The rocky terrain closer to the fjord required a great deal of concentration. The path he chose was not an easy one, though Bast made it seem so. She bounded ahead of him, feline paws giving her a measure of grace against the hard rock. The Warlord followed at a more sedated pace. Taking his time as the salty breeze ruffled his coat, and the morning sunlight warmed against his dark tones.

He let silence wrap around him until he took a misstep. His claws sliding uselessly across a path of moss as he shifted his balance and saved himself from a plunge into the chill water at the last moment.

Marshal looked back at him, a glower in the birds eyes as he looked to the Warlord, and the easier path that lay only a short hop away. His opinion on the Warlords choices was clear.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Her path was winding and destinationless. She couldn’t even help Recluse to save her pack. She’d been worthless, just as she always had been. Her family and pack mates were now held as captives, while she walked as a wraith over the lands. Cursed to wander enterally. Mismatched paws carried her along the harrowing precipices of the fjord. Her gaze lingered on the road ahead of her, unaware of where the path was going to take her. Deathbelle’s once royal paws were far from the graceful tools she once used, but she held no fear of falling. There was no fear anymore.

The shell of a woman moved forward at a slow pace, but the sound of falling rock brought her features up to focus on the disturbance. What she saw she hadn’t expected at all. Immediately her chest tightened, despite so much time passing she still had the same reaction. Deep harrowing sorrow when her purple gaze met him. She froze there, unable to speak or move for a long moment.

Marshal let out a warning cry, and the Warlord's attention snapped upwards. Seeking… something. An outlet perhaps for the chaos brewing in his heart. Instead, he found something he had never expected to find again. He settled his paws more carefully on the stone beneath him. His attention no longer on the terrain as he looked to the wolf that Marshal’s warning cry had drawn him to.

His lips parted and he found that words escaped him. He looked at Deathbelle, and all he could find himself asking was did she know? She had been Zee’s best friend once. She would have been one of the first to know. Now, he hadn’t even considered it. It was a well of friendship that the Warlord himself had poisoned. When Zee had… returned to him, he had kept clear in a bid to save both Zee and Deathbelle some pain. She had been his best friend once. The only wolf in the entire world he had cared for. For a time, he thought he would never care about the fate of another wolf as he had Deathbelle. Through fire or storm.

Now she was a stranger, looking back at him through broken eyes.

And all he could ask himself was did she know?

“...Do you know?” the words came out of him almost unbidden, and he winced at the sound of his own voice. A rasp on the tranquil burbling of the moving water beside him.

"Sirius"

Deep long lost memories flashed through her mind, and yet however close they had once been the bonds had become all but broken. So much had happened between them, loss and damage to a friendship that was supposed to be forever. Deathbelle hadn’t ever wanted to see this man again, it would have been better if she hadn’t. She had settled comfortably in her empty shell, content to slowly disappear as her soul dripped away and finally left her broken pieces to rot. Sirius was the one to do this to her. She had so wanted the sweet release of death, instead of this accursed existence waiting for the day her life was finally snuffed out.

Before her fight or flight could rouse her and cause the once Empress to turn and flee, Sirius’ own broken voice stopped her. ”Do you know?” Deathbelle was silent, her breath coming in soft heaves as her bony ribs lifted and fell with her alarmed rhythm. Her eyes widened in surprise as he spoke, she never believed she would be confronted with her childhood friend again. Not after everything happened… ”I know nothing, Warlord.” Her voice was soft as she whispered to him, finally looking past her own fear and sorrow to see the deep pain in his face.

He frowned then, dragged out of the horror of his own thoughts for a moment as he looked at Deathbelle more carefully. Her whispered voice dragged his attention to the rest of her. To the bony ribs and lacklustre fur. He wasn’t sure why he had expected to find any improvement in her, considering their last encounter. But the shock of her condition startled him. He frowned deeper, angry little lines between his eyes.

