Now that they were part of a pack for the season, Asla had much more time to spend with her children. She'd asked Satira to begin running patrols with her and the girl seemed eager. Aslatiel waited at the edge of the rocky plain that she'd already run so many times. The previous day, she'd told her daughter and son both to meet her there. The morning was chill and overcast thus far, but already the clouds were beginning to break up further off, allowing a bit of sunlight through in soft, golden rays. Eventually it would all break up, but not for long. It was winter and soon the snows would come and blanket the land. That was part of the reason that Asla had led her children so far north. She wanted them to get through a season of snow with her at their side so that they would be prepared for when they finally left the nest.

A sigh pulled from the woman. She knew that she hadn't been the greatest mother and perhaps, if she had stayed with the Armada, she would have been able to give them more attention. Ah, but she would have been miserable and probably would have mothered them horribly. Taking them with her and traveling the world had seemed like a good compromise. Yes, she had to spend time away hunting so that they could eat, but there was never a time where she turned them away when they needed her. She was always there, she just wasn't always there.

Having seated herself, the fawn and grey fae's tail thumped the ground once. Asla was looking forward to spending time with Satira and Arcturus and hopefully having another talk with the pair. There was so much of herself in both Tira and Arc that it was scary sometimes. It made her realize that she hadn't always been the easiest person to deal with. Now that she was older, the woman had mellowed. She was still a pain in the ass at times, but having Arc and Tira had tempered her significantly. Another sigh pulled from her. She hoped that they would look back one day and see that she at least tried, no matter how unconventional her methods.

"Aslatiel Indarra"

It had been quite a while since he had spent time with his mother and sister together outside of their usual time together in the den at night so when their mother instructed them to join her for a patrol of the rocky terrain he was happy to do so. He had been distant for most of the time since his father's death, but lately he had been a different kind of distant. He had been away more than he had been with their family which was a change from the time he had usually spent holed up in whatever den they were staying in. Vanille had given him a reason to be out in the world again and the more he was with her the more he was reminded and encouraged to keep trying. Satira had been the one to ask for him to try and make him realize how deep he had sunk and his mother helped him work through the grief he had yet to process. Now Vanille was helping him look toward a future he hadn't really been sure he wanted.

For today though, his attention was entirely on his sister and mother, walking out over the land bridge that connected the island to the main land along side Tira. He glanced down at her with a little smile as they walked before looking up and scanning the land for their mother. The wolves they traveled with had changed and their living arrangements had always been in flux over the time since they left the Armada, but in the end it had always been the three of them since the beginning. As they moved toward where Asla was waiting for them he gave Tira's shoulder a playful nudge, giving her another glance and a little grin. Hopefully they got to have some fun today. "Hey, mom," he said as they approached, walking over and dipping his head a bit to tap his nose against her cheek affectionately.

"Arcturus Indarra"

Satira still didn't know what to really make of the life she and her family were starting to build up here with the northern pack. Part of her enjoyed the sense of community it brought with it, feeling like they belonged to something greater, and having other wolves around her reminded her of what it had been like living in the Armada. Another part of her felt hollow around it, because no matter how similar it was, it wasn't her family. They were still strangers to her whom she didn't feel compelled to interact with, though she enjoyed the presence of them. On top of that, there was still the lingering feeling of isolation from her mother and father both seeming to drift away in their own directions—Aslatiel to her new life with Indigo and Mojito with his longing to return to the Armada. As had always been, little Tira felt caught in the middle of it all, but now the threads pulling her asunder seemed to grow further and further apart and the pressure grew stronger.

At the very least, at least Arcturus seemed to be getting better! She had been so worried about her brother's endless depression over the death of his father and had lost hope of ever seeing him happy again. After finding that stranger girl, he was at least smiling again, so although Satira couldn't make heads nor tails about how she felt for the girl, she was at least thankful she seemed to be pulling Arc out of the quagmire of mourning he'd been stuck in. Tira glanced up at her brother, who had grown gigantic since they'd passed their first birthday, and returned his smile. Despite their enormous size discrepancy, Tira wasn't envious in the slightest. She was learning to love herself as she was, floppy ears and short stature and all! Arc nudged her, his giant size very nearly toppling the limber girl over, who snapped back with a playful growl at him and a bark of, "Hey! Watch it, you giant fur ball!" Ever the spitfire she was, Tira bumped her side back into her brother's strong leg, knowing she'd never have a snowball's chance in hell of toppling him over, but she didn't let that deter her from making her point.

