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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:00 am
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:49 am
When she had made the deal with Achilles to deal with her brother and father her children, Penthesilea never would have imaged that she would be blessed in such a way. Three daughters. And then of course, there was that basket she had found shortly before her own children were born and tucked into the safety of the wicker baskets. She had no idea where it had come from, it wasn't from anyone in the herd, that was for certain. But perhaps...well, she had spoken to that star, could it be that her wish had been granted. Regardless of how the basket had come to be, Penthesilea took it in as her own, and so now she had four daughters to raise. They would all be welcome additions to the herd, who was still small in number. Her children meant everything to her and she looked forward to seeing them fulfill their duties within the herd as they grew.
Oh, but she worried about Orithia. The filly was her heir by right, yet she was so small and frail that Penthesilea wondered if she would ever grow into her true potential. A leader of Antianeira had to be strong, both in mind and body, and Orithia certainly lacked the latter. Perhaps in time she would catch up to her siblings in size and strength, if not, well, she wasn't sure what would happen.
Having led her family to the far side of the herd area, Penthesilea was looking forward to spending some quality time with her daughter. Well, all but one, as Marpesia had stayed behind. She would make sure to spend a bit of extra time with Marpesia later. For now, she would enjoy the company of three of her daughters. Out here, so far from the main herd lands, they could act more like a normal family - though she still expected Achilles would act like a subordinate, for it would not do for their daughters to think they could treat him as an equal even when they were away from the others.
Orithia did her best to keep up with her family as they traveled to the far reaches of her mothers territory. She was small, as foals tended to be, but much smaller than her siblings. But what she lacked in size, she made up for with pure determination. She would not be left behind, she would not fail, she would succeed even if it meant working twice as hard as her sisters. Even at such a young age, Orithia knew there was a lot of weight placed upon her. She was the heir to the herd, being the first born, and it would be expected of her to not only complete but excel all all the various training she and her siblings would go through.
But there were times when all she wanted to do was rest. HGer frail body had a hard time keeping up with things and even with an overwhelming amount of determination, sometimes she had to succumb to the need to rest. If she pushed herself too hard, she would get sick. She had already gotten sick once and it had taken many days to recover. She had to find a balance between keeping up with what the other expected of her, and not breaking herself in the process.
When they finally reached their destination Orithia was exhausted, though she did her best to hide it from her parents and siblings. At least there was a small pond here to slack her thirst and though her muscles were sore and her lungs overworked, she hurried over to the water and drank deeply.
Melosa was fairly excited. She enjoyed these odd excursions their family went on. Like her sisters, they knew from a very early age that they were superior when it came to herd beliefs and thus their father was lesser. Even so, when they came out here, away from the prying eyes of the herd, she knew that things would be a little more relaxed, even if they still followed the rules of the herd. And that is why she had walked close to her father for most of the journey, soaking up his presence.
By the time they stopped, they were in a fairly large grove that sat on the edge of the herds territory. She watched Orithia hurry to the pond and followed her sister at a more relaxed pace. While not overly thirsty, she decided to get a drink as well, though part of her was doing it because she didn't want Orithia to feel like she was the only one who needed the rest. She knew that her sister was not as strong as the rest of them, so she tried to do things that would make Orithia feel more like an equal among the siblings. Once she had a drink, Melosa trotted back to her parents, rubbing her nose against them and waited to see just what they had in store for today.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 10:11 am
Achilles shifted his wings as they walked, eyeing the foals and their mother before him. The stallion knew well what they thought of him, knew that his children would grow think of him as a lesser creature - it couldn't be further from the truth but he was willing to play along in order to ensure that one of his bloodline became the next queen.
If only the one destined for that role did not seem so weak. She was a sweet foal and he cared for her of course but her weakness bothered him, to be born so weak from such strong parents was an event that the stallion had not considered. Perhaps she would outgrow it as her mother stated. In any case he was 'only a stallion' so at least the herd wouldn't blame him if she didn't.
