It had been a while since the night terrors had gripped the titan with such strength. For a while now the dreams had been vague, lost faces awashed in a sea of blood. Perhap it was the changes to his life, the realization that he had so much to lose. Today the faces of the dead took on those he loved. Back, when the Empire had collpased, there had only been Deathbelle he had loved, and he had succeded in getting her to safety. This time, it happened well Venom, Pesto, Zee and even Io were under his care.

He was forced to watch as they were mutilated, butchered, and torn to pieces by the wild savery of hungry peasants. The mob became a living thing, a wild out of control entity with only one goal - to feed.

Sweet soaked the skin beneath his fur, perspied on his brow. He could not move, nor speak, nor breathe until it was done. Only once all lay dead at his feet could the titan regain his senses and stumble forward, a soft, agonized moan falling from his lips as his eyes fell upon the loose, rolling head of his Wife. he crumpled to his knees, lost in the world of his pain, unable to break free or waken.

Sirius' massive form tossing and turning in the night was loud enough to wake the dead. Zee's eyes shot open with worry and her ears pinned, her first reaction to the startling to be fear. Not yet a hardened master of war the small wolf still relied on the protection of her superiors - Sirius, Deathbelle, and the like. It was a funny thought, because she'd fought against Sirius' insistence that weaker wolves were meant to serve the stronger leaders in exchange for such safety. She pushed away her instinctual fear and got to her feet, peering out cautiously out from her nook to look around the darkened den. The terror-wracked flails of her husband looked gruesome and terrifying in the low-light, appearing almost as if an unseen creature was attacking the titan and he was fighting for his life there on the floor. Zee stepped closer, keeping her distance from the direwolf's thrashing but wanting to help him in some way. "Sirius?" She whispered, voice wavering. The night of her attack was creeping back into the forefront of her mind and she hesitated just out of his biting range. "It's okay." As she spoke softly to the slumbering male, Zee ducked her head low. She angled it so that the prongs atop her skull would be directed towards him before stepping into range to poke his mighty back lightly with their tips. Once she felt contact, Zee skittered back against the wall so that she would not be met with his sleeping retaliation. "Speech"

He looked to the head of his wife for a long time, before a bitter growl escaped him, and he lashed forward, wanting, needing to rent something asunder. He fought for those that had taken the lives of his loved ones, turning upon the killing forward, seeking their blood, and finding none there. He stilled, nose to the air, searching for some clue, when he felt something touch his rump. He whirled, fangs extended, and finally awoke from the terror. He was in the new den he and Zee had built together, his wife was cowering in the corner, horns lowered to protect her from his obvious wrath. The anger fell away from him like water washing off a body. He stilled, frozen, mind reeling and attempting to catch up. His students, his Zee, they weren’t dead. He collapsed to his knees, looking warily at Zee, wondering what went through his mind. Did she resent him for scaring her so/ he wanted to scoop her up, bury her in the crook of his arm and dare the godammit world to touch her. He wanted to kill something. Instead, he let out an agonised, weary sigh through his nostrils and scuffed the dirt with an oversized paw. “I thought… It’s been weeks. I thought perhaps they didn’t plague me anymore” he said exhaustion leaking into his tones. He was suppose to be a leader, why was he instead such a terrible failure? “Zee…?’ he whispered, worried she would respond with fear. "Speech"

He awoke suddenly and Zee stiffened, half expecting him to barrel over to her and take her neck in her fangs. Blue eyes stared across the den at him, hardened with suspicion and a little bit of fear. She did her best to remain calm and stood up against the wall as far from him as she could manage in the confines of the den. He was speaking but the sound might have been a growl or a snarl for what she heard. The fog in her head began to clear as she watched him collapse onto his knees and she replayed his words in her head so that she might comprehend them. "I don't know." Zee responded carefully. "Maybe you should see Lucretia before we leave." It would be good for him to see a healer - someone who could help to quell his night terrors - although it saddened her to think someone else might be better suited to help repair him. She could see the worry in his eyes that he'd scared her, and realized she was still pressed up against the wall. "I'm okay - you okay?" The slender wolf pushed off the dirt, stepping closer to him slowly. He needed reassurance and she wanted to give it to him, though it was difficult to be reassuring when she smelled of fear and her fur stood on end. "I love you." She offered softly, as if it'd make it all okay. "Speech"

It took a time for her weariness to fall away, and even then he wouldn’t truly call it gone. But at least she spoke to him now. Her careful words did nothing to soothe him, and she would suggest Luce for what ailed him. “She hasn’t helped me yet” he grumbled. He had seen little of the healer since they had come to red rocks. Whatever she was doing was keeping her busy. He didn’t think she could help him fight this demon. She came away from the edge, but there was so much caution in the movement for him to think she truly wanted to. “I love you too, I’m sorry if I frightened you” he said, equally as cautious. He kept himself low to the ground, fangs tilted downwards. He was glad she had grown her beautiful twirled antlers upon her brow. It offered her a great defense against his fangs, and would make it much harder for him to accidentally maul her in his sleep. Still, there was a darkness in his heart as he looked to his frightened wife, smelled the fear upon her coat. She was a Queen dammit, and he had forced her to cower against the wall. He started to growl, then caught himself and stopped, hanging his head. “Dammit” he murmured, frustrated. “I need a cage for a bed.” "Speech"

