Plague led Rava through the pale trees of the Ashen forest, introducing the smaller woman to the place that had been his home or at least adjacent to it for his entire life. He knew Void still had his responsibilities and dedication to his family in Abaven so he couldn't move his husband to Ashen—at least not yet—but he could at least bring Rava somewhere he knew she would be safe. He had gotten permission from Venom to do so under the premise that she might be a surrogate for their children, but as the world descended into perpetual darkness it made him more and more uneasy leaving Rava alone at their den in the hot springs. If he could at least have her with him in Ashen through the day, even if they didn't end up staying here through the nights, it would greatly ease his anxieties.

Rava's comfort was always his highest priority though and if being here was going to make her more uncomfortable than not then he'd have to revaluate his plan. He led her by the training grounds, by the shrine, showed her the stretch of shore that would lead them to the series of islands that made up the rest of the pack's claimed lands. He ended the tour at the den that he had prepared on the off chance that they might need to stay here through the nights as well or could at least be her own den if she wished to move out of the den she had been sharing with him and Void. It wasn't nearly as grand or extravagant as the home he had built for Void, but it was still very spacious and the walls were lined with birch branches just as he had done in their more permanent home for the structural integrity. There was several furs laid out for bedding and a small stash of dried meats. It was large enough that if the three of them in this little family they had created needed to stay here they could, but it would be a bit of a tight fit.

Turning to Rava, he gave her a warm smile. "So, this is Ashen. This is where I spend all day working," he said with a soft chuckle. "At least until things go back to normal I'd like for you to stay closer to me so I can make sure you're safe. If it's okay with you I'd like for you to move to Ashen or at least come here while I'm working. This den is yours if you want it or even if you just want a place to be during the day and go back to the larger den with me at night you can do that too. I want what is going to be most comfortable for you. My sister, the Empress, has already agreed for you to be here as long as you want or need."

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

Time was what she needed and Plague gave it to her, he was never one to force anything on her. He was always polite and never showed her anything but kindness. Rava had come to be content living with him and his husband. They were everything Plague had promised, Void was even sweeter than the man who saved her, if that was possible. Rava wouldn’t admit to herself, but she was coming to care for them as well. She grew accustomed to their routine and for once life became enjoyable.

Today was different, she donned her cloak and Plague took her inside the pack’s borders. Showing her every bit of his home, the pale forests, the glowing shrine, he led her to the shore to show off the sprawling island chains. Eventually he showed her to a den, one much more modest than the one near the spring. However, Rava thought it quite cozy even. She hadn’t shown fear during their tour, as he had become her confidence. He had changed her life completely, she finally was able to taste true freedom because of him.

Plague offered the explanation for it to her then, he wanted her closer, he wanted to better be able to watch and look after her. With everything going on Rava couldn’t find it in herself to argue his point, she was fragile, she knew she was better off remaining close to him. ”I just wish to remain close to you.” She offered softly with an instinctual bow of her head. Her first instinct was always to submit to his will, a byproduct of her time in captivity.

Plague's expression softened as Rava responded to his request with a simple one of her own: just a wish to remain close to him. She dipped her head, a habit he had been trying to help her break without much luck, and he smiled as he lifted a paw to gently cup her chin, lifting her head until his emerald gaze found her silver eyes again. "As long as that's what you want then I can make that happen," he told her as he lowered his paw again. Rava had come a long way from the terrified woman he had rescued from the slavers that captured her, but he knew there was even more growth that she could have. He could see the woman she could become and it encouraged him to keep trying, to keep encouraging her. He hoped that one day she might fully come into her own and feel comfortable standing alone on her own feet, but until then he was more than happy to keep her close and give her all of the guidance and protection she might need.

"Then this den will be our home in the times that we need to stay here though the night and we can stay at our usual home with Void the majority of the time then," he said with a decided nod. "You'll be a member of the pack for as long as you wish." He was always careful about leaving things open ended for her, making it clear that all of this was her choice. She wasn't his slave and he never wanted her to feel like she was. If she was happy following him and being a close part of his life that was one thing, but if at any point this no longer made her happy then he wanted her to know that she had the freedom to carve her own path.

With that business tended to he had run out of things to stall with and was really only left with one other piece of business that he would have to ask her about sooner rather than later. It was difficult having something that he wanted so badly, but not wanting to force something so life changing on someone to have it. "Rava, there was another thing I've been wanting to talk to you about..." he began, shifting uncertainly while he tried to find the right words. "I know I mentioned when we first met that I had gone looking for a slave to the the surrogate for mine and Void's children... I... I was wondering if you might consider being that for us?" His ears flicked back shyly, his eyes searching her face to try and gage her reactions. "I don't want you to feel pressure in any way to do this. It's a big decision and if you want to think about it and consider that's completely fine or if you don't want to I'd completely understand. Nothing will change if you say no. I just... I would prefer for my children to come from someone I care about, someone I consider family, and you have become that for me."

