There was definitely something annoying about all these wolves being promoted in such short period of time. Was anybody ranked below him anymore? It was frustrating, and Azure didn't know how to keep in everyone's good graces without changing himself to do it. He wouldn't change for anybody, but it seemed lately the only person who fully accepted him was Asla. Venom was also an heir, so he thought perhaps she might have some advice for him. Surely she'd encountered situations where she didn't necessarily like someone but had to fake it to keep a professional air about her, right? He moved his way into the shrine, seeking the girl out. Her opportunities were even greater then his own, one day she would be empress, and if he were to become Warlord then he'd take his orders only from her. The more he thought about it, the better it seemed an idea to befriend the yearling. Surely they'd find some common ground and perhaps a solid friendship that he could use to his advantage when he was grown. "Venom?" He called out, searching through the bleached trees for her form. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Venom was quiet and still as she sat alone by the shrine’s pool. Show was falling gently and muffled any sound around the crown princess. Lilac eyes were closed and the girl could have been praying or sleeping, with her head bowed slightly over the colored water. She’d taken up the practice of meditation, something that Poison was teaching her. For a squirrel he was a master of relaxation and deep thinking.

Her mind was clear of thoughts, though she had much to think about. She was falling behind in her training, and the closer she felt the day she would ascend the throne came the less prepared she felt she was. There was a lot to know and understand, and she didn’t feel she came close to her mother or even Sirius’s level of leadership. She hadn’t even won the mock raid she’d led, how could Ashen follow her after that failure? The calming nature of her meditative state allowed her reprieve from these thoughts, but she returned to the wakeful world when she heard her name on the air.

She blinked open her bright eyes to see the Armada youth. ”Azure.” She replied softly, but her voice lacked the youth it once had. Despite her doubts she was sounding more like her mother.

It was annoying to need to feign anything, though Azure had to be very careful to not offend anyone else until his last strike had blown over. Who knew how long it would be until his mother and father retired? Did the strikes carry on, or did they dissolve after a year? He had so many questions, but for now decided to remain as polite as possible to anyone he may meet. Anyone that was pack, at least. Anyone Sirius respected. "Congratulations on your raid." He offered her with a smile, moving closer to sit before her. "I haven't seen you around much lately, and for some reason I seem to be lacking in friends." An oversized paw lifted and swatted at the air dismissively. There were multiple reasons he had no friends, and Azure knew them all. "Are you busy? I'm sure we could both use some company." "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Venom was raised to be eloquent, brought up with manners and rules on how to be the royalty she was. She didn’t have the same problem that Azure held, but she was much different from the boy too. There was no threat to her throne, as she had told Plague, all of their siblings had fallen by the wayside. She was crown princess and no one could take that away from her.

She raised a brow curiously as he approached her, and she had to admit she was suspicious of his words. She had lost the raid, lost her fight to Sirius and the rest of the pack followed her in failure. Still, his smile seemed to be genuine, maybe he was envious. Venom relaxed as he took a seat, ”Thanks, but it's hard to feel accomplished after you’ve lost.” She huffed lightly, feeling like she didn’t have to be quite so rigid with the armada kid.

Was she lacking in friends? The thought resonated within her funny as he told her about his lack of relationships. She tried to ignore it but beyond her camaraderie with Plague, Sirius was her best friend. ”I could use some company. I’ve been alone enough recently.” Had she been sulking after the loss? Venom wasn’t going to call it that. ”So, you’re in heir training too huh?” Her question was a little softer as she settled down further, laying on the cold ground.

Azure's shoulders gave a relaxed shrug at her words and he eyed her carefully as he replied. "The Armada will belong to you one day, our triumphs are your triumphs too. Regardless of who's warriors were standing at the end of the raid, The Empire came out on top." While Azure did not necessarily enjoy the fact that his father's pack were lesser ranked in comparison, his statement was truthful. Perhaps one day things could change, though for that to happen he'd need Venom on board. It couldn't be rushed however, there were still many years before he might be able to take the throne and by that time Deathbelle would likely have long retired. The two of them could bring greatness to the Empire and the Armada, level them as equals and take over the world. All in due time. Mentioning his heir training brought a tired sigh to the boy, though he smiled through it. "You could call it training." He agreed. "I don't think of it that way. It's a competition, a way to decide which of us is the strongest and most suited to lead." Az paused, laying down as she did. "How did it work with you and your siblings? Did your mother allow them to try out before deciding you were the next Empress?" "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

”Maybe that’s true, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.” She was the princess and she should have been thinking on a bigger scale, but it was hard not to take the loss personally. She had wanted to win so bad… Venom bottled up the frustration. Next time. She was thinking a lot less about the hierarchal status that Azure was. She was already on top, though she reached for great things she was ignorant to the boy’s train of thought. How underutilized the Armada was.

