Very real consequences. Like what though? She didn't really wanna know, she was tired of this line of questions in her head.

Her delight was palpable on her face as he encouraged her.
The best swimmer in the Armada?! That sounded amazing! She could totally be the best swimmer in the Armada! She let him usher her out of the water and gave her whole body a hearty shake. One paw after the other and then all over again. Making her tilt over and nearly lose her footing. She bounded off toward the Col with her tongue out but suddenly drew herself up short and looked at her paws. Hey feets, do you remember how many lengths Daddy said to stay near him? She pointedly looked back along the floor and noticed she was pretty darn close to bouncing out of "The line."

"I almost forgot!" She said seriously, instead taking a spin to wait for him to lead them. "Can we go to the market now? Please please please?" She asked with her head craning almost upside down at him. She'll happily skip and bounce right alongside him as he walks them to the Col.


"Selene"

They shook off, and his spirited child began to bound off. Just as he was considering putting a leash on her, she stopped. Looking at her paws, before padding back to him. Good, very good. She was learning. He kissed her crown as he caught up to her and chuckled. “We can” he agreed. She needed to see that there were benefits to listening, and not just consequences for acting out.

He led her out of the storage den, and trotted the short way up the Col to the market. He turned to her before they past the guards at the entrance, his eyes serious. “Best behaviour, little bean.” He warned her, before letting the expression melt into a smile and led her inside.

"Basilisk"

Her whole body wiggled under his tender kiss and she pressed her head against his mouth as her way of returning it. Skittering beside him in bounces and bounds she was beyond excited at the prospect of going into the market with him! Absolutely beside herself jumping back and forth with overwhelmed glee.

Best behavior! Best behavior! She trotted beside him as they passed the guards, she briefly scrunched her face and stuck her tongue out at the one who had refused her entry before before bounding a few steps ahead of her daddy. She was a princess! She gets to go where she wants!

The market was bustling as usual, but she had never SEEN so much in her eyes at once! Or HEARD! The sounds and the smells were so new and different and there was so much going on! Her heart sped up and her breathing grew shallow and quick as she kept seeing new and exciting things! Why was someone yelling about tumeric? What was that? Ohhhh shiny! So many sparkly things! She wove and dove around legs and stands and tables. There were books and trinkets and knives, and spices and dangly things, and tasty things and smelly things and noisy things! Her head was suddenly light and her paws were all tingly as she had been breathing too quickly while she dashed this way and that. Her eyes glazed shiny like glass and she started running. She couldn't get enough of the sensations in her eyes! She had to see more! She had to hear more! What was it like over here? What were they saying over here? Everything was so big! There were so many people!

She didn't know what was going on anymore! She was panting hard and she couldn't see her Daddy anymore! Oh no! She spun in a circle, but her eyes had stopped seeing anything in front of her! She wanted to yell out for her Daddy but suddenly her mouth didn't work at all! Everything was too loud! Too much! Too many colors and confusing voices! Panicked and overwhelmed she found a deep corner beside one of the quieter stalls and buried her head into the crevice to make everything stop. Everything needed to just stop so she could find her Daddy! She was gonna be in so much trouble! She'll never be able to come again! Ever! Daddy will be so disappointed!

"Selene"

Allowing the kids into the Market was allowing them a glimpse into the greater world. It was more unpredictable what they might witness, and who they might come across. He could understand why Ignita might worry, even if he didn’t want her smothering them. They needed a few scraped knees and life lessons.

They entered the market proper, and he kept an eye on the silver wolf. Knowing she was likely to get overwhelmed. He was curious to see how long his lesson would stick… he saw when she started to move away from him, overwhelmed and distracted. He watched her, ensuring no one would trip over her small form when she looked about herself and realised she couldn’t see him. He was only a few tables away, his eyes trained on her.

When she crawled into a crevice he trotted over, and knelt down beside it. “Come on, little Selene. I know its a lot to take in, but you can’t hide away from what scares you. Come on, take my hand…” he soothed gently.

"Basilisk"

Watery tears were pouring out of her pink eyes and her nose sniffed. Her head was pressed hard into the crevice as if it helped block out the sounds and smells, or the pain of her head against the rock side of the market cavern gave her something to focus on. He could barely hear her father's words but she recognised the tone. He was soothing her like he did when she had an upset stomach when she had too much milk when she was younger. Bleary-eyed and sniffly she slowly pulled herself out of the crevice. A stranger shouted something and another sound clashed into her overworked sensitive ears and she bolted into the space between his hip and stomach! The sound had suddenly hurt!

The world became known again. The smell and warmth and feel of his fur helped the screaming tension in her tiny body melt. She could hear the thudding of his heartbeat over everything now. She burrowed harder into his hip, imagining the safe warm place of their den. She didn't know there could ever be Too Many things at once before!

"Selene"

Basilisk considered Selene as she slowly crawled out, and then dashed beneath him. It seemed, for all her curiosity and desire to explore, she could be easily overwhelmed. That would not do, that would not do at all… But, he could not simply throw her to the wolves and expect her to cope. Instead, he snagged a scarf off a shelf beside him, and gently shuffled Selene to where he could better reach her.

He tied the scarf over her ears, like sometimes you did when you wanted to bathe without getting your ears wet. Enough to dampen and soften the sounds around her. “There, is that better?’


"Basilisk"