>Aylie<

Grey stuff. There was grey stuff everywhere and had been for awhile now. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she took turns walking and scampering through it. She didn't know what it was called but she didn't like it at all. It clung to her paws, her ears, her tail her fur even her underbelly. It was all the same thickness too almost her being a puppy and closer to the ground than most. She paused her adventuring a moment to give her coat a shake to try and free it of some of the annoying grey matter that clung so stubbornly to it but her efforts were largely unsuccessful only dislodging enough of the stuff to make her eyes water and cause her to start coughing and sneezing which in turn stirred up even more floating grey matter.

"Stupid grey stuff" she grumbled in between coughs and sneezes as she tried to walk away from the swirling cloud of ash only to have it follow her instead. She let out an annoyed huff as her stomach also began grumbling and protesting its emptiness quite loudly. "I wish I knew how to hunt..." she mumbled to herself her eyes narrowed crossly, "Then I wouldn't be hungry". She glanced anxiously around through watery eyes. She knew this was a packs territory and that, even though she was only a few yards inside the border, she shouldn't be here. "Not without permission anyway" she muttered to herself glancing furtively back and forth for any signs of patrols. She didn't think they would hurt her seeing as how she was a puppy but then she couldn't be totally sure, she hoped they wouldn't though, she was only a hungry, lost puppy after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Gamma Storm<

Ash ash ash. As far as the eyes can see. The blue toned male paused to cough, spitting up a gob of goop onto the ash covered forest floor. He grimaced and shook his coat, the bright yellow lightning marks now covered in muck. For once he was almost able to completely blend into the background! Then he continued walking, his usual scowl fixed on his face. He was a father. Again. But this time round it felt more real. And it was only his patrol of the borders that could get him away from the noisy, stinky little being that had invaded his den! Not that he dared voice these sentiments around his mate... not without getting his nuts handed back to him in a bag! His little miracle pup... geez it's as if he could still smell him but his den was miles away...

Wait a second...

Abruptly he stopped and sniffed the air - no he wasn't imagining it. A wolf was near the borders, and it was a puppy! Oh darn and blast it... he HATED pups. Couldn't stand the things! Swiftly he made his way towards the smell and soon enough saw where it originated from: a lone brownish pup looking nervously around her. What the hell was she doing across the borders? Where was her mother! she looked way too young to be left alone!

Bursting from his bushy hiding place, he bore down on the fluffy, ash covered little form. His scowl ferocious and his pale green eyes sparking with anger. Lifting his tail in full Gamma mode, he growled at the little one:

"Hey - what the hell are you doing inside the borders?! Where's your parents!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Aylie<

Fwoosh! Fwoom! She jumped back startled eyes wide with fear and surprise. She thought she had been paying attention but clearly she hadn't been good enough as this massive wolf was clearly here and, also just as clearly, pissed. His tail was held quite high though not fully so and he was growling at her and asking her about why she was there. Well she kind of expected the growling, questioning and the posturing but there was something else that she didn't expect and that was the language he was using. Now she hadn't spent much time with her parents but she still knew that that language was rude and inappropriate, at least that was how she had been taught.

She scowled and took a trembly step forwards, "You have a dirty mouth, you're bad" she said getting over her fear of him just long enough to say it before shrinking back again. Then with a reproachful look added to her first statement. "And I don't know where they are but I'm hungry and have been for days which is how long they've been gone". She gave an indignant snort and tacked on to that. "I'm thirsty to, this grey stuff everywhere makes my throat and eyes burn". She sat down with a thump creating a small cloud to rush up all around her which immediately sent her into a coughing fit which made her whole body tremble and the force of which caused her gasp and wheeze. Despite the fact that she could barely breath didn't mean she wasn't listening for a reply from the bad mouthed meanie, she wanted to get away from all the icky stuff so she had her small ears pricked in his direction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Gamma Storm<

Though trembling with fear, the pup nevertheless took a step forward and called him bad, telling him he had a dirty mouth! He was dumbstruck with surprise - usually his approach had the offender cowering in fear and near wetting herself, not this one! He was suddenly rather forcibly reminded of Tank - when he was a pup, he'd been just as fearless of the Gamma's grumpiness and akward behaviour around pups.

"I"m the Gamma, I'm allowed to have a dirty mouth." he grumbled at her, narrowing his eyes a little at her impertinance but easing off on the aggressive body language. Then he sighed irritably, coughing a bit at the end. Wonderfull. This waif has just lost her parents. Great. The kid sat down suddenly, poofing up a lot of ash which caused the two of them to hack and sneeze. His throat burning, his raspy voice sounding like a blunt cheesegrater, Storm grated:

"Don't make such sudden moves!" then when he could breathe a little easier, he said: "Sorry, kid - this stuff is all over the place, and I don't know when, or if, it'll ever go away." For a moment he looked at her,  a curious, slightly nervous and revolted look on his face. He didn't quite know how to act around pups, so he was usually gruff, blunt and grumpy. His deepest fear is that kid might want to touch him - like EW! However he couldn't deny she was brave, and he liked that...

