It must have been obvious by now what her favorite place in southern Boreas was. The young woman hummed contentedly as she bundled along the familiar pathways between the upturned roots, still clad in the iron bracers. Her pads crunched in the snow, her tail a-wag. The girl was glowing with pride at her new position. After the ceremony, she'd simply bolted, following her paws wherever they would take her. Hopefully Sirius would let her have this day before the work began in earnest. Oh, she'd put in the hours to secure the position, but that didn't mean she could let up now. She didn't expect her father to cut her any slack. She was ready. The wind whistled through the branches, little flurries of snow rolling by her feet as she progressed northward. Winter had arrived and made its home here. The streams were in various stages of being frozen. Some of the wider, deeper rivulets covered with a hair-thin layer of ice. Others were dried up, or else completely frozen. She was careful to watch the slippery patches as she bounded towards the tree. Her tree, the one she'd bedded down in the night before Sirius had found her. The willow was gnarled and old, and she sat down before it like a grandchild before a wizened old woman, the thin, snow-dusted tendrils drifting down across her face. It had all started here, when she'd decided to stay the night in the roots of this tree. Had she moved on, she might not have found the Warlord, imposing in stature but kind at heart. She might never have met Mortis, or Cairo, or Resin, Iolaire, Riva... Their encounter had drastically changed the course of her life. She bit her lip. Her tail fell to the side, twitching occasionally as her eyes bored into the willow. Mal wondered where she'd be, if she'd left the comfort of these woods. Probably still wandering aimlessly... For a moment, she allowed herself to drift backwards. To think of her mother, her siblings. If only they were there to see... Would they have been proud? Angry for taking on another family's name, a father? ....No, she realized, a little smile on her lips. Her mother hadn't loved her father and, well, names hadn't meant much to the wolves back home. Not like they seemed to in Boreas. She didn't even care what their reaction might be. She only felt the ache of longing. It was a few minutes before she shook away the feeling, smiling up at the tree. There was only so much sadness she could take, all at once. Besides -- she was Reaper! That was something to be celebrated, surely. "Speech"

Mortis ran after his friend, but she had bolted before he had even realised she was gone. It took her some time to track her down. The scent of snow and cold on his nose made her trail harder to follow. This was his first winter, and he was still adjusting. The ceremony had really been something, he had never seen his father so serious, or Mal with such a glow. He hastily found Tamsyn, giving her a kiss on the cheek and a wag of his tail to tell her he was happy for her, and then he ran off in search of Malalia. The path had taken him back into the woods, where the two of them often spent their time. He finally found his friend, she stood before a tree, looking up at it. Taking a running start, the young boy threw himself towards the tree, flaring his wings for balance as his feline-like claws found purchase in the bark. With quite a bit of effort, and almost losing his grip more then once, he managed to pull himself to the first branch, which he lounged over and looked down at Malalia. “Well, you now officially beat me in rank, but at least I’m taller then you” he joked, his tail wagging happily behind him. "Mortis"

She’d heard him before she saw him, and Malalia got to her feet before wheeling around. She was already set to fend off an advance, fully expecting her friend to tackle her — and oh, he could try, but instead Mortis bounded past her, claws sinking into the tree. Her head tipped to the right, incredulity and utter confusion coloring her features. Wolves climbing trees... there was always something new in this place, wasn’t it? She almost wished she could join him there, in the trees, but the first branch was much too high for her.

Mal couldn’t have rolled her eyes any harder. “You know, it ain’t all that hard,” she deadpanned, and moved to place her two fore paws on the lower trunk, “Seeing as how I’m short, and you’re overgrown.” Her tail flicked as she grinned up at the boy. So maybe she wasn’t the absolute shortest female out there, okay, but compared to the dire pup, she was essentially... a mouse.

But hey, if he wanted to play that game, she was all in. Mal huffed faintly, let her paws fall back to the snow before giving him some distance to land safely. He’d gotten himself up there. How easily could he find his way back? “Well.... as your superior, I order you to come down from there and be shorter than me.” How could one be shorter, one might ask? That was for Mortis to figure out. “Also.... fetch me lunch.”

