Silent was abruptly awakened in the middle of the night. Winter had approached faster than she had anticipated and with it came the cold breezes. She curled her form into a tighter ball, but realized that her old joints wouldn't tolerate the sudden pressure. Her legs stretched out and relief spread down to her toes. Silent gently sighed and looked up to see if she had disturbed her family. Bronze was curled up on the other side of the small family, a bookend for the pups that were steadily growing. Faolan was wrapped around Mercury, both of whom were snuggled with their heads on each other's backs. She smiled at the contrasts of their fur before she noticed Ara's slight movement beside her. A loving thought entered Silent's mind as her long and luscious black tail wrapped itself around the quiet daughter that was nuzzled into her stomach. "Ara...are you awake, too?" She asked, for she saw a hint of blue shine against her ebony fur. "talking"

Before long -- likely as winter came to an end, and warmth once again crept over the land -- the children would be encouraged to find dens of their own. But for now, she was content to remain alongside her family, snuggled comfortably against her mother's belly. As she grew older, it was becoming all too obvious to her that her parents were much older than most of the wolves in the pack. She was still too young, too naive to really think about death, but she noticed that some days they seemed too tired to keep up -- and some they preferred to slip far longer than was comfortable for her. And so she remained near, content to enjoy them for as long as she could ... because she was beginning to understand that would not be forever, and could likely be much, much shorter. Her mother's voice roused her from sleep slightly, though she had already been sleeping somewhat restlessly. The girl would roll over onto her belly, her jaws parting in a wide yawn. And then he eyes would open, peeking up at her mother in the darkness of the den. "Yes, mama," she admitted, snuggling closer to her mother's belly.

Silent enjoyed the company her pups still gave her. Even though they were growing into fine little minions, she couldn't help but want them to stay small. With loving emerald eyes, she watched Ara as she woke up and rolled onto her stomach. A nuzzle from her daughter made Silent stir, wanting to scoop her up into a bunch of snuggles and kisses. However, the sleeping men inside the den with her kept her from moving too much. Instead, she pushed Ara closer to her with her long tail and embraced her warmth. "That's perfectly all right, darling," she cooed, smile gentle and loving for the young one beside her. Silent was still large enough to keep Ara's body from being hit with the winter breezes that somehow found their way into their home. "I wasn't able to sleep well, either. So much on my mind tonight, for some reason." "talking"

Though Ara was slowly growing into a young lady, she was certainly still a child; a lanky, slightly awkward one at that. As innocent as they came, and with a curiosity that would be difficult to match. The little Ara loved her parents so dearly -- and loved that they were also good friends to her as she grew older, not just her mom and dad. A contented sigh escaped her muzzle as her mother pulled her closer, and she was happy to bask in Silent's warm embrace. Slowly her eyes would adjust to the darkness of the den, blue eyes fixated on her mother. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" she inquired sleepily, her voice soft so as to not wake up the rest of the family. Ears would flick atop her head, wondering what was on her mother's mind.

Silent

In the silence of the den, of the entire Seracian territory, Silent adored her daughter. It was true that she loved all of her children with the same amount of love, but each one had qualities that stood out from the rest. In Ara's case, she was just like Cloud: observational and didn't speak unless she felt it was necessary. Silent didn't know what the future held for her children, but she hoped that each one would do whatever they wanted to make themselves happy. A loving lick was given to Ara's left cheek, followed by a nuzzle that spoke volumes. Silent's eyes twinkled in the moon light that snuck its way into their den as her ears perked to her daughter's question. She made a face that showed she was thinking and finally she spoke. "Hmmm...well, I was thinking about how big the world is and how you and your siblings would be able to take it on. I was also thinking of how much I love each and every one of you...and how there are other sisters and a brother you four don't know about...I wish you could meet them, Ara."

