Dead Empress Backwater rebellion to my vision, cause some division

Her face would take a while to heal, such was the way of things. Scabbed over by now though, thankfully. The teeth of Asmund had done damage but still she flaunted it off with pride. She understood the importance of hierarchy and she had displayed she knew the importance of it.

Yet today she wished to know more about it. Especially how to get good at challenges. She probably could have asked her dad, seeing as he had control of this whole place, but she felt inclined to branch out. A rare thing!

Oh Uncle Roooochus... She called out warmly, the image of innocence to an untrained eye. The image of feigned innocence to a truly trained eye. Now she just hoped he was actually here! How embarrassed she would be if her nose failed her now.

He'd been taking some time for himself to plot some more, a common occurrence for the now aging wolf. So many plans scrapped, new ideas tossed aside before giving them any real thought; he was running out of good options. Rochus could feel his joints getting slower and more difficult to move with each passing month, and the time to physically make his way to the top was likely gone. Perhaps he needed to change to a different approach, one where he may not be on top, but simply influence those there.

His ears flicked back momentarily at the girlish call for him, as if presuming he was a servant at her every beck and call. Greying lips pulled back in a grimace. Clearly she wanted something from him. He smoothed out his maw, sighing under his breath as his paws lead him over to her. Maybe he could swing this in his favour somehow, a quid pro quo or something.

She looked almost identical to Viorel, the only difference being her piercing bluish-grey eyes. It had been a short while since Rochus had seen her around, and he immediately noticed the slowly healing scars upon her muzzle. The rest of her was picture-perfect for a princess - a rottenly spoiled one at that. But he was good at putting up a façade, and there was a prickling at the back of his neck that told him there may be something more to her than what she showed off.

Maybe he could prove further, after seeing what it was she wanted from him. "Yes, my dear?" Rochus put a fake smile on his face, not quite reaching his eyes fully. He could play the role of a doting uncle well enough, if that's what it would take.

Two vipers in a snake pit. It suited them well.

I wanted to learn more about the... Oh, how should she phrase it? Something innocent, something kind! Ranks? Like how come some are above others, what's that about? How does that work? She plopped down onto her rear. As if she was prepared to absorb every word he would give her. In a way, she was. Only she was more concerned about the rising rather than what anybody's spot actually meant! Well, besides leader. She cared about that very much.

If Uncle Rochus didn't have the ideal answers, she guessed she could go sniff out her father...

An ear twitched at her innocently framed question. She was far too young to be concerned about ranks, as a pup it would be a long while before she would be considered mature enough to actually hold one. But perhaps she was simply curious - she was at that annoying age of asking questions, just to respond with why. He hmphed softly as she sat back on her rear, a picture of innocence and curiosity. His golden eyes scoured over her, trying to figure out if there was anything more going on in her mind than she was displaying.

After a few moments he also sat back, though far more gracefully and slowly - betraying his age moreso than he would've liked. "It's called a hierarchy," he began simply, putting on a show of a teacher, though he kept a careful eye on her to gauge her reaction. "Those at the top hold more power - they get to tell others what to do, but with that power comes more responsibility. Because they give the orders they have to make all the decisions; where to put the food caches, who goes hunting and where. The leaders keep the pack running smoothly." Or so they should, not all leaders were quality.

Rochus paused then, wondering why she was asking him out of everyone in the pack. He was at the very bottom of the ranks, only above the children and the yearlings. The very thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he didn't let it show. "If there was no hierarchy - one wolf above until it reaches the wolf at the very bottom - it would be chaos, with everyone squabbling about what to do and no one listening to anyone else."

Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Very nice, get to the good stuff now, please.

Soon enough he did get there. Chaos. Admittedly she might have been nearly too lazy to go out and make it herself but...opportunities? How could she say no?

She forced herself to give a thoughtful hum like a good pupil should. Nodding along as it felt appropriate. Only she already knew exactly what she wanted to ask next. But how do you get others to listen to you? I mean, you can't just walk in and declare it, right? Right, she wanted to hear.

She wanted to feel justified in her feelings and the power surge she had felt over bullying (truthfully, down right terrorizing) Asmund.

Not that any answer would sway her feelings of just on that situation.

