As promised, he had woken up from a shallow sleep before the sun had even broken over the horizon, the sky just beginning to lighten with the threat of the upcoming sunrise. His thoughts kept him from sleeping too deeply, constantly pondering and wondering about how he had landed here after so much searching, but he wouldn’t let that keep him from accompanying Ikigai on her mission to confront her father. There wasn’t much time before they would make the trip up to Elysium and he needed to make every moment count if he was going to win her over and sway her into saying yes when the option was presented to her of having him over Poe. From the way she spoke of his cousin he didn’t think it would be that much of a struggle to do so, but he didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

They made good time crossing the northern half of Auster as they made their way to the southern tip, having very little conversation as they focused on covering ground as quickly as possible so they wouldn’t lose out on any daylight. However, as they reached a thick tangle of misted woods, they were forced to slow a bit as they worked their way through to the other side. He figured they might as well pass the time bit of chit chat. If they were going to spend the rest of their lives together he ought to know more about her than the fact that she liked to play music and craft and he supposed at some point he’d have to reveal more specifics about himself as well. If she didn’t have such connections and importance to anyone other than himself he could have been less intentional about their relationship, but this seemed to be the hand that the Ancients had finally dealt him.

“I hate to admit it, Princess, but I’m almost jealous that you’re doing this.” He scanned the trees around them as they went, keeping his eyes open for the best, most clear path. “There’s a few wolves that I would like to give a piece of my mind to… though my version of this would likely be a bit more physical.” Smirking, he cast his curious gaze over to the delicate Princess beside him. “How do you think your father is going to take this?”

"Deimos Mendacium"

The good thing about being so lightweight was that Ikigai had quite a bit of stamina. The woman’s long legs carried her far and fast, though she tried to make sure that Deimos could keep up. The man had surprised her by actually being up and ready to go when she passed his den. It was a pleasant surprise. Willa stayed behind, but Tanuki accompanied them as they made their way south, cutting through this land and that. When they entered the Wraiths Woods, they were forced to slow due to the terrain and, honestly, it was a much needed break.

The pair picked their way through the winding forest side by side in comfortable silence for a while, then Deimos began to speak. Ikigai turned her head to look at him as he did so, snake-slit eyes fixed in his marble features. The man spoke of the number of wolves that he’d like to confront and Iki chuckled softly. “I’m not usually so confrontational,” she admitted, bringing her gaze back to the path, “But he needs to know that he will never be welcome in my life again. Nor the lives of the rest of the family that he abandoned.” Of course, she couldn’t control what her siblings did, but she hoped that they had enough sense to band together with the mother that didn’t abandon them.

Deimos asked what she thought Hattori’s reaction might be and the black marked fae shook her head. “I don’t know if he’ll even care. How cold do you have to be to abandon your wife and litter of children that you swore to protect?” Again she shook her head. “This is for me more than it is for him. I need him to know, then I can wash my paws of him.” Closure was a beautiful thing and Ikigai definitely needed it. The less baggage she took into her new life, the better. Mercuric eyes flashed towards the purple man again. “Thank you, by the way, for coming with me. I appreciate the accompaniment and the support.”

"Ikigai"

Deimos was hardly surprised when Ikigai admitted that she wasn’t usually confrontational. The scholarly musician and healer certainly didn’t seem like the type to go running down her enemies so he considered this a rare treat to get to see her do so today. He nodded with understanding at her need to express the fact that her father was no longer welcome in their lives, smiling softly as he told her, “We’ll make sure he gets the message loud and clear.” He liked to think that this man they were going to see wouldn’t cause any problems, but in the off chance that he did Deimos would be there to make sure everything went smoothly—and to make sure that this traitorous male listened to what his daughter had to say.

He made a soft ‘humph’ and looked at the path ahead of them as she spoke of the doubt she had over whether this man would even care and how cold he must be to do what he did. Still, he could understand the the desire to give him a piece of her mind regardless and to do this for herself. If he did ever get the chance to face his mother and the man that she chose over them again he’d likely do the same to her… and kill the brute she kept. It wasn’t like he didn’t get to ‘see her off’ so to speak. He had been at the trial and he had said his peice there, but it still felt like there was unfinished business. There was more that he would have done now that he didn’t feel like he could do when it happened.

