Tiny but confident paws carried the small wolf from her homeland in the plains. Out into the world she went, sure to tell her mother where she was going first. Aslatiel was in trouble enough, so, these days, she made sure to take precautions.  After telling her mother that she was leaving, the small girl eagerly made her way out of Armada territory and into Ashen territory. Her brother's would be so jealous that she was out exploring on her own. Although, none of them were as interested in seeing the world as much as she was. Aslatiel was going places. There would be no stopping her paws. She would see the world. See the stars. Learn it all. Hungry, plum colored eyes ate in the scenery as she went. The change in terrain was interesting. Even the ground underfoot was changing. The long grass gave way, growing ever shorter until it was small and soft between the child's pinkish toe pads. A gentle breeze wafted in from the sea, ruffling the young lady's creamy coat. The scent of the ocean was salty and slightly fishy, but not altogether unpleasant.  Though it was the same ocean, Asla imagined that it smelled a little different than the sea by her family's den. Maybe it was the scent of freedom mixed in. Aslatiel crossed the bridge to the first of the islands that she would explore. Paws touched soft, warm sand and the girl grinned. This was nice. The pale sand stretched on and on, kissing the ocean on all sides. She wondered if it went all the way around the island or if there were places where sand stopped and rocks met the sea. Perhaps, today she would find that out. The girl planned on finding out a lot of things today. From the beach, she found her way into the shade of overhanging trees. They were a little different than the scarce trees that littered the plains. They were definitely different than Aunt Iolaire's trees that she planted in her garden. These were tall and curved with strange winding branches. She tried to remember the name that her father had told her... Munkrobes? Shaking her head against the name, Aslatiel went up to one of the tree and, unsheathing her little kitten claws, sliced into the bark a few times. She both sharpened her claws and left her mark on this place. No one could deny that she'd been here. As Aslatiel walked along, she couldn't help but notice the constant cooing of the birds in the trees above her head. It seemed as though there were thousands of them. Stopping, she watched them fly back and forth for a time. They seemed to be going back and forth to the same places. Nests? The girl's pinkish tan nose wrinkled. Eggs were disgusting things. She really hated them. The birds, however... she could do with a snack. Oh, but there was so much left to look at! She pushed her hunger down. There would be time to hunt later. Sights and smells abound as the girl continued through the territory. It was rather surprising that she hadn't been intercepted yet. If anyone had walked so freely in Armada lands, they would have been found immediately. The border patrol was diligent. It seemed like Resin, the scary, one eyed lady, and her charge, Dunkan, were always on patrol. Maybe the chattering monkeys in the trees above were the patrol. The girl snorted at the thought. Silly monkeys... Former thoughts of catching some lunch returned. Taking a break from her exploring, Aslatiel soon had a dead dove between her paws. She wouldn't eat the monkeys. They were dirty, creepy creatures. Lunch between her jaws, the girl moved off through the trees to find a suitable place where she could dine. She found a nice little sun spot between a pair of trees that were joined at the trunk. Settling down with her hind end in the v of trunks, she began plucking her meal, spitting feathers aside. Up above, the monkeys screamed at the little predator. It was annoying, and Asla's fluffy ears tucked back against her skull. Tilting her head to the side, she glared up at the ugly creatures. Maybe the trees weren't the best place to eat her lunch. With her dove half plucked, Asla took it back between her jaws and moved back to the outskirts of the island. Monkeys wouldn't be hanging out over the sand. Padding out onto the beach, the cream and grey girl stopped in her tracks. There was another wolf there. A wolf that she knew. Not wanting to drop her kill in the sand, Aslatiel spoke with her mouth full. "Hrlo rnt Defburr." She didn't know the woman well, but she knew her well enough to say hello. Looking about, the girl found a rock nearby to where the woman was laying. She placed her dove on the rock and licked her bloody little lips. Clearing her throat, she spoke again. "Hello, Aunt Deathbelle." "Speech"

Deathbelle relaxed on the beach, her body relaxing but her mind never did. She was thinking eagerly about her next trip with Hannibal, but her yearling children were also on her mind. Her den had been empty for too long, and she was eager to try and fill it with young lives again. There was one wolf she had yet to vocalize her desire to, the one who mattered and would father them. These thoughts swirled in her mind as the sun warmed her fur in solitude. Lilac eyes were closed as the sound of disturbed sand made her peek open an eye.

The young Aslatiel, the girl she had bestowed her name. Deathbelle’s grin widened as she was greeted by the little hunter. She couldn’t help but feel pride in the girl’s skill, she was the obvious killer of the bird. ”Hello, Niece Aslatiel.” She chuckled as she crossed her paws and looked up at the little pup. ”What are you out doing?” She asked curiously, noting she was alone.

