Odette Mooncrest Odette was attempting to find something... something that could alarm her when the raccoons or other small predators entered the area around the hen house. She had grown tired of getting there too late, of dragging another one of her carefully plotted hens away from the others and begin to pluck her feathers and prepare her for food storage before her time. She was tired of hearing their screeches, of their cries of terror in the night. She wanted to so desperately to find a way to be there... around the clock... to be watching over them. But it felt as if every other night she was chasing a creature off, and preparing another hen for an early slaughter. But enough would be enough. Today Odette finished her chores early and was out in search of something that would ease her tension. Her purpose dragged her out from her normal routine, spiraling out from the comforts of her daily travels and more towards the western territory boundary, where strange white trees and their equally strange vines came into view. She hesitated on the border however, knowing that Sirius would not take kindly to her crossing into another territory... even if it was their neighboring empire. That also puzzled Odette; after all this time, she still had not met anyone beyond her own pack mates... she had never laid eyes on the empress or her kin. But the more she thought about it... the less surprised she truly was. Was it not just a few days ago she met two of her own pack mates for the first time? She simply wasn't one for social gatherings, and certainly wasn't outgoing enough to seek out strangers. So the fawn lady would stare at the edge of the territory... wondering what exactly laid beyond the boundaries of her homeland.. and who exactly it was she served. Who they all served, and why? She only heard their last names once.. maybe twice. Klein.   "Speech"

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Venom’s head was filled with thoughts of how much she had been slacking with her training since meeting up with her sister Pestilence. The other girl had cast away her desire for the throne, but Venom was still disgruntled at how close their fight had been. She was supposed to be the best of their siblings but she felt like she was falling short. She wasn’t doing her father proud.

The white gloved yearling stalked over the hallowed ground that wass the shrine, it never failed to bring thoughts of her father to her mind. The thin bodied girl made her way over the borders, patrolling being one of the easiest of her tasks. Lavender and rose eyes would fall on the form of a smaller woman, sitting on the other side of the border in the Armada’s lands. Curiously the Crown Princess ventured closer.

”Hello.” She offered with a slight tilt of her proudly held head. Who was this woman to the Empire?

Odette Mooncrest It was not long before a figure approached from within the foreign lands, a female with a black base and white markings, with legs that carried her gracefully over the land. Even from a distance, Odette could tell this female was taller than her, and appeared more confident by ten fold. Instinctively Odette lowed her gaze, tilting her chin down as the other approached. When the other woman offered a greeting, Odette offered a small smile in return. "Hello, m'lady." Her voice was small, much like her form, as she feared who exactly it was she was speaking to. Was this one of the Kleins? The empress herself? Surely not a handmaiden like Odette; not with her stance. Feeling awkward for getting caught on the edge of their land, Odette quickly added on; "I was just admiring the trees, they are oddly lovely." Was that polite or inpolite? Should she introduce herself as well? Should she let the other female speak first? But most importantly, Odette feared that word of this would reach back to Sirius or Zee... and how furious would they be if they found out Odette was near the border? Last time she got this close she was chasing Dash, a runaway rooster, and had bumped into Killian. Hopefully, this too would end pleasantly. "Speech"

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The young princess knew the look of a servant, even if there had been few of them since she left her mother’s den. The woman averted her gaze and lowered her head, telling the princess she knew her place and recognized Venom’s superiority. She felt the corners of her dark lips pull back as her forked tongue flicked from her mouth.

”They are.” She agreed, debating internally how to approach the situation. She had no real urge to enforce her position, the woman seemed appropriately reacting. ”This is a special place.” Venom continued, her voice soft but she tried to project the weight of her rank as well. ”Who are you?” She commanded an answer and had to admit to herself that it felt thrilling.

Odette Mooncrest For a moment, Odette could have sworn she saw something.. almost like a serpents tongue, come from the woman's lips, but after seriously convincing herself otherwise, she played it off as a game of the sun. When she spoke in agreement about the trees, about their strange beauty and hinted that they held a special meaning to the empire, Odette could only nod in understanding. They were unlike anything she had seen before, and she could have guessed a rarity like this would be under the protection of the empire. Suddenly her attention was sucked away from the vegetation and to the beautiful woman before her as she was commanded to give her identity over. A light tremble would be heard in her voice as she thought about what the female may do to her once she finds out her true purpose here. "I am Odette Mooncrest, handmaiden to the Heart of The Empress, and mate of Warlord Sirius, Zeitgeist Fatalis. I am also the shepherd for the domesticated flock of chickens we recently acquired." Was that too much? Did she sound like a dweeb? Like she was trying too hard; or not hard enough? Shyly Odette moved to spare a glance at the female, feeling awkward for not knowing her name but too submissive to dare ask for such information. "It is because of the flock I came to the border edge, in search of something I could craft into a warning system that might alert me to the predators that try to prey on them during the night." Even though Odette was a simply, lowly handmaiden, she still knew her duty and was determined to find a solution to her problem. Hopefully, with any luck, this female might have a clue as to what she was searching for, or even how to create such a thing. "Speech"

