Navigating south was a lot harder with one less eye to use. The longer he walked, the more it bled and the greater the pain became. The realization itself that the maim was not beginning to heal even on the days journey back was concerning, and Az could swear he'd felt the initial sting of infection at some point during his walk home. Diablo had placed for him some snow from the northern lands upon the wound but it melted too quickly, and with summer here there was none of the cool slush to be found south of the Wall. It felt like weeks before he'd reached the Ashen territories, though it could have simply been the pain clouding his mind. For most of the journey his paws had been on autopilot, his companions gently turning him when necessary or stopping him when he was about to walk off dangerous ledges. As soon as the scent of Ashen's shrine reached him, Azure allowed his heavy body to fall upon the border. His nose crossed the scent line, and somewhere in his fevered mind it was enough to make him feel safe. Diablo - seeing his wolf's inability to move further - went off in search of Venom or the tiny fiesty squirrel Poison. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The Empress didn’t leave her borders alone for very long, most of her time was spent on these trails. Venom didn’t like to give herself down time, and loping steadily on the borders gave her plenty of time to think to herself. Too much time, she thought deeply on many subjects that weighed heavily on her. The looming birth of Habari and the splitting of Ashen’s ranks perhaps the most heavily. Knowing Ashen’s reach was going even further excited her, but she felt the turmoil that lingered between herself and her cousin.

The future was filled with uncertainty and Venom had little visibility to decipher the path ahead. Toxicity and her insight evoked many different thoughts in Venom. Her sister pledged to grow the family line as soon as she could, where the Empress herself had barely touched the thought of her own heir. Venom knew one day the task would present itself, it seemed as though she’d ignored how quickly that time was approaching.

She became immediately uncomfortable with the thought as the scent of Azure overwhelmed her. Eyes widened slightly in surprise as she tried to forget about her wandering thoughts as she searched for the Armada’s prince. This was not a place that she would normally find him, and that set up a red flag as she surged forward. He was only a few strides away, his face mangled and his body exhausted.

”The fuck, Azure!” She exclaimed before her brain could catch up to her mouth. She was at his side without hesitation, pressing against him as she offered her support. ”Come on we’ve got to get you fixed up. Can you make it to your den?” Venom didn’t think about calling a healer, though he was obviously going to need one. He was still bleeding, and her first instinct was to get him cleaned and the bleeding stopped.

Venom's appearance seemed otherworldly, her smaller form pressing up against him before Azure had even noticed her presence. "Little serpent." He murmured softly in greeting, his muzzle shifting upon the ground to move closer to her. The Empress' words had him grumbling an unintelligible argument, though he found his words the second attempt. "I don't want to go home. You know my father." If Kai was to be punished for what he'd done, Az would be the one to see it out not the possessive warlord. He knew he couldn't hide out in Ashen forever, but heading back to the Armada with the skin around his eye torn open would only infuriate Sirius. "I'm just gonna stay right here. Protect your borders and shit." Az lip curled briefly to display the threat of his teeth, and then he chuckled softly at his own joke. It would not take long for even a lowly coyote to sneak past his prone form across the scent line. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

His preferred title for her slipped from his lips and Venom was almost certain that his brain had fried on the journey home. She pushed her muzzle into his fur, she could smell the rot on him and she wondered how long he’d been forced to go without care. He made no move to stand, so Venom held him a little closer while she had the opportunity. Azure always seemed so distant, even when they were so close.

”No… I do.” Someone had done this to him, but she couldn’t make assumptions. Kai’s scent wasn’t strong enough on the boy for Venom to decipher the familiar aroma of defeat. He told her that he was going to remain here, and the Empress knew right away she wouldn’t be allowing that nonsense. He was weak right now, she could drag him to the Palace if she tried hard enough.

”You’ll lose your eye if you stay here too long.” She didn’t know that for certain, but she could guess. Her voice was serious enough that she could make Azure believe she believed it. ”Come on.” She pressed against him again, willing him to get to his feet because she really didn’t want to drag him. ”Don’t make me use my Empress powers on you.” She joked lightly, mostly for her own benefit as she struggled with her inner emotions. Seeing Azure like this was causing her more turmoil than it should have. She struggled to hide the strong emotions bubbling up inside.

She tried harder, but Azure shrugged off her attempts at making him move. Inwardly, at least. He had too little energy to physically move his shoulders in reply. Feeling her press against him only made him lean on her further, enjoying the contact but unwilling to take her lead and stand. "I deserve to lose my eye." He mumbled after a moment. "I failed my Empress, I couldn't bring to you his tusk." His eyes slid shut and he shifted his muzzle away from her, too ashamed to see what he would assume to be disappointment upon her face. "How can I even consider ruling beside you when I can't put some stupid brat in his place on your behalf?" Had it been Sirius getting revenge for Deathbelle, he knew there was no way the brute of a direwolf would ever return home without his trophy. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

He wasn’t eager to help her help him get up off the ground. He couldn’t stay here, he might as well have been vulture bait. Venom could keep him safe for a while but what if their enemies were tailing him? They had back up, the pack was at her beck and call but she felt nervous standing here. Why couldn’t he just cooperate? Venom refrained from growling in frustration as he muttered softly about deserving to lose his eye and how he’d failed to bring her a tusk. Venom froze slightly, nearly forgetting her task she’d sent him on. To avenge her loss in the raid against that man who’s taken her down. Her hackles raised, but she wouldn’t show her emotions in any other way.

