He took the wiggling brows on his friend's face to be an invitation. He waited until she had settled, and it looked like Io didn’t immediately need him. Giving his Auntie one last kiss on the cheek - she always responded well to that, and it helped him get his way - he would move away from the healer hut. He didn’t go far, only to the furs his Auntie had laid out for the wolves returning from the raid that would like to rest. It was a nice idea, even Mortis could see that. It was also perfect to snatch a moment of Malalia’s time and talk her ear off. He waited until she was settled, and then came to join her. He grabbed one of the skins, dragging it closer, and flopping down on it. Wings curled up at his side, he turned to Malalia, took a deep breath, and continued his earlier barrage. ”So do you think we could practice a raid somehow? Would you do another raid if you could, even though you lost? Are you going to keep training until you can kick everyone ass?” "Mortis"

"I don't see why not." Mort had decided to drag a deer skin over, and Mal smiled as the pup joined her. "I'm sure if we asked around there'd be people open to it... why don't you ask your siblings? I'll ask some of the other warriors and maybe we can throw something together." Honestly? It wasn't a bad idea. A practice-practice-raid, perhaps between the younglings of the Armada, or simply anyone who wanted to join. If the others were as eager as she was, they would have a great turnout.

He asked about a second raid. "And absolutely. I mean..." and her ears couldn't help but flatten here. "Obviously, winning feels better than losing. But fighting has always been about... the intensity, for one. It's definitely a rush," she huffed. "But also, I dunno... I guess the sheer skill of it, for me. How... how you move in a split second. How you improvise in the moment. It's... honestly, it's kind of like talking, almost, if that makes sense? Some people have very interesting things to say. Even if they know more than you do."

She sighed, placing her head between her outstretched paws. "Even the best fighters lose a couple of matches here and there, but it's still great to watch the match play out, isn't it?" She lifted her head, turning her curious eyes on the boy. "Why do you want to be a warrior?"

As for his last question, she simply snorted. "Is that even a question? Hell yeah! People are gonna be scared of me," she joked. "Still gotta work on fighting bigger guys, tho. I think this is it for me, growth-wise. You on the other hand..." Mort was already taller than she was, and he was gonna be a giant, compared to her.

"Speech"

Malalia made his imaginings seem a lot more possible when she mentioned inviting his siblings, and a few other wolves into a practice raid. That sounded like just a marvelous idea to him. And his siblings would be a part of it too! He knew he wasn’t the only one itching at being left behind. Azure at least would come. Would Indi and Asla? He wasn’t sure. Maybe those two would play healer instead. He grinned at the thought. “Do you really think we could?? That would be so cool” he whispered enthusiastically. She spoke further on the rush of fighting, and he ate every word of it. He wiggled down more comfortably on the rug, leaning his head on his forpaws so he could watch her. He didn’t quite get what she meant, but he wanted to. He wanted to be a great fighter like his parents and brother. Maybe that was what he was missing, this feeling. He paused at her question, for a moment, and for once, lost for words. “Because dad expects us to, because that's what he wants in an heir. Because I want to keep up with Azure. Because I want to fight, and I want to meet wolves, and be a part of things” it was all a rushed jumble coming out of his mouth, and he wasn’t certain it made as much sense as it did in his head. How did he even explain it? Of course he wanted to be a fighter. His grin shone back out as she mentioned her height and his. “You're clever, and you definitely bet me, even if I do have a little bit of height on you” he pointed out. For him, his issue was everyone was older, and better then the young pup. "Mortis"

"Wouldn't it?" she whispered back. With a grin, she returned to her normal voice. "Maybe we can even come up with some sort of prize, too. Like.... losing side gets lunch, or something. ....Orrrrrr! They have to find a fresh cowpie and roll around in it." Okay, maybe that was a little much... but wouldn't that be hilarious?

Mort's answer to her question was not unexpected. Honestly, the younger wolf had been more honest than she had been. The yearling loved to fight, and win... and she had also loved the light in her mother's eyes when she'd seen Mal's progress for herself. It had been the most exhilarating thing, not to perfect her skills for herself, but making her dama proud in the process.

She could also understand the urge to be involved. Getting a good chunk of the pack involved was a lot more exciting than these one-off spars she'd been having. It was another chance to get to know everyone a bit better. Her old pack had been close-knit... but then again, she'd lived with them for her entire life up until that point. Above all else, though, she was glad to hear that it wasn't all familial obligation, that Mortis wanted to fight.

