Standing on the edge of the cliff, Kanja dropped her head to her paws and peered down at the water below. That was one hell of a drop, although perhaps not as severe as mother nature wanted her to believe. A pair of ducks appeared to be cruising along the midway point of the cliff, their wake warping the rocks around them. It was a curious illusion; one she might not have discovered if not for the ducks. Even without the illusion the drop was still pretty good. Falling from such a height with the water playing tricks on your eyes? It sounded exhilarating. Straightening, Kanja briefly leaned out over the water to take in the drop one last time. There was only one way to find out just how exhilarating the fall was. A delightful fall and a soak in the sea to knock off her winter grime. Two birds, one stone. With the height now seared into her mind, Kanja spun around and giddily began to trot away. What kind of jump would it be if she didn't take a running start?

His past all seemed like a distant dream - a nightmare, perhaps? - and he couldn't help but to wonder what the hell the point was of any of it. Had there been any purpose to his life at all? Ehrgeiz felt a little lost, and maybe somewhere in the back of his mind he was beginning to recognize his mortality as each season went by, but he didn't have it in him to regret anything. Anytime feelings of unease began to creep up on him, he'd make it his mission to find some small, helpless creature to tear apart, to relieve himself of his discomfort and keep himself stimulated. The scent of blood brought him to a place of comfort, control and power. Taking the life of prey, just because he could, was certainly a thrill, but the more he did it, the less satisfying it became. It was too easy. They just didn't put up enough fight; he didn't get to enjoy their suffering long enough. Lately, his state of agitation was willing him to find a bigger target.

His search had brought him to the east, seeking out the herds of prey that had moved from the north. If he was lucky, they'd have young for him to prey upon. He'd enjoy their terror thoroughly, and the thought of it made his hackles rise, tongue running along black lips. Internally fixated on the prey he sought, he hadn't expected to see any wolves here. When he spotted the movement of another living being, he froze momentarily before sinking into a hunter's crouch, his singular sapphire eye fixed on the wolf. A demented grin began to stretch his lips, the tips of his teeth just showing as his jaws parted, saliva dripping down his chin. A perfect target, crouched so perilously over the edge of the cliff.

With a wild look upon his face, Ehrgeiz stalked toward the she-wolf from behind, hoping the view of the cliffs would keep her preoccupied. As she straightened up and leaned over for another look, the predator shot forward in hopes to take advantage of her precarious position. Anger surged through him as he saw her turn around and begin to move away from the cliff, and his chance to shove her off the edge was lost. No matter, it looked like he'd just be in for some bloodshed. But, as he came charging up to the woman, there was a flash of recognition, and for a moment his savage desire was quelled. His claws dug into the ground as he screeched to a halt. His eye was still wide, and he still maintained that crazed expression as he looked over her face. "Kanja!" he blurted out her name, a flood of uncomfortable feelings choking him briefly as his muzzle wrinkled up in a snarl.

He stared at the woman, his grown daughter, and he wasn't sure what to do next. Should he be happy to see her? Should he embrace her like any loving father would do to greet their child? Ha!
He may have provided the seed to conceive her existence, but Sabine had never allowed him to parent his daughter. He certainly would have done things differently if not for the blasted blind amazon of a woman. Instead, he'd been more of a chew toy, a pet for the girl to do what she pleased with. Still, he couldn't help but to feel... something. And that pissed him off. With lips pulled back and teeth exposed, the man's ears lay flat, hackles prickling in agitation. He didn't like this, no not one bit. "I couldn't help but to notice you hesitated jumping off the edge," he said dryly as he eyed the cliff where she'd been crouching, "If you go stand over there again, I'll gladly give you a push." His black-dipped tail moved from side to side ever so slowly as he watched her,
wondering what her reaction to him would be - also wondering if he'd be able to rid himself of the most unpleasant feeling rising in his chest as he looked at her.

Kanja saw something large moving towards her out of the corner of her eye. Without knowing what it was but recognizing that it was deliberately coming towards her, she spun to face it, her stance aggressive and battle ready. It was a wolf; shorter than her, scarred up and sneering. Perfect. She'd eat him alive. Almost as suddenly as he appeared the male's tune changed. He looked shocked; almost as though he was the one being charged, not her. No matter, she'd maul him anyway for surprising her. Kanja stalked forward with her head lowered, her eyes narrowed and her intent clear. He might have dropped the idea of a fight, but she was committed now. "Kanja!" He blurted her name and succeeded in surprising her a second time. Her head jerked up and back as if she'd been slapped. His voice brought up long buried memories. She remembered as a child throwing herself onto his neck and, spurred on by her mother, chewing mercilessly on his ears. Kanja grinned a slow, crooked smile as her memories of him became clearer. "Ehrgeiz," she purred. Oh my, he was as feisty as she remembered. As a child she hadn't understood his relationship with her mother and now, as an adult, she didn't quite get it either, but she understood that the two, at the very least, shared a cruel sense of humor. "What a kind offer," she simpered back, "But I was thinking I'd get more air with a running start...before you interrupted me." She studied his face speculatively, wondering just what he was thinking.

