Gossamer retreated from the heat of the sun by resting under a large, gnarled tree in the Mile-High Woods. She had finished her patrol which was thankfully uneventful and opted to use her break to rest and see if she could come to a decision about her future. It wasn't easy. Either she would stay in the Armada and try for the rank of Lieutenant or else she would seek to carve out a path on her own in one of the other Empire packs. Which one she hadn't a clue. There was so much to consider and all she really desired was some stability.

Sunlight streamed down from a clear blue sky, the leaves causing it to dapple the forest floor. Everything was calm here, at least for now, though she couldn't help but feel her stomach twist at the thought of the future.

Now that the reunion was well under way, siblings broke off to rest here and there. Indigo and her father had control of Aia, so Asla was free to roam, though she wouldn't be too far from the child. The fawn and grey woman's galactic gaze roamed over the clearing, falling upon Gossamer. Her younger sister had pulled up a patch of shade and Asla was more than happy to utilize that shade with her. "Heya, Goss" The smaller fae spoke as she sprawled out on her belly in the cool grass. "How's life treating you?" She remembered the fight at the alpha challenge and wondered if her sisters life had changed since then. Surely she had both challengers and suitors because of such a win. "Aslatiel"

Gossamer's ears twitched at the sound of approach and she turned to see her older sister Aslatiel. She smiled gently at the older girl. She remembered her father saying something about their older siblings coming to visit but she hadn't remembered the time frame having just settled back in after Menagerie's collapse. There was still much of a mystery to that whole affair. She hadn't heard much other than Wren had seemingly vanished in the middle of the festival. It was definitely suspicious but what could really be done? Gossamer was used to just moving on by this point so that is exactly what she did.

How's life treating you?"

"Well, its been a bit of a mixed bag but I'll take it compared to the worse alternative. It's a shame about Menagerie collapsing but nothing gets the bad taste of misfortune out of your mouth like ripping an appendage off a filthy pirate. How about you?"

Gossamer's explanation of how her life was and the remedy for bad times. Asla laughed, the woman's grin pulling at the scars on her face. "That's the spirit," she agreed. Nothing like washing away sorrow with the blood of your enemies. A good battle always made Asla feel better, whether it was predator, prey or fellow wolf.

The same question was thrown back at her and Asla inhaled deeply, speaking on a long exhale. "Oh, you're an aunt again." The fawn and grey fae leaned in a little closer to her sister so that she could speak softly without others hearing. "Indigo lost his entire litter of children," she explained. "So I found someone suitably colored and voila, we have Aia Sky Indarra. Indigo adores her and I've never seen him happier." For a while there, Asla believed that their brother would waste away with sorrow. Little Aia brought life back into him.

"Aside from being a mother again, Indigo, Arcturus, Satira and myself have joined Kotori to help him establish his pack. It's pretty nice being around family again." Asla cast a side-eye at Gossamer. "Ever think about joining Valta? I'm sure Kotori would welcome you."

"Asla Indarra"

Gossamer's head tilted just slightly to the side as Aslatiel stated she was an aunt again. At first she assumed the older woman meant Briar but that was quickly cleared up as her older sister explained that Indigo had lost his litter and Aslatiel had given birth to a new pup. She felt a sudden rush of emotion at the news, predominantly guilt in that she hadn't been much of an aunt so far and doubted whether she could be. How many nieces and nephews did she have now? Honestly, she was starting to have trouble keeping track. She also felt a bit of guilt for how she'd treated Indigo. She felt sorry for him. Loosing a litter was terrible news but she didn't really feel close enough to to him to know what to say. "Well, I'm glad that he's doing better now and has a new niece to help raise."

She listened with interest as Asla mentioned Kotori's pack and she nodded in response. "The thought had crossed my mind but after my victories against the pirates and with dad stepping down for awhile I feel its time for me to step up in the Armada. Azure could use the help even if he's too proud of himself to know it. I dreamed of being a Lieutenant as a child. I want to try and make that dream a reality."

Knowing that one of your siblings had suffered so much was bound to hurt, even if you weren't close to them. Indigo had left long before the second litter was born. It would be the same if Aris had lost a batch of children. Asla could count the times that she'd spoken to her younger sister on one paw, but she would still feel sadness and sympathy.

As the mention of Kotori's newly founded pack came up, Asla was surprised to hear that Gossamer had considered joining. Her sister went on to explain why she had decided against that course of action. Grey ears shifted as Gossamer spoke of her wishes to attain the rank of Lieutenant. The smaller woman grinned, the action again pulling at the scars on the side of her face. "I have absolute faith that you will be Lieutenant. I saw what you did at the challenge. You showed great skill and great promise. Azure would be a fool to turn you away." The grin widened. "Well, he's kind of a fool either way, isn't he? So stuffy, that one."

"Asla Indarra"

Gossamer chuckled as Asla mentioned how stuffy Azure could be. She nodded. "So true! I don't think I've ever seen him relax. I understand that an alpha needs to be on guard and prepared but I can't imagine never taking time to really unwind. Maybe Hanako is the only one that sees that side of him." Gossamer made a face and stuck out her tongue as she recalled the calico woman. Gossamer had never been fond of the koi wolf and there hadn't been anything to change her mind. She'd have been fine if the koi had just stayed with the pirates but of course she understood it was a slight that couldn't just be ignored.

"So Asla, how long are you planning to stay for?"