"So...uh...what's your name, kid? I'm called Gamma Storm."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Aylie<

When she had first spoken he had replied that he was the Gamma, whatever that was and allowed to talk like that. She didn't agree. He didn't sound to pleased about her saying that but he did drop the intimidation tactics so that was good and she thought maybe he would be nicer. But now that she was coughing her head off and him as well thanks to her she began having second thoughts especially when he scolded her for it telling her not to make sudden moves. She simply folded her ears back and ducked her head in reply as it was all she could do while coughing. She was still having difficulty breathing as his coughing started to ease up being as how he was higher above the ground which meant it wouldn't take as long for it to clear enough for him to breath as it would her as she was shorter and therefore lower to the ground and the ash but still she heard him regardless as he apologized and said he didn't know when or if it would go away at all. Not only that but apparently the stuff was everywhere as well. She had begun to breathe a bit easier herself now though as the grey flecks that had been swirling around her had slowly settled back to the ground and so gave a slight huff in annoyance as she looked around glaring at the ash with a scowl. She disliked it even more now than she had before, before the Gamma had said what he did she decided.

She quickly refocused her gaze on the wolf however and noticed that he looked curios? And nervous? She tilted her head sideways and at a downwards angle in a both confused and disapproving manner. He was an adult and adults weren't supposed to be curios they were supposed to know everything and they weren't supposed to be nervous either but be completely fearless so her father had always told her. So she decided to inform him of this since he clearly wasn't aware of it. "You look curious and nervous, you aren't supposed to, grown-ups aren't supposed to be curios or nervous, they're supposed to know everything and be fearless. I know because my daddy told me so and hes very smart". She finished looking pleased with herself for remembering this very important fact. Of course right before she had informed him of this he had asked her name so she figured she had better answer. "I'm Ayliyra, Gamma Storm sir". She said introducing herself with a polite, respectful nod of her head. "Pleased to meet you". Another dip of her head and then she merely sat waiting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Gamma Storm<

"You look curious and nervous, you aren't supposed to, grown-ups aren't supposed to be curios or nervous, they're supposed to know everything and be fearless. I know because my daddy told me so and he?s very smart".

?And pups aren?t supposed to mouth off to their betters!? he snapped, his pale green orbs glittering dangerously and his paw twitching, he had to fight the urge not to give her a cuff around the ears. This kid had one HUGE mouth and lacked manners. He didn?t voice the opinion that her father was surely an egotistical machismo for saying such things?after all who was he to badmouth her dead parents? And she?ll find out soon enough what it means to be grownup. Yet he couldn?t shake the feeling that he liked this kid, sort of reminded him of himself, though he?d had better manners when he was her age!

When she introduced herself, adding a polite sir and dipping her head respectfully, he snorted and the corners of his lips turned upwards in a slight smile. Good grief what a mouthful of a name ? even worse than the name his mate had chosen for their son. Ah well, it was pretty enough, just a mouthful. But what to do about her? Sure he could accept her, but she was too young to be on her own. Ariath has disappeared, Heartbeat could?but Rio was already a bit too old?wait a bit?what about? But would she? Of course she would. AND this girl could help puppysit!

?Well, Ayliyra, you just got accepted into Nardir pack. I?d say welcome,? but here he grimaced and glared illtemperedly at the ash: ?but at the moment the ash doesn?t make this place as welcome as it used to be.? Then he scowled a little as he eyed her sceptically: ?Now you can?t go wandering about on your own, at least not till you?ve learned to hunt and learnt some manners, so I?m going to take you to someone special. Can you walk there or do you need me to carry you?? Please don?t make me carry you PLEASE don?t make me carry you! He only offered because he knew it was the right thing to do, but to have to touch a pup?yikes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Aylie<

She had flinched, but only just slightly, as he had snapped at her for mouthing off. She had frowned slightly but of course had gone ahead and introduced herself and had sat there waiting for his answer. The waiting however was over. She gave a small twitch of her tail which caused a small puff of a puff of ash to rise but not enough to cause any coughing or sneezing thankfully. She had been accepted. Her ears pricked forwards and she stood up and nodded. "Thank you. And thats not your fault it's like this outside to". She said first thanking him for accepting her and then agreeing with him about the what had he called it? Ash? So thats what it was. Well now she knew the name of this easily dislikable stuff. Ash. She wouldn't forget it either.

