Recluse Ithuriel-Klein Her children were now old enough to be little terrors and with her new cousins starting to romp around she figured things were finally well enough to actually meet up with the other two packs she claimed to be a part of. She also felt Venom at least deserved to know that she had new half-siblings, whether she cared for them at all Recluse neither knew nor cared, they were Recluse's now and she didn't need to consider Venom's own personal feelings about them. But more than that she felt she was incapable of really fulfilling her pack's stated goal without any contact with them. The warlord had seen fit to send a liaison but she needed more than that, Hanako, as lovely as she was, was not a good enough candidate to share precious information or jobs for her pack. She'd had her paws full, first making sure her pack had a base enough to support itself and then with an unexpected pregnancy, so the silence from the other packs of the empire had echoed obviously to her. To say she was a little irritated would have been an understatement but... well glasshouses and all that... So the woman had left before the sun was down, arriving at the border of Ashen, well... the area that Ashen and the Armada met just as the sun was setting. Lilith was draped around her shoulders in her usual place, but her Potoo companion had been left to watch over the pack and come get her if anything happened. His mobility was already quite an asset. The woman settled onto her haunches and tipped her head back, calling for her cousin and the warlord, it was well past time they met and she hoped it would be the first among many. "Speech"

Art by Sirinsong

Venom had been preoccupied to say the least, with five new puppies taking over her life there wasn’t much room for anything but child rearing. They were growing more independent by the day and by the time she was roused for a night of patrolling and duties all of them were off exploring or training, or just gone from the palace. She was proud of them, but couldn’t help but already miss the tiny bundles that were once curled at her belly. She knew that children grew swiftly, but she hadn’t quite been prepared for just how fast they grew.

Hattori had taken the reins, once again, and kept the inner workings of the pack running smoothly while she focused on growing their puppies. Now that they were out of the den Venom was returning to her usual place at the helm. This return was not as yearned for as when she had broken her leg. Her seclusion was a labor of love this time around, and worth every moment she spent in the palace with her offspring. Her future heirs. The concept was strange, and she felt like she had only just taken the throne herself.

Those thoughts accompanied her as she began her first patrol that evening. Venom hadn’t gotten much further than Nephilim island when she heard Recluse on the border. The Empress was withdrawn from much of the goings on outside of Ashen proper and was curious and eager to have her as a visitor. And even more eager as she heard the call for Sirius. Poison accompanied her and sprang off towards the meeting, traversing the branches of the trees above much more swiftly than her paws carried her. Anko the akita was due with her own first litter any day, and spent most of her time looking after the puppies near the palace. Like old times, Venom would rely solely upon the giant squirrel. Much to her husband’s chagrin.

The thought brought an amused smirk to her features as she appeared from the white trees and into Recluse’s presence. The evidence of recently nursing was slowly diminishing, but she hadn’t weaned her little prince’s and princesses not so long ago. ”Recluse,” she greeted lightly with a slight tilt of her head as she lowered herself into a seated position.

He tossed Briar in the air from his belly with a laugh, though the girl was growing quickly, and he wondered if soon she would be too old to enjoy such antics with her old man. Things had started out as a lesson in fighting, but once he had tackled his little girl, things had disintegrated into play. He caught her as she fell back to earth again, and perked his ears at the sound of a call. “Business calls” he said with a sigh, gently setting her on the ground and rolling back to his paws. He fell into an easy trott, and made his way to the borders of Ashen and the Armada. His Empress was already there, and he gave her a polite bow due her station, before turning his attention to the wolf that had called for them. Recluse the newest Alpha of the three. Thus far, she had been fairly… reclusive to the other parts of the Empire. His lip twitched, but he otherwise kept his thoughts to himself. He did not know if he could trust Recluse or not, but she was a part of the Ashen Empire, and deserved a chance. "Speech"

