Usually it was her father that went with her on her excursions out of the pack lands–and occasionally Rogue for short trips now that they were yearlings–but today she had the special treat of setting off with her mother beside her. They hadn't been out exploring together since the day that they had found the jackal that was now her near-constant companion and tonight she had her sights set on the near by Estuary. It was just outside of their borders so she certainly could have slipped out to take a look around on her own, but her mother was free and she always took a chance to spend some quality time with her mother when it was available. It was early in the evening still with the sun having just set a little bit ago so there was plenty of time to wander around as much as they wanted.

"There must be plenty of birds around here to have a name like Avian Estuary, huh?" she mused with a chuckle as they neared the fringes of the marshy wet land. Whenever she patrolled the border that met up with the edges of the Estuary she could always hear a whole symphony of bird song in the distance. Now though, with the colder weather moving in and with the dark of night settling in around them, it was more quiet with just a few caws and trilling bird noises cutting through occasionally. Stepping around the stretches of water and at least attempting to stick to the solid ground between them, Rebel scanned the trees they passed by in hopes of spotting any unusual or interesting birds that might be perched around them.

"Rebel Klein"

After her jaunt across Boreas and Auster Venom had been reluctant to leave Ashen’s borders for a time. However, she couldn’t resist taking some time with sweet Rebel and exploring the wilds beyond with her. They had already formed strong memories of adventure together. She would never forget finding her companion as a small pup. Rebel had been forced to learn some hard lessons that day, but she also gained a friend for life. Little Bel was a yearling now, and she could have come here alone, but Venom was glad to be at her side as they wandered the greenery that held so many birds.

White gloved paws carried her through the thick grasses alongside Rebel, who’s brilliant eyes scanned the horizons as she spoke. The birds were relatively quiet, as they were mostly creatures of the day, but now was time for the owls to take their place. Occasionally the lonely call of one of the night raptors could be heard, strange and mysterious as it echoed through the darkness. "Yes, many.” Venom confirmed her words just as an owl’s soft voice brushed through the yellowing leaves. ""our grandmother had an owl for a companion. They are incredibly impressive birds.” She commented as the forests went still again.

"Venom"

Rebel glanced back at her mother as she mentioned that her grandmother had an owl as a companion and how impressive they were, humming with interest at that fact. She knew plenty of wolves had birds as companions, some of her siblings and her father included, but she hadn't seen any of them have an owl as a friend. She wasn't out here trying to find a companion though, she just wanted to take a closer look at the marshy land that sat next to their territory. It was just an interesting thought to keep in the back of her mind. Since they were usually awake at night it might be nice to have a companion that was mostly active in the evening also.

Rebel turned her magenta gaze back up toward the trees again, occasionally glancing down at the path ahead of her to make sure she wasn't going to walk right into a huge mud puddle or off of the strip of solid ground she was following. It was pretty much impossible to walk through here and not get her paws at least a little muddy, but that was alright. She could easily wash them off once they returned home. This wasn't a place she thought she would want to frequent, but it was nice to visit and she knew there just had to be something interesting on the other side of it so she would need to come back through here again at some point to see what secrets she could find. She glanced back at her mother, giving her a little grin. "Thanks for coming out here with me, mom. I like exploring with you."

"Rebel Klein"

Nearly their whole family was nocturnal now, having an owl made much more sense than any other raptor. Since Venom was down to one she had wondered on more than one occasion if she should seek out an owlette to train up herself. Perhaps one of these days when life had settled back down. She shouldn’t kid herself though, there was always a big distraction to concern herself with.

Venom was glad to be out here with Rebel though, she knew how fast they grew up and being a year old already their time seemed even more precious. They were no longer puppies, but they hadn’t reached adults and she wondered if Bel had the same lost feeling that her brother did. Already the girl was much more explorative than Venom had been when she was younger, but she very much enjoyed being out here with her now.

"Of course my sweet girl,” Venom replied as Rebel continued her exploring and stating how much she enjoyed being out here together. "I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” She continued, resisting the urge to wrap her in a loving hug. She was becoming an adult, so Venom tried her best not to be too over affectionate.

"Venom"

Rebel grinned happily as her mother assured her that she wouldn't want to be anywhere else than out exploring with her. She knew that there was always a lot going on and a lot of times it was hard for her mother to get away and do things like this, but she did really enjoy when she got a moment to have some time with her mother with just the two of them. Yes, she was able to and capable of exploring on her own now, but it wasn't just the exploring that she liked. She admittedly used it as an excuse sometimes to spend time with her family doing something that was enjoyable for them both. She slowed her steps for a moment to lean over and press an over affectionate, silly kiss to her mother's cheek with a wide grin before she bounded on ahead, her tail wagging happily as she went.

