little pup was very excited to meet her. She liked Sirius enough she supposed and was thankful that she had a strong warrior to teach her the art of fighting... but in the end he still a boy and Pesto over her short almost-year of life had decided that girls were better then boys in every way. If Sirius had a sister then she'd need to be powerful and strong like him, but even better. Pesto decided she had to sneak over to the Armada lands to meet this wonderful warrior woman and adopt her as a new tutor to replace the warlord with.  She didn't know her name or what she looked like, but Pesto supposed it'd be hard to miss a huge inky black woman with saber teeth and white markings. Sirius was easy to notice from afar, so why would his sister be any different? The princess strolled across the border with her head held high and peered over the lands around the oasis, looking carefully to spot the rumored woman.  "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The tiny healer had been sifting through hibiscus leaves.  A leak had sprung in her temporary den and some of the reddish pink petals were damp.  Damp bred mold and that just wouldn't do.  She lay upon her stomach,  two piles of petals before her. One would be placed back within the dried,  Rabbit skin pouch.  The other would be tossed upon the compost heap. 

The soft scuff of paws on sand sent one obsidian ear swiveling in that direction.  A moment later,  after she'd packed the hibiscus away,  green and gold eyes followed. What approached was a pup. One of Belle's,  she could tell. The small woman smiled. The girl was as pretty as her mother. "Hello there, " the dame purred in soft,  accented tones.  "Which of Deathbelle's children might you be?  She'd already met one of the others.  Honestly,  she didn't even know how many  there were. They'd been too involved in... other things.

Pestilence grinned at the easy way the woman recognized her. One day she'd be known throughout all the lands, and wolves would run from her on sight. "I'm Pestilence." She offered politely, dipping her head in greetings. "But you can call me Pesto. Everyone else does. Except Plague, he calls me Pest." Her face contorted into a scowl at the thought, and she kicked her foot upon the ground as if her brother's face might be etched into it. She hadn't come to talk about her siblings though, and brushed it off easily. "Do you know where Sirius' sister is? I'm looking for her for lessons!" A wide grin touched her lips and she swiveled her head back and forth to continue peering over the land for the huge war-lady.

"Good to meet you, Pesto," Iolaire offered with a grin when the girl gave her nickname instead of her full name. She then informed her that she was looking for the sister of Sirius. The speckled girls searching gaze roamed everywhere except for upon Iolaire herself. The tiny dame laughed softly, a look of pure amusement on her face. "Well, darling. My name is Iolaire." She stood her full height, bag at her shoulder and a swish in her tail. "And I am the woman that you seek."

Once the shock wore off, Iolaire would continue. "Come for lessons, have you? Well, I have some time. You can ask questions as I work if you'd like." Head canted to the side, she motioned to her pack. "I was just sorting through hibiscus leaves. Some of them had gotten wet. Can't have mold growing in your stores, now can you?"

Pestilence's neck arched backwards away from the woman, her head cocking to the side. This wolf was the warlord's sister? She lifted one brow, lavender gaze sweeping over the small woman skeptically. "I guess you don't need to be big to be strong." She said without certainty, trying to convince herself that her plan was not a total flop. "Wait, stores?" Pestilence's nose wrinkled in disdain and she huffed angrily.

This woman was a healer? But Pesto wanted to learn to fight. The princess fell to her belly, her face pushing against the dirt. Her mother had taught her to be polite to strangers, but it was hard to hide her disappointment. "Do hibiscus leaves at least make wolves poo?" She asked, looking for a way to scavenge the situation with some fun. The last healer she'd met had taught her about some cool herbs that could be used for pranks, that was way better then just fixing scratches and fevers.

Disappointment was evident as the girl realized that she was a healer. Was that not the reason that she'd come? Had she... Oh boy. A new look of amusement graced the dark woman's features. "Were you expecting me to be a warrior like Sirius?" Lifting one paw, she gave her claws an appraising look. They were tinged a little pink from the petals, but it would fade. "Not quite. There are other ways to show strength without being a bull like Sirius, however." Not to toot her own horn, but she was one of the smartest wolves she knew.

Iolaire moved towards her temporary den, dipping easily within. "Hibiscus flowers do not make you poo, unfortunately. They will dye your white fur a nifty shade of pink, however. Pretty funny if someone isn't expecting it." Her voice would be a bit muffled, but she knew that the girl would hear her. "Milk thistle will make you poo though," She called out to Pesto.

Pestilence huffed again, grumbling softly. "I want to be strong like the volcano that killed my father." She insisted. "The volcano doesn't need anything except brute strength." Iolare wandered away into her den and Pesto lifted her head from the ground, her ears swiveling to catch the woman's muffled voice. "Will it dye a black wolf pink, or only a white wolf?" Immediately her thoughts moved to Sirius, and she imagined how hilarious it would be to dye the brute a bright happy pink. "I already have a plant to make a wolf poo, I need something better then that." Her mother had also taught her enough of healing to know not to mix herbs if you didn't know what they did, and while making a wolf poo double sounded fun, she didn't think she should feed both laxative herbs to the same patient.

