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I stretched, leaning forward as I came from within the depths of the den, easing each toned, hard muscle back into place, straightening each long, snowy limb and working free the kinks of sleep from my form. Not that I’d really been sleeping mind. I’d merely been basking in relaxation with Andromeda, enjoying a brief moment of peace, wrapped around her, without our children cluttering the place and considering the war party will leave any day now it’s only fitting I should have all of my mate and imprints attention, right? Now don’t get me wrong, I would never desire anything less than the company of my family, yet, even despite the size of my den, with myself, Andro, Star, Guard, Meryl, Iophiel and Celeste all within it at night it is starting to get a little….cramped. The boys are only getting bigger and bigger, Star and Guard in particular and despite my amazing digging efforts I really cannot make the place any bigger and yet the thought of forcing them into their own dens and away from myself, from Stella- it bothers me. I’m also not sure she would take all that well to being told that she needs to actually let Starfall out of her sight one day. I forced such thoughts away for now, refusing to consider our different opinions in the raising of pups, at least for now, before I moved to make my way into the pack land. I’d been putting off seeing Heyel for days, not since the death of my brother, Saintly, had I been within his presence and I know it is expected I see him before this war nonsense, especially considering he isn’t coming to fight- but I still don’t want to. Nothing I do is ever good enough for him, nothing, so why should I say goodbye? Fairly sure he wouldn’t notice if I was dead.

Shaking myself once more I strode the first few paces forward, white pelt aglow in the sun, Angel Mark lit to hot fire as I came, dreading each step in the direction of my own sire when a flicker of movement a few paces ahead caught the violet blue opalescence of my gaze. Celeste? I paused a moment, wondering what she was doing without the company of her sister or brothers, Stella hardly ever letting them out of her sight, let alone out alone. Hmm, clearly someone slipped through the net that is my ever-watchful mate. I chuckled softly, amused all the same as I continued towards my silver and white daughter, momentarily taken aback in surprise when she puffed herself up and came forward in the same motion, her small features looking very stern for someone so little. I allowed myself to come to a halt, taking a seat, simply waiting for her to come because really trying to walk away from a women who has something to say will never work, believe me, I know. I am however, entirely incapable of not allowing a smile to touch my features. It’s no secret that I have always preferred my sons. I always wanted boys, always and yet, the day Celeste and her sister were born I was given to understand completely and entirely why my Father spent his life dedicated to his daughters. There is just something about them. My baby girls are the gems to my crown, my precious, beautiful little girls, the most perfect of creatures, so delicate and graceful, so utterly deserving of love and adoration that I cannot give them enough. I’m not really the affectionate type, I….have trouble with that sort of thing, or at least, with the boys I do, I just…..it’s hard. I love them just as much and yet I suppose I am as my Father before me with my own sons. Boys are treated differently, I am different with them then I am with my daughters, because there is something about them, Iophiel and Celeste- that won’t let me hide it. An easy grin still teased at my lips as Celeste came forward, seating herself in front of me very seriously, my own jaws parting to speak before she beat me to it.

Good. She should learn to silence boys before they even get the chance to speak. She might not yet even be a year old but I know exactly what she will be when she grows. She is as her Mother. Beautiful, yet, perhaps even more so. She will be the true diamond of Diveen, she and Iophiel already stand above all other pups as far as beauty goes, one hardly has to be clever to look at her and see the creature she will be and already I fear that. I get upset if they mention a boys name let alone should I ever find one looking at her. No one will ever be good enough, no one, not for my Celeste. Snow ears pricked forward as she spoke, my own ridiculously handsome head lowered towards her as she did, a frown touching my features momentarily. She wanted to talk about hair? Or dirt….no…..hair? I will admit to feeling a momentary sense of pride in the knowledge that I was a significantly better crafter of hair then Andromeda, then again, that wasn’t a surprise, I am pretty talented. I might actually be the best at that and while Heyel might not appreciate it I am entirely inclined to have the support of Celeste in that regard. Nice to know I’m appreciated. This however, is clearly about more than hair and dirt, her mention of my going away the evident issue and yet, for a few moments at least, I’d rather ignore that too. I grinned, my features seeming to always find a smile for my baby girl as I reached forward, gently grasping her scruff before pulling her closer and against my chest, jaws parting to allow my tongue to smooth the fur of her beautiful pale ear, gently working at the strands as evidently only I know how.

"Venite infantem, capillos iam tibi agam. Lucidis pulchrum faciamus, si ambulare cum jam habemus, nos videre ambulate optimum Ego dicam atque, ubi Etiam capillus tempus semper notos 't dico vobis nemo aliter. Nam ego vado ante comae fortasse faciendum, ut quisque videt, quomodo illuc advenio pulchrum est, non possum dicere filiam ventus eam. "
(Come baby, let me do your hair for you now. Let's make it lovely and shiny, if we are going to go for a walk together we have to be looking our best and while we walk I'll tell you about where I'm going and yes, there is always time for hair, don't let anyone tell you differently. In fact, I think maybe you should do my hair before I go away, so that when I get there and everyone sees how lovely it is, I can say that my favourite daughter did it.)

