Sunbeam Lair This place is so crowded... Wanna get out of here or what

Only @Asterr and the girls please! COME MEET YOUR PAPA @Airi @Kaori @Shiori
@Ukko I'll probably open this one for you as well at some point tho!

Although his sister needed him more than ever, Damien's urge to spill some blood was too strong to sit around in Blackfeather Woods and do nothing. Cicero had sparked the desire when he came with his questions, almost forcing Damien to reveal his secret about Asterr, but thankfully he'd found a way to avoid it. That would have been disastrous. Terrible. But there was also a problem with that. Damien was dying to send someone out for Ukko and release Asterr from his claws, make himself a free way to seeing Asterr and his pups when he so desired, but he couldn't risk having someone find Ryujin and realize that his offspring lived within. The only way was to go out and do it himself.

So he left the forest without notice. He could not allow himself to be followed, he could not risk his secret. He was worried he would cross paths with Cicero on his way out, but he was lucky to go unnoticed, and if the Speaker, leader of spies in Blackfeather Woods didn't know he was gone no one else would. He chose the stars to be his company this time, and the whole journey to the mountains, although cold and silent, went quickly under the moonlight.

He reached the Lair just before dawn, when the night is colder. Colder even at the height he was, and colder still as winter stalked behind. But he stayed outside of the warmth of Ryujin, knowing better than to trespass and give Ukko yet another reason to be a little bitch. For now he was only there for Asterr's eyes to see, and only to her he would respond when she found him at her doorstep, but he would not call for her this time, knowing that it would attract unwanted attention.

She despised the cloistered feeling of the den, only bothering with it thanks to the chill of night. She woke up as soon as possible, untangling herself from the thick knot of limbs and into the cool of morning, her indigo eyes bright as she trampled through the Lair.

She went farther than she had before, going all the way to that scent line her mother told her about. The pack seemed to go and pee there, which made more sense then doing it in the den, which was what her sisters often did. Airi squatted at the line, sighing softly as she urinated, only to gasp at the sight of the black wolf. Who are you?! She yelled, still peeing. Go 'way! Chi-chi! Ha-ha!!!

It had not been with her daughter that she’d awoken, her movements having not been clumsy enough. Exhausted from her activities the day before, she’d slept through it as her eldest departed from the den. For a moment or two longer she had slept, up until the point at which she’d been awoken by an undetermined culprit. She’d not been able to tell if it had been one of her daughters or something else entirely, but she’d been glad for it anyways. As she glanced over her hatchlings she’d noticed that there were only two there, and so she’d pushed herself to her feet and began the search for Airi with a yawn. It seemed that, out of the three of them, she was more likely to wander off whilst everyone else slept. At times it was rather concerning, especially with winter on their doorstep, but she often tried to look passed it. Perhaps the child was learning new things whilst she was out and about, or maybe she simply had a knack for exploring. The mother did not yet know, and so she’d not prevent her from carrying on with her interests.

Asterr made her way through the lair at a relatively relaxed pace, trailing after her child’s scent. Once it was realized that she appeared to be heading towards the exit, the mother’s speed increased until she was sprinting through the lair, searching for her missing child. Thankfully, she’d heard her voice, which assured the dragoness that she was still fine, though the words were of great concern. Thus she’d propelled herself forward, slowing to a stop alongside Airi only after having recognized the face of their visitor. Why he had not made his presence known, she was sure that she knew the answer, and so the question was not asked. Instead, she had looked at him, smiling and offering a wag of her tail, only to then revert back into a more neutral display after being reminded of the hatchling’s presence and her past discussion with Ukko.

Leaning forward, she touched her nose to the top of Airi’s head, offering to her a silent assurance that everything was alright. As she straightened back up another smile found its way onto her lips, though it was smaller than what it’d initially been. “Damien,” she greeted, undoubtedly happy to see him. “What has brought you here?” It had been mentioned before that he might visit, but she couldn’t help but wonder if there was another reason for him having left his home. As an answer was awaited, she’d glanced around, assessing her surroundings before allowing for herself to look back towards her friend.