Malalia couldn't hold back a snort at the mention of his brother, though. "Those are good reasons. But trust me, you'll keep up. Your brother...." Your brother is a spoiled, evil little bastard who has no business being in charge of anyone. She closed her eyes against the moonlight, and smiled. "Heee's a little... mean. I wouldn't worry about what he does or doesn't do... though, I can get why you wanna keep up. Competing must be tough, huh?" Mal gave a shrug. "In my old pack, my brother would have been heir simply because he was the oldest of the litter, and that was that. Works differently here, I guess. Still seems like a lot of work to me." She herself had no aspirations to lead. Of course, had Azure been the oldest and they employed the same system.... She didn't wanna think about it.

Malalia brightened at the praise. "Ah, but you're still a kid — no offense," she deadpanned, stretching out a paw to poke him in the middle of the forehead. "You're not supposed to win, yet. Hopefully I won't ruin my streak against you in the future, but hey. In a year or so, you'll be even bigger, and plenty of practice under your pelt. I might have my paws full when we spar."

"Speech"

Mortis snorted loudly in surprise at her comment. He hadn’t expected to hear it, and it was more hilarious for it. “Only if Azure is on the other side to us” he teased back. He wanted to watch his competition roll in a cow paddy. That would be the greatest thing ever. Of course, his brother was more likely to kick his ass, and Mortis would be the one doing the rolling… unless Malalia was on his side. His father had said she had beaten both of the heirs in spars so far. His trademark smile was always near, and it shone a little brighter when she promised him he would be keeping up. That was definitely the intention. It just needed a lot of work… He did however let out a soft sigh when she spoke of Azure. She was right, Azure could be a total ass, to him, to apparently Malalia, to everyone that wasn’t Indy, Asla, and Sirius. The jealousy ate at him sometimes, but he tried not to let it show. He loved Azure, he just wasn’t sure his brother shared the feeling. “Huh. I’m older than Azure, so I guess I would have been the sole heir” he wondered what that would be like, for it just to be handed to him. Would he have worked as hard for the right? For the knowledge? He knew he was so far off being ready, and being forced to keep up with Azure kept him on his toes. “And he can be a bit of an ogre-face. He isn’t… he isn’t good with people, unless your Indy or Asla. don’t take it personally” he comforted Malalia, wishing he could take his own advice. “But you’ll be practiced too, even more so by then. We should spar a lot, learn together. Then we’ll have such a mix of winning and losing… -I hope- that’ll well forget who’s better” he suggested, instantly liking the idea. "Mortis"

Mala couldn't help but to giggle deviously at the image of Azure, raging and covered in shit. Hell, it's what he deserved, if he acted towards Malalia the way he acted with everyone else. And it would seem so, if Mort's words were any indication. His little sigh hadn't gone unnoticed, and as he went on about his brother, the she-wolf couldn't help but frown, just a little, at the heir's behavior. It sounded like he'd been that way for a while, even before the competition for sole heir was announced. At least that might have given some semblance of a reason for the boys behavior, however pitiful... but no. Sirius, Mortis, then Zee and Indigo, and probably Aslatiel, they were all amiable. It was all him.

Gods, she really hated that little shit.

"I... try not to," she murmured. "I won't lie, he got under my skin. But it's more than that. Azure would be easy enough to ignore if he wasn't an heir. But there's a possibility that I'll have to answer to him, one day." Suddenly, she was shaking her head. "I — I really can't see myself doing that. He isn't just not good with people, he doesn't care. Skills can be learned, if you work hard enough at them. But from what I'm seeing now...? You deserve it more than he does." Her eyes narrowed cheekily. "And I'm not just saying that because you're my friend." Azure may have been his brother, but Mal had no qualms against bad-mouthing the kid. It was the truth. Or at least, it was what she honestly believed.

She softened at the idea he proposed, and tossed a friendly wink the boy's way, tail wishing happily. "Sounds like a good plan to me." She was always up to train, and sparring with someone as cheerful and determined as Mort, well, it wasn't a hardship.

