Now that he was healed, he could make frequent trips back to the land of his choosing, and survey the taratory. It was still ash-logged and he had a half-dozen partly completed tasks he had left sitting idle after his injury. His secret stock was depleted, and he knew Io had hauled it back to the Empire after he had told her of it - he was happy it had helped Deathbelle, but he still sighed when he checked over it. He would have to start from scratch again, and hunting in his land was lean with the active volcano being a menace even this far away.

Well, the activity would do him good, he supposed. After arriving, he spent the rest of the day continued a few of the tasks he had set himself. Such as laying out the borders for Io’s herb garden, which he would eventually fence off. He would also ensure there was a portion that would work for poisons that an obvious wolf couldn’t stumble into. The obelisk with the pack rules imprinted into the stone still needed to be planted upright, but he didn’t tackle the job alone. He left it be, and moved on increasing the size of the cellar where he stored his meats.

Once the day finally came to an end, he crawled into the partial den he had begun to make for Zee and himself. It was big enough to house him, but he would eventually be adding depth to it, and an offshout that could house a pregnant wolf and pups, but perhaps he was dreaming. Deathbelle may have released them from the obligation of sending their children to her as slaves, but he and Zee where yet to approach the subject of children between them. He supposed a part of him had hoped it would happen naturally, but Zee was yet to grow heavy with child. Perhaps that was something else he needed to bring up with Io, but he hesitated to do so. Having never actually tried to make children before, he wasn’t certain where he was going wrong. He shuddered to think of the possibility that he was incapable.

It took him a while to drift off to sleep, but immediately after losing consciousness, he would find himself in the realm of dreams, and the nightmares that plagued him were quick to take over.

Absence had been her habit as of late. First it was Deathbelle. Then it was her coyote-bitten face. Then it was a severe wash of melancholy that made her way to keep away, lest others ask about it. Today, however, she made her way back to the Armada's temporary home. She'd been by to check on Sirius' leg and now she was back to check again. Both on his leg, his well being, and the rest of the pack if they were about.

The night was clear and bright, though the moon was but a sliver. The stars shimmered like jewels. The great firepit that Iolaire had insisted upon in the middle of the common area was out, of course. She didn't know if anyone else knew how to make fire. She stopped and took the flint and steel from her pack along with some shreds of cattail. Making sparks, she soon had a decent fire going. The flames danced over the waving grasses. Satisfied, Io continued on her way.

After dropping her pack off in her own temporary den, the tiny wolf made her way towards where her brother made his own.  Ears perked as she neared it, hearing some commotion from inside. She supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised. It was night after all. Of course he was asleep. Io was the only night creature in these parts. Ears flicked forward again as she heard scuffling and growling. Then a sigh was released. He was having another night terror.

A long while back, Iolaire had promised not to get close when he slept. She wouldn't break that promise now. Picking up a nice sized rock. Iolaire got close enough to just see into his den. With a bit of force, she chucked the rock within, aiming to hit him with it and wake him from his uneasy slumber.

He had two options, win, or lose all he cared about. He was one to back down from a fight, even when he was outnumbered and outgunned. Deathbelle was beside him, fierce in her own right, but using his body as a shield from the attackers. He couldn’t let her down, he couu- - sudden pain blossomed in his face, he roared, lashing out at the wolves around him, only to find that he was in his den, stumbling at the entrance, blinking into star-light.

He shuddered softly, trying to righten his understanding of the world after coming-to so abruptly from dream. There was Io, he realised, watching him with all-to-seeing eyes. He returned the expression wearily, but understood she had upheld her promise and awoken him from afar - even if he was likely to develop a lump on his noggin for her gentle methods.

“Io” he said carefully, somewhat expecting accusations for his lack of communications. He was still having nightmares, clearly. He didn’t want her to drug him again, he remembered the difficulty he had experienced in waking. How hard it was to pull himself from the slumber. He didn’t like that feeling of weakness, of being vulnerable.

She watched as the rock knocked into his head. Oops. She also watched as he began to stir. The confusion on his face was slightly comical, but she didn't laugh. The situation was too dire for that. Of course she hadn't expected her one time giving of herbs to be some crazy miracle cure. It had simply been to give him a night of undisturbed sleep. He had been exhausted. She had temporarily helped that exhaustion. The underlying issue still needed to be addressed.

