There were faults that he found in her analogy, though he did not speak them. If a lion cub were left to be raised by the antelope, form bonds with them, would he not have issues when his lion parents came through and killed his adoptive family? Mesec was half lion and half antelope in this mindset, and there was no place for such a creture.

But the feline was right, he did not know his mother’s reasons for what she did because he had never asked. Once Hototo had died he had been determined to avoid her - abandoning the talisman from her that he had worn in his mane where the charms representing his fellow demigods were now tied and avoiding the herd where she was exiled.

He had been so sure in his actions and once more the ground was shifting beneath him, the words of this messenger sowing doubt in himself. Mesec was not created to harbour hate - he had entered this meadow with hope in his heart that he would see his mother and he still held hope for her, though it was as reluctant and confusing as ever. Mesec always seemed to be at war with himself and it made his own mind an unreliable council. He longed for the input of Ampere or any of his friends, so that they could help him when his heart and mind were too foggy to sort out. He was equal parts willing to believe the words spoken gently into his mind and unwilling to accept the strange and convenient logic being applied to the actions of his mother. He hated that he was being told that his attempt at peace was naive and childish, when he had begun to feel so sure with his decisions lately.

There was truth in those words and, for now, he focused on that side instead. He had been afraid of the power she had given him, afraid to cause pain in others in order to attempt to discover clues where others could not. And he had not thought to use the gift she gave him on her (though he doubted its effectiveness on a god).

A sigh, resigned, signalled the end of his argument. Ever the turmoil inside of his mind but of course he would accept what his mother offered, of course he would try to be better - to do better. The encouraging words from the feline did not have the desired effect on him, he doubted his ability to succeed so thoroughly that Mesec was convinced that he would fail even before he knew what the task was. But he would try anyway. “What is it that she asks of me? The gift and the task?”