Now that their little bundle of living fire was able to be without her for a couple of hours at least, she left their baby girl in the very capable paws of Alastor so that she could get out of the den for a bit and stretch her legs. Being pent up inside for a while with nothing to do but think and care for a little newborn left her plenty of time to consider the pack and the wolves in it. Aslatiel and her little family had joined a very short time before Fia was born so she hadn't had the chance to really get to know the little fighter and it had her curious. It was something that was on her mind as she left the caves and decided to go looking for the woman in question so she could have her curiosity satisfied.

She followed the mountain path down to the valley around the island's large lake and started searching for one of their newest members, finding her scent fairly easily and following it until she spotted the tan and white woman. That was one of the benefits of living on an island. As long as the one she was looking for was on the island it was always pretty easy to find them. "Aslatiel," she greeted warmly as she approached the other woman, offering her a small smile. "How are you? I never had a chance to check on how you and your family were settling in before my daughter was born." As a mother she was sure Aslatiel would understand how having a litter could derail some plans and put things to the side for a time.

"Manea Mendacium"

Asla enjoyed work. She liked keeping busy, not only did it keep her mind healthy, but it kept the small woman's body lean and strong. She was no longer a Reaper and thus didn't fight often unless it was a predator or prey, but she still worked to keep her body in optimum shape. As such, she had just finished up a patrol of the main island when the form of the giant purple woman came into view. The fawn and grey fae offered the larger woman a smile as she drew in closer.

"Manea," she offered in turn as the woman greeted her. With a pull of her head, she suggested that they find some place comfortable to rest so that they could speak. The woman's words were met with a soft chuckle. "I understand. No worries," she assured her. "I'm used to doing things on my own, so settling in and finding things wasn't an issue." Asla soon found a patch of nice, lush grass and seated herself upon it with a sigh. It had been a long, fast run and she was glad to be off of her paws for a moment.

"And how is your daughter?" Tall, grey ears slid forward with interest. Whoever would have thought that she of all wolves would be interested to hear about babies? "Doing well, I hope." Manea seemed to be doing well. Had the pup not been healthy, she doubted the fae would be in such good spirits.

"Aslatiel"

Manea followed easily as Aslatiel led them to a place to rest and chat and nodded in understanding at the mention of doing things on her own. "I can certainly appreciate being self sufficient." She had been on her own for a while and had been the breadwinner of sorts for her family at least until she met Alastor. Things had changed slightly once she bound herself to him and they started growing their family, but all the same she was still more than happy to fend for herself when need be. Manea settled appreciatively into the plush grass with Aslatiel, stretching out comfortably with a soft sigh. She knew well from birthing their first litter that she would have to take it easy for at least a little while, as much as she didn't want to, so she was secretly glad that Asla was willing to sit for their chat.

Manea grinned when asked about the newest addition to her family, always more than happy and proud to talk about her children. "She's doing very well. She's already a feisty little thing so I'm excited to see what kind of spitfire she becomes." Avacyn and Saracyn were so different in their personalities and it seemed that Fiametta was going to be different from either of them as well. She loved seeing how they grew and evolved and it had quickly become one of her favorite things about being a mother. She gave Aslatiel a look of interest as she asked, "How are your children? They're quite beautiful. They're... a year old? Year and a half?" she guessed, trying to assess from what she had seen of them so far. Her son in particular was quite a handsome young man with an impressive mane and sabers. Asla certainly had plenty to be proud of as well.

"Manea Mendacium"

Manea followed and soon both women were resting on the thick grass. Asla slid down to lay on her stomach, paws curling against her chest like a cat. Her pads throbbed a little, but they would be fine with a bit of rest. Manea commented on Asla being self sufficient and the smaller fae nodded. She didn't think it would be too surprising. Manea seemed to be a confident woman able to hold her own. She would have to be in order to run her own pack.

Conversation shifted to their children and both women seemed to light up. Manea spoke of her daughter and how she was doing well. Asla laughed softly as she imagined the little spitfire of a pup. Her own children were asked after and the proud mother beamed. "They'll be two in summer. I've made things a little difficult for them and my son in particular has gone through some pretty extreme hardship." The fawn fae gave a little sigh and a shake of head. "I took them away from my familial pack so that we could travel the world and I could teach them how to live on their own, but I wonder if it's been too much for them." Both Arc and Tira had shown emotional issues. She hoped that they were getting past all that, but only time would tell.

"Is your daughter your only child?" Asla tilted her head just a bit. She was possibly leading into discussing her own future pregnancy, but was still feeling the purple fae out before she offered up such sensitive information about her relationship with Indigo.