He said her name and she nodded. "Today's the day. Let's start doing something about that." Didn't matter that today was actually still night. The small wolf motioned for him to come join her by the fire that she'd started. Though it was spring, nights still became chill. A gentle breeze blew the ocean of tall grass back and forth, creating a never ending hiss.

Iolaire fed a few dried logs to the fire before moved a short distance away. The brightness of the fire would provide light, but wouldn't be glaringly obnoxious in their eyes at this distance. The little dame settled herself onto the soft grass and motioned for her brother to do the same. He most likely wouldn't like tonight. It would hurt him immensely. He might even be angry with her, but he would do it and she would take it. The future of his line depended on it.

He surveyed his sister in silence, chest still heaving from the war that had raged in his sleep, and he could feel a headache beginning to form. That last one was likely a result of the stone that had woken him from his slumber with a sound crack to the head. Instead of accusations, Io nodded her head to him, and told him today was the day. He raised a brow at that, he didn’t think he would be an easy fix.

He slipped out of the den and made his way closer to the petite wolf, giving her a fond lick on the forehead as he walked past her to the fire place. He made certain to lick against the grain, just because she was his sister, and it was gentle revenge for the rock.

When Io settled down and indicated for him to join her, he did so. He had no idea what she had in mind for him, but his trusted his sweet sister. His larger body hit the grass of the Tall Grass Plains softly and he rolled his shoulders into her side so that there was little distance between them. “Alright, now what?” the Titan asked.

Sirius, in true form, licked her between the ears, spiking up her fur with spit. The small wolf growled softly and swiped at his retreating form with one paw. She then smoothed her fur, ears flat out to the sides as she shot a death glare at her sibling. He knew that she hated that, and so he made a point to do it as often as possible.

After chucking himself into the sweet smelling grass, he questioned her and Iolaire moved back into her clinical, healer mode. "Tell me about it. Let's start with the dream that you just had. Tell me about that." A lot of talking, listening and debate would be involved. The process would be arduous. It would be worth it though.

Ears flicked forward and she waited to hear what her sibling had to say. There would be no judgement involved. She wouldn't share any of the information with another soul. It would be between the pair of them and would forever stay that way.

His tongue lolled from his lips, and he surveyed the younger wolf innocently as he ignored her death glare. His good mood vanished pretty quickly after that, and he sighed at Io’s questions. He placed his head on her smaller paw, and looked out into the distance for a moment. He always tried to bury the dreams after they had happened, he relieved them enough in his sleep to dwell upon them awake.

Still, he trusted the healer and he could understand that she believed this would help. He let his eyes trail to the trees beyond, and let himself remember. To his regret. “It took awhile for the Empire to crumble, but once it did, those last few days… they were fast. With the mobs coming in, crying out for food, and the royalty fleeing it's palace. Deathbelle got separated from her siblings, but not from me. We were in the woods, running, when they found us. They cut off out exit, forced us to halt. She stood at my back, and me at hers, and we were greatly outnumbered.

The dream always starts with the fight. The black wolf that tries to get around me to the Princess. Nothing but hate, anger, lust, too. I stepped into the way of his strike, another takes me from behind well i'm distracted. There’s blood in the air, mostly mine. They taunt us, talk about how they will take her to bed and wet their appetites in more ways than one. They are lean, mean, and hungry. I lose myself, and I never remember the rest of it the same way twice, just carnage. I kill most of them, and I always see this fight. Sometimes i'm killing them, sometimes I'm killing those I love. Sometimes I win, sometimes they make me watch. Occasionally, but very rarely, the dream is the aftermath. When Deathbelle thinks im dead, I believe she hears more coming, she doesn't even get the time to check my breath, before she’s forced to leave. Maybe thats a dream and not a memory, but when I wake up, she’s gone, and half my guts are on the ground beside me…” he trailed off, eyes focusing as through waking from a dream, and he winces at the image of carnage he paints.

