Valerie
*Snowstorm stomped down the road towards Gyrfalcon's home, a pack full of her belongings from her room in the palace. She wore a crowd-clearing snarl on her lips, the news of Hyperborean's new 'law' had just reached her, her rage boiling over, leaving her office a torn apart mess aside from the few things she couldn't take with her, but still held value to her in some regard. The slashes in the wall was probably enough of a sign of her emotional state. Everything else she took with her, especially the small mementos she had from other tribes.*

*She simply felt disgusted staying in the castle, she tried her best to calm herself, but every step towards Gyr's home only raised her anger, her breath causing flakes to fall from her frostbreath mixing with her normal breathing. Already the ranting and venting threatened to break forth in the middle of the village. But she tried her best to hold it in, until she was at least a little more private.*
Bruce
{^~ he was cleaning the den, this being his way of making it seem like he wasn't upset around kitti, his ears pinned back as he mumbled words under his breath, the den already pretty much spotless but that wasn't stopping him, the smell of home made cleaner and smell goods noticable from outside the den he did his best to make sure he didn't wake kitti who was napping in her room but it was hard enough not to leave talon marks on the ground~^}
Valerie
*Even before she got back, she was half-yelling, half-muttering,* "Unbelievable, unconscionable, who does he think he is? YEARS of work, all my planning, for what? A VANITY project?" *Her jaw was starting to hurt from how tightly she was clenching her teeth, throat sore from the growling, she barely noticed the flecks of dark blue on the snow from her claws, injured from destroying her office. When she got to Gyr's house, she thought of barging straight in, but instead she knocked, harder than she meant to for sure. She wound up pacing as she waited for him to open the door for her.*
Bruce
{^` he took a deeper breath to seem like he wasn't mad before opening the door ~^} 

"Yes? Oh- my dear- welcome-?" 

{^~ he said stepping aside to let her in, looking at the blue speckles before looking down at her talons, his head tilted slightly as he noticed her bags ~^} 

" I take it you didn't take the new, hm- rule- well either-?" 

{^~ he asked offering to take her bags for her, in a weak attempt to give himself something to do other then clean ~^}
Valerie
*Her jaw loosened at the sight of her mate, though she only managed to look down to the floor and let out a grumble at his welcome, at least before nudging him with her snout,* "I do not want to stay there," *She mutters, her voice was, hoarse, as she stepped past Gyr towards the den, she doesn't argue with him taking her bags, and helped him take them off her.*

*Her demeanor was, far different than normal, when he first opened the door, her expression was one of seething rage, but it seemed the sight of him had tempered it, though replacing it with sadness, as she flopped to the floor unceremoniously, still tracking a bit of that dark blue blood, but it seemed to have petered out by then. Slowly, she looked up to the door of Kittiwake's room, and simply stared for a time.*
Bruce
" Do you want to talk about it-? " 

{^~ he asked sitting near her as a offer for touch, following her gaze to kitti's room and gently placing his wing over her back ~^} 

" I won't let anything happen to her if that's what your worried about- this law won't break this family up- I won't allow it to-" 

{^~ he said looking at her, his gaze softer now as he wanted to offer some sort of comfort, he didn't want snow to worry to much about kitti, he knew this new law would prove to have some challenges but he wouldn't let them hurt kitti, even the thought of it made his blood boil but he hid that to the best of his abilities ~^}
Valerie
"Fifty years. I have served our people, our Queen, for fifty years. Presided over the transfer of power twice. Not once did I feel like time was wasted, like it wasn't worthwhile... I've never felt so betrayed..." *She says, her gaze moving over to Gyr, before raising her foreleg,* "I need you," *She says quietly, her usual unsureness replaced by desperation.*

*Her next words were ones not even she thought were even possible from her,* "*I don't know what to do...*" *Her voice wavered,* "Why do I feel so, weak..."
Bruce
{^~ he gently moved closer to her, pulling her closer to him with his wing and pressing his head to hers in a sort of hug, moving away after a couple moments and finally speaking up once he found the words to say ~^} 

" All we can do is protect the hybrids and outsiders we care for- make sure nothing bad happens to them when this new, power, goes to everyone else's head, "

{^~ he held her talon alittle, running one of his claws over the top of her talons carefully ~^} 

" Your not weak, it's just the feeling of betrayal and loss of the path you thought you were fighting for, you just need to find something new to fight for, something to put your mind on more then just your job at the palace, cause our ruler is just leading our people astray now- I thought the way the other rulers ruled was backwards but this-.." 