She then noticed him scowling at her right as he launched into giving her some rules. She couldn't go anywhere alone til she could hunt and learned manners? What? She knew perfectly well how to be polite she just wasn't to wolves who were rude. Why should she be? After all if they were going to be rude then surely it was alright for her to correct them. She thought so but she wasn't going to voice that out loud. No instead she merely nodded her head that she understood. Next to answer his question. "No, I can walk, I walked here after all" she said quite proudly. And waited for further instruction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Starfire<

Starfire felt nervous about going out of the den while Akutan was sleeping. Having her father, X, watch him was soothing but the new mother still didn't like having her son and surviving pup out of her sight. Her father had told it was normal for her to feel that way. Starfire didn't have a mother she could turn to for advice so she valued all the advice X gave her. After all, he fathered two litters, raised one of them, and was an expert at it. She was trying to find something to eat. If she didn't eat, neither would Akutan. He was depending on her and Storm to protect and care for him. That fact made Starfire happy. A little life depended on her. It felt nice to be needed.

She caught a whiff of Storm and some other scent and angled that way, after slight hesitation. Even with him in X's capable paws, Starfire hated leaving Akutan alone. She found her mate with a small pup at the border. Her head tilted in curiosity. The pup was a female and looked no older than two months. Why was she alone? Where were her parents? She was much too small to able to hunt and be on her own. "Who is this, Storm?" she asked, going down to meet them. She brought her head down to sniff at the little girl. She smelled like the black snow that covered the land but the scent underneath belonged to no pack Starfire knew about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Gamma Storm<

And speak of the devil - here she came! Storm had always wondered whether she had some strange instinct that always sent her his way when he needed her. He watched her sniff curiously at the kid and asking him who this was. It didn't bother him that she wasn't in their den, he knew that X would be watching their son and he felt that was good enough for him. He trusted X like he did no other wolf. And he also knew that Raka would be circling the den area at a respectfull distance, keeping a watchfull eye on things. That female was like a hawk, and sharing the milking duties of Ariath's litter had sent her own mothering instinct sky high.

"Well go on kid, introduce yourself." he told the youngster, a rather smug expression on his face. His pale green orbs twinkled at his mate with the grand idea he had. He hoped she would agree to his plan, but for once this was a plan she HAD to agree with. Storm wasn't about to let this kid loose on anyone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Aylie<

She thought they would be going somewhere but suddenly she could see another wolf, another adult of course, heading their way. It didn't take long for the adult femme to reach her and Gamma Storm standing there asking the other adult wolf who she was before bending her head down to sniff her. She frowned slightly at being talked about. She didn't like it but held her tongue, knowing it was wrong to speak when adults were talking, until Gamma Storm told her to speak and introduce herself while looking very smug about it.

She eyed him carefully a moment not knowing why he looked so smug but then launched into her introduction. "My name is Ayliyra ma'am." she said with a sharp nod and a snort. She then rushed on continuing pointing out something she had noticed. "You didn't call him sir, thats wrong. It's disrespectful to call another wolf the same as you without using ma'am or sir." She glared reproachfully at the femme. But then something occurred to her and tilting her head wonderingly added to that. "Unless..unless you know each other". She then glanced back at Gamma Storm and from him back to the femme trying to decide if they did or not and then decided to ask. "Do you know each other?" she asked curiously looking back and forth from one to the other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Starfire<

"My name is Ayliyra ma'am." the little she-pup said. Starfire had to smile. She was adorable. She wasn't the least bit surprised when the she-pup glared reproachfully at her. "You didn't call him sir, thats wrong. It's disrespectful to call another wolf the same as you without using ma'am or sir." she said. Her head then tilted as something occurred to her. "Unless..unless you know each other. Do you know each other?" she then asked. Starfire grinned, bringing her head up to look at Storm. "Great manners. I like this one, love. If she were grow up in the pack, she'd be a good addition to whatever rank she chooses to go for when she's older." she said before looking back down at her. "Indeed we do, Ayliyra. I may be a subordinate but that didn't stop us from becoming parents." she said.

Ayliyra was young but hopefully not so young that she didn't understand the meaning behind Starfire's words. Already the she-wolf was thinking that perhaps it wasn't too late for Akutan to have a sibling, even if that sibling were adopted. She already intended to tell her newborn son when he was older about his deceased sister and brothers. She wasn't going to keep him from the truth. It was his birthright, the only thing she could offer him other than her love and care. If Ayliyra decided to stay, Starfire would love to take her in and raise her like she would've Silverwing, Oberon, and Jakan. This she-pup was on her own with no one to care for her. Her parents were nowhere to be seen or scented. Best to assume she was an orphan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Gamma Storm<

And just like he knew she would, the kid jumped right in, asking questions just after introducing herself and taking Starfire on for not having the correct manners. He had to chuckle a little and at Starfire's tactfull comment he rolled his eyes - great way to test a kid's brain, honey. But Starfire had said she liked the kid, which only made his next move easier.