"Aslatiel"

Manea smiled while Asla spoke of her children and the journey she had taken them on with leaving their family's pack in order to travel and learn from the world. She could certainly sympathize with the feeling of wondering if their choices had been too much for their children. She had been worried about that as well with having to up root her children's lives to travel across Boreas and Auster to connect with packs and begin piecing together their pack. "I hope that the time here in my pack can give all of you a moment of stability to regroup and let your children grow in new ways," she told Asla genuinely. Avacyn and Saracyn had both been happy to come back home to the island and seemed to be doing well with the structure of the pack to lean on. It let them focus on their training and occasionally just on being children without having to worry about things like food and shelter like she did at their age which she was very happy for.

She gave a small shake of her head when Aslatiel asked about Fia being her only child. "No, this was my second litter. I have two others from my first—twins, Avacyn and Saracyn. Fiametta makes three... Though I do hope to continue adding to my family for as long as I am able." Being able to bear children was a significant point of pride for most Mendacium wolves, especially the women, and she was throughly thankful that so far her and Alastor had been very blessed in that regard. She turned the attention back to Aslatiel again, asking, "The man that is with you... Indigo, wasn't it? Is he your partner? Or family?" She would have asked if she was hoping to have more children as well, but she wasn't even certain that she had a partner or mate to father them. Although, she knew not all ways of life or traditions were as restrictive as her own, it didn't really seem like her children took after the large, purple man so it certainly had her curious.

"Manea Mendacium"

Manea's kind words were met with a nod. Asla truly appreciated those words for she also hoped the same. Staying within Elysium would give her and her children some much needed time together before they could go off on their own. By no means would she force Arc and Satira away from her when they reached two, but it was the general age for pups to leave the nest. If they wanted to stay with her forever, Asla wouldn't complain one bit. If they did choose to leave though, then these last few seasons were precious.

Two more children, said the purple woman and she gave the names of her older pups. "Hopefully I get to meet them all at some point,"the scarred fae said with a grin. She wondered if the woman's pups would be as brightly colored as their mother or as darkly colored as their father. You never could tell. Pups were a surprise. With Arc and Tira, both had looked like their fathers. There was no guessing who they were, it was terribly obvious. She'd seen some litters where the pups weren't very reminiscent of their parents, however.

Manea asked about Indigo. Ah, here it was. Partner or family, she asked. Galactic eyes met blue and Aslatiel spoke honestly, "Both." This would test the woman's character. She had agreed to help protect the woman's pack while she was pregnant and while she was recovering, but Manea could displace her and her family at any point. "Indigo and I are from the same litter. We were born clutching one another and loved one another instantly. Our love was forbidden, threats were made. Indigo left." The fawn and grey fae lifted a paw, waving it through the air and shaking her head. "I tried, gave my pack the required children, protected and held the pack together while the alpha wasn't able, and was completely looked over when the golden child, my other brother, returned. So away we went." Looking back to the purple woman, Asla shrugged lightly. "We reconnected and here we are. We won't be parted again."

"Aslatiel"

Manea could have seen the answer going either way, but what she hadn't been expecting was what Asla actually revealed to be the truth. Indigo was both her partner and her brother. Manea's brows lifted and showed her surprise, but she held any real response while Aslatiel continued to speak and explain their situation. Star crossed lovers that were shunned by their family, forcing Indigo away while she stayed behind to have the children she had seemingly been expected to have and held up the pack when it needed her. She frowned at the the fact that her love for her brother had caused her so much detriment within their family that she would have been treated unfairly and preference given to one of her other brothers because of it when it sounded like she had given her all for them. Of course, she kept in mind that this was only one half of the story, but she also knew what it was like to have her way of life and how she wanted to live criticized and shamed. Not everyone was understanding or even indifferent once they found out the Mendacium ways of doing things and she had encountered more than a few that shamed her for it in her time.

She hummed softly as Asla mentioned how they were here now and that they wouldn't be separated again, giving her a nod of understanding. "Its unfortunate that your family couldn't be more supportive of you when it seems like you did nothing but support them," she replied, her paws crossing one over the other as she considered everything. Sleeping with ones family wasn't exactly unheard of within her family, though it was typically the women that partook in one another than anything. Even she and Maverick had fooled around a bit here and there when she was younger before she and her siblings split apart. "How you and your brother live your lives is your business as far as I'm concerned. I certainly won't put up a fuss about it." She paused for a moment, their conversation about their children making her wonder, "Is... Indigo the father of your children?" Neither of the young adults showed the man's violet coloring, but it did seem like the boy at least showed some of the same traits in the saber teeth an mane. The girl took enough from Aslatiel that that she could believe her other traits just came from other parts of their blood lines. It was always hard to tell with genetics.

