Q u e r e n c i a . n.
As he suspected, but he just chuckled, bowing his head in acknowledgement.  Kiira fit her just fine, he supposed, no titles attached.  His eyes only widened a fraction as she added her full name, surname and all.  She's one of the Faeries.  One of the princesses.  Morven, as a country of immortal demon-like beings, kept track of other immortals.  Simply due to the fact many immortals felt lonely after a time; finding similar but different beings brought some relief on that end.

Only Torren never suspected he'd meet one of the Fae's own royal family, despite the size of their bloodline.  'But it's just Kiira around here.'  He straightened up, chasing away all his distracted thoughts, wearing another smile.  He would respect her request in-full, without pressing for details either.  She's likely stressed enough, without some stranger asking questions.

A pleased purr built within his throat as the book fit, marking the end of the search.  Without a task at hand, he returned his attention to the fox by herself, thrown off when he found her regarding him in turn.  Uncertainty plagued his mind, suddenly scrambled.  He nearly collapsed in relief when she suddenly asked him if he'd like to accompany her in stargazing.

His tongue, like lead, froze in his mouth.  Torren felt inclined to inquire into Kiira's health, since he doubted her time taken left her in a good state.  Once again, he decided, reluctantly, the place did not belong to him.  And it's not like I hate stargazing.  "I would love to accompany you, Kiira."

Kiia knew the stars better than him by far, yet the prince hardly went down without a fight.  He could recite nearly every constellation by name, or draw them in the dirt.  While his dear sister knew the rest, Torren felt inclined to know their stories.  He found the lore behind their names fascinating.

"We should be able to see Sagittarius tonight," he mentioned easily, eyes bright as he stepped into the night air. The swamp seemed different when the sun set.  A new symphony of cicadas, crickets and nocturnal creatures took the reigns from the diurnal.  "Where do you like to go to watch?" He prompted, tail curling up behind him.

"I'm afraid I only know the territory so well."  He clicked his tongue, brow creasing as he considered his direct surroundings.  "Isn't the shore nearby?  Perhaps the sky will be more visible from a beach." He looked back at his star-seeking companion for input, filled with some warmth he failed to identify.  He knew for sure however, he felt natural standing at her side, trying to find a place to stargaze.

A s t r o p h i l e . n.
Content, the wildcat tailed his new friend quietly through the town.  Curiously, his eyes lingered on the buildings, memorizing the picture of Tanglewood night life.  Just as among his kingdom, nothing ever truly went to sleep.  Someone, somewhere always lingered into the night.  Deep within the caverns of his home, he represented that someone on many occasions.

His brow creases thoughtfully as he fell into halts at her side, head tilting in concern.  Four moons away brought unforeseen consequences he supposed, deciding to remain quietly her guide-ee.  His patience won out in the end, as she led them to the expanse of sand and water.  "I say the view's worth losing Sagittarius," he muttered.

A traveler like his sister, Torren knew many wonders of the world, though he knew he had more to see.  Oceans often came as surprises however, the end of every great landmass.  Mother and Kiia would love this.  The thought seemed to ease the breath out of his lungs, eyes softening as he turned to the arctic fox choosing a place to sit.  Her light fur seemed angelic under starlight; another observation kept to himself.  A beautiful, quiet soul.

Who loved books and the stars.  The prince hoped he found a good friend tonight, taking a seat beside her in the sand.  Neatly, his tail rested over his paws as he lifted his head, following the ocean to the sky.  'Do you know all of the constellations?  "Heavens no, though I believe I may be close."

"Actually, I studied their stories." He shuffled his paws, chuckling softly.  "Many of them are sad, really.  Tales of the unfortunate transformed into stars by the gods."  But life is hardly sunshine and rainbows. The tip of his tail twitched as he glanced down at the sand.  "But I— Ah have a feeling you could name every star," he teased, whiskers twitching.

A s t e r i s m . n.
Something in his heart wrenches.  "It is not my wish to sadden you, Kiira," he protested quietly.  A light frown took place on his maw as stories came to mind.  Many stories honored heroism and sacrifice as he recalled, while others represented punishment for hubris or vanity.  He traces patterns absently in the sky as he sought a tale worthy of the night.

"I'll tell you about one of Lyra's stories - the Lyre," he decided.  "Lyra is the celestial harp, created by the greek god, Hermes.  Another greek god, Apollo, gave it to Orpheus." The tragic hero in their story.  "It is said that when Orpheus played his harp, everyone would stop just to listen.  Even the trees."

"But the sudden death of his love, Eurydice, broke his heart.  He decided he'd try winning her back from Hades and traveled to the underworld.  Orpheus began his descent into the underworld playing his lyre.  As he approached Hades, he was pleased to see that Hades greatly enjoyed his music. "

"After a while, Orpheus stopped playing.  Hades asked him to resume and Orpheus agreed on one condition: when he was finished, Hades would return Eurydice to him."  Personally, the prince found the entire situation a strange concept.  Yet the story remained an odd favorite of his, however tragic.

"Hades agreed, and Orpheus finished playing.  When he was done, he asked Hades for his wife, who gave him a condition: Orpheus would trust Hades to keep his world and would return to the upper world playing his music, not ever looking back to see if she was following.  If Orpheus doubted or did not trust Hades, and looked back, Eurydice would be taken back into the underworld."

"So that's what he did.  He began his return playing his music, and behind him he could hear Eurydice's footsteps. However, to test his trust, Hades insisted on Orpheus' return route to lead through a pine grove.  As he passed through this grove, he could not hear Eurydice behind him.  Unable to endure the quiet, Orpheus glanced over his shoulder, only to witness Eurydice fade before him, taken back to the underworld."

A reason never to play with death, the wildcat supposed.  Nonetheless, he felt somewhat betrayed by Hades for finding a test necessary and frustrated with Orpheus for failing.  If he loved someone enough to dive into hell and back, Torren hoped to believe he'd resist a fatal mistake.  But that is the purpose of the story, perhaps.  To teach us that lesson.

He offered Kiira a small smile.  "When Orpheus died, Zeus placed the constellation Lyra into the heavens, in honor of his music, but also his great love for Eurydice.  The ending may not be entirely happy, but," he glanced across the water, observing the stars and moon as they shimmered, "I find it bittersweet.'