"Yeah, she's accepted in the pack, all she needs now is a family." he drawled, eyeing his mate with a wicked gleam in his eyes: "So I figured she could stay with us, and then Akutan won't be an only child."

There, that was his big news said, so he sat down and smiled smugly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Aylie<

The femme didn't seem to mind being told the rules like the male had. In fact she had smiled before raising her head back up to talk with the male. She pricked her ears forwards in delight when the femme actually complimented her manners. She was very proud of herself for this having never had to many opportunities before to practice. Then as she listened to the rest of what was said she realized that they sounded like her parents had. Her parents had told her once that they were mates when she had asked them and so wondered if thats what these two were.

The femme looked back down at her and confirmed that they did know each other but as far as them being mates she wasn't sure and so ventured a guess. "You're mates?". The question was simple and to the point there were no frills or ruffles to it. Gamma Storm was speaking now and she could scarcely believe it. He was saying she could stay with them! Or was he asking her if she could? Either way it did confirm that they were mates. Exactly what all that meant she didn't know but at least she knew thats what they were. And not only that but if she understood correctly they already had a puppy of their own.

Her eyes brightened and her tail began swishing a little in excited anticipation. It would be nice to have someone to play with. She looked from Storm to the femme almost bouncing up and down but trying to stay calm. She was about to ask the femme herself if she could but a small rumbling from her tummy stopped her. She ducked her head quickly not wanting her growling stomach to interrupt them, which would be rude, and scampered a little ways away and laid down curling herself into a ball but still watching and listening to the two adults in case they called for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Starfire<

"Yeah, she's accepted in the pack, all she needs now is a family. So I figured she could stay with us, and then Akutan won't be an only child." said Storm. Starfire brightened considerably. She had had a sad gleam in her eyes whenever she thought of her dead pups and the fact that Akutan would never know them. "I would love that! Our boy will have a sister after all and I can have a daughter." she said. She noticed that Aylirya had scampered a bit away, looking rather hungry. "Aylirya, how would you like to join our family? Our newborn son, Akutan, could use a sister." she said. "By the way, I'm Starfire but if you want, you can call me Mom. It's all up to you." she then added. The she-pup was old enough to have known her parents so the choice to call Starfire her mother or by name was up to her. Starfire had been too young to really know her own mother before she died so the she-saber, Yatta, had been her mother up to when Starfire left the Darktooth pride lands.

The thought of having a daughter to raise really took a load off Starfire's shoulders. Aylirya wasn't Silverwing, not by a longshot, but she'd be the closest thing she'd have to her deceased daughter. Aylirya wasn't replacing any of Akutan's siblings either. She would be treated as if they were blood-kin. Things were starting to look up. X was starting to recover from losing yet another batch of pups and he really loved the grandson left behind. Now he seemed lighter, eager to spend whatever free time with Jase as he waited for Akutan to grow. Byakko's strength had shown through the tragedy and Starfire noticed that he seemed to run the family whenever Storm was away as X grieved. He made sure everyone in the family was fed and encouraged their father not to give up hope, that Akutan was still there, and that Starfire's pups were playing tag with their grandmother in the big field in the sky. Starfire really loved her brother and was happy he stepped up to the plate when their father was knocked down by more death in the family. He would've been a great Alpha had the homeland not fallen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Gamma Storm<

Yup the kids was fast, asking if they were mates - whether she really understood what mates were was beside the point. And Starfire's whole face lit up at his ordered suggestion and immediately told the kid to call her mom if she wanted. Storm looked a bit uncomfortable with that so he ducked his head and muttered at the brown furball:

"you can call me Storm or Gamma." the idea of being called a dad still terrified him, and oneday when Akutan would start talking.... hell how was he going to tell the kid not to call him dad?! But if Ayliyra insisted on calling him father he wouldn't rebuff her, he'd just look uncomfortable. A sudden sound made his ears perk - stomach growling? He watched as the kid scotted off and lay curled up, as if afraid they might shout at her 'cause she was hungry. Speaking of which, Starfire was probably out hunting as well. Well, he could take that over.

"My love," he said to his silver and white mate, his pale green orbs gentle with his devotion to her: "I'll go hunt this time, nothing much is going on so I won't be missed. Take the kid and go tell X and Byakko." as he turned away he paused and said over his shoulder: "Oh and uh... give a kiss to Akutan." and with that he walked off, getting ready for the hunt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Aylie<

She lay there listening to the two of them conversing or rather to the adult femme speaking and figured out that they did indeed have a pup, a son. Well she was perfectly fine with that, it'd be someone at least for her to play with. She flicked her ears forwards, raising her head up off her paws as soon as she heard her name called. She wanted to know if she wanted to be part of their family? What kind of question was that? Of course she wanted to be! She didn't want to be all alone. "Yes ma'am." she answered quickly with a nod of her head her expression somehow being both excited yet solemn at the same time.