Paying rapt attention to every single detail as the giant spoke, Iolaire's yes never left his form. She noted tone, intent, body language, mood. She noted which words he inflected and which he breezed past. It was all part of the puzzle that was his trauma. The tiny lass listened as he spoke of what had happened to him back in the days of the old empire. In a different place far from here. In actuality, she would have liked to take him back to that place, but it was too far for them to reach safely. She could build a floating platform, but who knew if they could find the place again?

Sirius continued, speaking of his fight and flight. Speaking of his fear for Deathbelle, blacking out, then waking up alone. He spoke of the direction that his mind went in when he slept. He feared his own control. Feared that he couldn't protect those that he loved. He feared himself and, though he wouldn't admit it aloud she imagined, he feared what others were capable of and that he was capable of the same. That was what she surmised out of his words so far.

"Close your eyes. Focus on the woods that you ran through. Tell me every detail of your surroundings." Picking up two small rocks that lay in the grass, Iolaire began tapping one atop the other. It was a softly audible tap and there was no real rhythm to it. Every now and again, she would shift her foreleg, tapping a third rock on her opposite side. This would prompt his eyes to move back and forth beneath his closed lids. It most likely wouldn't make sense if she explained it to him, but it was definitely a form of therapy. A form that she'd had success with in the past. "Keep your eyes closed," she reminded. "What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell?" The small woman continued to tap the rocks, her gaze locked upon her siblings face.

He looked to Io, wondering what she would think of his bloody retelling. She didn’t comment, except to give him instructions. He narrowed his eyes at his sister, uncertain where she was going, but trusting her enough to lead. He did as he was told - without argument, for once. She had earned the right for him to leap without looking, if she said the word.

His eyes slipped closed, and he grimaced as he concentrated anew on the past. As he fought to bring it fresh to mind despite his hesitations. “Its hot, and dry. The grass is like thorns beneath my feet, raspy from the lack of rain. It smells like smoke in the wind, like the fires, and drought, and famine that made us flee.” he whispered, voice soft as he relived it. As he remembered the feel of his legs pounding on the hard ground. He winced, breath a little quicker. He knew what was coming, he didn’t want to see it again. He made himself, for Io’s sake, and for his own.

“I’m urging Deathbelle on, keeping her close. The wind and smoke hide them until they are right upon us, it’s how they surrounded us so easily. They smell like blood. If they feasted recently, it wasn’t upon prey. They threaten us, Deathbelle. I remember feeling rage. All I wanted was to bring her to safety, and they keep me from that. The bloodlust takes over. I’ve heard it ran rampant in my line, the anger and blindness that comes with rage.” He falls silent for a moment, trying to recall the fight. “It’s just the taste of blood, the rage I remember from the fight.”

The woman listened as was her duty. She continued to click the rocks, the sound steady, yet sporadic all at once. She watched his eyes, seeing them move beneath his lids. This was something that they would continue to do over the arduous process ahead. They would not only use this rapid eye therapy, but many other types integrated into the same sessions. One of them was bound to help more than others, but a culmination of the lot would do him well.

She listened. She watched. She said nothing unless he began to stall. Iolaire relived the moment with him, smelling the smells and seeing what he saw. She could not, however, feel what he felt. It was up to Sirius to relay those feelings to the healer. He spoke of famine. He spoke of a chase, of war, of death. In the end, he remembered the taste of blood and rage.

Lest he thought it was going to be this simple... the woman finally spoke. "Keep going." It was an order. He needed to relive everything if he was going to push it aside. The rocks continued to click. She needed him to dig deep. He needed to share his doubts, his panic, his terror. He needed the entire experience to be out in the open before he could even begin to close that chapter of his life.

