He watches her for any sign of reaction when he speaks of his mother; she apologises for his loss, and he's reminded of Isopia's reaction to those same words back during their killing spree. They might be hollow, but the yearling appreciates them, and nods sullenly. It is a comfort to know kin of mine will be guarded so passionately. At this, Vérzés sends an image into his head of him tearing apart an enemy of his bonded, of shedding blood for the man he has pledged his soul to. His meaning is evident, and Volterra gives an amused snort. "Vérzés says he will guard me every bit as passionately as I guard him," he says, a small grin shifting across his lips. It does not reach his eyes, however. They remain cold, hardened by the loss of his dam that brims so close to the surface now he's talking about it - he usually keeps the sorrow buried, because Mother always taught him that misery is for the weak, but try as he might he cannot purge that particular pesky emotion from his heart. He misses her, and there's nothing he can do about it. That's what drives him almost mad - a powerlessness he is not used to. With his size, his magic and his dragon, he is used to getting what he wants. He is not used to being denied anything, and his inability to protect his mother has affected him more deeply than he cares to admit.

His heavy head - which had momentarily sagged - lifts again to look at Amaris as she questions him. A part of him wonders why she cares, but he passes it off as simple curiosity. After all, he is plagued by the need to ask questions, so he can fully understand it. "I am unsure of the name," he confesses. Mother had taught him of the herds, but he has no idea which one she is at. "I followed her scent when she was taken, followed it to the edge of the world itself. In the distance there was an island, but no visible way of getting to it - a prison without walls. Only the Gods know how to get there." A grunt of frustration leaves him and he stomps one heavy, feathered hoof with irritation. If only he could sprout wings and soar alongside his dragon to his mother's rescue! "The man that took her...he had the antlers of a stag but the wings of an eagle. She told us to go, so he couldn't take us too." She sacrificed herself. Selflessness had never been something Volterra associated with the World Eater, but in protecting her foals she had shown it.