Healing wounds kept the Princess close to the pride for the time being. Although still fresh, having only been a day or two after the challenge for her mother's crown, Isla was finding it quite hard to stay within the confines of her own den. With a huff would she emerge, the chilled air caressing her face and causing for her whiskers to quiver. With a stretch and a shake that she did as gingerly as possible as to not disturb her wounds any more than she already was by getting up, the Greyflood would begin to make her way over toward @Morrigan's den - albeit slow.

There had been several things that had transpired within these recent days and weeks, things she needed to inform the Queen about. And a big one was the pain in her side Ecrosian. She'd let out a chuff once she was at the den's entrance, ears twisting forward to see if she could hear Morrigan inside. Mutter? Soft voice would call out, brow rising. If her mother wasn't here, she was surely going to get an earful for not staying put after the onslaught battles she had been in.

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you made your
sceptre with the
bones you've broken

Morrigan was having a restless sleep when the voice of her daughter pulled her from vague nightmares, dissipating in her wakefulness before she could fully grasp what they had been about. "Ja?" she said around a sleepy yawn as she rose to muscular limbs, letting @Isla ♔ know she was there while also buying herself a few moments to stretch. She would slip out into the bright light of the permafrost, blinking away the sleep as she moved to place an affectionate headbutt against her now taller progeny. "Was brauchen Sie?" What do you need? she asked as she pulled back to get a better look at the younger woman.

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Her mother's reply would bring relief to the woman, happy to know that she wouldn't have to go hunt her down an bring her back to her den to rest. Ears would twist as they caught the sound of paw steps coming toward her, and as she caught the silhouette of @Morrigan she would take a couple of steps back to give her some room. Her mother's question would be left unanswered for several moments as two toned eyes looked over the High Queen's body, taking in the full extent of the injuries she had sustained at the challenge.

Are you well? Isla wanted to make sure her mom was okay and didn't need anything from her before she dove into the real reason she came to visit her. There's several things I need to inform you about, she would then begin, voice neutral and tone unwavering. Well as you know, Ecrosia is not a friend to us. Alaric's son bested me in a fight he started at the passage while Fernweh and some lions that were once in the Oasis fought against Alaric himself and two more of his sons to try to keep a rogue lioness free. She would pause, letting her mind collect the words she wished to continue with. Sie verloren.* It was something she was still bitter about, and still wanting to try to free the blind woman from that wretched place.

And while you were fighting to retain your crown, that same Arschloch** ambushed and tried to maim me. A shoulder would roll as she glanced down to look at her chest and shoulders, the wounds healing and clearly visible. Ich habe gewonnen und ihm den Knöchel entzwei gebrochen. I won and snapped his ankle in two. It could be seen that she was proud of her accomplishment by the way her body straightened up to stand a little taller and the tone in her voice, lips curling in a rather smug grin. I'm more than certain that Sumpfratte*** will come at me again the next chance he gets. And Isla was certain that it would be a lot more brutal than breaking of an ankle. Another war is in the air, Mutter, and I feel like we should prepare our pride for the inevitable.

* They lost.
** asshole
*** swamp rat

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you made your
sceptre with the
bones you've broken

Are you well? Morrigan shifted uncomfortably as her flesh adjusted to the familiar chill of the Summit air, “Victory makes for a good balm, just as defeat makes for a good lesson.” Knowing when you were beaten was something Morrigan was still working on learning it would seem. Or at the very least the meaning of quit while you’re ahead.

She waited as @Isla ♔ filled her in on the information she had gathered while doing her duties in the Passage, something Morrigan was grateful for being able to avoid, especially in the Summer. Her face hardened as she heard of these fights, wondering how much more there was she had missed out on. Perhaps her presence on the Passage would be prudent if Alaric’s sons were coming into their own.

Yet it all felt like the same dance of avoidance. “I have no doubt war is inevitable. Our differences are just too vast to ever bridge, and it sounds like you’ve made your first personal enemy. Congratulations.” She tried to smile with her words, but no matter how capable she knew the younger woman to be, there was a protective sting when imagining Isla in the same shape she was right now. Or worse.

“Would you like to hold a training event, then? Those who do not fight should at least learn some basic defenses,” she suggested.