She drummed softly upon her stones, and he fought to call upon the memories of the battle. To play it through his mind clear and concise. Drum, drum, drum silence, the smell of blood. drum, drum, drum blood in his teeth, the sound of ripping. drum, drum, drum pain, remembered, not felt again. Drum, drum drum he made a frustrated sound through his fangs, opening his eyes, and looking back at Io. "so much of it is a blur. I can call up the moments before the battle pretty easily, but the battle itself? Just blur, and blood, and viloance. Winning, until im not, and then pain.” he skipped a little ahead, wondering if Io would berate him for it. “I remember slipping in and out of consciousness for a bit, the feeling that I wasn’t alone, through Deathbelle was long gone. I dragged/was dragged, perhaps, to a cave. Most of that is a blur as well. It took me months before things got clear again, and I was definitely alone then. But the healing? The food I ate? I don’t believe I fetched them myself.” "Speech"

Still she listened. When he jumped ahead, she didn't stop him. Her only word was "Eyes," when he opened them, reminding him to keep them shut. This was his process. If his mind felt the need to jump around, that was fine. He needed only to keep his eyes closed, listen to the rocks, and keep on talking. She found herself wondering just who or what had saved him, however. If he didn't have control of himself for months, someone had to have been caring for him.

When it seemed as though his focus was beginning to taper off though, Iolaire decided to end the session. She set the rock aside and curled her forelegs inward like a cat. "You went through a traumatic experience, it's true." He would have to get over it though. It was as simple as that. "Just know that you'll never be alone again. You say that you protect those that are yours, well that same sentiment goes towards you." The small woman grinned. "I'd rip heaven and hell apart for you." It was true. Not that she could do so without getting herself killed, but she would try anyway.

With a sigh, Iolaire continued. "That's enough for one night. We'll continue nightly over the next few weeks. However long it takes is how long it'll take." Reaching out one small paw, she patted her siblings larger paw. "We'll get through this together and you'll be able to sleep freely again before you know it."

He wanted to snort dismissively at calling it traumatic, but he knew it was a truth he couldn't hide from. The ordeal had wrecked his mind, despite other battles, other deaths. This one had effected him to the breaking point. Why? Was it because he didnt know if Deathbelle lived or died when he awoke? Because he didnt have the wherewithal to check the bodies for her own when his injuries made him delirious?

Was the breaking of his own ideals - that nothing could harm him, until his death was nearly upon him. How helpless and alone he had been, and if a something or someone hadnt saved him he would not have been capable of saving himself? The wolves that knew and loved him had seen how dearly his den-bound experience had addled him recently. How frustrated and angry it had made the tyrant.

"Thank you, Io." He said softly. "My fierce sister." He believed her, told. She was small, but her little body was full of strength.
He didnt know if it would ever be possible to fix him, but if anyone was capable of it it was her. In a bid to change the topic to another uncomfortable terratory for the titan, he let out a soft sigh and asked of his sister. "I ask you this in confidentiality, how does a man know if hes infertile? Could my injuries...?"

His voice was quiet as he thanked her. He really didn't need to thank her. That was what family did. They supported one another. Lifted each other up in their down times. "Together we are strong, Sirius." She grinned. "I dare anyone to mess with the Armada. I'll bite their ankles til they die." It was her running joke. Although her spat with the coyotes had given her a little more confidence when it came to protecting herself.

Sirius then broached a topic that she really wished he hadn't. Without batting an eye though, the small woman replied. "It's not something that you should worry about," she reassured him. "Stress has a great deal to do with it and we've all been under quite a bit of it." She eyed him thoughtfully. "You, more than most with your night terrors and the stress of your injury. Once we're fully settled in our new lands all of our body processes will go back to normal." The woman's thick tail thumped once and she nodded confidently. "It's best to have pups when we're established anyway, right? Moving children now would be bad for both them and Zee." Again she reached out to pat his paw. "So don't worry. If you're still having issues when we move, we'll address them."

There was no surprise to her tone, only comfort and support, and a pat on the paw that he tried not to take as patronizing. He squinted at her. She blamed stress, of all things? He tried to qwell the desire to get a second opinion he had never heard of stress hindering child convincing before, but he HAD to trust his healer, his sister. He loved her, and knew she would not steer him wrong.

He let out a soft sigh, his desire for kids was strong. He wanted to see little ones running underfoot. He wanted to take them under his wings, and train them. In truth, he had wanted it ever since Deathbelle had given birth. When he had first seen her children, and fallen in love. He had patiently waited, built a pack, built on his relationship with Zee. "I do not believe I will be any less stressed once I'm running the pack full... but if you believe that to be the cause, and it does not give you concern, then I will trust in you. I just... I never wanted kids until Venom was born, and ever since the desire has grown."

