Time had passed and her condition didn't appear to be getting any better. Her wounds had taken too long to heal. The pain that ebbed and flowed through her never seemed to really dissipate. And the thing about being wolves, there's no technology to say "hey, you're internally bleeding!" Instead, as much as Ethne's healers attempted to cure her, Celeste knew there was no hope. Her captors had done a number on her and there was no turning back.

All she had wanted to do was go home. To be around her loved ones for her last remaining days. She had been told Tamago had come looking for her, but she hadn't wanted him to see her in this condition. Weak, feeble, coughing so badly that she could see blood upon the grass. A symptom that she hadn't indulged to anyone. There was no point. No amount of herbs or care would save her now. And as much as she wanted to say good bye to all of her pups who were no doubt grown by now, she only requested Kuroki. The man that had loved and cared from her from basically the day they met. He had been perfect for her in so many ways that it broke her heart to be saying good bye already.

Celeste woke up that winter morning feeling rejuvenated. Energy surged through her, so much so that she had been able to walk around without assistance. Happy that she could manage eating and drinking on her own, she had gone looking for Haydee. As they spoke, she could feel herself slowly slip away. Her brain grew foggy, her legs grew sore. There wasn't much time left. Thankfully a bird had been sent for Kuroki a week or earlier to give him time to make his way to Ethne. After some discussion, Celeste said her goodbyes and left Ethne without another look back. Telling Haydee to send Kuroki to the nearby beach, Celeste struggled.

Her paws dragged, her breath ragged, she almost doesn't make it, but perseveres. She wants to be just Kuroki and her. Of course, Cy and other would be welcome if they showed up, but it would only make it harder. Sliding down the sandy dunes toward the beach as the afternoon wanes, she wraps herself tighter in the sheepskin she was given by the healers. Finding a somewhat private alcove to nestle down in, Celeste lays her chin up on her paws and watches the sparkling waves roll in and out as she waits to say goodbye.

Kuroki ran till it felt like he was choking, till the air the scratched at his lungs and airways. But it didn't matter, even as his spindly legs grew weak he kept on running, cursing the fact the world was so fucking big. By the time sand coated his paws he was running on fumes, sides heaving and in obvious distress. Too wrapped up in his own mind, the what ifs and his blundering failure that day. He'd beat up a fucking giant work for crying out loud and yet he hadn't been able to protect her when it counted the most.

He found her curled up and so small, thinner than he remembered, and even the shine of her coat was gone. Weakness wasn't something he ever looked down on, but she looked so frail, the fact that she was hurting made his stomach twist. He'd take it all if he could, she was small and she needed rest and-as a wolf, a hunter he knew she didn't have much time. Finely tuned instincts were designed to be able to seek out the weak, seek the easiest target on the hunt. She was dying.

The thought made him bite down so hard on his tongue it bled.

He went to her, had nothing funny or witty to say as he went to embrace her. Folded himself down beside her, fore limb gently tucking her in close again his chest. He was trembling, though the cold here couldn't even compare to that of the north.

Kuroki didn't say anything for the longest time, the gentle rush of the waves rolling back and forth filled the silence, he just curled around her as if holding her tight enough would keep her there."I love you. I ain't ever said it before, but you ought to know." And then when he spoke again his voice shook, vulnerability so sharp it made him sick. "Please don't go."

The drum of his paws against sand could be heard from a distance. Her head lifts, a cough twisting from her throat. She quickly tries to cover the blood that speckles the sand around her. There is an effort to try and stand up, but she can't. Her legs are weak, her heart hammers in her chest. Settling back into the sand as she watches him run toward her, she can already feel the tears welling in her eyes. Throat clenching tightly, her breath swept away, vision going blurry. She opens her lips, but nothing comes. She can feel herself tremble, not from the cold, but from the surge of emotion that blows over her.

He was here.

Settling into the sand around her, curling in on her until the warmth of his body envelopes her. It is only until his chin rests upon her does she even begin to relax. It is then that the tears start to fall, staining her dark cheeks as she closes her eyes for a moment. Silence falls over them and she almost misses his humor. Even if she wanted to bap him more often than not for his ridiculous comments, she adored him for it. Kuroki was perfect, remember?

