Octavius's admission was surprising, and Asmodeus did not bother to conceal the rise of his brows as he took in the news that Octavius had been gathering information on what he called the battlefront. Strength, too, was a useful skill to learn, especially if one was nearly as tall as the scrubby trees that dotted most of the Desert. If you could not hit fast, you might as well hit hard. Perhaps what was most interesting for Asmodeus, however, was where and how he was practicing such skills. Where did Octavius truly believe their battlefront was?

For better or worse, Asmodeus had mostly kept to himself. He had angered some individuals, to be certain, but he had not gone out of his way to provoke anyone. He suspected that Ashteroth would have his head if she realized where he was, but that was not for him to worry about now. She was preoccupied playing house with her "sisters" in the Peak, and he couldn't be less interested in learning more. Their bond meant nothing to her, as evidenced by their last run-in in the Commons, and as such, Asmo had unequivocally decided that he would not bother attempting to reignite it.

It did not matter that they had shared a womb. A childhood. Parents. They were strangers now, acquaintances at best.

"I am glad to hear it." He murmured and found that he meant it. The chimera had no great interest in leading the sort of traditional herd his father had led. He did not want legions of mares crowding around him for scraps of attention, nor for the weight of herd protection to lie solely upon his shoulders. It should matter to all of them that the Desert remained safe and unharmed, not just to him.

"If it pleases you." Asmodeus said noncommittally to Octavius' final question. The sun was rough upon all of them, size notwithstanding, but another soul awake in the night to help prevent thefts would never go amiss. "It never hurts to have more eyes on the border."

Silence lapses for a moment until Asmodeus breaks it with the question that has been on the tip of his tongue ever since Octavius had uttered the word. "Where do you think our battlefront is, Octavius? What - or who - do you think threatens us the most?"

Adult Stallion 16.0HClassic Champagne ChimeraSolomon x Xiomara