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

Rava’s silver eyes lifted to Plague’s sweet features as his paw lifted her chin. She allowed his gentle touch in brief ways like this. She trusted him that much. Rava tried to keep her head high, Plague promised that as long as she wished for it, he would be beside her. She wouldn’t forget what he did for her, what he rescued her from. Nor would she quickly forget what she had been taken from and what she could never return to. If she were to go and trek out on her own like the desert woman she had once been… there was little doubt she would be recaptured or killed within a few seasons. So she remained as Plague’s guest… but by now their relationship went deeper than that.

Rava was an official part of the pack, for however long she wished it. Plague would keep her safe as he did everyday. He wasn’t her master, but Rava saw him as her protector, she could survive on her own but defending herself wasn’t so easy. Plague was her guard, her warrior. Him and Void both kept her safe and made her feel at home. This would as much be that for her as the springs.

Rava was going to make herself comfortable when Plague spoke up again, looking nervous as he gathered her attention, starting off where they began those seasons ago. He didn’t often stutter but Rava could tell the words did not come easy for him, they were not so easy to hear either.

She couldn’t deny that she had come to care for both men, and she really wasn't certain she could see her life without them. Rava owed Plague her life, he could have forced his will on her any day she was with him, and yet he chose to take care of her even if there was a great possibility she would deny him here and now. Rava looked away, trying to hide the sinking feeling the offer brought, but also the hope that she could do something to return the selflessness that Plague showed her.

Rava looked back up to him as he came to his conclusion, finally admitting that she had become like family to him. She softened, any worry or doubt that came with this decision melted away as she looked up into Plague’s kind features. Of any man she had ever met he deserved to be a father, and she could be the one to offer that to him. ”I… won't tell you this doesn’t frighten me.” She started softly, the nerves obvious even in her voice. ”From the moment you said it.. I’ve been thinking about it, about how much someone like you deserves to have a family… How honored I am to be a part of that family even if…” She started to stutter and the emotions overwhelmed and spilled over her cheeks. ”I will bear your children, Plague.” She committed to him softly in the end. Confident in her choice and her place at Plague’s side.

Plague watched a gamut of emotions flicker across Rava's delicate features and he fully expected her to deny his request. It was a massive thing to ask of someone that wasn't without its risks and most certainly wouldn't be an easy thing to do. There would be a lot of pain and discomfort ahead of her if she agreed on top of however she might feel about actually making these children with them so no matter how close she was to them he wouldn't have been surprised or even disappointed if she had said no. What he hadn't been expecting was for her to look at him with a sweet, softened expression and for the first words out of her mouth to not be a denial.

He listened with his ears perked forward, hanging on her nervous words as she explained how she was frightened, but that she had been thinking about it since he first mentioned it and how someone like him deserved a family. Maybe she didn't know exactly how much that comment meant to him, but it made emotion swell in his chest and tears begin to well up in his eyes. For so long he thought that his decision to love Void had made him unfit for the family and children he craved. He thought that perhaps he had forfeited that chance by marrying the love of his life. It was one thing to hear Venom say these kinds of things. She was his sister, of course she would want to see him as a father and wanted him to be happy. For Rava to only know him through their daily interactions and from him being his true self in saving her... It meant a lot.

Then Rava gave him the greatest gift she could have possibly offered him. With tears spilling from her pretty silver eyes she committed to bearing his children and for a moment his mind reeled as he tried to process the words she just told him. I will bear your children, Plague. It was words he had resigned himself to never hearing, but here she was, this sweet, golden hearted woman that was allowing him to live out his dream. He and Void could be fathers and it was all thanks to this gem of a wolf. As his mind caught up with the present a huge, overjoyed smile pulled across his lips and a giddy laugh escaped him as tears of his own spilled over onto his cheeks. He was typically pretty reserved when it came to physical affections with Rava, but he just couldn't help himself. He reached a foreleg forward and pulled Rava into a tight embrace, tears of joy in his eyes as pressed his face into her cloak. "Thank you, Rava... Thank you, thank you, thank you! This... I'll never be able to repay you for this. This means more to me than you'll ever know."

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

She had his attention form the start, and she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t buckle under the pressure of his soft green gaze. Rava spoke clearly, but her words wavered as the emotions spilled over with her tears. He was asking a lot of her, almost too much for her to agree to. There was a very difficult path ahead of her, but Plague and Void deserved this gift. There would be a lot to think about, and a lot to discuss, but for now Rava found herself smiling through everything she felt as she watched the Daimyo’s reaction.

In all the time she spent with him she hadn’t ever seen him so happy. Rava was the key to his wish, his greatest desire, his family. There was a selfish part of her that wondered where that would leave her. He called her a part of his family, did that extend now that she agreed to birth these babies? Where would her place be in the puppies lives? How close would she be allowed, and how much could she handle?

All of those questions didn’t seem important as Plague leaned forward and wrapped her tightly into his embrace. He buried his face in the deep green fabric of her coat and he wept with gratefulness. ”No, Plague. This is my debt repaid to you.” She whispered to him softly, hesitantly returning the gentle affection he offered. Her tiny black paws wrapped around his neck and she leaned her head against his. ”I owe you my life.” They both knew she would have been dead in a few weeks the way things had been going for her. Plague released her from captivity and certain death.