For a moment, her fur was pink as the blood thinned in the water and soap, and then she was pale once more. Pale, white, blue, fresh and clean. Her fur floated on the water's surface, giving the impression she was melting into the cold lake.

He nudged her back out of the water, grabbing the coat he had also nicked (he was a hecking thief) and throwing it over her shoulders. She could wear it while she dried so she didn’t catch a chill.

This done, he grabbed a wayward flower still hanging on by the rivers edge, plucking it free, he tickled it beneath Asla’s chin. Sometimes she acted like the tiny child she was, other times old beyond her years. Today was about reminding her that she was a child, with all the world before her.

Tickling complete, he tucked it behind her ear, and led her out of the pack lands. Giving away nothing about where he led her. They moved along the ocean shore, heading East away from home. He offered her a chance to piggyback on his giant, broad shoulders if she pleased, or to simply lead her at his side. Regardless of the mode of transport, they would arrive at lovers mangrove, and the point closest to the island.

“Alright, here's where the adventure starts. It gets a bit deep, my shoulders should be tall enough for us both to walk.” he said, nodding his head out to the island.

Aslatiel Fatalis Tickling with the flower did bring a little giggle from the girl. She let her dad tuck that flower behind her ear and plunk the fur over her so that she could dry. She would have liked to sit by the fire for a few minutes. It was one of her favorite feelings. She liked to dry by the fire. Her aunt Io had taught her that one and the lesson had stuck. Asla was content with just a fur though since they were going on an adventure. As the pair traveled, Asla did ride her father like he was some great steed. She didn't know how far they were going to go and her little strides were a million to his one. She needed to keep up her strength. Arriving at the edge of the land, the creamy girl slid to the ground, a hard frown on her face. Far out, she spied the island. Sirius spoke and she frowned harder. Neither of them were very good with water. "Are you sure?" She had just gotten dry. The water was bound to be cold. Maybe someone needed them back at the pack? Loads of excuses flashed through her mind. The girl could swim now, but she didn't like to. Always in the back of her mind was the terror that she felt when she almost drowned. "Speech"

The Warlord looked down at his tiny, bundled daughter. Her own gaze was facing out towards the island, with frown lines fuzzing her delicate features. She asked one simple question, and he knew with those words that she would face what gave her discomfort, if she had to. Pride in his heart, he bent down low, bringing himself to equal pace with the tiny creature. “Trust me?” he asked back, keeping his nose level to hers, all his attention set only for the one little creature he had brought on this adventure with him. He had endured swimming with Zee recently, and had only a flicker of confidence at his own ability to keep his head afloat. He also knew that the narrowest point from here to the island was not tall enough to cover his muzzle. He could walk, and so long as he could walk, he knew they would be okay. "Speech"

Aslatiel Fatalis Her father was asking her to trust him. Did she? When she was younger she trusted him without thought. Now that she was a bit older, had seen some of the world and had seen some of his decisions... did she trust him? Inwardly she sighed. Yes, the answer was still yes. She trusted him, even though he made poor decisions. She trusted him even though his mood swings were confusing. Right now everything was fine and he was being patient, but she knew that one little thing could send him in a completely different direction. Finally, Aslatiel nodded, affirming that she trusted him. Since he had shown her where they were going, she didn't wait and she padded out into the water, a dark, brooding look on her pale features. This adventure was fine and dandy, but it didn't wash away the underlying issue that had started this whole thing. Waves pushed against her, but she did her best to paddle through them, a little panic hitting her in the stomach when her hind paws no longer touched sand. She was determined to swim for as long as she could, but knew that she couldn't go the whole distance on her own. She was still too small. "Speech"

He chuckled at her impulsiveness. Taking his words to mean the swim had started, and plunging into the chilled water. He had intended his little one to get wet. He waited until she just feel enough, then he dove forward, under the water. He had to fight the impulse to panic, the sensation of pressure all around him he opened his eyes, and found the familiar form of her pale, kicking legs, and smiled beneath the ocean. This was the reason for his strength.

Going under her, then rising to the surface again, he would push her free of the water, until she was riding upon his back, near his neck. With her securely there, he continued them forward, and towards the ocean. The water was cold, but the parts that held Aslas weight were warm.

