the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives
With a nod he concedes that he and Red have always been together, though his lips twitch at her second comment. "What would it say about me if she's tried?" Without lifting her head, the maned wolf snorts derisively from beneath the tree as if to say, like you'd still be alive. Daemron's eyes flicker with amusement. Rather than commenting, he turns and gestures to several faint scars along his side. "Most of it was play, but we've had our moments." It was impossible to remain unscathed in a pack. And no matter how unconventional, that is what they are.
Perhaps she is more family than his own flesh and blood.
The thought irks him. It's ironic that Daemron values loyalty as much as he does, when in fact he and his siblings are the product of disloyalty — and while he's suspected his mother of keeping secrets from a young age, he does believe they are a family. It's why their disconnect bothers him so deeply. But Eight is not his father, nor is he Nihlus's. Perhaps, then, it is fate that they are unravelling — like the loose ends of a fraying rope pulled in different directions. Such ties could never be expected to hold together for long. But Daemron doesn't know the truth about the kind of family they really are (disconnected from the very start) — and if ever he were to discover the extent of Noori's lies, there would be hell to pay.
Pyxis' deflection is smooth. She does it with an ease borne of habit; even the spark in her eye is meant to flatter him. A muscle twitches along Daemron's jaw, but after a moment he decides to humor her. Perhaps some of her charm isn't wasted on him after all. "The story's simple. Like everyone else, I've got parents to blame for most of it." He smirks and glances over at his ruddy-coated companion, though it's a shame he isn't watching Pyxis just then — he wouldn't see how closely he skirts the mark.
"Red followed mother while she was pregnant with us — my twin brother and sister, that is — and after we were born, I found her watching in the woods." He turns smoky grey eyes back upon Pyxis. "When I looked at her, I knew." There is a weight to his voice, though in contrast he gives a nonchalant whisk of his willowed tail. "My parents both have their magic. Cerva has her ivy. Nihlus has the rain. I have Red." With his eyes on her, he traces her features again as the wolf gnaws between her next paw. "That's pretty much it." He stops then, waiting to see if she would offer anything of herself or if she would go on hiding behind a striking expression and ice-blue eyes.