As they neared Locus Obscuro and Tea's Bunker, Azure realized he'd forgotten where to find the door. It would be incredibly embarrassing to lead his father all this way to turn around empty handed, but Az wasn't the navigator that Hana was. He tried not too look quite too confused or lost as he paced along the mountain side, and to his father's credit he at least hadn't heard any sass or teasing yet. It took him a few laps and backtracking before he'd found the familiar carvings in the rock - a plaque - that led toward the hidden door. It was still ajar from when Az had heaved it open at Hana's request and the Fatalis Heir poked his muzzle into the crack and inhaled. "I don't think anyone else has been in here." He withdrew his head, glancing back at his father and the cart. "What's the plan?" Perhaps they could push the heavy door to fully open, but that didn't guarantee the cart would fit within the bunker. "Speech"

The Warlord walked beside his son, with the bear and cart behind him. They made it most of the way without a hitch. Now, he walked in silence as Azure examined the mountainside, searching for the entrance he must have used with Hanako.

When Azure started to backtrack, he motioned for the bear to wait, giving her a break as Azure continued his search. After a while, the hidden door was discovered, and Sirius could see why it had been so difficult. Grabbing ropes from the cart, he slung them over his shoulder. “Lead the way. If you want this mattress, we will have to do the pulling until we are out the bunker door.”


"Sirius Fatalis"

Pulling. Fun. Azure shook his head, rebuking himself mentally for indulging the ridiculous idea in the first place but knowing that in the end, it would be worth it for her happiness and comfort. He took the lead as his father beckoned, stepping through the metal door and into the main chamber that opened up around them. Around them were the same unnatural furnishings, plenty of them already thoroughly rifled through by Hana, and the first mattress she'd pointed out to him. Across the way was another hallway, and Azure knew many rooms lay on either side each containing their own individual beddings. "That." He pointed out the square bed with a single claw, and then directed his paw to the hall. "And there are more over there. Dozens of them, though we won't be able to take that many." Az turned and eyed the warlord and his ropes, wondering just how Sirius intended them to pull the mattresses from the bunker. "Speech"

Azure led him to the main chamber, and pointed at a strange square obstacle on the floor. It was larger than the coats they used. Larger indeed then the Warlord had expected. He considered it for a moment, and then made a grunting noise. Well, only one way forward.

He stepped towards the mattress, tucking the rope underneath, looping it around and then securing it. He then indicated the bear forward, and hooked the rope through her wagon harness, before looping the rope into another makeshift harness. “Azure.” he said, holding it out to the wolf, and then helping him slip into it. He then did one last loop, and placed it over his own shoulders, leading the train “And, pull” he ordered.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Sirius got to work quickly on the issue and Azure stood idly by and watched as ropes were looped and secured and attached to makeshift harnesses. One for the bear, one for Sirius, and one for himself. The warlord held out one of them to Azure and the heir barely gave a moments hesitation before ducking into the contraption and letting his father secure it to him. When he got home he was going to need to milk this, to make sure Hana knew exactly how much effort went into her comfort. He could leave out the fact that his mother was getting one too, it'd likely only offend the colorful koi-wolf. At his father's command he threw his weight forward, grunting at the weight they pulled and for the hundredth time, wondering if this was indeed as good an idea as he initially thought. "Oh man." The only complaint to come out of his mouth as they slowly drug the thing across the smooth steel floor. "Do-" His breathing was hard, and his words spaced out by gasps. "Do you do crazy shit like this for mom all the time?" Az didn't realize how hard it was to have a demanding, pampered woman on his arm. He wasn't sure if his mother was like that, but he didn't miss the amount of gifts and affection the Warlord bestowed upon his wife throughout Azure's young life. "Speech"

Together, the three of them were able to heave the thick, plush creation towards the door. Maneuvering it through the opening was going to be fun. The Warlord stepped through, looking back as he continued to pull. His shoulder muscles standing in stark relief as he really put his back into it. Watching as first Azure made it out the door, and then the bear. When they reached the mattress, Sirius called out a stop. He took off his harness, and moved back to the door, grabbing at the mattress and practically crawling under, getting himself good leverage, before shoving it upright “Pull!” he barked, and the two complied, getting it an itch out the door so it fell against the door itself instead of back down flat again.

Satisfied that they were going to be able to get it through the opening, he went back to his harness, and they finished pulling it through the clearance. “Oh, man. You have no idea, Azure” he laughed at the boy’s question. “Love makes you do some silly things.”


"Sirius Fatalis"

Sirius continued to yell out his command to pull and each time, Azure and the bear complied. His muscles ached, the harness digging in uncomfortably against his shoulders but still he pulled. At the break, he watched as Sirius shuffled out of his harness and beneath the mattress to shove it onto it's side. The strength of his father was not something he was blind to, but to see the direwolf in action only reminded Azure how much further he had to go in his own training. The command was given again from beneath the mattress, and Azure strained against the harness. It fell against the door with a soft clang, and Azure took another moment to breathe. "Love, huh?" He questioned, absorbing the word but not arguing against it quite yet. It wasn't something he'd admitted aloud, and more than once he'd insisted that no, he definitely did not have a crush on Hana in his youth but, well, after their night in the bunker he wasn't sure he could lie to himself that far anymore. "When did you know you loved mom?" He asked after a moment, glancing over the harness at his father. "Speech"

The Warlord released himself from the harness once the mattress was free of the doorway, and began to anchor the cart so it wouldn’t slide as they began to load their prize. While he did that, his son asked him a question that had him raising his head to meet his blue eyes.

