He'd expected it. The anger. She'd reacted strongly enough when he'd limped home, half dead, the last time. And when he'd fallen at the paws of the very lioness he was about to go meet with. How many more times could she suffer that sight before something well and truly broke? Because they'd keep coming after him, he knew that, and he could only get so lucky.

Did he want to do this? No, actually. Not really. Ryker never feared death, but he'd also never been actively suicidal. He'd never expected to be in a position like this, and it seemed he'd do a lot of strange and extreme things when it came to protecting the little family he'd built. "How many more times can you watch me almost die, Levana?" He sought to meet her gaze, though the words were flat, his emotions tucked neatly away into that little corner of his brain.

An ear twitched to @Idoru, though, and he sighed softly. He'd have liked to see how the kid turned out in the end. "Running would mean leaving Amaryllis and taking you all with me, but you have family here and...well, aside from you, I don't. I saw what it did to your mother to be separated from them." Okay, so, yes, technically, his ass of a dad was around somewhere, but Ryker didn't really like to count him, so. No. All his roots were tied up with his wife and cubs; Levana had only just gained some of her family back, he wouldn't take her away from them again on purpose. "I'd burn Amaryllis to ash to protect you all, but I'm only one man." Hadn't he had a similar conversation with Haider once? "They will kill me, eventually. If I can face that on my own terms and ensure safety for the rest of you, then at least it was worth something."

He'd stand, then, one lingering, slow, glance at each face in turn, before he'd move to press his cheek to Levana's - hoping she didn't smack him away. "'iidha kan hunak ruh fi dakhili, fahi taeish fik." If there was ever a soul in me, it lives in you. If he lingered longer, they may just talk him out of it. But that would mean continuing to fend off death, and no one could ever truly outrun the reaper. Better to meet him with one's head held high.

-exit-

@Enoch @Abaddōn

Levana grips on to her husband, holding him tightly within her grasp, as if that could force him to stay rooted infront her her, her claws press into her skin as she cries, making her throat raw, making her cheeks sting with each salty tear that makes its way down het cream colored cheek bones. She switches from a sobbing mess as she realizes that he is not changing his mind, she screams in frustration, paws slamming against his chest and shoulders as she roars.

""Te seggfej! Te kibaszott seggfej!"" You asshole! You fucking asshole! She can hear the sobs even as she screams at him, she cannot stop the internal fight inside her as one part of her seeks to pull him close, to hold on to him just a little longer, and the other part of her, the part that hated to be abandoned, waged a war against his hard chest.

"'Megígértem neked, hogy feltámasztom az egész purgatóriumot, ha meghalsz..."" I promised you I'd raise all of purgatory if you died....

She pressed her face into his chest and sunk against him, her heart breaking all over again, his next words and the weight of his muzzle pressed against her cheek bring forth a choked whimper as she presses her head against his, ""Magaddal viszed az utolsó összetört darabomat is...Nem tudom tovább törni...Szeretlek, jobban, mint ez az élet, vagy a következő, amit el tudnál képzelni. Te vagy az egyetlen, akit valaha is szeretni fogok."" You're taking the last broken piece of me with you....I can't break anymore...I love you, more than this life, or the next could imagine. You're all I'll ever love.

She watches him turn away to leave her, the one soul in her life she thought would never abandon her is leaving her behind...

"EXITS VIA HEARTBREAK"

kali

savante-dantanian

The young girl had heard the call from her parents, and slowly she would make her way over. She sat beside her merle brother, close to her mother's limbs. She peered up at her father curiously. Kali could tell that there was something up but she wasn't entirely quite sure why. Then her father began to speak, explaining himself to the little family.

As he spoke, her mother began to break down and cry. She glanced up at her older brother, and she could hear her mother begging him not to leave. Confusion and fear were painted all over her face. She honestly didn't quite understand but, she knew that something was wrong now and that her father was going to leave.

From what she could tell, it seemed like he wasn't going to come back. She felt an icky feeling in her chest and her heart began to race. She didn't understand why this was the best choice but it was for everyone else's safety. She remained silent, but she couldn't help but begin to cry too. Hot tears fell down her face, and all she wanted to tell him was not to go. But the words wouldn't come out.

And just like that, he left. She watched him, her gaze burning into his form that walked into the distant horizon. Then, she felt her heart break. He was gone, gone for good. He was never coming back now.

[ enter & exit Kali ]

_{BG — CODE}