{^~ he seemed last at words, huffing slightly, the flurry of ice being evidence of him trying to ease his own mind on this to, he didn't like the thoughts of what could happen to kitti, what was he going to tell her? She could no longer hang out with her ice wing friends? ~^}
Valerie
*She shook slightly in the hug for a moment, before a long, deep breath brought her back to a more neutral state. Nodding at his words, she responded,* "How many times have we seen an Icewing Queen do exactly this? Every time the scrolls say that we tried to open up, the next Queen does something like this, reigniting thousand year old grudges," *The general looks to talons, the comparison from her chipped and bruised digits to his, the feelng comforting.*

"We have to do something, maybe, if we can find others who share our views, we can do something," *She looks to the floor, trying to process her thoughts,* "I hate him. I hate our king, I can not stop myself from wanting to sink my teeth into his throat..." *She runs her free talon down her spikes, taking deep breaths,* "I hate myself for thinking it, but I can't stop it..."

*His suggestion triggered something in her mind, something new to fight for, something else to focus on... She didn't know exactly why, but only one thing came to her mind,* "I want, to have a hatchling, with you," *It barely came out as a whisper, if Gyrfalcon was any further away, it would have been inaudible. Her expression was one of regret, bringing the topic up so suddenly, at a time like it was...*
Bruce
{^~ he watched her a bit, listening to her little rant about the ruler, a surprised look over his face that only seemed to get more cunfused but yet some how happy when he noticed what she had whispered, going to say something before he forced himself to calm down slightly so nothing came off wrong ~^}

"Wh- a- A hatchling- with me-? Are you sure- i- I don't know how well I will do as a father for it- I don't want to get your hopes up if I don't act the way you expect me to with the hatchling-.." 

{^~ he said seeming alittle lost, he remembered how lost he was when taking care of kitti by himself, he knew he messed up a lot more then he should of with her when she was younger, he wasn't perfect, he didn't see himself as worthy to have a hatchling with snow, not with how he was when kitti was in her egg still, he had been overly protective, often guarding the nest from his ex, he didn't want that to happen with snow if his mind went back to that mindset ~^}
Valerie
*Snowstorm quieted him by pressing her snout to his, her tongue flicking out to lick his chin,* "Kittiwake is a wonderful young dragonet, from the moment I met her, I knew you were right. I doubted myself, over anything else, afraid of being a disappointment. But, meeting a dragonet in a bad situation made it clear to me, that I am ready. And if I could have a hatchling with anyone, in this entire world... I want it to be you. When we're ready, I will be proud to have your egg," *She said, wrapping her forelegs around him, before laying back down, dragging him with her.*

"Until then, I just want to be here, with you, with Kittiwake, as a family," *Snow said,* "Right now, I want nothing more than this, you and I, holding each other... I know I can be, hesitant, about this, but, those inner alarms, can shut up."
Bruce
{^~ he smiled softly, humming alittle in thought before nuzzling her a bit, keeping her close as he enjoyed the moment, it'd been a while since he had thought of expanding his family, he had wanted to give kitti a sibling to grow up with before, but no dragoness has stood out to him at that time, not as much as snow did now, he giggled alittle before wrapping his tail around snow's carefully ~^} 

" I'd be glad to have a egg with you snow, I can't think of a reason good enough to not want to," 

{^~ he said smiling, putting his wing around her as he seemed to think a bit, slightly lost in the thought of having someone he actually enjoyed to have around again ~^} 

" ... I love you snow storm- thank you for choosing me"
Valerie
*Snow buried her face into Gyr's chest at his confirmation, letting out a shaky, held breath,* "Thank you, Gyr, thank you, so much..." *He could feel a wetness on his chest, until she looked up with an expression that was practically alien to her, smiling widely with tears falling freely. Her rage and sadness from earlier completely erased.*

