What did Natalya want to do? She wanted to laugh, she wanted to yell, she wanted to walk away and give up. Her child had announced something that she placed on the same level as a pup saying "I hate you." As a parent, she knew ordinarily that she shouldn't take such words seriously, but this situation held a slight threat. Chione was so different from any of her siblings, even her brooding brother Apollo, that Natalya never knew quite what to expect.
She did not turn her head toward her daughter when she finally replied, keeping her muzzle pointed out over the sea. "Chione, you are not even a year old and you do not yet know the dangers of the world. You will not be leaving my den until I decide that you are ready." She paused, taking a deep breath, finally tilting her head downward. "Tell me why you would ask for such a thing." "Speech"
