She and Korrin were growing strong. The small black fox kit bounced ahead of the girl. Ears twitching happily as she glanced back at the pup. ?Keep it up, Svet! Korrin knows you can do it!? Since the battle training her companion was trying harder to get Svetlana a little more active. They would even practice their defenses together, leaving giggles and all sorts of excited feelings through them. It was clear the young fox wanted to help her friend as much as possible. Finally Svetlana would just plop her rear end on the ground and give a sigh. ?Can?t we take a rest? It?s been at least fifteen minutes!? The pup would whine. Korrin turned back to her companion, large, bushy tail swishing. ?Svet can?t take breaks all the time... Svet will need to be trained soon... And needs good endurance.? The fox would give a nod, sounding sure of herself. "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa lay atop a particularly large stone, sunning herself. While the summer had been brutal, she knew long, cold months lay just over the horizon, and she meant to make the most of whatever warmth was left to her. Young voices broke into the peace of the afternoon, causing the ebon queen to lift her head and quirk a brow. She chuckled, having located the source of the disturbance. Rising to her paws and shaking out her fur, the queen leapt down to the grassy surface beneath her perch. Koros, snoozing below in the shade as he was unable to clamber up, stirred at her presence. "Problem, your Grace?" She smiled and shook her head. "Hardly. Care to come along?" He did not respond, simply stood. The pair did not travel far, hardly a half hundred lengths, before coming upon the young Xanilov and her would-be steward (if Koros had anything to say about it.) "And what mischief are you two younglings getting up to today?" Raisa asked, her tone warm with motherly love that Svetlana had likely been too long deprived of. Guilt was a sharp lance through the woman chest, but she did her best to ignore it. She had a lifetime left to make up for her error. "Talk" "You" Think

The voice of her mother would have Svetlana looking up, tail giving a happy wag as her gaze fell upon her. ?Gettin? some exercise. But Korrin goes too fast...? It was clear in the child?s bright blue eyes that she was happy to see the fae, to have her back after being without her for a while. Seeing Koros around made her happy too... He was neat. She hoped Korrin would grow to be about his size, though the fox kit was still rather small. Her temper, and tendency to act way bigger than she actually was hadn?t slowed at all. Especially when it came to the black-ticked woman Katja. The two certainly didn?t have good views of each other. Korrin would huff as she sat down, tail curling around her paws. ?Korrin and Svet were training, Raisa. But Svet doesn?t go long without wanting to take breaks! Constant breaks!? It was clear the little black and white creature was a little fed up with her friend?s inability to keep up, though it was hardly Svetlana?s fault. She had been born more on the chubby side, and without proper training tended to be more on the lazy side of things. Svetlana would cast a look at Korrin, ears tilting back slightly before looking to Raisa again. ?What?cha you guys up to?? "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa found herself chuckling at the variations in the stories presented. It was strange seeing this young fox with so much... spunk! Korros had been rather prim and proper, even from a young age. Doubtless that was why he had been chosen for her, but still. None of the other royal stewards had been as vivacious. Perhaps it would be good for her timid child, however. Raisa's gaze flicked between the lupe and the vulpe, then she smiled down at Svetlana and said, "Sometimes, we must do hard things. It is not because it is fun, but because it will make them easier the next time we try. If you run fast today, you will be able to run even faster the next time you try." She looked to Korrin next. "Of course, one never should need an excuse to slow down and enjoy the finer things in life." She gave them both a lingering glance before sitting, and sweeping her tail over her paws. Her pose was regal and proud as well, knowing the small creatures before her, one a veritable shadow of the woman herself, were the physical manifestation of her legacy. Koros chuckled as well and said, "Of course, when your mother was younger, I was the one pleading for rest, while she wanted to hunt bison and initiate wars and what-have-you." Raisa scoffed and rolled her eyes. Only once had she teased about warmongering, but Korros still brought it up whenever he spoke of her youth. Perhaps it was a good example of her reckless abandon, but she still found the memory worth a heated blush of her coat. Luckily the smaller creature went on before she could come up with a sharp retort. "We were enjoying the last vestiges of autumn before winter sinks in it's claws," he said with a warm tone, and a mocking look of great sadness. He shook his head slowly, and chuckled. "Talk" "You" Think