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Dark ears were perked forward as the woman spoke her name and title, throwing around names that Venom knew well. Her amused smirk did not falter but took the information as it was offered ot her. Chickens were an interesting task and the girl wondered about the birds curiously. She would answer the woman’s unspoken question, ”I am Venom Klein Abraxas, Crown Princess to the Ashen Empire.” The words felt good ass they slipped pasts her forked tongue.

Odette went on to explain her purpose here on the border between the territories. Venom didn’t consider them a true border, the Armada was an extension of her mother’s Kingdom. The girl thought for a moment as the challenge was presented to her, and a few options sprang up into her mind. Her giant squirrel giving her the first idea. ”You could aquire a companion to assist you,” Venom didnt know about livestock guardian dogs, but Bourbon might have suggested a puppy for the handmaiden.

”Have you thought about a fence?” She was also reminded of Iolaire’s cottage. She hadn’t explored it thoroughly but she had passed by a few times. Maybe she needed a better chicken house? ”What kind of den do you keep them in at night?”

Odette Mooncrest With seemingly no change in the woman's expression as she expressed her ranking, Odette felt both relieved and stressed. It was also so much easier for her if others would just show their intentions on their sleeves, as the fawn woman was not very good at guessing. Her thoughts soon dissolved when the woman spoke her name... and more importantly... her title. Blue orbs widened as she processed the information, ducking her chin even more as she stared at Venom's pale white forelegs. Odette was speaking to the crowned princess? Did that mean she was Deathbelle's daughter? Suddenly the air around her grew very warm, as if she was back in the sand dunes of their old territory. "M-my apologies, Princess, I have not met any of the royal family before today." Should she bow? Was it too late for that? Odette cringed at the thought, wondering just how many scoldings Zee would give her if she was witnessing this interaction. So caught up in her anxiety, Odette nearly jumped when the woman spoke interest in finding a companion to assist her, to which Odette immediately thought about Cordonia. "I have a feline companion, who often guards the hen house. But perhaps not the best choice, given their nature to... nap a lot." She sighed, Cordonia was a good friend of hers, not just a companion. But perhaps she could use another... maybe one that was bigger... with bigger teeth? When the princess inquired about a fence, Odette let her brows pinch together as she thought deeply. "I would need a fence that could prevent climbing and digging from land predators, but also stop air borne strikes from larger birds of prey. I have yet to discover such a fence." It would be quite a feat if such a barrier existed however, something that could block all attacks from unwanted visitors without forcing the birds into complete darkness. Odette had considered it once; just burying all the birds to keep them safe. When asked about the hen house, Odette smiled softly. "I constructed a home of wood and clay, logs stacked on top of layers of clay, with a wall of thick pine to protect it from the elements. There is a hatch door I open and close at dawn and dusk after herding the flock." She pondered on improvements but lacked the knowledge of truly constructing a home. She could build a nice den, but hen houses were more complex she soon realized; one had to consider the air flow, insolation, weather protectant, cleaning the floors, offering nests and perches. The more hens she bred, the smaller the hen house appeared. Perhaps it was time she built a new one? Maybe an even better one? Interested with all the ideas bouncing off of the princess, Odette offered one of her own. "I thought about adapting a snare with some kind of alarm system... something loud enough to wake me when an intruder enter the area." Perhaps such a thing didn't exist, but perhaps such a thing could be created, with the right help. "Speech"

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Venom flicked her tongue again as the woman realized who she was talking to. She waved off the girl’s apology, she didn’t care much about niceties for a princess. The yearling princess listened as Odette explained herself and the precautions she had taken so far. Ears perked and lilac tinted eyes curious, she had a cat, no fence that would protect from everything, and a decent house for them. It sounded much like Iolaire’s work.

”You don’t sound ill prepared.” Venom offered thoughtfully as her bright gaze shifted to the horizon. As she sat deeper into her thoughts Venom flicked her tongue absently. She still felt like having a creature to sit and watch them all night would be beneficial. ”I could add a loop around the coop to my patrols.” She finally offered, knowing that Sirius would applaud her efforts. Maybe she would even catch a predator or two. ”Many of my kin are nocturnal, perhaps I’ll mention it to them as well.”

