Mortis felt like it had been a while since he had caught up with his sister. He thought of the smaller wolf, and gave a shy smile as he thought about all the ways she had been supportive to him throughout his childhood. Adulthood had been messy and complicated, and he hadn’t seen as much of her as he liked. Time to change that. He rose and shook out his coat, heading towards Asla’s cozy den at a light stride, wondering if he would catch her before she started her routines for the morning. He detoured through the pack’s central point and snagged a rabbit he had caught the day before from the cold storage, and arrived at her den as dawn began. “Asla, would you like to have breakfast with me?” he called into the den. "Mortis"

"Sure, we could have breakfast." Aslatiel had been awake for hours. The pups were with their respective fathers and she had little else to do, so the woman woke well before dawn and slowly made a patrol around the plains. There was little of note as she moved, though it did give her a lot of time to think. It hadn't been a good thing. The alone time had reminded her of just how uncomfortable she was these days. Everything was changing and wrong and she didn't like it. Asla did her best to hide it from everyone around her, however. Especially Arc and Tira.

Asla motioned Mort to several furs resting outside of her den and slid to lay down upon her stomach. Her paws enjoyed the rest as the woman's weight was taken off of them and she gave a little sigh of relief. The cream and grey fae lifted her galactic gaze to her winged sibling. "So what brings you to my den today?" Others usually didn't approach her unless they needed something, so Asla wondered just what Mort needed from her.

"Aslatiel Fatalis"

He found her there, an invite on her lips. As she motioned to some paws, he readily agreed, lying down on the one closest to Asla. his head towards her, and his sides away. He let his wings stretch out a little, so the early morning sun would warm them. He had kept them tightly to his side so much of his life, it was nice to let himself stretch them. He ripped the rabbit roughly in half, and offered her a piece of it. “Hey Asla, I just… woke up and was inexplicably missing you.” he had come to speak to her when he had returned to the pack, to have a little heart to heart, but other than that it seemed he only saw her in passing. “How have you been, anyway?” "Mortis"

Asla accepted the chunk of rabbit and made quick work of removing the fur. Rabbit fur slipped off like the peel from a banana. It was so easy. Tossing the fur aside, the small woman held the rabbit between her forepaws and pulled strips of flesh away, filling her belly.

Grey ears perked as Mort spoke. Just a social visit, eh? Mort asked how she'd been and Asla finished swallowing her mouthful of rabbit before answering, taking a moment to lick the blood away from her lips. "I've been alive." An honest enough answer. The deep, fathomless sadness after she'd given birth had turned into blinding rage. That rage had then turned into a cold nothingness. Currently, she was just existing, saving all of her happy energy to give to her children.

"And you? How have you been?" She fixed him with a glance before going back to her rabbit.

"Aslatiel Fatalis"

Mortis watched with a raised brow as Asla displayed an ease and expertise with her claws that eluded the more clumsy, larger wolf. He grinned, and held out his own rabbit half. “Can you do that again, more slowly?’ he asked, wondering if he might be able to learn a thing or two from his capable sister. “I’ve been… doing better, I think. I’m coming out of that depression I went into” he admitted, being honest and open with Asla, as was his way. That sadness that had clung to him, and chased him from the Armada finally seemed to be lifting. He was still awkward and uncertain, but he had hopes that he could figure out his place in life. “Just alive? Is there anything you want to talk about?” he asked, if he could return any of the understanding she had shown him throughout his life, he would. In a heartbeat. "Mortis"

The look of amazement on Mort's face and the way that he held out his own rabbit to her brought a soft chuckle from the young woman. They weren't children anymore, but she would gladly teach her brother how to take a rabbit out of its pajamas. "Claws here," she instructed as she grabbed the meat only with her right paw. "Then take the fur in your other paw, and pull." She showed him, sliding the fur easily off of the rabbit. "There's a membrane in between the meat and the fur that rips away with the slightest pressure." With his rabbit skinned, she handed it back to him so that he could eat as well.

Mort claimed that he was doing better and his depression had departed. For that, she was glad. He'd been suffering before and there wasn't much that she could do about it. She'd offered to be there if he needed her and he'd disappeared. Just like Az. Just like Indigo.

Her brother asked if there was anything that she wanted to talk about and the fawn colored fae shook her head in the negative. "I don't talk about my feelings, Mort." There wasn't much of a point to it. She didn't mind if others did, but she didn't want to. Pandora's box was inside of her and she didn't want it to be opened.

