Inu Island

Kuroki was quick to make himself scarce, scampering away in an attempt to hide from the lecture he deserved. The Shogun watched him scurry off into the palace and made no attempt to stop him, he would speak with the boy later. If he wished to seek comfort from his Mother for now then Hattori would allow it. Instead he turned to his daughter, all wildfire and despair radiating from her form. She was upset and even Hattori could understand why she felt that way, reality had hit his children hard today. In a way he'd hoped to shield them, to let them live softer lives than he had, to feel the warm bloom of blood spilling across his own fur at such a young age had been...troubling. To say the least. He imagined it was a beast they were both struggling with for now, in their own ways. But Kitsune sought to take it out on him, the feeling of helplessness and rage was not Hattori's burden to bare and thus he would not allow it. Not today and not ever.

There were other ways to go about venting and she needed to remember her manners lest he had to remind her. But he was not so quick to get out the iron paw, he would hear what she had to say first and attempt to speak it out with her. She was a smart girl, he trusted her and she'd never let him down before. But even then whether he cared to articulate it loud and clear for all to see he was glad they were well. He would kill a hundred more cats if that was what it took to keep them safe. Forever and always Hattori would do what he must.

"Speak your mind." He rumbled, his steel eyes set unblinking on her form. She stood out stark and clear amongst the white of the snow, the blood hard to see on her coat.

She had never in her short life remembered feeling so mad at her father. The lack of… anything in his eyes after he had saved his children and turned to Kitsune and Askan. There had been no rage, no pain, just… a blank canvas looking back at them. There had been enough pain in Kuroki for the both of them. Instead, Kit had felt anger. A great swell of it rising up at her at the indignity and unfairness of it. Hattori was going to take Askan’s like - his death might have been unavoidable, but he should not die by cold hearted paws.

So she had done it. She had killed a man, and felt hollow and empty as she watched the last light leave his eyes. She didn’t cry, she couldn’t. And so, what fueled the vast emptiness inside of her was anger. She had followed their father back to the pack, watched her brother vanish into Ashen lands, and her father turned to her. Speak your mind
He said to her, as though it was no great thing, aas though her entire life hadn’t just changed before him.

She opened her mouth to speak to him, and almost choked on it, bitter uncertainty came out. It might not make sense, but she fixed upon the part of it that hurt and mattered the most. “You didn’t love him!” she barked out angrily, wanting in that moment to hit her father. An urge she never would have even thought possible.

"Speech"

His daughter was all fire and flames as she regarded him, heated passions desperately looking for an outlet. Somewhere to go. The Shogun tried to understand where she was coming from, to see the pain and hurt in her eyes, but it was simply not in his heart. His mind had been rewired at too young, long before his children even had seen fresh blood, though unpleasant this was the way of the world. The sooner his children grasped this, the better. But little Kitsune thrashed and struggled against reality, kicked up as fuss as though there was anything Hattori could do about it. It was needlessly childish and her attitude brought out a trace of a scowl in Hattori's blank expression, his brows drawing as he pulled in a deep breath and tasted the cold air.

She was right, he felt little, close to nothing as he thought about the stranger's death. It was hard to get all worked up over something he'd seen before, yet another face in his death collage. He stared, unyielding as she raised her voice and stated a fact so blatantly obvious it took him back a little.

"Do you think he wanted my love? Do you think it would have made it any easier?"

Hattori did not know the man, but his rasped last words suggested he was the stubborn sort. A man who wanted to have the last word, no matter how futile.

His impassive face managed to change, just a little as a scowl formed between his brows. If she was in a better mood, she would have wanted to rub her paw against the wrinkled fur. Instead, his accusatory words denied that what she was feeling meant anything. That the stranger whose name they would never know, didn’t deserve any better, any dignity in death.

Her chin wobbled. She couldn’t put a name to everything she was feeling. It rushed up against her core until she wanted to cry, or lash out. She would never forget the way his skin had felt when she had drawn his blood, or the way he had gurgled. She had done that to him. She had done that, because Hattori wasn’t going to do it right

She stuck out her chin mulishly, both against Hattori, and against the tears that wanted to come. “ I wanted it, Puppa, I wanted it” For him to love her, or the unnamed man, she didn’t clarify.

"Speech"

Hattori felt the urge to sigh, that was not like him. Instead he blinked, slow and calm as he watched the pantomime of his daughters emotions unfold. He would never force his children to be and act as he did, but he wouldn't fan the flames either. There Mother could provide everything he could not, it wasn't as if they would ever go without. Or at least that's what he told himself as the cold wind grabbed at his fur, bristling it backwards as it billowed east.

"You have it. As does your mother and all your siblings." He corrected her, as though it was a fact as inevitable as the sun rising every morning. This was not a conversation he was built to have, but he pushed on nonetheless. "But if I were to get upset over every tragedy in this world do you think I would be here now?"

She was a fire, and he was a crystal lake. No matter those much she roared, nothing disturbed the still reflection of his emotions. Maybe it was that stillness that made her unreasonable, or maybe she was just just impulsive young girl, scared and craving... something. Some acknowledgement, something more then the stern stillness. When she received it, it surprised her. He cut right through to her with his words, with his acknowledgment of love. It didn't fix everything, but it fixed a lot. "I love you, too, Pappa" She said softly. Her head hanging with shame at her outburst. Cautiously, as through expecting a rebuke, she leaned forward to kiss under his chin.

She wasn't quite done just yet, however. With an insight past her age, coupled with the insecurities of a child, she looked up at Hattori. Her ocean eyes big and questioning. "Wouls you have cried of it had been me, Puppa?"

Hattori did not deny her. He was not overly affectionate, not even with his wife, nor would he ever be but he saw no reason to push her away. He knew that children had trouble understanding the ways of the world, to punish her for something she couldn't yet help would be cruel. His means of parenting were firm, there was no denying that, but the Shogun never went out of his way to be callous or to strike out for no good reason. The Shogun was a lot of things but he made a point not to follow in his father's footsteps, anything but that.

He dipped his chin down a little, offering a  grumble in the back of his throat. Hattori cared for all of his children in his own wordless way, it was the best he could do. The softest he could be.

Her question brought reason to pause, his expression shifting just so as his brows furrowed a trace. He blinked slowly, as though it was something he had to think about as he considered her words. To offer a snap response of reassurance was not in his nature, he would not lie to her. The wind rustled the canopy of the jungle, it's oily leaves not faring well in this harsh weather. He was frankly surprised the trees hadn't all died, that despite the struggle they still stood tall, unyielding just as Hattori did.

"I don't know." He admitted. "But know this, you are my blood. There is nothing I would not do for you, if you needed it. Sometimes you may not like it, but I act with your interests at heart. Always."