The facts of Odette's lineage would be a part of her childhood roots. She yearned to know who she was meant to be, and along with that, she had to know more about the wolves who came before her. The ancestors of her biological family were lost to her for now, but until the day came when her parents returned, she would focus on what she could: Chrysanthe's family history. The question was this: who else was related to the Alpha? It would be okay if the first person she met didn't know the facts regarding the Adravendi line, but she was still interested in knowing the bits and pieces of the puzzle that made up the family she was a part of. She pondered if the wolves of the past had the power she dreamed of and if it was in her genetics. Maybe it was destiny, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that the desire came from somewhere, and like many other things, she wondered where she got it from. A name had slipped when she was sleeping in her den, unknown to the world. A wolf or two had passed the entrance to her hidden chambers and uttered the name 'Azalea'. Ears had perked and her curiosity had pulled her out of her slumber. They continued to speak of how she had returned from the war, seemingly a different wolf than before. Odette didn't know who she was, but she wanted to whenever she got the chance. Alas, the girl didn't get to find out where in Valhalla the she-wolf resided, so she took the chance of exploring on her own. Of course, she had told Chrysanthe she would remain inside the borders and would call for help if she needed it. The security she felt because of her aunt was becoming a welcomed thing in her life and she didn't want it to leave. So, it was a no-brainer why Odette was out on her own near a rolling hill covered by snow. By the time she had padded around the surrounding dens with no results, she had given up and decided to pout in public. Wrapped up in her normal position -- her head on outstretched front paws with hind legs curled beneath her thickened winter tail -- she looked out to the snowy view that spread out and beyond her perch. Valhalla was so beautiful, and even though she had failed in her search of the day, she was content with just enjoying the view. Talk like this

Azalea had been content to hiding away near the fringes of the pack since returning, still at odds with what the pack might think of the extra amounts of her that seemed to be laying around these days. Each passing day saw her a little bit heavier, a little bit rounder. Sitting in a small thicket of trees, Azalea sighed, looking up through the patchy branches. It was a lovely spot with a wispy spring lazying through it. There was a kicking in her belly and grit her teeth over it but seemed happy enough to bear it. The unborn inside her womb became stronger and stronger as well, kicked and causing a fuss. She could swear they were all wrestling in there. However many there were. Hopefully she was crazy and there was one. Hopefully that one would die off. Even as she thought it Azalea took it back. She didn't mean that, not any more. Epiphron had said it. The children would be hers. She hated how she looked but it was in moments like that that she could show how her emotions has grown around her swollen body. She craned her neck to peer down at her colossal midsection. "You are sure getting strong." She cringed with another well placed blow. "Yeah. It's kind of hard not to like you." With a sigh Azalea stood up. Stepping over the stream she headed toward the heart of the territory "Lets find some food. I'm sure you're starving, I know I am." There was a light smile on her face as she spoke. Coming up on the den area, Azalea moved involuntarily faster. She didn't like being her, never had. She was still very much against dens, though Sarak's sounded very inviting about now. Part of her begged her to dig into that peaceful spot she had come from. It would make a nice den site. She was sure she didn't need a den to have puppies though. From the edge of her vision she spotted a dark figure, head whipping to see as the markings automatically warned of her father. She sighed with relief to see it was not him but he curiosity was sparked. Who was this wolf who resembled her father? "Um, hello? Not to be rude but... who are you?" Best to be straight forward, right? Speech,

After Odette had been lost in her thoughts, a soft feeling similar to sleep swept over her. She had her eyes closed and was thinking of a nice nap until a voice broke the silence. Ears immediately perked and Odette raised her head to look in the direction it came from. Bi-colored orbs took in the very pregnant form of Azalea, but she didn't know that this was the wolf she had been looking for. Nevertheless, curiosity rose in Odette's mind and she ran with it. When she met her adopted cousin's eyes, Odette dipped her maw and politely replied. "Hello to you, too...I am Odette, daughter of Ocena and Gargoyle." Even if the names didn't register with the red-faced female, it still felt good to know she was their daughter. "And...niece to Chrysanthe." That was another thing to be proud of. She knew was that her Alpha had wanted her to become a part of Valhalla and she had accepted without hesitation. She stuck close to her dear Chrysanthe like a shadow, but today she had wanted to give the sweet lady some space. Odette didn't want to feel like a burden. "I just joined Valhalla...may I ask who you are?" Talk like this

