Chaos reigned, and the phenomena that had laid claim to the continents were only snowballing in their intensity and threat. Thus, it was only natural for the young godling to stick close to the familiar. His sisters seemed to have fallen victim to whatever ailments lingered like a miasma in the air, even his mother had been dripping oddly coloured fluids when he'd seen her last. So.. why did he remain unaffected? Caution had always come so readily to him, and at this point he was incredibly grateful for his hesitance to interact with the strange crystals and mushrooms that seemed to follow in the wake of the ever present fireflies. The delicate caress of the willow trees' trailing branches along his flanks like the gentle touch of spectral digits while he moved silently through the shadows their canopies created, skirting the more tightly clustered areas where the blue orbs swarmed like insects.

Two toned gaze flickered furtively across the scenery, wary of approaching figures. Some of the local wildlife had been claimed by the same sickness as the wolves in his life. Crystals sprouting from oozing sockets, fungus climbing out of their ears, all the while dripping from every orifice with a glowing ooze that resembled the more prominent aspects of their ailments. He'd nearly been maimed by a young fox, its ears riddled with glowing green mushrooms and its behaviour erratic. Thankfully, Hallux had warned him in time for the boy to prepare, and deliver a messy but effective killing blow. Today, he carried Hallux on his hips. The dark feathered parrot had been showing signs of infection, her eyes cloudy with fever and nostrils oozing small rivulets of purple. There had to be something he could do, right? "Are you sure you don't want to rest?" he murmured quietly to the bird, craning his neck over his shoulder to better observe the way she swayed unsteadily with each step.

"I'll just... lean against your neck.." she croaked hoarsely, and the tall yearling paused so that she could hop-shuffle her way along his narrow spine until she got situated in front of his pointed shoulder blades. Like a brooding hen, she settled down to rest on the dip of his nape with her claws loosely gripping his spine. Most of her talons held only the fluffy fur of his ruff, but he could feel the points of her sharp claws digging lightly into his skin. "I'll go slow, you get some rest if you can." he said, voice whisper soft as he set off at an even slower pace. Ambling along through the shadowed trees, each paw alighting with the refined grace of a regent. He held his crown high over his shoulders, allowing his companion to rest at a better angle so she could breathe easier.

"Pontifex" || "Hallux" || "others"

After Kotori had left, Ikigai remained beneath the wide sprawling willow. The liquid continued to flow from her eyes, nose and mouth. It pushed from the skin around the crystals that protruded from her forehead like some glittering, crown of gore. The young fae's snow white pelt, usually pristine in appearance, was streaked with glowing magenta. She'd been one of the only wolves to bleed this particular shade and she couldn't help but wonder if that made her special or not. Had she been chosen by the spirits? Had this color denoted her as being different? She surely suffered the same as some, but not the same as all. Many wolves had lost their minds to madness. Thankfully she hadn't been one of those.

Iki could barely move. It felt as though the crystals were draining the very life from her. Along with the fatigue and general malaise, Iki's head hurt so, so much. Light and sound was excruciating, and so the girl tried her best to shield her face in the hollow of her crossed forelegs. She slept fitfully, waking only when the pain was too much. Soft sobs would pull from her and the girl's tears melded with the ooze, leaving trails of pink down her pale cheeks.

Sound from nearby brought a surge of panic from Ikigai. With mad wolves around, the girl would stand no chance. She'd barely gotten away from Ashen, though she hadn't gotten away unscathed. The proof of that was the luminescent crystals protruding from a large bite on her foreleg. She'd been lucky to get away with her life. The Ashen wolf had been screaming in her face, calling her names, telling her that she was dead. When Iki had tried to run, she had been caught, only managing to slip away when another wolf attacked the first.

Mercuric eyes were washed over in magenta, trying to focus through the pink as Iki looked for the source of the disturbance. A set of paws could just be seen under the edge of the sprawling, whiplike branches. She never would have known who it was had she not heard the voice of the parrot. "Pontifex..." Ikigai whispered, afraid to speak much louder, lest her cousin be wracked by madness like the others. Despite her worry, she couldn't help but call out to him, craving companionship, love, and understanding.

