Father and daughter

"Just like that" he observed, the words more to himself then her. At the change of subject she leaped easily into an assessment of him. Her eyes lit with an inner emotion, her fondness bleeding through her words, as transparent, and stark as the clean ocean beside them. He watched her shrewdly, her words carefully judged, appraised, and understood. He sighed softly, the sound a mixture of pride and sorrow. "Your young yet, my Malalia, but heres another lesson in life. A tough one." He leaned closer to her, sitting in the sand now as he leaned close to his young daughter, his right hand wolf and apprentice. "I want happiness for you, Malalia. A romance with another pack wolf is a conflict of interest. You are a leader among Armada wolves, a roll model and support to those that will look up to you here." He remembered his first crush, a hopeless thing. Perhaps Mal would get luckier then he. Perhaps her first love would be her Zee. The one for the rest of her life.

"If you want something with him, bring him into the Armada. I give you the right to extend that invitation. If you dont want him here, or he does not want to be here with you, I caution you against splitting your heart. That's a quick way to break it." If her Cairo did want to join the Armada, he would find equal chance to rise as the rest of his wolves. He had nothing against her falling in love - through her age did mean he would be watching Cairo carefully - but if she loved him and he stayed in the Valhalla, it would cause her heartbreak.