When the dust settled and Hazel pulled herself upright, she was giggling. It was hard to hold that back. She was filled with so much energy, and the spar wouldn't really put a dent in it. Brilliant, wonderful energy. To her, all was well. Truly. Things had been so strange over the last couple of days, to play with someone her own age was so incredibly comforting. It seemed correct that this be what she was doing... normal. It was so normal. Maybe that was why the gravity of her situation at large was rather lost on her.

Shaking the dirt from her coat, the girl's eyes flickered back to the much larger boy. Right, the whole reason she'd even gotten up from her comfy spot beneath the tree. Hazel remembered now, that thought punctuated by a grumble of her stomach. "I'm hungry," her brow crumpled for a moment. Her tone quite a whine, but the idea of having to go catch something seemed like quite the task. It was enough to give the words a bit of a grumpy shade. Maybe (hopefully) she could get Basilisk to help. Two was better than one, after all.
"Speech"

I’m hungry. It was like those magic words set off a bell in Bas’s own head. His tummy immediately began to grumble, and he shook out his coat. Feeling minorly banged up from his rough and tumble with Hazel, but mostly just thrilled for the fun of playing with another wolf his age that wasn’t a sibling.

“I’m hungry.” he echoed, though his voice was thoughtful, not a whine. He glanced over at Hazel, his new friend. Because she was that now, wasn’t she? He glanced at her crumpled brow, and his tail began to wag. He understood the feel of a hungry tummy all too well. His felt like an empty cavern at least once a day.

“Follow me, Haze, I have an idea!” he said, and shot ahead without much more warning then that.

"Speech"

Having someone to hang out with that wasn't one of your siblings was just so much better, though Hazel would admit that her own siblings were probably way more annoying than Bas's. That, and if anyone got scraped or banged up when they were playing, no one would run to tattle to mom. Or dad. They'd be able to keep laughing through it all, and that was really the best anyone could ask for. Really, the soreness that was starting to settle into her muscles as the adrenaline wore off was something that was so incredibly welcome to the girl. She had fun.

And he was hungry too. That was good-- they could handle that together. Wait-- damn! Hazel took off, tail wagging at her haunches. "No fair, you got a head start!" The red girl pushed forward, mouthing playfully at Bas's tail as she caught up. "Where are we going?" Still, she couldn't control her Very Serious Case Of The Giggles™ as she chased after him. This really couldn't be fair, he had longer legs and everything! Still, her frustration was all in good fun, following close to his hip so she didn't get lost as they ran.
"Speech"

Basilisk huffed a laugh over his quick breaths as he spurred forward as much as he could. He was big, but his paws were oversized and he was still a clumsy puppy. Coordination and speed didn’t go easily to him. He felt her teeth touch his tail as she caught up and moved up beside him. Racing from the hot springs to his birth pack - she just didn’t know it yet.

She kept pace with him well as they finished closing the distance across the land and reached the stream. Basilisk didn’t even slow, he bunched up his legs and jumped at the thinner part, knowing from experience where to find it. He landed on two paws, and his head followed shortly after, thunking it lightly on the ground before his feet were back under him. Tail wagging, he finally stopped. Looking back to see how Haze faired with the crossing.


"Speech"

There was a gleeful sound in Hazel's throat as she realized that she had a bit of blue tail in her mouth. It was something like a woof but a bit too high, more of a bark, but something that was equal parts surprise and excitement. Racing as they were, except Hazel needed to stay half a step behind because she had absolutely no idea where they were going. A surprise of some sort, but sheesh she hoped there was food on the other end. Still, the game was too much fun, and it was hard to focus on her grumbly tummy.

When it came to the stream, Hazel hadn't noticed it until it was probably too late. Though she tried to follow Bas in his long strides, her legs were shorter and she was far less practiced. In her jump, the girl stumbled. With an oof and a splash, the ball of red and pale fluff came crashing down into the shallow stream, face first. She came up just a moment latter, sputtering and shaking the water from her coat, picking her way carefully to the other side. "I uh... meant to do that," she stuck her tongue out at the boy, giving one more shake for good measure. "Where aaaare we 'Lis," Hazel sing-songed, looking beseechingly to the taller boy. Inquiring minds really did want to know.