The wolf was polite despite Azalea being short with her. The duo eyed lass marked much like her father was an unnatural sight. Not even any of her siblings truly bore their father's pattern. "Hello to you, too...I am Odette, daughter of Ocena and Gargoyle." Ears ticked with recolonization. She knew those names. Knew them as family. Gargoyle a blood relative to she. Her father's brother. "And...niece to Chrysanthe." Azalea's attention came back to Odette. The girl seemed harmless but perhaps a bit too comfortable with throwing around her relations. Azalea rarely even addressed herself as an Adravendi, honestly. "I just joined Valhalla...may I ask who you are?" The red head felt challenged by the girl who proclaimed herself Chysanthe's aunt and so she stood a bit taller. "Daughter of Soleil and Collision. Grand daughter of Cairo and thus kin to his children. And by my fahter's blood... kin to you it would seem." There was a light smirk on her face, her tone perhaps a bit more stuck up than intended. "I am Azalea." She licked her lips before speaking and granted her tone a more friendly note. Seating herself she quirked her head to one side. "I take it you decided to depart yourself from the homeless life your family took up after... well... everything."

The first impression Odette made of her unknown relation was that she was confident. Despite the stuck up notes that rang from the female's words, Odette hoped that it was only a front upon just meeting her. After waiting and hearing more from the red-faced wolf, she heard the tones warm up with a friendly sound to them. The names that she spoke of were unfamiliar to her, but her ignorance was something she couldn't help. Not having Gargoyle and Ocena around meant she was lost to the large family tree that she was a part of. When Azalea revealed her own name, Odette rose from her current position to sit on her haunches. She didn't meet the same height as her cousin, but she was close enough to where her head was level with her chin. Her tail wrapped itself around her hind toes as she answered Azalea's observation. "I have for awhile now...I felt like I couldn't stay.." She wasn't sure if it was appropriate to say her parents had disappeared and left her and her siblings alone, so she didn't. Instead, she focused on the current topic and tried to stay away from bringing them up. "Since coming here, I didn't realize how much I missed having a home..." She cleared her throat and decided to turn the conversation, however abruptly. "I didn't know my papa was related to yours. Aunt Chrysanthe had mentioned I was related to her, but she didn't specify which brother." Blinking, she gave a gentle sigh and continued. "I was actually looking for you, Azalea, strange as it sounds. I know that it seems out of the blue, me looking for someone I don't even know, but I hoped that when I did, I would be able to find out more about our family. I am so lost on the subject..." Odette didn't know why she felt so shy, but in this moment, it was obvious. Maybe she would get over it once she got to know Azalea better -- if she did -- and it would only be a temporary phase. Talk like this

Odette sat up, the young girl showing signs that made Azalea guess she would be larger than her eventually. It was no surprise, nor did it bug her. She was still older, regardless of size. Azalea couldn't help her tongue. Unless she was overly familiar then she tended to come off as being rather full of herself. Well, she was rather full of herself but in reality Azalea could be a huge goof when you got to know her. "I have for awhile now...I felt like I couldn't stay.." Azalea nodded lightly, meeting cousin's bi-eyed gaze evenly. She said nothing though and Odette went on. "Since coming here, I didn't realize how much I missed having a home..." Now she smiled, or the ghost of one. "Yes, Valhalla is a good place to find a home." Maybe other packs were good, Seracia would be high on the list, but the others? Certainly not Glaciem. It didn't even make the list. "I didn't know my papa was related to yours. Aunt Chrysanthe had mentioned I was related to her, but she didn't specify which brother." Azalea nodded, giving a little "mm" sound. "I was actually looking for you, Azalea, strange as it sounds. I know that it seems out of the blue, me looking for someone I don't even know, but I hoped that when I did, I would be able to find out more about our family. I am so lost on the subject..." It seemed funny to Azalea, so much so that she smirked. She couldn't contain herself. "You wanted to find me for a history lesson? You got your peoples all wrong." Azalea settled in, though. It wasn't that she didn't know her family but rather that she was hardly the best person to tell the story. Erani would be perfect for the feat. "Okay, well... We will start with Cairo. He founded Valhalla and is the forefather of the Adravendi bloodline. His mate, Guinevere, had an adopted son that Cairo adopted as well, Collision." She paused there, wondering if it would be less confusing to go on or diverge into how they were blood related. "Guin had puppies and after became ill, passing away. Those puppies you know, at least some I believe, Chrysanthe, Epiphron, Syrinx, and Eos." She licked her lips before going om, "Erani acted as their mother and to most is considered family. Anyway, Collision, my father, is sibling to your father. That makes us cousins. By blood we are not related to Cairo's children but blood doesn't always make family. I am an Adravendi. My parents have had two litters, my brothers and I came first. Soleon and Gael are their names though Soleon has been away for a very long time now. I have two little sisters, Guinevere and Solaine." Azalea gave a big nod, hoping that Odette was following. There were a lot of wolves to remember. "Syrinx and-- well, er... Eos gave birth to five: Meinx, Cynder, Sevan... uhhhh, Syren, anddddd Vyvienne. Epiphron is mated to Maverick and until recently was Queen of Seracia. They stepped down to raise their kids, they have Quintus, Cassius, Amalia, and Arian. Arian is adopted though. They are expecting another litter soon. Then of course Chrysanthe is with Gideon. And I think that is everyone. I think." She ran back in her head trying to be sure she got everyone. There was no chance that Odette would remember all the names today, it would take a long time. A lot of times even Azalea forgot names. Speech,