For just a brief moment, Ehrgeiz began to think that the much larger wolf would turn the tables on him and maul him instead. However, that momentary thought was dissolved as she jerked backward, recognizing him as suddenly as he'd recognized her. The way his name was spoken with a purr told him that she remembered exactly who he was. What she thought of him wasn't as clear to him. He'd been her plaything, and not much else. To him, she'd been a nuisance, a pain in his ass that he'd been forced to tolerate. But, although he'd never admit it, he also remembered trying not to get caught watching her tiny little self getting into all sorts of trouble, and constantly fretting over her fearlessness. She seemed to have no radar for danger, and he'd been powerless to do anything about it. He remembered laying awake at night, his singular eye bloodshot and peeled wide as his mind obsessed over all of the things she could get hurt by, thoughts he didn't dare have during the day, lest someone see him caring. He was conflicted by the fact that he seemed to care about the girl - that just didn't come naturally to him, and he couldn't come to terms with it. He shouldn't give a crap at all.

"You're not actually going to jump?" the words left his mouth before he could think twice, and although they posed a question, his tone came out in a commanding manner. Like an incredulous father scolding a foolish child. The intensity of his disapproval was clear in his face. Quickly, he forced his expression to return to its usual sneer, though his eye still wandered over her face, watching her, trying to read her thoughts. "Hmph... " he grunted, shrugging his muscular shoulders, "Well, don't let me stop you. As long as you don't mind the bottom-feeders eating your body when you die. I can't be bothered to drag your corpse back up here." His brow lifted questioningly, as though daring her to show him she wasn't bluffing. There's no way she'd actually jump off a cliff - was there? A nagging doubt began to fill him, but he waited in silence to see what she really intended to do.

Ehrgeiz's commanding tone caused one of Kanja's browspots to rise in snide surprise; her expression equal parts amused and incredulous. She wasn't sure where he got the notion that he had any say over what she did, but she's sooner drag him off the cliff with her than obey. If anything his disapproval strengthened her desire to jump. His initial reaction surprised her. Why did he care what she did or didn't do? If it was out of concern then his concern was misplaced. She could take care of herself. If he was simply trying to spoil her fun then he was going to have to try harder because she was undeterred. Kanja wasn't sure what his motives were and that bothered her. She remembered quite clearly being encouraged to be mean to him. She'd loved sharing a laugh with her mother and to get a laugh she'd gotten inventive. On more than one occasion she'd headbutted him in the balls and if he didn't still resent her for that particular antic she would be surprised. Her tone deliberately flippant, she shot back, "Of course I'm going to jump. Can't cliff dive if you don't dive off a cliff." Oh, so now it was okay to jump? He needed to make up his mind. Unless, by chance, he was playing a game and seeding confusion was just another part of it? That line of thought struck her as plausible given the history between them. In any case she was going to play whimsical. Kanja winked at him and simpered back, "Aw, I'd have liked to see you try. And," she sniffed, "Why would I care? As far as I can tell, the dead give no fucks about who makes a meal out of them or who doesn't pull them out of the water." She backed up a step and sidestepped as if she were about to approach the edge again. "But don't you worry your grumpy little head, Ehrgeiz. It's not that far of a fall. It'll be fun. You should try it."

The man's lips twitched in pure irritation when he saw Kanja's reaction to him through the expression that crossed her face. It was obvious that she wouldn't have any part in taking orders from him, and he'd known from the moment the words escaped his mouth that he'd have no control over her even if he'd intended to stop her. He had never told her what to do before. "Of course I'm going to jump." Her retort was exactly as to be expected. Of course she was going to jump. Why wouldn't she do the exact opposite of what someone else told her to do? His black-tipped tail lashed in annoyance as he eyed her. Had she really thought about this? As she continued to speak, it became more and more apparent she was going to dive from the cliff. "You should care what happens to you," he growled, muscles tensing uncomfortably.

Ehrgeiz couldn't help the rising feeling that he needed to somehow stall her further. That feeling was followed by anger. Why couldn't he stop himself from caring what she did? Even if he tried to act like it, the turmoil he felt within was undeniable. He didn't want her to get hurt or die - unless he did it himself. At least then he could torture himself for the rest of his already miserable life, but if she got herself killed, there wouldn't be anything he could do about it. That just didn't sit well with him.