"You're right. A volcano does only need brute strength. However, those that wish to beat a volcano need quite a bit more. You need a strong mind as well." The woman rummaged around in her den, putting the petals in a new, safer place where they wouldn't become wet again. She had pulled a portion of them away and had place them in a small sack which she gave to the girl upon exiting the den."In case you have a sibling that has it coming. And to answer your question, no. It won't make a black wolf pink. Might make them a little purple, but that's about it. Make sure you steep them in water, then let the water evaporate a bit. The thicker your mixture gets, the brighter the color."

Iolaire settled down a short distance from the girl. "Surely Sirius will train you in battle. He's the brawn, after all. Whereas I'm the brains." Poor Sirius... but it was true. He wasn't the brightest flower in the field. He was good though and that was all that mattered to her.

Pestilence frowned again as she answered the question, humming thoughtfully. Well, the warlord might have been mostly black but he had white on him too. It'd be easier to sneakily paint his butt anyways. After a moment she nodded, pleased with the compromise in plans. "Do you have extras I can have?" She asked sweetly, lifting her paws to show the size of Sirius' butt markings. "I want to paint this much." The wheels were turning already, perhaps she could find him asleep and paint him then. This would be glorious.

It turned out this wolf wasn't all bad, she might not have been a mighty warrior but Pesto could still find use in her brilliant mind. "Sirius doesn't need brains though.[i] She retorted. "He's still practically undefeated even if he is stupid." It would be hard to sway the pup; strength would always win over brains... and especially over religion.

She'd already given her a bag of the petals and a little bit went a long way. If she wanted more though, she could have them.  Iolaire shrugged. "Sure. Knock yourself out. If you want more, they're on the shelf to the left at the bottom right." Iolaire had constructed shelving within her den to keep things organized. The roots the protruded from the ceiling were hung with various herbs that were in the process of drying.

Pesto declared that Sirius didn't need brains and Iolaire shrugged again. "He doesn't need them himself, but he needs wolves around him that do, such as Zee and myself. Without us, he may have died from his broken leg. Strength is important, but so is intellect. It's best to either find a good balance or surround yourself with those loyal to you that can make up for the areas where you're lacking."

"For example," Iolaire began. "Recently, Sirius and I went hunting for Oxen. Now, Oxen are pretty big. Sirius would have his work cut out for him to bring down one alone. With my intellect and planning, we brought down not one, but two. We fed our pack and yours from one hunt." It had been a worthwhile trip and they needed to make another. "Balance. The world is all about balance, Pesto." She wasn't sure if the girl could understand yet, but in time, perhaps she would.

Pestilence collected the herbs greedily, a wicked smile upon her maw. This would be perfect, she couldn't wait to see her mother's warlord splashed with pink. Suddenly this trip out to meet Sirius' sister wasn't as big of a waste as she originally thought, and as the woman spoke further she listened intently. She still didn't quite understand. "I'm a princess." The pup insisted firmly. "I'll have people to do the thinking for me, like Sirius has you and Zee." The concept of balance went in one ear and out the other, and she latched onto the idea that as long as she had smart help that she didn't need to be anything but strong. "I want to be a warlord like him, and he's made it this far without brains." Potentially an insult, though Pestilence didn't think of it as one. She tilted her head at the explained story, further confused. "Why does Sirius need to hunt at all? Does the Armada not have people for that, too? Aunt Lucretia and her dog hunt for us most of the time." It hadn't occurred to the pup that said 'dog' was more to her aunt then a mere companion.

My, the girl was firm in her beliefs, wasn't she? After grabbing the desired herbs from Iolaire's stores, she'd come back out with an evil glint in her eye. Iolaire couldn't know exactly what she had planned, but she hadn't given her poisons at least. What she did with the petals and who she slighted with them wasn't her concern at all. The effects would be temporary and no one would die.

Pesto gave her schpeel about being a princess and having people think for her. Iolaire laughed softly. "Without brains, how will you know if the ones smarter than you are lying? They could be using you as a pawn. Pointing you in the direction that they want you to go. You should try to be smarter than everyone around you. Then no one will ever have the jump on you." It had to be her age. Hopefully, as the girl grew, she would come to understand the mechanics of the world a bit better."

The child also didn't seem to understand why Sirius would hunt, and went so far as to mention that Lucretia and her 'dog' hunted for the pack. "Sirius hunts because he can and because it's what a good leader does. His people come first. Everyone contributes in their own way in return." Pestilence would benefit from diplomacy training. Io thought that she might mention it to Deathbelle the next time she saw her.

Pestilence was taken aback by the insinuation that her mother's subjects would ever use her in that way. Her ears flattened, and she looked terribly distraught. "They wouldn't do that." She argued softly, thinking of all the people she loved in Ashen and how the majority of the wolves were her full-blooded family. She knew the world wasn't fair, but it'd never occurred to her that nature would not be her only enemy, but also the wolves around her?