The pair arrived out to the Rock Garden as Asla had requested of them. A little family patrol organized by their mother. They approached the sable woman, Arc greeting her first while Tira caught up, folded ears bouncing with her every step as she nuzzled her dam's leg. "Hiya, Mom!" she sang, fluffy curled tail wagging behind her. "What're we doing today?"

"Satira"

Asla sat as she waited for her children. The chill breeze ruffled the woman's thick fur and she inhaled deeply of the crisp air. In time, the duo came over the land bridge. Asla nuzzled into the cheeks of her sweet girl and giant boy, a smile pulling at the scars on the fae's face. Every time she saw them she realized just how big they were. Time went so quickly... A bit of sad nostalgia struck like a viper and the fawn and grey woman turned her face away as tears pricked at her galactic gaze. Raising one paw, she quickly wipe the tears away, sniffed, sucked it up and put it behind her.

Tira asked what they were doing and Asla motioned to the rocky landscape with a point of her pink nose. "Patrolling. I just wanted to spend some time with my two favorite wolves." The fae gave a gentle nudge against her daughter's shoulder and motioned for them to follow along as they made the rounds of the Rock Garden.

Aslatiel kept stealing glances at her children as they loped along. Eventually she shook her head and spoke. "I can't believe how big you both are. The tiny pups that I used to carry around in a basket have turned into a beautiful young woman and a strapping young man." Hormones were making the woman overly sentimental. She had news to share with her children. She wasn't sure how they would take it, but the woman believed that they were both old enough and mature enough to accept the news without fuss.

Altering their course, Asla led the pair towards one of the large, dark rocks. Though it was winter, the sun above had warmed the stone and Asla could feel the heat soak into her chilly toes. The huge stone was large enough for all three of them to rest upon it comfortably. Asla waited for her son and daughter to join her on the rock. Yes, they were patrolling, but they could also just spend some time together as well. "How are you both?" Grey ears flicked forward, asking after their well being first. "How is Vanille?" The fae cast her gaze towards her son. It was no secret that he'd been spending time with the blue wolf.
"Aslatiel Indarra"

Arcturus chuckled when their mother told them that they were patrolling so she could spend some time with her two favorite wolves. They saw each other pretty often sharing a cave on the island, but he did like getting to have some time with just the three of them. It had been just them for so long and he adored his mother and sister. They had traveled with other wolves here and there and their group had ebbed and flowed some as time went on, but her and Tira had always been the constants in his life. He followed along as they began to walk around the edge of the rock garden, his sapphire gaze scanning the landscape and the land that stretched out past the borders. He had enjoyed being a part of a pack again, but he didn't know what he was going to do once their time in Elysium was done. He didn't really know what his mother or sister planned on doing, but now he had to consider Vanille too. He wished there was a way to keep all of the women in his life close so he didn't have to consider it, but they were all in such different points in life and his sister at the very least was more of a wild spirit than he was.

He looked back down at their mother when she mentioned how she couldn't believe how big they were and he grinned as he couldn't resist a teasing remark at his sister, saying, "Well, you could probably still manage to carry Tira in a basket..." If their mom wasn't between them he would have fully expected to get slapped by his sister and he chuckled as he grinned at her over their mother's head. He also didn't know if he'd call himself strapping but as they had grown and matured he had gotten a lot more comfortable and confident in himself than he had once been. He was surprised when Asla turned away from the border, but he didn't protest and just followed her over to one of the large rocks that dotted the landscape. He hopped up easily onto the sun warmed surface and settled onto his stomach after giving his mane a quick shake, happy to just sit with the two of them for a while since they didn't get to do that all that often. His ears flicked shyly as he was asked about Vanille, but the little grin that tugged at his lips gave away his feelings about the blue-hued young woman. "She's good... I worry about her sometimes since she's just on her own, but we've kept hunting together so I know she's eating well at least." Vanille didn't seem to have the tendency for fighting like he and his family did so that was the only thing that really worried him now just in case she landed in some kind of trouble when he wasn't around, but she was so smart and he trusted that she could take care of herself. He glanced to Tira then, letting her say something about how she was doing too.