His singular eye twitched when she backed up and moved to the side, looking as though she were going to make her way back to the cliff's edge. She told him not to worry. He found it laughable, but not a sound escaped him. If only she knew why he worried. But her mother had made sure he'd never said a word to Kanja about who he was in relation to her. Even now, he didn't dare speak the words - surely his master would appear out of nowhere and beat him to a pulp if he spilled the secret she commanded him to keep. So, he couldn't tell Kanja. But without Sabine present, he would certainly behave differently toward her, whether she liked it or not. She'd just have to keep wondering what his problem was.

An egotistical snort escaped him as she said it wasn't a far fall. That it would be fun, and that he should try it. Yea right. But perhaps this would give him a chance to check it out for himself, to ease the damned worry and rage that he was sure was going to make him crazy. If he wasn't already there. "Well, if you're going to jump, I'm going first," he snarked, moving quickly to dart around her and head for the edge of the cliff. He kicked off into a sprint suddenly; he wasn't going to let her beat him to it. He hoped that his sudden movement caught her off guard and had her pausing in confusion. He wasn't worried about what happened to himself - in fact, adrenaline-inducing activities were one of few things he actually enjoyed. By doing this he figured that if he actually hit some rocks at the bottom and died, maybe Kanja would think twice; and if he didn't, well then perhaps he could say he'd had fun for the first time in many seasons. What a bizarre day this was turning out to be.

His paws carried him swiftly to the edge of the cliff, and when he reached it, his hind paws struck the ground, muscular hind legs extending as he propelled himself into open air. His body stretched out, forepaws reaching forward as he sailed far from solid ground. As gravity began to take over, Ehrgeiz finally looked down at the dizzying drop he was about to take, his singular eye distorting his ability to determine the actual depth of the drop. A wild grin formed on his face as he started to plunge headfirst toward the water. "Holy fuuuuck!" he roared, half in terror, half in elation. The force of the wind intensified as he picked up speed, and he had to firmly press his lips closed and ears folded back. His eye narrowed to a slit, and just before he hit the water's surface he turned his neck and pushed forward his shoulder so that he hit first with his shoulder and side, preventing water rushing up his nostrils. He struck the water painfully, but it just caused a surge of adrenaline to course through him, which helped him to gain his bearings once he'd plunged far under water. Paws churning the water, he swam for the surface, following the dim glare of the sun through the dark water.

When he finally broke the surface from below, he gulped in air greedily, paddling to keep himself afloat. The thrilling rush pulsed through his veins, and rough but euphoric laughter escaping him. What a rush! Fresh with excitement, his eye wide, he looked upward, wondering if Kanja would soon be on her way.

"You should care what happens to you, he growled, causing Kanja's eyes to narrow. She was having fun with him, but his tone was getting kind of annoying. Who was he to assume he knew her thoughts? She'd never said she didn't care about what happened to her. She cared a great deal...about making sure she had fun and came out ahead in all situations, anyway. And yes, she cared about her safety too. Kind of. She wouldn't jump off a cliff if she thought she was going to die, that was for sure. ”I don't know who you think you are, old man, but you sure as shit aren't a mind reader so don't you presume to know what I do or don't care about,” she said, dropping all pretense of being nice. Seeing him again was a nice surprise, but if he didn't drop the parental disapproval she was going to have to punt him over the cliff. Not only was he not her father, but even if he was, she was an adult and perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She did as she damn well pleased. His next words caused her to snort and rolled her eyes. ”You are the oldest fart I've ever met. If you can make it off the cliff without breaking a hip I will be surprised.” Not for one second did she believe he was actually going to jump. Why? Well, for one, he was old and grumpy. He wouldn't know fun if it slapped him across the face and introduced itself. And two, hadn't he just spent the better part of their reunion crapping all over her desire to jump? Still skeptical she eyed Ehrgeiz as he darted around her. Any second now he'd stop and turn to look at her all satisfied that he'd made his point (whatever that was). He wasn't actually going to jump. No way. Holy shit he was actually going to do it! Kanja's eyes flew wide as it became clear he wasn't going to stop. Irate, she screamed at him, ”The fuck are you doing!” She darted after him, jaws parting as she sought to grab him by the tail and drag him back, but it was too late. Her teeth snapped shut on empty air. Kanja was forced to skid to a halt near the edge of the cliff and watch as Ehrgeiz arced over the edge and out of sight. ”Ehrgeiz!” she yelled breathlessly. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He was old. His bones were probably frail and shit. From experience she knew impact would be hard and in her mind's eye she could see his old, stupid body bobbing to the surface, broken in countless places. She could see him sinking and drowning, his one, stupid eye glaring up at her all angry and accusatory, his expression twisted up in one final 'I told you so!' sneer. Before she even heard the splash that would indicate he'd hit the water, Kanja leaped off the cliff after him. She saw where he'd hit the water and only had a moment to process that before she too was under. For a moment she was lost in the swirl, but her worry demanded she get her act together, so she did. She kicked to the surface and began to search for him. There! He was paddling and seemingly okay, and in an instant Kanja's concern morphed into white hot rage. ”You asshole! I have half a mind to drown you myself!” You know what, that sounded pretty good. Furiously she began to paddle towards him. ”I wasted my jump worrying about your old, useless ass. You owe me a drowning!”

