Hyperactivity, thy name is Rogue! The young Klein prince was a sporty, energetic little ball of navy blue fluff on most days, and that meant getting the boy to wind down for a much needed nap was a challenge on good days and an impossibility on the worst. Despite needing rest to grow, the puppy boy only wanted to run and jump and explore and play and fight. He was burning good nighttime by sleeping, and he could be doing that all day when his parents went to bed!

On this night, Rogue was a bolt of midnight blue lightning, darting and zipping around the corridors of the old palace to try and evade his parents while being as stealthy as possible. In his mind, he was a sneaky ninja, weaving his way through the rooms and blending in with the shadows so he wouldn’t be captured and forced into a mandatory nap. He saw his sire go padding past the room he had been hiding in, likely looking for him to wrangle up with the rest of his siblings for nap time. Once Maverick had passed by out of sight, Rogue made his move, springing out of the shadows to tear off down the halls with a wide, roguish grin, fitting to his namesake as he put a couple more rooms between himself and his father. Now all he had to do was look out for his mother and he’d have escaped the dreaded nap time!

"Rogue Klein"

A little after midnight was the puppies’ usual nap time. Though naps were getting fewer and far between. Venom missed them, and debated joining the pile as she and Mav rounded up rambunctious pups. Somehow Rogue managed to sneak away after their lunch. The mother Empress was well aware how much puppies would resist their naps, who wanted to sleep when there was so much going on in the world that they had not seen or experienced yet?

While Maverick was looking for Rogue Venom was having luck settling the other three puppies. Such a task wasn’t too hard right now, they were like a flock of birds, once one started the others usually followed and Renegade was like a clock with his naps. Once he was out Bel and Ram followed, which allowed her to get up and help the father of their children find the last pup.

Venom was much lighter on her paws than Mav, so when he went down the hall she lingered at the other end, curious if his presence would cause the flushing out of their prey. Patience was a virtue that Venom had near endless amounts of, and her waiting was rewarded by Rogue’s small form slipping into the corridor. He didn’t see her as she kept to the shadow, and she didn’t move until he had ducked into the next room.

The Empress moved as if she were floating over the stone. Her soft paw pads did not make a sound as she rushed the door behind her son, and without a sound she reached out to wrap her paw underneath his barrel like chest. Thanks to passing down her quills, she hadn’t been able to scruff them long after their birth, once their quills hardened it was impossible. "Nap time, naughty prince.” She told him once she had hold of him.

"Venom & Maverick"

Rogue had been so sure his stealthy maneuver had gone exactly according to his brilliant plans when he didn't see Maverick chasing after him from behind. The wide, triumphant grin of a child that thought they had gotten away with something mischievous was plastered across his lips as he giggled and ducked into another room at the opposite end of the hall from where his oversized sire had gone down, his little paws scampering over the smooth stone floors as he went to go find somewhere else to hide next. Rogue had been so caught up in his moment of success that he failed to notice the barely visible form of his keen mother hiding in the shadows waiting and watching him. The pup had only just crossed the threshold into the adjacent room before all of a sudden his paws were no longer on the ground and he was hoisted up into the air. A startled yap escaped the boy, his legs immediately flailing as he squirmed for release.

His mother's voice scolding him gently from overhead made him realize the jig was up and he had been caught. "Nooooo! Mooooom! Lemme gooooo!" Rogue whined, redoubling his wriggling efforts in an attempt to seize his freedom. Stout legs kicked and thrashed at the air, his fur bristling to reveal the hidden little quills of sharpened black diamond hidden away in his thick fluffy scruff fur. Matching black diamond claws extended from each of his paws as he slashed helplessly at the air, unable to escape the formidable grasp of his dam. After a few moments of fruitless flailing as Venom carried him easily down the corridors towards their bedroom, Rogue released a frustrated sigh and went dead weight in his mother's hold, hoping he might weigh her down enough that she'd put him down and he could make a break for it. "C'mon Mom, I'm not even tired! We're wasting night time and I wanna play outside!" he tried to bargain with his mother, turning big, sunset purple puppy eyes up to her with a little dramatic pout to his lips. The boy definitely took after his father.

