Aslatiel Fatalis The girl had been spending quite a lot of time away from home lately. It just wasn't where she wanted to be. Not with being angry with Azure. Disgusted with Mort. Unable to be around Indigo. So she'd been spending a lot of time with Mo over in Ashen lands. The floppy eared boy calmed her and made her feel something other than anger and bloodlust. Feeling so calm helped her to think and thinking brought up a lot of questions. Questions that only her parents could answer. Back to Armada lands she went. It was evening and the sun was slowly setting but the shadows were deep. She hoped that her parents would be back to the den fairly soon. She would wait for them. The girl checked inside first. Seeing no one, she came back outside and lay on her stomach, one leg crossed over the other with her muzzle rested on top. Here she would wait until one or both of them showed themselves. Hopefully they were ready to talk. "Speech"

Sirius Fatalis The sun was sinking below the horizon, and a fresh deer haunch dankled from his muzzle. A dinner gift to Zee, and whichever of his children might be near home tonight. He missed having them all together in the communal den. Wrapped up in his arms, safe, and knowing exactly where they were. They were almost one now, and each seemed to have their own lives, interested and friends. Already, he felt the ache of. The Warlord shook off the fatigue of the day, finished with his patrols and training and heading home for a sleep. His eyes found the small form of his space-daughter by the den entrance, and his muzzle split into a smile. He flopped down beside her, and reached to grab her into his embrace, through he would insist upon it if she offered resistance. “Hey, starflower” "Speech"

Zee had been out late walking paths through the adjoining territories, following stale scents and wondering where the members of the Armada continued to vanish to. Meadow had been one whom thankfully had found her way home, though others like Bird and even Odette had seemed to just disappear into thin air. It worried the alpha, and often she'd extend her patrol in hopes that she'd find some sign of them and where they had gone. It worried her even further when she considered how long some of her children stayed out now, would they too be taken by this unseen threat? The fur along her scruff bristled protectively at the thought, though by the time she neared home and little Asla's scent strengthened she could feel assured that for now, they were likely all safe. Sirius had found her first, collecting their daughter into an embrace and Zee sat herself beside them and looked over at the pair with a soft smile. How Sirius had ever changed from hardened slave-turned warlord she had no idea, though he was as soft as gentle as she'd ever known him to be. Especially where their girl was concerned. It wasn't often that Asla waited so patiently outside the den and so it was obvious enough that she had something to say. When Sirius' hug showed no signs of ending she chucked, and then spoke. "Were you waiting for us?" Her full attention she gave to her daughter, resisting the urge to yank her from Sirius' grasp and squeeze her herself.   "Speech"

Aslatiel Fatalis It didn't take long at all for one of her parents to arrive. Of course it was her father. He had a mouth full of meat but was glad to drop it so that he could scoop her up. Aslatiel was close to being full grown, but she suspected that, because she was so small, that he would always treat her like a pup. He greeted her and the girl smiled, ears flattening against her skull. "Hi, papa." Her mother arrived a few minutes later and the cream and grey girl shot her a smile as well. Grey ears perked as she was asked if she'd been waiting for them. Asla nodded, extracting herself from her father's grasp to lean against her mother. They were almost equal in size now, though she was still a little chubby with puppy fat. A lot had been bothering her, but a lot she had sorted out on her own. Or with the help of her grandmother. There were some things though that she needed answers to. So, settling between her parents, she began to speak. "Grandma told me that if I didn't understand something and it had to do with you, then I should ask you." Aslatiel inhaled, exhaled, shifted her galaxy gaze from mother to father and asked, "Why do Azure and Mortis get to compete for heir and Indigo and I aren't considered? Are we less than they are?" She didn't really wait for an answer before continuing, intent on just getting all of her thoughts on the table. "I understand why Indigo might not be the best choice for heir," Her purple sibling was soft and kind. She wasn't sure if he would have the heart to make hard decisions. "But I don't understand why I wasn't considered. Mort is too silly and Az is too... Az. I know that I have some problems, but grandma says that if I recognize them, then I can change them." Her brow furrowed and she looked from mother to father, hoping that someone could give her a bit of clarity. "Speech"

Sirius Fatalis He let the young girl escape his grasp, and move to Zee’s side. He looked from one to the other with a soft, fond smile. When Asla started to speak, the Warlord was surprised at the words she offered. They were not at all what he had expected. “When I announced the Heirs, Indigo was learning to be a healer, and you were making star charts. Azure has always wanted to be strong, to fight and lead. Mortis is my eldest, and where I was raised, an heir was the firstborn. In truth, I’ve never been certain if he would find what he needs to rule a pack. But I followed tradition, and gave him a chance.” He spoke as he would to another adult, knowing Asla would accept no less. Still, still, her words had surprised him. She admitted to him that she was different, that she struggled to understand ‘normal’ that she held bloodlust. So where was her desire to be heir from? She wanted to hurt Malalia simply because she had the family’s name. She had never cared for anyone beyond the immediate family, so where had this desire to be heir come from? He glanced to Zee, who had long since been his touchstone. Perhaps she would understand where their daughter was coming from better than he. The idea that she and Indigo were ‘less’ was silly. He had always shown love more easily to Indigo and Asla then he had Azure and Mortis. "Speech"

