Aurielle Adravendi

Time seemed to fly, at least for the adults in her and Aramis’s lives. For Aurielle, it seemed to drag. She’d had her first taste of the world beyond the main chamber of the cave system that made up the Residence of both the Archangel’s family, and the pack healers that chose to take an alcove there. It had been wonderful, playing in the snow dappled ravine, but the world beyond beckoned. But she’d been good. She’d known, certainly, that venturing beyond the end of the ravine without permission would only prolong her wait to get to see the rest of the territory, so she’d been as patient as she could be. Of course, it hadn’t stopped her from getting into other mischief inside the den. She’d taken a liking to the fragrant herbs her mother and Paladin kept stockpiled, and had suffered plenty of sharp nips from Paladin’s teeth for rolling and playing in them, scattering the plants across the sparkling cave floor. She didn’t begrudge the nips—after all, she’d been into the herbs when she’d been explicitly told to leave them alone… But the sweet scents of what her mother called Lavender, and another more exotic herb the Nomads had brought along during a brief visit – Jasmine – drew her in like a moth to fire. Her scent was almost permanently saturated in both by now, after a month or two of getting into them. Her father, however, had solved the issue by suggesting she have her own little supply set aside. Just for her. But she had to wait for Spring. So the deal was, if she could stay out of the herbs until Spring came to replenish the growth of the plants, she could have her own stock pile to play in. But today… Today, it was finally time. She was bouncing with excitement by the mouth of the cave, waiting for her father. Aramis had elected to stay with Mother, but Aurielle was too ready to go out and see the rest of the world. And besides, it was finally time to start her initial training to become the next Archangel, and she wasn’t about to sleep in and miss it! When she finally heard Regulus shifting to his paws and making his way out of the family alcove, she bounced urgently. Granted it was still dark outside, morning still in those predawn moments, but if early birds got the worms, then so should she. "Déan deifir, Da!" She did her best to only hiss the words. Not everyone was as early a riser as her and her Da, of course. Something swiftly learned since their first outing. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

How had time flown so swiftly? It seemed as though it were only yesterday that his two children had been born, and only hours ago that they’d taken their first exploration of the ravine and played in the snow. Now, it was apparently two months later, and it was Aurielle’s time to start training. Starting with learning about the wall, and why it was there. He’d let the pack take care of the night patrols, though his hope with the wall was to cut down on how often they would need to patrol it, with the easily controlled openings they’d left in places to allow large prey animals to enter the plains and Moor to feed. None were allowed to attack the elk or other larger prey animals while they were passing through the gateways, since he wanted them to not fear going through the passages in the wall. Eventually, he meant for the wall to be taller than a bison’s hump, and wide enough that Celestial’s warriors would be able to walk along the top, and the only ways up would be from the inside. Plans. So many plans, and many of them he was certain wolves outside Celestial would probably raise a brow at, or shake their heads. Sighing, he lifted his large head and yawned, before glancing over Solveiga’s back to her side, and blinking in alarm when he saw only Aramis’s inky form nestled into her creamy side. Where was—he heard the click of small claws outside the alcove, and now that he was more alert, he could smell Aurielle’s scent on the air. Fresh, and safe. He grinned, licking his sleeping mate and son on the brows, gently enough to avoid waking them both, and shifted to his paws to slip out of the alcove after his excited firstborn. "Foighne, beagán. Táim ag teacht." He chuckled softly, keeping his voice low, just above a whisper. He was pleased to see that she was remembering to keep her own voice low. He reached her side and lowered his head to nuzzle into her shoulder. "Bímid ag dul, ansin." He murmured into her ear, taking the lead and letting her fall in behind, bouncing along to his left. He waited until they were at the end of the ravine and stopped, waiting until she was at his side before grinning down at her in the grey predawn gloom. "An cuimhin leat na rialacha?"