The femme had also said she could call her Starfire or mom, that it was up to her. Well she did have, or had, a mom already so she wasn't keen on calling her mom just yet but calling her Starfire seemed disrespectful to her even though the choice was offered so she decided on a compromise. The femme would be momma Starfire. Yes that was good she figured. Storm however said she was to call him Storm or Gamma. This confused her but she said nothing and merely tilted her head in puzzlement.

Next more talking between the two of them, this time about hunting telling someone something. Exactly who or what she didn't know and therefore wasn't really concerned. Then Storm was gone. She got up and walked over and stood looking up expectantly at Starfire waiting for her to speak as she was the one in charge now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Starfire, Byakko, X<

Starfire smiled after Storm. "Come. I'll introduce you to your new baby brother, uncle, and grandfather. Be careful with Akutan. He's only three days old." she said, leading the way to the den area where the family resided. "Father, Brother! Come meet the newest addition to the family." she called. X was first out and Byakko came from his den soon after. Both looked confused until they saw the pup behind their daughter and sister. "This is Aylirya. Storm found her alone on the border so we're taking her in." Starfire explained. The General brought his nose down to sniff the whelp. "Are you sure, Sister? It's only been three days since..." he started. "I know, Brother. But if anything, I need Aylirya." she said looking down.

X smiled at the pup. "Byakko, Starfire knows what she's doing. We may have lost Akutan's brothers and sister but this pup needs us now." he said, sitting down. Byakko looked at their father. "I understand, Father. I didn't mean anything." he said. X lifted a foreleg and gently hit his shoulder. Starfire looked at Aylirya before going up to Byakko. "This is my brother, Byakko, and this is my father, X." she said. She then looked up at X. "How's Akutan?" she then asked. "Sleeping like the three-day-old he is. He's a good son for you." he replied. He moved to look into the den, the human-made red X on his left shoulder flashing into their view. Byakko felt a bit awkward and he gave a lopsided grin at Aylirya. "Don't mind me too much, kid. We're just going through a difficult time is all. I wonder where Jase is. He'll be your cousin if you want." he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Jase<

Tired. So. Tired. He dragged his lithe body through the Nardir homeland, wanting only to rest, but he had one more stop to attend to. His bright white belly was soiled with ash and his usually bright blue coat with the darker lightning marks on his back was kinda mucky too. But he was young, he would soon enough jump right back up with energy - it's just that the past three days there'd been another outbreak of coughing. Damn this wretched ash! He'd wanted to get a peep at his halfbrother each day, but just hadn't gotten round to it. Being apprentice healer was hard work, but worth it. At least his patients were now settled and the medicine would soon start working.

After a while he finally came to the den site that housed Byakko, X, Starfire and Storm. His yellow tipped ears twitched as he heard them conversing, but it took a little while for his tired eyes to register what he was seeing. A pup? and had he heard right - Storm had accepted her? Wow. His bioligical father was truly mellowing...or the kid was strange enough that she'd peaked his interest. It has been known to happen. Immediately most of his tiredness was forgotten in the excitement of a new family member, and he padded forwards eagerly.

"Heya, family," he said, his voice a nice mixture of rough and depth, "Do mine ears deceive me, or do we have a new family member?" Then he would peer around Starfire at the stocky brown form and grin at her: "I'm Jase, what's your name?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Aylie<

She nodded eagerly as she was told that she was going to meet her new family. "Yes momma Starfire" she said when warned that she would need to be careful of Akutan because he was only three days old. She followed along beside Starfire though occasionally dropping behind her due to coughing fits and being tired until finally they reached the den area and her new mommy called for her father and brother to come greet them. She watched as two big black and white wolves emerged from the dens and came over both looking confused for a moment before it vanished and Starfire told them what her name was and that she was adopted by her.

One of the males lowered his head down and sniffed of her while talking to his sister? Well that made him her uncle then and the male her grandfather. Good. That was sorted out then. Then came her adoptive mothers response to his comment that she needed her which caused her to look up ears pricked curiously. Then her grandfather smiled at her and then started speaking chastising her uncle Byakko? Yep. She knew his name now, uncle Byakko. But something else was mentioned that caught her attention, there had been other pups but they had lost them. She didn't like the sound of this at all but didn't know why.

There was more talk between her uncle and grandfather but when they finished her new mother lead her over to her uncle and introduced him and then she introduced her father as X? What? That was certainly a strange name, but she didn't say so out loud though and merely looked quizzically at him. Then Starfire and her grandfather began talking about her brother while her uncle started speaking to her so she focused her attention on him. He mentioned a name, Jase, and said he wondered where he was and that he could be her cousin if she wanted. Well even though she would gladly have him as a cousin she didn't really know how to answer him but then as new wolf arrived on the scene she realized she didn't have to as the answer was provided for her.