"Rogue Klein"

Almost immediately Rogue began to wriggle and squirm within her grasp. Thankfully his puppy claws were not yet truly dangerous, but she had him in a grip that made him flail uselessly. However feisty and determined he was to get away the boy couldn’t overcome his mother’s grasp. Patience was the key with this most recent litter and Venom’s was rewarded with her son eventually going limp and seemingly giving up. He was persistent and determined, but he wasn’t foolish enough to think that he could overcome his mother. Yet.

Rogue switched his tactic to the diplomatic approach, making Venom quite the proud mother as he tried to reason with her. He wasn’t tired and he was absolutely wasting time taking a nap. Venom wasn’t about to relent though, however much he didn’t want a nap he did in fact need it. For a little while longer. "I know, sweet boy. You are getting older, and we’ve already reduced how many naps you need to take. I promise you need to sleep for a little while though. You wouldn’t want to run out of energy doing important things, after all.” Venom told him as she limped along, him in one paw and her using only three legs. She could scruff him, but she had to be very careful in that attempt. Thankfully their bedchambers were close. "Maybe if you have a good nap Dad and I will let you all stay up and watch the sun rise.”

"Venom & Maverick"

For the briefest of moments, Rogue thought that perhaps he was winning his mother over as she hobbled along with him tucked securely under her foreleg like a wriggly football. She even admitted that he was getting older and bigger, and they had already reduced his number of naps so he could play and explore more! But then she tried to convince him that he still needed to sleep for a little while to restore his seemingly limitless puppy energy and Rogue's hopeful expression dropped into frustrated disdain. Venom then tried to bribe him with an offer of letting him stay up to see the sunrise if he was good and behaved for his nap. The midnight-furred Klein pretended to think about the offer, humming and hawing as he tapped a tiny paw to his chin. "Hmmm, staying up late does sound fun..." he admitted, a cheeky little grin reminiscent of one much larger ruffian slowly grew across his tiny muzzle. "But y'know what else sounds fun? This!"

All of a sudden, Rogue redoubled his squirming and wriggling efforts in a last ditch attempt to break free from his mother's grasp and seize his freedom. The boy huffed and puffed as he thrashed his chubby little body around trying to slip out of Venom's hold, little legs kicking at the air like he were swimming in zero gravity. "Grrrrr... almost... got... it...!" he grunted in furious determination despite lacking any actual progress at breaking free. After a few moments of wild flailing, Rogue flopped with a heavy sigh and panting breaths, his energy reserves burned out in his failed and futile escape attempts. There was no getting away from mom. Turning his sunset gaze back up to his dam, he affixed Venom with a sweet smile and big puppy eyes like he hadn't just tried to fight his way out of her grasp, his tiny tail wagging off his rump. "Sooooo... sunrise for nap time sounds like a good deal!" And after a moment, he added, "Will you at least tell me a bedtime story? Pleeeeease?"

"Rogue Klein"

She knew that she couldn’t fully settle him right now, not when he was so eager to keep going. Venom knew her children though, and she could tell the boy was tired even if he couldn’t feel it for himself. She would offer him some concession, offering the potential to stay up late if he managed to take a good nap. They were very nearly to the point that bedtime and naps would no longer be enforceable. Every day her babies were getting bigger and growing older. Something the Empress was both sad and excited for.

Rogue would not allow her to divert any attention from him though, and just when she thought that she might be convincing him the young prince started his struggle all over again. Venom didn’t slow her pace even as he gave all his might in his wriggling. The patient mother wouldn’t dissuade his action, just hold onto him more securely as he went through his tantrum. Hopefully this would just help get him to sleep faster once she got him down for said naps. "Maybe, staying up for sunrise.” She tilted her features so that she could give him a stern glance when he finally gave up. Obviously more tired now then when she had first captured him.

