"MOMMA! I killed a bird!" Though she hadn't slept for very long, the sun was up, so Aslatiel was up. Excitement still thrummed through the girl. She was proud of her kill and was terribly satisfied with the fact that her dad was proud too. The fact that her mother and brothers were still asleep didn't even cross her mind. She was too excited to think clearly and just had to tell someone about her very first kill!

Leaping upon her mother playfully, Asla bit one cream colored ear with her sharp little puppy teeth. Now, her mother wasn't her father, but she had learned that she could bite Sirius for hours and he wouldn't care at all. In fact, he encoursged it. Whether her mother would be the same way was yet to be seen. Either way, the girls excitement wouldn't let her sleep one more minute and she needed someone to share it with.

She'd been very, very used to the pups interrupting her much needed sleep. Whether it was kicking her insides while she carried them in her womb, to nibbling and pushing against her when they were newly born and needed to feed, and now when they were granted freedom they woke her for various random reasons. However the method of waking, that was one she had not yet encountered.

Zee startled at the sharp bite, waking with wide eyes and a pounding heart. Asla's tiny face peered over at her happily, and Zee needed a moment to think past the muddled confusion. "Asla?" She lifted a paw, rubbing at the dull pain in her ear. "That's not an appropriate use of your teeth, baby girl." Zee shook her head, pushing away she sleepiness and the ache to give her daughter her full attention. "What's got you so excited this morning?" She'd been sleeping peacefully, and had not heard her declaration of murder prior.

Finally her mother woke up, but she didn't seem to hear what Asla had said. The horned lady did mention not using her teeth appropriately and the tiny wolf tilted her head. Dad pretty much told her to bite things, so she bit her mom. Was that not right? She shook the thought away as she was asked about her excitement.

Spinning in a circle, Asla leaped at her mother, pretending to attack her like she had the raccoon, though she didn't use claws and, this time, she didn't use teeth. "I killed a bird! I scared off a rac..raccoom." Thrumming with excitement, Asla looked up to her mother with those big, purple eyes. "Dad was proud! I'm a killer!" She hooted and threw herself onto her back in a fit of giggles. There was no end to the child's excitement about being a killer.

Zee frowned, though the expression was faint and might easily pass the pups notice. The little girl was extremely excited about her kill, and Zee knew that this was definitely her father's child. "I'm happy you're happy." She told her softly, forcing a small smile. "Though Asla, you must be careful. Raccoons are killers too. I know you're excited to learn, but let's keep our lessons and play fights to the wolves you know. They won't hurt you, and they will help you to learn. We only practice on strange animals when you have an adult present to make sure you're okay in the end." Raccoons could hold diseases, and one bite could cause infection. It was too much to explain to the pup, so she hoped her explanation was enough.

"And the bird... well, I can see why your dad was proud. Though I need you to respect the birds that live here with us. They're not for eating, okay? They lay eggs. Have you tried an egg yet? They taste very good, and are good for growing pups." After asking, Zee stood and shuffled over to one of the alcoves in the den. Each morning she'd grab herself an egg or two to enjoy as a snack, and she still had one fresh one left. She brought it over to the pup, clamping down on it with her teeth to crack it before putting it before the pup. With a claw she flicked the bits of shell away so there was room for the girl to try the egg inside. "Just the inside parts, we don't eat the shell."

As her mother explained, she nodded, agreeing with her. "I know they're killers. It hurt your bird. That's why I had to..." she searched for the words that her father had used her little head tilting as she thought, "End its life." She nodded, knowing that she got the words right. "The rac-coomb was killing your chicken. It started bleeding and flapping." She wiggled a bit, pretending to be a dying chicken. "Dad said I did a good thing because it was hurt." She lowered her voice, whispering to her mother, "Then he let me eat it."

A moment later, she learned that chickens were not for eating. Talk about mixed messages. She had enjoyed the taste of the chicken. This egg business... not so much. When her mother presented it to her, the girl took a big taste. An instant frown creased her features and she gave her mother pleading eyes, not knowing what to do with the mouthful of grossness. Did she spit it out? Did she make herself swallow it? The girl was in a pickle and the longer the egg sat on her tongue, the more she felt like she was going to vomit.

