The heady smell of the orchard trees, which were now in full bloom, was quite interesting to the young girl. It was new for her to explore the lands adjacent to The Range, but she was growing curious and far more adventurous as summer droned on. Growing increasingly bolder, Astaroth was trying hard to pull on the reigns her parents had on her- it wasn't that she wanted to defy either of her mothers, it wasn't like that at all, but she just wanted to see more and more of the world. At the pace she wanted, too.

Nosing around a few fruits that had fallen from the trees too early, Astaroth wrinkled her nose at the smell of the fruit up close. It was acidic, not at all sweet like the ones hanging from the trees. Gross. Lifting a paw to bat at one, she watched as it rolled across the ground. Another caught her attention not long after, and before long she was frolicking from one tree to the next, slapping the fruits on the ground and seeing how far she could make them go.

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Watching her children grow and explore was the highlight of her life. Not even being handed Abaven topped seeing their eyes open, their ears unfurl, and they limbs grow long. It was so sweet and pure it made her heart ache to see it. She had known she had wanted this for so long, but the opportunity had never come... and now she was here, grizzled and grey in the muzzle, but raising a family with Thalia. At night, when they curled up to sleep in one big pile, she was still sure it was a dream that would dissipate with the morning light. But they woke each morning, again and again, and she felt lighter each day. The puppies had begun to explore more within the pack territory, within reason. Either their mothers or a pack member watched over from afar, though it was hard for Theory to have them out of her sight for long. Each time she saw them, she wanted to exclaim: I made you. I created you. You are the greatest project of my life. It was almost too much. Shaking off her tender-hearted meandering thoughts, she wandered through the orchard rows. A few of the pups were out here today, and they ran wild like you only could in the first blush of youth. Every day they grew so much, their muscles begged to be used. This was the worst part of being old - she could hardly keep up. When she catch sight of Asta flitting through the trees, playing with the fallen fruit, Theory laughed. "Hello! Did you harvest all that for me?" She teased. "Hmm... I'm not sure we can eat all that before it goes bad. Did you know there are things you can do with fruit to help it last longer?" "Speech"

Another slap and she hit the fruit squarely in the center, sending it flying across the ground. It was the first time she'd had any idea of her own strength and the realization hit her hard and fast. Moving a few steps forward to kick at another fallen fruit, her attention was disrupted by mommy approaching. The girl's ears perked as she took in the sight of her approaching, the slightest hint of a smile touching her lips. Though she was one of the more serious of Theory and Thalia's children, she still was just like the rest of them at heart- a child.

"No," she answered after a beat, being honest. Honesty, especially when it came to family, was an important value that had been instilled in her. "I was just seeing how far I could make them go. Oh- can you teach me how?" She moved from one thought seamlessly to the next, hungry for information, even if she wasn't quite sure how she'd use it.

Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Theo chuckled at her daughter's sparkling, burnished honestly. It wasn't yet tarnished by the passage of time. Granted, some children were prone to lying (her mind flinched at the memories of her tainted brother), hers hadn't seemed to take to it. She was grateful for it. "It's always good to know your own strength," she conceded with a smile. Theory batted one of the other fallen fruits, watching it soar past some of Asta's earlier attempts. "It will only grow as you do." Her eager response to Theory's question warmed her heart. She had loved teaching other pack members healing skills and fighting lessons, but children were a different beast entirely. They needed to know everything, and she was glad to teach it. "Well, there are a few ways. The simplest is to lay the fruit out in the sun until it dries down. Without any liquid to spoil, it will keep throughout the winter even if it's harder to chew." "Speech"