in your final hours i will stand - [NINAZU'S DEATH]

[Romulus]

The islands of the Coalition settled into their new places and the wanderers roamed freely now, but the looming feeling of impending defeat taunted their members. After Stryker's death, many had ditched. Others grew enraged, including the members of the Malus family. The overall tone and prospective future of the Coalition of the Condemned was unknown, especially to Romulus as he contemplated the endings and new beginnings that they faced. Eventually, the overwhelming feeling caused him to stir.

The large beast rolled over onto his feet and pushed himself out of his lone home, parading over towards Sojourn's own. After a few exchanged words, the pair set out. While Romulus wasn't much of a talker and more introverted, he openly discussed what he could with his sibling. He trusted her. Even if they didn't agree with the same ideals as they talked, he still nodded along with her words and listened. In truth, he was concerned. Without openly expressing it, he worried that his sister was going off the deep end. One more occurrence would ruin her. As for himself... Romulus didn't know.

As soft paws grazed the snow, the multicolored feline led the way with his head high and periwinkle hues staring out towards the horizon. The tips of his horns shone bright, alight with fire for warmth. Romulus walked with grace, only to turn his head towards Sojourn to see if she was keeping up. A mocking smirk appeared across his maw. His tail flicked forward, signaling her to keep up. With his path set on the Hall of the Kings to show off Stryker's new sculpture, he turned back and continued on.

Cold, wintertime breezes settled as they wandered up to the entrance of the castle. As he crossed through the door way, Romulus pelt shook out the remains of snow that lined the tips of his mane and back. His gaze caressed the dark castle's inside. The silhouette of the statue adjusted before his eyes, but the rest was hidden amongst the shadows. A flick of claw caused the torches lining the walls to come alive, their flames licking the cobblestone walls and revealing the mysteries of the castle.

Light bounced off a figure laying before Stryker's statue. They laid cold and unmoving. Sprawled out, the snow leopard's dull eyes stared up towards the recreation. As his eyes adjusted, the woman came into view. Her bright patterns were too familiar. Hesitating, a whisper left him. "Sojourn?" he muttered with concern. His eyes didn't stray from the body as he spoke. Romulus traversed forward until he hovered over them with his ears pinned, eyes wide, and teeth gritting together.

Ninazu.

A paw grabbed at his mother's chest, pulling her close and feeling for anything. No pulse. No aura. No wounds. Nothing. Emptiness. Dare he say: 'Dead.' Romulus leaned his head in and nuzzled his snout into her neck with subtle tears beginning to form in his eyes. His head whipped back up towards the ceiling. His mind couldn't help but manifest why, causing a rumbling growl to exert from his throat. With a deep, reverberating growl, his tone transformed into a mindless roar. As the ground below began to shake and flames rose up from the torches in fury, his claws dug into her fur.

His deafening roar succumbed to the silence. The flames lowered and the stone's tremors began to settle, but the confusion and rage remained. Gritted teeth crashed together. Tears began to roll down the lion's cheeks with a a choking sob and Romulus lowered his muzzle back down into her soft fur. He had questions. So many, but that was for later. Now he would grieve. God be damned.

[rhosmari]

Things hadn't been going so well, most could probably tell. It was not something that was slowly crawling through the muck to be revealed, or maybe it was. Either way settling here and what they had lost to achieve this had certainly done something. The woman was more than happy to accompany her brother on a walk. There was no reason to refuse and really she needed something to do besides stare at her own walls. The four pillars that kept her from rampaging against the world, against anyone. The cold outside was just a vagueness to her, the winter snow pressing against her paws as she tread across the open grounds. It was noticeable that some had left them, that the rest were struggling to maintain themselves. She knew that they had recently gotten newcomers but where were they now? Probably having decided that this was not the place for them, just more traitors to flay in her own opinion. She didn't see eye to eye with a lot of other animals, she had grown up in rough conditions. Their family having to survive through rags and ruin so of course some were bound to think differently. Her brother had his own mind much as the rest of her siblings and and she had no true issue with listening. Rounded ears pulled forward as her cracked horned skull lifted up just a bit.

It was effortless the sense of pride that she had with her family though. What they had achieved with the help of so many others. She was happy to at least have someone to aspire to, someone that she could always look up to. Her mother. While her father had allowed himself to be taken down by some common wretch, her mother had decided that death would not hold her and maybe in that regards she was immortal in a sense. It was an interesting idea and she almost paused in her thoughts, having fallen behind when silence had taken her and her mind had wandered. Hearing her brother and seeing his motion for her to keep up she had an idea of where they were going. Hall of Kings. The statue of their father should be finished by now. Their earth workers had done a good job so far so she hoped that they wouldn't let her down with this practice. Licking her muzzle slowly the blue tinted predator followed her brother into the dark castle, narrowing her eyes against the darkness. It would have only taken a couple moments for her eyes to adjust to the dark but her brother handled that well enough with lighting the braziers and casting a warm glow over the area.

For a moment she stood there and looked at the finished structure of her father. It tried to mirror him in every aspect but something wasn't right. It. Wasn't. Breathing. He was still dead and this statue was just a filthy reminder of that. She felt her muzzle curl, a low growl trying to spill from her throat but her attention was sharply grabbed by her brother's whispered word of her name. With eyes of pink pastel lowering down to look at him her eyes slowly widened a bit, what he was near was familiar in shape. Bright markings upon an unwounded snow leopards figure. Her muzzle parted for a moment, mind racing through different thoughts. A trick, could be a shapeshifter looking to stir up trouble. Someone that looked like her maybe. But the scent, everything that marked Ninazu as Ninazu was blatant and clear before her. While her brother roared his agony, his grief, his anger the woman just stood there staring. She didn't move closer, water gathering before spilling from her eyes as she just stood there.

Then something, maybe a switch breaking, a change happened. Her muzzle parted and she started to laugh. She started to laugh almost hysterically. It was unnerving, cracked, shrill, it shook her figure as she swung her head back and bellowed out this crazed laughter. Her eyes were dripping tears even as she laughed out at this situation. This was nothing, nothing but a trick. A sick joke. Or, or just maybe. There was no signs of a struggle, her mother hadn't been sick so then...so then. She had left them, she had the ability to come back to life and she could jump ship if she wanted to. Jump and go somewhere else away from this ruin. Her body jerked suddenly, head dropping as she looked back down to her brother and the body. ''What....a pity. Such...a real shame... She's gone forever.'' Turning away from the scene she seemed to have become eerily calm about the situation, tear stained face like stone.