Not that he cared and he was sure Pen was strong enough to put such accusers in their place should they open their unfortunate mouths to utter such things to her - but it was probably the only good side effect of his status in the herd so he would take it.
Achilles did not spend as much time with the foals as he would have in a typical family, it simply wouldn't be appropriate in this herd and truthfully the stallion doubted he could keep up the charade of servant for that long regardless, he was unaware if his lengthy absences from the herd were seen as abnormal to his children or not but honoring his agreement with their mother he never broached the subject with them. In any case he had found himself rather enjoying these excursions away from the herd proper and he had a feeling the foals did as well judging by the way Melosa had stuck by him on the journey.
Lowering his head he nosed the foals in turn before nudging them off "Go and play, enjoy yourselves for a small while." He told them being careful to make his tone suggestive rather then commanding.
Eleos ranged ahead of the rest of her family, keeping a strong and steady pace throughout the entire trip while her other siblings lounged about behind. She was always eager to prove her worthiness to her mother - and knew within her heart of hearts that she and only she was destined to lead the herd. She should have been the first born but that was a bitter plant long swallowed - all she could do now was prove herself the better heir to her mother so that the mare would give her the title instead.
It hadn't happened often in the herds history but careful questioning of the other herd members had revealed that it was possible. "come on hurry up she encouraged her siblings as they arrived "Lets go and explore the shoreline" She suggested knowing full well that the effort would be too much for Orithia.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 10:33 am
Penthesilea watched her children closely as they stopped to drink, or at least two of them had. She eyes Orithia, seeing if the filly was showing signs of exhaustion, but she knew that her eldest daughter did her best to hide her weakness from other. That fighting spirit would go a long way and it was a good sign. Her gaze shifted to Eleos. Second born, Eleos was strong and confident, much like her other sisters. The filly certainly liked to do more that what was expected and this had caught Penthesilea's attention on more than one occasion. She was either going to excel at everything or burn herself out too quickly. Pen had seen it before, members pushing themselves harder than normal to prove their worth and then injuring themselves so badly that they were never the same again. She hoped that fate did not await Eleos.
"Do not cross the herds border." She told her children as they made their way off to play. She was all for them playing together a distance away from herself and Achilles, but they had to respect the herds territory and not cross it's border until she deemed them ready. Respecting herd territory markers, both their own herd and others, was important.
At Eleos' suggestion, Melosa hurried to her sisters side. In the back of her mind, she knew that the river would be hard to navigate for Orithia, but her own desire to explore and have fun overran that concern. "Come on Orithia." She called out playfully as she trotted off. Once she caught up to Eleos, she nudged her sister playfully. "If we find a spot that's narrow enough, she could try to jump across to the other side. It could help us strengthen our wings." They weren't able to fly yet, but having seen her parents in the air Melosa looked forward to the day when she too could fly and looked for almost any excuse to stretch her wings.
Glancing back, Melosa made sure that Orithia was follow, and more importantly not falling too far behind. But adventure and fun was calling to her and it would be hard to balance that and her weaker sisters needs. At least she was trying, and that's all that mattered.
Having drank her fill, Orithia gave her tired body a shake. If only she could shake off the weakness as easily as she did the dust from her coat. Pulling herself away from the water, and what little rest it had given her, Orithia took in her siblings and parents. Though they made these trips occasionally to spend time together as a family, they were often filled with play among the sisters while their parents watched. One of these times she wished they would do something quieter, like get a lesson about the area or learn some more of the herds history. Sure, they learned those things already, but she wanted to know more - and only partially because it would be easy on her tired body.
"We won't cross the border." She promised her mother. Turning she let out a bit of a sigh before following after Eleos and Melosa. If she was careful, then she could join in on the exploring without winding herself too badly, or worse, injuring herself with a misstep.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 10:44 am
Eleos snorted in excitement and only slightly rolled her eyes at her mothers warning - really its not like they could go far across the boarder even if they did stray and what was a couple hundred yards? Eleos was fairly certain that the land didn't turn into killer plants and lava just because the herds territory ended. Whatever, as long as they could go an play that's all she really cared about.
