There was an air of confusion that rose over the instantaneous flaring anger. Melted pools of chocolate slowly came to a realization that the being that was attempting to reach out to her was none other than the bastard brother to her father. Or at least that was the bastard servant was thinking about him. He wouldn’t have known that maybe she didn’t see him in that way, but how else was one to think except for how they were taught to? Having had servitude beaten into him, Horizon knew nothing past being put down or seen as less than everyone else. In Faraway you couldn’t get any lower than the castle servants… hell even the lowest omega’s in the pack out ranked them. The herculean’s position put him on par with dirt and so rather than expressing anger for the hateful words that Shasta had spat at him about the hare he felt concerned over her wellbeing. And her sudden appeal to take off and run away from him had done a damn fine job of instilling some sort of instinctual fear that he had said or done something wrong, but it wasn’t until now that he was getting the chance to appeal for forgiveness for something he assumed he had done wrong.

Slowly but surely the air even out and they attempted conversation, which was going surprisingly well for Horizon. She had offered to share the fish with him, but Horizon declined politely. It was for her and her alone. While she ate the meat he sat patiently and continually watched the surroundings. Something about having run into Akuji had set him on edge. Hell the man had tried to accuse him of being a spy for Farant, which besides being absurd had made Horizon wonder whether that statement held some truth to it. Farant had a knack for being cruel, relentless, and in a sense omnipotent. Even after his escape from the purgatory that was his old life Horizon still caught himself checking over his shoulder for his nightmare come to life. At any moment it was entirely possible for one of Farant’s little soldier to find him and drag him back to the depths of Faraway. And at that point Horizon would likely have become part of the ground. Meaning, he would have been killed. Farant had no use for the rebellious that was widely known. Horizon had seen the things that the brute had done to find only the “best of the best”. Families were ripped apart and killed for the sake of having a singular son put into the army and if you got lucky Farant might have taken a liking to a daughter and used her for breeding stock. Horizon cringed internally and shook his head visibly trying to clear away the disturbing thoughts that had begun to crowd his conscious. The bloody herculean forced himself to focus on the words that were coming from his mouth and the actions that his body had decided to take.

It was as like waking up into a dream. There was a sudden warmth of skin pressing against skin. And the heat of Shasta’s nape pressed against his cool nares made him want to stay there for forever. He felt the tenseness of her muscles underneath the furls of her luscious coat begin to relax into his touch. And he to would have leaned in but as his conscious awoke he jerked away and tried to play off the entirety of the action as ’friendly’. There were no words to fill this gap of time during and after their separation and Horizon’s mind spun endlessly trying to find an excuse for his actions, but he only turned up blank thoughts. His mismatched gaze flickered across the ground before rising to meet her fathomless espresso oceans. And it was as if he became lost in the depth of them or was it the way the sunlight glittered across their surface? He couldn’t even tell what it was that made them so stunningly beautiful anymore, and if wasn’t for the sound of her voice filtering through his auditories, he might have contemplated that question all day.

Um…sorry…I…

Horizon pulled to attention and looked over the whole of Shasta’s features, a soft smile gracing his lips, Well, I am not going to pretend that I know what you are feeling, and I know that we have only just met. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I can always lend an ear to listen. Everyone needs a friend in life, right? The lift in his lips grew to reveal his canines in a bright smile. His cranium dipped ever so slightly, "The kindness of your words is greatly appreciated and should you ever need a shoulder to lean on I will always be here." Horizon looked back into Shasta’s eyes gauging her reaction to his silently, hoping he was not overstepping himself. She was right, they had really only just met and sure they hadn’t gotten off to a good start but the herculean wasn’t one to hold a grudge. He didn’t think he could even if wanted to against Shasta. The ease that he felt around her was new and he rather liked it. Shasta’s presence was eliciting emotions that Horizon had never felt nor even knew existed, and for once he wasn’t so scared of the idea of exploring what they meant.

"I know your first visit to Munashii Gekko can’t exactly be called welcoming, but I do wish to extend to you the option to come visit or stay whenever, whether it’s just to talk, to escape from something or even someone." Horizon offered her the invitation quietly. He didn’t think her relationship with Akuji was in the best of spots considering he had tried to force her to marry him. Horizon just wanted Shasta to have a place to call home even if it was only temporary, though a small part of his heart hoped that it would be more that than.