What was she out doing alone? The child grinned and sat in the sand, her stripey tail wagging behind her. "Exploring. Killing birds. What are you out doing?" She returned in kind, head tilting to the side ever so slightly. Maybe it wasn't polite to ask adults what they were doing, but she was still a puppy and could blame her manners on not having learned them yet.

"Do you want part of my bird? Or I could catch you your own." Asla really, really enjoyed hunting and killing things. She hoped her aunt said yes and that hope shone brightly in her big, lilac eyes. Not only did she like to hunt, she liked to show off her prowess. Three months old and she was a bona fide killer. Her dad even said so.

Aslatiel seemed happy to be the Empress’s presence, either that or she was excited about her talent. Catching birds was difficult, and not one of Belle’s favorite species to hunt. Their flight made catching them frustrating, and Deathbelle preferred something she could run after. ”Thank sounds like fun,” she offered with a smile as the girl asked what the Empress was doing. ”I’m just relaxing, the sound of the ocean soothes my nerves.” She offered simply. ”Thinking about things.” She sighed softly and reclined further.

”I’ll share, but I’ll let you catch another if you want.” She added with a wink as the girl seemed eager to show off her skills. ”It’s very nice of you to offer.”

Aslatiel wiggled a bit as Deathbelle gave her the go ahead to catch another bird. The girl's eyes flashed. Picking up the partially plucked dove, she placed it on the woman's paws for safe keeping. "I'll be right back!" Instantly, she dashed off into the trees, only dropping into stealth mode when the sun spattered shadows covered her form. Perhaps ten minutes later, the girl came back, another bird between her jaws. Bits of leaves were stuck to her fur, but she looked pleased as punch.

Asla swapped out birds before settling down. She took the old one since it was smaller and, by now, was cold. The girl was careful to keep her meal off of the sand and used a little slab of rock as a dish. Before she began eating, she cast her gaze towards the black and white woman. "What's wrong? You seem sad."

Deathbelle was beyond amused at Aslatiel’s ferocity, mostly she was proud of the young girl. The Armada needed more hunters, and if she was so passionate at such a young age her contributions to the Empire would be massive. Unfortunately the Empress was unable to observe Aslatiel fully in action, the flora was too thick. She was quite talented and in less time than it would have taken to return to the palace Asla returned proudly with another bird.

”Look at you!” She offered proudly, a warm smile playing on her features as the girl trotted back up to her. She was such a cute little spit fire, the perfect combination of her beloved Zee and Sirius. Deathbelle wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding her emotions from the young child. ”Oh, I could never be sad with you around.” She told the young one with a bright smile playing on her dark lips before digging into the meal provided.

The small pup beamed as she was complimented. She was surely the greatest hunter that Ashen had ever seen. Asla was going to murder everything. Or at least one of everything. The great, tan hunter. And she was a girl. It was a good thing that her parents supported her hobby. Well, for the most part. They didn't know about her bloodier activities, but they didn't need to.

Deathbelle spoke of not being able to be sad with Asla around and she tilted her head slightly. "Momma calls that a... lie? You don't have to tell me why you're sad if you don't want to. It's okay." she wouldn't pry into the woman's sadness. She did want her to acknowledge it though. Asla spat out a mouthful of feathers and pretended to not be focused on her aunt. Maybe she didn't want to be stared at while she was sad.

Deathbelle knew that the next generation would be even greater than the current, power surged through their veins. That was obvious in the eyes of all the Empire’s young souls. Aslatiel especially. She was bright and she was talented, the world would certainly hold great things for her. She was sharp too, her words brought an amused chuckle from the Empress. ”It’s no lie, child. I feel nothing but joy in your presence.” Though her thoughts lingered on their hardships Aslatiel was indeed a joy to be around. She had a vibrant life to her that Deathbelle needed to see. ”Thinking about the future can be scary sometimes,” she mused lightly, giving the young girl a glimpse into her mind. ”I let my mind get away from me, will you help settle them? Tell me what you’ll be when you grow up.” She then picked lightly at the dove she had been given, lavender gaze flicking up to watch the young Fatalis.

Deathbelle confessed that she truly did enjoy being around the striped girl, but soon after let it slip that the future was bothering her. The child furrowed her brow and nodded in understanding. She spat out her mouthful of feather and ate a bit of the dove's meat. The woman asked what Aslatiel would be when she grew up, seeking to distract herself. That... was a loaded question.

Pushing the dove aside, the girl furrowed her brow for a moment as she thought about how to pose her reply. Eventually, she began to speak. "I want to be the best sister and confidant that a ruler could have. I want to make the Armada the greatest, most powerful pack in the land. I want to make my family happy. I want to boost them up, make them proud. I'll do whatever I have to do, good or not, to make the Fatalis family superior to all." Reality pulled the girl from her musings and she made a small hmmph sound before looking back to the speckled wolf. "Well... that's what I want." She didn't necessarily want to be anything. Just a tool to elevate her family's standing.