Azure seemed conflicted as he sighed and smiled at her question. He was proud, but it was complicated. He was competing for his position. ”I was first born.” The first qualifying factor. ”My siblings could have challenged my place at any time, but none of them stepped up.” They seemed to be made for different place, Venom was placed exactly where she belonged. ”I am the strongest of us.” There was nothing to prove, Venom soared above all of them.

Azure chuckled, not realizing that perhaps it was rude to laugh at your Empress-to-be when she was upset about something. "Well, I'd try to comfort you that there's always next time, but you won't win next time either." His eyes sparkled playfully. "Next time you will have my brothers and I to fight against, maybe we can convince Father to sit out so it will be a bit more even matched." Azure was confident to a fault, and although he'd lost more fights then he'd won he was sure that his losing streak would end soon. When she explained how her position of crown princess was earned, the boy's brow raised in question. "First born, hm? What does that say about me, I wonder." He did his best to not allow his annoyance to show through, already seething internally at the thought that his brother might win a throne simply because he was pushed out first. Azure was stronger, he knew he was. He'd prove it any way he could. "I don't doubt your strength, I've never met your siblings though it'd be hard to imagine one more suited to lead then you." Maybe he was laying it on a little thick, but Az really wanted the girl to like him. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Venom shot the young Fatalis a sharp glance, but the corners of her lips pulled back in an amused grin. She wasn’t often laughed at, and he was so cheeky it was almost endearing. ”Yeah don’t do it if you want to win.” The young heir was suddenly serious as her violet eyes found his aqua gaze. ”We would have crushed you had my mother and second Daimyo fought with me.” Venom warned him through his confidence. He could feel that way all he wanted, but she wouldn’t lose again.

”I don’t know,” she answered him, wondering how much frustration he was hiding. ”My younger brother knew his place, he already vowed his support to me and my right to the throne.” Her eyes widened in pleased surprise at his praising words. She wasn’t her mother, and love was not what she desired most from her subjects. One always needed to test the ones who told you what you wanted to hear, but he wasn’t afraid to boast his prowess either. She adopted a classic Klein smirk, he’d succeeded in her liking him at least.

The two of them needed to form a relationship of some kind, especially if he overcame his elder born brother. Still he was younger, and Venom wanted to test him. She could see how strong he was, even now she had little doubt that Sirius’s son was far behind the warrior in prowess. Venom flicked her tongue at him teasingly, she saw a lot of his father in him including his smooth tongue.

”Can I tell you a secret?” She asked hesitantly, unsure if she wanted to trust him with her insecurities. He was just a kid though right? Would it be easier to tell him than the experienced wolves in her life?

Azure returned her amused expression, narrowing his eyes as he scolded her playfully. "Careful, princess. If you force me to play my hand I will, and you'll need to finish our conversation covered in dirt and mud." The heir was fully confident in his abilities and was convinced he could win a raid even without his father. If he had to carry the Armada on his shoulders through it he would, but losing was not an option. At her non-committal answer his grin widened, his head barely shaking in response. "No, no. You're to be the next Empress, you're supposed to know everything. Including what wolf will speak with your voice in the end." He paused briefly, shrugging his shoulders. "But it's okay, I know I'll win. I don't need your confirmation, it would just be unfair to poor Mortis." There was no future he could possibly anticipate that didn't end up with himself as the next Warlord, and it would only be an easier path to achieve if Venom was in his corner. Her hesistant request brought him pause and Az raised a brow in silent question as he considered. "Some would say I'm untrustworthy." He admitted. "Though who in their right mind would share the secrets of the Crown Princess?" [/b]His large head dipped towards her, and he waited to see what it was she wanted to share. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

”Princess I may be, afraid of getting dirty I am not.” She told him as he warned her again. His confidence was too much, but it was also well deserved. Being the son of Sirius, it was probably hard to realize he wasn’t invincible. ”No, we wouldn’t want to be unfair to your brother. I’m excited to see you exceed the second born expectations.” She teased him further, but she was also completely serious. She wanted to see him rise above, he had enough confidence alone to do just that.

