Dalila's face flushed and her ears pulled back as a small, shy smile pulled across her features at Kitsune's compliments. She certainly never expected kind words or anything in return for the work she did so whenever she did receive anything of the sort it almost made her feel uncomfortable, but Kitsune was too sweet with her words to correct her on it. Perhaps she should have insisted that she was only doing her duties, but was she really? She didn't belong to Kitsune. The only wolves she truly needed to obey were Siren and Chimera since they were the ones that purchased her. She could justify it simply by not wanting to offend the Empress' daughter, but that didn't stop her from being conflicted over the whole ordeal. She only hoped Chimera wouldn't be mad about her helping someone else if he found out. She nodded quietly as Kitsune asked a few more things of her, directing her to help with cleaning the boy's coat and helping to get him somewhere more sheltered. She got back to her paws to begin doing so when the young girl added in one more request - keep this a secret. Dalila looked up at her in surprise and hesitated for a moment, but nodded in agreement to the final request as well. If she was keeping this a secret then perhaps Kitsune would as well so maybe she would never have to worry about explaining what she was doing to Chimera. She was less worried about telling Siren, but she wouldn't want to chance things with her master. He was hard to predict. With their pact made, she began scooping clean water and carefully pouring it across Iho's fur, watching the blood run away from his mostly pale fur while avoiding the wound they had just treated. Once he was looking a bit better she began looking around for somewhere they could hide away while he began to recover. She spotted a dense cluster of trees near by that would at least over a good bit of shade and coverage on a higher piece of land away from some of the murkiness that awaited further into the swampland so she carefully lifted Iho by the scruff and slowly dragged him over into the shade with Kitsune's help and by the time they got him situated on a patch of plush grass he was mostly out of sight behind the stand of trees and the bushes that surrounded them. "If there's nothing else, miss, I should be getting back," she told Kitsune with a low bow of her head, waiting for Kitsune to dismiss her before she went to leave and return to Siren before anyone noticed she was gone. "Speech"

Lost in the empty black void of unconsciousness, Kumiho didn't feel a thing that was being done to him by either of the two healers. His brain had mercifully shut down in a desperate last ditch effort to protect him from the agonizing and blinding pain his body had been in following Kitsune's unceremonious and crude method of removing the driftwood impaling his leg. He wasn't even aware enough to notice the sound of the ocean, or the way his body was being moved and manipulated as he was cleaned of blood and ichor. He didn't feel the cold water or the warm sun. For all intents and purposes, Kumiho was dead to the world.

When he did finally start to come to again, he was aware of being moved. A quiet, hoarse murmur came from the young man, eyes barely able to flicker open to peer into blinding light. He squinted and tried to look around, but he was being jostled too much and he was far too weak from the ordeal he'd been through. Darkness took him again for a short while. When the veil of unconsciousness did finally peel away in its entirety, Kumiho was aware of lying on grass instead of sand. He groaned and tried to stretch his legs to relieve the ache in his muscles, feeling sore and tired like never before. A throbbing ache in his hind leg reminded him of what had happened just before he was knocked out. Wary blue eyes peered down the length of his body, seeing the bandages wound tightly where the driftwood shrapnel had been. He breathed a sigh of relief and flopped back to the ground. Kitsune and the other woman had gotten it out.

He didn't see either of them, but he heard the voice of the older woman nearby speaking to Kitsune, so he knew he wasn't alone. Kumi's mind began to run as it rebooted back to function again. He still had no idea where he was in relation to anything he knew, and now he was handicapped and injured. How was he going to survive out here on his own? He would need food, water, shelter, and a plan on what to do next. Quite literally, Iho was starting at absolute zero. Nothing from his raft had survived. Not his supplies, not his map, not even the vessel itself. For now, all the boy could do was lie on the soft grass and rest, waiting for either Kitsune to come back, or to find the strength to get up, or for some other predator to come along and decide he would make an easy meal.

"Kumiho"

She looked Dalila in the eyes and got her agreement to keep this quiet. She trusted the older woman. There was something about her that shouted trustworthy, though she couldn't put a paw on what exactly. Her father wasn't getting this one, Kitsune would make sure of it. There was no subtle line, no small breaking she couldn't pin down on when exactly she had stopped trusted her father. It was one big snap that happened all at once, and had put a mullish streak into a wolf that was already prone to trouble.