An evil dictator, Mal was not. Sure, a couple of tackles and mudpies between friends could be glossed over, but she was terrible at throwing her weight around. Her threats were pretty mild. She was a bit hungry, though.

The tree-climbing was a new trick, and he was still working out all the kinks. But at least it gave him a sort of advantage, and a new way to surprise his friend. However, this day went to Malalia, and what she had earned. He frowned when she gave him direction, his face warring between the frown and laughter. He poked his tail out from the corner of his muzzle, and looked down at the ground. He got back to his feet, pacing to the end of the branch, and then back to the trunk, turning with awkward difficulty. Oh, yes.. Down. down. Right down. That was a thing. After one got up, one had to get back down. Heck, there was really only one thing for it. He flared his wings, lowered himself on his hunches as much as he could, and jumped. For a heartbeat he felt like he was flying. His wings caught the wind of his fall, he could feel them pulling against it. But in the end, they were too heavy and not built for flying. They barely slowed his fall as he fell in an awkward heap at the bottom of the tree. Luckily the snow softened his landing. He shook himself out, getting back to his feet, bouncing back with the invincibility of youth. He grinned at Mal, walking in an awkward crab-like style to be lower than her. He pointed to the bracers. “I never caught even a hint of them, dad was so sneaky” he admitted. Continuing his weird walking-style, he began to walk away from her. "Mortis"

Malalia grinned and sat down. Her tail thumped behind her, showing her amusement as Mortis tried to puzzle out how to get down from the tree. For his sake, she hoped he wouldn't seriously injure himself getting out of that tree. She couldn't imagine what had possessed him to climb it in the first place, but hey, it looked fun, and she was not without a touch of envy at the dire pup's adventure. And then, the boy jumped. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively got to her feet, a tad worried that he could end up with a broken bone, and... huh. In the moment he jumped, is wings outstretched, and caught the wind. It really did look like he was flying, didn't it? ...For about a second. And then, he fell in a heap to the ground. Mal danced forward, giving a cursory sniff and seeing if he was alright. And once he commenced his crab-walking style, she gave a snort of laughter, twitching her tail. For once, she was taller than him, and she walked alongside the crab walking boy. "I didn't even know the position came with anything," she added. "Well, anything besides new responsibilities." Her ears planed back, eyes roving over the trees in thought. "I can't really picture myself giving anyone orders or punishing people, to be honest. I'm still... kind of in learning-mode, y'know? I mean, I was literally a student yesterday." She supposed that was a natural part of growing into the rank, but that didn't make it any less strange. Technically, she outranked everyone but the Alphas themselves now, and it was.... an interesting concept. She could barely see herself bossing around the older wolves, much less Iolaire or Resin. Although, she did note with idle glee that she outranked Azure, and that brought a satisfactory smirk to her muzzle. "Speech"

[/b]

The young boy huffed a little as he continued his strange walking pattern. No way he was going to manage to keep this up all the way to the packs kill pile. Still, he would carry it on for as long as he could. He was happy to give in to her commands, knowing she meant them in jest. This was her day, after all. If she wanted to celebrate it by having him crab walk to the kill pile, then who was he to judge? His laughter was soft, and he shrugged a little awkwardly. “My dad was a slave before I was born, took every command given to him, now he leads an entire pack. I guess everyone has to start somewhere. I know you’ll do what's right” he said with utter confidence in her. “He looked pretty chuffed at the ceremony too, I think he was enjoying the chance to promote people. Claimed you as his daughter in front of the whole pack, too. Guess it doesn't get much more official than that” he said, glancing back at his friend, sister? With a sly grin. He glanced to the cuffs again, pausing to tap them. “I guess the flower makes sense, since Deathbelle always wears it. The scythe fits the name ‘reaper’ and my mum has horns and a snake, just like that. Why do you think Dad picked the bear. Think it’s cause he’s huge like one?” he joked. This was his first real close up of the carvings, and he could see the intrigue details that went into them. He had no idea how his parents had accomplished it. He could see his dad’s work in the tough chisling, and his mothers in the winding detail. "Mortis"