She tried to remember all of the names and relations that Azalea introduced to her. The information was overwhelming and her eyes got big when she realized how many wolves were wound together in the tree she was a part of. The entire time Azalea was speaking, Odette leeched onto the names and tried to pair them together if they were couples or siblings. If she ever got it together, she would be sure to try and speak to them, wondering if they would be open to telling her more about the families she didn't know about. It would be on her bucket list for sure. Odette's gaze was glassed over once Azalea finished telling her about their relatives. She blinked a couple of times and tried to recover from all of the connections she had. "Wow..." she said at first, bi-colored orbs returning their shine. "Our family is big, Azalea..." The Gargoyle mini-me gave a shy smile and showed the white canines that usually hid behind her lips. "I can only imagine what kind of wolves they all are, personality-wise..." Silently, Odette was craving to meet the ones who had the power drive in their system like she did. What it would be like, to come across those wolves and bask in the glow of stories they had for those power struggle days! "So, your father is Collision, who is the brother to our Aunt Chrysanthe.." Her gaze met the amber eyes of her cousin and her tail gently swayed beneath her. "You have two younger siblings and they are Gael and Soleon.." Blinking gently, she showed relief in her face as she said, "I think I can get through all of the names and connections a little bit at a time." Watching Azalea, she curled her tail around her hind paws as she said, "I am excited about learning more, though. It's weird, because when I first came here, I thought I didn't have any family except the ones I lost touch with..." Talk like this

"Wow..." Azalea sat back, letting Odette take it all in. It surely was a lot to process and even Azalea forgot names. "Our family is big, Azalea..." She merely nodded to the words. "I can only imagine what kind of wolves they all are, personality-wise..." Now she shrugged, "As different as any family, I suppose. Like a tree in the fall with all the different leaves." She wondered what Odette made of her. "So, your father is Collision, who is the brother to our Aunt Chrysanthe.." Again Azalea would nod, letting her cousin work out the details on her own. "You have two younger siblings and they are Gael and Soleon.." Azalea smirked, "Nope. I have two older brothers and two younger sisters." "I think I can get through all of the names and connections a little bit at a time." Azalea zoned out a bit, looking around and taking in the familiarity of home. "I am excited about learning more, though. It's weird, because when I first came here, I thought I didn't have any family except the ones I lost touch with..." Now the young woman looked back to the girl, eyes flicking over her form from bottom to top where they met her eyes. "We can always find family, sometimes it just takes a little more effort than we expect. Our family is proof that family does not always mean blood." She smiled lightly. Find food with me?" Her words were warm and she tried not to imply a hunt. Hopefully they could find something someone had already killed but if not a hunt might be possible.

She blushed at the mistake she made. It would take some time to figure out all the names, faces, and relations of the wolves that made up her family tree. Odette wasn't worried about it taking up time; she preferred to take the journeys back to her roots one paw in front of the other. In the meantime, she would focus on the wolves that were with her in the flesh and fur. They had memories that were kept alive by their beating hearts and the lives they had chosen to live up to that point were worth more in their weight than gold. When Azalea simply asked if she would accompany her to find food, Odette didn't hesitate to answer. "Of course I will," she gently said, tones evident with happiness that she had been offered to tag along. She rose from her gray and black haunches and her tail swayed behind her in the physical expression of her eagerness to find a bit of rabbit or some other delicious morsel. As Azalea took the few steps to be at Odette's side, the female turned so they were facing the same direction. Her nose immediately began to work and she kept an ear out for soft rustles or quirks of hidden prey. As they walked side by side, Odette's bi-colored eyes turned to Azalea so she could speak directly to her. "So, Azalea...what is pack life like in Valhalla? I have only been here for a few days, but I don't know anything about this place except that our Aunt Chrys is the Alpha.." She silently hoped that her cousin wouldn't deem her 'dumb' in her mind by that confession. Talk like this

