something fowl is afoot

The girl answered quite as he expected. Adventure, monsters, princesses. Chimera nodded as she rambled off her list, giving her his full attention. Maki seemed like the adventurous sort and her interaction with the ducks proved that she had a creative mind. Again, Chimera thought about just keeping her.

What Maki said next brought a deep, rumbling chuckle from the dual-toned giant, lips pulling back to flash his shark-like teeth in a grin. "I used to be a very bad guy," he informed her, not ashamed of his past. He was still a bad guy, depending on who you asked. Chimera was definitely capable of unsavory things and his views on the world were much different than the views of others. Fatherhood had changed him and had made him realize just how important family was.

Chimera snuffled in the fur atop Maki's head once more. "I'm still a monster, Maki, but you are family. We share the same blood, so you never have to fear me." Quite the opposite. These days, Chimera would protect his family to his last breath.

The brute's pale pink eye fixed on the girl and he gave his head a slight tilt. "Would you like to play a little game, Maki?" When the girl eagerly agreed, Chimera nodded. "We'll take turns telling parts of a story. I'll start, then you tell me what happens next. We switch back and forth until we weave a whole new tale." The man waited for a moment to see if she had questions, then he began their storytelling game.

"Once upon a time there was a sweet little black and white princess. She was sad because a monster kept her locked away in a dark cave with only a small window up above for light. The monster kept the girl fed and cared for, but she was lonely. And then..." He passed the tale off to Maki, curious to see where her mind would take her.
"Speech"