There were times the surface beneath fell away, and he was forced to swim. Keeping his head held high so Asla would remain easily above the water. Other times, the going was easy and smooth. When they reached the island, he would see the ruins of an ancient, mighty building. He would see tall grass growing over faded, weather worn statues. He lowered himself to the ground so Asla could hop off more easily, and began to explore. He found some relic buried in the grass. He pawed it free, breathing on the glassy material, and rubbing it with his fur until it was clear enough to see through. It was some form of tube, but looking down at the grass made the world seem weird. He grabbed it in a paw, tossing it up so it leaned against his shoulder and the side of the building. Then he looked through it. He gasped, stunned, almost dropped it, and glanced at the world around it once more. Then back into its form. It made it look as through the sky was falling. "Little star, come take a look at this"

Aslatiel Fatalis Aslatiel gasped as a form came up from beneath her as she swam. As if things weren't bad enough being in water, she couldn't see what he was doing and it pushed her into survival mode. Claws sank into the sides of her father's neck in her panic. She held on for dear life. When he had to swim rather than walk the bottom, her heart thudded hard in her chest. She would never, ever be okay with water. They finally arrived at the beach and Aslatiel almost kissed the land. She never wanted to go back in the water. Shaking out her wet coat, it stood up in all directions. It was very uncomfortable and suddenly she wished that she knew how to make a fire like her aunt Io. She would be sure to ask for lessons when they got back to the mainland. Nose to the ground, the girl inspected the area. She wondered if there were any animals here that weren't on the mainland. Anything different and out of the ordinary that she could hunt and kill. Her father's voice pulled her from thought and she moved to his side, staring at the strange object that he had found. Gaze narrowed, she stared into the wide end and yipped in surprise. "Everything is so small on that end of the dark tube!" Yeah, she'd been looking in to the wrong end, but how was she supposed to know that it was the wrong end?! "Speech"

Asla took the funny tube from him, and looked through it herself. 'Small?' Wait a minute... he gently nudged her aside, and looked through it again himself. She was right, everything was small, the sky seemed a militan miles further away. Impossible... unless?

Using a claw, he flipped the strange device over, and looked again. Now it was big and close. "But whats the point...?" He muttered, shaking his head, before gently guiding his daughter to look through the end he just had. As she moved to do so, he carefully angled the tube upwards, towards the sky. He was careful to keep it far from the sun. If that was closer, would it blind them?

He would hold it there for however long she needed to fully grasp the image of the early evening sky. "What do you think it is?" He asked his young child, looking for her insight.

Aslatiel Fatalis He didn't seem to believe her because he took it and looked through that end himself. After a scoff, he flipped the tube and had her look through the other end. Angling the tube upwards to point at the ever darkening sky, Aslatiel gasped in wonder. The sky! It was so close! With a chirp, Asla leaped away from her father and ran off into the trees. With claws and teeth she hacked and slashed until she came back with a nice sized branch that split off in a Y shape. She dug the long end into the ground then took the strange tube from her father, settling it in the crook of the branches. A slightly insane giggle erupted from the girl as she peered through the tube. Sirius asked what it was and Asla could barely tear herself away from the thing. "I don't know. Some kind of magic seeing stick." If they found this glorious thing, what else could they find? "Let's keep looking for other treasure." She forgot all about her hatred for the time being. Her interest was piqued and she wanted to find more interesting things in this place. "Speech"

He raised a brow at her when she scoffed, but he forgot the noise a heartbeat later when her wonderment stole his breath away. She yelped and ran away, and he continued to watch her, saying nothing. He was enjoying the sound of her surprise, of her excitement and delight more then he had anything in some time. He hadnt been sure how to mend the aches that had started in her heart, this adventure had been for her. thay he had found something that related to what was deep in her heart... it almost made him believe in a high power. He whispered thanks instead to the stars themselves, and laughed, applauding Asla when she cleverly created a stand, and seated the wonderous instrument upon it.

"Agreed" he said, carefully wrapping the instrument and support sticks in the hide, and slinging it over his back. This done, he padded after Asla, searching for the wonders of this world. "Maybe its intention is to see distances in the landscape? Imagine being high up, and seeing the workings of your enemies." But thats not what Asla would use it for, and he already knew this belonged to her. "Or perhaps they loved the stars and sky, the creatures that use to live here" he suggested certainly it brought them closer to what was up there. "I wonder if you will be the first wolf of our time to see the stars so clearly?" He mused as he found a caved in section of a large building built into the earth. It went downwards. "What do you think, want to explore?" He suggested,nudging his head towards the opening