"Speech"

Basilisk fell over, laughing so hard he could feel a stitch forming in his sides. He was howling with it as he watched her spectacular jump. He was so accustomed to being the clumsy one, that it was just too fantastic to watch her stumble. Hitting the water face first, but then finding her feet a second later, so he knew she was okay.

Once Basilisk had his laughter under control, hiccups formed. Little hiccups that seemed to happen every time he inhaled. ”Whatever it was you were -Hicc- doing, you did it fantastically. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone -Hicc- jump a stream like you do.” he snickered.

“We’re in Armada, my home. Come on, there's a really big food stash this way. We just gotta be super -Hicc- quiet. Kay?”

"Speech"

At the laughter from her companion, Hazel dramatically rolled her eyes. Her head tossed, and her sopping wet tail wagged hard enough to shake some of the water free. She was soggy and giggly, despite feigning exasperation. It was all jokes, and she did her best to play it off like she was still confident and relaxed. "See, I'm just the best really," but Hazel was alight, comfortable where she stood and joked with Bas. Soaking wet and giggling, the girl was hardly able to contain herself.

Armada-- this was his home. Hazel looked confidentially to her right and left, as if making sure the coast was clear. "Okay, but you be quiet too," the girl giggled as he hiccupped, her voice dropping to a whisper. It was a confidential tone. The pup moved to Bas's side, and her tail never stopped wagging. Was this a heist? Baby's first heist, and she was having the best day.

"Speech"

His friend saw the humour in her misfortune, giggling along with him, though she looked like she was at least attempting to be serious. “The best. Right.” He agreed teasingly, looking at his new friend fondly. At least his hiccups seemed to have stopped for the moment. He took a deep breath to test, and no hiccups came forth. “Deal.” He whispered back, and led her across the border towards the Armadas central point. Staying low in the grasses, and keeping his eyes on the Obelisk. Arriving at the flattened meeting point, he looked left and right, checking that the coast was clear. Seeing no one about, he gestured for Hazel to stay, and scampered forward. Lifting open the cellar door, before gesturing for her to come, moving ‘quick!’ as he did so. He waited for her to head in, and then scrambled for a stick, propping it under the door to offer them a little bit of light in the dim room. "Speech"

There was so much humor hanging between them, and Hazel couldn't help that. The girl wasn't sure she'd ever laughed this much, and that was really ideal. She stuck her tongue out for dramatic effect, tail wagging. With one more shake, the red and pale girl chased as much of the water as she could from her coat. In the spring sunshine, she'd dry out soon enough. Right, they had snacks to acquire. Deal. Good. This was a stealth mission, and Hazel had to stifle her giggles. It was hard for her to keep them down, but a heist was serious business. A determination set in her green eyes. With careful steps, she followed Bas through the tall grass. She kept low, eyes never leaving the boy before her. Her posture was slinky, and the grasses were fall taller than she was. He signaled to stay and then went... where was that? Hazel's head canted to the side, watching the boy move to the cellar. Woah. Without checking for herself, the girl surged forward. It was full tilt as she made her way into the cellar, enough to leave her just a bit breathless. "What is this place?" The words were a whisper, Hazel's eyes wide as she peered around the dimly lit room. Woah. "Speech"

“This is where my pack puts their supplies” Basilisk confided in a quiet whisper to her. Having wedged the door partly open, he now nudged carefully past her. Moving by a mixture of sight in the dim lighting, and smell. First, he grabbed a soft hide and tossed it on the cold floor, then he made his way to the shelf that stored the dried meat. Snuffling around, he grabbed a handful of honey cured elk, and cured this, and dried that. With his arms full of food, he shuffled to the largest space on the floor, and dropped it all onto the hide. Then he shuffled down, getting comfortable, and crammed a piece into his mouth. The smell was already making his tummy rumble something awful. “Help yourself” he said around a full mouth "Speech"