"Speech"

He didn’t really want to think about Malalia’s words. He didn’t want Azure to be someone that people were afraid would rule them. It put a lot of burden on Mortis, as though he had to win this competition, not just for himself, but for the pack's sake, too. If ever a reason was good enough to truly inspire him, it was that. Even if he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to rule. Mostly he was competing because his father told him to. “Maybe he’ll change… if he wants to be a ruler one day as badly as he seems to, maybe he’ll realise it's about more than just beating people up.” another sigh. If he treated the rest of the world with the same love and loyalty he gave Asla and Indy, it wouldn’t be a problem. He had the capacity inside of him. Mort hoped to see it flourish someday. If he wanted anything the most for his brother, it would be that. Latching on to something else Malalia said, his smile returned, and he leaned over and poked at the other girls forepaw. “Friends. I like that, you are my friend” he agreed. He really liked spending time with Malalia. He crawled a little more forward on his belly, pulled by his forepaw, putting himself more into her space without even realising it, lost as he was in their conversation. “Your on then, and I warn you, it’s my turn to kick your ass next” he teased. "Mortis"

Malalia was blissfully unaware of the moral conundrum she'd pressed upon Mortis. She was simply glad to know that she wasn't the only one aware of Azure's issue. Whatever it may be. Briefly she wondered — if birthright wasn't already a guarantee, why not extend the role to all of his heirs? Better yet, why not simply choose the best wolf for the job, blood related or not? Sirius was leader here. He didn't have to choose Azure as an adversary heir, not if he didn't want to. Maybe it wouldn't solve everything, but it would've been a start.

But it was getting a little tiring of hating on the boy, and Mal decided to put him out of her mind. For now. She nodded simply at Mort's speculation, even if she didn't believe it, and turned her eyes back to the battle, for a moment. The field had thinned somewhat as more matches were lost and others went up for seconds. She smiled lightly, knowing that even though Plague had beaten her, Sirius would probably still wipe the floor with him.

Friends. A year ago she might've thought her friends to be... well, more than a single friend, for one thing, and a bit closer to her in age. But her general carefreedom, coupled with Mort's apparent fascination with her "war stories" brought her to enjoy the kid's company. He answered her questions as freely as she had answered his, and was a pretty attentive audience. It was nice. Not to talk about something training-related, for once. Mortis seemed to have the opposite effect as Azure did, his joy practically infectious. She smiled back at his declaration.

She almost didn't notice the boy crawling forward. Almost. "Hmmmmmm." Green eyes stared at him for a few heartbeats, and then... she suddenly attempted to shoulder the boy over, before leaping away, treading lightly on her feet. "I'd like to see you try!" Conveniently ignoring her qualms from before. "How about you give me a day or two to rest up, and we can spar again?"

"Speech"
[OOC: *rubs hands like a cartoon villain* Aren't moral dilemmas great? Poor Mortis lol. Also, last reply before I crash, just a heads up.]

Mortis liked the conversation, Malalia was the first person he knew that wasn’t a complete adult, or related to him. It meant he didn’t have to talk to her like he would to the rest of the adults in his life. She was also the first wolf to freely admit to him that Azure was an ass. Not that it did him any good to hear the validation of his heart. When he crept closer, she suddenly shoved him, and got to her feet. He laughed, rolling with the punch, and then getting to his feet, shaking out his body and wings. Her words sounded like a challenge, and he would have sparred with her then and there, if the healers wouldn’t hear the commotion and break them up. Not to mention the raid was still going on, and he would hate to miss the outcome well he was fighting with his friend. Of course, she gave him another reason when she reminded him that she was injured. “Oh yeah” he said, pulling his own retaliation when he had begun to sneak closer to her. He had started to bring his wing down to ‘thwack’ her across the back, but he softened the blow at the last second. “You’ve got a deal!” Ooc: Yeah, I crashed then too. xD "Mortis"

Malalia huffed at the softened thwack from his wings. "Hey! I'm injured remember?" She grinned lightly before pacing back over to settle into the deerskins again, her eyes drawing over to watch the match. Two more wolves had joined them at that point, one Ashen and one Armada, but on the moonlit field, it looked as if the Armada was winning. For now. She lay her head in her paws again an watched the battle with longing eyes. The disappointment from losing was creeping up again... but it was easily batted back by exhaustion, and the cheerful heir beside her. She was glad for some company.... and excited for the inevitable ass-kicking she was going to deliver.

--faaaaaadeee???--