Aslatiel Fatalis Her father suggested a use for the tube and the girl shrugged lightly. "It makes sense. I can't think of another use for it." She was just going to call it the Magic Tube. It was a tube and it was magic. There was no other explanation for it. Magic Tube. Sirius suggested that they explore further and Asla was more than eager. Without hesitation, she moved into the opening, heading down into the structure. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light, but when it did, she blinked a few times. There was... nothing in this room. Lifting one eyebrow, she stared at her father. "I hope the rest of the place has more treasure than this room." Maybe they would find some strange little creatures that only lived here. Maybe she would eat them. Maybe she would take one back for Az. Moving forward into the room, the small girl wiggled under a fallen beam and into the next room. The ground glittered. Light from above reflected off of millions of tiny little squares. Reaching out, Asla touched one of the glittering squares. It bit her! The girl hissed and pulled her paw back, looking at the bloody pad. She sat down and frowned. She had no idea what glass was, but she knew that it was mean. "Speech"

His brave little daughter was quick to agree, and moved on ahead of him. He would have rather go first, and spring any traps, or attract any danger. He moved after her, keeping close, and towering over her little form. Intent on keeping her safe without spoiling her fun. For this reason, he let her lead, as they made it into the first room. It was barren, and dull.

The next room the floor sparked with some strange, reflective material. It just about reflected the gleam of Asla’s eyes back to them. He leaned forward to sniff without touching at the surface, and gently touched them, enough to tumble some forward. They were loose, scattered on the ground. Perhaps they had fallen from something. “Hop on my back, i’ll jump us over them” he suggested, seeing a clear path further ahead.

Aslatiel Fatalis Clambering up onto her father's back was interesting. She got blood all over him in the process. Holding onto him with teeth and claws, she did her best not to fall off as they leaped over the biting pieces. On the other side, she slid to the ground, painting her fathers side red in the process, which she found terribly funny. Just like when Indy busted her lip open, she didn't complain about the pain or the blood. It wasn't a big deal at all. "What are we looking for? Anything in particular?" She began rifling through various things in the room. most of it crumbled in her grip. The girl wrinkled her nose as the crumbling stuff caked into her bloody paw. As far as she was concerned, they found the best treasure already. "Speech"

[/quote]

He didn’t mind that she bled on him, only that she was bleeding in the first place. He had nothing to bind the cuts, so he used an age-old healing trick, and used the clotting powers of his tongue. He grabbed her paw, and swiftly licked it before she could register it, or complain. It tasted like salt water, dirt, and blood. But at least that would help keep it clean, and clot.

He released her, and glanced back about this old ruin, intrigued by the history of it. No, he wasn’t certain what he looked for down here. “Anything intriguing, or useful” he said, shrugging his shoulder to indicate the Magic Tube still tied to his back. He looked around the room himself, but most of what was in her seemed to be rotten wood, and things he could not identify. He knocked aside a large rotten table, mostly to see what would happen, and what it was made of. It crashed to the side away from him and Asla, the wood splintering easily. Useless. It did, however, reveal a hole in the wall that led to what looked like a more natural formation in rock. Some sort of tunnel, or cave. “Hmm” he said, intrigued.

Really, when did Asla complain? When her father licked the wounded paw pad, she merely blinked and continued on her way. She longed for interesting things, but so far everything was just rotting and smelly. When Sirius knocked the wooden thing aside, again, she went through the hole first. Other than water, Asla knew no fear.

This room smelled a little less musty. "What are these?" She moved forward to the wall where there was a wooden box filled with glass jars. The jars seemed to be filled with things and most of them were still in tact. "Treasure?" Shrugging, she pushed the box towards her father before exploring some more.

It looked as though someone may have lived here for a while. There was a strange nest in the corner that smelled very odd to the girl. She snorted and shook her head, not liking the smell at all. In the opposite corner if the room was a shelf. On this shelf were dishes. Big bowls, small bowls. One had strange handles and tiny holes all over it. This one Aslatiel sat on top of her head like a helmet, ears poking through the handles. She giggled at herself before continuing her exploration.

Before he could step through the gap, his crafty little daughter suddenly appeared beneath his paws, and slipped through first. He shook his head at her, and playful swiped at her departing tail, before following her in. He wondered if her fearlessness would be a useful thing once she was the whisper in the future Warlords ear. Or perhaps by then she would have learned a little bit of healthy caution. Perhaps not, Sirius was hardly the perfect teacher for that. Perhaps it would come from Zee, his poor Wife had been busy of late, chasing after the messes left in the wake of their children. No wonder she kept denying him her bed, perhaps she was afraid any such union would mean more little rugrats to chase.

