He shifted restlessly in his den, eager to leave, to give himself a proper wash without a cast in his way, to stretch himself and run the border, to hunt and roam and be free from the constraints settled in on him since his injury. He had finally conceded to the wisdom of his healer - mostly after Io had shown him how foolish he had been. After that, he had been a good patient, doing as she asked, resting when she told him and not push himself any further then she allowed, with nothing but a furrow between his brows to show what it cost him.

Perhaps it helped that there was a small niggling fear in his heart that he would lose her, now that she had begun to fall for the Empress. The Warlord did not want to push away his sister, and his healer, even if that meant long hours of boredom to fulfill her wishes to wait and heal.

He was restless as he waited for her to arrive and give her final examination of him. He was certain she would finally release him back into the world, for his leg felt as strong as ever, healed, if he was to venture a guess. He let out a sigh, and waited by his den entrance for his to make the decision over the Warlord.

"Speech"

The day had finally come. A day that she thought would never arrive, thanks to her brother's stubborn nature. It took him a few tries to realize that she was right, but eventually he had done so and had begun to take it easy on his broken leg. He'd been den-ridden after straining the injury and it served him right. She had told him so, after all. Today was his release date, however, and the small woman made her way towards the giants den to hopefully give him the good news.

Padding into the mouth of the den, the tiny dame flashed a slight grin. It was the first time she was seeing Sirius in a while. Since the bite to her face, Io had been avoiding everyone. Now that it was mostly healed, you could barely see the marks beneath her white and silver fur. What you could see what a crescent shaped scar on her lower lip. It would be the only remnant of the encounter with the coyotes. Belle had been lucky too. Io had acted quickly and so the woman wouldn't scar, though there might be some lines of harder skin below the ruff of fur about her neck.

"I'm proud of you." She leaned against the mouth of the den. She meant it, of course, but there was a bit of humor in the statement. Moving forward, Iolaire pulled a knife from her bag; one of the treasures that she'd found on the old battlefield while rummaging with Lucretia. Wasting no time, she stuck the edge between the cast and her siblings leg. With a pop, the cast cracked and Io made short work of removing it completely. The little healer inspected the leg, prodding it and bending it. Her look was serious and she gave a shake of her skull, indicating that there was bad news just to be a jerk. Instead, she said, "You made it. Clean bill of health. You're free to do as you please." She swept one leg outward towards the mouth of the den. "Run. Be free." With a chuckle, she emptied the mouth of the den so that he could come out into the world.

The Titan King raised his ears at the sound of gentle steps just outside his den. He knew exactly who had come to see him, and he already had a smile on his lips as Io poked her tiny frame through his large door. Zee had told him about her run in with the coyotes, and he found his eyes grazing her face, but finding only the slightest hint of healed skin. He gave a pleased nod to himself at the physical evidence that Io was okay. He had a feeling she wouldn’t be impressed if he spent his first day back hunting down every coyote pack within a hundred leagues.

His tail flicked gently behind him in a pleased gesture as the woman leaned against the den entrance and told him she was proud of him. It was, after all, only by her determined instinstance that he had finally submitted himself to quiet healing.

He grunted as she pulled his cast free with a knife, the blade of similar make to the one hidden in his braces. He watched as she shook her head, and he got ready to dryly tell her the pack wasn’t going to run itself for much longer - when she instead gave him a free bill of health. “You don’t have to tell me twice” he said as he hopped onto all four legs, no longer hindered by a brace, and heaved a relieved sigh.

He stepped out into the wide world, and yawned, shaking his head. It had been a while since he had been to the territory he had claimed, ad he felt an itching to return there. As he brushed past Io he gently rubbed his side against her in an affectionate greeting. “Will you run with me, little sister? I miss the wind in my ears.”

Sirius wasted no time,  just as she knew he wouldn't. He brushed past her, sliding his side against her own. With a grin,  she stepped up beside him,  leaning into his bulk momentarily. It was nice to have him back.  It was also nice that she no longer had to baby him.  She knew that he hated being an invalid. Who wouldn't? Hopefully this broken leg would make him a little more cautious in the future. 

The tiny dame was asked to run and her grin widened.  She removed her pack,  placing it in the mouth of his den. Giving her own body a shake to make it limber,  she nodded in acceptance.  "I'd be glad to,  my darling brother." After their run,  perhaps they would talk a bit.  There had been interesting developments in the Ashen life as of late and he needed to be made aware. 