Her friend helped her pull the injured man into a little cloister of trees. By 'helped', really, Kit means she did it all herself. The one month old pup couldn't have pulled Iho an inch. "Of course, Dalila, thanks again for your help" She said politely, flashing her a quick, distracted smile. Already she was mulling over her newest problem.

She saw the healer off, and then turned back to Iho. She realised he was awake, and beamed a smile at him. "Your not going to vomit on me again, are you?" She asked as she trotted closer. Turning around, she leaned back into his side, and looked up at the shade of trees. She really was going to have to go home soon if she didn't want her parents to come looking for her.

Had he felt better, Kumiho probably would have entertained Kitsune's snark with some sarcasm of his own. As it were, he was feeling worse for wear, the pain having been numbed mostly, but still ever present. He was exhausted and thirsty and just generally felt like he'd been drowned—which he had been. "I don't think there's anything left in me to throw up," he muttered in response, lifting his head just enough to follow the pup's movements with his eyes. He felt her weight rest against his side, her fur warm and so soft as it mingled with his dense, plush coat. Iho's head fell to the grass again with a deep exhale. "Sorry I vomited on you before. I didn't mean to mess up your coat." He shifted to rest on his stomach, curled in a crescent shape around Kit so he could look at her easier. "It's very nice and soft."

A small trace of a smile pulled at his lips while he regarded his savior with kind, grateful eyes. "Thank you for saving my life," he said after a moment. Even if it did put him in a new predicament with his means of survival, he was thankful to the little girl for her efforts to keep him alive—even if it was ultimately only for a short while. "Your parents aren't gonna come looking for you, are they...?" he asked with hesitation in his voice. From the way Kitsune had spoke of her father, he very much did not want to meet the man or have him come hunting for his daughter and find her using a stranger like a giant pillow.

"Kumiho"

There was a certain kind of thrill to having a secret. She leaned lightly against him, and considered this strange boy that had washed into her life. She had once told Ike that a pirate-knight-prince would come to Ashen looking for Ike and the totem gem she had found on the bench. She hadn’t expected something similar would happen to herself.

She glanced subtly at the taller wolf's chest, and wondered if he wasn't some combination of the three. She definitely wouldn’t complain if he was a prince. That sounded like some sort of adventure just waiting for her to discover it.

She was reminded that he was more than just an enigma - but an injured one - when he mentioned nothing left to throw up. He was likely starving. How was she going to feed him? She hadn’t hunted by herself yet. Even if she had helped bring down a mammoth. Perhaps she could sneak some stored mammoth meat out to him. That ought to impress the boy.

He curled about her, and looked across at her as he continued the conversation. > “Thank you, momma told me part of keeping up a good appearance was washing regularly.” Which was definitely one of the things her mother struggled with when it came to Kistune. Too busy playing and fighting to remember to wash unprompted.

She huffed at the mention of her parents. > “Yeah… probably. I’m, uhh… not supposed to lead the pack.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. She huffed again, thinking. > “If you stay here, i’ll get you some food and supplies and blankets, but you have to stay here, okay?”

"Speech"

Iho offered no resistance when Kitsune leaned more readily into him, not that he had the strength to do so even if he wanted to. He was just thankful to still be among the living, regardless of his circumstances. Besides, all things considered, he could have been in a worse spot. What if he'd washed up somewhere remote and isolated without someone to help him? What if he hadn't washed up on a shore at all and instead simply sank to the bottom of the abyssal ocean? He decided to count this among his blessings, this chance encounter with the little fire-kissed puppy being a defining moment in his life. For all his days, Iho would certainly never forget the generosity or consideration Kit had shown him.

Kitsune thanked him for his compliment, relating to him the lessons her mother tried to instill in her. It seemed that the empire her parents ruled was a very traditional and conservative type, full of rules and customs and decorum to be observed. It was a stark contrast to the life he was used to leading and it concerned him what would happen if either of the girl's parents came looking for her. Not just for himself, but also for Kitsune. He didn't want her getting in trouble for helping him and trying to do the right thing. His concerns were further founded when she said she wasn't supposed to leave the pack lands, whispering like she were sharing some confidential information with him. Iho snickered and flashed her a roguish grin. "I won't tell anyone if you won't," he whispered back, the playful puppyish side of him still strong as ever.