"I love you too, Gyrfalcon. No matter what happens, know that my heart is yours, always," *She whispered, moving her head up to nuzzle into his neck, bringing herself in to let his wing encompass her, while her tail returned his coiling. Despite her size over him, she consciously took the place of the smaller dragon, and showed Gyrfalcon the one thing she never thought she would show anyone. Vulnerability.*
Bruce
{^ he seemed to notice she was letting her guard down, laying his head over her shoulders in a meek attempt at protecting her more, being careful of her spikes but he enjoyed the chance to cuddle for once, knowing snow rarely let her guard down around anyone ~^}

" Kitti is gonna be happy with the news when we share it with her- she's always wanted a sibling-"

{^~ he said looking over to kitti's door to make sure the dragonet was still asleep ~^{
Valerie
"I cannot wait to tell her," *She said, settling in a little, and making as sure as she could that she wouldn't jab him with a spike. He could hear the deep draconic purr coming from her, utter contentment. It was then, after all of the heightened emotions of the day, that the tiredness finally caught up to her with a wide yawn. The general let out one more,* "I love you, Gyr," *Before her eyes drifted shut, though not quite fully asleep yet, she was certainly well on her way there.*
Bruce
{^~ he smiled, closing his eyes to rest alittle but he didn't go to sleep, he didn't sleep alot due to his protective mindset, he didn't want anything happening to those he cared about, he always seemed to be in a light rest state when caught off guard, as that was his version of napping ~^}
John
```alittle while later```
Brandon
{^~ she woke up, stretching a bit before getting up, stumbling out of her room and looking around alittle before spotting snow and gyr, smiling a bit before carefully pulling a fur blanket over them, not bothering them otherwise as she went to start a project with some fur scrap's around the living room, not to far away from them but she stayed quiet enough to let them sleep, her frosty patches turning a light shade of yellow and pink (like a gradient) as she just relaxed~^}
Valerie
*Snow groaned softly as she slowly awoke, unsure of how long she had been asleep, though noting the presence of the weight of a blanket over her, on that was definitely not there beforehand. Though, it's warmth, and the presence of Gyr with her, made her rather hesitant to move, part of her regretted being so slow to adopt the idea of cuddling, now that she's tried it, she didn't want it to end.*

*She blinked the sleep from her eyes, before looking around, and catching sight of Kitti, working on one of her projects, though, it did take a few moments for her presence to truly register with her,* "Oh, good morning, Kitti," *She said, a bit mumbly, and not even being sure what time it actually was, let alone if it was morning at all.*
Brandon
" Afternoon but yes, "

{^~ she nodded looking over to her and gyr, watching gyr stir alittle as he adjusted how he was laying so he was more comfortable ~^}

 " Sleep well mo- mmm- snow storm?" 

{^~ she asked immediately stopping herself from saying mom cause she didn't know where she stood with that, not wanting to make snow storm uncomfortable with the title as she didn't know if she was ready for it ~^}
Valerie
*Kitti's almost-slip brought a moment of contemplation to the older dragon, but, after a moment, she turned to Gyr, settling in against him a bit more,* "I think, I'm ready, if you would have me, I would be honored, to be your mom," *She said, bringing a talon up to stroke Gyr's cheek,* "And I think, that is not the only thing I am ready for..."

"Do you... Still want to be an older sister?" *Snow asked contemplatively.*
Brandon
" ... Alright- and uhm- yeah? But I don't think Dad is ready for another hatchling yet, he hasn't wanted one in a while" 

{^` she said going back to her project, using her tail spikes to hold the string as she adjusted the fur so she wouldn't lose the quill ^}

" Why? Are you guys planning to adopt?"

{^` she said curious where this was going, her talons barely wanting to work due to the ice over her talons and wrists, sighing before getting up and moving closer to the fire place ~^}
Valerie
"We have, done some talking, I did not believe myself capable, how could a lifelong soldier, surrounded by hate and worse, be able to give a hatchling the love they needed. I think Gyr was in a similar state for other reasons, but, I think we have experienced things that proved otherwise."

"We want to have a hatchling, a half-sibling to you, but I didn't not want to make you uncomfortable by doing so," *She wanted to tell Kittiwake about the king's new law, but, she couldn't bring herself to do so, not without Gyr awake as well...*
Brandon
