Siren had always been of cordial interest to her brother. It was probably why he had found it within himself to do more than just tolerate Denali; he didn't pity the small and weak, but he hoped they'd find their own way to become strong. That had been Siren, at least. She had always been small but she had a certain kind of spirit that kept her brother interested in her. Wherever she was, he was positive that he'd find her sooner or later. Besides, how could she abandon them all? Did she now know that Astaroth would always protect her? If she were running away from something, she didn't need to. He'd take whatever it was and crush it. Besides from her, however, family had always been just another name for those he was born beside or ate next to. His litter mates were now few and far between, his elder sister but a fast fading name in the back of his memories. His younger siblings, however, seemed to still linger in the mists. Perhaps, after this, he'd seek Lamia out.
On the topic of family, he could not hide his amusement as Aithne seemed to detest the mere idea of performing her duty as a ruler - heirs and the like. Her words did not come immediately, which made Astaroth's brows raise once more as if to expect a positive response. Perhaps, he figured, she was taking her time to weigh him up against the other males of Andras' blood. Nogitsune, though, hardly seemed her type for not only was he much younger but he did not hold such a likeness to their prior king; if she wanted an heir, it'd have to be him. Women were odd like that - they liked to think long and hard about those kinds of things, right? Weighing up their suitors and whatnot. Astaroth saw it on more simpler terms: if you were suitably good looking, well built and had decidedly good personal traits then you were pretty much good to go. Imagine, then, his surprise when she did not respond in such a matter. Instead, she smoothed her fur back down and composed her voice, causing Astaroth to almost looked rather... bored, or at least let down by the response.
"In any case, you won't have a hard time finding if you change your mind."
He shrugged off his comment quite literally, a roll of his shoulders also giving him an opportunity to display the pure muscle that rippled beneath his dark fur. He was tempted to continue on his offer, but she was fast to change the topic to something more agreeable. Of course, it was the actual reason he had come here and his ears flickered forward to attention. He nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he considered her questions. He might have been relatively slow to respond, but he liked to think his response was well thought out. After all, he had been here pretty much his entire life. He knew the ins and outs of the pack like his very paws.
"I hope to see our pack rise in strength and unity. I believe I can help with that. I am strong. I can fight. I can protect, yes, but if I can teach the others... then, we can all protect."
He thought for some additional moments, pondering on his own remarks before nodding in approval of himself. He wanted to protect. It was simple, really. Beneath another, he would still be able to but what kind of power did a mere pack wolf have compared to one in the upper folds of the hierarchy? No other pack or loner would fear the Cerberus coming. It would only be true protection if he had the name to support him, and the ability to pass on what he knew to others. If he had somehow helped Denali become stronger then he was sure he could make anybody stronger.
"Iromar... we need more closeness. We are separated among ourselves. Until now, you and I have not met. That is wrong, I think. We should all know each other." That sounded right, and he could not help but give a dim smile at how well he believed himself to be answering. Who knew, he had to ask himself, that he could be such a wordsmith. "Until we are close, no change will matter."