"Kyera knew him as well. He was sweet to us both. Childhood friends." that seemed to be the easiest way to answer the question and he looked out at the woods. A question flickered across his mind. He took a pair of cups off the tray and filled them both with tea and clear liquid to warm their bellies on the chilly night. She offered it to him and Mally sipped it. The warm burn trailing down her throat as she recognized the sake.
"How did you and Kyera become sisters?" He asked tilting his head aside. There were certain traits that he was fairly sure both girl's would share if it was by blood, and yet he was fairly sure they were not. Kyera didn't have the slender, willowy look like Mally did. It took a few moments for Mally to sort her thoughts.
There was so much information here that was really Kyera's story to tell. Yet part of it was her own story as well. Where was the line between her right to speak and Kyera's right to privacy. She struggled with these questions for several long moments.
"Kyera and I were both orphans. I was 12 and Kyera was 10 when she became a orphan. We sort of gravitated toward each other. Shaman Half Eye was already training me to be a hunter gatherer when Kyera was rendered alone in the world. She had a tendency toward Herbs and healing so he took her in as well." Mally tried to explain as carefully as she could. There was so much of their life that intertwined with her past. Kyera's secrets.
"Ahh, so she has no family then?" He asked curiously, there were wheels turning that Mally could not quite follow.
"No. The closest thing she had to family was Verone and Talis. Now with him gone…" She sighs and shakes her head. Honestly trying to process this. The reality of everything was crashing down on her and honestly she felt horrible.
"I see. I am sorry for your loss. I know how much that hurts. If there is anything that can be done, for either of you please let me know." Clovis added, his gaze flicking back over to the pond where his first love lay in her deep sleep. Years had passed since the poison took her breath away, but the pain had dulled, but never left.
"Kyera will do what she always does. She will throw herself into work and ignore her pain. So don't worry about her too much." Mally replied shaking her head. There had been such a coldness in Kyera's eyes. She honestly didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew the tigress wasn't one to make a fuss.
"Ahh. At any rate how are things in the forest after the upset? Have you had a chance to poke around a bit and see what my brother is planning?" Clovis asked, changing the subject rather abruptly, not that Mally minded. This was a topic she felt much safer on. She knew what was expected and who was friend and foe.
"I haven't had much of a chance to move around. Kyera has been very VERY strict with my treatment. I couldn't even roll over for almost two full days." Mally pouted and Clovis looked at her a bit oddly. Her cup was emptied in a moment, and she refilled it from the sake bottle, topping it off with the loose leaf tea.
"Kyera has seen you in both forms?" He asked suddenly remembering the Forest laws again. There was something odd about that statement.
"Yes. Kyera lived in the forest for so long she is considered one of us. So it is not against the laws for her to see me in either form. She just can't talk about it, just like i can't talk about seeing any of the other shifter's change." Mally tried to cover her tracks, her eyes and voice steady. This was a lie. She knew this but at the same time she had no choice. Her duty to her family and to the forest law was so much stronger than her duty to the Prince, even if he had made life here safe for her.