Cerberus had spent weeks not doing much or being himself. He had always been more quiet than rambunctious, but since his younger siblings were old enough to leave the den he hadn't really left their side. These were different times now though, and he couldn't really navigate why he was so stuck in this slump. Losing Viper was definitely a new feeling for him, but he just wasn't so attached to her as he had been to Siren or Dalila, or Chimera. He somehow felt bad that he didn't feel bad. He didn't know the struggles that Viper had with Chimera, only that there were struggles and hard feelings. He was too young to understand, but also knew better than to ask.

He laid in Siren and Dalila's bed, his body almost looked flat from laying there on his stomach for so long. But his eyes weren't closed, he just laid there and stared at the walls, losing track of time.

"Cerberus Klein"

Cerberus had always been close to the two children that Siren had birthed, which was no surprise considering he had been there almost everyday of their lives. Viper may have been the boy’s mother, but it was really Siren that had raised the quiet pup. What was strange was how much time he spent in his own head. After witnessing Viper die so horrifically the boy was obviously affected. In his own unique way. There weren’t many tears but he was much more affectionate when they were together. As Siren returned from morning garden chores she was surprised to find Cerberus still in bed, and obviously not sleeping.

Siren put away her items and cleaned up her paws and fur from the mud that accumulated every time she walked outside. She wouldn’t decide if she preferred a real winter, or warmth and mud. Siren was quiet, leaving her acknowledgement of the boy until after she had gone about her business.

Quietly the queen lifted her dainty form onto the bed beside the boy she considered her son. She lay next to him, but her head tilted slightly in curiosity. "Are you feeling alright, Cerberus?” Siren asked softly as she leaned against his flattened form.

"Siren Primrose Klein"

He heard Siren washing her paws after entering the room, and he too didn't acknowledge her presence and just stayed still on the bed.

When she finally finished what she was doing, she joined him up on the furs laying close to him before asking how he was feeling. Chimera and Dalila would also pay him visits while he was recovering emotionally, and he had appreciated them for it even if he was lost in his head.

He rolled over towards Siren, pushing his head into her chest and carefully going to place his paw around her hip in a loose hug. He was much bigger than her now, but that sure didn't hinder the affections he wanted as his provider. He sighed gently while giving a moment before responding to her though. "I miss her." It's what he had told Chimera, it was the truth. Even while Cerberus had spent a large majority of his life beside Siren and her children, Viper was still a huge part of his life at heart. He knew her affections better than Chimera had, but he would never know the difference.

His head slightly pulled up out of her chest so he could look at her. There were no tears, but his eyes held that sorrowful emotion in them. "Siren?" he questioned carefully, though not anxiously, "Can I call you my mother?" He asked but didn't expect her to accept. He felt like she was already, and even Dalila and Aliana had shared that responsibility to him. He wasn't scared for her to say no, but it wouldn't have changed how he felt about her at heart.

"Cerberus Klein"

The young boy turned into her, putting his head on her chest, or as much as would fit these days, and loosely wrapped his paws around her pitifully. She knew he was hurting, having to watch his own mother die in front of him… Siren tried not to pity him, it wouldn’t help or change anything. The Queen did not rush the prince, even as he softly sighed and paused before he answered her. She knew too well the turmoil beneath. Her own parents leaving her so early in their lives… Siren banished the thoughts and just held tightly to Cerberus.

He did speak eventually, a soft sound of sorrow and confession to his yearning for Viper. Siren wrapped her delicate paws around his neck and held tightly to his shoulders as she comforted him quietly. There would never be relief for his pain, only time could lessen the ache.

Before she had an answer or word of encouragement he looked up at her with big baleful eyes. He looked so much like his father, and as much as she ever was, Siren felt overwhelming love for the young boy. As he asked if he could call her mother, her heart filled with love for him like her own son did. "Of course Cerberus.” She returned softly, dual toned gaze meeting his. "But I have a secret… I’ve thought of you as my son for a long time.” Siren admitted to him as she aimed to hug him tightly to her chest again.

"Siren Primrose Klein"

As Siren accepted the offer, an offer that didn't even need to be had, he too felt a little jump and warmth in his heart that he had been missing for what felt like forever. He almost didn't know he had those feelings until they were gone. He had already thought of Siren as his mother, if he was really honest he was only the way he was today because of how she had raised him. He was more intellectual than his own mother, and finding the comfort in Siren when Viper was off doing what she needed for the pack was probably what made him feel such deep emotion for the rest of his family. Not as a burden, but Siren had cared for him like her own since a very young age. Since they had moved to the island. He wouldn't have ever remembered the days as a tiny little pup up against Viper everyday and night.

His longer legs gently hugged tighter around Siren's back almost in a thank you, but he didn't speak. And he didn't smile either. He couldn't be read from the outside. After a few more seconds of silence he spoke again, "I feel like..." he almost didn't want to say it, it felt like some kind of weird confession but it wasn't really anything terrible. "I'm the only one who really understood her." Cerberus had been really the only one around her in the months following his birth up until she died. And the thought of his jaws around her throat, what caused her to die... it was too much to think of right now. He was a strong child, but there were things he wanted to be left out of his memory. He wasn't sure for how long, maybe forever.

"Cerberus Klein"

Siren held onto the poor boy, she wouldn’t have ever wanted him to experience what he had to, and if she could she would have taken it all back. There was nothing any of them could have done for his mother, but maybe that was a relief when the boy’s jaws had been on her last. She hoped being here for him helped, even if she couldn’t see it. Cerberus would always have a place in her heart right next to Albion, Scylla, and Ruse. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep him away from the horrors and the darkness, just give him preparation for it.

She would hold him for as long as he needed, but his voice did muffle through her fur softly as he expanded his thoughts. "Maybe you were.” Siren suggested, unable to contradict him if she were correct or not. She never really connected with Vper until Cerberus was born, but even that had fizzled out quickly. "Because of that you’ll be the one with the responsibility to keep her memory alive.” She offered softly. There was nothing anyone could do, Viper was gone, but she lived on through her son.

"Siren Primrose Klein"