She smiled at the faith he seemed to have in her. She wished she could feel the same for herself. Mal figured that her father would've had to prove himself time and time again on a lengthy track to becoming the leader of the Armada. She was definitely sure Sirius hadn't made the jump from slave to Warlord in a matter of months. Maybe it was true that everyone started somewhere -- the girl just hadn't expected to start so high up. Honestly? She'd been preparing herself for the loss ever since the competition began. A pat on the back, a promotion to warrior, maybe, but actually securing the prestigious rank was about the last thing she'd expected. Everyone else was older, more experienced... "I wasn't expecting him to do that," she noted absently, returning his grin with a slight one of her own. She supposed it made sense though. More than a promotion, it was an emotional moment for her and Tamsyn in kind, and it was probably the easiest way to let the pack know. Her head tilted, contemplating. "He... didn't tell you guys about adopting me before he did it, did he?" It was more of a statement than a question, really. Mortis hadn't even seemed to known, when she'd told him herself, so there was no reason why Sirius would have told his other children. "How did the others take it?" Mal had never truly had a last name herself, but hearing Cairo tell it, giving it to the "wrong" people could be a touchy subject. Azure, she knew was probably fuming over it. And the girl hadn't missed how Aslatiel had stormed away from the meeting, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was her doing. She paused for a moment so that they both could look at the bracers. She twisted her head down, and grinned as she looked at the flower. It clicked into place now, Mortis having explained its origin. The bear was more elusive. "You're probably right about that... or maybe because he's a big, protective mama bear -- er, papa bear?" She furrowed her brows, then shrugged. "Or maybe he just likes bears." He did have a bear companion now, after all. She squinted, taking in Mortis' lowered form. Malalia swished her tail. ".....Okay, okay, you can get up now." Those were enough orders for the day. "Speech"

Mortis shrugged, he’d never seen anyone get promoted before, so he hadn’t known what to expect. But it had been a big affair, a race to the finish line. Sirius had wanted to give all his wolves an equal chance to succeed. That one of the youngest had done so was testament to Mal’s determination and patience. His own promotion to heir had been more an entering of a competition then anything else. He was supposed to be competing for the chance to rule the pack one day. He considered a moment what it would feel like if he woke up tomorrow as Alpha. Bewildering, shocking, and frightening. He could understand if Mal was a little unsure on what she had gotten herself into. He bumped her shoulder, giving her a friendly, encouraging smile. He hoped she knew she could talk to him when she needed to vent. Mortis shrugged at her inquiry, they had done their growing with the understanding that their father told more than asked. He was always inviting people into the pack as family. Going the extra mile and taking Malalia on as a daughter? It was just like his old man. He was protective, and sometimes scary and sometimes unfair, but Mortis knew he had a good heart, he had seen it. The boy barked out a laugh at that ‘mama bear?’ He supposed Sirius could fit that mantle in some ways. He was scary angry when he thought Mortis was in trouble and needed rescuing. He let out a relieved sigh and straightened at her request, rolling out his shoulders and bouncing forward a little on his next step. They were almost back to the pack now, and the kill pile where he could score her a meal. “So… this is your day. How did you want to spend it?” "Mortis"

How did she want to spend her day? "That's a.... that's a good question. I hadn't really thought about it." The big to-do of promotions in her birth pack were not exactly that. A few words were said, and then everyone went back to business as usual. The real festivities happened after a big hunt, when the pack was safe and fed and had nothing else to do. Other than that, Mal had never really had a "day off," not until she came to the Armada. "Uhhhhh.... we could, like, eat a bunch?" And she definitely planned on stuffing her face and taking a well-deserved rest at the end of the day. Maybe Sirius would pull back for a day or two, but she expected the work wouldn't quite let up once she assumed her full responsibilities. As for the food... Malalia would've liked to say the idea only came because she was hungry, but the girl was coming up short on a plan. "And check out the river, maybe?" Mal only shook her head. By that time, they'd arrived at the kill pile, and the tawny girl plopped her rear on the ground. "I'm open to anything, really. What do you usually do for fun around here?" "Speech"