Her eyes were wide, flickering about the basement as Bas set about pulling a hide and food down. A hide-- already way more classy and way more of a meal than Hazel was accustomed to. She'd been wolfing down shellfish and whatever else she could catch in the dirt for the last several days, and even before she was alone. The smell. It was heavenly, truly heavenly. Hazel could feel herself starting to salivate, the meat and the... it was spiced? The meat and the spices. Well kept, well cured, and Hazel's stomach grumbled loudly. Help yourself, Basilisk didn't have to tell her twice. She dove down on the hide beside him, biting into a chunk of elk. "Isso good," she spoke indelicately, with her mouth full. It really was good, the likes of which she hadn't tasted... well, really ever. It was sweet and smoky, along with being a dense piece of meat. Hazel's tail wagged as she ate, her first satisfying meal in heck if she knew how long. "Never seen anything like this," the green eyed girl spoke, an awed whisper. It was more to herself than her companion, spoken between bites. As she polished off the piece of elk, the girl flopped over on her side. She was full. It was strange, but good. "Speech"

I can't destroy what isn't there

His companion ate as gustiley as he did. More, even, if that was possible! Basilisk opened his mouth and belched, before stuffing another bite in his mouth. It was nice to not be the only person around stuffing his face as fast as his teeth could move…

“So good” he agreed, though he raised an eyebrow at her admittance. He looked up, and around him, at the dim shelves. The scents of herbs, metals, dried meat, and cured hides all around them. This was home, Bas knew everything else. “Didn’t you get fed regular?” he asked Hazel in confusion. He got fed regularly, and he was still hungry all the time.

He was frowning at her when the sound of heavy paws and deep breaths came from above them. There was a pause, silence, and then the sound of the cellar door opening fully. Light pooled in, highlighting the giant form of the Warlord. “Basilisk? Who else is in here with you, what's going on?”


"Speech"

The environment was so different than Hazel was accustomed to. Beside the large hide, Hazel laid, waiting for her companion to finish eating. Sheesh, after a meal like that, Hazel found herself a bit tired. Did she eat too much? Was that even possible? What a wild idea to her. "I hadn't hunted yet today, and yesterday I didn't manage to catch anything." The red and pale girl shrugged. She'd caught a whole hare the day before that, and that had been enough to get her through yesterday too. It was good enough... probably good enough. There was no getting fed, Hazel had to go out and catch it herself. She wasn't always the best at it, all big paws and clumsy limbs. There were footsteps on the stairs, and Hazel froze. Her green eyes went wide, very wide. Whoever belonged to those footsteps had to be big. Really big. There was a pause as he opened the door, and Hazel panicked. She hid-- granted, not well. She stuffed herself against Basilisk's side, trying to shrink down and appear as small as possible. Hazel had no way of knowing if he'd obscure all of her pale frame, but she could try. Her heart pounded in her chest. How much trouble was she in? "Speech"

I can't destroy what isn't there

Uh-oh He heard his grandfather's voice come down the cellar, and he wondered just how much trouble he was going to be in. He was distracted by sudden movement beside him, and found his smaller friend pressing up against him. Hunkering down as though trying to pretend she didn’t exist. He placed a paw over her protectively and looked up at his Grandfather. ‘Uhh… Hi Seer, Sir.” He said as the Warlord took a step down, and closer towards him.

“This is my friend, uhh… we trained together, and we got hungry..” He said weakly.

--

Sirius stepped closer towards his grandson and the scent of an unfamiliar wolf. He found the shape of the red girl huddled, frightened, behind the boy. A glance at her told him the way her side was sunken, and her stomach a little swollen. The signs of a wolf starved and then gorged. He frowned, she couldn’t be any older than little Basilisk… “Come out, girl. Let me see you, and tell me your name” he ordered, accustomed to being obeyed.


