The Warlord hadn’t seen his first pupil in some time. She had come to visit him when he had been injured, but after that, their worlds had been so far apart. She was grown now, and an adult in her own right, and he could not be more proud. He knew that she would be coming at the pack in the raid, and was very eager to see how she performed. He almost couldn’t decide who to root for! But of course, he would not be taking it easy on his star pupil. He made his way to the Ashen territory, stepping onto the sand bar, and making his way to the island. He never did trust the flimsy walkway, but he managed not to look on either side as he walked. He didn’t like to think about his heavy weight hitting the deep end. Once he arrived, he raised his head and howled for her, and waited to see if she was around, and would appear for a friendly hunt with her old mentor. "Speech"

The young Princess hadn’t spent much time with her mentor since she’d reached her first year of age. The fact weighed heavily on her, but she understood why they hadn’t been together much. His kids were terrors, she knew from experience that they were the hardest little things to herd around. She had no idea how much trouble they really were. These thoughts lingered in her mind as she tried to rid herself of the nervousness of the coming raid that she was going to lead.

She was meditating when she heard Seer’s call. Dark ears perked as she felt relief wash over her. If there was anyone she could talk to and receive the comfort she needed it was Sirius. He wasn’t snuggly, he was coarse and real. Traits that Venom both needed and craved. She made a quick dash to the beach, and without any words the girl raced to the Warlord. She didn’t slow as she approached, and aimed to tackle her mentor. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed him until she wrapped her white gloved arms around him.

It wasn’t long before the terror was pulling into view at break-neck speed. Sirius braced himself, spreading out his paws, and snarling violently at her. There was laughter in his eyes, and the two knew each other well enough now for neither to be alarmed.

She tackled him, and he held his balance for a second, teetering on the edge, and then fell heavily onto his side. Her rush hadn’t been a gentle one, but if he had really tried, he could have kept steady. Instead, he softened the blow of her impact with his movement, scooping her up in his paws, and pulling her with him as he fell. He aimed to bring her around onto his stomach, so she could look down at him from that vantage. She was so big now, that he had to really work to lift her. She almost matched his height - almost, but didn’t. “Venom, my girl!” he said when the momentum of the two wolves ceased.

Their reunion was full of growls and her mock charge. Her once mentor snarled menacingly at her but Venom wasn’t intimidated. They collided in a volley of limbs and fur as they wrapped each other in their arms and the pair of them fell to the ground, Venom on Sirius’s stomach as he beamed up at her proudly. ”Hello Sirius.” She said, rather seriously considering their position. This was an odd moment for the young heir, she had never been a very playful pup. She was serious, as life required of her after the results of the eruption. Who knows who she might have grown into if Archon had remained alive to help raise her and her siblings.

Her purple and pink eyes took him in beneath her, still the giant wolf she’d always known but somehow smaller now that she challenged his height. ”I’ve missed you.” She offered, emotion tainting her voice even if she didn’t want it to. ”So much has been going on.” She tried not to cry, suddenly feeling a wealth of emotion fill her. She was better than this, she was grown now. Venom wouldn’t let Sirius see how vulnerable she was.

Venom could definitely be a serious wolf. He remembered the time they had spent carefully tanning hides together, but he had also not been above tickling her for a good squeal, too. She was perhaps a bit too old for that now, and he wouldn’t lesson her achievements with it. That didn’t stop him from holding her on his stomach, grinning up at her with an easy smile.

“I missed you too, little sprout. My you’ve grown.” he told the young Princess. She wasn’t a little one like her mother. Somewhere along the way, he outgrew the height of Deathbelle, and she never had been able to catch up.

He caught the emotion in her tone, and paused, frowning, as he looked at her. She hadn’t cried since the death of her father. What could be on her mind today? He wrapped her into a bear hug. “I hope you know you can tell your old Warlord anything”

Deathbelle was no tiny woman, but Venom was much taller than her mother. She took on the Empress’s build, long legs and a svelte appearance. Venom was like silk in wolf form. The young Ashen heir smiled at her mentor as he mentioned how much she grew. It seemed like only yesterday the two of them started her training and she held him in such high esteem after her father was killed. ”I’m not a puppy anymore.” She’d said those same words recently as well.