His little savior requested he stay where he was, offering the promise of food and supplies if he stayed put. Casting a wry smirk to her, Iho stretched out his bandaged leg, wincing a little as the strain pulled at his ragged wound. "No worries there. I don't think moving is gonna be something I can do very well for a bit." All the same, he sat up enough to cross a paw over his chest where his heart lay. "I promise to stay here, uh... am I supposed to call you Princess?"

"Kumiho"

She gave a snort and looked at him through the corner of her eyes. Almost going cross eyed in her effort to give it just the right amount of derision. “I’m glad to hear you won't go telling the birds and saber tooth cats” she remarked, but in truth she was glad he seemed to have a sense of humor. He couldn’t be hurt too bad if he was teasing, right?

She was also glad to hear that he was sensible enough to stay put and not go wandering off. She would hate for him to trip into a swamp and drown after all the trouble and potential telling off she was getting into helping him. Besides… she would actually kind of miss him.

She supposed she would have to tell her parents some time, but she didn’t want to share this secret yet. She was touched when he move to stick a paw over his chest, and promised to stay put. She grinned, bouncing on her paws and leaned over to kiss his check. The gesture gentle and prim, like she was bestowing him with a gift. “You could.” SHehagreed, without confirming if he needed to or not. “Do you need food and stuff for tonight?” She pursed her lips and glanced at him up and down. “...Yeah, you do.” She was going to need to pull a heist.


"Speech"

Confusion clouded his icy blue eyes when Kitsune snorted and made some offhand comment about birds and sabertooth cats. What? Was that supposed to mean something? Was that a turn of phrase from these lands? Jeez, the Ashen Empire sounded like a weird place already. He hadn't done a lot of traveling yet in the two seasons he'd been gone from home, but the little he had done had shown him that other places were strange with unusual and often absurd customs. He had only been here for an hour or two tops and already he was bewildered by everything Kitsune had shared with him.

He kept his cool eyes on the little black and amber girl when she grinned at him. He was so happy she had been the one to find him and not some dangerous predator that would have snapped him in half while he was still unconscious. While he was lost in his own thoughts, Kit came bouncing up to plant a kiss on his cheek, making the young wolf blink in surprise. That had been unexpected, and he supposed technically this meant he had been kissed by royalty. That was not something he had expected to happen when he set sail on his travels! Damn, if only the other boys from his pack could see him now, they wouldn't believe it! Grinning back to the girl, he snickered under his breath when she gave him all the consent he needed to address her by her title. "All right then, I promise to stay here, Princess Kitty."

Kitsune asked if he needed food and supplies for the night, then looked him over and decided that he did. While he did also agree he needed some supplies to get himself back on his paws, he still put on a feigned indignant look and gasped like she'd just grievously offended him. "Princess, are you saying I look helpless? You wound my pride," he said, voice laden with sarcasm. "I don't want you to get in trouble on my behalf. Whatever you can get would be more than enough. I'm just thankful you found me." He leaned in and placed a beholden and chaste kiss back to her forehead. There, now he had kissed royalty himself too! He didn't really consider the ramifications of such an action, still too out of his senses and barely hanging on to consciousness.

"Kumiho"

Princess Kitty? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Being called a kitty for one thing was strange - but then she thought of those terrible saber tooth cats. They were kitties, if one dared to call them such, weren't they? She could be dangerous. If she chose to be.

Still, she couldn’t let him off the hook easily. She wrinkled her nose at him. “Such disrespect for your savour” she teased him. Knowing full well she would have been completely lost and resourceless if Dalila hadn’t come and saved the day. She was just the one here to take all the credit.

She wasn’t the only one with sass. He clearly made sure to sound put out at the thought of needing resources. “I mean, I could leave you hungry and cold…” she began to agree, when he leaned over and kissed her forehead. She beamed up at him in delight, and then got to her paws. “I’ll be back, remember your promise!” she called out to him, before dashing off back to pack lands.

--

The little antlered wolf raced straight back over the borders without a second look. She was very much worried about getting discovered, knowing she was digging herself further and further in, but unable to stop.