Nestling in closer to him, wishing she could furrow in close, she takes as deep of a breath as she can manage. Inhaling his scent to commit it to memory. Though she feels better, there's still that sense of the end that she can't ignore. Not even when his words finally break the lull of the ocean nearby. They cause the tears to flow harder, her chest heaving, trying to breathe, but she can't. He loved her. Of course she knew that. He was more of an action over words kind of guy. The countless nights snuggled on that all too fluffy bed, the days of traveling across Boreas, watching sunsets and sunrises, raising a gaggle of heathens. They had a lived a life she would never regret.

"I would I could stay," Celeste whispers, burying her face farther into his side. She can't hide the tears, the sorrow, the everything she wished she could say to him. That she didn't blame him, that it wasn't his fault, that there was nothing else he could have possibly done. "I love you too," the words are muffled as she practically grabbing onto him with what little strength she has left. She fights back the coughs and the pain, trying to appear even somewhat okay for him. She hates that he has to see her like this, in this horrible condition. "Are-are our babies okay?" Celeste asks, a hoarse whisper as she pulls her face away slightly so she turn her chin up to look at his face.

Kuroki wasn't sure if he could do this, if he was even strong enough. Just feeling her shuddering breaths against his ribs made his heart ache, felt like he'd been saving all of life's hurt and pain for this very moment. And it was wounding, catastrophic, like the sun crashing into the sea. The end of everything as he knew it, because after this things couldn't be the same. Cy had left and now Cel too? Being alone hadn't bothered him much before, but now? It felt like a thing that shouldn't even happen, a lapse in reality, a distortion a mind like his couldn't ever fathom. And the great unknown beyond? The thought of her being alone somewhere cold and dark- there could be no peace in that.

He held her a little tighter, so mindful of his strength, his paw gently brushing, trying to soothe as best as he could. He just wasn't equipped for this, was anyone?

"Yeah," he had to give her this. He wished she could see them just one more time, it had been too long, and they'd all grown-well mostly, Delphi was still tiny. "They're okay, I promise." He exhaled, breath almost as shuddery as hers, words choking and heavy upon his tongue. What was he even meant to say? What could he say? He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, a gentle swipe of his tongue along her brow.

"I'm-I'm jus' gonna miss you so much and I-" he paused, trying and failing to gather himself. His eyes stung, so much for the manly dude who didn't cry, wasn't bothered by nothing. Even the pretty view of the sea didn't soften the blow, nothing could ever make this better. "I'm jus so sorry Cel. I'm so sorry."

Celeste's heart, while it was broken, still warmed at the idea that their pups were okay. As much as she wished to see them, she knew she couldn't. There wasn't enough energy left in her bones to bring her all the way back home. It was crushing, but Kuroki was enough. Being able to say good bye to him was what her heart needed. And because of it, she can smile up at him. Feeling his tongue brush along her brow has her giggling even if she has to fight through a few coughs. "Oh Oki," she murmurs softly, her eyes closing gently as she presses her cheek back against his plush fur. How it had always felt right to be in his arms.

As he speaks, she knows her heart breaks more. His words are devastating. How could she do this to him? Wasn't it her fault? Couldn't she have been stronger? Couldn't she have kicked those assholes into oblivion and made it home? Fighting back those tears was more effort than she could manage. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to fend off even one of those jerks. But she didn't blame him either and didn't want him to feel that guilt for the rest of his life either.

"I'll miss you more," her voice is sweet as she smiles, turning her chin once more to look up at him. "Please, do-don't apologize," she speaks quietly, fighting back some more coughs. The energy is draining more, but being close to him helps. It helps her hold on if only for a few more minutes. "It isn't your fault. They, they were unstoppable," Celeste is whispering now as she lets her own tongue swipe across his shoudler. "Hay-Haydee told me that it t-took all of Tojo-Kai to take them out," her lips tremble as she shuts her eyes tightly. Remembering the night she had been taken was still fresh in her mind. "There's nothing you could've done. Please, I want you to be happy," the begging tone of her voice is worse as she presses her face against him, willing herself to not cry.


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