Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tam sighs. "Maybe since yer here, Hope.. ye can enlighten us both. I wasn't raised a d. miner... remember." he retorts with a wicked grin. "Well, we're waiting..." he adds when Hopian tries to worm out of it. Kerobian's eyes are as wide as saucers, for he knows he's going to here something that makes his adult figures squirm.

Tam shrugs. "Better he learn it from you than me. Foxes only mate when the female is in heat. And I've never met another griffin. You handle the how and whens I'll try to keep it in check with the why and why nots..." he replies out loud... "Your book wasn't all that explicit, ye know."

Tam shrugged and smiled sweetly at Hopian... "It's not as if I don't know how to mount someone, Hope... but iffin ye feel more comfortable talking to him in private, be my guest."

Tam smiles. "Because, dear heart... a great number of people believe it should only be done between people who are married... and in the world most people do not marry for love. They pray and hope love will come about, or at least some form of affection akin to it rising out of respect... but love simply doesn't play into things. It is a horrible truth, but a truth all the same. They marry for prestidge, for wealth, for necessity, for any number of reasons... but sadly love isn't all that high on the list. Love is viewed as a 'young peoples' disease. Something that can be done without. Hence they hide the act behind closed doors, pairing only when necessary. And many actually pay for the act, preferring to go to someone that they have no ties with emotionally..." Tam sighs and shakes his head. "From a child's viewpoint that is rather difficult to understand, I know. When you are a child life is a matter of good and bad, black and white, right and wrong... but to an adult it is a series of grays and shadows... a small wrong to support a great right... that sort of thing... "

"What it means, kiddo, is that you cannot have children of your own. When one is sterile, they cannot reproduce. The act remains, but nothing comes form it save a sharing of emotion and attachment." he hugs Kerobian and buries his face for a moment in his fur. "And humans aren't the only ones who are squeamish.. elves, dwarves, and many of the other races are as well. I learned early on, to feel things out with silly jokes, to see how things fall before performing any tune that can be misconstrued in that manner. I too was raised to respect the act, but not nearly as severely as they. Therefore we did joke about it quite freely, but never in a degrading manner."

Tam nods sadly. "I'm afraid so, yess. Unless ye go back with him to yer homeland, kiddo, yer going to have to live by the rules of the society we are in and here, children don't pair... at least not physically. In fact, I'm afraid, once ye get close to maturity, I may have to send ye back anyway, just so you can learn about those things first hand. For I have seen no comparable partner for you in all our travels... sorry, kiddo. It;s just the way of things. Wish I could say it was otherwise, but it isn't."

Now Tam really does sigh, a sigh so deep and sad it takes the two cats completely by surprise. "Iffin ye feel that desperate, by all means do. Such a thing is not possible for me, I'm afraid. I have just enough empathy I cannot bear to partner with anyone who does not meet me on my level. And I fear it may be the same for you. I wish it was otherwise, but if you must partner with one of the mindless beasts, please be careful and do not harm them."

Then he gets up and goes indoors to find his harp. He needs to get him mind on something else, something that does not hit so close to home.