Then he went and begged for a bedtime story and melted Venom’s heart. He pulled forth a loving chuckle as they arrived back in the den. The other three puppies were all falling asleep as Venom put Rogue down beside them. Mav would be right outside the den by now if the boy decided to make a break for it, but he’d been caught and was by now feeling the effects of his last ditch effort. "Alright I can tell you a story,” she promised in a whisper. "Do you have a preference?” She asked as she aimed to wrap her arms around him as she settled into the plush furs.

"Venom & Maverick"

Ever the little doppelgänger of his sire, Rogue offered Venom an almost perfected little smile of feigned innocence and wide magenta puppy-dog eyes, trying to use his youthful sweetness to sway his way into his mother's good graces once more. It was like their father had taught them: use all the tricks at your disposal to attain your goals. For Rogue, that was usually either charm, wit, and guile, or it was a sudden and overt display of energy and strength. Wrestling had done him no good, so now it was time to turn those puppy eyes up to his mother and hope they worked on her instead. "Okaaay, MAYBE stay up for sunrise," he conceded with a heavy sigh of defeat—or as heavy as a small chubby puppy could manage as he was being carted off by the Empress to be put down for a non-negotiable nap.

They arrived in the den much quicker than he would have liked, but at this point Rogue had more or less come to terms with the notion that he was going to be taking a nap against his will, and as much as his namesake personality and indomitable spirit did tempt him with the idea of trying to make a break for it as soon as his mother put him down, he suspected Venom wouldn't find a third jailbreak attempt to be as endearing as his first two. As much as Rogue was... well, a rogue, that didn't mean he wanted to be in trouble, and in fact he often spent much of his time scheming of ways to get out of trouble. Still pouty but now noticeably more limp and worn out from his flee attempts, Rogue put up no fuss as Venom settled him into the bed beside his already sleeping siblings. Fortunately though Venom did grant his wish for a story before sleep, and Rogue was all over that offer!

Snuggling up into his dam's soft fur as she held him close, partially because nothing beat mom snuggles and partially to keep away from the snoring, flailing mess that was Rebel, the small midnight blue pup pondered what sort of story he wanted to hear. "I wanna hear something about you, Mom! Something exciting and filled with action!" he decided after a moment, flashing a wide, puppy tooth filled grin up at her while he nestled into his mother's fur. Venom was the Empress; no doubt she had many fun stories of excitement and adventure and battle! She was the most powerful and respected wolf in the world after all!

"Rogue Klein"

Rogue was far too much like his father, to the point that Venom often called him his father’s name. Not that she was perfect about who was called what name, often she would go through the list of names before landing on the right pup she wanted to call for or scold. Though Venom knew exactly who she was dealing with right now, and the boy acquiesced to her potential reward. He had to be on his best behavior until it was getting close to bedtime.

He didn’t put up much more of a fight as she carried him to the den and the two of them snuggled up away from the other pups so she wouldn’t disturb their in progress nap with her story to Rogue. She grinned as he settled himself against her and gave up his desire for a story. He wanted a story about her, and the adventures that she had had in the past. Venom made effort to grin as she thought of an appropriate story. The first one to come to mind was the scariest day of her life.

"Well, have you heard about the day the volcano erupted?” She started, only giving him a brief moment to reply. "I was just about your age when the sky darkened with ash, and we were forced to leave this place. As the after effects fell over Ashen it became hard to breathe, the ground beneath our paws moved and rolled. I thought it was the end of the world.” She said with as much passion as a whisper could convey.

"Venom & Maverick"

Like any small child, Rogue was a sucker for a good story! He was enthralled by the tales of his sire and dam in particular though, so any chance he got to hear about the adventures and experiences they'd had, he was eager to snatch them up—even if it came at the cost of being forced into a mandatory nap. Already his mind was abuzz with what potential excitement his mother would surprise him with as he left the option up to dealer's choice. Would it be some epic battle that she'd fought in? Perhaps some grand adventure that took her to faraway lands? Maybe a time she'd faced off against a deadly predator? The possibilities were limitless, especially since his mother was the bravest, most formidable wolf in the world! What Venom decided on for tonight's story made the pup's amethyst eyes go wide with wonder and his mouth fall open in a small surprised O shape. He'd heard of the volcano eruption in passing from other wolves, but never more than just the mere mention of the event.