"That sounds like a great idea." She beamed at Melosa, strengthening their wings would mean it would be sooner that they could fly and secretly Eleos found herself hoping that Orithia would be too weak when the time came, surely the rest of the herd and her mother would then have to agree that she wasn't fit to lead. the herd was only as strong as its weakest link right? Well they surely couldn't let that weak link be their leader!
Dancing ahead of her siblings Eleos hurried towards the water "Oh look over there! We can jump across the rocks!" Sure they would be slippery but they could use their wings to balance themselves as they went.
Achilles watched as the foals ran off to play, he was pretty sure they would manage to get into at least some trouble but - that was up to Pen to police, yet one more rather pleasant side effect of his station, he couldn't be running about bossing around young female foals so Pen had to do all the disciplining and he just got to be the good guy all the time.
Somewhat amusing really and he couldn't help but chuckle softly. "You know they are going to look for trouble yes? I am giving it five minutes before one has fallen into the water or they are fighting over something."
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Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2016 7:31 am
Melosa had all but caught up to Eleos, though she did keep glancing back to make sure Orithia was coming and wasn't too far behind. It was such a delicate balance to try to watch out for her weaker sister, while keeping Eleos happy. She was pretty sure she was going a good job of that, but sometimes it felt like she was siding with one sibling more than the other. If she was honest with herself, some days she just wanted to forget all about it and enjoy some alone time, to do things by herself and not have to worry about Orithia or Eleos or Marpesia.
Slowing down Melosa surveyed the spot that Eleos had found. "Well..." Tipping her head to the side, she considered. It wasn't too far to jump, at least it looked manageable to her, but she wasn't sure if jumping onto wet rocks was the best idea. Her graze drifted back to Orithia, who was catching up steadily and their parents further back. "We can try it." There was definitely a bit of hesitation in her voice, but she shook her head to clear it and smiled at Eleos. "Let's see who can jump farthest!"
Orithia kept her pace even, not pushing herself too much but trying to keep up with her sisters. She barely caught the conversation that Eleos and Melosa were having. Something about jumping across the river to help strengthen their wings. Okay, that sounded kind of fun, yet in the back of her mind, Orithia was screaming 'No don't do it!' because she knew something bad would happen. Her feet slowed and it was very tempting to turn around and go back to where their parents waited. But Orithia knew she couldn't do that. That was admitted defeat and it would only goad Eleos more. She had to do this, to prove she was strong enough even if she knew she wasn't.
Stopping a distance away from her two sisters Orithia took in the river. It was at a narrow spot, at least. And the water, while deep wasn't overly so, which meant if they missed the would have a soft landing in the water but not have to worry about drowning or struggling to get back to the shore. But that rock that Eleos wanted to jump to looked like a terrible idea. "You go first Eleos. After all, you picked the spot." Yeah, she was trying to delay her own jump, but also figured if she didn't tell Eleos to go first them it would get turned around on her, and Orithia did not want to be the first to brave the river jump.
Penthesilea arched on of her eyebrows and smiled at Achilles. "You think it will take that long?" She asked, watching their children venture off. "I can already see trouble brewing." Call it mothers intuition but Penthesilea was pretty certain trouble was coming, the further away her children got the quicker the trouble would find them.
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:22 am
Eleos studied the spot carefully, yes she was sure this was a good spot, sure it would be challenging but that was half the dun right? I mean if they didn't challenge themselves then how were they supposed to grow up and prove themselves worthy of becoming warriors...or nannies. Orithia would probably be best suited to being a nanny despite her place as first born.
"Sure it will be fine." she assured both of her siblings with a confident tone in her voice and one last glance back in their parents direction to make sure no one was coming over to ruin their fun.
Pacing along the shoreline for a few moments Eleos tried to figure out the best approach, the rock was fairly flat but there was a bit of a downwards angle on one side that she would have to watch out for. Nodding her head and fluttering her wings she trotted back to get a good running start. she could do this! It would be easy! and Orithia would probably fall in the water which would be hilarious.
