Euri Godchild watched his nephew pace the den that they shared as it poured rain outside. He hadn't seen Fiach this agitated in a long time and it was taking every ounce of his willpower not to smile at the telling movements. Telling indeed, Fiach had been on edge for more than just a pawful of days now and there was no hiding it from his uncle. As eccentric as the head fortuneteller was, Euri was very astute. In fact, there was really one one thing that he had never managed to pick up about the younger lion, and that had been Fiach's fear that he was a demon like the creatures his father had once hunted. No one knew about that worry, the young lion hid it well even as a cub. Euri certainly wouldn't have done anything to him for it, but he couldn't know Phaethon's heart any more than he could what the moon was made of. He watched Fiach pacing for a few more moments before covering his eyes with one paw and letting out a sigh.
"Cub, if you keep pacing like that you're going to make the both of us dizzy," he said with a groan in his smooth voice. It was nowhere near as deep as Fiach's was, a fact which Euri would certainly agree was for the best. He had a nice, soothing voice, something particularly useful when trying to soften the blow if he had bad news from his visions. Not that they really ever showed him useful things, but then he didn't really think that part was anyone's business.
"I'm not pacing," Fiach snapped back, pausing to stare out at the pouring rain for a moment before turned around and walking back to the other side of the cave entrance, immediately contradicting his statement. Thunder crashed outside and he closed his eyes, savoring the sound of it reverberating through his senses. He loved the rain and storms, they had been the only things that soothed the hateful voice within his head as a cub. Normally he wouldn't care about the rain. What did it bother him, it was just water after all. An inconvenience, but it wouldn't hurt him. He could hunt in the rain if he wanted to and if there was some preybeast foolish enough to be out in the storm. In fact, he had rather enjoyed working in the middle of a storm as long as the winds weren't fierce. The wind always made him paranoid when it was whistling around him, making him worry he wouldn't hear a foe approaching him, or that the sound might be all in his mind. He had already done his rounds for the day, he could go hunting but he just didn't feel like it. He knew what he really wanted to do, and that made him all the more surly. He wanted to see Shrew again and that kind of behavior was just unacceptable. She was different from the other females he knew in the pride. If they weren't still somewhat crazed, they were flirtatious, like his friend's mother or Siren. Shrew was... different. She was practical and down-to-earth, something he didn't come across that too often in this place. It was refreshing and maddening at the same time. He didn't want to get close to anyone else. He had his father, his uncle, his sisters, he didn't want any more. He just wanted to fill his life with duties and be done with it when the time came. He swore, though, that if he ever lost control of himself he would either allow someone to kill him or do it himself before he was lost to the voice in his head. His reprieve had done nothing to ease his fears, he would carry them to the end of his days.
"She is a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Fiach's sigh was strong enough to send stones tumbling across the floor of the den.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, trying to play it off. He wasn't about to admit he fancied the lioness, no matter how attractive she was to him.
"You do. Those brilliant ocean eyes, her soft brown coat, oh I'd say she's quite fetching."
"No you wouldn't. I know your tastes. Besides, you've never met her."
"I haven't?" Euri asked, tilting his head to one side as he considered something. It took a few moments for his to finally nod his head. "Ah, so I haven't yet. I will, though, mark me and she will just as attractive as how I Saw her."
Fiach sighed again, knowing full well that his uncle was trying to put ideas in his head. Ever since he was little, Euri had taken it upon himself to try and make the young lion into a more respectable member of their pride and family. Needless to say, it hadn't worked. He had teamed up with Lari in trying to socialize Fiach and her daughter Nisija as both were socially crippled, but all that had come from that was Fiach's drive to protect Nisi and her tendency to cling to him as her favorite protector.
He finally sat down, his broad back to his uncle as he stared out into the storm. Euri watched him now with a curious eye, saw the tension there and was at a loss. He didn't know what to do to help Fiach. He was such a stubborn young male and seemed bound and determined not to be happy in life. He would work himself to death one day, they were all sure of it. He thought about taking his concerns to Flower Lord or even Riddlemouth if he thought things were that bad, but he wasn't sure what good it would do. Even wit the power they had, the most either male could do was order Fiach to stop his nonsense and take leave from the duties he kept placing on himself.
He had thought by suggesting Fiach train some of the aspiring Patrons that he might learn to relax a little. Cubs tended to have that effect on others, or at least that was what he had assumed. Now, it was true that ever since then Fiach had started resting more often than he used to, but he was still the dour individual he'd always been and in some ways even more guarded. It seemed that there was nothing he could really do.
But... perhaps a certain female could help. He should talk to that sister of hers, the little Siren. She might know how to help get the two to spend more time together. Perhaps a practical, strong-minded lady was just what they needed to turn Fiach's head.
