My son seemed terribly happy to be deemed worth of a guard. This, I was fine with. I did, however, not want him to grow up with too much of a complex with this whole...prince/royalty business. I didn't want to see my son feeling superior to others simply because of a title. I wanted my son to see that everyone is equal at birth and gains the trust of others through action. The concept of royalty, tended to favor other simply because of their heritage. It was how my family was, and how Azrael's seems to be, but it was the reason I left my home, at least one of them. I nodded slightly as he said it didn't matter too much, and as long as he didn't get too...cocky with his royal heritage, I would be happy. I noticed how proud he was, to have...meaning, a future already ahead of him in this life. I was to be satisfied with this. A grin climbed onto my black maw as I puffed my own chest out a little, he was sure to notice.

"I am glad you are making friends, Guardian. It is important to be kind to others. See how being friends with Achilles got you your own rank with him?"

Well, it wasn't the best way to convey my message, but hopefully it made sense. Be kind to others and you will get something in return. I do know this may not be true, and it may not be the best to encourage my son to be nice simply as a bribe. I hope that Guardian will grow to be a kind, determined boy, but I also won't hold it over his head if he decides differently. I want him to be his own soul, his own creation. I just want to provide him with the most information...and everyone is biased with their information. I don't have time to give him every side of every possibility. It is something he needs to learn himself, and something I can teach him slowly.

I do enjoy having my little boy cuddling between my legs. His small form is cuddled in my chest and it is a strange yet wonderful thing. At one point, this boy was inside of me. Now, he was outside of me and growing fast. So fast. Like, freakishly fast. Were puppies supposed to get so big so fast? Can he not stay small forever? I can't cuddle him like this when he is bigger than me. I find my nose wrinkling at the thought. Inmpossible! I must stop time right now, with the sun falling behind the earth. I wonder if he notices all the intricacies of colors that touched the sky at the fall of the sun. I remember being a pup, all such things as beauty, unity, and fleeting existance of all were no where near in my head. I was simply going along in the motions, lost in the strict rules of my pack and learning the ways of the alpha. It wasn't until I was older, away from the pressure of the pack that I learned to love and appreciate the short lived nature all around. i sighed slightly, mostly in being content as my son then speaks of how he will never be hurt, but he will let Meryl practice on him. Sweet boy, so sweet, but I will not have him thinking he has a god-complex. I cannot risk my son going out thinking he will never be hurt or injured. He needs to know that there is risk in life. There is pain and there is death. He must know his capabilities, but that doesn't mean he has to lose his confidence.

"Guardian, that is very sweet of you to let Meryl practice on you. But son, you must know that everyone gets hurt or injured in their life. To become the best at something like fighting, you must compete with others who know more than you, and they will hurt you because you don't know what they know. Do you understand? That doesn't mean you won't become the best, it just means you have to learn, and acknowledge your limits."

Maybe I am no fun. Maybe I am overly paranoid and concerned about my son, running out to battle some crazed Iromar wolf and getting himself hurt because he thinks he is the best at fighting. Some parents may have just agreed with him and pushed his ego higher. I think that I give him a realistic look on life that is still positive. I don't end on a bad note, I just make sure he knows to think things through. I think...Oh well. Azrael is here to inflate my son's ego and I am here to bring them back to earth.

My son asks me about my own mother, and why my father didn't protect her. I keep my face strong in these times, despite how painful they are to me. It isn't too bad, the pain anymore. I am mostly at peace with it. Everyone dies at one point, and my mother happened to die way too young. It is the risk of the dreamwalker, one given at birth and one to be dealt with by all. We are all wolves, not perfect creatures. My homeland was also under a lot of stress, more so than Diveen and Iromar. I gaze down upon my son's star-touched face. I will not hold back on the details, but I also don't want to...bore him. Azrael doesn't even know too much about my homeland and past life. I cannot seem to bother him about it at this point, Guardian will be the first to know.

"My son, We are all wolves. Mortal wolves, meaning we all die and leave this earth. We also are not perfect. When we are born as puppies, we know nothing. Everything we know, we learn as we grow and get older. This means, Guardian, that no one knows everything. No one is perfect or all knowing. This means mistakes can be made."

I let my yellow eyes linger on Guardian for a moment, taking in his look, his gorgeous little eyes, before lifting my gaze out to the colorful sky that was fading out as my words continued.

"My mother and father, they had a fight. They argued and they slept on the other side of the den from each other. When my mother Dreamwalked that night, my father didn't feel her move. He was too deep in his own sleep to hear her. That is how she Dreamwalked away, and that is how she met her death. Your father would never let me walk into evil lands on purpose, but he is also not perfect. Mistakes can happen, but that is apart of life."

I could see the seriousness growing on Guardian's face. Part of me does not enjoy putting something so somber onto such a young boy, but the sooner he understood these things, the better. It wasn't going to stop him having fun or being a puppy. It was just a moment of seriousness and he could get back to the play he surly wished to get to. My dark ears flicked forward to catch Guardian's words, his own voice laced with uncertainty for what his role was. I aimed my eyes of yellow back down upon him, my nose nudging him softly as I allow a smile to catch my features.

"For now, you just need to sleep with him at night. Stay close to him and if he moves, just open you eyes to check and see if he is leaving. You can wake me or your father up to bring him back. We will be watching also, my son. We will always protect him too...but we cannot be here forever, Guardian. There will be a time when I cannot stop Starfall, but hopefully that is a long, long time from now, yes?"

I say with my voice touched with hope. Well, yeah, I hope I will be around for a long time. I don't enjoy lingering on the thought of my own mortality. It is true though, Starfall's life will be in danger if something happened to Azrael or I, and if Starfall had no mate. Sadly, his brother's life would rest on his shoulders. Hopefully, her sons would grow close...Andromeda never really knew what that was like. She was a single born child. She had no siblings growing up. Guardian was very lucky to have someone with the same blood, the very same running through his veins.

Guardian is a clever boy though, and this pleases me. A crafty little boy, I will have watch over him carefully. I could see him being a little trickster and yet, he gave away his whole game by letting me know his devious plans of telling me he loves me most, and then telling Azrael the very same. I let a playful smark smack on my black maw at his comment, especially the end where he complains about his hair. Truly his father's son. It only encouraged Andromeda to mess with him more. She chuckled slightly, her tongue raking over his head again.

"You silly boy, you. You are going to grow up to be very smart, yes? And I am your mother, Guardian, I am allowed to mess up your hair as much as I want. I think it is cute and the look suits you."

I then proceed to lick him the wrong way, surely destroying his personal opinion on what good hair is. i would continue my barrage of licks for a moment before giggling sweetly, gazing at him lovingly.

"You better get used to it!"

My tail wags softly behind me, and in this moment, I am content.
Seven Years - Soul of Azrael - Mother of Starfall and Guardian