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She could tell her mother was worried, whether or not she tried to hide it. Isla had heard some stories of @Morrigan when she was growing up, of how fierce of a woman she was when she were younger, just as how she was now. The younger woman couldn't help but feel like she was only destined for such ferocity and greatness and it was something she would more than willingly embrace. One of many, I'm sure, she would say to her mother's words, the corner of her lips twitching in a rather bemused way.

That was exactly what I was thinking, Mutter. A training exercise to at least teach every lion in the pride just enough to keep them safe, even if they did not wish to participate in the much more bloody and violent ways of war. Any able bodied that can participate should, even cubs. It wasn't a secret that fights amongst the young ones had been popping up more frequently. I shall call for a training session soon.

Isla would suck in a small, cold breath as she allowed for a brief pause of silence to envelope the two. How has everything else been? A way to ask Morrigan how other aspects in her life were going.

@Ferus

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No matter how much Morrigan might have let herself fret, there was the hard truth that she could not deny. She was her own daughter, and Arsynia's granddaughter. No one was going to stop her from turning out exactly as she wanted to. Not even her own Tollaire mother could manage it with Morrigan. Why should she expect to dampen @Isla ♔'s fire? "Your victories will long outweigh your defeats, I have no doubt," she would reassure before allowing the discussion to turn toward the pride.

"Good, I appreciate the duties you've taken upon yourself. Even if I may not be great at showing it," she said rather somberly before answering Isla's more personal question. "Your mother and I may have a last litter, at least for me I think. Turns out we've both taken notice of a handsome Skagos healer. What do you think?" Ultimately the outcome would be the same, but Morrigan had no desire to have her children see each other as anything other than strength in numbers.

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Having her mother voice her gratitude would cause for pride to swell within her chest. Knowing that @Morrigan had been seeing the hard work and dedication she had been putting into her new role was more than enough for Isla to feel that she were going in the right direction - whatever that may have been. Danke, Mutter, the woman would purr, an ear flicking as her haunches reclined so that now Isla was sitting before the High Queen.

A brow would rise at the mentions of a litter before she let out a "hmm" while exhaling through her nose. He seems fit enough, the woman would reply, a shine of bemusement in her gaze. As long as he treats my mothers with the respect they deserve, I guess I can deal. Tone was teasing, and if Morrigan couldn't hear it then it would be obvious upon Isla's face. She knew she had quite a lot of siblings all throughout Amaryllis but not once did she feel like she had to fight or compete for her parents' attention; the more of their line that was around, the better it would be in the future.

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you made your
sceptre with the
bones you've broken

"Fit indeed," Morrigan replied with a raised brow at Isla's poking fun at her, but the smile on her face showed that she was happy the news had been taken so well, especially considering the gaping wound left behind by @Isla ♔'s own sire. "And he has been loyal since the day we founded the Summit. We've been very lucky," a rare bit of vulnerability was share in her words, showing that Morrigan's capacity for love was equal that of her propensity for violence. "I know Talisa is very excited at the prospect, I just hope peace holds long enough to see them born outside of the violence." Morrigan had not been so lucky for either of her own pregnancies.

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It wasn't often that she was able to see this side of @Morrigan, more so accustomed to the stoic and powerful aura her mother always seemed to have around her. It was also nice to have these talks with her, to be able to have it just be only them. Eyvindr is as loyal as they come, the daughter would agree, a nod of her heading given with her words as if to emphasis them. The Skagos man was a skilled healer and a man who had done nothing other than show his loyalty and good nature time and time again.

Peace. The word would echo from Isla, brows knitting together as they furrowed. It seemed as though since she were born there was nothing but rising tensions and fights and wars; did Isla really know peace? Man kann sich nicht gleichzeitig auf Frieden und Krieg vorbereiten. Or at least it wasn't possible to do in her mind; you either focused on the wars to come or try to put all your energy into maintaining peace. But one did not come without the other, and as of late it seemed like peace was becoming harder and harder to hold onto.

1. You cannot prepare for peace and war at the same time.

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You cannot prepare for peace and war at the same time. At @Ilsa's words, Morrigan realized she had once believed the same thing, once more seeing the echo of her younger self in the pale Heiress in more than just her looks. "On the contrary, mein Liebling. You cannot be peaceful without also being capable of great violence. That is not peaceful, that is harmless." Talisa and Nymeria had taught her as much. Valhalla and Aquila had taught her as much when they had fought and killed and died for their home. "If war comes to our doorstep, we will welcome it and we will be ready, but until then I will still hope for the opposite."

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