"Arcturus Indarra"

Aslatiel said they would be patrolling today, and Satira let out a dramatic huff and over exaggerated roll of her eyes for dramatic effect. "Ugh, more patrolling? I guess we can do that," she said in a typical huffy teenage girl fashion, but the smirk on her face that was very reminiscent of Asla's own betrayed her own humor. Tira nudged her mother back, then followed at her side while they began their trek around the perimeter of the Rock Garden, crunching through the snow as they went. The north was cold, but Tira's hybrid coat helped keep her warm against the elements and looking fabulous while it did so. Performing routine tasks for the pack they were sheltering with for the winter reminded her a lot of life in the Armada, before everything had changed so dramatically, and she couldn't help but wonder if this was what she would be doing now if they'd chosen to stay. How radically different would life had been? Would she even be the same person she was today?

Her silent musings were broken when Asla spoke, commenting on how big the both of them had gotten. Pride puffed up Tira's chest a little, and even though she was still a smidge shorter than her mother was, she had definitely grown a lot from the absolutely tiny little bundle of fluff and puppy fat she had once been. Satira giggled an airy laugh when she thought back on how their mother had carried them out of the Armada a year ago in the baskets on her back, and how they were now. Arcturus made a quip about Tira still fitting in a basket and she shot her brother a steely glare, pallid blue eyes filled with lethal intent as she shot a quiet, playful growl at him. "Careful, Arc, you know what they say about big things and hard falls."

Their path diverted from the borders to a cluster of rocks, and as Aslatiel laid down on a sunbaked slab to warm herself, so too did Satira and her sibling. The young wolf flopped to her side and stretched her long limbs out with a grateful groan, feeling her spine pop as it realigned itself with a catlike arch. Pale blue eyes shifted between Asla and Arc, noticing their dam's unusually emotional behavior with them today. Tira didn't comment on it, but she did notice it. Part of being so observant, she supposed, was picking up on the body language of others. Asla asked how they were, then asked Arc about his little girlfriend. Tira made a dramatic retching sound when her brother smiled and spoke fondly of the strange girl she'd only met the one time just to tease him a bit more. "I'm fine," said Satira, simple and short. Was she really fine? She supposed she was. She was healthy and had food to eat and a bed to sleep in. Did she hate the fact that her father was basically a ghost in her life? Naturally. But there was nothing she could do about that but bear the brunt of it and keep moving forward, so that's what she did. She would take whatever she had and make the most of it. "How are you, Mom?" Tira turned the question back to their parent, tilting her head to the right in curiosity.

"Satira"

Asla listened as her children filled her in on how they were doing. Arc was doing better, she knew. The change in his disposition had been noticed. He wasn't as sullen or withdrawn. He spent more time away from the rest of them, but she knew that it was because of Vanille, which she didn't mind. If it made her son happy, then that was all that Aslatiel needed.

Satira, on the other paw, was a little more distant. Asla knew a lot of things bothered the girl, but they were things that were out of her control. You couldn't make a father be a father, but she tried like hell to be a good mother and to subject her children to some of the hardships of the world so that they would be ready. Some day they might leave her and she wanted them both to be as prepared as they could possibly be. She did wish that there was something that she could do for the girl though. Anything to make her feel as special and worthy as Asla knew she was.

The two bantered a bit and Asla chuckled softly, her long tail swishing back and forth over her stretched out hind legs. Arc spoke of Vanille and his worry for her. The fawn fae gave her head a shake. "She could join us, you know. I'm not opposed to it." They'd met the girl once and she seemed nice enough. Arc liked her and that was all that really mattered.

Satira quickly said that she was fine and Asla's brow crinkled on one side, showing the girl that she didn't believe her, but if she didn't want to talk about it, then Asla wouldn't pry for now. Perhaps later when it was just the pair of them. Asla didn't know what she could do for Tira other than love her unconditionally as she always had. The woman reached out and patted the paw of her pretty little daughter.

When the subject shifted to how Aslatiel was doing, the woman inhaled deeply and her amaranthine gaze shifted from one to the other. "I'm doing well. Happier than I have been in a long time," she admitted. "Having you two with me and Indigo with me is all that I've ever wanted." The fae then gave her head a shake. "But it's not all Indigo has ever wanted. He had an entire litter of pups that died and he wanted so badly to be a father." Again she inhaled deeply, not sure how her children would take the news. "I'm pregnant. Indigo will get to raise children and you will be big brother and sister." She then looked from one to the other, curious as to how they would react.

"Aslatiel Indarra"