“You look like shit, Deathbelle. “ he said, his voice a growl. “Is this who you’ve chosen to be now? Your legacy? To let everything you built be a memory, be nothing to those you gave life to?” He said, his voice growing bitter. It would be so easy to let himself drift down that path. To shove aside those he loved. To hurt them, and force them to hate him. To be a ghost of himself. He wanted to give in to that hate and anger and hurt in his heart, but he didn’t and how dare Deathbelle, who had always been so strong, be so weak? She was everything his family feared he would become. And where were the people Deathbelle loved now?


"Sirius"

He frowned, but looked as though he had only just seen her. The way his deep blue eyes roved her thin frame, and looked upon what she had become. There was no authoritative air to her anymore, her grace never left, but her age was obvious. As much as the deterioration of her spirit. Deathbelle was broken, and there was no putting her back together.

Sirius' voice fell from dark lips once more, speaking words she hadn’t expected to hear. Not when she’d seen his face a moment ago. She couldn’t refute him either, she was only a shadow of what she had once been. And while he tried to rile her with determination and shame, the emotions just did not exist within the shell of her. Deathbelle was empty, used up, after what happened between them… There was nothing left for her to give. It was only her promise to him that she remained here to haunt the earth.

Belle deflated slightly, looking away from his fierce gaze, her once lustrous eyes fell to ivory painted paws. ”I didn’t choose this.” Her voice broke. She hadn’t ever really recovered from her shattered heart. Deathbelle was alive, but her fall from grace had been long and hard. She grit her teeth and shook the tears from her cheeks as she moved to the side of the path to let him pass by her again. He hadn’t wanted her then, he wouldn’t desire her now that she was a rotten wreck.

There was so much hurt inside the Warlord. Pain, and shame, and frustration for where he found himself. Losing Zee once had been impossible. Losing her twice left him hollowed out and confused. Finding himself faced with Deathbelle, now of all times, shocked him more than it should. Perhaps a part of him had let himself believe that his old childhood friend had found some happiness. Seeing that for the lie it was punctured his already tattered heart. He wished so badly that ee and Deathbelle had remained friends. That choosing Zee hadn’t cost him Death. Now he had lost Zee. Again. Deathbelle was still broken, and there was nothing he could do to change either fate.

When Deathbelle stepped to the side, he bared his teeth at her. Remembering the fierce Empress she had once been. Of all the times she had escaped death and injury, and found her way to the top. Surviving the death of their homeland, the wolves that had sought to hurt them. The vibrant youth she had been who had proven to be so much more than her father. She thought of Zee, who had once believed in Deathbelle. “Your living it, and so long as you're living it, it’s your choice. You ‘re too strong a wolf to live a life you didn’t pick, Deathbelle. Who you are right now. This wasted creature, do you even see yourself, Phoenix? A gutted flame? This you’ve allowed yourself to become.” He slammed a paw down between them, cutting off her exit if she had any desire to escape. “The mother of my children is dead, truly dead, but I haven’t chosen to abandon them, to become a shadow.” he snarled at her. Angry for finding this weakness in a wolf he admired above all. Afraid of the idea of falling.

"Sirius"

It was easy to blame him for her current state. Sirius had promised her eternity, and then turned around and pawned her off to the first wolf that took pity on her. He broke her irreparably that day, and when she had asked for death it was because she had known that this would be the eventuality. A sad shell of the glory that had once been. Sirius was not the only cause of her downfall. She lost everyone that she loved, Archon, Hannibal, Magnus, Io… and the one to truly crush her. Her daughter drove her from Ashen’s borders, and she had only been a dead weight in Habari.

”You can’t understand.” She muttered, still unable to look him in the eye as he snarled at her. Infuriated with the state she was in. Deathbelle had all but given up. No one out there needed her, she wasn’t wanted. The once great Empress was just a waste of space now. The fight had been fully drained out, she had no more strength to pull herself up. ”That is exactly what I am. Useless, broken, a shell.. You’ve already forgotten about me, you should keep it that way.” She was going to do nothing but make him angry.