Knowing that his long legs would catch up quickly,  the minuscule lady rushed forward,  leaving her sibling in the dust momentarily.  Ears tucked back against her skull and she brought her neck level with her spine to make herself more aerodynamic. She was small and she was fast,  but she wouldn't run hard for long.  Once the initial rush of adrenaline played out, Io lapsed into a comfortable lope.

His larger frame made his running gait like a bull, head-on and heavy, and not something you wanted to get in the way of, but not as fast as a light footed babe such as his sister. However, once he got started, and so long as he didn’t have to maneuver a great deal, he could put on some serious speed. It made him curious to see how this was going to go.

He waited a moment well she placed her bag in his den, and tilted his head upwards at the sound of wings, to find Marshal lazily gliding through the sky. In the momentary distraction, Io unleashed herself, dashing forward at full speed. With a playful growl the Titan burst into action, throwing himself after her, feline-sharp claws digging into the earth. With a thick gash in the earth from his passing, he propelled himself forward and put on speed as he followed after her. He wasn’t certain he could catch up with her head start, but he was determined to try. “To the Armada!” he yelled into the wind, in case she didn’t get a sense of where he intended to go.

As he ran, the shadow of wings fell upon him, as his bird kept pace in the sky beneath his mad dash, the winged creatures lazily flight seemed almost like an insult.

Wind whipped through tri-colored fur as Iolaire unleashed her speed upon the world. She cast her gaze to the side and couldn't help but smirk as Sirius caught up with her. Each of his strides was equal to a million of her own, it seemed. He called out to her, indicating their destination and she gave a nod, altering her course slightly.

After a time, the little woman's legs began to burn. She got a cramp in her side and winced, her pace slowing. A blue tongue lolled as she came to a gradual stop. "Gods... I'm too pretty to run..." She wheezed dramatically, ears flattened. In actuality, running was good for her. She was already obscenely slim, but it was nice to keep herself toned.

The shadow of Marshal brought the dame's gold and green gaze to the sky, pupils narrowing. He made travel look so easy. Let him try to run some time. Hop hop hop was all that birds could do on the ground. Most of them, anyway. Io's haunches folded and she found her seat, still panting lightly from the physical exertion. Sirius would either stop with her or she would catch up to him. For now, she had to sit until the cramp in her side subsided. She felt like an old woman.

He thundered across the earth after her for a time, catching up to the smaller wolf, and running beside her. He grunted occasionally at the weight of his stride on his leg. It would take him some time to get back to full strength, he had spent too much time lazing in his den of late.

He felt Io slow beside him, and began to do the same, grateful for the respite as he stopped beside her, and tried to look unfazed from their run even as his sides heaved from the exercise. He gave Io a gentle head butt as he took a seat beside her, and looked upwards, to see Marshal turning his forward momentum into a lazy circle above the wolves. He hadn’t seen Bast yet today, but likely the cat was out hunting, filling in some of the gaps he left behind with his injury. Zee had been right to spare the creature, she was brave and loyal.

He turned his head back to Io, a half smile on his lips as he considered how far they had gone in their run to the Armada. “Shall we walk the rest of the way, it would give us a chance to cool off” he suggested, and it would be easier to talk at a walking pace. He missed conversing with his clever sister.

The pain in her side was slowly dissipating and she was glad when Sirius stopped nearby. He was out of breath as well and so she didn't feel as bad. The giant came and gave her an affectionate headbutt. She nipped his cheek lightly as he drew away, tail swishing behind her. The small woman was quick in regaining her breath and soon had her tongue lodged back within her maw.

It was suggested that they walk the rest of the way and Io nodded. "Good idea." Rising from her place, the tiny dame gave her coat a shake and then fell into line beside her giant brother. They could move at a leisurely pace and converse while they did so. She hadn't been terribly involved with others as of late and had mostly just been traveling to collect herbs. When she was home, she marked the borders of their temporary territory. There was one thing though that she felt the need to mention.

"Hannibal is alive and mostly well," the dainty lass began. "He broke a limb much like you did and asked for assistance. Seems that he's on his way home to Deathbelle." One silver brow raised and she wondered how Sirius would take the news. She knew nothing of the history between the two brutes and so she would be learning as they walked.

She gave him a nip and he cheekily lowered his head so the smaller wolf could have easier access to it. He might have exaggerated the motion a touch. It was peaceful to walk beside Io, he didn’t have to look to know Marshal was nearby, extending his range as the wolves took on a pass that as slower than he liked.

It was a pleasant day, a reminder of Spring with the sounds of life around them, in the pleased chirp of birds and the soft scurrying of creatures in the treetops. He sighed into the soft wind, enjoying the moment of freedom after spending so long in just his den and the surrounding area. Today he would enjoy it, tomorrow he would get back to work.

