Since the disbandment of Tortuga under her reign, the ice queen had neglected the children she sought to craft competent militants out of, failing to inform them of the thoughts and desires that warped her diseased mind or to sate their dire need for guidance when only darkness and utter confusion were tangible. Time had slipped from the wraith?s grasp and months had been wasted away allowing her babes to linger where they pleased and encounter whom they desired while she spent her days dwelling in the hellfire of her own mind, succumbing to the onslaught of vehement thoughts that raged through her brain as anxiety, fury, and a twinge of doubt in her own capabilities consumed her, morphing the once-passionate fiend into the pitiful shell of her former self. She was vacant on the interior and had lacked evident purpose until she had birthed her first litter, the same purpose withering away as depression ensnared her in its ruthless grasp, only to return once she had come to terms with the knowledge of her second pregnancy. Once more, the viper would be forced to fill the role of an ardent mentor, so willing to disregard her own state in order to fulfill the needs of her children to provide them with the most appealing lifestyle, but she urged to be that to more than just the hellions developing within her fruitful womb. Those that had vacated the premises of her interior almost an entire year beforehand deserved a mother they could depend on and a family to retain loyalty to, and the ex-sovereign would commit to ensuring this possibility with every fiber in her decaying being. Metallic eyes shone with a stunning determination as she traipsed along the slick and weathered surface of the boulders that served as a runway to the warmth of the grainy sand, taking extreme care in her strides as her toes splayed to secure her balance and her dulled nails clipped against the rugged rock while she maneuvered, fearing that the slightest injury would cease the existence of those that grew within her before their lungs had the opportunity to expand with their first intake of oxygen. It was a definite concept that, in due time, she would once again litter the earth with her own creations, the probability only confirmed as her abdomen began to take the distended shape of her spawn as they further evolved and pressured her womb. The endeavor of childbirth had not been initially planned by the phantom when she had proceeded on with the wanton rendezvous with Lucifer?s hellion, but now that it had been sealed in her fate, the woman had accepted and found herself anticipating the moment, hopeful that she would receive the support from both the father and those that shared the blood that coursed through her steel veins. They, however, were not aware of the current circumstances unlike the father that would, indeed, play a key role in raising them so long as Morphine was around to threaten his health, but the ice queen would be damned if they denied their future half-siblings the attention and praise they would deserve, all she needed to do was inform them. As her digits graced the grainy texture of the sand, the viper?s pace quickened as she approached the shoreline of the beach, mercury depths scouring the entirety of the deserted landscape as she familiarized herself with her surroundings. Recognition was evident and the babe barely recalled having ventured here early on in her first pregnancy when she had encountered the Ludicael woman, ironically making her presence here once more in the same stage of her second and hopefully final pregnancy. Contentment loomed over the ice queen as she planted her rump to the earth, allowing the tips of her paws to rest at the water?s edge while it lapped and soaked her toes, lids sheathing her eyes as her focus shifted from the thoughts that lurked in her mind to the soothing sound of crashing waves, a soft expression caressing her countenance. For a few moments, the wench remained like this before her skull tilted back almost instinctively, a decision breached to meet with one of her spawn she desired a better relationship with, a soprano howl cascading from her unhinged jaws in beckon for her son: Ares. Although she hadn?t met with him in a while, the babe was certain he would abide to her summon; if not, she would personally seek him out.

He was growing, that was a fact that could not be contested. He had almost reached his full height, though it was still incredibly obvious that he was not full grown. He hated it too, no one would look at him with the proper respect he deserved, though recently he wasn't sure anyone should respect him. After the fall of his mother everything seemed to change. No one would give him a second look. It didn't help that his sister had proved herself stronger than he, so now what seemed to be left was quite the broken shell. The only one to have seen it though was Devya. He did his best to hide the broken pieces to withhold all of the turmoil that threatened to burst from within him. Devya had seen it disappear, she had chased the bad feelings as far as he wanted them to go, and yet he felt so wrong when he thought of her. Everything his mother had done programmed him to feel opposite of how he did with her. She was his forbidden fruit, and to see her was to be in disobedience of his mother. But did she still deserve the devotion he once had given her? She had failed him as well as herself when she had lost their home. Failure was not an option to Ares. He found his paws tracing their steps to where unconsciously he would find Morphine. Her call had alerted him to her demanding presence. She wished to speak to him, after all the time she had spent in her own world she wished conference with the boy. She had left him alone and with out comfort, he could already feel his heart straying from her domain. Was she still worthy of his worship? Or was it time to move on and decide his own fate? Pale form would find itself twenty yards from his mother, his lavender gaze taking in her broken form. She seemed more at peace sitting by the water than he had ever saw her before. What would she have in store for him? He would slowly bridge the gap between them, his movement unsure as he found himself sitting next to her own bleached form. Hello, mother. the words were emotionless as he greeted the she wolf who birthed him. Speech,