As soon as the first rays of light touched the firmament, a voice coming from the entrance brought Damien back to his paws. He could easily tell that the voice was that of a toddler, untrained and of inconsistent tone, but he couldn't quite identify the source of it.  He dared to approach with heedful senses. Finding Ukko at that moment would have been a disaster, but he couldn't resist the urge to finally see the kids for himself, hoping to be able to discern whether they were of his blood.

There couldn't have been a more inelegant way to meet her father for the first time than to be found while peeing, but children her age were still rarely adapted to the rules of behavior. He stood there, above her like a tower, watching her finish giving maintenance to her bladder in silence. The lighting was poor and Damien could only really recognize the color of her pelage to be a dark one. He was about to approach even more to take a closer look, curiosity and angst flooding his reason, but his way was blocked by no less than Asterr herself. She was gentle, as always, and asked Damien why he'd come there. "I didn't get a chance to see you the last time," was his response as his pale eyes delighted on her figure once more. "Your mate wouldn't let me in," he explained, a bitter ring to his voice betraying his growing hatred towards the fire-eyed Chief.

"I made a promise once... Remember?" he added, with a sweetness to his voice that contrasted his previous tone.

Airi finished peeing, snarling at the foreign wolf until her mother came. She was not calmed by the woman's gentle kiss, glaring at the pale-eyed wolf. She saw a shimmer in the corner of her eye: Zennyo. He was recognizable now, a dragon-like wolf, green and blue, with a long body and tale, and great horns. He turned to the pale wolf, nodding sagely. That is him. Shadow-father. Airi scowled at the strange wolf, with a red mark and circle with lines on his shoulder. Mother seemed to know him.

Truly, it was nothing more than for a visit that he’d found his way to the lair, which the dragoness knew she should have expected. For as deceitful as those of his homeland could be, she’d never known him to be a liar; his honesty was a trait that she’d always found to be appealing, making him stand out against so many others. To hear him speak had delighted her, though there had been a swift alteration her demeanor as he’d spoken of her now former mate. Whilst it was clear that his tone of choice had not been directed at her, her ears had still fallen back as a frown pulled her lips down. Draco—whose knowledge was great—hadn’t stirred in even the slightest, knowing that his presence had not been necessary. When it was appropriate to step in is when he usually did so, but then had not been such a time and so he’d kept to himself. Rarely did it occur, but Asterr had been left to experience the encounter as an individual, rather than as one of the sides to a coin.

Although he’d spoken with such a bitter tone previously, it’d easily transitioned into one that was just as sweet as honey in no longer than a moment’s passing. The promise made had been brought up, which had eased the discomfort that’d previously been felt. And though her ears remained at a point between erect and flat, a partial smile had succeeded in settling on her lips. “I do remember,” had been her response, followed by a quick glance towards the scowling hatchling. In spite of the deal she’d made, Asterr nudged the girl in an attempt at getting her to take a few steps forward. Very little time would be spent on attempts at making her move, however, for the mother had learned long ago just how stubborn she could be. With that in mind, she’d looked towards Damien again, having few words to say in regards to the promise. The only thoughts on her mind at the moment revolved around her daughters, and so she’d focused on those, rather than struggling with a topic that she could provide nothing for.

Given that Damien hadn’t been permitted to see them on the day of their births, she had begun by saying, “There are three of them, all girls.” There had been a fondness in her voice and a glimmer in her eyes as she had spoken, always the easiest to be captivated by the information on her darling hatchlings. “This is Airi,” she’d added, motioning towards the child. “The other two have been named Kaori and Shiori.” She knew not then—and likely never would—the irony of their names, given the religion under which their father had been birthed.

Although sweet words were weaved by the mother's tongue, Damien eyes could not look away from the moody draconid that had come to greet him. Her fur's color, dark like his mother's, but just as iridescent as his own, had caught him entirely, and his pale eyes could only admire her. But then his pale eyes looked up once more, finding Asterr's angelic face with a gentle smile. Airi, Kaori, Shiori. All girls, all dragons. But there was still a question buzzing in Damien's ears. Were they his blood? "She's bold, this one," said the dark prince instead, not wanting yet to ruin the mood by cornering Asterr against someone she might not want to answer. The truth would come around sooner or later, and Damien could be patient enough for his dragoness.