Recluse Ithuriel-Klein Recluse would see her cousin first, the faint scent of milk on her and her brows lifted slightly, so the empress had produced little heirs? Though her attention would be pulled when Sirius also arrived, the woman offered both the other alpha's a gracious dip of her head, and waited for a moment, making sure they were both listening. "Forgive me for calling without any warning. I have some news I wished to share with Venom and was hoping we as sister packs could open up a dialogue." She'd turn to look at Venom first. "I feel it's only fair to let you know your mother has had another litter. I do not know who the father is as he's never bothered to show his face, but the children are healthy." She kept one eye on Sirius, she still did not know what the reasoning for her aunt's ousting but she wasn't about to push about it, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious what the reaction to a sore subject might be. She wouldn't really leave too much time for her cousin to stew on that information, it was after all a formality, her new cousins were quickly proving themselves and she had no intention of letting them go. She shifted her focus off of her cousin and glanced between the two before speaking again. "I am approaching both of you as I wish to propose that we as alpha's start meeting more regularly. I will admit that I should have reached out sooner but was initiatlly unprepared for the work I was taking on and a surprise pregnancy took much of my time. However, it's always been my intention for Habari to function as an extension of the empire, to be willing to get out paws dirty so that the Empress and her wolves may not have to." It was not condescending, a genuine offer to make herself useful for her cousin. "And as such have recognized a need to be in regular communication with the rest of the empire." Though she would not show it Recluse was actually anxious about her proposal. "Speech"

Art by Sirinsong

Venom returned Sirius’s quick nod as he approached the little greeting and the Empress’s attention was swiftly focused then on Recluse. She was quick to begin their little meeting, addressing her first of all. Venom held no ill will at the spontaneously called gathering and she shook off Recluse’s beg for forgiveness. She hadn’t really expected the next part, that Deathbelle had given birth to another litter. Her eyebrows raised curiously, but she would put up no fight or search for extra information. She had washed her hands of her mother, but was oddly comforted that the brood was healthy under her cousins' watch. Venom gave her a thankful nod of her head before the woman continued.

The mor important part of the cause Recluse brought them together. They were supposed to act more united and Venom couldn’t argue the fact, and instead welcomed the possibilities Recluse offered. Meeting regularly would do all of their packs and the greater Empire good. ”You are correct,” Venom started after Recluse had gone silent. ”Better communication will lead to better relations. Between all of us.” She looked up to Sirius, thankfully she had seen more of him with his desire to be near her own children.

”As you’ve guessed by now I’m sure, I’ve welcomed my own brood into the world recently. I know all of us have our paws full raising the next generation and keeping our packs running smoothly, but I agree. We need to speak more often.”

He stood beside Venom, his attention on the white wolf that had called them here. She spoke of having news for Venom and having this be a chance to open communication between them. That was what they needed, and there would be no protests from him. The news she shared with Venom however started the Warlord. He knew that Magnus and Deathbelle were expecting, it was what had led to the man leaving the Armada. After that, he had never shown up in Recluse’s pack? He had never gone to Deathbelle? He stared at Recluse in dumb shock. He had set the man to his mate to be with their children. Instead, his childhood friend was left alone once again? He itched with the desire to see her, but knew stirring things up again now would only hurt the both of them. Dammit, Magnus. He shook it off, letting her words on communication take precedence. ”Communication is key. Working together, we can share our knowledge and resources until all of us thrive. With that in mind, I offer the chance for either of you to send a small group of wolves to the Armada for training in warfare.” "Speech"

Recluse Ithuriel-Klein Recluse was almost disappointed that the news of her aunt earned very little reaction but on the other hand she was glad that it seemed that was the end of the issue. The conversation quickly moved onto her proposal and the albino woman smiled slightly, nodding in agreement as each of her peers agreed with her premise and she dipped her head graciously towards the warlord. "Thank you, I am inclined to take you up on this offer, and give my own in turn." She glanced at her cousin, wondering if she too would be inclined to try and participate. "While I cannot promise we would have the ability to do so any time too soon but as Habari is focused on information we may be able to offer the chance to help those with a knack for... espionage. Or perhaps cultural exchanges? It may be valuable to see how others live for any number of reasons." "Speech"

Art by Sirinsong

Sirius seemed to react to her mother’s pregnancy more than she did. After the second litter Deathbelle had lost much of her once royal stature. Venom had let her go when she took control of the pack and the girl had never looked back. As far as she was concerned her mother was as dead as Archon was. The woman she had once been was gone, and as far as Venom was concerned she could spend the rest of her days in Habari,

Sirius went on to offer up his pack for wolves to be trained within and Recluse took up the offer as well. Venom wouldn’t deny the opportunity, they could truly develop relationships between the packs with different training. Each pack had their own specialties and styles of fighting especially. Venom could see this arrangement having many benefits to the Empire for years to come.

”I’m not sure how many adults I have to offer for such training, but I do have a pawful of naughty children that could use some experience outside of Ashen.” She chuckled lightly, already having told Recluse more specifically about her new children. ”This is a perfect opportunity to mention a summer festival as well.” She told them suddenly. ”A gathering of the Empire and her allies. A great feast and tournament to give our wolves a chance to prove their glory.”