With such a joyful thought in her head Eleos took off, trotting down to the river and getting to the very edge of the water before making her jump. Everything so far was going fine, however when she landed on the rock the slippery moss made one foot dip into the water, thankfully however a quick down stroke of her wings was enough to right herself and she was springing to the next side. Her stumble meant she barely made it, her back legs landing in the shallows but she HAD made it and that was the important part.
"There see!"
"Likely true, there is too much sibling rivalry between them for anything else to be possible at this age." Achilles agreed, His ears flicking slightly at the sound of a splash from the water, it wasn't large enough to mean someone had fallen in yet..but clearly they were playing in the water.
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Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 12:50 pm
Melosa couldn't help but hold her breath when Eleos made her running jump across the river. As her sister ran, she tried to study her speed and exactly where she made the jump. Eleos made an almost perfect landing and then safely hopped to the other side of the river. She made it look easy, but Melosa wasn't fooled. It was clear the rock was a bit more slippery than she has first thought and while the distance looked manageable, it was the landing that was the extremely crucial part. "Not bad." She called over to Eleos. "But not perfect." She couldn't help but include that small jab.
Melosa took a moment to study the bank and the distance to the rock. I can do this! she thought. She moved to about where Eleos had gone to and gazed at the area before her. Unfurling her winged, she gave them a few flaps and then readied herself. She cast a quick look at Orithia, and gave her a nod, then focused back to the task at hand. Taking off at a run, Melosa raced towards the jump and then at the last moment, jumped. Her wings held out, she tried to use them to aid her in the glide as well as balance. But even as she came towards the rock she could see she was off a bit. With a few frantic flaps of her wings she was able to mostly recover. Her hooves slid on the wet moss and against her wings went into overdrive. "Woah." A bit more flapping and some funny leg flailing and she came to a stop, her two left legs touching the water, but she was mostly on the rock. While she hadn't outdone Eleos, she had at least made it. Gathering herself again, she easily jumped to the other side and smiles at Eleos. But she worried about Orithia, who would be jumping next.
Show off. Orithia thought as she watched her sister make the jump. Oh sure, she had made it, after a little slip on the rock. But it didn't matter, since Eleos made it, now Orithia knew she would have to not only make the jump, but do it flawlessly. Her life and limbs, as well as her pride was at stake here. But first, Melosa had to do it. So she stood silently watching her other sibling attempt the jump. Of course Melosa made it, though far less elegantly than Eleos had.
Now was the moment she was dreading. She had to not only try the jump, but make it. Orithia took her time studying the rock, the rivers edge and the path she would run on. She probably spent a big too much time on it, but she did not want to get hurt. However, the more she delayed, the more nervous she got, and Orithia knew that could distract her in the worst of ways. Moving to where both Eleos and Melosa had made their run from, Orithia added a few extra feet worth of run to it and faced the river. I am going to die. That thought didn't help at all, and she gave her head a solid shake. Wings ready, she snorted and took off running.
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this!
Hitting the edge of the river she pushed off, and held out her wings and held her breath. On the upside, she had made the first part of the jump perfectly. But now that she was in the air, she saw her landing would be next to impossible. Not because she didn't jump far enough, but because she had jumped too far. Snapping her wings out flat to try to slow herself down Orithia was desperate to make it. Her back hooves touched the rock, her front hooves hovered in the air, but momentum and wet moss were against her and she slid right off the rock and into the water. The river wasn't deep but it was still unpleasant. With a bit of effort she made it to shore, climbed out and gave her body a shake. She said nothing, knowing that even though she had managed to jump further than Eleos, her sister would point out she hadn't actually landed on the rock.
Penthesilea nodded at Achilles words. She expected sibling rivalry, just not as much as her daughters had. Would it be different if Orithia wasn't so sick and weak? Likely, the competition wouldn't be so fierce. The first splash caught Pen's attention but it was minor and so she told herself everything was alright. The second one, similar to the first she tried to ignore as well. The third one however, was much bigger and now her heart was pounding fast. A battle she could handle, but hearing noises like that from where her children were playing was so hard. How did one balance being a mother and a warrior? If she was one, she was ignoring the other. "See." She said to Achilles, trying not to sound worried, but none the less looking towards where their children had gone to, desperately wanting to check on them. "I sense trouble happening already."