The blue wolf had called out a greeting as he had approached which was how she guessed who he was, her cousin, Jase. He said something to the other adults before looking at her grinning and introducing himself and asking her her name. She grinned tail wagging happily as she smiled back. "Pleased to meet you sir Jase. I'm Ayliyra". She responded with a quick nod of her head. She was tempted to go over and pounce on him since he seemed so friendly but she had always been told it was impolite to pounce on ones elders so she settled for bouncing up and down on her paws though was careful to not stir up the ash enough to induce another coughing fit in the process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Starfire, Byakko, X<

"Heya, family! Do mine ears deceive me, or do we have a new family member? I'm Jase, what's your name?" came the voice of Jase. "Speak of the devil." said Byakko, grinning as his sister got ready to pounce. She really loved that boy. "Pleased to meet you sir Jase. I'm Ayliyra." the new addition of the family said. Right on cue, Starfire pounced on her nephew. "Get used this kid. I'll be pouncing on you and telling you how cute you are until I'm old, gray, and unable to jump." she said, nuzzling him. Byakko burst out laughing, following by a rumbling laugh from X. "Sister, you are the funniest wolf in the pack." said Byakko. Starfire got up, grinning. "Well, I don't have Silverstream to hang out with anymore and Riverbank's gone...again. I do wonder what happened to her." she said.

Byakko tilted his eyes down, the smile on his face full of warmth and a touch of acceptance. "Are you lonely for female companionship, Starfire?" asked X. "A little. Riverbank was the little sister I never had and Silverstream was, too. Raka, I think, will be a good friend in time." she said. She then looked at her new daughter, thinking it was cute that she was calling her Momma Starfire. It felt nice and maybe in time, she'll be just Mom to Aylirya. "Do you want to see Akutan? He's still sleeping but there's no harm if you want to take a peek at him? Also, do you have a nickname? Aylirya is kind of a mouth full." she said. X moved aside as his daughter passed by him to check on her son. "Where's Storm, anyway?" he asked. "He took over my hunting trip so I could bring Aylirya here. He'll be along soon." she replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Jase<

Awwww isn't she just the cutest thing?! His grinned widened at her polite response and his green orbs brightened considerably when he saw her bouncing on her paws. He just adored pups and was a big pushover with them, completely the opposite of his biological father.  But before he could do anything, Starfire pounced on him, pushing his form deep into the ash and nuzzling him.

"Pshsss old and gray? Well you're halfway there with the gray part," he teased her and nipped her chest fur affectionately. He didn't mind in the least being pounced by her, though he did groan a little at her weight - he was by far the tiniest and delicate built between this lot! He grinned up at his dad as he laughed at his sister, then he focused on Ayliyra. Quickly his thin face transformed into a comically dramatic expression, and when his voice came he ladelled it with over the top drama:

"Oh no spare me o queen of heaviness - little Aylie, won't you come rescue me?" he pleaded with the pup, batting his eyelids and stretching one paw out imploringly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>Aylie<

Her eyes widened with shock as her adoptive mother pounced on Jase the instant she had introduced herself. She shook her head once getting over the initial shock a slight frown of disapproval on her face. This wasn't right. Adults acting like puppies was not right at all. She listened to them teasing each other and the other two, her uncle and grandfather commenting about things but couldn't understand and follow all of it. But then she was being addressed, by Jase. His expression she could tell was meant to be over dramatic and playful as was his request for her to rescue him but it was wrong to interfere with adults discussions not matter how playful they seemed. She didn't know what to do. She let out a low whine anxious and confused.

Then suddenly Starfire asked her a question, she wanted to know if she wanted to see him. She nodded her head quickly eager for a way out of her, as she saw it, precarious situation. "Yes ma'am". And quickly raced over to her so she could be lead inside the den. There was another question to about a nickname. Well she wasn't entirely sure what a nickname was but from what was said she figured it was a shorter version of a name. She cast a semi anxious glance back at Jase. She had never had a nickname before but she liked what he had called her and decided that would be it. "Aylie". She answered before peering into the den to see if she could see her new brother without having to actually go inside since she was so dirty and covered with ash.

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>Starfire, Byakko, X<

"Aylie" said the pup as she followed Starfire. The new mother smiled and went into the den. "That nickname suits you. You can come in, if you want. Akutan might be a bit too dark to see from there. His pelt is black." she offered. Aylie's formality was a bit much for Starfire, being a suboridinate, but she figured it would pass in time. Aylie had a lot of growing to do, like her new brother. Starfire would just guide her along her way and let her personality mold itself. She lied down with her son who immediately cuddled closer. "My dear boy." she whispered. She looked up at Aylie. "You'll be a great sister to him. His kin-sister is no longer alive and I was a bit worried about him being alone." she said.