She pulled him out of his wandering thoughts as she thanked him for accompanying her, pulling his aqua gaze back to her silver, marbled eyes once more. A small smirk tugged at his lips as he replied, “Of course. Happy to do so… If I didn’t I might never get the chance to see a rare moment of confrontation from you.” Chuckling softly he looked back through the winding trees ahead of them. They were probably about half way through the forest at this point so there was still a ways ahead of them, but at least with them taking their time they didn’t risk getting turned around.

"Deimos Mendacium"

Deimos assured Ikigai that her father would get the message. The snow and shadow woman smiled and nodded her head in thanks. She didn't know why, but having the purple man at her back made her feel better about the whole ordeal. It was as though he was lending her his strength and for that, Ikigai was extremely grateful. Only Kotori might have made her feel more empowered, but it was better to avoid the Fatalis man for now. The wounds upon them both were too fresh.

Mist obscured the path before them and Ikigai slowed her pace a bit, though she eventually came to a stop as the path branched in two directions. The fae cast a questioning glance at her traveling companion, wondering if he might know the way. "I've never been through this place before, but I've heard stories of many wolves getting lost." Up ahead a pale ghost cut through the low hanging mist, pink eyes meeting Iki's. She nodded to Tanuki and began moving forward again as the albino akita led them down the proper path. She was thankful for the dog and his forward thinking.

After she thanked him, Deimos joked with her once more. Ikigai huffed, but there was a grin on her obsidian lips. "Don't misunderstand," she began, her pale body cutting through the foggy landscape. "It rarely comes to the point where I'm forced to be confrontational." Her mother was the Empress. Ikigai wasn't a pushover. She wasn't a physical fighter, but she battled in other ways.

"Ikigai"

As they continued to make their way through the forest and the mist that crawled across the ground, they eventually came to a point where there was two distinct paths to choose from and they both paused, glancing at one another. "This is my first time coming through here as well," he replied, glancing between the two paths. He had crossed through Auster briefly on his way to find his sister, but he had skirted around the forest and avoided the labyrinth within. They were on too much of a tight schedule to do that today, but luckily it looked like her dutiful canine companion had thought ahead and had begun scouting the path ahead of them, revealing which way they should go. He had no real way of knowing which way to go and as prideful as he might be he wasn't an idiot so he happily took the companion's silent advice and followed the pale dog down the path.

They moved on through the forest, talking easily with one another about his desire to see the calm Princess confront someone and her insistence that she rarely got to this point where she would want to confront someone to begin with. "Hm... A shame," he teased with a slight grin. He was a conundrum unto himself when it came to seeking out fae that were strong and could hold their own since he only wanted to observe that side of them and not experience it for himself. He still wanted the women he was with to be submissive to him when he wanted it, but he couldn't stand them being entirely spineless either. Perhaps, if he was lucky, Ikigai could have a good mix of both. Only time would tell though since he couldn't have her the way he wanted to just yet. Soon, he hoped, but not yet.

He still couldn't quite get his mind off of the similarities in their paths and as they walked, slowly moving closer to their destination, he decided he might as well share some parts of his past if for no other reason than it would open up the conversation on his family and their customs so he could see what her reaction to them would be. He didn't know if those were things Manea had let her in on yet and he was interested to see what kind of fight, if any, she would put up when she found out. "My siblings and I had to confront our mother for not too dissimilar of a reason," he mentioned, glancing toward her, but mostly keeping his gaze fixed ahead of him. It was a subject that still didn't sit well with him, but it gave them something in common at least. His goal now was to simply win her over so that when the time came to choose she would make the right choice. "It was quite a while ago now... Actually, I was about your age, I suppose." Had it really been three years already? It was kind of hard to believe, but time kept moving whether they wanted it to or not.

