Location: Inu Island Slender limbs pulled the godling further from home, and he ranged towards the palace. It was where he'd met Hallux, and he was looking for herbs in the lush mountain soil. The looming peak that claimed the majority of the island created a cool, lush forest wherever plants could take root. While his companion foraged in the trees overhead for her lunch, occasionally knocking figs to the ground for later collection, the mauve dappled yearling roved the edge of the mountain in search of brightly coloured fungi. Many of the vibrant fungi were incredibly toxic, and he had taken to producing his own concoctions in his spare time. Once dried, they could be finely ground and mixed with small amounts of water to create a deadly paste or tincture. The varieties that he'd been slowly collecting over time from the jungles on the archipelago had brought him some interesting results so far, though his testing was extremely limited by his aversion to causing any real harm to innocent animals or strangers. Yet again he'd borrowed one of his mother's daggers, this one knapped from dark stone and thus easier to repair than the metal ones. Bracing part of the handle against one thick sabre fang, with the end clasped firmly in his jaws, he was scraping a brightly coloured lichen from the wall of a cavern in a small hollow that was barely lit despite the bright, mid afternoon light outside. "speech" WE'RE ALL COMPOST IN TRAINING

In all honesty, Hattori had never given much thought to Toxicity's children. None of them got under paw or in the way so he didn't regard them as inconveniences, but he'd never sought them out either. It always felt safe to assume they were far too busy tending to religious nonsense to have time for more practical efforts, such as patrolling borders, hauling in Ashen's fishing nets or filling the pantry with food caught further afield. There was much to be done around here and being the children of the Omikuji did not make them exempt from the rules. After all, even his and the Empress' children were made to pull their weight and did so with varying levels of interest.

Still, he was willing to admit there was merit in other pursuits, that a pack was best served by wolves with a variety of skills. To be religious was one thing but Hattori imagined there was a whole lot more to them than that,  it was simply a matter of giving them a bit of a push to broaden their horizons. To see the world beyond the haze of the Shrine.  And so, with all of this in mind Hattori was somewhat surprised to catch the scent of Pontifex as he meandered his way through the jungle, following the old trodden paths that consisted of his usual patrol route through the island.

Curiosity, for once, got the better of him and Hattori found himself following the yearlings footsteps. The going was a little slow and tedious due to the tangled nature of the jungle, but soon enough Hattori came to the mouth of a cavern. His ears perked and caught the rustling of movement from within. This cavern, whilst connected to the subterranean tunnels, granted no entry to the palace itself as it soon narrowed so tight that not even the smallest wolf would be able to squeeze through. In other words, there was only one way in and out.

He stepped close, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the shift in lighting.


"Does anyone know you are here?" Hattori asked, eying the craggy ceiling.

Long talons clicking on stone alerted him to the Shogun's approach more than anything else, the way air circulated in the little cavern prevented the shifting breeze from carrying the man's scent in. He paused his efforts to collect the last of the vibrant lichen, stone blade clasped in his dainty jaws and a small hemp bag of fungus at his paws. Then he turned to fix dual toned eyes upon the dappled sunfire form of the Shogun, looming in the entry and staring at him. He dipped his head, and deposited the blade on the ground in the same fluid motion. "Good afternoon, Shogun." he murmured politely, and lifted his head again to gaze up at him. He wasn't left wanting for a response, and the Shogun eyed him with an suspicious look that was barely a few degrees above neutral. "Does anyone know you are here?" Hattori rumbled, gaze drifting upwards to the vaulted ceiling overhead, stalagmites dripping condensation like drool. The godling hesitated for a moment before forming his response, wondering if there was a correct answer to that question. "I told Obi that I would be going out to gather some fresh fungi for my experiments, but not where. Hallux is just outside though, she only eats the figs that grow here." he finally said, blinking at the larger man. Then he glanced nervously behind him, wondering if he had stepped into something he shouldn't have. Was he trespassing? Perhaps he was not welcome on the palace grounds, and he had misunderstood his place. "Have I... done something wrong, Shogun?" he enquired softly, crown drooping between his shoulders and charcoal auds tipping back towards his skull. "speech" BURN BRIGHT LIKE THE MIDNIGHT SUN

The boy's greeting was cordial enough, but it was evident Hattori's question had taken him by surprise. His hesitation, whilst short spoke volumes, but Pontifex was quick to recover and soon went onto explain the context of the situation. There had been no sense of accusation in the Shogun's words, but the context and his natural tone of voice didn't really help matters. Those who did not know him often assumed him to be far more violent and bloodthirsty than he actually was, his stature, looks and former occupation didn't help those matters at all. Not that Hattori tended to think about such things often, self reflection was not his strong suit.

Regardless, he listened to the boy with intent forward facing ears and nodded, accepting Pontifex's recount as the truth. After all, why would he not? The evidence was laid out before him and whilst not exactly a people person, Hattori had a way of sniffing out deceit.

"No. This area is prone to cave ins. It is a wise precaution to let others know where you are, in case the worse happens. " Hattori explained, quite blandly.

If the Shogun was angry with him, the man was skilled enough to hide it. Despite his youth, the boy had gotten quite skilled at reading body language, taking in the small twitches and shifts of posture to determine someone's true intentions. However, the perked ears and neutral expression of the larger man gave off no evidence of veiled anger, which eased Pontifex's anxiety somewhat. It was alleviated almost entirely when the orange dappled man spoke up, "No. This area is prone to cave ins. It is a wise precaution to let others know where you are, in case the worse happens. " he chided, to which the mauve marked boy bobbed his head in understanding. Slowly, he lifted his head from its submissive droop, and blinked at the horned brute. "I understand, Shogun. I will be more careful next time." he said gently, gaze dropping to the fungi at his feet. He wondered next if he ought to even bother the man with conversation, since he was almost certainly busy with.. whatever it was the higher ranks did. The godling was pensive and cautious by nature, but he was also rather desperate for approval, and the Shogun was right there. He glanced back up, trying to gauge whether the man was making a slow retreat to his duties. It didn't look like he was headed off in a hurry, so he cleared his throat lightly to fend off the anxious clench that threatened to render him mute. "Would you.. like to hear about my experiments?" he questioned softly, brows pinching together ever so slightly as he tipped his head just a bit to one side. After all, maybe the trained warrior would appreciate his efforts with paralytics and toxins. "speech" BURN BRIGHT LIKE THE MIDNIGHT SUN

It was not his intention to make the boy uneasy, but he noted a degree of hesitance in Pontifex's actions. Hattori wondered if he was nervy around all adults, or he was simply unsure of what to make of Hattori with his aloof, if not foreign ways. Regardless, he believed the yearling when he claimed he'd take better care next time as most people didn't need to be told twice, unlike a certain son of his, but that was neither here nor there. Instead, he focused on the boy's offer, his gaze wandering to the knife he'd been using, its edge still smeared with lichen trimmings.

He knew next to nothing about medicine or plants, his knowledge of first aid was limited to knowing how to best inflict wounds then work backwards, minimising the damage as much as possible. But even then he'd ended far more lives than he'd saved, a fact that did not bother him nearly as half as it probably should.

"If you would like. " He said, his tone remained the same, but his interest was apparent all the same. After all, if he did not care to know he would have said as much. "How will you use the lichen?"