Byakko sat with X, watching his adoptive niece. "Did you see the disapproving look she gave Sister when she pounced Jase?" he asked with a chuckle. X gave rumbling laugh in return. "Indeed. Clearly the child of loners if she disapproves of adults playing like pups. We all should play, no matter our age. My grandsons have much to thankful for with an aunt and mother showing her love through play. Aylie will see that in time. We, as a whole pack, are family through the ties that bind us. We live, play, and work together. If Aylie disproves of adult play, then she didn't play with her parents. Lover life is about survival and sometimes play just isn't possible." said X. Byakko looked down. "If her parents never played with her, then she's a poor kid." he said. X smiled and nudged his shoulder. "She's young and not set in her ways. She'll learn everything in time. We are now her teachers in her kin-parents' stead." he said.

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>Jase<

The kid looked at them as if they?d gone completely off their rocker! Confused, Jase dropped the act and watched with a concerned expression as Aylie followed Starfire into the den to look at Aku. He frowned a little as he listened to what Byakko and X were saying about adults playing. He was comping to realise more and more how lucky he was to have been born into this pack! He murmered agreement that they were now her teachers.

?Ya know, she might get on very well with Fynn, he?s also very serious.? He said in a thoughtfull voice, already wanting to take Aylie under his metaphorical wings and teach her how to play and be less serious. The mention of fynn, however, made him a little sad. He hadn?t seen his best friend in ages ? they were both just too busy with their training. And of course when thinking of Fynn the he?d think of Sal. That girl was quite grownup now, the last time he?d see her. He wondered how she was doing?

Standing up he shook himself then asked X in his ?healer? voice:

?So how is Akutan doing? Is he coping with the ash? And is Storm taking his medicine?? the last question was a bit sterner with an edge of exasperation. Storm?s lungs had been severely scarred by the falling ash, and he would go into coughing fits if he exerted himself. Not that, that had stopped the Gamma from his duties! Probably exasberating the situation.

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>Aylie<

She perked her ears in surprise and with a wary glance at the clean den and her dirty coat entered the den as she given permission and had it explained to her that her new brothers pelt was black. She nodded in agreement as even though she was inside the den now he was still a little hard to see but she could smell him and so while her eyes were still having to adjust to the darkness within she was still able to make her way over to where he was and was aware of the fact that Momma Starfire was now lying next to him. Her new mother said she would be a great big sister to him, which she doubted, and explained that his blood siblings were dead.

At the same time she could hear the the other members of her adoptive family talking outside and even though she wasn't able to catch every word of what they said she heard enough to know they were talking about her. This worried her quite a bit, she didn't think she had done anything wrong but wasn't sure and so she looked anxiously at her mother and asked, "What did I do wrong?". Her voice came out as a soft whine as she added one more part to her question ducking her head as she did so. "I don't want to go to the bad place".

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>Starfire, Byakko, X<

?Ya know, she might get on very well with Fynn, he?s also very serious.? said Jase, thoughtfully. ?So how is Akutan doing? Is he coping with the ash? And is Storm taking his medicine?? he then asked. "The boy's doing well. You'd have to ask Starfire if Storm taking his medicine." said X. Byakko looked up at the sky. "Will Nardir ever be the same again? This black snow has everyone on edge." he said. X looked up with him before smiling. "This black snow isn't forever. It'll be a thing of the past someday." he said. "I hope so. I want every pup in the pack to see the beauty of this land. The black snow is covering it." said the General. X looked at his mark. "At least it's no longer falling." he said.

Starfire was listening to the conversation outside, a small smile on her face. "What did I do wrong? I don't want to go to the bad place." said Aylie, ducking her head and giving a small whine. "You didn't do anything, hon. They were talking about how it's good for pups and grown-ups to play. If we grown-ups didn't play, how could we raise our pups? I can't wait to play with Akutan when he's older. I'm going to do my best to raise you both and be the kind of mother I know my own was. I don't remember her too well. She died when I was seven weeks old. But with the way Father and Brother speak of her, I know she was a great mother." Starfire explained.

She smiled and looked out again. "I wish Mother was here to help me. She'd give me the best advice for caring for an infant pup, seeing as how this is my first time being a mom. You, yourself, are about as old as I was when Mother died so I'm sure you're weaned." she said. She looked back at Aylie. "I hope I can be the kind of mother to you the way your kin-mother was. Rest assured. No matter what kind of trouble you get into, we will not think any less of you and neither will the pack." she said. Akutan squeaked and Starfire nuzzled him closer. He then started suckling.