Odette Mooncrest There it was again, that serpent's tongue that flicked out between the Princess's lips, taunting Odette's curiosity. Sure, Zee and her children had abnormalities as well, some more strange than even a serpents tongue, but she had never seen such mutation in a wolf before, and had to force herself to stare at the ground rather than her lips. She would only lift her gaze when the Princess offered to patrol the hen house, causing a wide feeling of panic to run up her spine. "Oh no! You are too kind, Princess. You surely have a great deal of more important duties than to watch over the hens." Odette could barely handle the embarrassment she felt at just the thought of enlisting such a royal for something so unimportant. She quickly added; "I can ask one of the Armada Warriors if needed." Her thoughts instantly traveled to Killian Klein, who had offered his assistance with some of the runaway chicks once before. Suddenly realizing she was turning down a Princess, Odette dropped her gaze to the ground as she cringed, her ears flattening against her skull. "I-I mean no disrespect my lady, I would be honored, I just hope this does not affect your duties." She felt absolutely shameful for this encounter, though she truly hoped some good would come of it. Remembering the vines she saw on the trees, Odette let her gaze be drawn to them. She could attempt to use such material for a tightly knitted fence or cover for the hens... or even use it for her snare contraptions. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she motioned her head towards the trees. "Do you think.. perhaps it would be alright if I collected some of the vines to use in my efforts?" She already knew this place was special to the Kleins, and she would not dare to distrub such a place, but if it could spare a few vines from a few trees.. then perhaps Odette could craft something useful from them? "Speech"

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The actions better suited her mother than Venom, but the young princess wasn’t offering just for Odette. She had no doubt the chickens added quite a value to the resources of the Empire, and every small task worked to add up. After the disaster of the volcano and moving they could use every ounce of preparedness for the winter. At least that was what her mother had been telling her. ”We will also work to irradicate our competition. These creatures should know they have no place here. I wonder if Sirius would enlist his vulture to keep away the hawks. My mother’s owl could help to watch at night.” They could have guards watching over the chickens 24/7 if Venom had her way. Odette seemed reluctant to take her help.

”Oh..” She offered eloquently as the handmaid asked about the vines. A solution that would take much less labor hours from those who called the Empire home. ”Yes, I do believe that would be alright. I could use the practice, do you know how to weave?” Venom certainly didn’t.

Odette Mooncrest Odette could not disagree that getting rid of the pests all together would be beneficial in her efforts, but it seemed nearly impossible to achieve such a task. No matter how many she bi in the rump, two more seemed to come crawling back. Perhaps it would take a great deal more damage to eradicate the pests, but to battle such creatures alone... was simply not a task for the young hunter. She needed someone to teach her, to guide her in more aggressive tactics. Once upon a time, Zee was going to teach Odette how to fight, or at least defend herself, but with the move and the pups, building their home and the hen house, everything seemed to fall between her paws. She decided then, she would ask someone in the Armada to teach her, so she may better serve her pack. Fawn ears perked up at the sound of enlisting companions or familiars to aid in the efforts, and while Odette hated to feel like a burden, she simply could not turn down the princess. "Actually, that does sound quite nice. Thank you, Princess." When she was given permission to access the vines, Odette hesitated still at the border, unsure what consequences might await her once she returned. But if the Princess Klein had given her permission, surely she outranked Sirius, right? Odette gulped the tension back in her throat and took a tentative step over the borderline, keeping one ear trained on the following question Princess Venom had asked. "I know some, though i hear there is a great deal of different types of weaving." Curious as to why the Princess might've been interested in such efforts, Odette was reminded of the Fatalis pups, and how they showed their curiosity often in the forms of questions. "I could show you what I know, if you'd like?" Odette offered as she took a few more strides towards the vines, looking back towards the Princess with her head tilted to the side ever so slightly. "Speech"

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Venom was on equal footing with most of the wolves of the pack, all those of Klein blood were held in esteem no matter the height of their rank. The young Princess wasn’t used to being spoken to with such reverence, and she found herself craving it. Odette was a humble little thing and it only provided Venom with more pride. As well as a bigger ego. The servant acquiesced to Venom’s solution, the companions within the pack would help to watch over the vulnerable birds. Hopefully the numbers would stop being picked off. Venom simply nodded at the acceptance.

It seemed Odette was much better versed in weaving than Venom was, the young Klein goddess had little idea that her question could have so many answers. She ignored her ignorance and kept up her confident appearance. ”I would appreciate that, yes.” She answered as she lowered her dark haunches to the ground. Of course she was just asking to make sure Odette knew what she was talking about.

The princess looked up to the vines, not noticing the hand maid’s apprehension at crossing over into Ashen proper. Venom wasn’t a girl afraid to get her paws dirty so she stood up and approached the vines to assist in harvesting.