Sirius grunted at the mention of Hannibal, he had heard the man was back, but he hadn’t known he had called upon Io. He paused a moment as he mulled that over. Would Deathbelle seek him out as she once had? Now that she had Io, and possibly himself and Zee? He didn’t know, and he tried not to dwell upon it. However - “If he tries any sexual advances on you, I will retaliate. I am possessive, and don’t hold him in the same esteem as Deathbelle” he warned softly.

Sirius didn't seem to like the news that Hannibal was back. In fact, he warned against the man and Io snorted in amusement. "You don't have to worry about that. Sexual advances or no, I'm not interested." Hannibal was a very sexual creature and of course he exuded that sexuality just by existing. Sirius didn't need to know that, however. "Besides, you know I can't have children. I could sleep with everyone and no one would ever have a hold over me. I'm a free bird, just like him." The woman joked and motioned to the circling vulture above.

The little wolf bumped her side against the long legs of her sibling, careful not to bump too hard lest she jostle his weak leg. "I'm not sure what worries you have in that head of yours, darling, but you're stuck with me." Now her voice was sincere. "My loyalty is yours above all others and I don't take loyalty lightly." It was one of the few things that the tiny healer did take completely seriously. Nothing could pull her from his side. Not Deathbelle, not anyone.

Again she extended her neck, this time nipping his non-injured elbow. She hopped away like a little fox. "Don't worry so much. You won your freedom from that cast today. Enjoy it, dear brother. Enjoy it." A sweet wind blew towards them and Io closed her eyes against it, inhaling the myriad of scents that it brought with it. With a sigh of pleasure, she looked upon the behemoth once more.

“Fair enough” Sirius said when Io told him she wasn’t interested. He gathered that Io had set the man's leg, but had no reason to believe that hannibal had summoned her as though she was one of his slaves who would heel at his behest. “You are” Sirius agreed, and her freedom and happiness would always be something he would fight for.

“I believe you” Sirius said as she brought home the promise of her loyalty again. It wasn’t the first time she had assured him of it, and he had no reason to believe otherwise. She nipped at his elbow, and he playfully snapped at the air beside her neck. “Believe me, I’m enjoying it. I’ll take stock tomorrow and start from there” he promised her.

He paused when Io closed her eyes, her small nose tilting in the air as she scented the world around them. She looked, for the moment, completely at peace. He found himself smiling at the sight of it, his protective instincts rearing their head. Yes, he would fight anyone to keep Io safe.

The giant seemed a little appeased at her explanation and she went further stating, "Banshee told him of me and of my skill so he sought me out since I was on the way." With a little snort of amusement, she shook her head. "He's wasn't so bad once I told him to cut his bullshit and stop trying to butter me up." She actually quite liked Hannibal. There was a grittiness to him that Iolaire understood. A darkness that she enjoyed.

Her brother claimed to believe her and she nodded. "I know you say that, but I want you to really believe it, eh? You know I've been spending time with Deathbelle, but I've also been doing a lot for our pack. It's my priority." She had been distant from everyone for a while, even Belle. In that time, she had collected a ton and had crafted many things that would help them on their way back 'home.'

When Sirius returned her playful nip with an air snap of his own, the tiny woman laughed aloud. She watched with glittering eyes as he spoke of taking stock on the morrow. "Ahhh, that reminds me." With a wiggle, Io leaped towards her brother, placing a quick lick upon his chin before leaping away again. "I made you a present. It'll help a lot when we move home."

He braced himself for Io’s jump, but she didn’t place her weight upon him, just graced him with a friendly lick before passing him by. He shook his head, grinning at his sisters antics, and made a swipe at her side, careful to keep his claws sheathed as he did so.

“It’s good to hear people describe it as ‘our’ pack, I know it barely started before I got laid out, I worried it would fall apart in my absence, but between you and Zee I worried for naught.” he said, letting his pleasure enter his tone. He said nothing more on the matter of Hannibal, knowing that if the man proved to be a problem, he would sort it. In the meantime, the King without a Crown had earned his respect, if not his loyalty and trust. So long as he left alone Io and Zee, they wouldn’t have any problems.

“Alright, I'll bite, what's the present?” he asked, keeping pace with his sister as he wondered what she had found or built.

Io dove to the side, easily evading the lazy swipe. She was in an exceptional mood today. Her face wasn't going to scar. Her brother was back to his old self. Progress was being made. With each day, the aftermath of the volcano lessened and lessened. Soon they would be able to reclaim their lands and she could really get to work. Her brother was pleased that she thought of it as 'our pack.' "Of course. You're my brother. What's yours is mine. What's mine is yours. All that jazz." She grinned anew.

