She had grown quiet these few months, quietly observing pack activities and slowly learning how the pack functioned. They were all united as one though all so different in personality. The moon glistened in the night sky, few clouds were in sight, a soft breeze would caress the girls body and she would listen to the rustling amongst her. The Klein children were almost a year old, they were growing up so quickly and Carnage had noticed she was larger than some of her siblings... some of them seemed to be fit for fighting, the rest of agile build, perfect for spying. Now that she was bored of the quiet... each day the same. She would go seek her family, she wished to slowly explore more lands though she was not sure when it would be acceptable to go further and further away, she wanted to know of the other packs that lurked by... were they enemies or friends? She would meander herself around the trees, her steps careful and calculated, she had just ate and was wide awake, but couldn't seem to find any of her siblings in sight. She would stop by a small stream as her tongue would lick the surface, as the night was slowly passing by, her mind would grow restless, her head would tilt back, slowly calling for the attention of her mother. "text text text"

Things had been slow the past couple of months, and though it gave her more time to spend with her children Recluse was loath to simply let the silence and simplicity sit for too much longer. She would have to whip the pack into shape one way or the other. For now she wandered under the moon light, admiring the way it glistened off of the slowly emptying tree branches. Fall had come to the lands suddenly and without much fan fair, taking the only warmth they'd gotten this season with it, it concerned Recluse in ways it wouldn't have only a tiny bit ago. Now she worried after the herds and the plants and the very earth they occupied. Luckily for her, however, her worrying was interrupted by the call of one of her daughters. Recluse hummed a bit to herself, Lilith adjusting in her usual place and Galho taking flight from the tree he'd been watching his mistress from as she prowled. A small soft smile tugged at cherry-colored lips as Recluse approached Carnage, feeling Lilith dropping from her shoulders to go off who knows where to let Recluse have some time with her daughter, though the potoo who fly behind the lupine woman would give her no such privacy. "Carnage." Recluse greeted, stepping in to nose at the top of her daughter's head. Carnage was nearly as tall as she was, and it partially broke her heart to realize her children were nearly yearlings and also made her proud to see her daughter growing into such a fine young woman. "What do you need darling?" Recluse asked, giving her daughter a quick look over, ever the worried mother. speech think action

The girl would stand tall and proud while she waited for her mother, allowing the silence to engulf her. It was not often she was able to find herself alone with her, especially with the duties of the pack and the other siblings. While Carnage did not crave affection, finding herself bold and adventerous, wanting to explore more lands she did want some alone time. It didn't take long to hear the soft footsteps coming closer, looking up towards the ebony sky at her companion flying high. Her mum stood out boldly against the darkness much like Carnage and her power radiated. A smile would tug upon the babes thin lips and her tail would lick at her heels, she wondered if she would ever rise up like her mother did. While Carnage was young, it was clear she would grow to be far bigger than her mother and wondered if she got that from her father. They would embrace one another and Carnage would take a long inhale, remembering the scent of her mothers perfume. While it was clear that out of all the litter Carnage ventured away from home the most, she found comfort in these lands always. " I've been slowly exploring the neighboring lands, they're so beautiful!" She would hum, watching to see how her mother responded, she had given permission for them to leave as long as they were followed by a fellow companion, thought Carnage had not dared to leave the East while she was so young. " Why have i found some wolves roam alone? Don't we all need to stay with family to survive?" She would tilt her crown in wonder, how were wolves strong enough to live alone? She was so young and had much to learn, she has yet to learn to defend herself properly and the thought of being alone truly frightened her. " Will we ever encounter other packs? I have yet to see anyone as mighty as us!" "text text text"