{^ she seemed a bit surprised at that, thinking for a second before her scales turned a bright yellow and she did alittle happy noise before calming herself down, her ears airplanned slightly ~^} 

" Sorry- uhm- that's great news, I think a new hatchling is a good idea if you and Dad want one-" 

{^ she said smiling as she watched gyr start to wake up with all the noise, attempting to just hide his face and go back to sleep but it was evident that wasn't happening °}
Valerie
*The sight of Kitti's scales turning that shade of yellow, and the noise she made, brought a smile to Snow's face, it was one thing she enjoyed about Rainwings, not having to guess about what they were feeling. When Gyr tried to bury his face to sleep longer, Snowstorm resorted to lightly nipping his cheek,* "It is time to get up Gyr," *She whispered to him, before turning back to Kitti,* "You don't need to hold yourself back, I am glad to see that you are excited. I had made myself second guess my thoughts on because I did not know how you would take it."
Bruce
{^~ he groaned alittle, huffing as he gently pushed snow in retaliation ~^} " Mnou.." {^ he said half asleep, not liking that idea as he was comfortable ~^}
Brandon
{^ she nodded a bit ~^} " Don't like using big emotions around people to much- get told I express them to much due to being mostly ice wing- don't want to weird anyone out with the colors or nosies since you guys can't do it-" {^ she said getting up and starting to make some tea for gyr ~^} " Would you like some tea or coffee? I bought some in the shops the other day for you guys,"
Valerie
*Snow couldn't help but give a deep chuckle as Gyr tried to push her head away, only for her to slip from his talon to instead lick up his neck, stopping only to respond to Kitti,* "Honestly, it makes me rather happy to see you express yourself like that, I do not know if I would call us friends, but I have met with the rainwing queen on a few occasions as more than stiff business meetings. I enjoy it whenever we are able to simply talk."

*The mention of coffee perks Snow up a little,* "Coffee, of better quality than the palace staff provides? No offense to Calve, but the quantity they have to put out sacrifice the quality."
Brandon
" I help a hive wing merchant in the markets with their coffee business, I have gotten pretty good so it is probably better then the palace staff coffee, have you ever tried honey in your coffee? It adds quiet a good flavor " {^` she said starting to make some boiled water over the fire in a clay "Kettle" She had bought ~^}
Bruce
{^~ he blushed alittle before sitting up, his ears airplanned as he looked at her ~^} " Okay- m'up- I see kitti is keeping you company-"
Valerie
*Snow sits up as well with some stretching and yawning,* "Hmm, we do not often get honey in the mess, despite the benefits, certainly something to try," *She nods, before turning to Gyr,* "I think that was the best sleep I have ever had, thank you for staying with me, Gyr," *She whispered, maintaining their coiled tails until they had to move,* "I would not mind sleeping in the same nest as you."
Bruce
{^~ he licked her snout before carefully uncoiling their tails and getting up, stretching like a cat before moving over to kitti and helping her with the boiled water ~^} " I wouldn't mind it either snow, "
Valerie
*She complained lightly with a grumble as Gyr slipped out from under the blanket, but it was simply light hearted as she settled back down, laying with her head high,* "With... Me on leave, for a time, I do not quite have a place to live outside of the palace of my own, but the option is open to make it more official, and live with you full time," *She broaches the subject, while avoiding the topic of exactly why she was on leave, as unofficial as it was, waiting until Kitti was more prepared, or more specifically, not dealing with boiling water.*
Bruce
" If you want to stay you can, I don't mind" {^` he said giving snow her coffee and watching as kitti went back over to the fire, her scales getting a blue ish purple color for a second when she got to close accidentally ~^}
" Do we want to tell her-?.." {^~ he asked quietly, stirring his tea with his claw ~^}
Brandon
{^~ she grabbed a quill and her scarp fur project, keeping it away from the fire but trying to work on it still, her tail curling up as much as it could with the spikes, trying to make sure she didn't hurt herself accidentally ~^}
Valerie
*She takes the cup of coffee, and already the heat of the fresh cup was leagues different from the just hotter than lukewarm stuff from the palace, or at least, that was the state of it by the time she was able to get any. A quick breath of cold air brought it down to drinkable temperature, and even without additives, it surprised her,* "Mm, this isn't the same kind of bean the palace uses, it has flavor of it's own, and not just bitter, as dark as possible for the most energy in one cup."