He paused a moment, holding his gaze, before shaking his head in amusement. “Zee and I had been thrown together a lot, doing chores and working together. I was harsh to her. Cruel, even.” he admitted, thinking back to a time that somehow lay years ago. Years? Where did the time go…

“I’d say… i’d say I started to get an inkling when I found her in a storm, she had tried to overcome her fear to get to me, but hadn’t made it. She had come to me for comfort, for me to protect her from something that frightened her. Even though I was a grumpy asshole.” he said, trailing off for a moment, thoughts in the past. “But it really hit me in the head when I realised what I could lose, when I hurt her in a night terror and almost killed her.” he grunted, and picked up the harness again. “We Fatalis boys need a good fright to realise what we can lose, eh?” he said, as he aligned himself to the cart.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Sirius' words surprised him, and Azure frowned down at his harness. His father had never been harsh or cruel to his mother, not in his life. Hell, he'd never seen the warlord be cruel to any wolf, pack or not, family or enemy. He wondered if there was a side to Sirius he had never seen, and whether that somewhat explained his own darkness. More importantly, his mother had fallen for him regardless. "Are you sure she knew you were a grumpy asshole?" He prodded further, stepping toward the mattress and cart to assist his father in positioning it. They'd need to stack two of the damn things, so the first one needed to be secure and placed properly. "If it was just night terror attacks, I'm sure mom understood." His father's mention of needing a fright to realize he could lose someone brought him only to shake his head, a small smile upon his lips. Would he even be with Hana now, if she hadn't run off and tried to join the pirates? "Speech"

The Warlord could only laugh at that. Shaking his head, and remembering who he used to be. “The very first time I met your mother, I lost my temper and threatened her until she groveled at my feet. I believe I snapped a branch in half and implied she was the stick…” he said, having paused his pulling and cocking his head to the side, trying to remember.

“Let’s see… There was also the time I fell into a body of water, and while she laughed I threatened and tried to kill her - whilst drowning, of course.” Azure had made his way over to help him position the thing. Had he really not already told Azure some of these stories? “I was young, hot headed, and devoted to the job I was given. I thought I had a lot to prove. It took some years for me to stop snapping at the slightest thing I believed threatened my pride.” Young, brash idiot that he used to be.

"Sirius Fatalis"

Azure made a noise that was half a cough, and half a laugh. He'd threatened his wife? Zee did not seem the type to take that laying down, and Az found himself curious on how she'd learned to accept the warlord for his threats and big talk and attempted murder. Was love merely that powerful, to allow you to see past someone's faults no matter how glaring they might be? "Did you feel badly, when you made her grovel?" He continued, watching his father's face as if he could see into his soul if he stared hard enough. "How did you convince her to forgive you? When does the pride go away?" These were stories unknown to him, but he felt them to his core. Hanako had cowered at his feet, once, made to bow to him and call him 'your highness.' She too, had ran to him when she was scared, when Chimera threatened her. Hot headed, proud, and snappy, it all described Azure perfectly. Perhaps he was more like his father then he thought. "Speech"

He considered that question carefully. The person he had been? It was a conflict. “Anger is a powerful thing, when I was angry I believed I was wholly in the right, but once it had a chance to cool… Yes, I felt a little bad. Not so much at first, but then more so when I started to feel a connection between us.” He admitted. He had a feeling his son was seeking a chance to see the Warlord’s past experiences, now that he found himself in love. Sirius kept it truthful, even if who he was wasn’t exactly someone to admire.

“I suppose the pride went away when I decided she mattered more to me then my anger did. When hurting her started to hurt myself. I started to change because I needed her. As for why she forgave me? You would have to ask her that. Honestly, I’ve never understood it myself.”


"Sirius Fatalis"

Azure frowned, but busied himself with adjusting the mattress with his father. Sirius had admitted that he did begin to feel badly for the things he did to his future wife, and Az felt the similarities between them start to fade. Was he supposed to feel badly for the times he'd hurt Hana? As of yet, he'd felt very little guilt, not even in pushing her to the ground by the muzzle and making it clear that he did not care if she went off alone and got herself raped. He knew the words and actions hurt her, he knew it risked destroying what they had, but he felt very little guilt. "I see." He commented, the sadness touching his voice. "What if I never feel like I need her enough to change?" Az asked after a momentary pause, shuffling on his paws. In many ways he did feel he needed his koi-wolf, but not like he needed oxygen, or sleep, or shelter. When she had asked him of his life's dream, he had told her honestly that his goal was his crown, not a woman. Sirius built his pack to protect those he loved, his wife included, and Azure struggled to understand that point of view.