He spun around in the water when he heard Kanja's large frame hit the water, and he watched intently, waiting for the young woman to resurface. She did at last, and she spotted him. And then it became apparent that she was not pleased. He was stunned by her fury, which nearly outmatched his own on any given day, but all he could do was wonder what the hell he'd done to get her so worked up. He'd already stopped trying to convince her to jump, and she'd gotten to do it after all. Now she wanted to drown him? Before he could come up with any sort of retort, Kanja was paddling toward him furiously. Oh shit! He turned away and began his own frenzied paddling. There was no way he was letting himself get caught by her. Despite his predicament, he couldn't help the cackling laughter that wracked his body. She was so angry, and for him, it was absolutely comical.

"I don't owe you shit!" he called over his shoulder as he headed for the rocky ledges at the far end of the cliff, "Not my fault you think I'm old! Proved you wrong, little girl!" What an amusing turn of events for him. Ehrgeiz would far rather have her worrying over him than the other way around, even if it hurt his pride that she really thought of him as so old he couldn't make a jump like that on his own. And, leaving the girl with his last comment, he felt as though he'd done his job of prodding at the hornet's nest. He felt more at home being chased down by someone who wanted to rip his head off. Now that was more like it. Enough with the worry and concern and feelings already!

As he continued to laugh to himself, he turned forward again in hopes of reaching the rocks. Just as he did so, an unanticipated wave washed over his head just as he was inhaling to let loose another laugh. He felt the sharp sting of salt water enter his lungs, and he coughed sharply as he tried to pull his head back and reach for air. Unable to control his body's reflexive cough and inhale, he was engulfed by another unfortunately timed wave. Was this for real? He had to get back to land, and he had to get away from Kanja. She was going to drown him for sure if he hadn't already completed the task himself by the time she caught up to him. He clawed at the water more frantically, until his paws suddenly hit stone. He didn't care if he'd reached land or not - he tightened his grip on the rough ocean rocks and pulled himself toward it. Finally, something he could rest on so he could stop drowning himself.

He pulled himself up so that his head was just high enough above the water's surface that he could cough and sputter effectively, without drawing in more water. His vision was speckled and he felt light-headed, but he could still see Kanja swimming in his direction. Maybe he shouldn't have further prodded at her. It seemed he had only two options - keep swimming and end up drowning himself,
or wait a few more seconds for the girl to do it herself. Ehrgeiz knew that the ocean was merely a merciless body of water, but if he was lucky, maybe just maybe Kanja would spare him today. He looked toward her, still hacking his lungs out. "About what I said... *hack*cough*sputter*... I didn't really mean it," he called out over the splash of the waves, a pathetic grin crossing his maw as he watched the woman draw nearer. Well, this was it. He was finally going to die, but at least he wasn't going to die old, regardless of what she seemed to think of him.

"Oh, you do," she fumed through clenched teeth. She was going to hold him under until the bubbles stopped. Drag his stupid empty head against the rocks at the bottom and them maybe, maybe, if she was feeling generous, she'd revive him. Her rage was a mix of relief and injustice. She didn't like being forced to care about what happened to someone else. She didn't like having to waste a thrill feeling worried. It wasn't like she could jump again. No, she already knew what it was like to jump off this particular cliff. There would be no novelty to it. Not only had he made her care, but he'd stolen her thrill. The only way she could right this wrong was to feed him to the fishes. As Ehrgeiz was battered about the waves (served him right), Kanja rolled with them. As furious as she was, she knew what to pay attention to and when to hold her breath. She cut through the water like a shark on a mission. The old man hauled himself up onto a rock and Kanja wasn't too far behind. He had just enough time to sputter a verbal white flag before the giantess flung herself up onto the rock beside him and once she was standing, turned to face him head on. In his nearly drowned state the old man hadn't climbed onto the rock entirely so Kanja towered over him. She glared down at him, water running off the end of her nose and dribbling into the space between his forepaws. With him within drowning reach and entirely at her mercy she honestly didn't know what to do with him. After several long moments she relented and turned her head away from him with a disgusted, unhappy growl. "Asshole," she spit venomously.