"No, only that it happened," he replied in the brief interlude that Venom gave him to respond. The details were unknown to him, though it seemed they wouldn't remain that way for long. Venom gave a brief description of the horrors of that day in a hushed whisper so as not to wake his siblings. Rogue was transfixed on her, hanging on her every word with eyes as wide as saucers. He nestled further into his mother's fur, the boy's vivid imagination running wild as it tried to manifest the images his mother painted in his mind. "What happened, Mom? How did you and everyone else survive? Where was Dad?" He had to know everything!

"Rogue Klein"

Venom was almost surprised at the amount of attention that Rogue gave her as they settled into the bed and she tried to get her rambunctious boy to sleep. From the day that they were born getting the puppies to sleep for a nap had been a challenge, but when the world was so big and wide there was no end to things to see and learn. What pup would want to sleep when there was all of that to see and do? No sane puppy that was for sure. That was what parents were for though, to make sure they ate and slept when they needed it.

As well as teach them about the world and about the past. Rogue was particularly interested in the stories of his parents, and the Empress was nearly certain that he hadn’t heard of the day that Ashen was forced to leave these ancestral lands. Venom set the scene as she remembered it, just a little thing back then. When she and her siblings were innocent and carefree no longer.

Rogue goaded her on, asking his sweet little questions as she tried to make it an appropriate bedtime story about the most terrifying and worst day of her life. "Well, as the ash and fire started to come hurtling at us my mother returned from a trip with my father, alone.” She was silent for a moment, wondering if he was old enough to learn of his grandfather’s terrible fate. "She gathered all of us, Uncle Plague and Me, the whole pack, and we retreated to the redwater rocks where we were safe.” She told him quietly. "I didn’t know your father when I was a puppy, I don’t think he was close enough to be affected, but you might need to ask him.”

"Venom & Maverick"

By now, Rogue was enrapt by Venom's story of the cataclysm that had come long before his time, listening with wide eyes and erect ears as he stared up at his mother, nestled into the fur of her chest as he fought to keep his amaranth eyes open for just a little bit longer so he could hear more of the tale. Despite his best efforts, sleep was gradually creeping up on him, and the once feisty and rebellious puppy was beginning to relax and grow heavier atop his mother without even realizing it. Still, he listened with all his attention paid to Venom while she painted the scene for him. The Empress, a mere pup, faced with a sea of ash and fire, while her own mother and Rogue's grandmother had barely made it back. But she hadn't left Ashen alone that day. Rogue's breathing caught, the worry evident in his eyes. Despite knowing the outcome of this story for his mother, he was still clinging to the edge of his seat, tiny paws kneading and combing anxiously through Venom's monochromatic fur. Though a pup, Rogue was not innocent to the concept of death. That was how they ate, after all, by killing prey animals. But to hear it told in relation to wolves... to his family...

"What happened to grandpa...?" he asked with a hint of trepidation in his youthful voice. The boy had an inkling of what the answer would be, but a morbid curiosity and a thirst to hear more of the story compelled him to ask. As he waited for his mother's response, he thought more of how his family had survived, fleeing to higher ground in the Redwater Rocks. He was slightly disappointed to hear that his sire hadn't been a part of this story, since he just always thought of his parents as being together forever and always, but it did make him all the more curious about where his father came from. "How did everyone else survive?" he asked, trying his best to stifle a yawn and failing terrifically. "There was lots of fire, right? How did the fire stop?"