Zee's smile remained as her daughter twisted her words, taking the parts she wanted to accept and throwing away the others. Her head shook slowly, almost in a disapproving way if not for her amused expression. "Little dove, it is not your job to protect our chickens nor to chase away the killers. Let your father and I do that, and you can focus on protecting yourself and Indy and Mort and Az, okay?" Perhaps she'd find it easier to listen when it was more direct, but Zee wasn't willing to let the conversation go until she was sure the girl had understood and promised to stop chasing small predators before she was ready for the task. Her whispered confession drew a laugh from the new mother, and she placed a kiss upon her daughter's head. "I'm glad the chicken did not die in vain, and filled a purpose in the end."

As for the egg, it was obvious the child did not appreciate the taste. It was endearing to see her stare up at Zee with pleading eyes, wanting to please her mother by consuming the offered food but desperately waiting for permission to spit it out. "If you don't like it, you don't need to eat it." She told her gently, lifting a paw to brush lightly against the girl's soft cheek. "Just know that I like to eat them, and I will be sad if I wake up and you've eaten all my chickens and I can't have them anymore." Truthfully the egg did taste better when it had been cooked over heat, but without a way to do it conveniently in the den she'd needed to offer it raw. Regardless, Zee enjoyed the snack. It was further confirmation that Asla was her daddy's daughter, a killer carnivore through and through.

Learning was hard. A frown formed on the girl's face as she mulled over her mother's words. It wasn't her place to protect the chickens, but she'd done a good job by protecting the chickens? Her mother then told her to protect Indy, Mortis and Azure instead and the girl slowly nodded. She could do that.

Not knowing where to spit out the egg, the child swallowed it begrudgingly and stuck her tongue out in disgust when it was gone. "Momma, those are nasty." Her mother said that she liked them and expressed her sadness if the chickens were to die. Again Asla frowned. "I didn't want to kill the chicken. It needed help, so I helped it." She hadn't intentionally sought out the birds with the intent to murder them. The situation had simply fallen in her lap.

With a sigh, Asla draped herself across her mother's forelegs and placed her head on her own paws. Learning really was hard. It was easier if people told her exactly what they meant. Though she would become well versed in the subtleties of conversation as she got older, for now, she needed direct speech. It was also difficult for her to express her own thoughts. There were a lot of new feelings, emotions and urges that she didn't have names for. She tried her best though. "I'm sorry if I made you mad, Momma."

Asla was insistent, trying desperately to explain her point of view and Zee did her best to seem understanding and focused. She sighed softly, looking down at her daughter with fondness and warmth. "The only things I want you to help are yourself and your brothers." She repeated calmly, moving to groom the girl as she draped herself across her legs. "The chicken does not matter to me as much as you do, and I would rather the chicken not get help at all if that's what keeps you safe. I have many chickens, I only have one you."

Hoping the point got across, she lay her head down upon her daughter's back, sandwiching her softly where she lay. "I'm not mad, I only love you. Sometimes love comes out in ways that might be scary or sad, but it's always going to be love." Zee glanced out the den with the corner of her eye, watching the world outside and wondering what next would try to take her children from her. Parenting was exhausting.

That was what she needed. Her mother's newest explanation made a lot of sense to the girl. She nodded and settled as her mother began to groom her. The anxiety at not knowing what was expected of her was bleeding away with each soothing lick.

Her mother said that she wasn't mad and lay her head gently upon her. Asla rolled to lay on her back, tiny paws cupping her mother's face. "I love you too, momma." She kissed her mothers cheek, then yawned. The warmth of her mother was lulling her back to sleep. She'd been so excited to tell her the news, but now that the news had been shared, it seemed that sleep wasn't quite done with her. The little wolf dosed off, her head lolling backwards over her mother's leg.

The pup in her arms didn't say much in response, she only rolled upon her back to press her teeny paws against Zee's face and repeated the endearment. The new mother's heart squeezed tightly and she leaned down to groom the little girl who had stolen her heart. It didn't take long for her daughter to doze off, and Zee remembered Deathbelle's words on appreciating them while they were small. She knew they'd not stay so innocent and tiny forever, and one day they'd no longer wish to sleep curled up with their mom.

Zee carefully lay her head down beside Asla, watching her for a few quiet minutes as she dozed. Eventually she tired as well, and took the opportunity to catch a nap with her daughter.

-exit via sleeps?-