As soon as Hattori was out of sight Venom had let herself fall into the sand to cry. She loved him, that fact caused the most pain, because if it were not true she wouldn’t have felt like this. After everything Venom had been through, losing parents, siblings, her home, none of them compared to how this felt. Having to watch her husband turn away and leave her. No matter what he said or tried to comfort her with he couldn’t mask the simple fact that he was leaving, he broke their union and he broke his vow. Leaving his wife sobbing in the sand.

Venom didn’t really know how long she remained there. By the time Anko came to collect her Venom’s eyes and throat were as dry as the beach she lay on. Her sunset gaze was red and blurry and sand coated her pelt. The Empress had never felt so low, she had always clung to her strength, she stood tall and she weathered the storm around her. But this was like nothing she had ever prepared for.

She felt broken as she was led to her chambers, the akita fussed over her as best she could. Swiping sand from her pelt and offering a drink when they reached the palace. Instead of going to her quarters the Empress made her way deep into the caverns below, making her way to the dark secret spring below. She brought no light and sent Anko away when he tried to get her to bed. Being there without Hattori would have only hurt her more.

Away from everyone, and away from everything Venom curled up next to the gentle flowing water. The sound of it soothed her as much as peace could heal a broken heart.

Dove Island Archipelago / late evening-night / warm

Plague was returning from a patrol, heading toward their family's palace with an easy lope. He was grateful again and again that Venom had invited him and his little section of their family to live in the expanse of caves they called the palace. It made him feel much better about leaving his children for periods time to attend to the pack duties he didn't want to let slide even though he was a new father. He knew Void and Rava were wonderful caretakers and wouldn't let anything happen to them, but it was just an added peace of mind to know that they were somewhere that was always guarded and where other wolves always were.

As he crossed the beach and neared the entrance of the palace he noticed Venom's akita pacing around the main chamber and once she noticed him enter she came up to him worriedly, fussing until he agreed to follow her. Immediately he started to worry and he trotted through the caverns while Anko brought him down to an area tucked away from everything else around an underwater spring. He spotted Venom laying alone and his ears flicked with concern, leaving Anko behind to hurry toward her. "Venom?" he questioned quietly as he settled in beside her, pressing his side to hers while his tail curled around her protectively.

He knew Venom inside and out and he could tell from a glance when something was bothering her, but this was way deeper than that. He had never seen her so distraught or so obviously upset. "Talk to me," he encouraged, gently nosing at her cheek with a frown. No matter how long it took, he was here for whatever she needed. If that was just having him here while she collected herself, whether that was to have him here while she vented the pain out, whether it was giving him a problem to try and fix... He would do anything for his dear sister.

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

She wanted to be alone while she processed what had just happened, worse than being struck physically or any other blow. Out of nowhere, she was suddenly alone. Venom had trouble remembering a time before Hattori. Azure filled her thoughts, and even his perceived death hadn’t stung so bad… She growled at herself for being so emotional, but she felt like she lost a limb. Her balance was off, her aura was disturbed. She did not feel whole.

Venom tried to meditate, it didn’t hurt as bad when she let her mind get carried away with the sound of moving water, but even this serene place was not enough to soothe her turmoil. She tried and failed, and her attention was easily brought to the sound of claws on stone. One unmistakably larger than the other. Plague and Anko’s scent reached her as she sighed, looking up as Plague greeted her uncertainly.

”Plague,” she returned quietly as he curled around her. Ever a strong and protective presence for her. But how long was it until he turned on her too? She trembled at the thought, knowing that road led to madness and ruin. It hurt so deep, a wound inflicted that sent an aftershok through Venom’s whole life. If her husband would rescind his vow and his loyalty, who else could?

”Plague,” This time his name was a soft sob. She thought she had cried everything out on the beach, but numbness would not come. Venom closed her tired eyes and buried her features into Plague’s soft fur. ”He left me.” She muttered nearly incoherently as she admitted it aloud and felt herself torn in half again. .

Venom had nearly always been the strong and steady one of them all. She was the one he had depended on most when he felt his own life being pulled out from under his feet while he began to question everything he had ever been taught and believed. It was almost frightening in a strange way to see her like this—so broken and so utterly in pain. That only made him want to hold her tighter and help her keep the pieces of herself together the same way she had done for him. It was his turn to return the favor. The sob in her voice broke his heart and when she pressed her face into his fur he lifted a foreleg to wrap it around her shoulders, pulling her into him in a tight embrace.

He nearly missed what she told him and even when he did hear her it took him a long moment to process it. He left me. It didn't make sense at first. Her husband almost didn't even come to mind, but he ultimately didn't know who else could possibly make her this way with their leaving. Hattori had always seemed so loyal and now he left? It felt like perhaps he was missing pieces of the story or as if he had missed some signs somewhere along the way, but either way he was baffled and infuriated. "He... He left? he said softly in disbelief. He thought about the conversation they had a while back when they had touched on him saying how she needed affection and love, not just duty, and he suddenly wished he had pushed her harder on that. He wished he had done something more sooner so maybe she wouldn't have been so blindsided.

He shifted to wrap his other foreleg around her, hugging her tight and tucking his head down over hers while he tried to keep the furious anger that threatened to bubble up in him at bay. Anyone that hurt his sister would never be forgiven in his mind, but to think that Hattori had everything—a devoted wife, beautiful children, a pack to lead with her... and he would just throw all of that away. That thought baffled him and made him even angrier. "Venom... I'm so sorry," he said quietly after a few moments, unsure of what else to say. He didn't feel like anything he could say would really take away the pain or hurt that her former husband had caused her, but all he could really do was try. "He never deserved you... Your devotion, your love... He never deserved you and he never realized what a gift he had been given." Plague nuzzled the top of her head, comforting her in any way he could think of.