Aurielle Adravendi

Aurielle gave a soft giggle at her father’s nuzzling greeting. His muzzle was easily as wide as her shoulder, still, and she had to brace into him so as not to go stumbling, even as gentle as his touch was. Finally – finally – he led the way out with two words she’d been dying to hear all morning since she’d woken up, too restless to sleep any longer. She paused as he went down the three large natural stone steps that led up to (or down from) the mouth of the cave, wrinkling her nose before she carefully hopped down to the middle step, then tumbled down to the ravine floor, landing with a soft ‘uff!’ before she scrambled to her paws and raced after her father, tail wagging proudly behind her. Those steps were giving both her and her brother a bit of trouble getting up and down, but time was making it easier as their legs grew. She almost scampered past him as he stopped, then skidded to a halt and backed up a step to look up at his shadowy crimson features as he asked if she remembered the rules. She paused, thinking back. Then she grinned up at him, answer found. "Fan taobh istigh den radharc, agus má rá go reáchtálann tú nó a cheilt, déan é ar aon dul." She gave the answer confidently, but as she finished speaking, her features shifted slightly, hope peeking through that confident grin as she second-guessed her answer. Had she gotten all of the rules there, or was she missing something? She paused, smile dropping from her face as she frowned, thinking it over while her father, ever patient, waited. Finally, her eyes snapped up and she grinned again, sure this time, "Agus ná trasna an teorainn!" Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He smiled as she thought it over, quietly proud of her taking her time to give the best answer she could. When she grinned, he knew she’d found the answer, and while he was satisfied, she clearly wasn’t, so he bit his tongue, forcing back the praise in order to see what she had to add. She gave him exactly what he would have reminded her of had she not caught it herself, and he nodded, tickly furred tail waving with his pleasure. "An-mhaith, Aurielle." He smiled and started forward, keeping his pace slow to accommodate her young legs. The sun was just beginning to paint the sky in dull pastel blues, the precursor to the more vibrant fiery pinks, oranges and yellows of full dawn, when they broke into the plains. First, he led her toward the Meeting rock, sitting in the clear, beaten down place where his pack usually sat, gazing up at the boulder. He could remember when his mother sat there, though his view had almost always been from up on that boulder—first at her side, and then alone as she had stepped down. He grinned down at his daughter and nodded to the boulder, saying, "Seo a bheidh an chéad cheacht agat i liicéad pacáiste, sula dtéann muid ar an mballa teorann. Cruinnithe." He nodded at the area and then back to the boulder, suggesting cheerfully, "Tóg na boladh anseo."

Aurielle Adravendi

Aurielle beamed at her father, warmth blooming in her breast at his praise and the knowledge that she was correct in her answer. For all that she might mess around in her mother and cousins’ herb stocks, she was trying her hardest to learn all she could, and to follow the rules. As they entered the wooded hillside beyond the ravine, Aurielle’s eyes widened, gazing up at the tall things around them—trees, she recalled, from the stories her parents told her and Aramis to describe the world outside to them. Nothing was green, since it was winter, and snow lay thick in the places where the bare branches and evergreens didn’t block the sky out. She scampered to keep up with her Da’s big strides, despite his slow pace, and she was puffing happily by the time they reached the plains. She stopped there, breath caught in her throat as she stared, once again fascinated at just how huge her world had grown. She could see for miles! Maybe millions of them! It was bright, too. The sky was lightening, casting grey shadows over the expanse of land ahead. Snow lay thickly on the ground, but her father seemed to move effortlessly through it, and she realized that it was really she who was tiny enough to make the snow thick. She didn’t let it dissuade her from forging after her brightly colored sire and his slightly hopping hind end as he strode out into the plains. She’d thought he was taking her to the borders, but instead they at last came to stop at a wide area where no mounds of snow laden grass remained. There was a bid, wide rock to one side, with an interesting tree that looked twisted and gnarled with age, while a stronger, straighter tree grew from the heart of the first. Both bore nothing on their branches at the moment. Her eyes flicked back to her father as he spoke, and her puzzlement turned to delight as he announced that this was a lesson. Excellent, she loved learning! She looked around as he prompted her to sniff around, then she rose with a quick glance to her father and lowered her nose to the ground, sniffing her way around the large bare clearing, sneezing occasionally as she drew snow into her nose. She could smell so many unfamiliar wolves, but they all carried a sameness. Like family, but not at all, in many cases. Male, female… There was Paladin. She was too young yet to know how to tell by scent just how long it had been since someone had passed by, so she gave her observations as far as she understood, a simple sense of childish wonder in her voice, "Tá an oiread sin wolves, Da. Cé hiad? Boladh mé Paladin, agus tú féin, agus Mama ... Ach níl a fhios agam an chuid is mó díobh seo." She followed her nose to the big rock and sniffed at its base, then hopped her front paws up onto the stone, sniffing deeply. Finally, she barked out, "Boladh mé an chuid is mó leat anseo, Da!" Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He smiled and sat back as Aurielle quested forward, nose to the ground. He waited contentedly as she explored and took in the smells of those she would someday lead and serve. Of course, some of them might not be around by the time she rose to the seat of Archangel, but he hoped they would be. Her observations sparked an amused chuckle in his chest and he answered easily, "Is iad na baill eile den phacáiste iad. Tá roinnt mhaith againn, agus is é do Mhór uncail Castiel ceann acu." He grinned, though she was still so busy sniffing he knew she wouldn’t see the expression. As she reached the boulder and announced her next observation, he rose, chuckling again and padding over to her small form, bending to swipe a gentle, loving kiss over her muzzle. "Is é sin toisc go bhfuil sé seo nuair a shuífidh mé le linn cruinnithe pacáiste agus uaireanta déanann sé troid ar cheachtanna oiliúna. Is mise an ceannaire, agus cuireann sé ina shuí anseo cabhrú liom aghaidh a thabhairt ar an bpacáiste - is féidir le gach duine é a fheiceáil, is féidir le gach duine éisteacht a thabhairt orm." He opened his jaws and gently lifted her to the top of the boulder, hopping up beside her to sit, facing out to the clearing, grinning down at her. "Is é an Archangel mé anois, ach tá sé inniu ann go mbainfidh tú suas anseo, rud a fhágann go léir."

