“Ahhh….”

Kjell trailed off, giving the pup – well, he wasn’t that much of a child anymore, off on his own – giving the yearling a considering look, as if he was seeing the pale wolf for the first time. His niece had given him bits and pieces of the life she’d had before the wildcat, back with the River wolves and her mother. It was mostly about her mother, but he had come to understand that Karina had raised another pairs’ cubs as well. He just hadn’t any idea they were so close. Bennet hadn’t exactly been in a talkative mood, most the time, and with his skull throbbing, Kjell wasn’t much in the mood for extracting information, anyways.

“Well, if I see her again, ‘ll let her know. And I expect you’ll do the same fer me, yeah?” he rumbled, raising a brow. As it were, he couldn’t up and look right now, not with Pip and Aegir, not with everything as it was. “Suspect she’ll be back, though. Hard thing t’see, yer old man dyin’. Couldn’t begrudge her a bit of time to herself.”

Sadly, Kjell spoke from experience, there. He’d been younger – it hadn’t been as violent – at least, not until Kjors had gotten involved. “Look, kid, I gotta get a move on, but I’ll keep my eye out, okay?”