"Speech"

If Hazel hid well enough, she could make a run for it when the large man's back was turned, or when he walked away. In her mind, it made sense. She could run and hopefully get out without getting herself or Bas in trouble. That... that could work. Well, it could have worked, but it was clear that the large man with the big teeth already knew she Hazel was here. Seer, sir, that must be his name. Wait no. Sir. That wasn't a name. Seer was a name. As Basilisk spoke, the girl tried to calm herself down. She couldn't make a runner, so she'd face her fate. Come out, girl. Okay, well, she really had to. The red and pale girl carefully pulled herself to her feet, stepping out into the pool of light. She looked to Bas nervously before speaking, the posture of a child who'd been caught doing something they shouldn't have been. This Seer man, he was large. Very large, with big teeth, and a metal-as-hell scar over his eye. The girl did her best to look at him when she spoke, and steady her voice. "I'm Hazel." The red and pale creature was fairly grungy, sand sticking in her coat after her fall in the stream above all of it. Thinner than she should have been, having subsisted off of the hare in the days prior, and crayfish before that. All she could do was wait for whatever punishment he saw fit, really. Apologize... she should probably apologize. "Sorry about, um, the whole trespassing thing, sir," Her words were soft as she tried to arrange them in a way that made sense. She was sorry for a lot more than that too, but it was hard to think when Seer (sir) was looking at her. Momentarily, her gaze flickered to Bas... was she doing this right? She hovered close to the boy as she stood. He was her friend, right? Friends tended to keep friends safe. Hazel needed that safety, now more than ever. Seer had big teeth too, and she really didn't want to get chomped today. "Speech"

I can't destroy what isn't there

Basilisk looked from Hazel to his grandpa wearily. Had he made a big mistake bringing her here? Seer wouldn’t hurt her, would he? He always had a nice word to say to Basilisk, and ruffled his coat. He was gruff, but then so was his dad, that's just how they were. But he wasn’t… mean right?

He stood when Hazel did, but didn’t block the Warlord's view of her. More, he stood with her, at her side. Looking up at his grandfather with big wide eyes. She was his friend that had to matter, right?

--

The Warlord Waited as the little pup rose, and he was able to confirm for himself how scrawny and unkept she looked. She was far too young to be living by herself. How on earth had she survived? “Hazel,” he said, and then chuckled. “At least you know what you’ve done wrong. Where are your parents, little Hazel? Who are your caregivers?” He asked, before turning his attention to Basilisk. “and you should know better about bringing a wolf across the borders without permission. What do you think your father will say when he hears about this?” he scolded.

"Speech"

At least she felt safer next to Basilisk. Hazel had trusted him, and she still did. They were friends. They'd fought but not really fought, just for learning and playing. They hadn't hurt each other. They hadn't done harm, and even when Hazel had given in, Bas hadn't hurt her. She didn't stand alone, and she didn't have to. Little did she know, this was the safest Hazel had been in days. He... he chuckled. It wasn't without kindness, either. No menace, no malice. Seer asked about her parents, and she winced. "They said wait here when we were by the hot springs, and then they walked away with my siblings..." Hazel trailed off on the words, shifting her weight between her paws. "That was days ago." The red and pale girl didn't have any concept of how many days, but judging by her condition, it was likely a few more than she actually remembered. She'd heard her father's accusations to her mother, as well... the word bastard being thrown around, despite coming from the same litter. Hazel didn't look like her father, therefore he wouldn't claim she was his. In taking her siblings with them, Hazel could realize that she'd been left behind intentionally. Bas got a scolding as well, and Hazel shifted a bit towards him. "It's my fault, I said I was hungry after we sparred, sir," before she could stop the words, they came out. He was just trying to help by bringing her here. She'd echo the boy's manners, at least as best she could. It felt awkward, but maybe that was just how they did things here. "Speech"

I can't destroy what isn't there

Basilisk flinched at the idea of his grandpa telling his dad. Azure was not an easy parent, and he knew his father would not take it well. He bowed his head, really realising just how much trouble he was in. “Sorry Grandpa Sirius” he apologised, shuffling a paw, before reaching over and patting Hazel’s paw as she stood up for him.