A particularly loud hoot almost directly above her made her stop suddenly and she looked straight up, almost knocking herself back onto her haunches with how quickly she threw her head back to look at the branches above her. Finally, she spotted at least one of the sources of the loud "hoo"s she had been hearing in the form of a large, brown and tan owl that was sitting in the tree and peering down at her with big, yellow eyes. "Oh, hello," she said with surprise with a little tip of her head. She had never seen a bird shaped quite like an owl and she was glad that she managed to see at least one of them while she was out here. She didn't want to disturb it though so she quickly continued on her way through the estuary with a grin at her mother.

"Rebel Klein"

Her daughter assumed, no, knew correctly that her mother was always a busy woman. There was always official business to be seen to, pack matters to resolve, patrols to be made, the list was nearly infinite. Yes some of Venom’s happiest, most fulfilling moments were when she was out with her children. These were the moments that really mattered, that would stay in their hearts for the rest of their lives. Nothing was so important as making sure her young were brought up right, and with a strong relationship with her and the family. Her youngest pups were right on the verge of adulthood and independence, but she was blessed knowing Rebel still wanted to enjoy time with her like this.

The girl was still so happy and care free, the troubles of life had yet to weigh on her and it did Venom good to see. There were many hurts and pains out there in the world, but thus far the Ashen Empire had shielded her from such things. This made the proud mother very happy. Bel could keep her innocence as long as possible. Much longer than Venom herself had. The sweet lover her daughter offered was not something the Empress would ever take for granted as the girl took a moment to give her mother a spot of affection that was just as lovingly returned. Venom’s heart was truly filled to the brim, and she couldn’t have been happier.

As they walked, the pair would find themselves beneath the perch of a great owl, both parties becoming startled as the creature let out a great call. Ever the respectful young girl Rebel gave a slight nod and greeting before being on her way. This particular bird did not quite look like Renegade’s owl, but it was still impressive and deserving of respect from the two interlopers. Venom also offered a slight nod as she followed Rebel deeper into the estuary.

"Are we looking for anything in particular?” Venom asked as the girl grinned back at her.

"Venom"

Rebel glanced back at Venom as they walked as her mother asked if they were looking for anything in particular, which she was quick to give a shake of her head to with a grin. "I don't think I'm ever really looking for anything in particular when I'm exploring," she explained, turning her magenta gaze back to the path ahead of her as she spoke so she wouldn't wind up tripping over a tree root or getting her paw stuck in a deep mud puddle. "But that's kind of the fun of it, isn't it? Just going out and seeing what we can find!" Her father's care-free nature certainly made itself well known in her personality and her approach to the world around her, but she liked to think that she took after her mother too with her manners and not having the rough edges of her father. It was an interesting balance to find between two wolves that were so different, but she loved them both dearly and always hoped she was doing them justice.

Trotting lightly across the estuary, her path was winding and zig zagging slightly as she looked for all of the most solid patches of ground among the marshy wetland. They were lucky that the sky was so clear tonight so that there was plenty of moonlight to see by. Her path eventually brought her closer to a particularly thick patch of trees with long roots that snaked out into the water. It seemed like the further out they went toward the shore the more these trees popped up and she was very curious about them since they were very unlike the trees she was used to back home. As she stepped closer to the trees while standing on one of the sand bars, however, a hissing sound caught her attention, making her stop mid step with one paw in the air with her ears perked to listen. If it wasn't for her extra sharp vision she might have missed the irritated reptile, but luckily she spotted the gharial right before it emerged from the shadow trees with a snap of its long, skinny snout. She yelped and skittered backward away from it, her hind legs splashing back through the murky waters to give herself some more space from the scaled predator.

"Rebel Klein"

Rebel gave her a glance over her shoulder as she led the way, mentioning that there was never really anything she was looking for on an exploring trip. The journey was the destination so to say. "That is indeed the fun of it. If you’re looking for something there’s no telling what you’ll miss that you were not searching for.” Venom added as they continued onward under the light of the moon. The mother saw so much of her mate in their young daughter. His characteristics had shown up strongly within their children. Just as Venom had wished when she named them all for his attributes. The thought made her smile even more as they went on.

