Arrow Lake shine on

recognizing also in himself the refusal to accept a kind word, reverting instead to his usual tactic of 'this is how i must be,' mahler was comforted somehow by this reflection beneath ruenna's soft comment. "it has its revards," he chuffed amusedly, remembering how alight with passion and confidence stigmata had become at the beginning of the season. he himself still floundered when it came to wolfesses in their cycles, preferring to remove himself rather than be tempted by the male weaknesses of his own body.
the goldenrod of her eyes found his, and mahler let the lilac of his own gaze soften, beheld the bloom of her smile across her delicate features. like music, came the torrential thought, and he steeled himself against it. perhaps few kind words had been paid to ruenna in her life, or perhaps many had been given, but few truthful. that was a poor way of treating another, to build them with false compliments and empty promises. 
mahler was many things, but a liar he had never been. it was how he allowed himself to omit the sorrow of his past life; he did not lie, except to himself about why he chose to keep such things veiled. realizing belatedly that he had been silent for too long a moment, the garogyle pulled his gaze away and nodded. "i vould be remiss to allow such possibility to go unseen," he murmured quietly. leadership had not been something he sought; it had come to him. his lack of ambition to be atop a hierarchy had served him well these past weeks in diaspora, but with an objective and true advisor to offer her knowledge to stigmata, to himself, to takiyok — it was of great importance.
the moment had grown perhaps too tense, too filled with something he refused to name. and so mahler paused to inspect the air once more, brow furrowing as he lowered his muzzle and looked to ruenna. "coyote. they have come to try and raid a cache again." a resolute light entered his lavender stare. "vell, counseler? shall ve go and defend our claim?" and though he did not smile, the edge of humour had not left his voice.