Elegance and poise that had long been bred into their family traits seemed to have completely skipped these siblings. She rolled off the boulder, as if pulled by some invisible tie, he flopped over on top of her as well. Purposefully he made a mess of limbs and appendages, his already lithe body effortlessly answering his playful requests. Their lives in this moment seemed a strange bliss. Goals and dreams for their futures set aside to simply enjoy the companionship of their blood ties. Still grinning, he nipped playfully at her ears, trying to add as much dead weight to her body as he could before rolling off.

Tail waving in the air at the beginning of his trek, he chuckled at her words. A minstrel warrior! The poetic soldier! What would father think of such frivolity? He was almost Pan would have something to say about it, he had much to say about almost everything. He could not help but wonder his parents’ views towards his choice to pursue battle when both of them had chosen completely different professions. Their minds had clearly not been lost on him, however. He spoke with an eloquence some would envy, but in a rhythm that had become all his own. I do not believe you will have to be fighting off women, there will always be a path for my sister by my side. The rest of his family might have scattered to the winds, but he would not. Like the mountains on which he walked, his convictions were stone.

Besides, he was far too young to be thinking about the complexities of ladies.

Each step his increasing training started to kick in. Orange eyes took in every detail of the terrain around them while his nose worked to pick up the subtle nuances and scents that passed through the air. As they travelled into wilder territory the scent of wolves started to recede as the land flattened out around them. Even the trees of Taviora seemed to start to step back from the undiscovered landscape they were traversing. The tips of his ears stood at alert attention. His body trilled with dangerous excitement. If the queen wanted to add this sparse lowland to her realm, he would seek to claim it for her. A shift caught his attention and his teeth bared slightly. He would need help to rid it of competition first.

Hackles rose and he froze, issuing a sharp yip to Sila. He stepped protectively to her side and raised his head above her shoulders to look around. Careful. He warned, the seriousness of the soldier taking over his features. There is something here.