--

The Warlord sighed, seeing how sorry the small boy was. “I’ll have to think of a punishment for you, borders aren’t to be taken lightly’ he warned, before Hazel’s words caught his attention.

The Warlord's expression darkened at her words. They had willfully abandoned a child to starve to death, or be eaten by predators? He could barely even fathom it. His children and grandchildren were the most precious thing in his world, and he would have fought worlds to keep them safe. He shook his head, digesting her information before he spoke. “I would offer you a place here, Hazel. It won't be easy, you would be expected to train and learn and advance in the Armada, but you would be safe and fed, you would not be abandoned. he bit off the word angrily. If her family ever came back for her, they would find he would not give her up easily.

[b] “If you would like, you can den by yourself, or you can come home with me and my Wife. There's room for you” he promised her. They had a big den, now empty, even their second litter had left now.


"Speech"

Bas's reaction to telling his father doesn't escape Hazel's notice. Maybe he was the one to be afraid of even more. The girl finds herself pretty glad that it's Sirius that's found them, and not him. The grandfather seemed to be understanding of their plight. Punishment might suck, but at least they could do it together. Twice as fast, and with company... okay, that would be okay. It was Hazel's fault they were in this mess, after all. With the man's darkened expression, she shifted between her paws uncomfortably. Was Hazel in more trouble than she realized? His words though, he wasn't angry with her. She'd been left behind, removed from the family equation, because she was little more than a bastard. Too aggressive with her siblings, wanting to fight and wanting to do more than what they were content to. Hazel was too much for them, and she didn't match them in blood. In their minds, they'd been justified. To the girl? Hell, she was just a kid. She didn't really get it. Sirius's words were... well, they were serious. But she stood a bit straighter, and nodded. "I can handle it... I can handle anything." Anything was a big word, but she was up for the challenge. Excitement shone through in he green eyes-- she could handle this. Hazel could handle not easy. "Can I train more with Basilisk?" She stole a glance at her friend, shifting just a bit closer to him for the sake of comfort, before it flickered back to Sirius. They could train together, they could learn together. Hazel would do everything she could to learn, and to grow. She'd push herself. Advancing... did that mean there was a future here for her? Weird, the things you could think of when your biggest concerns (where to sleep, where to find your next meal) were handled. A home with Sirius and his wife. Somewhere that was both safe and warm, tucked away where she didn't have to be alone. Hazel liked the sound of that more than she cared to admit. Her tail wagged before she could politely stifle it. Hazel's own mother had been a meek creature. She couldn't picture Seer's wife being cut from that cloth as well. "Yes please, sir." She was doing her best with the whole manners thing, but it didn't come easily. It would take some work to sand the rough edges off of the girl. "Speech"

I can't destroy what isn't there

The Warlord nodded gravely at the young girl. “I believe you can” he agreed. She had already endured more than she should have had to. “You may. Of course, there is also the matter of a lesson. Crossing a pack borders can not be taken lightly, the both of you will be doing some chores to make up for it, but we can work that out tomorrow. Bas, head home. Think about what you’ve done” he instructed the boy, adding a soft growl to his tone. He watched as Bas hung his head, bumped Hazel gently on the shoulder and mouthed an apology to her, before scooting around the Warlord and taking off as ordered.

“Come on Hazel, let’s get you settled in” he said, stopping forward to grab the coat they had used in his maw, pulling two corners together and turning it into a bag to hold the food, before turning and heading out of the cellar. Expecting her to follow.

He lead her towards his den, which sat on an inlight with a small bridge specifically designed for pups to play on right outside the door. “Zee, you in?” he called out as he put his burden down and turned back towards Hazel.


"Speech"