She let him hold her tight in his huge embrace and he encouraged her to tell him whatever she needed to. Venom held in the visual show of her emotion, but it snuck through on her voice. ”Seeing you, feeling your support, I just…” The sorrow would never truly leave would it? ”Thanks for stepping into the role my dad wasn’t here to fill.” She whispered almost guiltily as she pressed her features into the thick fur of his chest and sighed heavily. Determined to keep her tears inside.

Indeed, she was not. But some part of him would always miss that tiny wee form, that little bundle of black and white he had first laid eyes upon in Deathbelles den. He had fallen in love with her then. He had never expected to have children of his own, and when he had seen Deathbelles children… Venom, especially, something had changed in him. He had discovered a love for teaching, he had enjoyed every moment of their lessons together.

Venom had been a part of what had driven him onto the course he was on now. “I’ll always support you, Venom” he responded softly. “You will always be my child.” he whispered. He had never uttered it outloud before, but he had always seen Venom as his child. As what might have been, if he and Deathbelle had followed their childhood dream. His first born.

Venom had no idea how much her presence changed the Warlord beneath her, how just the sight of her had put him on a different path. He was as good for the young Heir as the Princess was for the Warlord. Bright pink and purple eyes sparkled with emotion, she wouldn’t cry but how much he touched her was obvious in her gaze. He called her his child and she wondered how different life would be if she did not come from the Abraxas line.

Maybe she wouldn’t even be the same wolf.

”Seer..” She sobbed suddenly, unable to keep everything in. For so long she bottled up everything, she was the mature one, the heir to the Ashen Empire. She had to be perfect, but here with her mentor she felt completely vulnerable. Speechless Venom collapsed on top of him and wrapped her arms around his neck and held tightly to him. Why was the world so complicated and painful? Was this going to be her whole life?

Venom was a part of him, she always would be. She was a piece of Deathbelle, and she was more than that. They had created memories together, he and his apprentice. He had done his best to be in her childhood, though they had drifted apart as she reached the age of a yearling. Her responsibilities grew, and so had his. If she wasn’t Deathbelle’s first born, he would have attempted to convince her to follow him. To be his Reaper. His first apprentice would have made it in her sleep, or maybe his opinion was clouded.

Venom was suddenly overcome by emotion, the tears that had threatened earlier began to overflow. He wrapped his arms about her, holding her to him. “My Venom.” he whispered softly, cradling the younger wolf, and grooming back the hair about her ears. He couldn’t stand to see his daughter cry.

Instead of potentially being ruled by the Warlord Venom was destined to be his Empress one day. She felt the bond between them, like her mother had before her. She knew she could trust the warlord completely, he would never let her down. Venom tried to grin through the difficult emotions that swam beneath the surface, but facing them was easier with Seer’s strong arms around her shoulders. She knew she could rely on him. Sirius called her his again, and offered her gentle comfort through her emotions. She inhaled sharply as she caught her breath, forbidding her tears to fall further. Venom grew silent as they lay there and she tried to clear her mind. There were none she had revealed her vulnerabilities so blatantly. She was glad to have him.

A few years back, he would have laughed, and then smacked whatever idiot told him he would one day love so easily. That there would be so much to fill his heart. His own children had equal spaces inside his soul. Venom was the first child he had laid eyes on and loved with all his might, back when he expected no such gifts of his own. Always, she would have a special place inside him. The memory of her jelly-bean form would follow him to the end of his days.

He held tightly to the girl, who was only marginally smaller now then he was. He held her long after she had finished crying, giving her all the time she needed. “So what are you doing with your life now? You are your mothers heir, but I feel your in limbo” She was a girl who needed to be active, or the pains of her life would catch up to her.