His brow curves with interest as she reveals what she had said in her language, and he dips his head in acknowledgement and acceptance of it. It is a prayer, and one that he hopes he will fufill. "Én fog megvédeni minket, miközben van vér az ereimben," he says, his voice becoming even deeper and more gravelly than usual as he shifts into his mother's taught language, the guttural snarl of Hungarian. See, I can do it too. "I will protect us whilst there is blood in my veins," he translates. Saying the words feels strange, as he never imagined he would feel any sort of bond with the Throat and certainly not enough of one to want to protect it. As it is, he has grown fond of the place, and would truly be willing to lay down his life to protect it if the need arose.

Which, he supposes, is all you want from your Gladiator. Let them condemn him now for not caring enough, for not doing enough.

"You are the Wildfire's daughter, are you not?" the leviathan asks. He has ascertained as much from her language and appearance, but he wants it confirming. He is not sure why; perhaps, if he knows it to be the truth, he will have to mark her as off-limits. Would it be disrespectful to pursue the dead man's daughter, even if not purposefully? It is an interesting concept, and the Indomitable doesn't know the answer. "What do you think of the recent leadership changes?" Although he is honour-bound to defend Sikeax, he can still absorb the opinions of others. Given that this girl probably saw the glory days of Gaucho's reign, Volterra is quite interested in her thoughts. He wonders if her loyalty to her father will cause her to be bluntly and brutally honest, or whether her loyalty to the Sun God will lead her to defend the one he chose - Sikeax.

The young mare tells him that her sister bonded to an owl, and the leviathan wonders if that makes her desire a companion too. He remembered when Nymeria bonded to her little bastard of a black dragon - the scar between his nostrils burns with the memory of the hatchling's bite - and how jealous he'd been of her, how worried he'd been that her companion would trump him in her affections. It hadn't been long until he'd bonded himself, of course, but that short period of time when he'd been alone had been painful. "Do you desire such a bond?" he asks. "I have only good things to say about it. To share your mind with another creature - two, in my case - is something that I cannot speak highly enough of. When those creatures are fierce killing machines, it certainly does not hurt." The brute gives a small snort of amusement, and both dragons proceed to preen with a little extra oomph as they absorb the compliment.

The way she croons his name gives him an odd sensation in his loins, but he forces himself to smother it. Off-limits, off-limits, off-limits, roars his mind. Her question is one he has been expecting, and he falls silent for a moment to muse on it. He has to choose his words carefully, not go with the first thing that enters his head - and impulse control has never been the stud's strong suit. "Ah, the pretty lasses certainly make it hard to contemplate leaving," he says, and he lowers his voice to a sultry growl as he speaks, playing her at her own game. "In truth, I am unsure why I have remained. I joined because of Sikeax, to help her during the difficult early stages of her reign - I always assumed that if she lost her throne, there would be no need for me to stay. I certainly did not invision myself living in the Throat long-term....I've always had my eye on the Hidden Falls, the Earth God's herd." The Sun God is his second favourite God, but Father Earth will always be his patron deity.

"But despite myself, I have grown fond of the place. It intrigues me, and I respect the deep-rooted sense of family that runs through the herd. I confess that I have often felt like an outsider and I know that the vast majority of the herd do not trust me, but that makes me all the more determined to remain and to earn the respect that is offered to the likes of Ampere, Sohalia and Aithniel." He offers a small, nostalgic smile. "So I suppose you could say that I have stayed because I like a challenge, and because I do not give up." On the battlefield, in life, Volterra does not take the easy way out. The Falls beckons, but he has unfinished business in the Throat.