yo, chill out will you?

The less Hattori said or reacted, the more Iho was actually learning about the Shogun. The man was controlled, private, stoic. He had been trained, physically and mentally, and was fully in control of his faculties. These were the hardened traits of a master warrior, someone who had taken a rigorous and unforgiving regiment of training. That made him all the more dangerous, though Iho felt no fear being near the man, simply a calm reverence for him. At the Shogun's words, he followed gray eyes to the corpse of the bear, a wry smirk pulling at his lips as he gave a single chuckle. Peace had never been an option in this case, but sometimes the prize of peace was worth the shedding of a little blood.

"Perhaps peace can return here now," he remarked, letting his paw fall from his nose to check and see if he was still bleeding. It appeared to have stopped, but the yearling would need to clean himself up some. "Ashen sounds expansive. I think I saw those islands when I was passing down along the eastern coast." He studied Hattori for a moment while the man surveyed the autumn wood around them. The wolf looked like he was made of lava bubbling to the surface of a bed of obsidian. Such rare and unique colors... He'd only ever seen similar hues on...

Dark realization began to dawn in Iho's arctic eyes. Kitsune had told him that her mother and father ruled Ashen, that her father was a cold killer, that he was dangerous. Shogun, a high rank in its own right... but what if it was a reigning rank, say, for an empire? No, that was improbable. What were the odds that he'd meet the one wolf he'd been cautioned not to meet by his young savior? What were the odds Hattori was Kitsune's father? Iho didn't dare ask, afraid of what that conversation would bring, and instead followed the Shogun's eyes nonchalantly over the serene autumn landscape. "Thank you for allowing me to fight beside you, noble Shogun," he said after a moment, being careful not to let his churning thoughts reveal themselves in his voice or his eyes. "Shall I leave you to your peace?"

"Kumiho"