< yeah, I hate to lose >

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]

His impending journey was always on his mind as of late, believing he was being selfish by abandoning his younger brothers and sister so early on in their infancy. A pang of guilt that would remain in his back pocket throughout his time away in the coming months. 

After his regular morning schedule, the duke then roved to his mother's quarters, seeking out his sister @Faust and if she had time for her eldest brother today. 'Faust?', he beckoned her to call out his own title, so that he could find her.

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]

---

smol starter

the staff team luvs u

Her outlook made it a bit more clear. Her siblings looked at her in an odd way, the same way her mother at times looked at them before moving away or giving a warmth that the young so yearned heavily. Yet.. It seemed it became clearer now with the Queen's lessons and the looks she gave, especially since the child had been attacked so openly by someone that should be named as a sister.

It was because she was white.

Hearing her name, the young Deorwine emerged from the den, smiling, steadily. Though her thoughts wavered, for did Warwick view them like that too? Young sinners? If she wavered, if she looked at him strangely, would he do what Edith did? She would smile, smile and hold whatever angers that there was to avoid a possible beating that came from her siblings.

She looked at him, her eyes changed to a more icy-look, remaining with the blues as her siblings grew to their truth colors. They were not like him. He held the warmth of citrine, and the rest held oranges and blues. His tones were were warm, akin to the mother that didn't visit that often anymore and sometimes came across their straying trails.. Warm as Edith, but darker — more like the bark of an autumn she has yet to see.

It was hot, the morning shined clear as her eyes squinted lightly from the sun, "hello brother," although being so young.. Her wariness couldn't be quenched completely, she smiling at him with a guard to her body. Almost as if her body was ready to run.

the staff team luvs u

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]

Out of the favoured trio, of he, Calhoun and Edith, he was perhaps the most lenient and sympathetic when it came to the siblings portraying the unapproved hues. Convincing himself it was not their fault, but their mother's reminder of her own sins. They were already forced down a path of a constant hunt for pardoning, and in turn, this would lead to consequences untold. 

He knew of Edith's unreasonable attack, and he was yet to confront her about this. As for Maral, he hadn't seen her around since the ordeal, and could only imagine it was due to her licking her wounds. Faust appeared, and he already scouted for signs of the unfortunate happening. 

The duke exuded a warmth, from his parting smile to the honeyed tinge of his irises. 'Sister, you are feeling better?'. He already prayed to their divine one that her injuries didn't reach as far as scarring her mind, to traumatise her from all her siblings.

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]
the staff team luvs u

Smile.

She smiled, though rather darkly, "I am fine," Faust said, and circled about to show her injures were well-fine. Minor, and healed quite nicely that she didn't need much medical help — but the worry was due to her age and size that it brought a slight wonder if whether it'd be further then a regular wound ; or at least she so assumed. The kindness felt numbing at the moment, and Faust in one way or another was attempting to look at him and digest whether this is a truth or a lie, and a hatred like Edith portrayed.

A distrust crossed to her face, and a rigid smile.

the staff team luvs u

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]

With the invitation twirling in front of him, his eyes took haste in scrolling over her dark obsidian coat, over the top of her crown and along the fast maturing limbs of hers. She was fortunate to have escaped Edith's brutish touch unscathed. Knowing first-handedly just how callous the sister could be in her spars. 

He may not have been mature and wise within his near short year, but growing up with an ample supply of brothers and sisters, he would notice the flicker of uncertainty etch along her juvenile face. 'But something troubles you?', he walked closer, his form dropping to lay down in front of her so that his eyes could meet her own at her seated or stood level. His breast and neck upright with front paws stabilising him, whilst his back end draped leisurely to the side. 

A brotherly patience then settled him into his pose, with earnest unshielded eyes hunting into his sisters, to find that union of trust and kinship.

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]
the staff team luvs u

His kindness hurt.

They were all related, and yet the starking differences in personality stood so tall and the hatred and bad-blood between seemed unusual to Faust ; a blaming that she couldn't understand due to the pelt she held and the wondering of — would they be okay? Just as Weirs so thought and wondered, she had yet to tell her littermates of the attack and to leave the eldest sister alone with the thoughts of attack, she wanted it.. To remain a somewhat secret, for dishonor was felt and shame that was brought for just existing, gave new feelings of disgust that the young Deorwine had trouble knowing what words that described this.

Citrine view. Her paw raised to her face and touched her own, and the knowing her own eyes were so different. They held of warmth tones, tones that were not like the waters and sky itself, and the winter she had yet to see ; but one that looked of the setting sun within golden hour.

And they were pure.

