Dawn had broken but the canyon was still dark. The rays of the sun had not broken above the canyon walls and everything was nice and cool. Pyralis untangled herself from the mess of bodies, her children and her slave girl. The night had been colder than many before it and it was becoming clear that autumn was settling into the realms of Auster. Her children were a season old now and it was time to kick their training up a notch. This would be more than just rough games. The would learn the intricacies of battle starting this day. Moving deeper into the canyon she found a level area a good distance from the creek and howled for her children. She wanted them to come to her and she counted the seconds til their approach. For their own sake they had best be punctual. "Talk" "You" Think

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia's days were consumed by something she couldn't begin to describe. She had no idea how to feel about her captivity. Horror had been the dominant emotion for so long that at some point it had become mundane and boring. She'd become numb to all of it except for the bright spots that were Pyralis' children. With the older woman prone to excessive wandering since capturing Lydia the girl had spent more time bonding with the pups and while they could drive her up the canyon walls she felt a growing affection for them.

She stirred as she felt the warmth of Pyralis' body suddenly vanish but as she was not bitten or roughly jerked awake she allowed herself to start to slip back into sleep when a howl rang out. Ah… training again? Lydia frowned. These pups were barely a season old! She didn't like that they were training for battle so soon. It seemed… cruel to her. Either way the punishment would be worse if they were not on time. Lydia rose swiftly and leaned down to nuzzle the pups. "Come on you two, we don't want to keep your mother waiting. Up! Up!" She tugged lightly at Ashiel's tail. Of the two he was more inclined to sleep through anything. 

Ashiel was warm and cozy snuggled up between his mothers thigh and Lydia's scruff and as usual he was deep in slumber. So deep he hadn't even felt his mother move. He was dreaming of climbing a mountain, the biggest mountain ever in the whole wide world and he was claiming it in the name of his family when Lydia moved suddenly and he woke. Barely. Ashiel grumbled. "Nuuuoooawww…" He proceeded to curl back up into a ball when a swift jerk on his tail from Lydia's jaws caused him to growl lightly. Why did momma always get up so early? Ashiel yawned and stumbled to his feet. "Do we haff to?" "Talk" "You" Think

Asharya loved sleeping in the tangle of her family, weird as it was. Well, okay, Lydia definitely wasn't her family (a fact Asharya refused to let go) but she was warm and nice to sleep next to. When her Mama vanished, Asharya roused partially out of sleep, but not enough to form a conscious thought. Was Mama leaving again? Well, Asha hoped she brought them back something cool from wherever. She was firmly back in the world of La La Land when Pyralis' howl rang out. The way it echoed across the canyon walls was familiar enough to her now that she could pick it out even deep in her dreams. She shuffled upwards, ears perking. Lydia ushered both pups up, but Ashi was having none of it. Asharya on the other hand loved whenever their Mama had something special in mind for them. Sometimes it was really hard, and most of the time she didn't understand, but the canyon was boring and her Mama definitely was not! "Come on, come onnn Ashi! Lessgo!" She rolled over onto him and wiggled, and Lydia nipped at his tail. "Yes, we gotta! Maybe Mama has another monster bird, or maybe she'll take us on an adventure!" Without another thought she turned towards the den's entrance and sprinted out into the daylight. "Race ya!" "Talk" "You" Think

Pyralis' ears twitched as she listened to the sound of her own howl echo through the canyon. It was a haunting sound, twisting and rippling as it was distorted through the rugged walls and as it vibrated through the earth she felt a rush run down her spine. She thoroughly enjoyed this terra. There was a connection here, to this earth and it made her feel alive and rather like she was, finally, where she was meant to be. She'd wandered the whole of Auster and this was truly the land she would want to dwell in. It didn't take long before he kids came racing into her presence along with their caretaker and she grinned at them. "Having a little race are we? Ha! Good. I expect to be obeyed swiftly and obediently. Today your training intensifies. There will be no more innocent fisticuffs, you will begin to familiarize your bodies with the movements of the warrior. Today I wish to discuss defenses with you and then you shall spar. The winner will be rewarded, the loser will be punished. Stand tall and face me!" Pyralis moved across from the so she could demonstrate the defenses they would go through. "Talk" "You" Think

But you'll never find the answers, until you set your old heart free

Lydia released Ashiel's tail as he stumbled up, complaining as per usual. "Yes, yes, your mother will be furious if you're late." It was mornings like this that Lydia was actually grateful for Asharya's never-ending energy. As the fiery pup bounced talking of monster birds and adventure she saw Ashiel light up and the moment the words 'race ya' were out of Asharya's mouth there went one pup swiftly followed by the other. Lydia sighed heavily before bounding out after them. This was reason number thirty-nine she didn't want kids. Who had the energy for this? Lydia let them race, setting her pace so that she kept just behind them, far back enough to give them room to compete but close enough that should one of the little devils try to give her the slip she could catch their scruffs. Thankfully they were still little enough that if she had to haul them up she could. Heaven help her when they got to big for that but hopefully by then… well hopefully by then she'd be allowed to leave. Would Pyralis really let her go though?

She dipped her head in greeting to the giant woman as they arrived and moved to sit to the side, quietly, submissively as she was expected to but all the while her mind was whirring with hopeful thoughts of escape… that were almost immediately extinguished as she looked to the pups, ears shifting back at the words 'punishment'. Pyralis was hopeless with wounds and with the rest of the family seemingly so busy… no, she'd stay a bit longer, she'd stay through their initial training, she had to.

Ashiel sighed and pouted knowing that Lydia was right. Mom would be mad if they didn't show up right away but he still didn't see why they had to be there so early in the morning. He'd have to ask her. He thought it was stupid! As Asharya bounced about talking of monster birds and the possibility of mother taking them on an adventure though his mood immediately perked. Would she finally take them on an outing? As she screamed that they'd race and took off Ashiel immediately took off after her. "Hey! You got a head start you're cheating!" He chased after her, his solid form moving with surprising dexterity but his puppy paws and legs did not want to cooperate and in the end he came in last. Panting he looked up at his mother with a sour expression on his face. "Yea, we were racing but Asha cheated! She got a head start!" He would totally win if it'd been a fair race. When they got down to business, Ashiel learned that they'd be having another training session but this time it was going to be more serious. Ashiel leaned forward, ears alert as excitement bubbled in his gut. Yes! Fight training! This was his favorite. He winced a bit though at the mention of reward and punishment. He wondered what sort of punishment they might get if they lost but the idea of a reward eclipsed that possibility. Would she get the winner their own bird? Maybe take them on a trip? He just had to win this! When she told them to stand and face her he swiftly did. "Talk" "You" Think