Mauja the FrostHeart
ice cold man watches earth die, eternal winter takes its reign

Perhaps it bothered him just a little that Snö didn't seem all that excited about the Moon's ravens, but he pushed it aside. She was young yet. What was a raven, compared to other things, shiny or colorful? A raven was just plain and noisy, a scavenger - but when they came in a murder large enough to block out the sky and cast the entire world into darkness, they weren't so plain anymore. Had a single squawking raven hopped down from its perch to gift him with feathers he doubted he would've been impressed, but that display of power... An unbidden shiver traveled down his spine. Now as then, he reflected upon the power of their numbers: they had certainly been many enough to tear both him and Daltoff apart had they wished to. He was glad they hadn't.

"Momma's boring." Oh now, really? Mauja arched a cold 'brow, peering at her. Well, that wasn't all too good. Snö, just maybe, had to learn to temper her words (and her mind?), but she was young yet. Headstrong. "Really?" he drawled out at her, tone dry. So much fun... yeah. Mauja didn't mind being silly every once in a while, but he could hardly forsake his duty to his herd to bounce around with her every day. He ground his teeth together, glad that she'd bounded ahead for the moment; he didn't want to have to neglect her, but the realization that he had to, at least a little, had settled on him. "Damn you Psyche," he muttered under his breath. Snö was beautiful, so full of life and joy, having abandoned her boring mother for the father she fancied to be fun - it made his heart ache. He wanted, desperately, to be that father for her.. but could he? "Right, boring," he agreed absentmindedly. Life was cruel, it bit you with an edge like the winter wind, sometimes lulling, but never stopping, and when it came, it was relentless. Merciless. He sighed; no point in telling her. Better to let her realize it herself, or perhaps find a playmate so she wouldn't miss him when he did the things he had to.

It nearly had him growling like a frostwolf when Aurelius popped up, whickering and greeting him by name. Mauja gave him a sly smile. "Finally dropped the lordshipping, your grace? To be completely honest, I'm glad, because it was grating on my nerves." Of course, what he said was lost in Snö's exuberant greeting, and he gave a huff of laughter. She was a ball of energy, but then again, she'd just found her long lost daddy. He couldn't blame her. Didn't want to blame her. Being a ball of energy wasn't wrong in itself; he gave Aurelius a wry grin, deciding to ignore his smooth tongue for now. From what Mauja could tell, he addressed all ladies in that way, but Moon forbid he try something before Snö was older.

As his daughter commented on Aurelius' size, he let out another laugh, deep and joyous - a heart laugh, he liked to think of it. It was beyond doubt that having found his daughter again had put him in a good mood, and he winked at Aurelius, perhaps to share a stallion joke. Tiny, oh yes. He doubted Snö herself would understand, maybe she wouldn't even notice his quick grin - after all, she was busy staring at his pseudo-goat. "No, Snö my dear, you will not be," he told her, mirth dancing along the cold edges of his gaze. "This is Aurelius, a valiant protector of the Edge realm. He was just born short, but if his horns are to be believed, he's more man than all of us put together." Again he winked at the short stallion, and leaned in to put his muzzle close to Snö's ear. "But I've always thought he looks a bit like a mountain goat," he confided in a stage whisper. There was no malice in his eyes or in his voice - in fact, they twinkled with that strange warmth, even as he focused them on Aurelius and gave him an apologetic grin.