Walk | Talk | Think
Oh, she stumped her. Anais could see it in the suddenly serious, thoughtful look that slid into place over Zeph's black and green features, and the way her little head tilted from side to side as she weighed her options. She must have really been thinking about the deal her aunt had suggested, and that aunt had to bite the inside of her lip to keep herself from laughing at how utterly adorable that look of full concentration was on her. Had the child ever had to think about something so hard, or had a scenario placed before her in this manner? Possibly not. Zephyra was still young, and bargaining was something that - or so Anais thought - would come later on, once she was a little older and better capable of thinking up terms for herself.
But the terms she had set sounded reasonable to the golden brown wolf. Adventures could still be had, even solo ones, so long as someone was aware of where Zephyra would be. It was when no one knew, when she was presumed to be safe at home, that the real dangers happened, and that was something Anais wanted her, as well as her parents, to avoid. Especially knowing herself what those dangers could be like.
It took a little while, combined with some great thought and pacing, but eventually Zephyra came to a loose agreement with the bargain. She promised to try to be good and not sneak away again, and though there was no full commitment to the bargain Anais guessed that was as good as it was going to get. Zephyra obviously enjoyed her little outings, no matter the dangers, and though she wanted to maintain that awesome aunt impression Anais felt that eventually she was going to have to come clean, no matter how the child's parents would react to the news. But for now, she could keep the promise she had made. "As long as you keep your promise," she countered gently, unsure now whether she had made the right kind of bargain. No matter what happened, she just hoped the girl would stay safe.
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