When he'd thought Vezér was dead, the beast's utter hatred of her would-be killer had overwhelmed everything else. It had helped him channel his grief into action, by killing Airlia and claiming vengeance for the murdered girl with the strength of his body and loathing in his heart. Of course Vezér hadn't actually been dead, but Volterra remembers those emotions clearly, with such clarity that they could have happened yesterday.

This time is different. He's got nothing to channel his emotions into, because the death of this child is down to a number of different factors rather than just one villainous bitch of a mare like last time. Without the ability to do something, Volterra feels helpless, and there's no way he can dam the tide of grief that pours upon him. There's no hatred or anger for him to lose himself in - there's only the gaping abyss of sorrow, and there's no escaping it. Sadness clouds his face as he stares at the grave, his thoughts lost in the image of his son.

Kókkino thanátou. It almost sounds like a name he'd have conjured up in his language, and when Isopia explains it he can't help but look to Vérzés because of the connection between them. As names go it's rather odd, yet seems to fit, somehow. The giantess continues, explaining the boy's colouring. Dark, with his father's eyes but something similar to his mother's magic. The beast's stomach feels as though it twists, and his head bows with the weight of the grief pressed upon it. "He is with the stars now," Volterra murmurs. In truth, the beast is cynical - he believes that death is the end, that there's no afterlife or ability for the dead to watch over their living loved ones. He can't bring himself to think that his son is accompanied by nothing but darkness, though, so comforts himself instead with the image that he's among the stars, beaming proudly at the reunion of his parents.

Isopia looks at him, and he looks back. He steps to the side, his massive head seeking to rest softly, sadly upon her withers, an embrace of shared mourning. Whether she will accept the touch remains to be seen, but Volterra wants the comfort of her warmth as much as he's keen to offer it with his own.