Kan nodded at her and offered a soft smile. The shock on Kyera's face was just the beginning of the emotions that poured over her. It was clear she knew there were so many levels to this mess that her heart didn't know what emotion to settle on. Then the crystal dome seemed to appear over her eyes, but then the first tear fell and he frowned. She had made a realization that he had expected.
"I'm sorry, Kyera." Kan didn't know what else to say. What else could he say really? He could have stopped it all, but he hadn't. Now he regretted it, but he truly thought he could stop her back then. All the heartache and repentance in the world wouldn't bring her brothers back.
"It's not your fault." Kyera replied with a bit of a laugh. It was a laugh that made him uneasy and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The tears still fell making her seem slightly deranged under the pale glow of the moonlight. "It is like Ancestor Kyera said, long before I was born, there is no escape from the war for power, nor is there an end. The only way to avoid being destroyed is to build enough power to protect yourself." Kyera replied shaking her head slowly. "Fantasy did what she believed was best, and took her child away and found a strong man to protect them. She took the power away from her husband and put it in herself. However my mother, she chose to abandon her children and that resulted in weakness. No matter how hard Keenan tried to be like a father to us cubs, he was just a child himself." Kyera pointed another soft, eerie laugh escaping her lips.
"Keenan was a good fighter and he tried. He wanted to protect you and I didn't want to kill him. It was an accident. I never dreamed he would land on that table the way he did." Kan tried to apologize remembering watching the life drain from his cousin and the mob gathering outside.
"Why did you run?" Kyera asked turning her eyes on him. "If you didn't mean to kill him we could have figured this out together." her curiosity was to pull attention away from her weakness. She didn't want to think about it right now.
"Because, little kitten, you were a baby. Adult you knows the truth, but baby you would have been so confused and in shock from what you saw. You would have trusted your eyes, and all you saw was me and your brother fighting and the blood. I'm fairly sure you never really saw anything other than the blood." Kan replied shaking his head as the image of the child drenched in crimson.
"I… I guess you're right. If I hadn't seen it from your sister's eyes I never would have known the truth." Kyera shook her head and slowly rose to her feet, wiping her eyes with her dress sleeve. "Thank you for saving me." She added motioning to the pool where she had almost drown thanks to that memory. If he hadn't pulled her out, perhaps it would have been too late for her to save herself.
"Thats what family does." Kan replied gently. He stood as well and looked her over critically. It was clear she wasn't as put together as she pretended to be.
"Yea… Family." Kyera offered a rueful smile. He avoided her eyes, unable to take the look in them right now. There was no blame, no hatred, no anger, just pity and a sense of loss. He had crumbled her world yet again. One day she would have a solid foundation, at least he could pray it would be so.
"What do you plan to do now?" Kan asked seeing her move toward the forest, back toward the palace he had followed her from.
"I need to get ready for the ball. I have to grow stronger so I can protect what is mine. I won't let those I cherish suffer because I am too weak to defend them. I am a mother and I am a warrior, hear me roar." Kyera replied, the words themselves were soft, but there message was the most powerful thing he had heard in a long while.
"My blade and Claws are at your disposal." Kan replied and she smiled at him.
"No, Cousin. Your blade and claws are at my side, where they should be. Family is being part of a unit, not just a shield, but something worth shielding as well." Kyera replied and he couldn't help but nod. This felt right.