"X"

Hardly audible over the gentle rasping of the willow branches against each other and the steady burbling of the thin streams that crisscrossed the landscape, he heard a voice. Pausing mid step, the delicate wraith scanned the landscape in search of the source. It had been close by, a quiet voice wouldn't have carried much further than a few tail lengths. Cautiously, he poked his tapered skull through the overhanging branches of the nearest willow, and found a gruesome vision ensconced within its canopy. "Oh Ikigai..." brows furrowed with pain, concern overtaking common sense as he stepped fully into the umbrella of the willow's boughs. Her delicate skull was adorned with magenta crystals, emitting a soft light that pulsed like a sluggish heartbeat. "I had prayed that Ashen would be overlooked by the plagues," crooning vocals laden with sorrow, he carefully lowered himself to the soft grasses just in front of her. Two toned gaze drifted over the diluted cherry staining her cheeks, swirling over the once clear silver of her eyes.

"What happened, Iki?" he questioned softly, lowering his head closer to her level so she wouldn't have to strain her voice to speak loudly. They would better evade detection by any unfamiliar wolves if they stayed quiet.

"Pontifex" || "Hallux" || "others"

It was difficult at first to tell whether or not the wolf that pushed beneath the boughs was specter or flesh. Nothing in the world seemed real anymore. When the wolf drew closer, he became more solid and Ikigai did indeed believe that her beloved cousin was there and whole. "Pontifex," she breathed his name on a whisper once more, her tones filled with relief and exhaustion. The sympathy and pity on her cousins plum colored mask brought a tear to Iki's mercuric gaze. She missed her cousin greatly. Why was he so close to Ashen?

The larger wolf lay down before her and Iki did her best to focus on him through the throbbing pain in her crown. It was hard to keep her eyes open and the fatigue and general malaise had all but drained her of strength. He asked what happened and the pallid princess gave a slow shake of her head. "The wolves of the world have gone mad. Your mother was right. Spirits exist." It was hard to admit. She'd been so very against the idea of gods and the supernatural, but all of it was definitely showing through now, wasn't it? Ikigai wasn't sure that she could put the name Abraxas to any of it, but spirits... definitely existed. She'd seen them. Interacted with them. Part of her wanted to apologize to her aunt. Maybe she would if she lived through this.

Once more those metallic orbs moved over her cousin's face. "Are you okay? The others, are they okay?" She hadn't interacted with her other cousin's much, but that didn't mean that she didn't care about their well being.

"X"

Ikigai, his beloved cousin, was painfully distraught. Though her expression barely shifted from that of pure exhaustion, he could see in her eyes that she was incredibly stressed by all of the happenings lately. She explained that the pack had been gripped by madness, and that his mother had been right about the supernatural all along. He had never doubted that notion, but it felt... inappropriate to say aloud right now. Perhaps another day, in the future, they could discuss this. She asked after himself, his family. Slowly, the yearling nodded his head. "They are.. alright. Mother has been acting strangely, as has Faith.. I believe the spirits may have infected them somehow, I've noticed more and more of the same fluid that you have, though theirs have different hues." he admitted it in a whisper soft voice, as though bringing the truth to light were only now making it all real. His mother and sister were sick, and he was worried. "Hallux.." his gaze turned upon the bird who was leaning heavily against his neck, her breathing unsteady. "I'm worried, Iki. I don't want to lose them. Or you." gentle lyrics held back the pain that was a vice grip on his heart, sharp spines protruding into his lungs and making it hard to breathe for a moment or two.

Dainty forepaw rose slowly, and he placed it gingerly over her much smaller alabaster toes. Two toned eyes sought her silvery gaze, though it was stained that eerie amaranth like a thousand tiny vessels spilled blood into her eyes. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked softly, auds tipping back against his skull with the utmost concern. Should he bring her elsewhere, or return her to the empire's territories? It was hard to say..

ooc.. I'm so sorry I kept forgetting about this thread ;-; I'll be better about replying I promise

"Pontifex" || "Hallux" || "others"