Waves crashed upon the shoreline, drowning her toes in foamy seawater and forcing the background noises of her first-born son?s approach to become inaudible to the placid ice queen as she sat perched, so composed before the vast ocean. It was not until baritone vocalizations breached the calm atmosphere surrounding the woman that her regal stance faltered, muzzle tipping to the right as she peered over her shoulder and tail coiling about her haunches as her pupils consumed the enlarged form of a pale brute, brows furrowing upon her forehead as she scrutinized the entirety of his physique. At the conclusion of her prolonged examination, the trace of a faint smile manifested upon her relaxed countenance, recognition striking her as her mercury gaze greeted his lavender. Not a word of welcoming or motion of acknowledgement was carried out even as he addressed her, muzzle pointing back towards the sea as the adolescent narrowed the gap between them. Silence befell the duo as mother and child reunited, gaze refusing to stray from its fixated position, allowing the male to settle adjacent to her while she observed him through her peripherals. A multitude of thoughts rushed to greet the wraith, but she dared not verbalize the curiosities that raged on beneath her stoic exterior, choosing instead to maintain the quiet as she indirectly watched him, waiting. It was a pointless endeavor for it had been she who had initiated the reunion and she that was apt to mend the frayed relationship between them, a sigh parting her velveteen lips as she accepted her duty in shattering the silent tension that had enveloped them, attempting to gather her thoughts so as to earn the trust she presumed had been lost as a result of her failure. She was, however, oblivious to the fact that her son?s loyalty towards her was wavering and borderline nonexistent, failing to recognize the feminine scent that lingered upon his pallid flesh and, in turn, retaining her pleasant demeanor. ?No longer are you the child who pranced so proudly about Mount Volkan,? she informed the adolescent pointedly, skull turning towards him as she attempted to interlock her gaze with his, emotions failing to stain her visage although a sense of remorse gurgled within her. ?You are much larger ? much more impressive.? The fact was something he didn?t need confirmation on, his apex already towering high above her petite twenty-eight inches, his musculature more defined than that which rippled beneath her taut flesh. It appeased her to see how her children were so much more capable than she, evidently competent in the field of battle as she intended for them to be. ?And I?? she hesitated, tearing her pupils away from his own as her gaze sought sanctuary in the depths of the open sea, ??Much older.? A soft and brief chuckle cascaded from her lips, dissipating almost as swiftly as it had surfaced as sorrow fought to control her.

.ooc. Is she visibly pregnant yet? They would sit silently in each other's company. Morphine made no move to explain herself as he would not initiate the meeting. He knew not why she had called for him, though he was her spawn and she had every right to his presence. ?No longer are you the child who pranced so proudly about Mount Volkan, You are much larger ? much more impressive.? Both statements were completely true. Once he had thought himself invincible, but his mother's giant failure had ended that. He would no longer boast his eliteness, his egotistical stance no longer present in his enlarged frame. He was a sight to behold alternately, his thickly furred foam colored coat draped over inches of defined muscle. But her. It seemed she was beginning to lose the luster he once saw in her. She was a bit older than she had been when she birthed him, though every bit as impressive still. The toll had been taken though, the loss of her pack was quite evident in her facial features. No one grows younger over time. He would comment at the discussion of her age. But I am certainly more impressive now. He didn't know what else to say to her. Could he voice how disappointed he was in her? How desperately he wished that she was there for him, to train him and to actually care for him. But he couldn't. She could never know that he doubted her. Speech,