He was still incredibly worried and Iolaire stared him hard in the face. "Listen, Sirius. I've seen what stress does to a body. When it believes its in danger, it can shut down all sorts of processes. There's this sort of internal guardian that decides whether or not the timing is right. Your timing or Zee's timing just isn't right. And really, wouldn't you rather have your children in our new home?" She tilted her head slightly as she asked the question.

Rising from her spot, Iolaire tossed another chunk of wood onto the fire. Sparks flew upwards into the sky and she watched them go. "You'll have your children, Sirius. I promise. If, after we move, you two can't conceive, I'll find out why and I'll fix it. An Iolaire guarantee."  She was still looking up to the sky, but looked down to offer him a smile of reassurance. "Worry less, my darling brother. You're strong and healthy. You'll have no problems once things settle down."

He bristled a little at her words, and there was a slight bite to his tone. "There is no danger, for Zee or myself." He said, and it was clear he was at least a little affronted at Io for indicating there was danger shutting down the workings if their bodies. But, he also sighed, and let it go, because he didn't want to upset his sister. Maybe he would have to talk to another healer, to see if there was a way to kick his body back into gear. He accepted nothing but full control over himself. That was why he was here in the first place, working with Io over his nightmares.

"I believe it will be only a few weeks now. The ash is lessening, I feel the change in my bones. We will be in our home terratory soon. I wish that Zee was pregnant, I have already dug out a worthy den for my Queen and children." He told her, voice soft, wistful aa he moved a little closer to his sister. "I think the next few weeks will be busy to ensure this place is ready. How often do you want to work on my past?"

It baffled the woman that he could admit to his mind being in danger, but couldn't believe in the possibility that his body might also be in danger. So, when he snapped at her, she simply shook her head and looked back to the sky. He could believe what he wanted. She knew the truth. The full truth. He should believe her. She definitely knew what she was talking about. The timing just wasn't right, as she'd told him.

He softened again as he began to talk about having built a den for Zee and his future pups. She wanted to tell him. Truly, she did. There was this confidentiality thing though. She'd spoken to Zee in confidence. Just as she wouldn't share his information with another, she wouldn't share Zee's with him.

Sirius questioned her about how often she wanted to work on his mind. "Every day," was her answer. "The more we work on it, the faster you'll be whole again." She would prefer to work on things in the evening when the world was quiet, but any time of day would work.

"Every day, then" he agreed.The sooner they found the solution, the sooner he could regain full control of himself. The fire still raged by them, the pit seemed a nice add to the atmosphere of the pack, and he was glad that Io had thought of it. "We can host pack meetings here, before the fire" he mused, envisioning it even as he spoke. Him, zee beside him, Io near by, and the pack before them. He smiled at the thought. He liked to dive ahead without really thinking, to grasp what he wanted without a second thought. He had become king to protect zee, to make her a queen. It was only in more recent days that he truly considered what he wanted from this pack.

He wanted it to be a home, a training ground, and a school. It would be a strange balance to find, but he had no doubt that with Zee and Io beside him, he would make it work. He moved closer to Io, resting his giant head on her little paw. "I know I'm not always the easiest person to deal with, but I want you to know I appreciate you beside me" he said softly, closing his eyes. Not to sleep, he wouldnt put Io in that kind of danger, but he would take a moment to relax beside her.

-time skip?-

As Sirius placed his head upon her dainty paws, Iolaire smiled and licked the fur atop his head. Backwards, of course. It was only fair. His kind words brought a stirring in the tiny woman's heart and she hugged his big head, her own atop his. "I love you too." Had he fallen asleep, she wouldn't have worried. Since she knew that it would make him uncomfortable, however, she simply stayed where she was well into the night.

-Time skip-

They worked every day on his therapy. She didn't call it that, of course. They were simply working on him. They repeated the same process with the rocks a few times. Other times, they walked and talked. She gave him coping mechanisms when he woke from the terrors and gave him exercises to do before he went to sleep. She gave constant affirmation that he was not alone and would never be alone again. He had a support system. He was surrounded by people that loved him. People that would fight for him. She believed that he was making progress, but did he believe?