They stepped across the border with little fanfare, the change from rogue lands to pack ones a subtle thing. The scent markers that caught his nose were so familiar to him now he could almost forget they existed. As they moved across the grassy territory, he would chuckle softly. Eating was one way to celebrate. They could get full bellies on some good cuts of meat. They arrived at the communal center of the pack, and Mortis opened the door to the cellar as Malalia sat on the earth beside it. He popped inside the space, and did a quick inventory. Looked like they were low on fresh meat at the moment, but there was plenty of the stuff Sirius and Io dried to see them fed through winter. He grabbed some of the flavoursome, smokey stuff that had been cured with honey. Nothing but the best for Malalia celebration day. Prize in hand, he shuffled back out, and plopped a portion of it in front of his friend. ”Hmm… fun?” he mused. Fun was training, or poking his head into places it didn’t belong. It was sneaking up on his siblings, and telling ghost stories with his Reaper-friend. “Wee-ll, there is this pretty cool tree that hangs half onto rogue territory. I used to sneak up it when I was really young, and consider myself a rebel for being out of pack territory” he explained with a laugh. You couldn’t tell from the base how easy the tree was to climb, or the flat center part that was good for camping in. He hadn’t been back to the tree for… months. "Mortis"

Processed meats weren't really a staple of her diet. Cairo had been the one introduce her to dried venison, but the smoked strips that Mortis placed at her feet? "These are really good!" Especially with the honey -- sweet and savory. Her tail thumped a hurrah as she laid down to get more comfortable. She was chewin', happier than a pig in a sty, as Mortis mused over the various activities that kept him entertained. Her ears twitched forward as he proposed a "pretty cool tree" that he was able to climb. That... was something she'd be interested in. Swallowing a bite of the smoked meat, she chuckled along with him, placed her head on her paws with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Little rebel." Grinning slightly, she raised her head, casting her eyes over the treeless plain. How similar it was to her old home. "Y'know, I've never climbed a tree," she pondered out loud. Not that the twisting branches and distinct lack of flat surfaces made the task any less daunting... but hopefully this little hideout of his could comfortably fit two wolves up there. Mal stretched out her front paws, hindlegs pushing her up into a stretch. She straightened out, and gave a good shake, before her eyes landed on the winged boy. "Alright, rebel fortress it is, then." They could hang out, maybe bring some of the meat up there too. It was as good an idea as any, and... come on, who didn't want to climb a tree at least once? "Speech"

“Yeah?” He asked, eyes flicking to the dried meat as bits of it vanished down her gullet. Vowing in that moment to ask his Auntie for the recipe. Now he knew what treat to sneak into her den when she had an extra long day. Just had to learn how to make it, first. He laughed lightly at her words, when he was too young to be allowed any freedom, he had certainly thought of it as a rebellious act. His world had grown immensely since those days. He hadn’t really gone back to that lovely old tree since. He grabbed a few more bits of dried meat, and a water flask for good measure. Wrapping the bundle up in some bits of cloth, he tied it around a foreleg. “To the Rebel Fortress!” he called, snapping the cellar door closed, and taking off in the direction of the Weeping Woods. He reached the spot where the two territories began to enterwine a little. The tree, that started off on Armada territory, but branched out over the rogue lands, sat there, untouched. He stopped in front of it, giving it a fond pat with a front paw, before turning to Malalia. “Alright, the trick of it is here” he said, ducking around to show the smaller brunch under its bend figure, and then pointing at the next that lay mostly concealed in the start of its foliage. It was a bigger jump for the smaller wolf then it was Malalia. ”Did you need a leg up?” "Mortis"

She only grinned at him, and made a show of snapping up yet another strip of the honeyed meat. Mal had to admit, she’d thought she would have preferred her meals still kicking… relatively speaking. But good food was good food, and she certainly wouldn’t turn her nose up at whatever the winged boy had to offer. The cellar door closed with a thud, and Mort flew off. With a bit of a chuff she paced after him, wondering where this rebel fortress would be and if it was actually feasible to climb. Their steps carried them back to the forest of willows, and she chuckled a little. Everything came back to here, didn’t it? When they came to the tree, at last, her head craned upwards to get a good look at the branches. Hmm. Mortis was quick to point out the way up, though. Her tail swept the ground behind her, eyes shining with a bit of awe as he actually did it. A part of her had been just a little bit skeptical of the endeavor, but there he was, offering a leg up. Her ears flattened. She took a step forward, puzzling out the path. “….Uh, probably?” She let loose a peal of quiet laughter and a swish of her tail, ignoring the silent prickle in her paws. “Spot me.” With a light grin, Mal turned to the first branch, studied it a little more. She wasn’t scared. Wolves just… weren’t made for climbing trees, that was all. Nothing to it but to do it. The yearling took the first step onto the first, lower branch her had pointed out. Her paws wobbled on the bark; a giddy energy ran through her at the strange sense of balance. She had no clue how to make that second jump, though, and turned to Mortis with silently pleading puppy eyes. "Speech"

