that's the way I am, such a bitter pill

Time in the Armada passed quickly as spring came upon them once more. There was always more to do, to construct, to adapt to daily, which would have been distracting in itself without the added bonus of new members, a member preparing to leave, the promotions of his prized children, and the pack challenge of his brother. Many members of his family had set off to the east in preparation to watch the challenge and Azure had volunteered to remain behind, to keep the pack running in the absence of so many key wolves.

Perhaps the most annoying of challenges to overcome was that of his other children, the disappointments. Without Hana around to manage them he was forced to not just acknowledge them, but to actually take care of them. This was not what he signed up for when he decided to become a father. With Abaven gone it also meant Calypso would pose a problem for him again... but that was an issue he'd tackle when it became impossible to ignore.

As the days passed and he was forced to associate with his children, he missed his mate even more. The next time Sirius insisted on sending her out on a multi-week adventure across two continents, Azure had half the mind to veto it and tell him to send his mother instead. More days passed and Azure's mood shifted more towards anger - was she stopping for tea and biscuits at every pack she reached?

By the time the urgent and breathless call rang out into the woods, Azure had a whole dialogue prepared. Some long winded speech along the lines of 'What took you so fucking long? I can't stand five more minutes of your daughters, and I should never have bought that damned pigeon for you if it can't be bothered to keep me updated on things, and the next time you leave we're hiring a sitter.' In his head, it all ended up in the two of them back in their den, curled up in bed after a night of good ol' fashioned homecoming gymnastics. He sprinted from the Col to meet her, the loving reprimand on his tongue dying as soon as she came into view.

Azure's sprint fell into a lope, and then a cautious stride as he neared her. Something was wrong, something more than just the demands of her very long diplomatic mission. A pang of deja-vu reverberated deep in his chest and he swallowed, keeping the alarm from reaching his tone. "Was it Chimera?"



"Speech"