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Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:16 am
Orithia falling into the water was just as hilarious as Eleos had thought it would be and she snorted in amusement as her sisters flailing splash, of course it would have been netter if she hadn't jumped far enough but she supposed that missing the rock was still grounds for a failure.
"Oh, tough luck!" she told Orithia as she swam to shore. "I'm sure you'll figure it out next time" Probably not but it would be fun to watch her try.
"speaking of next time I won't slip again." she assured both of her siblings "but first, lets explore this side of the water, I don't think we've ever been way over here before." Probably because it was getting close to the herds boarders but Eleos wasn't overly worried about all of that, I mean really what was the worst that could happen with both of their parents within shouting distance?
"Indeed, it seems you were right." Achilles agreed as he heard the loud splashing "However I don't hear any crying or screaming so whatever happened its unlikely someone got hurt." He assured Pen, it was hard to be a parent, walking that fine line between smothering your kids and allowing them to learn on their own.
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 9:40 am
Melosa was a bit disappointed in Eleos' reaction to Orithia's attempt. In her mind, Orithia had done well, heck she had jumped farther than either of them had. But of course, Eleos only had negative words for Orithia. She wanted to say something, but what could she say. If she praised Orithia, then Eleos would be on her case. But if she agreed with Eleos, then she was becoming like her sister, and she didn't want that. So she decided to do a little of both. "Nice job Orithia." And before Eleos could spout anything negative she turned to her sister. "I know you will make it next time!" Her tone was a bit too cheerful, but appeasing Eleos was something she had to do - only to keep herself sane.
"Some exploring could be fun." But like Eleos, she was aware that theyw ere approaching the border and would be sure not to disobey their mothers orders. "Come on Orithia, let's go." Melosa encouraged her sister before looking off towards where they would be headed.
Orithia couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh. Eleos was nothing but negativity. Even if Orithia had of made a perfect jump, she still would have found something to nitpick about. Hearing Melosa's posivite comment made her smile. But it did irk her that she still was so nice to Eleos. Of course, Orithia was no fool. She saw what her sister was doing, Melosa was saying what would keep Eleos happy, because a happy Eleos was a slightly less annoying Eleos. It was all a balancing act and unfortunately Orithia was often caught in the middle of it. "We can't go far. The border is near and mother told us to not cross it." She reminded her sisters, but she knew that Eleos would push the boundaries - quite literally - and possibly even cross them.
Orithia cast a quick glance back towards the way that they had came but her parents were lost within the trees, yet she knew that they were still there and would come running at any sign of danger.
Penthesilea wasn't entirely sure her daughters wouldcry out if something had gone wrong. They had begun their training and while it was minimal due to their age, the knowledge that an injury wasn't something to broadcast had been shared. Of course, that was more related to times of war than everyday life, but lessons like that were best remembered and practiced all the time and not when they were just needed. "Not yet at least." She said a bit dryly, her attention focused on the trees where the foals had disappeared to. Trouble was likely brewing, they just had to wait until it reached the boiling point.
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 9:19 am
Eleos didn't really wait around for her siblings to follow her, they either would or they would wimp out and stay near the stream like boring good foals. Whatever, there was plenty to explore out here on this side of the stream and she fully intended to do so, I mean how were they supposed to learn about their home if they were never allowed to actually explore it right?
The paths out here were a bit less traveled it seemed like and things were a bit more over grown and while that might stop a fully grown Soquili it posed little problems for foals of their size, surely this meant it was the perfect place for them to explore. Pushing through the undergrowth, the stream still close by and burbling in the background Eleos suddenly found herself in well..it was like a tree cave really, she didn't know how else to explain it but the gound was open and covered with soft masses and a couple old logs, craning her head to look above her the foal saw only the arcing branches and green canopy of several very large trees.
