Nova Peak Oh, I've got reservations about so many things.

The last time Stag had seen Astraeus, he'd been a fresh-faced cub. Round cheeks, bright eyes.

The juvenile before him had lost that cherubic charm -- replaced with a hardness that was not quite solely from the presence of that jagged scar.

Stag inhaled, studying the boy for but a moment. How to speak to him, when he'd scarcely ever interacted with him at all? Most of his time had been spent with Phaedra or Wylla -- and now he was forced to reflect on how that might have made others feel. Others, like Astraeus.

"What happened?" Stag asked, feeling they might be best starting on rather open terms.