"Deimos Mendacium"

A shame, Deimos called it and Ikigai released a soft laugh. "Is it? I'm quite proud of the fact that I can handle situations without anger or confrontation." Her mother was an empress and even though her siblings hadn't absorbed the fae's sense of tact and diplomacy, Ikigai surely had. From the moment that her mother noted her disposition, she had been raised to be a diplomat. A spokeswolf for Ashen. Who would take over that position when she was gone? None of her siblings were fit for the task, unfortunately. It wasn't something that she could worry about now.

The pair moved through the misty forest, catching glimpses of Tanuki to let them know that they were headed in the right direction. The albino dog had an uncanny sense of direction and she never doubted his internal compass. The slender fae's inkbrush tail snaked over the leaf litter as she stepped over a fallen sapling. When they weren't speaking, her mind was replaying exactly what she would say to Hattori when they came face to face.

Deimos spoke, pulling the woman from her internal musing. She turned to look at him, silvery eyes resting upon his face as she gave him her full attention. He'd had to confront his own mother for similar issues, apparently. Ikigai's brow furrowed and she gave her crown a shake. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that." The clouded man mentioned that it had been a while ago and Iki sought to lighten the heavy mood with a jest. "Long ago? You cant be that old, Deimos." She couldn't tell how old he was, but the man still looked young and spry. Healthy and strong. Quite attractive, all in all.

"What will you do once you meet up with Manea?" A brow arched and she cast him a quick glance before looking back to their path. "Will you stay as part of the pack or will you go back to the life that you lived before?" She knew very little about him, so Iki had no idea what type of life Deimos had led up until now. She was curious though if he would be a constant in the pack or just a temporary fixture.

"Ikigai"

Deimos gave a small nod to her condolences for what he went through with his mother, shrugging it away. "I'm sorry for you as well." He wouldn't often call himself a very genuine brute, but when one of the very few things he took seriously and committed himself to was betrayed it created a deep wound that didn't easily heal. He couldn't imagine that it was any easier on her so he could understand the hurt that she was put through. She easily brought a lightness back to the mood between them as she made a comment about him not being that old, making a grin pull across his lips as he glanced her way once more with a deep chuckle. "Flattery will get you everywhere," he replied with a smirk. It was hard for him to believe he was already in his fifth year of life. He knew it was mostly because he had accomplished so little thus far—or at the very least he hadn't achieved the one and only thing he and his family strove for. He hoped that Ikigai could change that for him, but he would have to bide his time and wait until he could see Manea again to find out.

The topic turned to what he would do once he was back with his sister and whether he would stay in the pack or go back to his former life and he chuckled softly, giving a small shake of his head. "There is no life to go back to." It sounded pathetic in his own ears, but it was the truth. What was he going to go back to? An endless hunt for a perfect woman that seemed to not exist? No, he was done searching. Either he would have Ikigai or he'd leave it up to Manea to find someone suitable for him with these new pack connections she had built. He was done searching. "I've spent the past couple of years searching for someone to be my mate," he explained after a moment, tip toeing into the realm of Mendacium believes and practices for her. "In our family, we are allowed to have one mate for the entirety of our lives so finding the right wolf is crucial. Someone with the temperament, looks, and gifts that we would want to pass on to our children." He looked her way again, this time with a longer, appraising look as a charming grin tugged at his lips. "I'm sure that's why Manea jumped a the chance to incorporate you into the fold... Poe is a very lucky man."

"Deimos Mendacium"

The two joked easily back and forth as they walked along. The vibe between them was an easy one, neither needing to try hard to connect with the other. There was a connection, too. They had things in common despite their difference in age. Traveling and speaking with Deimos was almost like being with an older brother, not that she really knew what that was like, but Iki had seen enough interaction between her mother and uncle to have an idea. The point was that she was comfortable around him despite having recently met.

After she questioned him, Deimos informed her that there was no life behind him. He then went on to explain a bit about the Mendacium way of life, to which Ikigai listened with great interest. He'd been searching for a mate but a of yet had been unsuccessful in locating a suitable partner. His family mated for life, so he was being thorough. She could understand that. The purple man then complimented her, giving her a long look which brought heat to Ikigai's cheeks when he spoke of Poe's luck. She stared straight ahead for a while, collecting herself. Why had that comment filled her belly with heat?

