You would not believe your eyes if ten billion oceanflies

Pyralis said the pack would be coming, she just wasn't sure when. "Most good things are like that, huh?" Ashmedai teased. Speaking of old ladies, Ashmedai couldn't believe he was already 4 years old. All the adults around him had seemed so cool when he was younger, but he didn't feel like he had really grown up a ton since then.

Pyralis asked if Mieu had a family. "Yeah, he did, but they were also a part of the pack so they all probably scrambled." Ashmedai shrugged. Oh well, you win some you lose some.

At the mention of bashing someone's head enough, Ash nearly cringed. It wasn't the thought of maiming someone as much as making a once fully functioning wolf dumb. "Sounds like one of those things easier to do with pups. Plus less clean up if they die, right?" Okay, maybe that was a little too far. Ashmedai wasn't quite sure anymore.

When Pyralis mentioned making them fall in love first, Ashmedai nodded slowly. He half felt like that was how his father had gotten so many loyal followers, though he wouldn't say it aloud.

Ashmedai had suggested forcebreeding her slave with her brother, Pyralis bristled and started spouting off something about a god. Ashmedai shrunk back slightly, if only out of surprise. When she was finished, Pyralis said she had kidnapped the woman to raise her kids, so if the servant girl had her own it would be a distraction.

Ashmedai smiled lopsidedly, "Well, I can't say anything about gods or not-gods. I mean, you don't have wings or glow or anything, but I don't even know if gods are really supposed to do that stuff or if those are just stories." He shrugged. Gods seemed fake, but he wasn't going to just tell people that. Besides, they were just talking about conditioning, so maybe her parents had conditioned her to believe that to... Ash wasn't sure. Maybe boost her confidence? Maybe it had started off as a joke that never ended and now, generations later, no one could even know it was a joke in the first place. If that was the case, he kind of pitied Pyralis for being led on like that, but it didn't really eat at him inside or anything. Besides, he could sort of relate.

"I understand a little, though. I wouldn't want my bloodline being passed on through someone lame either. My family is all powerful, and when my father bred with-" Ashmedai couldn't think of a proper word for Rhythm. He took a breath, "- with someone totally unworthy, I refused to accept her offspring as my siblings. I haven't seen them since they were pups. I doubt I'd even recognize them." That was impossible. They were still pretty similar to his other family members, so it wouldn't be that hard to tell them apart from other wolves.

Looking back to Pyralis's shoulder, Ash commented, "Does Lydia know healing?"