He shocked her when he went on, telling her that Zee had truly departed this world. Belle grit her teeth, lowering her head further in shame. Why was she still alive when Zee deserved to be here so much more than she did. ”Never lose yourself, they still need you.” Her words were a whisper, he already knew what she said. "Unlike me." He was trying so hard to rile her, to rekindle the fighting flame she once held. His actions would be fruitless though, Deathbelle’s spark was gone. If she truly had the choice to keep her fire she would have, but after so many blows her strength and her fight was stolen. There was no path but this one.

Unlike me he already knew that, but it hurt to hear it regardless. No, she didn't need him. She didn't seem to want to need anyone. The Warlord made a sound of deep frustration in the back of his throat, shaking his head. He had come out here because his emotions had been too volatile, too close to spilling out. He had hoped to find a release for his anger. Finding Deathbelle only added to his helplessness, his frustration. "The only person who can give you a will to live is yourself, Deathbelle. Make a choice. Live, or die. If you chose the prior, seek me out, and I'll re-train you to fight, and you'll have a home in my pack." He told her, seeing and understanding that nothing he was saying was getting through. He couldn't give her the fuel for her flames, but if she found any measure not matter how small to live, he would help her.

Until then, there was nothing he could do. He dragged his claws through the earth of the soil before him. Frustration and anger in his eyes.

Deathbelle was old, she was old and she was tired. Summoning any kind of strength seemed impossible, and the days dragged together as she made the unending march to the end. She was frustrating him, Sirius wasn’t hiding it. Belle had no desire to appease him, she was far beyond lying to him. The desire to even begin rebuilding herself wasn’t there, and a few angry words weren’t going to do it either. Finally her once royal purple gaze lifted to find his features, seeing the frustration, anger, the hopelessness that lingered in his eyes. Sirius was right, she was the only one to find the will to keep going. As she looked up at him the emptiness in her chest returned. The hurt he left her with, the day that doomed her to this existence. Nothing could pull her from the pit of despair, she had let herself fall too far. The pain had never left, a pain he knew himself. That was why he was so frustrated. He was strong, and she was not.

Belle had once had his strength to rely on, for as long as she could remember he had been at her side, valiantly fighting for her honor. Then he wasn’t. Slowly their relationship eroded, and now the man she had once loved with all of her heart stood before her as a cold stranger. Haunted by his own past and deeds as she was, but he still had the support of his family and loved ones. Deathbelle lost everything, she lost her worth, her power, and anyone she loved. She lived at the bottom for a long time now, so far that she could no longer even see the light. Darkness surrounded her and it would not release its grip.

Sirius wasn't done speaking yet, if she could find a small ray of hope, he would be there to welcome her into his home. Belle ripped her eyes away from him again, her heart aching as it fell apart all over again. ”I won’t drag you down, Sirius. Keep your fire. I can’t see its light anymore.”

The Warlord gritted his teeth. Anger rolled through his body in waves, and he pressed himself forward. Closing the distance between them. Bast shot him a warning glance, and one he ignored as he lifted a paw to jab it to her shoulder blade. "You're telling me you feel nothing? No rage, regret, sorrow or hope?" He growled, poking her harder. Anger and fear warred together fear that his future could lie down this path. "That there is nothing you would do to change your future, your path?" He snapped his muzzle together, inches from her coat. This Deathbelle frightened and angered him. He NEEDED her to be better. To feel something. To find hope. He knew he needed to step back,that he was volatile and angry and he had hurt Deathbelle enough. But seeing her defeated form enraged him.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't drag you back with me. Why I shouldn't shove you in Morts' den and throw puppies at you until you get it through your head that life doesn't need to end now. Like this? That Mortis still calls you Uncle. That you have family, despite your best efforts to leave them?" He was in her face, snarling.