"Do you hate us too?"

the staff team luvs u

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]

The young heir would do his utmost to provide a brotherly bond with his mother's new brood to the best of his abilities. Playing rough and tumble when they were taking their first scout out of the mouth of their hollow nursery on those summer afternoons of laze—stepping in as an adoptive parent when their dam grew tired of their draining attention. 

Fausts' circumstances were undoubtedly unfortunate, and under the judgemental eye of his other full siblings, she would fall far from their better verdict as blood. And it seemed he would need to work harder to ensure the hapless brothers and sister did not face justifiable insecurity when in his own presence.

When his sister's question fell from her lips, he felt that familiar plummeting of unease settle into the pit of his stomach, churning away and beating at all corners. Once again, this was his mothers doing. And he internally turned a scored face away from his mother's poor decisions. The duke looked saddened and disheartened by his failings to even place such doubt in his younger sister's mind. 

'Dear sister, never plague your thoughts with such', he wanted to reassure her, and he would need to solidify this fact in case she perceived him as avoiding an answer, 'No, I do not hate you, I love you all. Let no one in Elkshire ever make you feel otherwise', his eyes searched hers, to anchor the depth from which his words flowed. He knew even his mother did not detest them and loved them as profoundly as himself, but she would forever be detached from them as reminders of her sins (Warwick's belief). 'Why would you think so ill of me?', a softened, quietened voice so she knew he felt the pinch of hurt from her insinuation.

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]
the staff team luvs u

It was strange to see.

They were always introduced this warmness, a smile from a mother who held one eternally and gave but motions of affectionate that strove for one to want more and never get. The surrogate mother of Teodora who only held one as well, sometimes though they could catch that whiff of sadness, and the happiness that came from the deer. Warwick was always the bright brother, and the only contrast that was truly to be seen was the motionless Maral, deadpan upon her face except for the moment she protected her from Edith, who held but anger and what was assumed to be true hatred.

Faust felt voided.

"They why do they?" curving his question, for though all those were rampant in her mind ; he never shown them bad and knew rightly so, he didn't hate them. But a childs mind was rampant and sad and could only continue asking why. Why does her own blood, her siblings ignore and then to the point, attack?

the staff team luvs u

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]

He refused to follow in their mother's footsteps with her bent truths and opportunistic lies. And he wasn't about to do so with a sister he wanted to gain implicit trust. Never would the duke want to provide reasons for doubts of his honesty or conversational facts. 

A tight line sealed along his velvet lips, a bleak prelude to what he was about to clarify. 'We are all different. We are all branded by our own decisions and opinions, be they poor or wise. I choose not to let the tarnish - we have all come to learn is our saviours least favourite colour - hinder nor blind my judgement of a soul that does not possess grounds to be burdened with such'. That was him, trying to butter up that not all siblings would be so full of hatred.

He continued to look earnestly into his sister's cool orbs of blue, 'Edith is a strong follower of our High Elk. I don't believe it is His will to attack our own blood. But you see, she would contradict my words, believing her actions were rational'. He shook his head, 'I cannot provide reasons for her dislike or hatred, and I'm certain there are those that hate me too. We can never avoid such emotions, in the same way, you cannot avoid one-day having countless men or women fall deeply in love with you', the latter he allowed a sleek smile to reemerge and take its place to reassure his sister that life would not always be all about hate, but endless love too.

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]
the staff team luvs u

Sweet words were resounded, sickening reminiscent of their mother who utter similar sweetness. It was a conflicted way, for she knew her brother held the best interest at heart despite feeling that double crossment of whether he too felt like it. Bitterness that was brought up, some part of her wanting to be childish to scream and cry about, and yet after all of this ; learned it would do nothing. The words touched by that candy-laced words would simply always avoid the truth. Their existence, the hatred it brought on, the way that there was no trying. But they tried.

Some did not, some did — there was a fondness ; and even a dark stirring of possession was wanted but as a child, she held no power. She knew, she had no power, and couldn't even fight back. Instead of all any, Faust stepped forward to touching of Warwick's chest, no words to be said but faced stuff in like a protective charm. She wanted it, and she needed it ;

for the second brood sorely lacked this.

the staff team luvs u

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]

She came to him, and he would use a front leg to enclose her into more an embrace than she would have perhaps ever felt. Tugging her close to his chest, he kept her there for as long as she wanted. The rhythm of his languid breath to be heard, and the beating of his strong Deorwine heart to be felt. 

He was here for her, to make her feel loved and cherished as all within their home should be. If this was mending the cracks that split within his own littermates, he would try his hardest to squeeze that tube of glue to piece whatever breakages were unfolding within their mother's second brood.

He will not fail again. Will not.

[narrow width=300]

---

[/narrow]
the staff team luvs u