She made her way to the cache, trying to look casual and totally not excited and up to no good, while also avoiding running into anyone else. She grabbed some scrap material, and began to bundle things into it. Starting with a water flask, and moving on some other essentials. She included some dried mammoth meat, a fire-starter kit, some pain killers, and fresh bandages. She threw the bundle over her shoulder, and grabbed a Iho-sized skin of mammoth fur. Those creatures had been crazy fluffy and warm and the coat of one had branched into a lot in their stores. She tossed that over herself too, and was totally dwarfed by it. At least it hid the supply pack. She had to arch her back and take big steps as she trotted back along the path she had come. Once she hit the stream, she realised she had a bit of a problem. She didn’t want to get all her resources wet!

She sat on the ground of her side of the stream with a huff. “Iho!” she called over the water. “Iho, do you know how to make a raft?”

"Speech"

Kumiho snickered again when Kitsune teasingly threatened to leave him to starve and/or freeze, knowing she was just pushing his buttons. She scampered off then, calling back for him to remember his promise. He would. Iho never broke a promise. If there was one rule he never broke, skirted, or bent, it was that one. His word was his bond, whether it was given to a beggar or a king, a pup or an elder. He waved Kitsune off, watching the small black dot of a pup disappear over the river and run back into what she described as Ashen territory. Now all alone, Kumiho looked around the place he was in, somewhere between the swamplands and the shore. Warm summer sun streamed down through the canopy of leaves overhead, both warming and the shade cooling him simultaneously. He didn't know how long Kit would be gone, but he just couldn't keep his eyes open anymore.

Resting his head back down on the soft grass, Kumiho stretched out his aching muscles with a satisfied groan and closed his eyes, sealing out the world in favor of darkness. Somewhere between his relaxing and inner thoughts, Iho fell fast asleep.

—

Iho was awoken from his slumber by someone shouting for him. The young wolf woke from his nap with a start, peering all around the clearing. Across the river, he could just make out the shape of Kitsune calling to him from the other bank. Rising up to his paws slowly, Kumi walked with aching muscles closer to the river. He couldn't put a lot of weight down on his injured leg, so he mostly limped as he walked. Kit was barely recognizable almost smothered beneath a giant sheet of shaggy fur. The sight brought an amused smile to the boy. "Uh, I do, but it would take a day to gather the materials and another to built it," he called back to her. He grinned when he realized the pup's entire problem was that she was just a little too short to carry all her supplies over the stream without soaking them. "Hang on, I think I have an idea."

Having reached his full height last season, Kumiho was easily able to step into the cool, flowing water and walk across the riverbed through the shallow stream without fear of the water coming too high on him. He knew Kitsune had crossed the stream on her own, so she could make it, but the supplies would be a different story. Fortunately, he had enough height to take them both across without them getting wet. Navigating the stream was a little more difficult than normal, but Iho managed it even with his limp from his right hind leg. When he arrived at the other side, only the lower portions of his legs wet, he dropped down to present his back to the little Abraxas princess.

"All aboard, Princess Kitsune!" he said with a smile. He could carry the fur blanket at the very least so their supplies wouldn't get wet while they crossed individually, but why not offer her a personal ferry ride while he was at it?

"Kumiho"

She hadn’t intended for him to have to get to his paws. Actually, she wasn’t entirely certain what exactly she expected - the answers to fall down and hit her on the head, perhaps. But he stumbled out of his den, tall and lean and hurt, but determined anyway. His icy eyes finding hers, and the supplies she had smuggled out from the pack. The coat was definitely ridiculous on her, but it would serve as bedding and blanket to her shipwreck survivor.

She pouted at the timeline he gave her for a raft. She wanted to get the supplies to him now. She leaned back on her heels when he mentioned an idea. Waiting to see what genius he pulled from his injured body.

He immediately began to show off his overgrown height, stepping through the water. She would have been indignant, if he didn’t immediately drown beside her and expose his back to her little paws.

Understanding immediately, she broke out in a delighted grin. It wasn’t easy maneuvering about with her big load, but after a second's consideration she jumped up, and hauled her body onto his back with a wiggle. She lay flat on his plush, soft coat and wrapped her head around his shoulder so she was close to his ear. “Onwards, noble steed!” She commanded.

"Speech"

The huge grin that spread across Kitsune's face was downright adorable, and Kumiho couldn't resist laughing when she began to scramble up his back. She wasn't very heavy, clearly still very young, and once she was settled on his back with a secure hold, she gave him the command to forward march. Laughing again, Iho rose back to his full height, keeping his movements slow and smooth so as not to jostle her too much. "Right away, Princess!" he played along with her, maneuvering his way back across the stream. The cool water lapped just below his knees, and he was able to keep Kitsune well above the water's surface as he walked.

