With great ease and not much of a care in the world, Kaino Saxe leaped from rock to rock, avoiding the chilly water of the Sound as she did so. The lavender and smoke fae wasn't doing anything in particular aside from keeping herself occupied. She'd already patrolled the Sound, laying down marks and leaving deep grooves in the trees with her retractable claws. The rest of the day was hers to just much about until something else came up that required her attention.

Again and again the bob-tailed wolf leaped until she was at the edge of the rocks that stretched out into the water. To get to the next, she'd have to swim, but she wouldn't be doing that. Instead she seated herself on the boulder and looked down into the deep, dark water. The waters of the north were always darker than the waters of the south, it seemed. What dangers lurked below? As the danger that lurked above, she wondered.

"Kaino Saxe"

The frigid water lapped the gravel of the polar sound with a hush in its gentle waves. Araxina had chosen a light-colored rock to bat around the other stones until it landed in the cold water. Her attention was then taken up by the adult leaping from rock to rock on the water! She wanted to try that!

Taking off like a bat out of Hell her paws skidded over the pebbles by the water as she made a beeline for the nearest rock. Coiling her back legs she sprung for the large stone and scrambled on top of it. She posed triumphantly before she leaped to the next one. She leaped for another and barely made it to the top with another all-out scrambling. She was exuberant and elated as she succeeded and drew closer and closer to the Saxe woman.

Ugh. Cue the eye rolling. There she was, minding her own business, when the clatter of claws on stone pulled Kaino's attention away. The lavender fae looked over her shoulder to see the form of one of the eight million pups in the pack, she didn't know any of their names, clambering across the boulders towards her. How annoying...

Kaino's fluffy rabbit tail flicked in annoyance and she directed her attention back to the dark water. If she ignored it, maybe it would go away. Where in the hell were the things parents? Surely something that small should be looked after.

As the pup reached the next rock, Kaino growled over her shoulder. "Go away." Hmm... perhaps she'd need to swim to that next rock after all. There was no way the little rodent would make it that far.

"Kaino"

Claws scraped the stone, leaving white scratches on the surface as Xina triumphantly landed on a new foothold. The sounds of the bitter cold mild waves made the odd slurping and sucking and dripping noises between cracks and crevices of a rock cluster to her right. She had maybe there more rocks to make it to the woman. She could push her in and see how she swam! A devilish grin broke over her dark maw as she thought about it. Ohhh... she could use the purple fae like a boat to the far rock! Hah! Beat that brothers!

The woman growled over her shoulder to go away.
"No." Xina sharply replied and persisted.

Another leap and she nearly overshot it this time, clinging to the stone her charcoal black tail dipped into the freezing sea. She quickly threw herself to the next stone and landed with a spray of water from her tail.

The audacity of this little fucker! A resounding "no" came from the tiny red bastard and Kaino snarled, lips peeling back. Whoever this things parents were, they weren't very good at their job. Not only was their rodent trying to get itself killed, but it also had no idea who Kaino was. That would be a grievous mistake.

As the puppy leaped to the next rock, claws scraping hard against stone. As the pups tail lashed, the cold water of the Sound sluiced onto the lavender fae, sinking through her coat to deliver icy little kisses to her skin. Yep. This thing needed to die. That was all there was to it.

Turning on her rock, Kaino stretched and placed one paw square upon the girls forehead, right between her ears, giving a mighty push. Wouldn't it be lovely if the inlet was crawling with orca's or sharks today? Paint the water red and rid the pack of one more leech that they couldn't afford to keep. When the pack fell from not being able to properly be protected due to their numbers being more puppies than fighters... the fault would lay on the shoulders of others.

"Speech"

Absinth moved through the craggy cliffs like a wraith, her paws silent against the stone as she navigated the treacherous terrain with practiced ease. The early morning mist clung to her ivory fur, dampening the edges of her sleek frame, but she paid it no mind. Her senses were tuned to the rhythmic caws of her ravens, their voices painting the world around her. She could hear their unrest—a shift in tone, carrying a note of urgency, of malice. Something was amiss.

Her ears twitched forward, and her eyes narrowed into icy slits as her hackles began to rise. The scent of saltwater mingled with the unmistakable tang of hostility drifted to her on the breeze. Her lips curled ever so slightly, a flicker of a snarl hidden beneath a mask of calm. Curiosity, laced with a simmering undercurrent of thrill, guided her closer. Until she saw it. Her blood running hot and cold simultaneously.