Yeah, alright, I’m a freakin softie. I know. Don’t rub it in. I can’t help it, not with her, not with my Celeste. I only ever want her to be happy, I only ever want her to smile and know that she’s beautiful. She is everything to me, she and her siblings and yes, I tell them all they are my favourite one when I have them alone, a parenting crime I’m sure and yet I hardly care. I continued to work at her fur a moment. It was spotless anyway, as was to be expected and yet even so I made a fuss of it, just because I can, moving to give it a slight wave as I knew she liked before lifting to my feet once more to walk beside her, shortening my steps to allow my princess to keep up. Really I was rather proud to walk beside her, to prade her through this little part of Diveen and let anyone who might be watching see just how perfect she is and know that yes, I, Azrael, fathered a goddess. I looked down towards her once more as she spoke, my own form towering above her as she continued, her newly done her holding an extra shine as we walked. She managed to get about ten words into her sentence before I jerked to a stop.

" Qui impulit vobis? Catulo impinguntur prorsus quod Daddy delicias dixeritis vos et paterculi Her .... voluntas ..... restituerunt eum pepulerunt. Erat unus de Ava? Numquam catulos similes vultus ejus, quod maxime album Aslan ... Quisque vel aliquid .... stultus. "
(Who pushed you?! Darling you tell Daddy exactly which puppy pushed you and Daddy will....er.....push him back. Was it one of Ava's? I never did like the look of her pups, especially that white one, Aslan or....Aspen...something stupid.)

I’m probably not supposed to teach her the word ‘stupid’ but really I hardly care. Nobody and I mean nobody pushes my princess and gets away with it. Someone wanted to shove her did they? Let’s see how damn well they do against me. The thought alone was outrageous, blue eyes quickly scanning her in an effort to ensure every single part of her remained unscathed. It has to be one of Ava’s, I’m sure of it, they always did look pushy. Stupid ugly things that they were. I was so lsot within my thoughts of shoving some idiot puppy over that I barely remembered to listen, my attention returning to her once more as she continued, explaining that she has held her own against the dirty puppy. Well, I suppose solving her own problems is also praise worthy although I still have every intention of finding out exactly who that puppy was- and shoving him or her over.

" Yes, Celeste, you are the loveliest, I agree very much."

I answered in the common tongue this time, beaming back down towards her as we walked and she continued, her issue with firt clearly evident and yet really, can she be blamed? Dirt is a sin. Honestly it should be banned. Really I’m relieved to find that someone actually understand the importance of pelt health. If your born to glow, damn glow, don’t let dirt hide it. I once more found myself mildly distracted by the implications of dirt, her high little voice bringing me back once more as she called for my attention. How did I explain to a child why I was going away? I…….I didn’t want her to be upset, I didn’t want her to worry like the boys did and yet….lying to her wasn’t the way to do it. What will she think when I come home bloody and torn? What will she think if heaven forbid I lose something in this war? I…….would she still love me the same way? For a moment I was silent, violet blue eyes held against her own as I sat once more. How do you tell a child your going to war and that maybe…..just maybe you won’t come home. Maybe you don’t.

"Catulos similes, quia per terram, alter ad armamentisque puerulos thats quid faciunt. Pueros ..... Bene, aliquando nos adepto sordida, sordida nos adepto ut puellae non habere. Propter quod et ego vado Celeste, licet exigua tantum, quia ego sum a ..... Ego volunt alii lupi et matrem tuam et fratres et sorores nocent. Ut egestas, urna et in pulvere lædere. Et ego prohibere. Ego cum multis aliis, non parentes infantes qui impulit in terra. Facere ... vos intelligitis? Lupi de me malum et prohibere molior umquam hic salvus erit sic, quia te amo. Adeo ut ego te amo sordida. Sed redibo ...... i ..... voveo.. "
(The other puppies like the dirt and to tackle because that’s what little boys do. Boys.....well, sometimes we have to get dirty, we get dirty so that the girls don't have too. That is why I am going away Celeste, just for a little bit though, I......I'm going away because there are other wolves who want to hurt you and Mother and your sisters and Brothers. That want to hurt you and- push you in the dirt. So I am going to stop them. I am going with lots of other Fathers and Mothers who don't want their babies pushed in the dirt. Do...you understand? I am going to try and stop the bad wolves from ever coming here, so you will be safe, because I love you. I love you so much that I am going to get dirty. But I'll come back......I......I promise.)

I smiled softly, gently, reaching down to kiss at her cheek. Maybe she didn’t understand, maybe it wouldn’t make sense to her but I hope she heard the last part at least. I will come back. There is no wolf in Iromar capable of stopping me from that. For my baby girl, I will always come home. For my mate, my sons, my daughters- I will always be here. I have to be. It’s why I live.

"Did you want me to take you to the river, princess? If I sit in the shallow water and put my head down you can wash my fur for me and do it any way you like so that I’ll look handsome for my…..trip. Would you like that?"

It is so much easier to make it a game….to just pretend. I only hope I don’t let her down…….


AZRAEL

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"6 years ~ Andromeda ~ Heyel x Zeivah ~ 41in 177lbs ~ Sire of Meryl/Starfall/Guardian/Celeste/Iophiel ~ Diveen "