breakfast straight out the medicine cabinet

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.