"Woooow" Was the only thing the filly could think to say before she recalled her siblings and for once she didn't even care to take a jab at Orithia. She'd found something awesome. "Guys!! you have to come and see this!!" She called out to them in excitement. "Its like the most perfect playground ever!"
Achillies chuckled slightly - eh foals would be foals and the stallion lazily swished his tail as he listened to them in the background. Perhaps they would have gotten along better had they been born in a herd with less competition but he was holding out hope that the competition would, in the end, drive them to greatness.
"Perhaps they will grow out of it once they get older and accept the roles fate has given them, Eleos will find her way and Orithia will grow into hers..I do not think we have to worry about the other two they seem well adjusted and happy."
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 9:52 am
Melosa hung back just a bit to keep Orithia company while Eleos soldiered ahead. It was actually kind of nice, because just for a few moments it was quiet and there were no insults being slung at Orithia. She watched her sister up ahead disappear into the overgrowth and wondered what kind of trouble they were going to get into. When Eleos called out to them, Melosa was both excited and hesitant. Eleos could be telling the truth, but she could also be lying in an attempt to lure them in a situation where Orithia might get hurt.
"Let's go see what she's found." She told Orithia, but there was obviously a hint of caution in her voice.
Orithia was more than content to stay behind her sister. They were too close to the border to go rushing off. Sure, the grounds around there herd were fairly empty, but one could never be certain if a Soquili was wandering by or a predator was lurking. Maybe one would pick off Eleos and her problems would be solved. It was a terrible thought and yet it made Orithia smile just a bit. Even just one day away from Eleos would do her wonders. Speaking of Eleos, apparently their sister had found something.
Nodding at Melosa's words the filly hurried up a bit, but also proceeded cautiously, knowing Eleos may have very well called them to find a big hole on the other side of the bushes for her to fall in. But what she found on the other side of the overgrowth was something different. It was...actually something good. Much as she would have liked to say something about how neat it all was, she kept quiet, not wanting to praise Eleos for finding this. Had Orithia found it, then surely Eleos would say how pointless it all was.
"I have little doubt that they will grow into their intended roles with time." Sure Orithia was the weakest, but Penthesilea knew that weakness was often temporary, and her eldest daughter simply needed some time, training and good nutrition and she would be equal to the rest. "Eleos is...she's the one I worry about the most. Her attitude is going to get her into deep trouble one day." It was only a matter of time before the cocky filly met her match and then they would see what she was truly worth.
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 11:10 am
As her siblings joined her Eleos trotted about the little clearings perimeter. It was really too bad that this place was rather far from the central herd lands where they spent most of their time but she was already trying to figure out how she could sneak away to play here once in a while in her mind.
"Well what do you think? Pretty neat right? I bet no one else even knows this place is here, its like a secret kingdom!" She chattered on seemingly in an unusually good mood after having made this discovery. "I bet full grown Soquili can't even get in here without a lot of trouble, the brush is too think unless your small like us and can go under it." She went on
"You wanted strong foals and you have received them in various forms, Orithia is strong of mind, Melosa is strong of heart and Eleos is strong in body, sometimes such things clash but together they make a whole and I'm willing to bet some day they will figure all of that out. Perhaps you might consider giving Eleos something to strive for besides her siblings crown - consider that she has spent most of her life thus far hearing how important her sibling is and watching said sibling receive special care - necessary to be sure but young foals do not always understand such things, they only know jealousy and longing. Eleos wants to make you proud of her..right now she just believes that doing so means making you see that she should take your place someday as that has been the only end goal she sees all of you working so hard towards for Orithia. Show her something else, something more suited to her talents, convince her that such a path will make you proud and I predict that she will clutch onto it with all her soul and forget about her jealousy and longing."
Flicking is ears the stallion grew silent, with anyone else in the herd he never would have offered such advice and certainly Pen wouldn't receive it well from any other male, but they had developed an understanding, even so he did not push his advice harder by adding on his last thoughts - that if Eleos was not shown another path, was not given another goal in life then she would eventually decide that her sister had to go and he doubted that would end well for anyone.
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