The young girl would give a nod as Raisa spoke. It was for that reason, and the fact that she was hoping to become a big asset to the pack, that the young girl had started working on things at all. Herbs held no interest for her... They were strange... And she wanted to support Kassander with his interest in them. He could become the sola master... He?d be the best in the whole pack... That was if he opened up at all. Something in his heart had hardened... And the young girl didn?t know why. It hurt her to know that he had acted a bit more aggressive towards them all... Well, more Sigmarr and Valeriya... She had never said anything mean to her brother... But his distance certainly troubled her. ?I know... Korrin has been trying to help me with it.? Svet would glance to her friend as attention shifted to her. Korrin would shift, flicking one ear as Raisa spoke to her. The fox wasn?t really one to sit down and listen all that often... But she respected the woman, though for more reason than the fact she had been Svetlana?s mother. It was strange but, in a way, Korrin looked up to her. The fox kit would give a nod, and both would shift their attention to the handsome fox as he spoke. So, in a way, they were like the opposite of the older pair of wolf and fox before them. Korrin was the one always wanting to move, to explore, to try and do things that were far beyond the capabilities for her size. ?Korrin will keep that in mind Raisa.? Svetlana would tilt her head to the side at the mention of winter. It was getting colder... ?Is winter more harsh than autumn?? Neither pup nor fox kit had experienced it as of yet... so they would rely on what their elders could tell them about it. "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa smiled fondly at her sweet child and her feisty friend, moving forward to nudge the wolflette affectionately. She allowed a low chuckle to slip past her lips, and the woman's eyes crinkled with mirth. "And Korrin has been doing a marvelous job! You are getting stronger every day. Perhaps you will one day be a great warrior. Or," she paused to broaden her smile, "perhaps you will be a healer instead, and you will have a fleet of apprentices to do all the running for you!" It was an amusing image, a grown Svetlana barking orders at small, gangly juveniles. Raisa would certainly take a certain sort of pride in it. More often than not she had spent her free time of late imagining what futures awaited the little Xanilovs. When her daughter spoke again, it was Koros who answered the inquiry. "Oh yes, the harshest season of all in my opinion. You were lucky to emerge from your den in the autumn, a mild and damp season. In winter snow falls over the world in a cold white blanket, and prey grows scarce and gaunt. But you need not fret. Your mother, and the other knights, will ensure that everyone stays safe and warm and well fed." Koros gave them both smiles as well, while Raisa nodded, somewhat grave. It was a large responsibility of course, but she did not balk at it. Providing for those who had placed their trust in her was exceptionally rewarding, and the queen doubted she would ever tire of the way gratitude lit up their eyes. It was fulfilling. It gave her a worth she had never thought to experience, much the way being with her children had, would that she had more time to spare. "Talk" "You" Think

Svetlana?s smile would brighten as her mother moved forward, giving her an affection nudge. Her ears would twitch a bit, happiness shining in her light blue eyes as her mother spoke. She had to laugh at the idea that she might one day be a healer, and one with a ton of apprentices going off to do whatever she needed them to do. ?I don?t really think I want to be a healer, to be honest.... That seems more like Kass? thing. I want to be a great warrior someday, like you and miss Katja.? Her eyes were shining brightly as she said this, tail wagging back and forth. Korrin would bristle slightly at the mention of Katja, though she tried to focus on Koros? words instead. The harshest season huh? She thought it sounded interesting, especially this ?snow? that Koros mentioned. ?We can help make sure of that too!? The young fox kit said, eyes shining mischievously. She wasn?t scared of being cold, or dealing with this ?snow?. She could run after the prey just as well as the knights, and help bring it to the rest of the pack. Svetlana would glance to Korrin, then to her mother. ?Vaughan?s gonna help you guys too... Right?? The girl would ask. With a smile she would add; ?I want him to be my mentor. Can he be momma? Please?? "Talk" "You" Think