Recluse would settle herself beside her daughter, listening carefully to the girl's questions and a light chuckle pulling from her lips. "There are pros and cons to both choices in life. A wolf by themselves does not have others to protect them, to help them recover from wounds and to help hunt. But you also do not open yourself up to the unpredictability of others and their objectives, cannot be betrayed if you are not depending on them." She glanced at her daughter, gently leaning into the girl. "That said there may be other reasons not to join a pack, in return for the protection of the group and your alpha, you are expected to pull your own weight, and other wolves may simply have no desire to work beyond the bare basics." The tone of her voice made it clear how she felt about that reasoning. "As for other packs, I have plans to expand our horizons, our neighbours don't seem eager to push their boundaries but when I feel we're soundly established we'll establish contact." Though her daughter's question about their might did spark her interest. "It is probably time I take you, your siblings and cousins to visit the main body of the empire, though we may be but a small branch of the dynasty with the backing of my cousin, the empress, we have the support of many." speech think action

Carnage watched and listened to her mother eagerly, wanting to know and learn as much as possible. While all the children were unique and chaotic in their own ways, the babe decided it was time to atleast learn a little bit about the ways of life and politics. All is well wanting to make trouble but what were the consequences of their actions and the pack? Carnage would embrace her mother as she leaned in, taking in her scent. The children had began to move out into their own dens and while she loved the freedom it could sometimes get lonely. She listened carefully to her mother, trying to take it all in. Would Carnage ever find herself wondering alone? It didn't really make much sense to her. "Well, it sounds kinda lonely... have you ever been alone?" she would tilt her head, she had always assumed her mother had always been on top... a Queen. Perhaps one day the placid babe would pave her own way. She would hear the tone in her mothers voice as she talked of others doing the bare minimum and as the children grew older she wondered what responsibilities would fall upon them The yearling would perk up with interest as her mother talked of expanding, that surely meant they were growing bigger and stronger? A smile would flirt upon her ebony lips at the thought of her mother taking them all on an adventure and to eventually see the other packs that lurked close by. Her rugged tail would flick eagerly against her heels and her ebony lips would depart once more "I would love that!" she would stop there, not wanting to push it, though Carnage would keep tabs that their were kingdoms out there that were allies and not all strangers were a threat and to be disposed off.

Recluse was admittedly taken a little aback by her daughter's question, the albino woman sighed, turning her gaze out onto the world before them before nodding. "Twice in my life." She said, there was a weariness to her voice. It was not a time she wanted to think about but she would not hide her struggle from her children, they deserved to know that their mother was not infallible, that hardship wasn't something to shy away from, without it she'd not be who she was now. "Once when I was younger than you are now, my parents left, my father had lost a challenge and in his shame abandoned his family, my mother took my brother and my sister disappeared. I was too young. Though it is not something I am proud of I was taken by a man I loath, though he likely saved my life. Then, later on, my bastard of a father resurfaced and came to get me, when I was around a year old. And he then abandoned me again. For a time I wandered without him before finding my way back into the fold of the empire." She looked at her daughter then, her gaze softening. "It was lonely, but it did help me to realize my own strength. It also taught me that I never wanted those things for my own children." It was maybe a bit more vulnerable than her daughter might be used to. But she loved her children, they were the accomplishment she was most proud of, and that she had done everything in her power to break the cycle of abandonment that seemed to plague her family. Yes, they did not have their father in their life but that was not a concern for her, she'd been raised without either parent, a single one devoted to them and for them was the best thing she could do for them. speech think action

She would patiently watch her mother, waiting for her to respond to her question. It was not often they had spare time together, and while she was queen, she wondered what it took for her to get there. Did she struggle? was she trained to become or leader? The Klein children were born with an advantage, though Carnage was not foolish enough to believe that Recluse would just give them the power that she claimed, they would need to work for it if the desired. As her mother would talk about her story, the babe was suprised to hear that she did not have the best of starts like she assumed she would have. She had brothers and sisters too? that weren't here? Carnage found it hard to believe that her siblings would be separated or choose to vanish"I guess we got lucky with you then" she would murmur, before leaning in to embrace her mother. Before she spoke further, Carnage would bite her tongue, not knowing whether to ask about their father, her mind raced with questions, though she couldn't help but ask. "We are all a year old... do... do you think our father will come and find us?" she wondered what he was like, was he a warrior? cunning? little did she know that he was far away with a long lost brother.