Grinning like a villain, he paused partway across the river and pretended to wobble with an exaggerated "Whooooa!". He stopped after a moment and snickered, hoping to have maybe panicked her just a little. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," he apologized with a smile over his shoulder to the small pup. He navigated the last bit of stream with relative ease, and once they were on the other side, he continued to carry the Ashen princess all the way back to the grove of trees he had been relaxing under previously. He didn't stop to put Kitsune down until he had gotten back onto the soft grass, lowering his belly to the ground to let her slide off.

"There we go, no wet supplies!" he happily decreed, then crawled back over the grass and flopped out with a content sigh. The painkillers had begun to take strong effect on him, and Iho no longer felt anything but lovely numbness. "Thank you, Kit. You're far too kind to me." He lifted his head just a bit to peer with icy eyes over to the little pup born of fire. "Can I call you Kit, or is it only Princess for me?"

"Kumiho"

His laugh was like a warm breath in a cool winter, pleasant and soothing on her ears. She held herself flat while he pulled himself back to his full height. Careful not to put too much weight near his back, and overburden his injured leg.

Crossing with Iho was a vast difference to crossing on her own. Her stubbly little legs did little to give her tiny body height, and had left her soaked to her chin. Iho, the rat, was barely left with wet legs.

Despite her care not to put weight near his leg, he began to stagger partway into the journey. She jumped to her paws, digging in with her claws without meaning to. Pulling against his scruff as though that would do anything to keep him upright. A moment later, his teasing voice floated to her ears, and she swiped his ear indignantly. “I should have left you to drown.” She teased back, keeping just the right level of huff in her voice.

He redeemed himself by carrying her not just over the water, but back towards his little hide out under the trees. He lowered himself to the ground, and she scampered back off his back with their supplies. “Just you wait, Mister. My parents are huge, and I'll be bigger than you in no time.” She threatened - and then she would be the one teasing him about getting his stomach wet. Shaking her head at him, she shook off her mammoth coat first, and pulled the edges taunt with her teeth as she spread it out on the grass. The coat was thick enough to survive the worst winter temperatures, and was plush beneath him.

“Hmmm…” She said in response to his question, and glanced at him from beneath her antlered face. “I suppose you can call me Kit” she allowed. “Since we’re friends now and all.” She opened up the bag and pulled out a long stick of dried mammoth piece and offered it up to him, grabbing out the canteen and wedging it onto the coat carefully at the same time. Next came the fire starter. “Do you know how to use this?”

"Speech"

Kitsune's comment about letting him drown was met with humored snickers from the ice-touched young man. He liked how the pup was able to match his teasing with some of her own, despite being so young. Clearly she was being raised in a high brow culture and family if lessons included sarcasm. Her threat of being as big as her parents made Iho glance up at the little girl again, looking at her with skeptical eyes and a smirk while he stifled another laugh. He was sure she was probably right—genetics and all that—but he also couldn't imagine this little fireball getting that big. If he stuck around, maybe he'd get to see her prove him wrong. That would be a long time to hang around in one place though.

As Kitsune rolled out the blanket of mammoth fur, he crawled his way across it and collapsed into the plush fur with a grateful sigh. It felt so good to rest his aching, weary body on a proper bed—or at least, as close as he could get to proper bedding right now. He wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth though; he was so thankful for Kitsune's generosity. He just hoped she didn't get into any trouble on his behalf. "Oh, we're friends now? Cool," he replied with another smile. Being friends with a royal princess seemed like a pretty useful connection to have in the world. His eyes lit up when she pulled the stick of mammoth meat out and he eagerly snatched it up when she handed it to him with an enthusiastic, "Thank you!"

As Kit continued to spread out the supplies, Iho greedily gnawed away at the mammoth meat, his stomach growling and aching for sustenance. He devoured the meat bite by bite, sighing happily as he filled his empty stomach. Food, real food! Kitsune asked him something, and when he turned to look at her, his eyes alighted on the fire starter kit. He shook his head and gave a muffled sound in the negative from around his mouthful of meat. He had a feeling she was going to tell him how to in a minute, probably after a snarky comment of some kind about his survival skills.

