It was a strange, and surreal moment when his father had told him that he had to leave the pack lands for a while. He had been at the challenge, and seen some of what transpired. He had seen the white devil challenge for one of their own, and then the Alpha had appeared and interfered. At first, he had been grateful, thinking she would control her members - instead, she took the chance to control everything, including the fate of Ty’s own children. Rai of course agreed without complaint when Ty had told him he had to go, to go to Abaven and watch over his children. To Ensure Leera didn’t try to run with them, hurt them, or spread lies to their ears. He knew nothing of the woman, nor what she might do, but he would be vigilant. He set up a den beside her own , where he could be within easy reach. He then took the time to hunt for them, and every morning, before the sun would rise, he would lay food down at her dens entrance, both for her and her pups. He would be courteous and polite when he did speak, which was seldom. When they had arrived in Abaven, he had looked into the eyes of every one of his younger siblings and he had said. “If you need me, I’m here” and left it at that. This morning would be no different, he placed the food in front of the den, and at down a few paces away, his body facing the territory of this strange land, and his posture as protective. He didn’t know these people, but his siblings where his to protect. Even Leera, as their mother, he offered his protection. Stiff and quiet as he might be, he offered his services unbiasedly to her, if she had need of him. "Speech"

The sun spilled like a mother's milk into the mouth of the den, golden and glowing as it touched each puppy and then herself. Like every morning, Leera woke and rose first, moving silently to the front of the den to find whatever meal had been left at the doorstep like a gift. This time, it was a rich, dark red meat that would fill the children's bellies for a few days. Of course, she knew the meals were not turning up on her porch without reason -- it was Astraios' doing. Leera was wary of the red man, harmless as he may seem, because of his blood connection with Tyranis. She knew better than to trust him. And she knew his lingering in her and her children's lives was meant only for intimidation tactics -- only it wasn't working. This morning, she'd had enough. She was bitter as she poked her nose out of the den, seeing immediately the outline of his body as he sat on guard just a few paces away from her den. Jaw tightening, the mother gave a short, dry bark to get his attention. "Astraios," she said dryly, stepping out of the den as to be out of the children's hearing range. She would curl into a sit near the meat he'd delivered, holding her gaze upon him steadily and with a slow burning flame. "You're here everyday and I've never spoken to you. Come sit with me a while. Let's have a chat." It wasn't a question. "What do you think of me, Astraios? Surely you must have formed some opinion of me. Just as well, I'm sure Tyranis has filled your head with all sort of lies." speech action

He fell easily into the position of guard, countless hours could pass him by and he would scarcely notice their leaving. If he was one thing, it was patient. He didn’t fidget, and well his eyes occasionally strayed across the shadows cast by still and moving things alike, there seemed to be no boredom in his gaze. He raised his head as his name was spoken, and looked wordlessly towards the mother. His eyes held the quiet intensity of one whose childhood had been cut short. He watched as she moved from the den, heading towards the kill he had brought to her. He might not have amounted to much yet, but he could hunt worth a damn. It was the only skill he had begun to master in his short life. She took a seat, and told him they would have a talk, it felt a little like a scolding from a mother, and he couldn’t help the almost-smile that briefly glanced across his lips. It was only a ghost of an emotion, and gone again. He rose and moved obediently closer to her, settling down and looking expectantly into her roseate gaze. “In truth, I know little of you” he said with honesty. He wasn’t much for words, but it was clear blinking owlishly wasn’t going to get him out of this one. “I do not.. Associate well with others” He was a recluse, a boy who chased shadows and lived his past over and over again in his mind’s eye. A flash of annoyance crossed his expression as she spoke of his father lying. “My father is a man of honour. He saved my life, and brought me under his wing.” "Speech"

The small-boned woman sits still next to the yearling, her long, angular muzzle closed and pointed slightly upwards toward the cornflower skies. There is no movement from Leera except for the constant, gentle rustling of her cream fur as the breeze lifts it from her soft skin. Her eyes hold the distance, endless and emotionless, difficult to decipher as she waits for Astraios' answer. This is a conversation she's been meaning to make, even since her days at Tyranis' side, however short they had been. At the end of the red boy's answer, Leera says nothing. She makes a tiny, pensive hm in her throat, tail curling with slow, cobra motions as she thinks over his answer. "A man of honor," she repeats slowly, watching some point in the distance as she thinks. Does the boy really believe that Tyranis is honorable? Blindness: this is what she writes it off as. "It isn't uncommon for a child to think this of their parent. Are you, Astraios, an honorable man?" speech action

He listened to the soft ‘hmm’ of her voice, and closed his eyes against the pain. His mother had made such a noise in his childhood, only hers had sounded so much more teasing and gentle, hmm she would whisper as he told her what he knew like he knew everything in the world. Hmm she would tease as she proved that he knew very little, in a way that only encouraged him to learn. He chased away the memory, knowing how easy it was for him to get trapped in the past. It didn’t matter how much he missed her, he had reached an understanding that she was gone, even her shadow, which occasionally led him on merry chases, was only a shade. She would never, truly, return to him. Death was the end. Leera spoke of children loving their parents, and questioned if he himself was a man of honor. Was he? He honestly did not know. “Honorable? No.” he said softly, looking towards her then, this mother, and tried harder to bury his memories of his own. “I am what my life has made me, and that is not an honorable creature. One day, I will find the monster who murdered my mother, and there will be no honor with me on that day.” He breathed past the pain, the small broken thing that he was, before wrapping himself back up, so she could not continue to glimpse the frayed edges of his sanity. “The man who became my father, he is honorable, he promised me he would teach me to fight, he gave me a life when I had none.” "Speech"