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

She didn’t want to face the deep hole that was eating out her middle. Venom hadn’t ever felt like this before, and no matter the circumstance it hurt. She didn’t want to compare it to a physical wound but it was the only thing close enough she could describe it as. Like she had been pulled apart. Venom couldn’t let the pack see her so weak so the Empress hid herself away deep in the mountain.

Plague still found her, though with Anko’s help. Venom couldn’t decide then if she wanted to thank or strangle the dog for what she had done. She couldn’t deny the comfort she felt in Plague’s arms though. He held her tight, quietly at first as he tried to pull from her the heartache she felt. As she spoke her brother questioned her again, disbelief obvious in his vocals. Like she had felt, blindsided by Hattori’s decision, she felt better knowing she hadn’t missed any sign. Plague was as taken aback as she was.

He tucked her into his embrace, he shielded her from everything on the outside and held her close to his heart. She remained silent, trying not to let her emotions overwhelm her, but the tears falling from her eyes were uncontrollable. Eventually Plague spoke again, however encouraging his words were they didn’t really soothe the hurt in her chest. Maybe he never did deserve her, especially not when he could so easily tell her that he was moving on. She still couldn’t truly understand his motives, all she really knew now was the pain from the break.

”What am I going to tell my children? What do I tell the pack?” How did she recover and live through this? For a moment the thought of her mother flashed in her mind. Deathbelle had watched her beloved husband die. Hattori voluntarily left her. ”What do I do?” She knew Plague didn’t have the answers she wanted or needed but the wound was so fresh and so painful she felt like she was spiraling.

The weight of the world had always been on Venom’s shoulders and as much as he wanted to support her, as much as he tried his best to take some of that burden from her, he knew it would ultimately still fall on her. This was only proven when in her biggest personal loss while sobbing into his chest some of her first questions were about the pack and her children, what she would tell them, what she would do. He frowned and his ears pulled back, his talons gently combing through her scruff to soothe her. He understood that this was simply where her priorities had to be as their empress, but for just once he wished she could put herself first. He wanted her to take the time to grieve and to feel, but he doubted that she would allow herself that luxury.

“You’ll be honest with them,” he replied quietly after a moment of consideration. “He left you, abandoned his family. These are facts, not slander or accusations. There is no lie in those statements and they speak for themselves.” He gave her a gentle squeeze in his embrace and added, “We are here for you. The pack, our family, our allies. We are loyal to you. I guarantee you that once our allies hear about what he has done he’ll make himself enemies out of them, whether you want that ill will or not. We will always defend you.” He knew his sister and no matter how hard she might seem to others, she was still a gentle, kind heart to anyone she loved. It was the reason she had been so loyal to an affection-less marriage and had put up with their siblings for so long. He doubted that she would allow any kind of retaliation toward Hattori no matter if they wanted to give it or not.

With his back to the entrance of the cave he shielded her from the outside world for as long as she needed, letting her tears dampen his fur, comforting her from a pain he knew he couldn’t fix. “Please take some time for yourself,” he insisted, gently kissing the top of her head. “I can handle things here. Take some time away from here, away from the memories, spend some time with your children. You need it.”

Plague Abraxas-Destruction

She longed for the numbness to take her but instead all she could feel was the hollow emptiness Hattori created when he ripped their lives apart. Another wave of sadness washed over her as she disappeared into Plague’s embrace. Here below the surface of the earth nothing could come and get her. The rhythmic sound of the stream worked so soothe her tensions away as Plagueasked to bear some of the weight that lay heavy on her shoulders. He was much more even headed than she felt, and even if her features remained buried in his pelt she listened as he told her what to do.

Honesty, she just had to be honest. Could she really stand before her children and her pack and tell them their shogun and her husband had decided to leave them? Venom didn’t often feel overwhelmed but in this moment she was tested to her breaking point as her heart still tried to deny what happened. Her husband left her and the family they created.

Venom squeezed her brother’s neck tighter as she wished away the hurt and pain. He spoke to her softly, and did everything he could to ease the struggle she would ultimately have to overcome alone. But he told her to take some time to herself, that perhaps getting away for a little while would help ease the ache.

”Thank you,” she muttered into his neck, refusing to release her grasp on him yet. She thanked him for being here for her, for offering to take on her duties so she could care for herself. So she could be with the children Hattori left behind, his greatest gift to her. ”This is the greatest test of strength I have yet faced.”

Plague's chest ached for his dear sister, kissing the top of her head affectionately as she continued to hold on to him with her face buried into his neck while she expressed how this was her greatest test yet. He couldn't deny that. Though all of the trials and tribulations their family had faced over their moderately short lives, this was by far the biggest personal blow Venom had taken. He knew there was only so much he could do to help her, but what he could do he would make sure he did for her. "It is," he agreed quietly, "But you'll make it through to the other side. You always do. It's going to hurt like hell, but you'll make it. I know you will." He knew Venom had loved Hattori deeply, obviously far more deeply than Hattori had loved her, and he couldn't shake the thought that the man hadn't deserved her. Perhaps that was just the protective brother in him looking out for her and her heart that was far more tender than she liked to let on, but he genuinely hoped that one day she'd move on and find a love with a wolf that actually treated her the way she deserved to be treated. He laid there with her for as long as she needed, only letting her go once she was ready for him to, no matter how long that took. She had taken care of him for so long now it was his turn to return the favor.

Plague Abraxas-Destruction