He was close enough to touch her now jabbing her shoulder as he prodded further, unwilling to just leave her where she was and move on. He’d done so before, he could do it again. She had been gone from his life for so long, why did he fight so hard? ”No, all that I feel is pain now.” She whispered, failing at avoiding his eyes now. She fell back against his touch, putting up no resistance. ”There is nothing that I can do, Sirius.” Deathbelle gasped softly as he pushed her back again.

The fight was gone, all the future held was more hurt. More pain to fill her miserable life. The only hope she had was the promise that one day the pain, sorrow, and tears would be final. One day she would be released, and she couldn’t believe that anything else could ever be promised to her. Sirius’ fury came to a head as he snarled in her face, raging about what he could do to her.

”Because I’m not worth it.” She whispered softly. ”I don’t belong there. I never did.” She didn’t need to be dragged back to his home, none of his family deserved to deal with her when they were mourning the woman that should have been there instead of her. Why was life so cruel to steal away Zee’s life early when Belle was ready to willingly give up her own?

All I feel is pain now. The Warlord was breathing heavily now, his anger increasing as Deathbelle failed to rise to anything he said. Again, and again, she just stood there. A ghost in the body of his friend. Sirius could feel angry tears rising to the surface, but he pushed them away. “You’re not saying anything to change my mind” he warned her. “Because I don’t believe that for a moment. You are worth it. I still want to protect you, Deathbelle. Even though I’ve failed to do so, so many times in my life.”

“You could belong there. Maybe you should Surely it must be better than this?” he said, still wavering at the threshold of taking away her decision. Still hoping she would make any move, any small gesture that said she had the will to live.


"Sirius"

There was nothing left inside her to give, her spirit was broken and her flame had gone out. Sirius showed enough fire and anger for the both of them. At one time she would have done anything to reverse his course. Deathbelle would have done anything to make him happy, to comfort him as he was forced to struggle through such a difficult time. Now she was useless, to him and to herself. She couldn’t help him, he couldn’t help her, not that she believed.

”I don’t believe you.” She finally said as he told her the worth she had, and how much he still wanted to protect her. Tears began to well in her violet gaze, after she was so sure she had cried the last of her tears. He admitted to his shortcomings, ”I can ignore the torment of my past while alone. I.. don’t think I could bear it if I.. If I..” Her breath came in heaving gasps as she lost control of her lungs. ”If I had to relive the last time I saw you everyday.”

The anger fizzed out as suddenly as it had appeared, and without it the hollow feeling in his gut swelled. He let out a shuddering breath, trying to push back the pain and sorrow that the anger had swallowed. But it was no good. Not in the face of Deathbelles pain. He tilted his head down, hiding his own gaze for a moment. He wasn’t ready for this encounter. He wasn’t sure he ever would be, but so soon after Zee’s death. He knew he didn’t have the strength to help Deathbelle, not when he was struggling to stay sane for his own children.

“Oh, Death…” He said softly. Knowing he couldn’t take her to the Armada against her will with that statement. Not with the stark knowledge that his presence only made things worse for her. “Then it seems we have nothing to offer each other but pain.” He said, his voice hoarse.


"Sirius"

She could see the anger dissipate, much faster than it had arose as her lips revealed her strife. The reason he could not take her. She revealed the massive rift between them, one that could not and would not be breached. He didn’t have the strength to support her and the inverse was equally as true. They were far too broken to pick up the other’s pieces. Their relationship had ended, and this looked like it was the dying gasp.

Sirius spoke again softly, realizing the gravity of their situation. There was no relief here only more pain and anguish. They couldn’t return to the time before, they couldn’t turn back the clock and redo everything they had been through. They could only embrace and accept the reality before them. However much love had been shared was the same amount of hurt and despair they shared now. He said what Deathbelle already knew was truth. ”You’re right.” She returned mournfully, torn apart knowing what once was and what could have been that they would never be given.