"I've known Manea since I was a pup. She came upon me when I was feeling a little out of place due to my paws and she made me feel better about them. I owe her quite a bit for the confidence boost."
In a way, Manea almost felt like a second mother. Ikigai looked to the woman in a motherly fashion, anyway. "Joining our two packs with blood is very important to me and will strengthen both Elysium and Ashen greatly." She spoke very matter of factly as though the path that she'd put herself on was the most logical path in the world.

"Ikigai"

His smirk pulled into another grin with a flash of teeth as she fixed her gaze ahead of her again at his obvious admiring of her. He was already greatly enjoying teasing her and making her flustered with these simple comments and flirting. He could only imagine how she might react when he finally got his paws on her and even just the thought of it disturbing this poised, composed exterior made long neglected needs and desires come rising to the surface. He forced himself to look back at the path after a moment to push the thoughts away. It would do him no good to allow those thoughts to fester... At least not yet. Once they got to Elysium and he was able to sort things out with his sister then he could imagine and do everything he could possibly think of with and to her. He could already tell that the waiting was going to be unbearable, but he would manage. He always did.

Eventually she spoke again, mentioning how she had known Manea since she was a pup, his sister apparently doing what she did best and finding her by her unique paws and praising her for them. "She was right to," he agreed. "They're quite spectacular—as are all of your gifts. I'm not sure I've met anyone with as many unique traits as you... And coming from me and my family that is quite a high compliment." Paws, eyes, ears, tail, horns... Everywhere he looked he noticed some other interesting feature on her and she did honestly take his breath away and make him start to wonder if all the bullshit he knew his sister believed in so deeply about how the Ancients crafting one perfect mate for each of them was really true. He just wished that if that was the case then the Ancients wouldn't have taken their sweet time creating her. It was a shame really that he missed out on three years worth of having children with someone, but for Ikigai he was beginning to think it was worth it.

Her insistence that joining their packs and families with blood was important to her surprised him a bit. He supposed that he had assumed this arrangement had been Manea's idea or perhaps Ikigai's mother's, but it seemed like this very honor bound and logical choice was Ikigai's. "I'm certain it will," he replied in relation to the strength she said would come from the union. A small quirk of a grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he added, "Though I do hope you'll enjoy living with my family as well. As much as we value strength and loyalty, we also value pleasure equally." He bit back a comment about how he would love to make sure she knew what that pleasure was like, chuckling softly instead as he looked ahead of them at the path that seemed to be drawing to a close. It was difficult to behave himself so he did hope that they would be making their way to Elysium quickly once they finished her business here.

"Deimos Mendacium"

That strange heat stayed settled in Iki's belly and there was a little fluttering there as well. She took a deep breath and let it out slow, centering herself and regaining control of herself once more. She was no idiot and knew that her first heat would be upon her soon. Ikigai just chalked these strange feeling to the oncoming adulthood that would soon take hold of her. Thankfully, she didn't notice that Deimos was ruffled as well or it would have made things much more awkward.

When she spoke of Manea's kindness, Deimos again found a way to compliment her, mentioning her plethora of gifts. Iki's jaw tightened for a moment and she nodded, accepting the compliment. It would have been rude not to. She didn't know how to feel about receiving so many compliments. They weren't necessary. Ikigai didn't need admiration or any of those things that most females needed.

Deimos upped the stomach clenching feeling when he spoke of his family valuing pleasure as well as strength and loyalty. The snowy princess's back went straight as a board and she lifted her crown high. "Pleasure isn't something that I'm concerned about. As long as this alliance is forged and is solid, nothing else matters." She was leaving her family and essentially giving herself to a stranger to strength her family pack. For Ashen, she would subject herself to anything.

The woods thinned and the pair of wolves came to the end of it. Tanuki was resting there, waiting for them. Ikigai nodded to him and the akita motioned with a point of his nose in the direction that they would be traveling in. "Not long now," she informed Deimos. They would be able to run again and there would be no time or breath for talking. Suddenly, she was very thankful for that.

"Ikigai"