Off Kilter

SHIBA KLEIN

Shiba sat on a rocky ledge, the sound of heavy pawsteps catching her attention. She wasn’t sure if he knew that he happened to be heading in her direction, or if he had still intended to evade her, but she made no move to alert him of her presence nor did she try to hide it. Instead she waited until he was close enough that she knew he would be able to hear her, keeping her head turned away, focusing on the distant skyline. "I was starting to think you’d decided to forsake your promise to pay your debt." Her ear flicked once, annoyance keeping her tone clipped. She’d had quite a bit of patience with him, had given every once of her energy into keeping him alive, yet no sooner had they arrived in Habari he had vanished.

"I was nearly skinned alive trying to save my nephew from a bear, would have been a good chance for you to return the favor I did for you. Too bad you weren’t here to put this whole thing behind us." Even if he had arrived, it was unlikely that Shiba would have released him so easily. Not with how much she had done for him, he would have to do a lot more than scare off a bear, especially when it had seemed to not have any real interest in harming her once her brother arrived. Her statement was on the dramatic side, but Mikko wouldn’t know that.

"Speech."