Charred Ash Draw in the space between

The queen took her job seriously, how could she not, for she was in charge of other’s lives. However, that did not mean that she was about to neglect her family – that was a crime with no proper punishment. That was why she was seeking out the youngest Rigel, trying to find out what her daughter was up to. It was almost evening and she’d just finished a round of patrols, so Maera figured it would be time to find themselves dinner. It was mixing her responsibilities with teaching her daughter a little bit more about different skills she’d learned at a young age, and it’d be a mother and daughter bonding experience.

“Lace?” She cooed softly as her nose twitched, trying to pick up the young girl’s scent. She had a soft grin that she reserved for her family alone, no wanting to offer any hint of weakness to any loner’s eye at the borders, or even to those who might want to dethrone her. She didn’t think that Treyah would do such a thing, not after offering her full support and acting the loyal member that Maera knew she was… but that didn’t mean that Mae was a trusting person. It was her nature to second guess individuals. Her gut was usually never wrong, but she was cautious in the rare instances that it was. “Lace, it’s time for dinner.” She called out again as she moved in faster on the girl’s scent, knowing she was getting closer.

Her parents were the king and queen of Charred Ash Draw. That made Lacey the princess, and boy, did she ever act like it. Sure, she wasn't the most ladylike of pups and had a long way to go when it came to being well-behaved, mannerly, and respectful. And sure, she was prone to getting dirty, sneaky around, and playing pranks on everyone and anyone she came across. But she was also at least somewhat aware of the fact that her parents were in charge. As such, she sometimes acted like she was also in charge, and had developed quite the taste for others' respect.

It also meant that both Kerberos and Maera had many more responsibilities. They didn't neglect their daughter in the slightest, a singular luxury that many pups didn't enjoy. She was ignorant to the plights of many whose families were torn apart or fragmented. She never suffered a day in her life, and her biggest complaint was having to follow the rules. But with her pops and mama busy most of the time, Lacey found it relatively easy to sneak away. They always found her—she was hardly inconspicuous—but she tried anyway.

She was on one such adventure when her pale ears swivelled back to catch the sound of her mother's voice. Ordinarily, Lacey would cast a mischievous glance over her shoulder and promptly attempt to hide, forcing one or both of her unfortunate parents to search for her. As luck would have it, though, she was hungry, and the promise of food was far more tempting than playing around. As soon as Maera called out that it was dinnertime, the beige Rigel had spun on her heels and was heading back with a bright-eyed expression that proclaimed only one thing:

O. M. G. FOOD. FOOD. FOOD.

Was she luring her daughter into a false promise of easy food? Maybe… but she considered it ‘character building’ as it were. She quickly saw the little devil rushing towards her, a soft and amused grin hinting her features. “There is one small catch though.” She said as soon as her daughter was in sight, letting her rump drop to the ground as she sat in front of the princess before her. With all of the stress about numbers and where wolves have disappeared to..? She needed this just as much as her daughter needed to start learning different skills that adults needed to know.

Especially, if she might have siblings next year… maybe, Maera could hope… “You’re going to learn how to hunt today…” It was more fun than it sounded, she was certain – she had remembered learning as a child, how she dreaded it until she actually started doing it. Of course for her, it’d been more about survival of one’s self, whereas Lacey would find the opportunity to hunt bigger prey to keep herself well-fed. The soft smile the queen had showed the ends of her excitement.