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>Jase<

Jase just hmpfed when X told him to ask starfire about Storm?s medicine. Of course he will!.... if she gave him a chance to speak without glomping him that is. Half an ear was on the conversation inside, and Jase wondered what this kid must have been through to be this? well? un-pup-like. He zoned out on the conversation X and Byakko were having and listened with concern how Starfire explained that adults also played and that it was important for pups and grownups to play. What bad place was this that made Aylie so afraid?

Impulsively he poked his snout into the den, grinning gently at the brown pup and giving his aunt an affectionate wink:

?You don?t have to worry Aylie, you won?t go to the bad place while we?re around. You know I have this bestest friend and we used to get into all kinds of mischief when we were pups!? he grinned in remembrance, but prudently didn?t tell her of the time they?d scouted out a cave for themselves and gotten buried. ?err? of course that doesn?t mean you should do naughty things, but I can give you some advice on playing funny pranks on people.? He added should Starfire give him a stern look. ?So how about it, can you and me be friends and play a little?? he asked her. It would be a bit of a struggle to balance his apprentice duties with playing, but for this kid he?d do it, just like he?d bend over backwards for any pup in the pack.

?Oh, Auntie of mine,? he asked her a bit sternly, almost forgetting the other reason for poking his snout into the den; ?Is that mate of yours taking his medicine??

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>Aylie<

She listened feeling a little less worried as her new mother explained that she hadn't done anything wrong at all. She was glad of this but the rest of the explanation left her feeling confused. It sounded as if Starfire was saying that not only was playing tolerated but it was necessary? She had never heard of that before. She tilted her head curiously to the side wondering why that was and how it worked. She couldn't ask just yet though because Starfire was still speaking, talking about how she wished her mom was here and some more things of a similar nature and then said something that really caught her attention..that she hoped she could be the kind of mother her real mother was. She however hoped she wouldn't be. Then Starfire said something which she imagined was meant to reassure her but with the previous statement she wasn't reassured at all.

Just then Jase appeared peering into the den grinning down at her. "No! he hasn't done anything! I won't let you take him!" she growled a puppy growl immediately jumping in front of Akutan and taking up a protective stance as best as she could without actually knowing how and stood glaring at Jase defiantly though she was shaking all over. She was so focused on protecting her new brother that it took her a moment to realize that Jase was actually speaking and didn't seem interested in taking Akutan at all. "Mischief? But isn't that bad stuff?" Her eyes slowly started to widen in disbelief. "Weren't you ever taken to the bad place?" she asked somewhat confused until another thought dawned on her. "How did you escape?! My siblings didn't..they never came back from the bad place..daddy always came home without them. Mommy was always so sad afterwards. I think she missed them. I miss them too." She went on sounding amazed at fist but gradually her amazement turned into sadness. She didn't know or understand that her siblings had been killed but she did know that she missed them greatly.

Then an idea struck her. "Maybe you could go and rescue them for me? You and your...friend?" she asked wagging her tail hopefully as she fixed her bright blue-green eyes on Jase. "What..what is a friend anyway?" she asked. She had never heard this term before and wanted to know what it was. "And the only game I know how to play is 'Walk the Log'" she looked down at her paws as she shifted nervously back and forth hoping that would be good enough. But Jase's attention was now directed at her new mommy so getting answers to her questions would have to wait so with a nervous glance back at Starfire she sat down to wait.

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>Starfire<

?Oh, Auntie of mine. Is that mate of yours taking his medicine?? asked Jase. Aylie kind of jumped on him, taking a defensive stance near Akutan. Starfire was surprised to say the very least. But she remained as calm as ever though. "Yes, he is. His poor lungs. I hope they heal well." she said. Mischief? But isn't that bad stuff? Weren't you ever taken to the bad place? How did you escape?! My siblings didn't..they never came back from the bad place..daddy always came home without them. Mommy was always so sad afterwards. I think she missed them. I miss them too." said Aylie. Now Starfire's disblief showed on her face. You might as well put a neon arrow sign up with it pointing at her face. "Maybe you could go and rescue them for me? You and your...friend. What..what is a friend anyway? And the only game I know how to play is 'Walk the Log'" Aylie kept rambling.

"What kind of parents...?" she asked, then her eyes widened in understanding. What she figured out both shocked and appalled her. "Jase...that sounds an awful lot like your other grandfather. Storm's father. The one Father killed before he arrived here." she said. Looking back at her new daughter, Starfire tried to grasp for words but failed for a moment. This child wasn't born to normal wolves. The thought of any father or mother killing their own pups horrified her and it was evident in her next words. "Listen carefully to me, Ayliyra. From what I've heard, it seems that your father isn't a nice guy. At all. If your siblings never came back, then there's only one reason. Put all this nonsense about a bad place from your head. Don't talk about it." she said, somewhat shakily. She looked up at Jase. "It seems this is a worse case then we first thought. Her siblings...have rejoined the wind." she said. Starfire didn't feel the need to explain that to her nephew. Byakko should've explained it.

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