"Kumiho"

She was right to lead with the food. He crammed it in his mouth and started chewing in no time. The canteen was left forgotten - but no doubt he would find that when he needed to. She stifled a giggle at his puffed-up filled cheeks. She would need to get him some more food first thing tomorrow. She had thought what she had brought him would be enough to last a couple days, but the rate that went down she was starting to rethink it. Her mother had complained about growing boys, so perhaps she should have been able to guess.

She made a show of scowling at him when he shook his head at her question. Still chewing away at his food. At least he didn’t try to speak with his mouth full. “Some adventurer you make” she retorted, opening the small firestarter kit to show the dried grasses and pieces of flint and obsidian inside. “So you wanna start a spark by rubbing these together over the kindling.” She had seen them at work, but hadn’t used one herself yet. So, if he wanted more than that, he would have to figure it out for himself.

She rocked back on her heels and considered him. “It’s going to be a pain to ferry any more supplies across the stream each time I come out here.” maybe that can be a problem he can work on while he worked on getting better. “I’ll need to get back, I'm not sure how often I can come visit. But.. you promised, remember?”

"Speech"

Yep, as he had expected, Kitsune fixed him with a scowl and made a comment about his survivability skills. Score! Kumiho 1 : Universe 0. Actually, the universe had nearly drowned him, so maybe it was 1:1. He'd call it a tie. Still munching away at the mammoth jerky, he watched while the fire-kissed pup unpacked the fire-starter kit and explained the contents to him. "Oh that seems pretty easy," he commented after swallowing his mouthful of food. Strike the flint on the obsidian, set the grass on fire, profit. Yep, easy enough! He was sure he could figure out the nuances on his own anyway, but Kitsune had given him all the necessary tools he'd needed to stay alive, and he intended to do just that.

As Iho was studying the fire-starter kit, Kitsune began to rock back and forth and commented on how difficult it would be to keep bringing him supplies. "That's okay, I'll figure something out," he said as if he were reading her mind. He just needed enough to get started, and as his leg healed he'd be able to fend for himself again. Then he could get out of Kit's hair so she wouldn't get in trouble. She mentioned needing to get back home and he just nodded with understanding. She was so very young, her parents would probably be keeping tabs on her at all times. "It's okay, you've done more than enough for me. You really did save my life. I'll never be able to repay your kindness, Kitsune," he said, icy eyes meeting cool sapphire that were such a striking contrast from the rest of her, a spark of ice amongst fire.

Reminding him of his promise, Iho raised a paw and reaffirmed his vow. "I promise I'll stay here, by order of her royal highness, Princess Kitsune." He was obviously teasing her, but it was always in good fun. He didn't really have a mean bone in his body if he were being honest. Smiling warmly, he leaned closer to her and placed a small kiss of gratitude atop Kitsune's forehead, as was customary in his pack for those who saved another from certain death. "Thank you, Kit. I'll be here until my leg heals. Please, don't get in any trouble for me. I'm just grateful to have met you."

He smiled as he spoke, eyes soft while he regarded the little pup. He didn't know if she fully understood how much she had done for him, being as young as she was, but he hoped her parents were very proud of the girl they were raising. "Go on, you'd best get home before you get scolded," he said, motioning with his snout toward the Ashen border. Her father sounded terrifying, and he didn't want the man to come searching for her and find her hanging out with a stranger on the beach.

"Kumiho"

There was something rather thrilling about having a secret that only she knew about (well, Iho knew about himself, and so did Dalila…). She had rescued him with her own wits and healing knowledge. She had done that. It didn’t make up for the wolf the saber cats had hurt, but it was a start.

She nodded briskly when he promised he would figure something out - she knew he would. Hopefully it didn’t mean using himself as a raft each time, but maybe the exercise would help strengthen his leg. Her lip twitched at the mention of never being able to repay her kindness. She could think of a few things. She filed away the thought for now, the pup was wise enough not to play all her cards at once.

She ducked her head in embarrassment when he kissed her forehead again. Just because it was easy for him to reach, didn’t mean he should be taking liberties with royal self. “And because you don’t have any better offers” She teased him with his drawn out vow. At least hiding out by the pack borders meant he had supplies and aid.

She huffed, indigent at his words. “They’ll have to catch me first.” she was rather weary about being caught out, but she wasn’t going to admit it past the need to get back. “What about after your leg heals, Iho. What about then?” He was interesting and new and her responsibility. His answer was important.