She offered him a halfhearted smile at his words, a quiet chuckle catching in her throat. The great and powerful Warlord of Ashen caged in his sleep - that'd go over wonderfully. Her eyes softened and she padded towards him more confidently, pausing as she reached him before moving to rest her head upon his lowered shoulders. "I'd be okay with a cage." Zee told him playfully. "I could hold the key and keep you there until I find a proper bribe worth letting you out." She tilted her head so her nose pressed up against him, exhaling her tension heavily into his thick fur. It did bother her how volatile her husband was at night - what other pair of mated wolves had to sleep apart? Bast was a wonderful cuddler but it wasn't the same, and how could they ever have children if he was this dangerous to be around in his slumbers? "We will manage, we always do." Her voice became more serious, wanting desperately to comfort him and ease his frustrations. "Plus, I'm getting strong enough that maybe one day I'll just bite you back and that'll kick the nightmares." "Speech"

She seized on his joke, making light of his predicament, and he shook his head at her, but laughed all the same. She seemed to be coming more at ease now, but as much as he wanted to bury his head into the soft comfort of her fur, he worried she was scared of him still. Both the wolves vividly remembered the night he had attacked her in full, and neither wanted to relive it. “You would, too” he agreed “What would you ask of me? My soul?” he teased. “I fear whatever dark gods mortals believe in already owns it” he mused allowed, coming himself from a people who believed in no gods. Because of Archon, Deathbelle seemed to be believing in something, the Risen God or whatever the old cout went by. Sirius wasn’t certain what he thought of that. “I wouldn’t begrudge you a bite” he agreed, wishing she had taken a good knock out of him, instead of just a pinch. At least then she would fear him less, and believe in her own power - something Sirius certainly believed in already. He knew Zee was capable, even if she didn’t always think so. "Speech"

To hear his laughter join hers helped to relax her and she smiled into the thickness of his fur. Her heart still beat rapidly and her body was working hard to chase off the adrenaline of the night, though she felt safe beside her titan. Zee remembered back to their first meeting where they discussed Archon and his beliefs - though Sirius did not know it was Archon they were discussing at the time - and held onto the happy memories. "No, I already own your soul." She told him confidently, nuzzling deeper into his fur as if to stake her claim. "You still owe me a honeymoon, but I suppose that will have to be postponed until the pack is settled." No longer would she be under Deathbelle's command and having to ask permission to leave the territory. If she and her warlord wished to visit a neighboring land they'd only need to get up and leave. The thought was comforting and thrilling. "Speech"

She nuzzled into him, and he gently folded his head over her, holding her close. He wanted to protect her from everything, his perfect Zee. he hated that he could not protect her from himself, hated that any part of him could be a threat to her. It was direly unfair. Even in sleep he should recognise her as his love, and move to protect her, keep her safe, not hurt her. “You do, you and no one else” he agreed as she lay claim om is soul. She would mention the honeymoon, and he cursed quietly under his breath. Dammit, how did things keep coming along to delay that. “No, I need to recruit from other corners of this land. Deathbelle is Empress, and Io can help any new people settle. We should go, explore, recruit, and have that freedom before we get tied down with a pack” he said. In truth, in that moment, he would have offered her anything. Anything for her to stay with him, to not fear him, to still love him despite his terrible faults. "Speech"

He promised her a honeymoon again and Zee couldn't help but think something would come up to postpone it once more. She shook her head and gave a light accepting sigh but did not get her hopes up too much - for all they knew, an earthquake might come and wreck everything like the volcano had. She clutched him tighter at the thought, having seen her empress lose too much to nature and wanting desperately for Sirius to remain safe in her arms forever. "Don't you think it's a lot to ask of her?" The queen asked softly after a moment. "We've known her for all of a day, and you'll ask her to remain alone in pack lands while we travel the world and bring strange wolves for her to help settle in? She doesn't seem the warrior type, who will protect her?" As Sirius' protectiveness over her bloomed and swelled in Ashen it had bled into her, too. It was easier to understand why he clutched everything he loved so closely, and Zee wanted their newcomer to feel safe and protected and definitely not abandoned for a honeymoon / member recruiting adventure. "Speech"

“She strikes me as capable” Sirius said as Zee pointed out that it was a lot to ask of the girl. When she also asked who would keep her safe, the Warlord sighed. That was always a stickler for him, so of course Zee mentioned it. He would always keep those he claimed safe. That was what he strove for in life. He wriggled uncomfortably, still bathed in sweat from his nightmare, and unhappy to give up his dream of taking Zee on a honeymoon.

He grumbled quietly, and tucked his head into Zee’s coat. “I want to give you everything you ask for” he said quietly to his Queen. If it wasn’t for mother nature getting in the way, as well as responsibilities they owed and whatever else cropped up.