The important part of the conversation had her lowering her voice. This was a huge confession, especially to someone so sure of himself. He was honest in that others saw him as untrustworthy and she took his words into consideration. Well, this would be the first test. If the rumors of her hesitation didn’t take off she knew he could keep her words to himself. ”I don’t feel like Im ready to take the throne.” She confessed softly, her eyes aiming to meet his young gaze. ”There’s so much I need to know and understand and train for. How can I be ready for everything?” She hadn’t quite grasped that yet, that was why she hesitated so much, how did she know when she would be ready to begin with? What did that feel like?

Opening up to the younger boy brought a bit of relief to her shoulders at least, now to try and trust him to keep the secret of her uncertainties. No matter how much she boasted her strength there was more to ruling than how strong you were physically.

Her response was exactly what he'd expect from someone of her position and his grin only widened. Whatever insecurities Venom may feel, she definitely had the tongue necessary to command an empire - even if it was forked and weird. It only drove him further to want to succeed, to prove to her that his words were not empty. "Don't worry, you will." The heir agreed easily. Venom's confession was unexpected however, and Azure's expression mirrored the seriousness of hers. It was odd that she'd trust him with the secret even after he revealed himself untrustworthy (even though he knew he had no reason to share her words) and somehow it made him feel good to be trusted in that way. The good feeling only lasted a moment however until he considered perhaps this was a lesser secret, a test. Ah, well, he'd need to make the best of it either way. "Luckily you don't need to take the throne." He told her gently. "Not now, at least. Besides, the secret to ruling is keeping good wolves around you to help and advise. It's not a solo adventure." Azure's piercing gaze stayed upon her while he thought, and after a moment he continued. "Well, we've already agreed that one day I will have my throne, so we can practice. I will be your warlord now in secret and you can trust me with anything you need. If you need someone to talk to or bounce thoughts off, I'll be here for you. It'll be a good study for both of us, and you can feel like you've got someone in your corner. By the time we both ascend, we should be masters at it." The boy grinned once more at his closing statement, waiting eagerly for her agreement. This was going well. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

[/b]

Even through all of his confidence Venom managed to throw him a curve ball in showing her deep thoughts. He hesitated for only a moment before he spoke up again, making sure she knew that she didn’t have to step up to the throne tomorrow. He didn’t realize how precarious her mother’s hold really was. Maybe he couldn’t see it this far away, but Venom was more and more certain of the coming exchange of power.

His main point led to a great transition to an idea that she hadn’t considered, but by the sound of how practiced he was maybe he’d thought about it a couple times before. In secret, they would begin to form relationship between empress and her Warlord. Venom couldn’t see a downside, even if Mortis came out on top the skills they developed together would only prove useful.

Venom couldn’t deny how good he made everything sound, it was just what she needed. Someone to rely on who would also hold strategic advantage in the future. Nothing but fortune could come from them becoming closer. Venom liked the idea of being able to really trust someone. Even if he had a reputation, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. No doubt he knew what would happen if he broke her trust.

”You’ll make a great Warlord yet. I accept your offer, Azure.” How had this young boy been the solution to one of her biggest problems? She underestimated him and his youth she realized that none too soon. ”Why should we work in secret? Do you have a mentor yet?” Venom hinted at the path she was on. Perhaps it would be a bit unfair to his winged brother, but she could spend time with him as well. The Empire was stronger when they all held strong ties to one another.

Her acceptance came easily and Azure felt his chest swell with pride. It was a good idea, he was sure. Having Venom in his corner would be an incredible benefit to him, his father would be happy that he was taking his responsibilities seriously, and maybe he'd be able to secure even the Empress' favor if he befriended her daughter. "Perfect." The cogs turned in Az's head as he explored the possibilities and his grin widened. Venom's suggestion was something Azure had never thought of, and for a moment he wondered if she was even considered old enough to mentor anyone. A few moments passed as he considered - it wouldn't mean he couldn't still receive training from Sirius or any of the other powerful Armada wolves. It would simply be a way that he could learn a few more tricks and get to spend time with the next Empress at the same time. "I would love to have you as a mentor." He agreed, already wondering what kind of teacher she may be. Parts of Az were different then other pups, would Venom try to change him or accept the darkness inside of him? "When do we start?" "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

He was a proud young wolf, over confident, and full of himself but Venom wasn’t sure she wanted him any other way. She needed some confidence in her life, someone who was certain in their actions where she doubted herself too frequently. She shared his grin, her own thoughts of the future rousing up excitement in her breast. She held a high enough rank to take on an apprentice, and she couldn’t imagine that Sirius or Deathbelle would disturb her plans.