"Speech"

A soft bark of laughter came from the shipwrecked lad when his youthful savior ducked away in embarrassment and remarked that he had nothing better to offer her, and that her parents would have to catch her for her to get told off. He smirked; she was mischievous and spelled trouble, but she was fun too. His tail swished happily over the grass and fur blanket, betraying his amusement with the young Ashen princess. He had never met royalty before, nor had he ever known anyone of a position of power beyond the leader of his small tribe back home, but he was a far cry from nobility. Something about it seemed so exotic to him, like Kitsune was a rare creature he got to see and study up close. It almost made being shipwrecked and nearly drowning worth it!

Kitsune put a pause on his good mood when she asked what would happen after his leg healed, demanding an answer from him. The mirth in his expression was replaced by startled uncertainty. He honestly didn't know what would happen then; he hadn't put that much forethought into what came next. Iho rarely did. He lived by flying by the seat of his pants for the most part. No plans, no itineraries, just doing what he wanted and going where he liked. "I... I don't know," he replied honestly, remaining lying on the ground so he could look at Kitsune more on her level than feeling like he was looming over her. "I haven't thought that far ahead. I mean, there's a lot of things that can change between now and then. Variables, y'know?"

Deciding it would be best not to commit to one outcome right now, he turned the question back on the little girl. "What do you want to happen then, Kit?"

"Kumiho"

She kept her misty blue eyes upon him. Holding his gaze steadily, knowing she wouldn’t take any misdirection in response to her question. She didn’t want to come back one of these days soon and find him simply gone. No goodbye, no nothing.

She watched as his laughter melted away, leaving him with a confused sort of pale blue. His answer felt honest, even if it didn’t satisfy her. She huffed softly, and rested her head on her paws, lying in front of him as she did so. His head was bigger, and his horns curved just over hers with the angle of their heads. She knocked her head up slightly, to poke her fire formed bones against his snowy mountain ones.

“Weeeellll…” she said slowly, drawing out the word. She was considering what she wanted, and what it meant. She already knew what she wanted, but would he understand or agree? “I saved your life. In the stories, that would mean your life is mine. I want you to stay here, as my royal subject. When I'm old enough, we can go on adventures together.” She’d heard of royalty having guards. He needed a bit of work and learning, but he could make a pretty impressive guard one day, right? And he would look so good beside her, with his contrasting coat. She puffed up her chest, sitting up a little more to look prim and proper. Her voice sharp, an imitation of her mother when she was delivering orders. It didn't help her image when she accidently knocked her antlers against hers once more when she drew herself up.

"Speech"

It didn't take a genius to see that his lack of a committal response had disappointed Kitsune. The little girl huffed, as she was prone to doing he was beginning to learn, then lay down with her face pouting into her paws. Seeing her tiny face this close to his felt almost like a humorous contrast, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He felt he'd teased the poor princess enough for one day. Any more and she might decide he wasn't worth the trouble and call for his head. Nah, who was he kidding? This soft little fur ball wasn't a danger to him. The soft smile returned while he watched her eyes move while her mind worked behind them. Whatever she was thinking, Iho got the distinct feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

Suddenly she lifted her head, startling him as their antlers conked together, molten magma meeting frozen ice with a little clatter. She began to speak again, and the way she drew out the intro definitely spelled trouble for him. Sure enough, Kitsune called for him to stay near Ashen lands as her royal subject—with emphasis on her subject in particular. All she asked in return was to go adventuring together when she got older. Well shit... she was trying to keep him tied to these lands, wherever this place was. When Iho left his home to see the world, he hadn't exactly been expecting to be held hostage by a miniature princess. And yet, here he was! Iho paused to consider his options for a moment. He wasn't exactly in any sort of position to be bartering or denying her. Plus who knows, this might be the big change in his life he'd been looking for, all wrapped up in a small black-furred package.

Just as he went to respond, Kit puffed up her chest and sat up with a start to try and look more regal. All it did though was knock their antlers together again with a clamor, making Iho burst into snickers. She tried so hard to be prim and proper, it was so damn adorable. "Well, if you treat me really nice as your subject, then maaaaaybe I can be persuaded to stick around," he said with a teasing tone to his voice, his smile slowly creeping into a playful grin as he spoke. He really didn't have any better ideas for his current predicament, nor did he have any plans for what came after, so being the royal subject to the Ashen princess seemed like the best option for him.

"Kumiho"