At the attention from the lovely lass, Ilaria wiggled her little body joyously and yipped further. If Cera was a friendly face to most who knew him, Ilaria was even more so, often forging a deeper friendship with others than Cera himself. Instead of becoming upset by such a conclusion to most meetings, Cera found it more amusing than anything that his companion was so lovely that others found themselves as endeared as he did. He smiles away her nervousness, nodding to assure her that she is correct in assuming Ilaria's gender. "Her name is Ilaria," he lilted with a soft look over his shoulder to view the sassy little creature. Her tail merely wiggled in amusement. "She is a Red Panda. I've had her nearly as long as I can remember, Grandfather Earth gifted her to me when I was but a colt." Ilaria cooed at him lovingly, scampering up his neck in a well-practiced motion to curl round his ears like a living accessory, patting his cheek with gentle paws and drawing a laugh from his birdlike chest.

There is no note of any significant emotion to alert Cera to the bittersweet nature of her recollections, for surely he would have comforted her and apologized for asking a question of such genre had he been aware of her discomfort. Instead he is consumed by his own memories, humming softly in his throat as eyes drift to times far in the past and in places miles away. "Ah, I'm afraid despite my desires as a colt, I never ventured far from the borders of the desert." Ever trusting of others, he turned and lifted his head high, stretching throat to display the wicked scar spanning the width of his chest. "I received this days after Ilaria and I bonded, in the Deep Forest. I suppose, after that, with Midas forever watching over me and my own fears holding me back, I never desired to adventure." Despite the tragedy he speaks of his smile is nearly perpetual, as if incapable of fading.

Letting crown fall back to a normal resting place, Ilaria disgruntled and hissing softly at the memory of her prince bleeding out on the forest floor, poisoned and inches from death, she clings to his crown further as if it could somehow protect him and erase all that had happened in the past. He hopes not to make her feel uncomfortable with his admission, for he has never minded speaking of such sensitive topics of his past, but until she reacts he cannot judge whether or not he is in the wrong mindframe.

Keeping his pace slow to accommodate her, despite being of equal height, merely out of respect should she wish to continue grazing. Her soft voice probes into his aurals, seeking out his attention which he freely gives with an inquisitive smile as crown turns to find her eyes. Gazing out over the precipice not far from where they've traveled, he smiles, realizing she would not know for she is not granted the abilities he holds merely because of the species he was born. "Yes, Sia. It's nearly the exact same, truly. Of course, it's much harder to achieve no movement when flying, so it's not quite accurate. But being up this high? Yes." He smiled indulgently at her, finding no trouble in answering her questions and hoping to inspire a confidence in her, to encourage her to speak more freely with him, for he would never be troubled with her questions or even idle chatter.

"Do you have family in the Throat, Sia? Or, someone you consider such?" Maybe it was a personal question, but he was interested in the dame beside him, and Cera had quite the habit of taking others beneath wing and turning them into family forged by bond instead of blood. Midas had passed on such a quality to him, and Sia was young enough and he old enough where it would not be too uncomfortable. Young Amani had already been tucked close to his breast, and he looked out for her as any older brother might, and the young stallion feared Sikeax suffering the same loneliness as Cera once had. He would do anything to keep anybody from suffering such a fate.