"Manea Mendacium"

The purple woman took Asla's answer better than she had expected. Only the raise of brows showed an inkling of surprise, which was a normal reaction to such an admission. As Asla finished her story, she waited for Manea to absorb it all and eventually the woman spoke. It was Aslatiel's turn to raise her brows in surprise. The words and sentiment behind them were pleasing. Manea continued, stating that she basically didn't care and wouldn't put up a fuss about it. Asla laughed softly and grinned. "Appreciated."

Manea then asked if Indigo was the father to her children and the fawn fae shook her head in the negative. "No," she answered. "Two separate fathers, same litter. Satira's father is mostly absent but he sometimes tries and Arcturus' father was killed." Asla had tried her best to be both mother and father to the boy in his father's absence. Having Indigo here now made things a little easier. Arc would at least have a manly example around to possibly emulate and learn from.

One grey ear flicked absently before Asla continued. "I do plan to make Indigo a father eventually. There's nothing more than he wants in life and fatherhood was stolen from him." She wouldn't go into that story as it was not her tale to tell. "Hopefully after Arc and Tira turn two." It would give them all enough time to choose their paths and settle into them.

"Aslatiel"

Aslatiel revealed the truth of the fathers for her children and Manea's expression darkened with sympathy as the absence of one and the death of another was shared. "My condolences... on both accounts." The finality of death was extremely difficult, especially when a lover or mate was involved, but sometimes the lack of effort or attention from one could be even worse. Being a parent was deeply rewarding, but it was also just as difficult and while she fully believed she could have survived it without Alastor's help or input she was always grateful for the fact that she was such a wonderful father. She hadn't really known her father since he was killed not long after she was born, but her mother also hadn't been much of a mother. It seemed that at least Aslatiel was a strong enough woman to fill the roles the children needed from her.

Her gaze had drifted off as she got lost in thought, but when Aslatiel spoke again it brought her gaze back to the tawny woman and the admission she was given took her by surprise yet again. Asla's intention to make Indigo a father made her pause with a bit of a frown. Sleeping with the man and loving him was one thing, but having children with him was another. But even still... She could respect so much about the smaller woman across from her and she had to simply continue to remind herself that she wasn't here to dictate the actions of the wolves in her pack—if they continued to be a part of her pack at all whenever Asla decided to try and make this eventuality happen for her and Indigo. They had never really discussed how long their stay in Elysium would be and Manea was fine with leaving it open ended for them.

She didn't respond right away and when she did it was a bit more careful and measured than she had been previously. "My family... We have a set of rules that we have been following for more generations than we can really count. Some of them are more unsavory than others and some rules are more flexible than others, but one that is a fairly hard and fast rule is that the wolf that you choose to have children with is never to be your sibling. I don't say this to you out of any ill will toward you and Indigo. My morals are far from pure and I am never one to criticize someone's choices, but... there is a reason that rule exists." She sighed softly and gave a small shrug as she added, "But I can understand the desire to make the one you love a father if that is something you both desire. As long as you are both comfortable with whatever might come for your children then you'll hear nothing else about it from me."

"Manea Mendacium"

Condolences were offered and it took the small woman a moment to respond. Memories of Naiche flashed through her mind, both good and bad. She remembered Mojito, happy and smiling. None of that existed anymore. Life had wronged them both. "Thank you," she responded in time, but said no more on the matter. Talking about it wouldn't change the situation, so why bother? She'd been the one to kill Naiche in the end and she'd also been the one to leave the pack and take Mo's child with her. She was the villain.

After revealing that she would make Indigo a father in time, the purple woman offered up her words of wisdom. Asla nodded, closed her eyes and raised one paw to knead her brow. Reminiscent of her father's words, Manea asked that she be careful with her decision as children between siblings weren't always... well. "I am aware of the risks," Asla began slowly. "They've been hammered into my head from the very first time that our father found us kissing." What a lovely time that had been. "As I've traveled, I've picked up information here and there. Complications aren't as common as I was led to believe." There was resolve in the woman's gaze as she looked back to the purple fae. "Just one child to fulfill his lifelong dream. If there's anything wrong with it, I'll take care of myself." Indigo might not be pleased, but even he should see the humanity in ending the life of a pup that would never lead a decent life.

"Enough of that," Asla gave her head a shake again. "Tell me more about this pack that I'm protecting." Due to Manea's pregnancy, little information had been exchanged, not that she minded. Whatever type of pack this was, she'd offered her services and she would continue those services so long as they didn't affect her family. "I haven't had any issues so far, though I haven't met many other wolves."