Absinth’s sharp eyes locked onto the scene below—Kaino standing tall and proud with a snarl etched across her face. A paw pressed firmly against Araxina’s forehead, threatening to shove her daughter into the freezing depths below. The sight sparked a flash of cold fury within Absinth, her muscles tensing beneath her coat as the desire to tear Kaino apart flooded her senses. But she reined it in, the fierce storm brewing beneath her calm exterior kept on a tight leash. Fuck. Aresenn send her strength!

Her approach was almost leisurely, each step deliberate and soundless as she descended from the rocks. Surely her daughter had a hand in her own attack, but even so a mother’s instinct was a fearsome thing. Her expression was unreadable, a chilling stillness settling over her features, but there was a dangerous fire lurking in the depths of her gaze. The ravens above swirled in erratic patterns, their caws sharp and mocking as they reflected their mistress’s growing hunger for retribution.

“Kaino~” Her voice was smooth, a deadly purr that carried the weight of impending violence. The air crackled with tension as she closed the distance, her presence a sudden, suffocating force that demanded attention. “That’s my child you’re holding under your paw.”

Her gaze flicked lazily from Araxina to Kaino, her eyes gleaming with a predatory light that hinted at the feral wrath lurking just beneath her skin. She tilted her head slightly, a twisted smile curling her lips as her ravens settled on the rocks around her, their black eyes reflecting her malice. “You want to snuff out a child? Kill your own.” A pause, in which Absinth stepped closer, emeralds staring into Kaino’s. ”I carried her for many weeks, and she has her faults, but she is spirited. Strong. Let her go. Or… perhaps you’d like me to teach you just how fragile life can be?” Hard to be civil in this case. Even if her daughter was a little deviless.

Her smile widened, baring the edge of her teeth, daring Kaino to make a move. The unspoken threat was clear—one wrong step, and Absinth would gladly strip Kaino of everything she held dear, piece by agonizing piece.


"Absinth Artemisia Inferos"

Hah! She made it! Araxina was just wondering what to do next and what the woman was looking out into the water for... Then the world screeched to a halt as a pale pink padded paw practically the size of her face, warmed the place over her forehead and ears. She didn't know what to make of it. Other than she didn't like to be touched by people she didn't know.

Her mother's voice then smoothly slithered over the waters toward them. A dangerous tone Xina hadn't quite heard from her mother yet. Promising real carnage. Kaino? Was she supposed to remember that name?

At her mother's words "Let her go" Xina decided to be helpful and twisted her head to try and comically snap her teeth around the woman's wrist. Unsteadying herself and possibly feeling the opposite of help from the purple woman; Xina suddenly bowled over into the frigid drink. She scrambled and scraped at the rock she fell from, hoping to keep her head above water as she clung to the rock. Ooooo this lady was asking for it!

A voice called out from the mainland and Kaino thought, just maybe, it would be someone with a bit of sense on their skulls that would teach the horrid child some manners. In the end, it was a grown as wolf that also needed to learn some manners. Absinth accused Kaino of harming one of "her own" and then spat some threats. Oh... Oh honey...

The child forgotten in lieu of it's mother, the lavender and smoke fae picked her way back to the beach where Absinth stood. The threats were naught but words and words were naught but wind. "You would do well to teach your children some humility and obedience," the Emira growled out in return. Kaino came in close to Absinth, invading her personal space enough so that their gazes could lock. There was a seriousness in Kaino's gaze that wasn't usually there. This would be an important lesson.

"What if she had run into Sephiran instead of me, hmm? Or Cifa?" The bob-tailed woman queried, her brows shifting for a moment, a visual plea for Absinth to consider what may have happened. "Do you think you'd even have a child to fight for if that happened?" Sephiran had killed the mother of his own children. There would be no stopping him if he felt slighted. Even by a child.

"You are not a Saxe, nor is Aresenn. You don't understand how fine a line there is between 'spirited' and 'disrespectful.' Consider this a lesson from your Emira," She reminded the black and white fae of her position within the pack, "on how to keep your children alive. They must know the hierarchy and they must show humility to their elders or they won't be long for this world. Not this Saxe world." Kaino leaned in closer still, her voice soft enough that the pup wouldn't hear. "If I wanted her dead, she would be dead. Others wouldn't teach her such a lesson. They would simply dispatch her and she would be food for the crabs at the bottom of the Sound." Absinth had seen the corpses of the fallen. She had seen what Sephiran had done to his own woman, his own brother. How on earth could she think a child, not even related by blood, would be treated any different?

