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Mrost had no idea that he was sough, no idea about a great number of things that had preceded this life for him. All he knew was that deep in his being he carried a deep and nagging desire to do something monumental, to start something huge, a war that would tear the prides asunder. He dreamed of a conquest of the lands, a nomadic pride that would call whichever land they pleased their home. War incarnate, a ravenous hoard that would make the soft weak lions cower in fear. But for now, all it was was a dream.

He didn't walked without purpose or reason, always seeking, always hunting that spark, that flare of a warrior who could lead his armies, who he could influence to do his bidding, who would champion his army. If he didn't find anyone, he would once again have to place his own life on the line.

His thoughts were of war as he wandered through the dark, the markings across his body seeming to glow faintly in the moonlight themselves, his armour dark reflections of a starry sky

Mrost could only stare incredulously as a figure he had recalled of late only in his dreams, faint and impossible to put a paw on, stood before him. Names, memories, recollections bubbled up like creatures from the depth of a deep ocean, reluctance, happiness, contentment, love even. All followed by a bitter pain and hurt. Yes, he remembered on some level, the name rung true, the figure rung true. But the pain was great and he could not remember why. Had she done something to him? Betrayal? Had she been hurt? It was all so vague, so muddled. There had been cubs. His? Hers? It was like a thick fog.

Raising a paw to his helmeted head, he winced visibly, looking her over once again, his voice weak and fractured as he stated feebly.

"Eir?"

Mrost nodded slightly, it was him, though likely a different him than she remembered. His old self was gone, an echo, a distant memory to him. But still, it didn't change the gut wrenching sorrow and lingering love he felt looking on her now. He had lost everything in that previous life and yet now it seemed in this one it had found him again. She remembered him, that was true, but where had she gone, where had she been all that time?

"Yes. It's me. Though..probably not the same me you recall. Suppose its War's fate to be part of the cycle of rebirth more than most."

He didn't know if he wanted to believe she still existed, he'd been so loathe to trust again after he lost her, so loathe to commit that loyalty to another individual. Yet here she was, there was a lurking hope in it. It was a great deal to take in.

"Where?" was the only question he could ask. Where had she gone? What had happened?

Mrost didn't know if he should. Should let himself be swept away once again by the old ragged emotions, tugging at their shackles for freedom. He'd locked away his emotions for a long time. But what was War without a reason? He'd promised her once, promised her he'd one day give her the world. Conquer it all for her, destroy everything that was beautiful except her, he'd leave her because sometimes the world needed a little beauty in it. His world needed a little beauty in it.

"I thought you were gone you know." He said, his voice more cracked than he intended it to be.

With a purposeful stride he closed the distance between them, nuzzling her almost against his will, against his pride. He'd missed her so much he could feel it even now, in this lifetime.

"I'll forgive you if you don't leave me again."

Mrost felt as though an eternity had passed in that moment. He had missed her in a niggling, bottomless way. War would always be his first priority, he could never deny it, it was in his blood, in every fibre of his being, it was what defined him, but at the same time, what there was of him that was an individual, that was able to make decisions, able to feel, had a very special place for Eir. There was so much to be said for being able to forget the crushing responsibilities of his existence and she afforded him that. She had always been there when he needed a break from his tireless wandering of the world, she had always been a breath of air when he felt like he was drowning. He remembered it all as he stood there.
He allowed her to touch his face, something that anyone else may have lost a paw for, his face such a vulnerable spot, somewhere he could be blinded or debilitated in a fight. He composed himself, nodding gently against her head under him as he felt confidence return to him, replacing the shock and uncertainty, lifting him up.

"I found my brother. Tanaka. We fought. I was victorious, but he made certain I had a long and lingering death. I've spent this last time, I could not say how long, in a daze, growing up once again in a world so unfamiliar to what it was before."

He flicked his tail thoughtfully. "I still feel I'm in a skin that doesn't quite fit, a skin which will take another lifetime to get used to." He looked away almost sadly "I thought you were gone forever you know. Its like a dream meeting you again, I keep waiting to wake up."

Mrost was not one for showing outward affection easily, pride in every line of his poise, but he was more than content to concede to Eir's affections. It still felt so impossible that he had learned to care for her, a personal little indulgence. He spent so long destroying innocence, wanting to see the world burn, it was only natural that he'd learn to have an interest in that he so frequently hunted. Besides, Eir had always had a strength to her purity, her magic saving him more than once in the past. It was even her who had given him the magical feather which restored him enough to succeed against Tanaka on that fateful day.

He gave her a warm smirk. "Don't apologise, you were there protecting me then, in a fashion. I just remember how angry I was that it used up the last reminder I had of you." his tone took on a subtle but playful edge as he stated "And don't worry about it either. The past is the past, another life, a life I still struggle to remember. Only the end of it is in any way vivid to me, the rest blurs into uncountable lifetimes. This one is the one that counts."

He had not relished a childhood and adolecence spent in solitude at all, by nature he was a social diety. War had to know people to influence them, solitude was torment So it was undeniable how good having another individual, another soul close by felt, she revitalised him.

"I missed you. A great deal. Its good to have you here again, my port in the storm." He slunk a tattered and bony wing around her and gave her an affectionate little squeeze "You give me direction. I feel like I can take on these lands again." He seemed to look out to the horizon, the fires of ambition once again dancing in his vivid blue eyes. "What we do need however is a means of communication. I would never and have never asked you to partake in the..duty that I carry. Often far apart, I miss having the assurance of your safety. Of being able to find you."

Mrost actually flinched as his helm was removed. It really was one of his true defences, the faint line of a scar under his fur slicing from above his right eye, over the bridge of his nose and down his left cheek, like a lightningbolt. It was one of his most significant weaknesses, an injury which followed him from incarnation to incarnation. But he trusted her, he had to, he had no one else to trust, he couldn't find his generals again, he'd tried, he was alone for the time being, a general without an army. He had to begin again, had to rebuild. He wanted her there with him but deep down he knew the reality of things.

"I want you to be with me. I do. But there is so much that I do, so much I represent, things that would tarnish you by association. All that you do and represent is light and pure, could you stand idly by and permit the defilement that a true war would bring, murder, subterfuge, all mothers and their sons, the spoils of the victors, physical or material?" he frowned slightly. "I would end up using you, without even realising it, you would end up being the bait to bring trust to my causes. And I would end up hurting you in many ways, seduction is but one way to bring mortals to my side. It is my duty, I cannot shirk it, but at the same time it isn't my wish you have to witness it"

He raised a heavy gauntleted paw to pat her back, running black claws never fully retracted through her fur.

"If you insist I cannot deny you, I could never deny you, but I beg that you think about it, there is so much I do in my line of work that might set us directly at odds."