Mismatched ivory and ebony paws crunched through the winter snow that covered the ground around the lake as she moved past on her way toward the pack's border. Now that she was over a year old she had a bit more freedom and most certainly took advantage of that to go out and explore whenever she possibly could. Of course she was still good about attending her lessons and training and helping out around the pack, but it would be a lie if she said she didn't rush through all of those things in order to get out and see what was beyond the confines of Ashen. Although, as she moved around the edge of the frozen lake, she looked out over the expanse of it and started to slow her steps for a moment. She knew all of Ashen's lands like the back of her paw with how many times she had criss crossed over them when she was a pup, but these days she rarely ever stopped to really look at them. Eventually she slowed to a stop as she examined the tree line on the other side of the lake and watched as a few small flurries of snow drifted down around her and landed on the ice. It wasn't that the lands her mom had picked weren't pretty, cause they certainly were, it just felt like there was some more exciting places for her to see out there. But maybe there was something here she was just missing! With a curious hum she shifted her path a bit to start circling the lake, her magenta gaze keeping an eye out for anything of note or interest that maybe she had never seen before.

"Rebel Klein"

Venom knew that as her children grew there would be no keeping them confined to Ashen’s lands. They were bright and adventurous and they deserved to see the world. While Venom had mostly been occupied with learning how to rule over an empire when she was their age, such responsibility was not weighted on their young shoulders. This fact was glaringly obvious in the way her youngest brood acted. Their childhood had not been stolen from them by some great tragedy, they were free to do as they chose. Venom wondered if the lack of direction could be worse for them than the way she and her siblings had grown up.

Maybe the Empress wouldn’t ever really know, but at the least they were all responsible. They were focused on their duties even if their free time activity was where their passion lie. That was especially true with her sweet Rebel. Venom made note of the young princess as she created paw prints in the snow around the lake. The Empress found herself trailing after her daughter, giving her enough room she could ignore her mother or invite her to join.

"Venom & Maverick"

As she moved around the lake she peered up at the trees that surrounded the body of water, appreciating how the ice and dusting of snow that clung to the bare branches almost glittered in the moonlight. Winter certainly wasn't her favorite season given the cold temperatures, especially at night when they were typically their most active, but she did like the look of the snow and the sound that it made as she crunched lightly through it as she admired her home. Speaking of the crunching of snow–she eventually picked up on the fact that she wasn't the only one moving through the snow here. Glancing back over her shoulder she noticed her mother following near by and she grinned, slowing her steps so that her mom could catch up to her. She wasn't sure how long her mother had been behind her, but she was definitely happy for the company.

Once they were side by side, she dipped her head a bit to playfully bump her mom's shoulder with the top of her head. She had been creeping up on her parents in height for a while now, but after her last growth spurt she had finally crossed that threshold and was now as tall as her mother if not a tiny bit taller. She was still quite lanky and had yet to really fill out to match her newly acquired height. It was weird being able to look her mother in the eye easily after looking up to her for so long, but she supposed that was just part of this whole growing up thing. "How long have you just been watching me watch trees?" she asked with a chuckle, her tail wagging gently behind her.

"Rebel Klein"

The winter hit them heavy and hard, of course there were parts of the deserts that never really got too cold so if they so chose they could have enjoyed the warmth of the rocks. Here though, the snow sparkled and glittered like a winter wonderland. Venom had never been the biggest fan of this season, but she had to admit the newly fallen snow was quite beautiful. It wasn’t too long before Rebel noticed her presence behind her.

Her daughter slowed and allowed her to catch up to her. White gloved paws contrasted heavily with the newly fallen snow. Venom wanted to believe she was marked in white but compared to the purity of the snow around her Venom’s features were obviously off white. The Empress did her best to ignore this fact as she trotted along beside her sweet daughter, who was far from being called a child anymore. She was just as tall, if not taller than herself now. Very nearly an adult by now, and Venom could hardly believe how fast the time went by. Venom returned the affection, appreciative of every little bump and hug she could get from her swiftly growing babes.

"Not very long,” Venom admitted softly. "I know it may be odd, but I have always been happy just watching you and your siblings. No matter how mundane the task.” Especially when they were little babies, just watching them sleep had been some of her favorite pass times.

"Venom & Maverick"

Well, she was at least happy to know that she hadn't been oblivious to her mother's presence for too long. She tried to keep her parents' lessons of being aware of her surroundings at the front of her mind, but it was easy to get comfortable and not watch things too closely when she was within Ashen's borders where she knew she was safe. She smirked as she listened to how her mom liked just watching her and her siblings do things, even if it was boring, mundane things like examining some trees. "Are all moms as sappy as you or is that just a you thing?" she teased, giving her mom's shoulder a playful nudge as they continued their walk around the lake. As long as she kept moving it kept her from getting too cold and then she could actually enjoy this pretty, wintery landscape. She certainly wasn't one of those "girly" girls that just sat around admiring pretty things, but even she could admit that the way the ice sparkled was a fun thing to witness.

Talking about how sappy her mom was as a mother, it got her thinking about all the things that led up to being a parent. Finding someone you liked, being in a relationship, all of those things. She didn't want any of those things yet or for a long time still, but it still made her curious. "How did you know you liked dad?" she asked curiously glancing away from the landscape for a moment to put her attention on her mother. She had heard at least most of the story of how they had met and she obviously knew her older siblings had a different dad, but she had never asked how she knew she wanted to be with her dad or what made him different from her first husband. "Is he like... better than Ike and Kitsune's dad?" Perhaps that wasn't the most tactful way to ask that, but no one ever said she wasn't blunt!

"Rebel Klein"

Perhaps Venom was a little bit of a sappy mother, but when you knew just how fast your children grew there was an ease in enjoying the mundane. Not everything had to be exciting, as she had said, Venom could have just sat and watched her children go about their normal business for days and never tire of the opportunity. "Only the good moms.” She teased as she bumped her daughter’s shoulder lovingly as the two of them walked together.

The Empress wouldn’t have been upset if the rest of their walk was in silence, but it seemed like Rebel had something on her mind even if they were both easily distracted by the glorious winter landscapes. Venom couldn’t help the chuckle that flowed from her lips as the girl asked her questions, the second especially. "I certainly did not have any idea I liked him at first. In fact he was quite the nuisance, toeing Ashen’s border.” She admitted with a grin. "He showed me he cared though, rescuing me from an injury. More than that though he saved me from my broken heart.” Talking about the time in her life when Hattori left her had never been easy, but it was becoming easier as time went on.

"Yes, the simple answer is yes, your father is much better than Hattori. He’s more loving and involved to start.” Venom admitted with no hesitation at all. At one time the Shogun had completed her, their marriage had been born from the desire to strengthen the Empire but he had only weakened her when he broke his vow.

"Venom & Maverick"