He was struggling, she could see it because she had been through it as well. How could she rule the Empire if she wasn’t even as strong as her warlord? ”Oh, Azure.” Venom whispered softly as she relaxed against him, shifting herself so that she could hold onto his neck lightly. She didn’t know how to breach the topic with him, had no idea how to convey how well she knew the position he found himself in. She didn’t know how to comfort him and she didn’t know how to offer advice.

Instead she nuzzled into his neck as best she could, a silent support and understanding to his plight. How many nights had she lamented to herself her own failures when Sirius continued to defeat her again and again? Yet here she was, an Empress. ”Can you not see your own strength?” She whispered softly. ”Even your father has suffered losses.” That was the one liner she told herself to feel better at least.

Az grimaced at her canned response, but could not bring himself to argue with her with her arms around his neck. He sighed and leaned against her, willing himself to absorb her strength so that when the time came next for him to prove himself, that he might bring home a trophy for her. "I still want to stay here." His voice was becoming thick, the exhaustion building. "Can't you just call someone for me, little serpent?" As far as he was concerned, the walk to both his den and Venom's den might have been a hundred miles away uphill. There was little that would be bringing him to his feet before he got some rest, and few wolves with the strength to drag him where he needed to go. "Do we even have any good healers left, or has the Hallows and Habari stolen them all?" It was an afterthought, and he groaned at the thought of his little brother or not-lately-looking-very-healthy-herself aunt to tend to him. "If I lose my eye because of my own stupidity that's one thing, now I'm going to lose it to another wolf's inexperience." At some point he may have started speaking his thoughts aloud unwillingly, the call of sleep still dragging him under as he lay comfortably against Venom's fur. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Venom would be just as stubborn as Azure was, but she couldn’t get him to the palace on her own without furthering his injuries. He didn’t argue about her words of encouragement, but he didn’t act as though he believed her either. Venom would frown into his fur even as he spoke. ”You’d be much better off if we could get you somewhere protected, but if we must remain here…” She sighed and shook her head into his coat. Pulling away only slightly she called out for a healer as Azure mentioned their lack of wolves with such skills. Habari and the Hallows had thinned their ranks, but Venom for one, wasn't upset to see those wolves go.

Azure began to mumble more to himself than to her and as her call fell short she returned to holding him against her chest. Was he starting to go delusional? ”Ashen is shrinking even as we speak. Perhaps it was a mistake on my part to allow Recluse and our kin to be on their way.” She murmured to him as he thought out loud she would do the same in return. ”Maybe I’ve just made more room for better and more loyal stock.” Venom couldn’t comprehend what the future might have in store for them or the Empire. Either way she found herself enjoying the warmth that spread through her where she held onto Azure’s injured form.

Leaning against her felt safe, warm and comfortable and Az was perfectly happy to remain in her arms and try to ignore the pain in his face. The majority of his wounds he'd let go untended out of fear of appearing weak to the wolves he might one day lead, it meant accepting some scars that might of otherwise not left a mark, but he wasn't vain enough to care how he might look. Losing an eye, that would suck. It could potentially put him out of the running for heir and eliminate his choice in accepting her position of Emperor all in one go. Still, Az found it hard to admit needing anyone's help. He pushed the line of thinking away, sighing into her fur.

His thoughts were still prone to coming out spoken against his will, and so when she mentioned Ashen making room for better stock a loud scoff of disbelief was released before he could think to stop it. "What, like Hattori?" Az's nose wrinkled, his distaste for the man clear. "You need to be careful he and his people don't steal your Empire out from beneath you. I don't trust him." The koi-wolf knew too much about Hana's keepers, showed up out of the blue so convienently with a warning. Azure hated allowing a strange man in such proximity to Venom and not being able to protect her from the potential threat.

She held onto him softly, like he didn’t often allow her to do. He relaxed against her as she told him of the next step in Ashen’s progress. They had much more room to grow and flourish and she could install those wolves that she felt most close to. She stiffened slightly as Azure named Hattori with disdain. ”Careful, Azure.” Venom told him, reminded swiftly of the conversation she’d had with him all that time ago. When she’d listed Hanako as a weak wolf. She had yet to be proved otherwise. ”I don’t keep close company to those I can’t trust.” She echoed his words from that day and tried to forget his defense of the koi like she wolf.

She gently ran her white paw down the back of his neck affectionately, knowing that deep down his words were from his protectiveness of her. ”Tell me what you know of Hattori,” if he had so much doubt then she wanted to hear what she should be looking after. She knew what she had seen and experienced, but what had her Shinobi done to cause alarm in Azure’s eyes?