"Aslatiel Fatalis"

Asla didn’t even hesitate, she took the rabbit he held out and showed her where to place her claws, and how to pull in a way that slid it free. Voila! An easy, fur-free meal. “Ahhh. Thank you!” he said, taking it back and filing away the lesson. He did pause his chewing when she said she didn’t talk about her feelings. He felt that meant there were things rattling around in there upsetting her, even if she didn’t want to speak about them. But… still. “Alright” he agreed, not wishing to push. “But I love you, sister” he said, leaning forward to peck her cheek. “Did you have any free time today, did you want to hang out?” he asked, wanting to see more of his sister. "Mortis"

After the lesson, Mort took the rabbit back and his normal, happy go lucky expression was there just like it had been when they were children. It brought the corners of Asla's maw lifting ever so slightly. She was glad that she had been able to make him happy for a moment.

Mort's words brought a soft chuckle from her and as he kissed her cheek, the faint smile became a small grin. He was still the most affectionate wolf she'd ever met and he showed that affection openly. Perhaps that was why he had been hurt so easily. Asla didn't want to change him though. He would grow and learn in time.

An invitation was given to hang out and once again Asla waited until she swallowed her mouthful of rabbit before she answered, "The pups are with their father's today. I've already run a patrol. I have no plans." The brow on the scarred side of her face lifted. "Did you have something in mind?"


"Aslatiel Fatalis"

There. That smile, that’s what had been missing from his life. He grinned back at his sister, regretting the depression that had sent him slinking off into rogue lands to lick his wounds. But he was here now, and so was she. He wondered if he would let her sleep in her den tonight. Being surrounded by Asla and Arc and Satira - and Hika, of course. His tail wagged a little at the thought. A sleepy puppy pile would always be his dream of paradise. He was glad that Asla seemed to be free for the day, and he shook his head. “Honestly, i’m not even sure anymore. My days have been so full of patrols. The last time I really let loose I feel I must have been a kid. What do adults do for fun, anyway?” he asked with a soft laugh. He couldn’t exactly propose the games he used to play - hide and seek and tag. "Mortis"

Finishing what she wanted of her rabbit, Asla set it aside. She'd bury the bones later. For now, she licked her lips and paws clean, then turned her attention to her winged sibling. He asked what adults did for fun and a sudden laugh pulled from Asla, her brow knitting together as though she wasn't sure if he was serious or not. A huff ghosted through liver colored nares and she gave her head a shake. "Aside from having sex? Adults don't have fun. Especially parents." All of her waking and sleeping life was spent protecting her children unless they were with their fathers. "If the pups are with their fathers, I just..." The woman gestured to the area around her. She just sat here or hunted or patrolled. That was her life these days.

On second thought, Asla gave a little shrug as another thought popped into her mind. "I took two wolves from the north and housed them in my second den in the Soulless Forest. I visit them when I can." Other than little visits... Asla was a mom.


"Aslatiel Fatalis"

At his question, Asla laughed, and he looked up at her in confusion - and then blushed absolutely beetroot. Mortis the virgin felt heat all the way to the tips of his ears. “Well, that doesn't sound very appealing. I’m not sure what I went and grew up for” He said, pulling a teasing smile back on his lips to cover his blush. Ignoring that comment, and focusing on her second. Then she went on, and Mort’s eyes widened in surprise. “You - what?” he said, blinking at her. “That’s… badass. Do you need help getting them supplies?” He asked, wondering if she was hiding them from their fathers possessiveness. "Mortis"

Mort's reaction to her sex comment brought more laughter from the small fae. Ugh, her brother was such a virgin. A modest, little virgin. It was cute and sad all at once. Asla knew that women would be throwing themselves at his paws if he had a bit more confidence. The wings would be a huge draw, for sure. All Mort had to do was decide that he was in the game and bat his lashes and the ladies wouldn't know what hit them. That was the key thing though. Mort had to be willing and he had to grow some confidence.

Her brother's exclamation brought Asla's eyes wide for a moment and she grinned, chuckling once more. "They're pretty well supplied." They had been living nearby for a short while now, but Asla made sure that they had everything they needed. "Ocean and Chrystelle. Siblings. Chrys was going to die in the north. She has something wrong with her breathing and the cold was really hurting her. So I offered to bring them somewhere warmer." Asla cast Mort a curious look. She didn't have anything to do today. "Would you like to meet them?"


"Aslatiel Fatalis"

Mortis had enough trouble in his life without adding romance to it. Honestly, he wouldn’t know what to do with romance if it hit him with a ten foot pole. Happy to move on to the topic of these two rogues Asla had pinched away from Northern lands, and brought them close to the Armada. He wondered what had prompted his sister to do that - he hadn’t really seen her have a hand in other people's lives before outside of their family. He was just glad to see that she was making friends. Heaven knew Morts bad luck in that regards. “That’s terrible, has she had a healer look her over? And I would love to” he agreed. Interested in getting to know any people that Asla liked. "Mortis"