*She looks down a little, then to Kitti, and back to Gyr,* "We have to, today, and as soon as possible, I do not want to lie to her..."
Bruce
{^` he took a deeper breath ~^} " Kitti may we speak to you real quick?- "{^~ he asked sitting by snow, his tail curling to attempt to hold snow's, he didn't want to tell kitti, but he knew it had to be done, he watched as the dragonet put on her cloak before going over to them, sitting down and tilting her head, seeming more then curious for news that was like this~^}
Brandon
{^~ she looked over to snow then gyr, her scales shifting to a lighter blue color as she didn't seem to try and hide the colors as much anymore from what snow said ~^} " What's going on-?.. If it's about the hatchling stuff mom already told me-"
Valerie
*Snow put her talon over Gyr's, holding there as she took a breath, she wanted to take pride in being called 'mom', but...* "I, did not know how to tell you this, but, something else has happened today, it is why I am staying here, and not the palace. Kin- No, *Hyperborean*, has announced a new law, effective immediately, banning those not of pure Icewing heritage from living here..." *The absolute venom in her voice as she said his name rivaled that of a Rainwing's, her grip on his tightening,* "I do not know what is going to happen, but I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe, you, and any other who may run afoul of that new 'law'."
Brandon
{^` she seemed to completely pause for a second before her markings turned red and a acid green color, hissing as her frills extended slightly before she took a breath and swallowed her venom that threatened to spill, her frills twitching as she tried to calm down ~^} " Oh, *Fantastic* " {^` she said sarcastically, mumbling something under her breath before shaking off alittle to force her scales to go back to normal ~^} " Mm, sorry, almost lost my temper, uhm, is he perhaps only doing it for alittle bit? Or is this a permanent thing" {^` she said still very obviously pissed but she was doing her best, her fangs attempting to move forward a couple times when she talked but she held herself back, knowing it wasn't gyr or snows fault this law went into affect, her claws having left deep scratches where they lied and her scales where still very faintly red and acid green ~^}
Valerie
*She grit her teeth at Kitti's reaction, not so dissimilar to her own, though thankfully far less destructive,* "As far as I know, he intends it to be permanent, but, it will not be if I have my way of things. He has gone too far. I, should have seen this coming, I knew he did not like hybrids, but, I did not expect it to go this far," *She sat her cup down, still half full, before moving to sit in front of Kitti,* "I am sorry, but until things get better, I do not know how much you can do outside. I may have enough sway with some guards or civilians, but..." *She trails off, holding her talon out to her step-daughter, a little shakily.*
Brandon
{^~ she looked at her talons, her frills going flat to her neck as much as possible, backing up a bit from the offer before looking at gyr and shaking her head her tail curling around her alittle before looking to snow ~^} " Sorry-.. Uhm- I can just stick to the caves- that's where I normally go anyway- I can stay away from people easily, I did it for the first few years of my life- dad was worried everyone would try and hurt me-"
Bruce
{^` he carefully lowered snows talon, understanding what kitti meant and knowing he would have to explain to snow why she refused the offer but he didn't want to interrupt kitti at all, putting his wing over snow to try and offer alittle bit of grounding in case the rejection had hurt her feelings ~^}
Valerie
*Snow gives a solemn nod at Kitti not accepting her invitation, she was zero for two on comforting dragonets, but it wasn't uncalled for in either case, she could not fault them for not feeling ready. It looked like the explanation of her hiding in the caves hurt Snow a little, but it made sense to some degree, the hate of hybrids was never an absent thing, only now it was enshrined in Icewing law. She leaned against Gyr's comfort of her, while a headbump told him that she was alright with it.*
Brandon
" I don't really- accept- comfort when I am mad- it ends badly-" {^` she said nodding to the scars on gyr's arms and talons ~^} " I cant control my outbursts normally-..."
Bruce
{^~ he nuzzled snow a bit, watching kitti carefully as the dragonet seemed to try and hide herself more with the cloak to keep herself warmer ~^} " Be careful whether your hiding or not- the guards aren't gonna be very pleased to know that I lied about what I told them-"
Valerie
"I would not be surprised if they would be angry with me as well, considering the exit I made..." *She said, leaning into the nuzzle,* "But there was no conceivable way I would allow myself to be complacent. I am even debating if staying in the Ice Kingdom as a whole is a good idea, but I have few ideas of where to go."
