Now that he and Rava were more or less permanently settled in the den he had built near the shrine, he had begun to realize that even after the world found its way back to normal he wasn’t certain he wanted to move back to the home he had built by the hot springs. He loved that den and had put his heart into building it, but he wanted his children to grow up somewhere he knew they would be safe and surrounded by family. Their broken family was far from perfect, but it was still theirs and he wanted them to grow up learning from their aunt and playing with their cousins. Not only that, but how would he ever be able to pick between his duty to the pack and being with his children? Their pups would always take priority, but it would tear him apart having to abandon Venom in order to do it.

That really only led him to one solution—he was going to have to move Void here. He and his husband had discussed it a bit and even though he knew Venom wouldn’t say no he still felt like it was right to ask her before he made any moves to do so. He crossed the land bridge that brought him to the home of his sister and her family, stepping into the palace and was glad to find her in the main chamber of the branching structure so he wouldn’t have to go seeking her out. ”Hello, Venom,” he said affectionately as he came to lay by her, trying to ignore the crystals that continued to torment her. ”How are you feeling?”

Plague | Viridis | Procella

Venom was holding steady with the rhythm of her illness, she was keeping up her strength and refusing to allow it to become worse. She was afflicted, that much was obvious in the extra weight she bore in the form of sunset colored crystal. There was a lot on her mind, especially right now. The worrying, like wondering if she would lose her children and husband to the disease. Her own life or the pack. Nothing felt safe or concrete.

Mostly the Empress was working from the palace while she recovered, but she couldn’t stop. There were always patrols to be done, stock to be checked, her husband to be seen to, and maybe she’d manage to slip a little training in with the kids. They were all well on their way to adulthood, she hoped. The thought of her infected children wore on her heart the most.

There was one hope that brightened her spirits and it was the promise of Plague’s children. She’d tried to stay away from Rava the best she could just in case, but her and these babies helped to keep Venom’s hope alive. The proud father to be was apparently in need of her as he made his entrance, greeting her fondly as he found her curled in the palace.

”Plague,” she returned affectionately. ”I’ve been better, but faring no worse.” She just prayed for the curse to lift. ”You probably shouldn’t be so close.” She warned him softly, unable to ignore her affliction so easily.

Plague gave a little shake of his head when she warned him not to get too close. "I've been close to you this whole time. If I was going to catch it I would have by now." He knew she was probably right and he probably should be a bit more cautious considering the fact that he had children on the way and he didn't want to unintentionally spread this illness to Rava, Void, or their kids, but from what he had seen of it the curse didn't seem to be contagious. It only seemed to effect certain wolves and even though he didn't know what had caused it or why he had escaped its grasp while Venom didn't he was grateful so he could experience being with Rava through her pregnancy.

"I talked to Void about moving to Ashen," he told her, getting around to one of the reasons why he was here besides just to check on her and see how she was faring. "With the pups on the way he's agreed so I was going to go to Abaven with him to request permission for him to leave, but I wanted to make sure that was okay with you first." He couldn't imagine Venom ever denying him something like this, especially considering the room they currently had available in the pack, but he still would rather clear it with her properly. Wether he was her brother or not, she was still the Empress and ruler of this pack and he'd always respect her authority in that regard, no matter how close they were.

Once that was settled he looked around the main chamber of the palace for a moment, thinking to himself how many things had changed just in the last couple of years, how much they had changed. It made him wonder if it was simply impossible to predict how the future would go, but he also knew they still had to try their best to plan for the future. They both had children now, hers nearly adults in their own rights and his very close to being born, and they had to do what they could to set up a good future for them. "How are your children faring?" He knew at least a portion of them had fallen ill as well, but with all the time he was spending looking after Rava and working on moving his family fully into Ashen he hadn't had much time to check in on them himself.

Plague | Viridis | Procella

Plague warned her away from her own warning, stating he would be fine. He hadn’t gotten sick yet. Venom relented and leaned against him, thankful for the support in this difficult time. Plague was one of the essential wolves in her inner circle, and proved his loyalty again and again with ease. She could always count on her brother to be at her side.

He spoke softly to her, mentioning his husband and the conversation of finally joining him here in Ashen. With the puppies on the way he needed to be with his immediate family, which was his husband and children. ”Plague you already know what the answer is. Also, I trust you completely. Your word is as good as mine and you may bring whoever you deem worthy into the pack.” She offered him explicit permission. ”But, it pleases me that you’ll finally be bringing him home.” She grinned and reached forward to kiss his cheek.

Her expression grew dark when he asked after her offspring. ”Iki, Kit, and Take are gravely sick.” She mentioned quietly. ”I fear for them.” She added as she felt worried tears sting her eyes. Her husband, her children, was she really cursed? Had she been spurned by the evil that she banished from the pack?