Or a candle dancing on the breeze

It was the natural question and Dante frankly would have been astounded had she not asked it. He knew it was coming the instant the words had left his mouth. Still he was in safe territory, family relations not being a fond subject for him but neither one he actively avoided. "She - Melusina - resented us. It all came down to inheritance, how trite is that?" He grinned wryly. It truly was such a cliche family pit to fall in.

"She was older, but her mother was a fling for my father. The rest of us - Tarin, Daes, and I, were the product of a more calculated match. My parents did not mate for love, but because their genes promised a strong litter." He paused, treading carefully. "I guess you could say I was to be my father's heir when the time came. She felt the favor belonged to her by right, even though my father refused to claim or acknowledge her. So hatred it was." And most of it focused on him, joyous day. There had been a time he'd reveled in it, but no longer. Now he felt nothing but pity for her.

"And here I am, a leader after all. Sometimes fate can be a hard creature to elude," he joked.