What Do You Want To Be?

She really was the cutest thing...

Ruse assured him that she was being good for her mother. Chimera knew differently, but she hadn't done anything outside the realm of childhood behavior. She was simply a curious pup and it sometimes got her into trouble. Chimera didn't mind that one bit. That was how you learned. Mistakes and corrections. Dalila had kept him in the loop about the girl's behavior and sometimes seemed exasperated, but he hadn't seen a need to step in just yet.

As the girl looked out over the water towards the mainland, Chi's gaze shifted that way as well. She asked when she'd be able to go there and the brute chuckled. "Soon. You just have to get a little bigger first." He nudged the girls chin with his nose. "Work on your skills and we'll get you over there even faster," he promised. As for what it was like over there... "It's much different than our island. You're all safe here. Out there, there are many dangers. Many wolves and other things that would seek to hurt you." Chimera wrapped his thick forelegs lightly around the girl and held her close. "That's why I need you and your brother's and sister to be able to protect yourselves. Work on your skills. Fighting, negotiating or running away. As long as you can get out of a dangerous situation, I'll worry less." How many times could he stress that he needed them to work hard?

The man's pink tongue pulled over the girls cheek. "Until you're big enough and skilled enough to head over to the mainland, you get to stay here with me," he grinned. "That's not so bad, is it?"

"Chimera & Rusalka"