"Rogue Klein"

Even through the excitement of the story she could feel Rogue drifting closer and closer to sleep. Just as she had predicted for her rebellious boy. He still didn’t quite comprehend himself but his body was resting heavier upon her and despite his undivided attention his eyelids were drooping. He was very much invested in her story, she could tell by the way his dark claws combed through her fur. The boy gasped when she mentioned how Deathbelle had returned to Ashen alone, and knew she would have to explain his grandfather’s death.

As the words left her lips the boy’s curiosity prompted him to ask for an explanation. The fearful look in his eye reminded Venom far too closely of her own feelings that day. Of the terror and the loss that the volcano’s eruption brought her and her family. Something that had affected and shaped her for the rest of her life. "Your grandfather Archon was claimed by the volcano.” She told him softly, sadness filling her voice. No matter her differences with the Abraxas part of her blood, she missed her father.

Thankfully the boy’s thoughts did not linger on her sire as he questioned their ability to survive. "Most of the fire was contained closer to the volcano, there were a few smoldering burns in the forests here, but the deserts and the rocks don’t burn. The wind currents carried ash this way for almost a year before the pack was able to move to our home in the archipelago. We returned here to this place right before you were born. The first Kleins to do so since the eruption.” She told him with a hint of pride in him.

"Venom & Maverick"

Although Rogue knew the inevitable answer he was about to receive, there was something so sad, so melancholy to hear from his own mother's lips the tragic fate that had befallen his grandsire. Little ears flicked back again his head, a sadness that mirrored Venom's hazing over his matching sunset eyes. His gaze lowered a bit, mulling over the terrible information he had learned. After but a moment, Rogue looked back up to his mother, murmuring under his breath, "I wish I could've gotten to meet him..." Venom then explained how the rest of her family had managed to survive by fleeing to the more arid parts of the ancient empire, away from the lava and ash where rock could not burn. In the aftermath of the apocalypse, the Klein family and the Ashen Empire had been forced to relocate to the island archipelago they had resided in for years afterwards. When Venom told him how they were the first to return to their ancestral lands, and that he and his siblings were the first of new Klein blood born here, the midnight blue pup couldn't help the swell of pride he felt growing in his chest, a smile replacing the melancholy on his features as he rested his head on Venom's chest. The first Kleins born back in their rightful home... Something about that notion made him feel even more special and important.

A yawn snuck its way up on the tiny wolf, his whole body stretching as fatigue began to sap away the remnants of his energy. Small paws flexed, extending sharp black diamond claws that tugged at his mother's fur. Rogue's eyes didn't reopen again as he snuggled in on top of his mother, enjoying her warmth and presence reassuring him that everything would be okay, despite the awful events of the past. He didn't regret asking her for this bedtime story; Rogue wanted to learn everything he could about their family and empire's history. "The volcano won't erupt again, will it, Mom?" he asked in sleepy tones, only barely hanging on to consciousness. "I don't wanna lose you and Dad." But before Rogue could hear his mother's response, the boy was already breathing heavier and was fast asleep not but a minute later, far away in dreamland.

"Rogue Klein"

Venom wasn’t sure if Rogue was paying more attention because of the riveting story that she spoke or the tiredness that was slowly and fervently taking a hold of him. She told him the story of his grandfather and as the truth was given the little boy softly wished that he had been able to meet the Abraxas patriarch. "Me too, sweet boy.” She returned quietly. Even with that sadness she didn’t miss the little grin on his features as he reveled in being the first Klein since his mother was born here.

Sleep swiftly was overtaking the boy, just as she had predicted even before she had brought him here to lay down. His adorable little form stretched and cuddled in closer as his sweet gaze drifted closed with only a few fighting blinks left. He wasn’t so sleepy that he couldn’t worry about the volcano erupting again. Before she could answer the pup was already asleep, but she couldn’t give him a reassuring answer anyway. The volcano could indeed erupt again, but she would do her absolute best to stay around for him as long as she could.

"No one knows what will happen, but I’ll be here as long as I can. I promise.” She whispered to the sleeping puppy.

"Venom & Maverick"