Bruce
" What are the places you where thinking?" {^~ he asked looking over to her, watching kitti creep over to snows side and lay by her, her wing touching her like a stray cat that was attempting to show it was warming up to you ~^}
Valerie
"Oddly enough, the rainforest is one option, it would likely be hard to tolerate temperature-wise, but Queen Azalea would not turn us away. The other option is the Mud Kingdom, the rumors are unsubstantiated, but a new Queen has recently ascended, and word has spread of her liking hybrids, and the other tribes, if anywhere is safe, it would be there." *She responded, smiling at Kitti laying her wing on her. Progress, no matter how small, was progress.*
Bruce
" The rain wings aren't to fond of me oddly enough due to rumors- but either is a good option, I didn't know the mud wings had a new queen, nor that she liked hybrids- what do you think kitti?"
Brandon
{^ she was clawing the ground alittle, some venom marks on the ground ~^} " ... I don't mind either way- as long as we're safe anywhere is okay with me-" {^~ she said looking up at snow before "Head butting" Her side, holding the touch as she made a chittery like purr sound ~^}
Valerie
*Snow laid her wing over Kitti when she bumped her head into the older icewing's side,* "We will likely have to leave before too long, there is only so long before someone remembers some detail you've said, or recalls our dates and thinks to look for me here... Kitti, do you have any friends you need to tell that you'll be gone for a while?"
Brandon
" I'll leave a note in the crystal caves, that's where I met the ones that live here- plus all of them are hybrids- so they have probably left by now-" {^ she said leaning into snow at the warmth, even if they were cold to the touch she some how managed to find a way to get heat off of ice wings ~^}
Valerie
*She shifts to give Kitti a more comfortable spot to lay, her tail moving to encompass the dragonet,* "Perhaps it would be worth it to tell them about safe places as well, within and without, there would doubtlessly be some willing to care for hybrids here. And as a General of Queen Curlew, I will make sure as many as I can stay safe until we leave." *What she was doing was, fairly transparent, having disavowed the king so hard, that she has retaken the previous Queen's name, despite her being gone.*
Brandon
" I will, can't believe our king is like this-.. I don't think hybrids are that bad-.." {^ she said playing with her talons alittle, feeling over her claws a bit ~^} " ... Mom, can I make you some more crystal jewelry?-"
Bruce
{^ he got up, starting to pack things that weren't fully needed for general living so that it was easier on them when they moved, his tail curling to stay out of the way ~^}
Valerie
"This is, far from the first time an Icewing ruler has done something like this, the trouble with Ice and Night hybrids dates back over four thousand years, it only spread outwards from there. Every time progress is made, some fool tries to break it again..." *She sighed, looking down to Kittiwake,* "Of course, Kitti, I would love it if you did," *Her voice was quieter, half to try and comfort her step-daughter, the other half trying not to make an embarrassing noise from being called 'Mom' regularly.*
Brandon
{^` she got up, coming back with her jewelry supplies and sitting by snow again, having a bag full of different kinds of gems in all different shapes and sizes, grabbing a quill and putting it behind her fang, making it "Venom tipped" And using it to burn a hole for the chain of the jewelry through the crystals, focused on order to not mess it up, her scales turning a pink color as she smiled a bit, using this to distract herself a bit ~^}
Valerie
*Snow watched her work with some amount of interest, she knew the usual way was for the jeweler to carefully carve out the space, or set it into a metal casing, both of said options were common in the upper reaches of Icewings. She never did imagine herself doing the same, but here she was now, wearing a necklace she would have though gaudy before meeting Gyr and Kitti, and waiting on her step-daughter to make more.*

*She looked up to check on Gyr's progress, part of her wanting to get up and help, but, staying and helping Kitti keep her mind off of the situation was paramount, and the least she could do for being part of the reason they had to leave for a time in the first place...*
Bruce
{^~ once he was done with his packing he layed down near them again, watching kitti finish the jewelry and offer it to snow ~^} " You keep picking up hobbies and you'll be able to work in all fields of work-" {^~ he said jokingly, smiling alittle as he watched kitti stick her tongue out at him before hugging snow ~^{