[He glanced from the tree to Mal, and caught her flattened ears and skepticism. He offered her an encouraging grin, his tail wagging lightly behind him. When she rested two paws on the first branch, he ducked under it, watching carefully as she took her step up. She didn’t take his ‘leg up’ as he had offered, and watching her do it herself just made his tail wag that little bit faster. She could do this! He was still careful to keep himself under her, to soften her landing should she fall. When she was ready to get to the next branch, she turned to him, and he eyed her and the tree through narrow, thoughtful eyes for a moment. He ducked back under the branch, backed up a little, and then ran forward. Leaping onto the higher branch and ignoring hers entirely. He got two legs over the higher branch, his butt swinging beneath him. He scrambled, feline-claws digging in, one wing shifting over the branch, using upper body strength (arms and wings) to haul himself up. His back legs scrabbled a little where they could reach against the trunk - and then he was up. He looked down at Mal, scooting over to give her room, and then spreading his wing out between them like another branch for support to lean or scrabble against. He wedged it against her branch, and leaned his muzzle forward, prepared to catch her scruff in his teeth if she fell. “Alright, jump up” he said. "Mortis"

Oh gods, did she really have to jump up the gosh darned tree? Climbing was one thing, but Mal wasn't looking forward to a tumble back towards the cold, hard earth. She couldn't help but grumble a little, but she readied herself anyway: rear wiggling in the air, her front half lowered as she eyed the branch and hemmed and hawed and wiggled some more. Finally, she pushed off strongly. Her heart rabbited against her chest for a weightless moment, but soon, her forepaws were scrambling over the branch. She didn't quite have the upper body strength that Mortis did, but she made it, if a little slower. Her hindlegs swung below her in the air, shot forward for purchase as she hauled herself up and over. Safe at last, the smaller wolf all but collapsed. She hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath until it came in quick, shuddering inhales. "Jeeeeeeez..." Blinking, she turned her head up -- first to toss a glance at Mortis, and then to see the world below, half hidden in branches and leaves that caught the light of the sun. She snorted softly, tuning her eyes on her companion once more. "Thanks for helping me up... and you were totally right," she grinned, tail sweeping out behind her. It was pretty cool once you got up there. Also, she was in a friggin' tree! How awesome was that? "Speech"

Mortis could only laugh at her excitement. For a moment he had been worried, seeing the concern in her expression. He had been well prepared to lunge forward and grab her if she had slipped or failed to jump far enough. His precautions had been unnecessary, and he was left grinning at her accomplishment. He watched as a little black bird flitted higher up the trees, and away from the crazy wolves that climbed in places they had no business being. Its song one of mild scorn.

They were in the thickest part of the tree now, and scampering around involved clambering over or under many entwined branches. Much easier then the leap she had taken. He wiggled forward, towards where the tree dipped into rogue lands, and found the flattened area he had once camped in. There was faint evidance of his resistance here. An old toy Io had cobbled together with her clever hands. A bird, with outstretched wings. Her attempt to cheer him up. There had been a time he hated his wings for the wedge they drove between himself and azure. A half-whittled stick for when he had practised making spiked stakes. A cloak that softened the floor for sitting. He scooted over to that spot, surprised at how much space he took up.

He undid the bundle on his back leg, unrolling the dried meat and water flask, and put the small feast before them, and turned to Mal. "So, is the fortress everything you hoped and dreamed it would be?" He teased.