Asla spoke her concern and Sirius gave his reasonable response in turn. Zee was still collecting her thoughts, trying to word them in a way that would not be taken as offensive or pandering. It wasn't until Sirius was done that she added her own input, a fond smile upon her face. "You have it all wrong, my daughter." She began, nudging Asla's forehead with her similarly sized one. "Mortis and Azure may be the ones we chose for heir, but that does not make you or Indigo any less. Every ruler needs a support system, someone to rein them in or urge them forward when their own decisions fail. Your father and I have Iolaire to default to, and ever since you were small we knew your brothers would look to you."

The horned woman gave a soft sigh, knowing the answer might not be sufficient for their driven daughter but not willing to lie to bolster her feelings. "You may not be the biggest or the strongest, but Asla, you are the smartest. Your brothers will need you behind them for the rest of their lives. I know it's asking a lot of you, but it's as important a position as any."

To say that she was frustrated would have been an understatement. Her father leaped into defending his decision and she'd just been about to retort when her mother began to speak. Grey ears perked as she listened to her mother's explanation. A little surge of pride flared as her 'position' was compared to the one that Iolaire held. Hmm... Well she couldn't say that Io was 'less' in any way. Pressing her forehead back against her mother's in a silent offer of thanks for her soothing words, Aslatiel continued. "I don't even want to be heir. I just want to be something. Being the unranked, tiny baby sister to two brothers running for heir is..." she searched for words, frustration showing on her features. "It's embarrassing. I need something to do. Something to be proud of." She couldn't keep drifting along like she did now. Everything that she'd attained so far she'd done of her own volition. The girl needed something. Some sign of trust from her parents. Some sort of responsibility. She was going to drive herself insane otherwise. "Speech"

The Warlord glanced towards Zee as she spoke, her level-headed answer doing much better than his own to explain things to their daughter. He gave his wife’s paw a gentle pat. Her calm had always balanced his temper and emotion. As for Asla - she made a good point. She had been putting in the time, and working hard towards her training. She had proven herself to be more level-headed these days. He hadn’t heard of her losing her temper or causing issues among the pack - other than lying about the lion fight.

She was frustrated, and needed to do more, to feel she was worth something. She was she was his world, but she needed proof of that. Very well. “I’m going to need more wolves sitting in my ‘Lieutenant’ rank, it’s a high rank, equal in responsibility to Io, and it will be hard work. I will set you some challenges and you can prove you are equal to the task.” he said, putting forward the high ranking position - not as an immediate rise, but something she could work quickly towards. An end goal for her current training.

Zee could empathize with her frustration and she gave a nod of understanding as Asla explained further. It wasn't necessarily the lack of being able to participate in the heir race, but having no other rank to call her own. The title of "princess" was one she was born into and not earned. Sirius offered a path for her to reach for, a thought that had crossed the queen's mind as well.

She took a few more moments to collect her thoughts before adding to Sirius' words. "I've seen your strength over the seasons, you've worked incredibly hard to get to where you are. You've made us both so proud." She spared a glance at her husband, inwardly apologizing for what she was about to say. "You have the same opportunities here as anyone else. Lieutenant is not the highest you can aim for. If Mal isn't found.. we may need to consider a new reaper in the future." Her paw lifted to aim to brush lightly atop Asla's crown. "If you can prove to us that you are grown enough to deserve it, that is. It is not a decision we will make likely, and not even your brothers have shown us to be deserving of that much power."

Both parents made suggestions. Her father suggested that she work towards a Lieutenant position, which would have suited her for now. Her mother, however, made mention of the Reaper position. Ambition gleamed in the girls purple eyes and she nodded. "I'll work towards Lieutenant for now, but I would very much like to be the packs Reaper." It was a position that she should have had in the first place. Even though Malalia was gone, Aslatiel still hated her for taking away the time and attention of her father.

Aslatiel felt much more relieved now that she'd spoken her mind. The only way to get something was to take it. With hard work and dedication, she believed that there was no position in the pack that she couldn't hold. Hell, she could compete for heir if she set her mind to it. The boys had their flaws. She did as well, but she believed that she did a better job of hiding them. The girl nodded to her parents. "Thank you for talking with me." Reaching up, she kissed her mother's cheek, wrapping her arms around her to give the horned woman a quick but tight embrace. She then transferred herself over to her father, hugging and kissing him as well. "I need to go train. You think of what I need to do to get to Reaper." And with that, she was off.