hold your breath my dear, we're going under

As a prince of the Ashen Empire, it was Rogue’s duty and responsibility to know his home turf inside and out. Now, granted, that sounded hella boring to a young pup who wanted nothing more than to play and wrestle and nap in the sun, but he supposed he should do at least a little something productive to make sure his mother didn’t scowl at him today. But c’mon, it wasn’t his fault responsibility was so boring! Besides, it wasn’t like he was going to be the next Emperor or anything. Why not let him enjoy his privilege of name and blood and slack off from time to time?

So, under the guise of being a productive member of society, the smallish midnight navy boy meandered his way around the arid terrain of the Redwater Rocks, a place of great pride and importance to his family, and by extension himself. The territory was vastly different from the lush lands around the lake and the ravine that most of the pack resided in. Rogue quite liked the varying terrains of his home. It made exploring exciting! Leaping from red rock to red rock, the boy smiled to himself as he enjoyed the late afternoon sun. As his family was mostly nocturnal, Rogue usually wasn’t up this early, but today felt like an adventuring day, so out he went bright and early! At some point during his roaming, the sounds of growling in an unfamiliar voice caught his attention. Dark ears perked and sunset eyes widening in alert, the prince began to stalk his way around a few of the larger boulders, following the sound to its source. Was it a trespasser? A predator? Someone in distress?

Peeking his head out from behind his cover, Rogue spotted her. A young girl, looking close to his age, covered in dark calico fur. He didn't recognize her, nor did she carry the scent of the Empire, so she was a stranger—yet here she was on Empire lands. So it was a trespasser he'd found! Emboldened by a misplaced sense of noble purpose and authority, the pup puffed himself up with a swell of confidence and strutted around the rock, clearing his throat to get the girl's attention as she began to mutter expletives to no one in particular. "Hey, trespasser! What do you think you're doing here? This is Ashen Empire lands!" he shouted out to her as he drew nearer, studying her form for any signs of aggression or hostility. He replayed the basic fighting lessons he'd gotten from his mother and uncle back in his head the closer he got, preparing for the worst just in case.

"Rogue Klein"