Silent

Ara was utterly oblivious to her parents rapid aging, completely unaware she would not spend years and years with them. Ignorance truly was bliss. A happy smile would continue to paint the features of the small girl as she gazed with all of the love in the world at her mother, hoping she was okay. Though she didn't connect it with anything, she knew her parents were a bit tired sometimes, though figured all moms and dads were like this. She was sure raising children was hard work! Always having to keep them in line and answer endless questions. "I know you told me I have more brothers and sister," she said, curious as her eyes grew wide with wonder. "What are their names? How many do I have?" She knew that she had Jendai and Faolan and Mercury, but it was amazing that there were others out there somewhere -- but it was also a bit scary, since it gave her a very real idea of just how big the world was. Much too big for her, it seemed!

In the quiet of the night, Ara's tones met Silent's ears and they were melodic. She adored her daughter, not only because she was her blood, but because of her personality and how she observed more than talked. Bronze was etched in all aspects of the girl aside from her body fur, but that didn't bother Silent one bit. In fact, when she saw herself and Bronze combined in her pups the way she had recently, it made her proud that they were equally matched in their offspring. Silent would always love them for it; it was one of the many qualities they all shared. Her daughter asked of her older siblings and her ears perked interestedly. She couldn't help but smile as she silently nodded to confirm her answer for Ara's question. "All right, it is quite a long list, but I am sure you can handle it." Taking a deep breath for Ara's amusement, she held her breath for a split second before speaking. "You have eight older brothers and sisters combined, Ara. Light, Cloud, Artemis and Apollo-" she paused briefly, "they were twins-then there is Rio, Eshiru, Nyrti, and Alione." Her eyes studied Ara's face to make sure she was keeping track. "Light, Cloud, Artemis, Apollo, and Alione are your full-blooded brother and sisters...Rio, Eshiru, and Nyrti are your half-blooded brother and sisters...Your family is very big, my love." She waited to see what Ara's response would be to all of the information that had been given. "talking"

It was strange to imagine that her parents existed long before she'd ever been born. Ara knew they were much, much older than her -- and that they'd lived so many years already -- but it seemed very weird to her and difficult to imagine. They'd met when they were young, about her age, and had many children together. And it seemed she had half-siblings, she gathered, which meant they had different fathers. Her eyes swam with confusion, but so much curiosity too.

Though she wanted badly to meet them all, she understood that it was not quite so easy. It could be a month's journey to find them, and winter was coming soon; it was no time for traveling. "Wow," she said, clear awe in her voice. "I wish I could meet them all. Were any of them like me?" It was an innocent question, but she wondered if any of her siblings were soft-spoken and thoughtful like her. "I know daddy has told me that I would have really liked hid uncle. Baldev, his name was." Bronze had told her about other family, too, but the list was long and he had been somewhat vague with information.

Silent

Silent's face already had a smile that was visiting her features. With Ara's observation and curious question, the smile broadened and softly spread to a happy curve. She thumped her tail around them and it coiled around Ara to provide more warmth for the growing girl. The answer she gave to Ara first involved Bronze's story. "Yes, my dear. Your Uncle Baldev was a very peaceful man. He was more prone to observing before acting and he loved with his whole heart for his wife and family." Emerald eyes twinkled and she lowered her head to nuzzle the girl's white cheeks with a black nose. After pulling away from giving the sigh of affection, Silent answered Ara's question. "You do have siblings that are like you, Ara. The first one I can think of is Cloud. She was quiet while growing up and never spoke much. The only time she did was when she was around us, her sisters, or Secret. Secret was someone she liked and they ended up getting married when she got older. Observing things was something she took pride in when she didn't talk." A sigh escaped Silent's lips, revealing a puffy cloud of air that swirled in front of her before evaporating. "Your older sister, Alione, is like you, too. She doesn't approach people often, but when she does, it is for a good reason. Alione loves to learn and isn't afraid to show it. Whatever she learns, she uses it when the time calls for her knowledge to be tested..." A saddened look appeared on Silent's face as she thought of her once youngest daughter. "I miss her...I miss all of your siblings, my dear. If only they could visit, I am sure you would love them."