She sat there patiently, innocently, seeming to listen with rapt attention as he spoke. Rochus only wished his own children had been so obedient when he tried teaching them. But the very act made him suspicious. Pups her age didn't listen this well unless they wanted something. He intended to figure it out.

He snorted at her question, almost rolling his eyes at the very image of a wolf simply ordering others to listen to them. That only happened in fairytales in dreams. No, leadership and power had to be earned. In the real world that meant one had to get theirs paws a little dirty.

"If only it was that easy, princess." The scars on her face, her questioning about how a wolf makes others listen to them... he could only presume she had tried to get her paws dirty. She was old enough that her fangs could do some real damage now, but he couldn't imagine Viorel would let something like that happen. Unless he didn't know?

"You have to earn that power, and that can only be done with a show of force. If you can't prove you have the strength and desire to lead others, they will never follow you without question." His golden eyes stared directly into her bluish-grey eyes, the expression on his face hardening as his tone became more serious. "Love can only get you so far, and true loyalty is so difficult to attain." He wanted to see what she thought about that.

Princess. She allowed it only by virtue of the power that came with the pet name.

Yet she had found exactly what she had wanted. A show of force. Exactly what she had done with Asmund. Only it seemed leaders and the sort did that on a...more official scale, maybe. Then he blabbered on about love and loyalty. She didn't need those things. She didn't even want them!

So she met his hard stare with one of her own. A mask of innocence slipped away for that moment.

Then I'll just show force.

A nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. As if the two of them discussed the weather or what would be for lunch. Not a possible coup or the way she might have just bloomed into a concerning strain of greediness for power.

His hard stare wasn't enough to make her shy away, in face she seemed to push back against him. Her unflinching resolve reminded of him when he was younger, and he wished his own children had had as much of a spine as she did. Perhaps Amondi's gentleness had infected them too much, but here was a child that seemed to have vision, as well as the desire to go for what she wanted.

If he was a charitable wolf he might've smiled and said he was proud of her, but he wasn't, and if she needed praise to feel good about herself then she wouldn't have what it took. Relying on others left room for weakness and betrayal, and he had been let down too often by that in the past.

"I pity whoever tries to go up against you." That was about as close as he'd get to giving her praise, unless she actually did something deserving of actual encouragement. "You seem to have a good handle on force already," Rochus said pointedly as he glanced at the healing scars on her face. There were no physical signs of who won the scrap, but based on the way she held herself he could take an educated guess she didn't leave with her tail between her legs.

"But knowing how to show it is just as important." She was young; her head still empty, and he had knowledge to spare, if she wanted it. He'd worked his way up ranks before, and he was no stranger to a fight. She might have dabbled in a child's scrap or two, but that was nothing compared to a real fight. "I could give you a few lessons, if you're interested."

She swelled with an ego all at once. Chest fluffed slightly and ears tall. She didn't need praise, but it felt good to hear. Besides that had been the whole point of the scrap against Asmond. Poor orphan boy undeserving of anything but pity. Even that she questioned his allowance of. Regardless this wasn't the place for that cruel debate.

Then he offered lessons and while she enjoyed her days of lazing, she found a newfound excitement by her forceful ways too. Maybe if she worked real hard with Rochus, dad would let her sleep in more anyway.

Deal, if it's only me. Not her sister or brother. Not the slobbering other children. Isla wanted all of this for herself.

She lit up in that way pups did when something good happened to them, and he could see the confidence she carried in herself. It would be all too easy to appeal to her nature, and in the process maybe he could secure a spot as a confidant. Why bother being the head, prone to the attacks of others, when he could simply whisper in her ear and guide her actions. If something bad happened he wouldn't take the fall for it.

Rochus grinned at her condition to his offer, but it was a cold grin, more of a baring of his teeth than anything else. She had guts for sure. "Very well," he said smoothly. Not that he would've offered the same to her siblings, especially the one with the impaired vision. There could only be one wolf on top after all, as even between a leading pair there was one who had the final say, no matter how much they protested that it was a 'partnership'.

"I'll bring it up with your father that you want me to teach you how to defend yourself, and learn be a ... resourceful member of the pack." Given the recent events with Inger, he was sure Viorel wouldn't be opposed to it.