"Of course I will," Azalea simply nodded, her face straight and turning to one of determination. Her amber eyes turned away as the pair moved forward. Their plush coats close but not touching. Her moist black nose twitched as she scented the air, eyes closing to slits. There was nothing of note on the air but that was hardly surprising given their location. She cast a slow glance at Odette before taking the lead, moving at a brisk trot that made her fur bob. "So, Azalea...what is pack life like in Valhalla? I have only been here for a few days, but I don't know anything about this place except that our Aunt Chrys is the Alpha.." Azalea showed no change of emotion at her little cousin's questions. "Simple. Easy, I suppose. Just do your part and you will fit right in. What do you like to do? If healing then you should speak with Erani. Hunting, talk to Ashtoreth. As for fighting... best to talk to Chrysanthe first. She can be a bit protective about her family." Azalea paused with a smile, showing the affection she felt for her aunt. "But if you show her that's what you want to do, she certainly isn't going to keep you from your passions." Azalea would know. Chrys had been surprisingly kind to Azalea through all her endeavors, much kinder than she deserved. Fighting was what Azalea enjoyed but liked to think she dabbled in everything. "My mom went to Glaciem once, when your parents were still in charge, and trained healers. I hope that information has helped your people in their times of need." It was just a nice thing to say, Azalea didn't expect Odette to thank her or anything like that. Her eyes lit up, growing wide and happy to see what she saw now ahead of them. "Aha! Score!" Her tail waved and her paws danced. It was the carcass of an elk, left over from a hunt. Not much was left on it but certainly enough to Azalea. She jogged forward at a light lope, heading right for the protruding ribs. Crows flew up from near the kill, throwing a fuss and one even pitching down at the young she-wolf's head. Azalea growled, jumping up to snap toward the bird. She then set in on the ribs, teeth picking at the meat and chowing down on what frozen scraps she could pull off. "You do not even know how great it is to eat something that is not rabbit. Everyone brought me rabbit."

Odette considered the options she had to choose from. What was it she considered herself best? Red and blue eyes were lost in thought as they padded together across the valley. She wasn't perfect at hunting; she only knew enough to catch food for her own person. Healing was something she could warm up to and try. A brief memory of Friction teaching her about certain herbs sprung up and she smiled to herself. Now, fighting...her tail began to wag at the mere image of her bringing down an enemy. Learning strategies and feeling the thrill of tearing skin and fur were only small parts she wanted to experience. In her mindset, she made it a reminder to meet with her adopted mother later. Her cousin then brought up her own mother travelling to the old Glaciem. Gargoyle had been the ruler and his healers were trained there. It was a tender moment then, for Odette had never heard of her family's past ruling of the now feared pack. Eagerly, she pressed on with the topic still on her mind. "I think the information did help. I was told a white woman and a young girl that looked like Mama both helped her when me and my siblings were born. The labor wasn't hard, but it seemed like it because of Mama's size..." Her eyes, which were now sparkling as she spoke of her old home, blinked and a sliver of want appeared. "I wish I had met those two..." Azalea located the half-eaten carcass of an elk not too far off. The female dashed off and Odette quickly followed, stomach already rumbling from the thoughts of being a warrior and being hungry after the workout. She let her newfound cousin tear the meat off of its ribs and Azalea then commented that everyone had brought her rabbit. Odette smiled and leaned her head down to nibble on the right haunch of the abandoned elk. Meat still clung to it and she made sure it wasn't frozen all the way through. After chewing, Odette replied, "I bet it got old really quick, having the same thing over and over." She was still in the dark about Azalea's pregnancy from being captive in Glaciem. "I'm glad you found this, otherwise, it may have been another rabbit." She lightly chuckled, eyes twinkling with warmth. Talk like this

ooc: so i realized halfway through this that i forgot this was pre puppies and started talking post puppies. Will revert to pre puppies =P "I think the information did help. I was told a white woman and a young girl that looked like Mama both helped her when me and my siblings were born. The labor wasn't hard, but it seemed like it because of Mama's size..." Azalea looked at Odette with a light smile. "Your mother is very small right? I think its our mothers' fatal flaws, loving the big guys." Azalea broke into laughter then as she realized the unintentional double meaning in her words. Big... and BIG. Suddenly a shiver ran through her and shook the enter thought away. Nope, she didn't need to think about her parents doing... that. If Isardis had done anything good for Azalea, it seemed to be that he had killed her insatiable sex drive that she had seemed to have developed. The whole idea was much less appealing now that she was ready to pop out a puppy or so. "I wish I had met those two..." Azalea shrugged, she knew nothing of it. If it had been her mother who had assisted then she had never been told. The two wolves would set upon the elk kill, eating happily. Azalea was surprised by the girl's appetite. "I bet it got old really quick, having the same thing over and over." She nodded stiffly. "I'm glad you found this, otherwise, it may have been another rabbit." Azalea laughed too. "Pretty much." Once she had eaten her fill Azalea moved off to sprawl out on her side, belly bulging skyward. Speech,