When the were had been younger and far more reckless than he was today, he hadn't believed there would ever come a moment in his life where he would allow fear to reign over his heart. It had been a foolish thing to think that the world would not be able to shake the earth beneath him, render him lost and searching for a guiding light in the dark. But, then again, when he had been surrounded by the love and loyalty of his pride from the very beginnings of his existence here on this mortal plain, having had strong parents and two older siblings who would always have his back and look out for young Roman when he had been so little and so very fearless, there had been no need to know what it was to be afraid. Even as a child, there had never been a fear of the shadows or monsters beneath his bed whenever the old and tired building they made temporary homage in creaked with the softly bellowing zephyrs outside his bedroom window. It had been Roman who helped his younger sister, Dea to grow braver than her terror of thunderstorms. As any good brother, he would do his best to comfort his sister, laying there beside her so that she could hide her face in his shoulder when Tristan, Nicolette, or their parents were not there to offer that steady assurance she felt so desperate for. She would cling tightly to his shirt as they sat there on the couch in the small living room of whatever current apartment or duplex the pride would make temporary homage in. Countless times, her tears had soaked through his shirts and dampened his skin as he would wrap her up in his arms. Dea and Drake, they were only three years younger than Roman, but still the girl had always seemed so small to the were."Why is thunder so scary, Ro?", Dea had asked young Roman one night when their mother and father were both working those part-time jobs, their other siblings sound asleep and unaffected by the storm that howled outside, the rain pelting that small home fiercely and causing the young girl to shrink ever closer into her big brother she knew would always protect her no matter what."It doesn't mean to be scary, sister. It's just nature playing music, and the thunder is its drums. That's all", he would say softly to her as she cuddled even further into his side.

Dea would blink up at her older brother with those teary milk chocolate eyes still so far from fearless then, running a hand over her wet cheek as she tried her best to stop the shaking of her shoulders."Can't nature play music without drums?", she'd asked in turn, her fear eased and yet still very much there in her small soprano voice as she would dare to take a glance outside the window to see another blinding streak of lighting brighten the sky as it reached for the earth below, another rumbling roar erupting from the impact and air as it compressed and exploded, very nearly shaking the foundation of that old building they sheltered in for only a short year."Sometimes, but maybe nature just wants to have fun and gets excited. Like you do", he would say then, reaching down to tickle her sides. And how she would giggle, her fears gone just like that as, quickly falling asleep once more against the warmth of her brother who would fall asleep there beside her with his arms hugging her close. Dea never did grow fonder of the storms as she grew older and endured many more after that night, but it had been Roman who eased her fear, comforted her during those nights when the skies would be alive with thunder, lighting, wind, and rain. They would stay up all night, talking and laughing, maybe watching movies on the lowest volume as not to wake the rest of the family. In the end, it would almost always end up with her falling asleep against him, her anxieties forgotten. And then, when Drake had been little, he'd feared deep water. When the family would go to the river on a hot summer day, it was his youngest brother that would not venture further than the shallows, enough to get his feet â€" or paws â€" wet. It had been impossible to miss the wistful look the young male would give as he watched the others romp and wrestle to keep cool, and though Marrok or Callia would be content to lay in the shallows with Drake, it couldn't have been clearer that the boy had wanted to be with his twin sister. Roman had been the one to teach him, telling Drake that it was okay to be afraid of the water, but in giving in to this fear, he was giving something else power of his world. It had taken time and patience, but Roman had happily given his youngest brother both, and in time, he was able to join the rest of the family, surprising the entire pride the day he took the plunge into the deep end.

And then, the day would come where Roman's once fearless heart was touched by the very think he'd so foolishly thought would never find its way into his world. It came to the lion the day that he'd hurt Divina, seen the tears in her eyes and the anger hiding her heartbreak as Roman told her what had happened was a mistake. It was not that he had not been wholly enraptured by her, because he had. But rather, it was because the were knew he could not be what she needed him to be. He knew that he would have to leave her when the day came that his pride would gather their things and move to the next city, town, or village. He should have known better... should have listened to his brothers Tristan and Drake when they'd taken Drake out to that bar for his twenty-first birthday, but he hadn't. And, every day, he could not think back to the raven-haired woman without remorse nearly enough to break his own heart all over again. For all the words of wisdom that his parents and older siblings had bestowed upon the lion, for all the books and innumerable worn pages those golden-hazel eyes have traveled over with curiosity and a desire to better understand the things he could not only to have them memorized throughout the years he has lived and all the memories he carried with him of how he'd watched his younger siblings overcome the things they'd feared, it was always the words of how one could conquer their fears which have resonated so deeply within him. He'd hoped to find comfort in them, to stumble across the answer on how he might forgive himself and, maybe one day, be able to open his heart to the idea of falling in love. And yet, he kept himself at an arm's distance for the sake of the beautiful women that he's encountered since leaving his pride. He promised himself that he would never allow for his recklessness to be the reason for another woman's tears, and thus far in his life, the man has been successful. Now, he believes that no one is void of fear, that even the bravest and strongest of hearts do quiver with something, however well-hidden or locked away such a thing might be. They might not even know of this fear, but if his time in this world has shown Roman anything, it was that no one was immune to it. One way or another, it would reach into one's soul and make known the weakness having laid dormant for so long if not from the very beginnings.

There was a fleeting moment of silence between the two men before Henry gives a soft shake of his head, informing the lion that his usual grounds were the docks. Roman gives a contemplative nod."The docks. It's been some time since I found myself on the west side of the city", he remarks casually, hesitant at first to reveal more than that. Whether or not this man knew Raven, the man was uncertain, and it was this very unknown that has him withholding for the time being. The last thing he wanted was to endanger the she-wolf by making brief mention of the day they'd met, when he'd made the lion a meal for helping her out of less than favorable circumstances. Such was simply his way of guarding those he considered his friends, which were truthfully few and far in between. Golden-hazel eyes watch Henry curiously for a moment as he takes a drink from that water bottle, the lion seeing the familiar look of thoughtfulness flickering across the blonde man's face before his words soon follow, having Roman offer a warm smile."I, too, am a creature that values sentimental things", he replies easily, this information allowing the smallest fragment of trust without Roman compromising those precious things that he worked tirelessly to keep hidden until he knew that he could trust the other. It was not that Roman did not think Henry trustworthy, but he in turn had to ensure the man was of good intentions. He glances back over to the children as the delighted laughter of a young girl catches the lion's attention, coaxing a gentler smile to his features before he focuses back onto the man sitting beside him."I do. It is nice to escape the concrete jungle and this park is a reprieve from it. I've yet to adjust entirely, in all truthfulness", he answers honestly, seeing no harm in expressing that he was not of this place. Henry's next words, accompanied by a light-hearted chuckle, has Roman's own features turning thoughtful now."I worry about them. When the parents seem too interested in other things than the safety of their own children, it leaves them so vulnerable to wicked people", he says then, tenor tones tinged in concern, entirely aware of a mother who seemed far too occupied with her reading than the child she'd brought here to play.

"I'd never take my eyes off my younger siblings in such a place when we were younger, I having been one of the older in my family, and I especially wouldn't if I had a child of my own", he adds then, his words genuine though far from defensive or accusing Henry to think he was one of the very beings he would readily eliminate if it meant protecting a heart so young and so pure.