Eyre’s sea blue eyes noted the small smile on Phobus’s maw as she spoke about how she was. The blue-hued femme felt her heart flutter slightly at this expression. This had given her some confidence to speak about his pelt and the night, even though she worried about how he might respond, once again, given his reputation. The words that left his maw eased her. ”I do enjoy the night. It’s the only time I can truly feel myself. Being an ethereal is great and all – but I feel more connected to it during the evening.” Eyre nodded in understanding just as the starry brute turned his crimson gaze back to the stars. She paused for a moment before turning her head back to the sky. Phobus did not seem that bad based off this interaction, not as bad as her father warned him to be. However, her own father was also recently banished due to killing his son, her brother. The starry brute seemed the lesser of two evils right now, given her father had a bounty over his head for murder...

Eyre was brought out of her dwelling by Phobus’s words, her attention moving back to the dire male. ”I know it must’ve come as a surprise, maybe a disappointment, when I claimed you. I know the stories being spread about me, the awful things Hawthorne claims I’ve done. I didn’t mean for that War to begin. I simply wanted to live in peace. Hawthorne couldn’t accept that.” The lass nodded softly, not having much to say in response as her sensitive eyes wandered down to her paws, briefly noting the size difference between hers and Phobus’s. She was only a teen when the war happened, meaning she was stuck here as havoc occurred far south. Eyre had not ever been able to develop her own opinion of Phobus, as she was only told stories of his doings and never experiencing them. Not that she wanted to, either...but it led her to question - what was the truth? Her ears perked again at his words soonthereafter. ”Being here in Tarben seems to have mellowed me out. Could I tell you a story, little dove?” Eyre’s gaze quickly shifted up to the starry brute’s crimson eyes when she felt him push in a little closer with the cold wind. Would she finally be able to create her own understanding and opinion of Phobus? ”Absolutely.” She spoke softly, listening attentively.

“My mother abandoned my brother and I back in our Homeland. She’d been forced out - A princess getting pregnant with the helps children? She was a mockery. She also was claimed to have killed her father. The King of the land. She abandoned us with one of the nurses, as if that would give us the best future we could ask for. Every time we’d bring up Themis at all, the nurse would refuse to speak about it, and the guards - they things they’d do to us were unspeakable. We grew up resenting Themis for the life she’d given us.” Eyre’s eyes softened, noting his mannerisms. The shake of his head, his tone, the sigh…her heart wanted to reach out. “When we arrived in Starfall, we immediately sought her out. Apparently, she’d arrived here, as well as our Uncle and Cousins. It was a new start. Themis took us in, and while Demius quickly forgave her and started his own life.. I couldn’t get past it. I couldn’t forgive her for her actions, the actions that clearly caused the trauma I grew up with. Maybe that’s why I acted out. Maybe.. I just wanted my mothers affection, my mother’s sight, and my mother’s love. It’s in the past now, well past repair. I only wish to have a family that’s loving.” Eyre looked back to the sky as he finished, her eyes wet. She blinked a tear away, collecting her thoughts with a deep inhale.

Although her current situation with her mother and father was not exactly comparable, his story tugged at her blind empathy. Her father had killed Malaren, one of the many grandchildren of Beartooth, but also her brother. Understandably, everyone else was angry at his actions too. She understood Phobus’s anger against his mom, even if it were a much smaller scale. Abandoning him as a pup and being subjected to several terrors. It was not right. ”I’m sorry that happened, Phobus.” She spoke softly, turning her gaze back to him before gently resting her head into his shoulder blade, if the starry male would allow it. If not, she’d just keep her gaze on him as she attempted to console him. ”You do deserve a loving family, even if it’s found family.” She then let out a soft sigh, before shifting her sea blue gaze to her white paws. ”I’m in need of a new one, too.” She muttered, her words barely audible in the bitter, icy wind. It was likely that Phobus heard about Pontchartrain’s doing, even if the brute was rather the recluse. It’s not everyday that a murder amongst pack members happens. ”Mine’s…falling apart.” The words were still soft like her statement prior, but this time, more emotional.

It was not a lie – aside from her father being banished after killing her brother, several others from her family seemed to disappear in one form or another. Dwyn ran off – Eyre knew her albino sister did not like the ways of Tarben at all, and was only waiting for an opportunity to escape. The male that had claimed her threatened to report her talk of treason to Beartooth, Ares was his name? Skadi, her mother, seemed to hide away after seeing her son brutally killed by her ex-mate. Maurepas lurked about, he had claimed no one yet, nor even tried to. As for Atla and Cascade? Eyre had no clue where they were. That Redd fellow supposedly claimed the former, but the blue-toned femme never saw her albino sister in his presence. Cascade’s beliefs were similar to Dwyn’s, last time Eyre spoke to her, but she remained in Tarben – her scent still lingered. There was no communication now between siblings, which had started way before Malaren…their mother and father did not have a loving relationship. Eyre knew one thing – she did not want to end up like them. She wanted a loving family, just like Phobus.

Eyre broke the silence that was created by her thoughts. ”Phobus, may I ask a question?” She pondered, looking for some response before speaking again, if he had said yes. ”I know after the war, a lot of claiming was done. Why did you choose me, regardless of not many choices at the point you spoke up?” Her gaze slowly moved back from her paws back to his face. She hoped there was more reason than just having claimed a female and bearing pups. Eyre was hopeful that she would find someone that adored her, even in the male-driven, icy lands of Tarben.

Actions and Thoughts and "Words"