With the help of Belladonna and a few others, Romulus Malus had worked on some physical therapy. Eventually, he found himself further and further out of Plexus' guru sanctuary and into the wilderness of the Coalition of the Condemned. That was with and without permission. Even so, he was not up to speed. His insistence, sadly, had gotten the best of him. The lion found himself catching his breath as pain shot up his neck and blood seeped through bandages every now and then, only setting him back.

He kept trying though. His family was gone. His friends were decimated... and, yet, it appeared he could do nothing. Something had to be done. He had faith in the animals that surrounded him, but he put all the pressure on himself and was starting to crumble willingly to keep them afloat.

Thus, he left. The sanctuary that held him was getting claustrophobic. The herbs around him were beginning to pile up. The belongings that had been moved from his home and into the space surrounded him. He needed time away. With a grunt, the so-far wordless leader pushed himself to his feet. His weak legs, decimated by weeks of unconscious neglect, wobbled and shook as he started to stand. The kingpin, clearly struggling, had no one around to assist. Nor did he want in. With stubborn determination, he managed to get to all fours.

Paws wavered forward. One, two, three four... like they practiced. Straightforward and even... like they had been before. Romulus travelled forward slowly and with concise movements. By now, it seemed like a relearned talent. Even so, he found himself losing himself the further he travelled.

With his head down, he did not realize what lied ahead of him. Instead, he kept trudging along till a peculiar sight caused him to sharply halt. Burnt tracks laid in front of his periwinkle eyes. In panic, he looked up from his position and out into the horizon. The paw steps extended out to the village. He swallowed. Was their threat finally upon them? or was something else happening? Romulus did not know, but he had to find out.

Uncoordinated and in a rush, the lion stumbled forward towards the village. In the distance, an unfamiliar silhouette became visible. His heart pounded as he followed with wary steps, the thought of an enemy being before them crossing back into his mind. It had to be. The destruction of their territory and the flames that raged behind them signaled no friendly intentions.

As Romulus rounded out to the front through the bushes, a demanding roar rushed out from the stranger. They asked for... 'Plexus?' The kingpin did not know Byriath stood before him, given he had no power to indicate auras, nor did he know why the 'stranger' asked for the guru's attention.  He stepped forward to face the newfound beast with slitted eyes locked onto them. A growl echoed out from his bandaged throat.

"No."

As familiar purple flames sparked up and away from the stranger, Romulus' heart skipped a beat. Realization settled into the kingpin's mind. The lion wearily stepped forward, shaking his head in disappointment with himself. How could he not realize? His best man, his brother, stood before him and he barely recognized them in their new body. No wonder they demanded Plexus and spoke with urgency. They were large and in charge as the group's vicar, after all. If only Romulus could see auras, then he would have been more receptive to their arrival.

Instead of continuing to be stone cold, the large feline stumbled forward to greet his friend. He slowly made his way over, only to attempt to lean his foreheadhead onto Byriath's own. Whether or not the other accepted his warm embrace, he pulled away moments later and tried to lock his purple hues with the other's gaze. Romulus appreciated the concern and even agreed, but knew his stubbornness probably would have made him get up either way, even if Byriath did not show up.

His subtle smile started to fade though. Where were the others? Diego? Saturn? The lion's gaze broke away and looked around, expecting the others to follow in suit, but no one came. Romulus swallowed nervously, pain shooting up his healing throat, and looked back at Byriath. His expression became panicked. Eyes wide, brows tilted, and a frown lining his maw. Something was not right. Everything felt off. The paranoia that had clouded his mind in the past few weeks, along with the imagery that paraded within, started to play out the events all over again. Festering pessimistic outcomes, the lion could only stand in momentary silence as his thoughts raced.

Romulus could not bare the concoction of his paranoid lucidity and snapped free from his head. He did not care what Plexus or the others told him. The silence they demanded held him down. Healed or not, he had to speak. With a ragged breath, he started. "Where are they?" came his unstable, soft voice.

Gone.

Romulus' periwinkle eyes widened and started to shake. The leader's legs started to wobble, only to collapse underneath him moments later. His head staggered downwards into his chest, hair falling into his vision and hiding his chiseled features from the rest. The only thing that publicly came from him was an exhausted, deep wheeze from him. It was almost guttural, sounding out in anguish for the rest to witness. Defeated, he wallowed.

Underneath the cover of his mane, tears started to swell in his eyes. Frustration, sadness, and anger channeled through him. The kingpin knew what he had to do, but he had not done it soon enough and lost those that he loved and adored... but what to do now? He could not sit here and cry, though he would like to. Something had to be done. With a quick, revenge-driven idea, the leader's head moved upwards. His gaze attempted to lock with Byriath's own hot pink eyes.

Breaking along the cracks that had already formed, Romulus took his anguish and pressed forth. He knew he had to make a move immediately. With an exasperated growl, he asked one simple thing: "Where?"

Hell.

Hell was coming.