To say he felt like shit would be an understatement. He felt like death. If a corpse in all its dead and rotting glory still had feeling and it had experienced a few blistering summer days, Valentine reckoned he and the corpse could swap comparably awful “I feel like shit” stories. The King had indeed come close to corpsehood himself. With the help of his son, a loner healer and an unparalleled stubbornness Valentine had pulled through the worst of it. He was a long way from complete recovery, but if he got his way (when exactly didn't he?) in no time at all he would once again sit atop his throne the very picture of vigor and stiff-necked pride. "Here, Angelus," he rasped. The boy – he wasn't really a boy anymore, was he? - slipped from his side once he recognized that his father was standing stably. The King couldn't remain standing for long. With his eldest son hovering worriedly over him, Valentine swayed and was forced to lean heavily against his beloved tractor. Slowly and then all at once he fell into a seated position and again swayed as fatigue did its best to bring him low. He resisted; his jaw clenching as he remained upright by sheer force of will. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Angelus look him over skeptically. With piss and vinegar empowering him, Valentine, suddenly and aggressively renewed, threw his head back and howled for his dearest friend. The others by now had surely scattered, but perhaps his partner in crime still lingered. ""

Chaos was on his feet once more, and without the need to conform to pack standards of mentorship she'd quite happily gone back to teaching both Chaos and Vana everything she knew, though at this point there wasn't really anything she could teach her only daughter for healing. It was more working with them these days, which she found strangely gratifying. It felt a lot like working with Valentine... though perhaps that was just wishful thinking, or simply because he and the kids were really the only ones in the world she'd been able to grow close to, particularly after her family had abandoned her. Right now the kids were off doing their own things. Chaos was hunting, Vana off in her den making more of that bruise concoction Cascade had stumbled on a while back, and Seraphim was off doing whatever it was Seraphim did, and Cas - well, Cas was enjoying a lazy day. She'd probably go join Chaos later in hunting, maybe take down something a big bigger with her big saber-toothed son than she'd be able to manage alone, but for now she was just sunning herself in the weak winter sun and just relaxing.

The howl from the range made her open one eye skeptically before closing it and shifting into a more comfortable position.

A second later she was scrambling to her paws with a yip of joy. That was Valentine! Not some wet-behind-the-ears would-be claimant of Imp's old range, but the big man himself.

With a scattering of dead leaves and grass Cascade launched herself headlong for where the call had come from, and where else but the metal beast he was so fond of? She didn't slow until she'd almost run headlong into him. Her first instinct was to tackle him, but she checked her forward rush in an instant when she saw the state he was in and instead minced up with more delicacy to press herself full against his shoulder. It was as much to lend him some small support as it was to give herself the pleasure of feeling his warmth against her own shoulder. The disease had taken far more of a toll on him than she would have hoped, but he was still here. Gently she reached up and sought to plant submissive little nibbles along his lower jaw. She felt too big for her skin, glowing and practically vibrating, as though she were going to burst into Cascade-confetti with excitement at having her best friend returned to her alive. "You look like hell, Valen," she chided laughingly, trying to hide some of that ecstatic glow behind that mask of amusement.

Cascade exploded onto the scene with more than enough energy for all three of them. As weary as he was, the sight of his friend racing towards him brought an enthused grin to his lips. When compared to a lifetime the past few weeks were little more than a few heartbeats, but Valentine still felt as though he'd aged greatly. Cascade, however, appeared little worse for wear. And he was so very glad to see her. Uh oh. For a brief second as he watched Cascade barrel towards him Valentine was sure she was going to run him over. Any other time he'd have been able to take it, but today without the tractor at his side, she'd have been able to plow right through him. He stiffened, still enthused and grinning but prepared for a seemingly inevitable collision. Thankfully Cascade quickly slowed and the blow he'd expected never came. Still, the weight of her against him was enough to push him further (and uncomfortably) into the tire of his tractor and Valentine had to shift his weight around and try to lean fully against his friend to combat the weight pressed against him. Her touch was energizing to say the least and while he was perhaps a little concerned for her health considering his own, Valentine couldn't bring himself to protest her gentle nibbles. After a moment he dipped his head in an attempt to press the side of it against hers. He savored her presence; relishing the warmth she radiated and the shoulder he leaned against. Cascade's words drew a snort from him. Saucily, he retorted, "Just hell, eh? I feel like death." He certainly didn't look like a king. How recently had his sunken sides been etched with hard muscle? How long ago had his lackluster coat shone? The King had deteriorated rapidly and in his current state he was the picture of ill health. Even the scars that had once given his appearance a seasoned edge now served to complete the picture of a worn out warrior. After a moment's thought he sobered and asked, "How are the boys?" ""

Angel's ears pricked forward at the sound of a rapid approach. Upon seeing him mother for the first time in weeks a broad, relieved grin split his lips. He was pleased to see she was well and untouched by the illness. He'd seen a lot of sickness over the last season and he'd feared that Imperium's large community and the closeness of some of its members would work against it and aid in the spread of disease. Those tending the ill were quite literally putting their lives on the line and endangering their own health for the betterment of others and having seen what the sickness could do, Angelus had worried over his mother and sister. Trying not to trample all over the moment his parents were having, Angelus's attention darted elsewhere and he took in the Range for the first time since returning. It was unusually quiet. He was used to there being a steady stream of wolf activity. Even without direct contact the pack had been so large it had been nearly impossible to avoid constantly stepping into - and out of - someone's peripheral. "You look like hell." Ugh. Moment. Taking a deep breath that turned into a tired yawn Angelus snapped back to the present and allowed his gaze to return to his parents. He stepped forward to try to gently touch his mother's shoulder with his nose in greeting. "I think I'm going to go lay down. Howl if you need me." -exit Angelus-