Sirius seemed interested in the gift and the tiny woman grinned. "It took me a long time to make and a long time to get the supplies back here." Still hinting rather than giving in, Io nudged her brother, forcing him to alter course slightly. It was good that they came this way, for they were going right towards said surprise. Rounding a bend, the pair would come upon a well worn place. Paws had obviously been hard at work in this area and gods, had she ever been hard at work.

Spinning, Iolaire gave an exclamation of, "Tadaaaaaa!" She stood in front of a cart much larger than her own. She'd been lucky enough to find six wheels of similar sizes. The cart, much like her brother, was a beast. "We can carry all of our things home in this." She led him around the front. "And it's large enough that two can pull if we load it too much. The harness will just have to be adjusted."  Io beamed, quite proud of her creation.

“I'm surprised” he said dryly, turning amused eyes to his sister, “That you didn’t end that with whats mine is mine” he gave her another lazy swipe, not even trying to hit her, just enjoying the feel of the wind and the sun on his fur. His casted leg was looking a bit waine, and he was keen to get himself back to full strength, and clean out the fur vigorously that had been matted under the cast.

She continued to boost how much effort it had taken her to make this present, and he eyed her with unspoken curiosity, changing course with little prompting at her direction. He would see the tears in the earth, the trampled grass, the indication that someone had spent many long days hard at work in this patch of grass. Perhaps also the hint of something heavier had been here as well. He walked a little further, his curiosity growing, until they stopped at the cart that his sister presented with a flourish. He walked curiously closer, giving it a once over with eyes and nose. It was well crafted, and looked as though it would hold together under stress. He himself could pull it, but once they had settled into their territory perhaps they could see about buying some heavy set animals to do the pulling for them. He had heard of such things existing.

It opened up a whole pool of ideas, and she was right, it would be invaluable in moving the pack when the volcano cleared. “you make a man feel obsolete. Well i’ve been lazing about in my den, you and Zee have been hard at work, keeping the pack running, and building things like this.” he said with a gesture, chuckling as he pulled his sister closer with a swipe of his paw and giving her a fond lick between the ears, rubbing her fur the wrong way with the gesture. “I love it.”

At his comment, Io stuck her tongue out at her brother. "I'm not that mean." The tiny woman easily dodged the lazy swipe, ducking under it. "I might give you a hard time for fun, but it's only out of love." She grinned, little teeth flashing. Then her nose wrinkled as the air from his swipe wafted up her bluish nose. "Gotta wash that leg. Eesh..."

Iolaire let Sirius step forward, watching with anticipation as he inspected the cart. He inspected it thoroughly just as she expected. Io didn't work half-assed. She knew that the cart was in good shape. She knew that it would hold under the load. It had six wheels, after all. The platform was pliable saplings lashed together with grape vines and would both flex and hold under weight. The harness itself was woven out of grape vines and was adjustable to fit whoever pulled it. The tiny crafter was quite proud of her work.

Again Sirius spoke and a fake frown pulled the woman's dark maw downwards. "You should be proud that you have such fine women to take care of business." Before she could dodge, Sirius snatched her up, pulling her close to lick the top of her head against the grain. Io's nose wrinkled and she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. "I'm glad you like the gift, but did you have to muss my fur? Blech." One paw moved upward as she was held prisoner and instantly began to push the silver and snow strands back into place.

He chuckles at that “It’s how I would have ended it” he joked. He was a selfish bastard, but he wasn’t quite that bad. Besides, wasn’t it all already his, his pack, his people? His eyes twinkled in amusement but he didn’t truly think he could get away with being that possessive. “I am proud, you all barely need me, but I will fight for you regardless” he promised solemnly, a breakaway from the teasing, as she pulled from his grasp and began to resettle the fur he had pushed out of alignment. He gave her a moment to see to her vanity, and turned his attention back to the cart. It was a work of art, she had reinforced it, ensured it would be steady and reliable. They could definitely move anything they needed to in this cart. He doubted he would be taking prey from the area, what with Deathbelles own problems, he would hunt locally to his pack before they moved to ensure he could feed everyone. But, they could take garden supplies that could be spared, anyone injured or young that might be going with them, and peoples belongings if they happened to be hoarders. He grinned, gave it a fond pat, and turned back to Io. “It’s very well done, the best present I’ve received, other than that of your company” he teased. "Speech"