"Kaino"

Absinth let Kaino’s words settle over her, taking in the Emira’s thinly veiled admonitions with a measured calm. Her muzzle barely twitched, just enough to reveal a faint hint of amusement in the way her lips curled. That Kaino believed she could impart any wisdom to her was laughable, really. Meeting the Emira’s gaze, Absinth’s eyes betrayed a flicker of dark humor. “My dear Emira,” she murmured, voice like the mist curling around the cliffs, “surely you don’t think this is my first round in the Saxe arena.” The title slipped from her lips with just the barest edge of irony, her words a soft but playful retort. Obviously though, Kaino knew more about the Saxe’s than Absinth would ever care to—but when it came crucibles Absinth had been forged into a formidable being; and she planned on passing that onto her children if she could. “Araxina has inherited the same fire that runs through me—an ember I want to cultivate, not extinguish.”

Her paws shifted, a piece of sea glass below her fingers, her tone dropping to a silken whisper as she thought on the situation further. “Though, you’re right—she does need a reminder of respect.” Her gaze sharpened, and the spark of mischief was unmistakable. “I’ll handle her rebellion as I see fit. It may be a tedious affair, but one I wouldn’t trust to anyone else.” Absinth let her gaze slide over to Araxina, who, even in her chastened posture, radiated a stubborn defiance. Troublemaker. The monochromatic fae’s expression hardened into a frigid warning, her muzzle wrinkling as she beckoned the girl forward with an unspoken command. Mistakes demanded discipline, after all. Yet, a small spark of pride flared in Absinth’s heart. That fire would either burn bright or burn her away.

Bringing her attention back to Kaino, Absinth softened her expression, a sigh escaping her that was almost theatrical in its feigned regret. “She’s all fire, but it’s a fire that can be shaped. Or, it'll burn her to ashes if she doesn't manage it. I’ve no illusions about that.”

In a tone meant just for Kaino, Absinth leaned in just as the Emira had done, a smile playing on her lips. “After all, I was hardly the model of obedience in my youth, and it served me rather well. What of you?” Her smirk widened, light and unbothered, despite the taut atmosphere. “Truthfully, Kaino, I wouldn’t want to rob this world of another fierce woman. They’re a marvel when they find their strength. If they do.” She purred, letting her words hang, a shrug following as if her daughter’s fate were a trifling thing. “But if I should fail…” she trailed off, her smile turning wickedly indifferent. “Well, she’d make good food for the crabs I suppose.” There was no telling which of her children would survive to adulthood, Absinth knew that. She could shower them with affection in between her harsh lessons; but in the end she could neither mourn nor celebrate the death of one of her children. She could only prepare them, only push them to be better, stronger. Enough.

Oh Xina.

”Talk is cheap. How shall we remedy this situation, Emira?” Absinth offered, emeralds locking onto Kaino’s bright eyes. A lesson in humility, wasn’t it? Fine. Perhaps this was a good opportunity for Xina to grow. She supposed Aresenn would think the same, or at the very least—she could hear him warning her not to start a fight because her words were too brash.



"Absinth Artemisia Inferos"

As the women talked the pup attempted to clambour back up on the rock. To her snarly dismay, all she could do was splash. With a huff she paddled through the water. Her head dipped under the waves only twice before she made it to the shore. Just in time to hear the purple woman remind her mother: "You are not a Saxe, nor is Aresenn. You don't understand how fine a line there is between 'spirited' and 'disrespectful.' Consider this a lesson from your Emira,--on how to keep your children alive. They must know the hierarchy and they must show humility to their elders or they won't be long for this world. Not this Saxe world." then muttered something to her mother.

She huffed. All she did was walk on some stones! She wasn't gonna bother the lady! She wanted to see what she was looking at! She shook her brilliant fire pelt out, too far away for any water droplets to fall on the women. When her ears were back to working order that was when she heard her mother say Xina could make good food for the crabs. She pinned her ears and hardened her gaze at her mother's back. She stomped up to the women, her paw steps softened by the sands of the sound as pugnaciously shoved herself forward.

"I won't be food for any crabs! My brothers and sister are Saxe's and there's nothin special about them!" Ludo, or Sericea, or heck even Dracun probably would have taken their cue to shut up and take it at this point. For all her fire, she wasn't quite as smooth or perhaps even as bright as her siblings. Why was this woman so upset? SHE'S the one who pushed Xina into the water! These people are so confusing! She held respect for her not-brother Zagan simply because he had bested her and then still shared his kill with her.