Venom hadn’t quite left Elysium yet, she was honestly having a hard time saying goodbye to her daughter. This was no final goodbye, but in a way it was. She was saying goodbye to the innocent girl she had raised, the beautiful daughter who had stolen her heart from the moment of her birth. She had to let the young girl go to become an accomplished woman. That was the hardest task.

She was thankful for Manea’s hospitality, and was taking up the offer to rest before making her way back to Ashen. Her white gloved paws carried her through the forests of the island within Elysium’s control. She had been frequenting much of Boreas’ islands and this one was just as unique as the last. Almost like her own island home but much colder.

The peaks were covered in snow, sunset eyes scanned the zenith. She couldn’t quite guess how tall the mountain here was. It had quite a bit of height on her own palace mountain. Snow and ice covered it, and she couldn’t be certain from this distance but it looked like there was even a glacier within the crevices of the peaks. Venom’s pale paws carried her along the edge of the forests, but her attention was grabbed suddenly by someone behind her.

"Venom"

While his attention was firmly fixed on weaving his life in with Ikigai's he had to acknowledge that this island and pack were just as new to him as it was to her—perhaps even more so. The only familiar part of Elysium for him was his siblings and the older cousins that had been around before he took off on his journey. The land itself was entirely unknown to him and if he was going to play the part of the helpful and protective brother then he figured that he ought to learn this place sooner rather than later. How else would he know where to patrol and what areas might be more dangerous or prone to predators? Surely Manea would appreciate the initiative.

With Ikigai getting settled in and spending a bit of time with some of her new family in the form of Manea and Avacyn, Deimos took a leisurely walk around the island. Secretly he had known that Venom had been on the same wavelength and was taking the time to explore the island a bit before she left to go back to Ashen and it seemed like the perfect chance to endear himself a bit more to his future wife's mother. He certainly wouldn't want her worrying too much about her daughter only to show up unannounced when he perhaps wouldn't want her to do so. As he took his stroll he followed Venom's scent for a bit before breaking off a bit and making it appear more as if their paths just happened to cross. He glanced up right about the same time she noticed his presence and he gave her a warm grin, saying, "Ah, it seems we had the same idea." Chuckling, he moved closer to walk beside her, added, "I hope you don't mind if I join you?"

"Deimos Medacium"

Her eyes wandered up and over the ancient forest and the obvious old growth within. There were huge trees throughout the woods, but it was almost intermixed with the carcasses of those same trees littering the forest floor and helping to nourish the young plants that struggled to find light from the heavy canopy above. Her attention wasn’t so focused on this mysterious forest that she wasn’t aware of the presence that followed her. She’d seen Deimos split off from the rest of the pack not long after she had.

After a while the sound of him disappeared, only for him to reappear ahead of her a ways. Tricky man. Venom acted as though she had just noticed him and grinned softly with a polite dip of her head. Feeling odd as she thought about the fact her future son-in-law was her own elder. She second guessed her decision once again, and silently prayed she had made the right decision.

"So it does.” She agreed as he went on, asking to join her on this stroll over the island. "Of course not.” Venom gestured with her white gloved paw and invited him along beside her to explore the Elysium island. Perhaps she would feel better after getting to know him better.

"Venom"

Deimos gave a small dip of his head in silent thanks as Venom agreed to his request with a invitation in the form of a wave of her gloved paw. He fell into stop beside her easily, his large, bear like paws lumbering beside her as they leisurely strolled his new island home. "My sister did well in picking the home for our family," he mused as he genuinely enjoyed letting his cyan gaze roam over the forested island around them. "I wasn't sure what she would have settled on when I heard she had formed a pack. We roamed around a lot as a family before and lived in a whole variety of places so it was hard to guess what would be her favorite." He did wonder if it was a choice made entirely out of preference or more out of strategy given its location within the continent and the privacy it gave from the large majority of Boreas. He was sure there would be plenty of chances to question his sister over the decision later.

For the most part he was quiet as he walked alongside his future mother-in-law, observing the island around them as they went. Eventually he did shift his gaze to her again as he said, "I know this arrangement is unusual and I'm certain I wouldn't be your first choice for your daughter, but I do consider myself grateful to have you and Ikigai agree to this." As much as he was purposefully spending time with Venom to build her trust in him, there was a genuine sincerity to his words as well. It was a relief and a weight off of his shoulders for the endless search that he had been on for the majority of his life. "Growing up in the teachings from our mother, hearing this promise that the Ancients that created us had also created our perfect other half to be our soul mate... After three years of searching I had nearly given up on our beliefs entirely. But when I saw Ikigai it's like something just clicked." He smiled softly and glanced back out over the island, looking off toward the shore in the distance. "You've raised an incredible woman."

"Deimos Medacium"

The forests were deep, and the floor was darkened by the thick canopies above. Her sunset eyes scanned the shadows as she allowed Deimos to accompany her along the path. Besides paths the patrols would take there wasn’t much evidence of life here. A few deer trails here and there, and a unique population of birds that she could only glimpse or listen to their songs. Much different from the coos of the doves that lived within Ashen. The contrast was almost jarring, and she hoped that the similarities would not cause Ikigai to miss her first home.

Her heart clenched as she thought of her daughter and Deimos began to speak about Manea’s decision to settle here after being a mostly nomadic family. "This is quite the stark change then.” She commented as they continued on sluggishly, meandering over the grasses with no real destination as they spoke. As if he could read her mind, or that they really only had one thing in common, Deimos went on about the arrangement made for Iki. She hid the emotions that bubbled up in her chest. She didn’t know that she would ever really stop missing her daughter, or truly feel like this was the right path for her.

Still Deimos went on, and Venom wasn’t so certain every word was true, but his grateful voice did seem genuine as he went on to explain. Ikigai had changed his life in more ways than the Empress could have guessed. "I know.” She returned, with more of an edge than intended. But as her sunset gaze found his own, the seriousness of her expression intensified. "You had best treasure and protect her.” There was an unspoken threat, he was given one of her beloved children and it would be expected he take the utmost care he could of Venom’s precious daughter.

"Venom"