"Aslatiel"

Aslatiel continued to surprise and impress her the longer they spoke. Most wolves shuddered at the idea of having to kill innocent pups for any reason, but as Asla explained her reasoning and assured her that she would take care of any that had the serious complications they had both been warned of. With her own birth and the culling of her own children so fresh on her mind it did bring a brief bit of sadness over her features before she could return to the mostly neutral expression she had been wearing as she replied quietly, “That is a… harder task than you might lead yourself to believe… especially if they are from someone you truly love. But you seem to be a very strong and resolute woman. I have no doubt that you can follow through if need be.” She paused with a moment of thought before she looked at Asla and added, “If the time comes and you need help… just let me know.” It wasn’t uncommon for other members of her family to complete the culling for others that couldn’t stomach it so she didn’t mind offering the same to Asla if she wished it.

Asla seemed eager to move the topic on to something else and Manea wasn’t displeased to do so. It was a difficult and heavy conversation to be having with someone that she had just met, but she was enjoying their conversation none of the less. Aslatiel asked about the pack and what it was like and Manea smiled softly as she spoke about the pack which felt more like her fourth child with how much effort she had put in to bring it to life. “Elysium was primarily built as a place for my family, the Mendacium’s, to be able to live our lives true to our customs without having to worry about the criticism and ridicule of others. I only wanted somewhere to keep my family safe. Since then… I’ve gathered far more wolves from all walks of life than I had expected so it’s evolved a bit to just being a safe haven for those that my husband and I care for. He and I both have a tendency to take others under our wing so while my pack is no longer just family it does feel as though it still is.”

"Manea Mendacium"

Manea spoke of how difficult it was to kill pups and Asla was intrigued, but didn't want to pry. Instead, the smaller woman spoke again. "I would see it as mercy and I'm very familiar with granting mercy." She had done so for Naiche. That act stayed with her and it had bothered her deeply for quite some time, but these days she'd somewhat come to terms with it. Killing a damaged pup to save it from living a horrible life? She could do it. No doubt. Still, when Manea offered help if need be, Aslatiel nodded her head gratefully.

Neither woman was upset about the shift in topic and Asla listened as the basis of Elysium was explained. Manea felt like the familial sort, so the pack having started as a safe haven for family made sense. As time went on, she and her husband collecting wayward souls and they soon became like family as well. Again Asla nodded. "It seems like it's fairly natural to want to protect those that can't protect themselves." She thought of Ocean and Chrystelle and hoped that the pair were doing well on their journey together. Indigo had done the same, collecting wolves that were broken and lost.

"If there are any tasks in particular that you'd like Indigo and myself to handle, just let us know. We've been patrolling both territories regularly. He's a skilled healer, I'm a skilled hunter, and we're both skilled fighters." You had to be when you were her size. Though small, Asla could hold her own against damn near any foe. She didn't want to brag about her conquests, however, so she simply left it at that.

"Aslatiel"

Manea nodded in agreement as Aslatiel voiced her support of protecting those that couldn't protect themselves. She of course always had the intention to only protect these wolves until they were able to get on their own feet and protect themselves, but in the end she knew that if any of the wolves she had taken in ever needed her she would be there in a heartbeat. Either way, she had created this place for her family and these wolves that she now considered family and she would do whatever it took to maintain it for them. If it wasn't for them she likely would have simply gone back to traveling with Alastor and doing much of what it sounded like Aslatiel had intended to do with her children.

Manea hummed softly as Asla brought up the option of having them focus on specific tasks and listing off the skill sets of her and Indigo. "The patrols are most certainly appreciated," she agreed easily with a small nod. "We do have a significant lack of healers here. I have a handmaiden in my employ that so far has been our only healer so if Indigo could assist Irilyth with prepping our herb garden for spring that would be a great help. We'll likely need help with hunts as we go into winter as well, though we have far more hunters in our ranks than we do healers." Her ear flicked as she considered the fact that they had many hunters and fighters, but only a small few of them were very skilled and practiced at it. "Those things are more than enough to earn my thanks. I simply appreciate you both lending your talents to our pack, even if it's just for a time." She gave Asla a curious look and added, "Do you know how long you might be staying with us? It's fine if you don't or if your estimate changes, I'm only curious."

"Manea Mendacium"

Asla listened as Manea laid out things that she and Indigo might help with. She would make a note to ask her brother to help with laying out a garden with Elysium's healer. In the meantime, she could help with hunting and filling the stores for winter. Manea thanked her for aiding them and Aslatiel nodded. "Of course. My children are at an age where they're learning who they are. Learning that the world isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Having a place to stay for the winter will hopefully give them a less stressful environment in which to sort themselves out." At least she hoped so.

The purple fae then asked how long they planned on staying. "I figure we'll head out in the spring. See if any other packs could use our services. Arc and Tira will soon go their own ways." The woman shrugged. "Indigo and I will most likely just travel." They would have to settle down for a time if she happened to fall pregnant, but she had recovered quickly last time so she assumed that the same could be said the next time.

"Aslatiel"