Aurielle Adravendi

She wondered at the thought of there being so many other wolves in the pack. In her short life, she’d only really interacted with her parents and brother, and Paladin. She’d known there were others, but not how many. And she’d have to meet them all, soon. Yikes… She swallowed the nerves the thought of meeting so many strangers brought to her throat, looking up at her father as he spoke, telling her about how he sat up on this very boulder and spoke to those wolves. Where everyone could see and hear him clearly. And she would have to do it too, someday. As he lifted her to the top, she gazed at the empty swath of ground, fighting a quiver. Her father was a legend, in her eyes. Infallible, never ending. He was scarred and carried one hind leg differently from how her mother and Paladin walked, but he was indestructible and could do no wrong. How was she supposed to live up to his legacy? As young as she was, these nerves were already setting into place at the back of her mind. Some would probably shy away completely, rolling belly up and giving in, but that wasn’t something she wanted to do. She wanted to be brave… Like Da. "Cá bhfuil siad ar fad, Da?" How did so many wolves fit into that space? Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He felt the quiver in his daughter’s small body and shifted a paw to wrap around her shoulders, tugging her close to nestle against his belly, smiling at her question. "Is é seo an áit a dtagann etiquette isteach, fiú amháin más rud é nach braitheann gach duine é a leanúint i bhfad i rith na gcruinnithe..." He chuckled, lifting his paw and indicating as he spoke. "Suas anseo áit a shuíonn Mé féin agus do mháthair, de ghnáth. Ós rud é go bhfuil tú féin agus Aramis óg, caithfear do chéad chruinniú ag bun an bholláin, agus beidh do mháthair ina suí leat." He grinned down at her as he spoke, taking his time to let her absorb the information as he indicated the area at the base of the boulder with his paw. "Tá comhaltaí ard-rangaithe, cosúil leis na Shields, suí anseo, ag tosaigh an phacáiste." He pointed further out to the wider area, chuckling as he finished, "Déileálann gach duine eile ann. Ar ndóigh, ní dóigh liom go bhfaca mé go leor cruinnithe nuair a leanann gach duine an t-ordlathas suí sin."

Aurielle Adravendi

Aurielle listened, nerves briefly lost in the intense interest of learning about her world, eyes shifting about the clearing as her father’s huge red paw pointed about to the various places he spoke of. After he finished, she looked about for several seconds in silent thought, then craned her head back to peer up at him, brow points puckering. "Ach nuair a shuífidh mé nuair nach bhfuil mé óg?" She queried, head cocking as her ears flattened to the sides. Sure, she knew her first meeting would be spent on the ground with her brother and mother, but Da had said ‘since they were young’. That meant things would change, didn’t it? Her eyes dropped back to the clearing, scanning the surroundings as though she might find the answer hanging on the air in front of her. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He grinned, seeing how quickly she caught on to what he had left out. A dull mind was not a trait she possessed, and he was infinitely thrilled by both her and Aramis’s bright minds. He rose, stretching and nudging her gently as he answered, "Beidh do chéad chruinniú, tú féin agus Aramis ag teacht suas anseo le tabhairt isteach sa phacáiste mar na páistí féin agus do mháthair. Ansin, nuair a bheidh tú níos sine, áireofar ar do oiliúint suí suas anseo, ag foghlaim aghaidh a thabhairt ar an bpacáiste." He grinned at her and lifted her in his jaws as he leapt to the ground with a soft grunt, setting her down and leading the way toward the borders. His ear remained cocked toward her, the other actively swiveling and listening to the surroundings as he padded along, going slowly for her. When they reached the wall, he smiled down at her. "Is é seo an teorainn thiar. Fan gar, anois." He padded along the wall, heading north, letting her sniff and explore. The scent markers were mostly on the outer side of the wall, of course, where strangers would encounter them first.

Aurielle Adravendi

The child listened as her father spoke of what would transpire for hers and Aramis’s first meeting with some trepidation. Had Da felt so nervous when he was her age? No, Da never got nervous. He was Da—Regulus Adravendi, Archangel of Celestial, and the greatest alpha of the age, if you asked her. He was certainly the best Da ever. And besides, her grandmother hadn’t founded Celestial until Da’d been two, hadn’t she? So, he’d already been all grown up and ready to take it all on when he’d sat on this boulder beside Surreal the first time as Future of Celestial. As she followed her father along to see the wall, at last, she tried to take in all the wide world around her. It was so much that she wished she had more heads and eyes to see it with. She also mulled over the thoughts and questioned she wanted to ask her father. There were so many, though. The sight of the wall broke her train of thought, and she stopped to stare up at it. It was huge! Taller than her Da! How long had it taken to make it, since he’d told her that it was built by the pack to keep strangers out, and wandering pups in? His voice nudged her attention back to his crimson frame as he moved away along the behemoth of stone. She nodded and fell in beside him, having to trot to keep up, before she finally mustered up the gumption to ask him softly, "An raibh eagla ort, Da? Nuair a shuigh tú os comhair an phacáiste den chéad uair?" Her dual toned gaze lifted to his face as she held her breath, waiting for the answers. Surely it would be “I’m never afraid” right? Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think