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Vuk seemed interested in his stories, though Cicero could not help but wonder if she was genuinely so or if she was already putting what he had told her to good use, deciphering some of his character so that perhaps some day he could use it against her. It was a good thing that Cicero did not care for such frivolities, he did not care if anyone would hold anything he had done against him or think anything of him. He was not ashamed of who he was; there was little that could shame him, and to this date the only thing that did shame him was the beast that lurked beneath the surface and what the white wolf, Alexander, it so turned out, had done to him that day.

So after a short, thoughtful pause, Cicero said, "Meldresi is Cicero's mother. She came here to create a pack and raised her children alone. She was balanced, in a way, showing her ambition and judgement, yet also knowing what reaction a situation required. Yet she was old and passed away." It was the way of life, and he felt nothing as he spoke the words. He loved his mother dearly, but her death had changed nothing about his love for her. To Cicero, she was as much part of this forest and his world as she had been alive. He did not long to speak with her in the same way his siblings did; perhaps because he felt as though he could speak to her any time he wished to, but did not hold such longings. It was strange to speak of Meldresi, for he rarely if ever breached this subject with Potema and Damien.

"Damien is..." He paused, thoughtful, a grimace on his face that betrayed the complexity of his relations with his brother. "Damien is arrogant, vain and rash. He thinks he makes all the right decisions yet, much like Nemesis, he is blind-sided to his faults. The only difference between the two is that Damien would listen to his advisors and close ones." Cicero had always thought Nemesis a liability. He rued the day that Damien and Nemesis would face off against one another, for things would get heated then. But Damien had his siblings, and what side would Kove choose then? Cicero did not really know. He grinned as he realised what he had said, adding, "Well, maybe not the only difference." Cicero licked his lips and he was not sure what drove him to share the next bit of information. Perhaps it was when he spoke to the quiet wolf and he had thought that telling everybody about himself and Damien might make his brother less ashamed. Potema already knew. And what would Vuk do? He realised even as he spoke that this was exactly her strength — what would Vuk do? — because nobody would expect her to do anything, which gave her the opportunity to do everything and gather important information.

But he did not value his own information so much, and perhaps a part of him also longed for a certain closeness to another being that could only be ascertained by sharing your own secrets. "Damien is what has kept Cicero in these woods for many times. It is a love stronger than just brothers." He did not think that she had known they were brothers, for they looked nothing alike, but it mattered not, as she would have found out sooner or later. Why else would the mighty Damien keep such a weakened wreckage such as himself within his highest of ranks, as one of his advisors? Their bond was complicated, perhaps, but there was enough love to go around and it felt right to share it with Vuk, for as far as Cicero was concerned, it may as well be known by everyone — he felt none of the shame and confusion his brother held.