Denali is deep in thought when the sound of a bark brings her crashing back down to earth, jumping slightly in surprise. Her ears perked immediately as she turns to face the source of the noise that had shattered the cold air around her. Silver eyes land upon the large form of the swamp queen Aithne, even larger now that she was heavily pregnant with her new mate's pups. The small girl flushed slightly in embarrassment at the idea of being taken off guard so easily, but quickly replaced it with a friendly smile and tail wag. Her lithe form immediately moves closer to the black female, her gaze watching in curiosity as Aithne goes from digging, looking, and then focusing her attention on her raptor.

"Denali. I am glad to see you are well," she grunts as she digs, the realization settling upon Denali that the empress was searching for the frogs that hibernated beneath the soft ground; a treat if one was willing to put in the effort to reach them. "It is good to see you are doing well as well, Aithne," she hums, content in the presence of her alpha even if the female may be subject to being moody from her hormones. "How is Astaroth?" Aithne asks, drawing Denali's thoughts momentarily back to her demon whom she loved so dearly. "He is well, same thick skull as usual," the older female says with a small chuckle, not meaning it as an insult.

It was hard to imagine that the last time the two had seen each other was when Kaius had invaded Iromar and attacked his sister. It had been his final act, as the combined might of Astaroth and Aithne saw the mountain warrior slain, his tainted blood soaked within the earth and his body left to rot. His insanity had been purged from the world but the damage he had done to his younger sister was done. She often had nightmares and was now filled with a constant anxiety. It had however brought her closer to her demon and given her a new found determination to become stronger until no one could push her around as easily as he had. These memories were not ones she likes to delve into, and so she was quick to shake them from her train of thought and bring herself back to present day.

"How is Praetor? Is your pregnancy going okay? If you need someone to take a look, I used to be a healer, and though I may be a bit rusty, I could still help," Denali asked, wanting to make sure things were going well for her leader. After all, Aithne had done so much for the granite girl, it was only right she be able to do this small favor in return. "Mind if I help you look for frogs?" the small girl asked, head tilting ever so slightly. Denali was not hungry so any she found would gladly be tossed to the pregnant female who would need them far more than she. Small paws immediately began to dig away at the soft ground as a comfortable silence fell between the two.

"Did you know one of my nieces joined Iromar recently....." she says suddenly, this information surely not known by any but Denali and more than surprising to the red streaked female. The gray girl allowed a silence to fall over them as her alligator eyes glances to the large female, watching carefully for a reaction to this information. "Her name is Despoina, daughter of Kaius, though I know he had no hand in her upbringing as I had watched over her and her sister from a distance. Her sister is deaf and lives in Spirane, I met her briefly once, a sweet little girl. Despoina had gone missing during all the chaos at Glorall, where they had been born and originally lived. I did not know if she was still alive until I came upon her sent recently here...." Denali talks, digging absentmindedly as she does. When she finds a frog she is quick to snatch it up and toss it over to Aithne, her face blank as she thinks.

"Despoina does not know of my existence or relation to her. I have been meaning to introduce myself, but I fear she will reject me, or worse, hate me. Or maybe I fear the hatred she seems to already harbor for the world will transform itself the same way Kaius's had........" her words are honest and quiet as she shrugs, not quite sure what it is she fears the most about one of her last blood relations. She does not know why she is opening up so much, but it feels right and so she does not stop herself. Maybe Aithne can take the steps Denali never could and get the aunt and niece together. There was no guarantee on how things would go, but it would give Despoina some answers and let her know she had an aunt who would be there for her if she ever needed it.