With an eyeroll, she rolled to her paws and climbed on after him, hopping over the easier branches until they came to the rogue part of the tree. She chuckled quietly, ears planing back as she looked around. Not that they were doing anything wrong, really, but the picture of a smaller Mortis sneaking up here, daring to go "off territory," had her feeling a little rebellious, too. A very cautious rebel, who checked over every pawstep before she advanced further into the tree. She could hear the flutter of wings as birds flit by high above their heads, the buzz of insects, the stray scent of a squirrel. The flattened area was... a teeny bit smaller than she expected, to be sure. But it must have felt bigger when the winged boy was younger still. An ear twisted towards Mortis, and she grinned back at his question. Pushing off her feet, she acted out a very thorough inspection of the place: sniffing lightly at the cloak, the old playthings that were left behind. "Well, it is pretty rebellious," she concluded, taking a careful seat. "It'll do." Mal pawed at the flying figurine, idly wondering if it was a relic or something that one of the wolves had crafted. She held it up to him. "Hey look, it's a mini you!" "Speech"

Malalia sat beside him, a great deal more cautious than Mortis. For someone who’s wings didn’t actually function in flight, he was certainly fearless of heights. At least, he was now. There had been a period of time in his life he wouldn’t go near them. This very tree had been a part of building up his confidence again. “I certainly thought so.” He had been a lonelier wolf when he had first ventured into these tree-tops. Isolated from his family partly by his own design, partly out of Azure’s behaviour. Something had changed between then and now. Lots of little things, for sure. A growth in his confidence. The biggest had been meeting Malalia, making a friend out of her. She had changed him, helped him grow into himself at a crucial time. He owed her a lot, though he didn’t think he could ever say it. He smiled wryly at the little bird-figure as she picked it up and held it out towards him. “Io made that, when I was… smaller then you are” he teased her height with a gentle nudge - making sure he didn’t actually knock her at all. She was skittish enough of this high-place. “It was supposed to show me that wings could be natural, I think” he admitted with a soft laugh. It had been once a security blanket, now it was a lost trinket he hadn’t realised was up here. Now that the two of them weren’t clammering up a tree or moving around so much, he could hear the fluttering of wings as the birds re-organised themselves throughout this tree and others nearby. The sound of their songs starting up , soft chirping, a curious chill, and mating calls. "Mortis"

Her head tilted slightly, watching the boy's contemplation with candid eyes. Wondering what memories were swirling behind his own. It wasn't often she caught the winged boy in such a subdued state, cheerful as he was the rest of the time. He'd been a beacon of light and laughter, right from the moment she'd joined the Armada. Mal blinked, turned away to cast her eyes about the little fortress, seeing a little winged wolf playing on the cloak, beneath the leaves and branches. She couldn't have guessed the turbulence that had rocked his younger months. Mortis was grinning again, though, and she flattened her ears, and flashed her teeth good-naturedly at the jest. "Smaller than I am..." she muttered, mocking his lower voice. Her ears flipped upward soon enough, and she smiled. "That was kind of her." A thoughtful gesture, to be sure. They lapsed into silence, letting the calls of birds fill the space. She closed her eyes, simply listening, before turning to Mortis, lips twitching upwards in a smirk. If the toy was a mini-version of him, then... "Hey, your friends are calling you up there." She listened to them for a few seconds more before she began to hum softly, imitating the blackbird's call. Of course, she couldn't do a real bird call... but she could match the tones, at least, to the best of her ability. "Speech"

She mocked his words, and his grin for her was impish, tail swishing behind him. He considered pouncing her and starting a little fight above the tree-tops, but he would not be so reckless. She was scarcely beginning to build her confidence in this new world, of a place in foliage and bark, far above the ground. “It was. I think she knew what he- well, I think she knew what I felt” she said, there it was, his thoughtful frown. The struggle he had in understanding Azure, how his brother had become the wolf he was today. He didn’t think Io or his mother really believed him when he said he had fallen down the cliff. Certainly Resin had known the truth, and kept it to herself at his request. “Are you calling me bird-brained” he teased, but fell silent when she began to hum. “That’s really good” he whispered quietly, trying not to ruin her song or scare away the little birds. After a moment, he tried to match the sound "Mortis"