Father and daughter

It was good to hear that she could rely on the three women when Sirius and Zee were away. She didn't have to stand alone. She wouldn't have wanted to, either; she knew where she lacked, and if she wanted to grow, she wanted to do so with experienced wolves, ones she trusted automatically. Resin was her favorite of the trio, and she grinned when Sirius likened the warrioress to a grandmother.

Mal padded contentedly down the beach, grateful to simply spend time with Sirius, even if they were technically on patrol, still. Her eyes wandered over to where they'd fought the crocodile, and won. It had been one of the first times she'd felt like a real part of the pack, and a real asset, too, defending their territory together.

The man was coming to a halt now, as the conversation shifted to "a young man." Mal snorted faintly at the moniker, though she warmed at the words, her eyes shining. "Oh man, Cairo's great," she said easily, plopping down on her haunches. Her head dipped to one side as she grinned. "We were kinda instantly friends when we met. I don't think I could ever get tired of being around him. He just has that kind of energy, I guess? Everything's easy with him..."

She blinked as her own words registered, her brows furrowing slightly. Too easy, in a sense. She'd told him little things about her that she hadn't even told Sirius, or Mort. And maybe he didn't know the intimate details of her old life, but he'd managed to hit the mark about some of it. "It's... he's pretty perceptive. Or maybe I'm just an open book, I dunno. But I can talk to him a bit, about..." Mal gestured vaguely, alluding to her past. It seemed to be drawn out of her, at times, in a way that wasn't clinical, or suffocating, like it had been with Mort. Perhaps that was a case of the Valhallan being in the right place at the right time, but there was still a comfort inherent in his presence.

She shrugged, flicking her ears. "Ah," she hummed, her smile returning. "Did I tell you he made me a leather armor set from the deer we hunted? That was pretty cool. And you should see him fight once he heals completely. He wiped the floor with me when we sparred," she chuckled, "but I couldn't even be mad about it. He's kinda silly that way, but he's still really, really skilled, and, and... sorry, why are you asking?" It struck her as strange how talk of her duties had shifted over to that of her Valhallan friend. What was her father on about?