Asla would find something in a box, and he moved forward to sniff them. He wasn’t certain what they possessed, but he knew the containers would be of use. He carefully aligned them near the magic-tube and wrapped them back up in the skin.

He laughed aloud when he saw Asla’s new hat. Shaking his head and moving forward to gently knock his paw upwards at it, not enough to knock it off her, but perhaps enough for it to cover her eyes. “Hold onto that, I bet Auntie Io might have a use for it”

The girl giggled as her father tipped her new hat over her eyes. He said that Aunt Io might want the thing and so she kept it on her head. It wasn't too cumbersome. Sniffing about, Asla noted two big, flat things in the wall. Extending one paw, she gave one a push. The door swung open with a creak and a swish before swinging back towards her. It hit the girl square in the nose and she yelped aloud. It didn't hurt terribly, but it had been shocking. Purple eyes wide, she watched as the door swished back and forth a few times before settling. The one beside it did the same. "Swinging doors..." she said aloud before pushing her head through to look at the room on the opposite side.

This room was much, much bigger than the last. The ceiling was way high up and there were a lot of weird tall things lined up on either side. Various items were stacking on these tall things. They looked like huge versions of Aunt Io's shelves. Casting a glance behind her t make sure that her father was following, Asla slipped into the room.

Up high, a row of windows encircled the room. Though they were old and dirty, they allowed quite a bit of light inside and it was easier to see in here than it had been in the other rooms. "Who do you think made this place?" The girls voice echoed in the big, spacious room and she giggled again.

The sound of her laughter was a balm to any of Seer’s aches, and he was grinning easily as he watched her straighten her ‘hat’ and keep it. They could present it to Io later. His clever daughter would discover a door as he watched, pushing it first to swing away from her, and then back towards her.

He pushed out a paw to keep the back-swing from hitting her, and kept most of the impact off her nose. It still startled her enough to yelp, and he gave her a gentle pat of reassurance.

“So it seems” he commented on her observation. He popped his head in above her, so two pairs of wolven eyes could glance into the room above. His fatter neck pushing the doors open that tinsy bit wider in order to fit.

When she moved into the room, he followed her along. “Somebody bigger than us, perhaps?” he commented, noting the clever way they made tools, and the sweeping roofs he never once brushed against.

"Aslatiel Fatalis" Someone bigger than them? No one was bigger than her father. Aslatiel scoffed, finding his explanation silly. She then set out to explore the space. A lot of the things in the warehouse were old and falling apart. Some even crumbled when she touched them. As Aslatiel ducked to look under the lower racks, she jumped back. "There's someone under there!" Big eyes turned to look at her father, wide as could be. A pair of eyes had been looking back at her, crisp and purple. Kind of like her own eyes. That was all that she managed to see before she had run away to hide behind her father. She knew that he would figure out who was down there. In the mean time, she remained bristled and stood stiffly beside him, ready to help if he was attacked.

He was working on the theory of a civilisation of gorillas - they would need the dexterity of such hands, and the strength of a primates limbs to make some of these wonders. He smiled as Asla’s scoof. She had seen bears, and the polar bear coat in their den. Sirius might be massive for a wolf, but there were many creatures bigger than him. Back in the old Empire, he had once seen an Elephant… he wished he could show Asla one.

When Asla jumped back, telling him of a threat, he growled, gently nudging her to the side - not that Asla needed much encouragement. She had run to him, to hide beneath his giant fur. It gratified him that his little one still looked to him for protection and comfort. Sometimes he felt she was entering a stage in her life when she wanted nothing but independence.

He peeked under the lower racks, and found the threat. He reached out, and gently touched the massive blue-eyed wolf that looked back at him, and he smiled. “Come and meet the wolf” he told his daughter, waiting for her to peek out and see that it was reflective glass. Giving back their reflection like still water.

"Earth" & "Stars"

The panic at almost being attacked by the hiding foe left Asla's heart hammering in her chest. Thankfully her father was right there with a big growl to scare it away. When he looked under the shelf he seemed amused. Calling her forward, the girl wrinkled her brow as she saw a reflection of herself, clear as day. "What is it?" No longer afraid, she wiggled into the shelf and brought the strange object out.

The object was oval in shape and had a neat design around the outside. It was a little dirty, but everything here was. Tilting her head slightly, she looked up at her father. "Do you think mom would like this?" She couldn't say why, but her mother was the first wolf to come to mind when she thought about who might find the object useful.

"Earth" & "Stars"