She lowered her head while the woman continued to speak, absentmindedly dragging her paw through the dirt below her. "Well, maybe it's because his pack is small. I bet when he gets lots of hunters he'll stop doing it." She had to believe that Sirius was just a fighter, strong and powerful but able to fail in the other areas of life so that she'd have an excuse not to work on them either.

The child was still so naive... Iolaire hoped that what she said was true, but she knew that it wasn't. Everyone in the world was out to get something. Many wouldn't blink twice at using someone else to their gain. Subjects, friends, even family. It was a hard pill to swallow and she wouldn't try to make the girl take her medicine this day.

"You think so?" Iolaire laughed at Pesto's explanation of Sirius hunting. "He thoroughly enjoys doing it. Everyone needs a hobby whether it's hunting or dying people pink." She grinned and shrugged. "Though it is true. Once the pack grows in size, he'll more likely have less time to hunt. He'll have to oversee his subjects instead. Ruling isn't easy."

Iolare's laugh caused the girl's ears to swivel forward, catching the sound and frowning. It wasn't too laughable an idea, right? Her world was slowly crumbling. "Well if he does it for a hobby it's different, but that doesn't mean every ruler has to hunt too." It was hard to accept the woman's words, she'd come here for validation not logic. Her tail swept against the ground on which she sat, her irritation showing. Iolaire continued, and Pestilence lifted her head. "I know ruling isn't easy, my mom works really hard." She told her firmly. It was the pup's belief that Sirius' ease of leading was only because Deathbelle paved the way for him and gave him security within her empire, though she wouldn't say it aloud. "Mom thinks Venom will be the next Empress, I don't think that's fair because none of us had a chance."

She was definitely stubborn in her ways of thinking. Iolaire could only hope that the girls mind would grow as she grew. Didn't she speak to her mother about such things? Surely Deathbelle would try to balance out her children's way of thinking. Then again, what did she know? Iolaire wasn't a mother, nor was she the mothering type. Maybe the Empress had little to do with instilling knowledge into her children. Really, it wasn't Iolaire's problem.

Pesto then brought up her sister, Venom, being in line for Empress. It obviously bothered the girl. "Succession is a tricky thing. If an heir has already been chosen, there's little that you can do, but it's not hopeless." The small woman rolled her shoulders a bit to ease some built up tension. "You can focus on yourself. Make yourself a well rounded wolf. Work on your leadership skills. Then, if you happen to become a better fit for ruler than your siblings, perhaps you'll win that spot in the end. Things do change and nothing is ever set in stone." Iolaire didn't know anything of the Ashen succession guidelines, but she had always believed that one should test and press boundaries. Only a horrible ruler would choose a successor based on age rather than skill and aptitude.

Pestilence huffed softly, hanging her head in defeat. "But that's the thing, it's not fair." She insisted once more. "Why should I need to be better then her to maybe be a ruler, when she only has to be as good as us for her to keep it? It's a stupid system." The pup had no interest in working her butt off to to maybe-possibly earn a good rank, she wanted guarantees. In her mind, the Klein prince and princesses had first dibs on whatever they wanted anyways. Everything except Empress, that is.

She imagined Venom on the throne with Plague as her right hand and was not pleased to be considered third or even further down the totem pole. What would the Abraxas-loving children do to her beloved Empire when they were in control? "Did you pick the Armada over Ashen because of the religion?" She asked suddenly. If Iolaire was this wise wolf and great healer, surely she'd want to live in the main branch of Ashen rather then it's lowly Armada. She seemed to be friends with Pestilence's mother, too. Did she choose lower on the totem pole because of the spirituality of the Klein-Abraxas members?

Iolaire shook her head at Pesto's frustration. "Life isn't fair. You'll have it easier than most because of who your mother is, but you'll still need to fight for what you want." She gave a shrug. "If you want it enough, that is." Io had accepted the fact that the girl was set in her ways for now. Time and life experiences would either change her, or she'd go through life always jaded and never whole.

Pesto's sudden question made Iolaire blink. Religion? Iolaire did not believe in gods. Many wolves did, but they had never done a thing for her if they did exist. She had never seen one. Never heard one. So, since there was no proof, they meant nothing to her. Perhaps this child did believe in gods, however. She wouldn't be the one to plant that seed of doubt. "I'm here because Sirius is here. My allegiance belongs to him. Family is very important to me and I wouldn't be anywhere else." Not having had a solid family growing up, the woman was very glad to have one now. She would do anything for Sirius.

Pestilence received an answer from the healer, and frowned. It didn't address her question the way she'd hoped, and the pup still didn't know where this woman stood on religion and spirituality. She huffed softly, her chest puffing out as she thought. "Family matters to me too." Her firm response came. "They just drive me insane. Sometimes I feel like I'm in another world then them." Truthfully it wasn't her siblings' fault; Pestilence had distanced herself after their father's death and shunned their affections because of the way they'd handled it. After enough attempts it seemed the other pups had given up trying to get through to her.  The thought made her equal parts happy and sad. While two seasons ago she'd have gladly got them to leave her alone so she could stop hearing about Abraxas, she was feeling the emptiness more and more as time passed. "Do you and Sirius ever fight?"