Azure assured her that he would love to have her as a mentor and Venom raised her brows but decided not to tease him on his choice of words. She wasn’t her mother, she didn’t desire love above all else from her subjects. She wanted strength and loyalty, and maybe Azure could help in her rule of fear. She had so many milestones to overcome before she could take hold of the Empire with her iron grip.

”Whenever you’re ready.” She offered with an amused growl, sometimes teaching was the best way to learn, so if she taught Azure to be an emperor maybe it would make her a better empress. One of her main questions was: did Azure realize his own weaknesses? Did he know where he needed to improve? ”I know I wont be able to teach you much about fighting.” With one white paw she pushed at his heavily muscled shoulder. Even for a young wolf like him his fitness was obvious. ”Where do you need to improve most?”

Already Azure was swimming with excitement, this new dynamic was offering him up so many options for future success and he couldn't wait to grab it by the horns and achieve his many goals. Venom's goals too he assumed he'd need to prioritize, for while he may have been selfish and driven to benefit himself first he was not so stupid as to try and manipulate the future Empress. Fulfilling his obligations to Venom indirectly boosted Azure as well - one day she would be capable of great things and the young prince had every intention of being at her side when that day came. "Maybe I should teach you about fighing." He joked in response, allowing her paw to push against his shoulder before lifting his own to prod at her smaller frame in turn. It worked out fine for him that he might be bigger and stronger than his sort-of-Empress. After all, if he was to be her sort-of-Warlord and their dynamic was anything like Deathbelle's and his father, Azure needed to overpower every wolf in the world including Venom, for her sake. He grinned at her, showing her that his words were only playful and not meant to offend. He already knew she'd taken a hit to her ego after her recent loss in the raid. "Dad would say I need to improve my attitude." Azure answered finally. "I don't see why. He's got me on a short leash, preaching compassion and empathy and bullshit like that. I don't see why I need to be kind if I'm powerful enough to back it up." His chest puffed out proudly, although in reality the young heir had more losses then wins under his belt. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

She lowered her brows and offered him a bit of mock annoyance as he pushed her back. She felt keenly how much strength he really did have to back his words up. This was Sirius’s son, how much more of a chance, if any, might she have besting him? ”Sirius taught me too, I don’t see you surprising me much.” She challenged him subtly, still wearing a smirk even as he answered her question. He was aware of what others told him, but did he truly see his lack of those qualities as weakness?

If he never felt for anything Venom could understand, but when you were smiting your enemies there was no room for stepping in their shoes. Unlike his brother who once had a double dose of empathy, he lacked much. ”My mother has always ruled to be loved.” She told him, somewhat skirting his answer. ”I don’t agree completely, but I can’t argue that tactic breeds devotion.” She looked up from her paws and back to Azure’s bright eyes. ”If you can only give force that is the only thing you’ll get back. You’ll never be able to sleep with both eyes closed.” Venom warned him lightly. She would sound like she was echoing Resin, but owning the balance was what she sought. A better mix of devotion and fear and not too askew on either side.

Azure let out a sigh and rolled his eyes at her response, though pushed away the urge to argue his point. He'd heard it before, he'd given his opinion a dozen times over and nobody ever changed their minds. Venom would be his Empress, and for that reason alone he would hold his tongue and not dig himself into a hole as he had talking with so many others. "You sound like him." The boy offered, a small frown touching his lips. "I get it, I'll try. I just still don't see the point." It was as much as a compromise as he was willing to give, and not one he'd offered anyone else who had similar concerns. If the discussion continued this way, Azure could not be certain that he'd be able to stay civil. While the opinions of his pack mates mattered little to him he did yearn for Venom's respect and did not wish for her to see exactly how much of a 'edgy little shit' he could be. It took Malalia a whole five minutes to peg him as one, preferably it'd take Venom much longer. "What sort of things is your mother teaching you?" He redirected the conversation casually, lowering himself onto his stomach and folding his wide paws in front of him. "Most of our lessons are normal things like hunting or fighting, dad hasn't gone through a lot about ruling yet." "Speech" "Thinking" "You."