Of course, Ashen wolves were not the only ones to be most active in the night as the hissing sound of a crocodilian would prove. One of the largest of all the crocs, the gharial was nothing to scoff at. However, in Venom’s experience, their slender and fragile mouths made them much less of a threat than the saltwater crocodiles that would occasionally find their way to Ashen’s old territories. Rebel was swift to act, jumping back to avoid the warning bite.

"Be cautious, my child.” Venom warned her. "Their jaws are weapons, but they are also one of their weak points. If we harass it enough without being bitten, it's likely to make a hasty retreat.”

"Venom"

Rebel never took her magenta gaze off of the sharp toothed reptile as her mother began to tell her to be cautious and giving her a bit of strategy about how to deal with the scaly predator. Instead her ear just turned back to listen while she kept a sharp eye on the gharial. She nodded with understanding and and a bit of a rebellious grin pulled at her lips as she replied, "Cautious but annoying... my specialty." Trusting that her mother would help her flank the croc, she began to creep around toward the reptile's side so that it would split its attention with the two different wolves working around both sides of it. Occasionally she would glance up just to make sure she knew where her mother was in relation to herself and the gharial, but mostly she kept her eyes on their opponent so that it couldn't surprise her again.

Once she got in close enough, she made a long leap so she could pounce on the reptile right near the base of its tail. Her claws were extended, but she already knew it wouldn't do much against its thicker hide. Sure enough, her claws only scratched the surface of its scales as her paws slid over its haunches for a beat before she quickly retreated once more, jumping back out of the way as it swiveled toward her with open, snapping jaws. She grinned with a look of challenge in her eyes as she squared off against the huge lizard once more, throughly enjoying the fact that her plan to get the gharial to turn its back on her mom had worked like a charm.

"Rebel Klein"

Venom had encountered many different predators in her life, crocodiles and alligators included because of the home that they were in. The islands brought all kinds of aquatic type creatures to their home, as well as those that would eat aquatic beasts. She had seen bears, cats, and different canid species as well in her time of life. The one they fought now was quite different, a rather rare species, but one that was predictable nonetheless. Venom offered her daughter some insight into the creature, and the comment was one that brought a grin to the Empress features despite the potential danger that they were in.

The two of them sidestepped carefully to avoid being hurt, one taking to each side so the beast would have trouble keeping up with the both of them. Venom aimed to take its attention as young Rebel pounced upon the beast. Though her claws were sharp, they were quite ineffective with the creature’s hide. As its attention swerved to the girl Venom took the chance to take a swipe at its sensitive jaws, gaining all of its attention from her daughter.

"Venom"

She and her mother had the gharial swiveling back and forth between the two of them as they each took turns swiping at the large reptile and catching its attention, clearly confusing it and keeping it from focusing in on either of them long enough to actually land a blow in retaliation. A grin lingered on Rebel's lips as she throughly enjoyed this tango that she fell into with her mother and the back and forth as the two of them worked so well together. Eventually though she knew they needed to end this before the scaled predator got fed up and decided to ignore one in favor of really going for the other. She decided to up the stakes a bit as the gharial turned its attention back toward her mother once more, opening up the chance for her to strike again. Rebel leapt forward, focusing her front paws with her claws extended toward the end of its snout. Landing with a great deal of force, she felt something in the reptile's snout give way and her claws dug through the slightly thinner scales near its nose.

The crocodile cousin rumbled and hissed in response, its short legs scrambling backward as it made a hasty, wiggling escape from under her paws. She didn't try to pin it and instead let it make its escape, watching as it quickly turned and darted off through the waterways that wound through the estuary. With a triumphant grin, Rebel turned back toward her mother with her tail wagging high and proud. "We did it!" she said with a little, celebratory hop. She couldn't wait to tell her dad all about how they chased off a gharial–with some embellishments about how difficult and aggressive it was of course. Couldn't tell a story without it being a good story after all.

"Rebel Klein"

Venom felt a huge sense of pride as her young daughter fought against the beast along with her. Not too much more time passed of the two of them going back and forth before the young Klein princess made a lasting mark. They didn’t have much time before the crocodilian cousin caught on to their game. That was when the girl landed her hit and gave the gharial a lesson in messing with Ashen wolves.

With a deep disgruntled hiss the massive gharial began to make its retreat into the murky waters once more. The two wolves were not worth fighting any longer. Besides they were very far from the creature’s natural diet. With its retreat the two she wolves claimed their victory. Venom’s smile echoed her daughter’s, but the reason for it had nothing to do with the gharial and everything to do with the joy that Rebel showed. "You did it.” Venom returned, beaming with pride.

"Venom"