"Promise," Kjors mumbled right back, perfectly at ease with the pup and her requests. The woman would never find him, but regardless of the witch and her wicked ways, he would defend the tiny princess. "An' yer sister, too. She wanders an awful lot. Y'sure yer—"

But he never got to finish his thought, story time interrupted by the appearance of the mighty titan who laid claim to the Queen and sired all the heirs to the River clan. Finally, they met. If Kjors didn’t know better, he'd think the elusive king had been avoiding him all this time. Ears rolled back as he lifted his snout, allowing the princess to toddle to her father's feet without protest. He could expect little else of his darling girl, no? But the tone was not lost on the dragon, and the griffon was met with a mouth full of daggers.

"Ah imagine y'have," he replied with a twinkle in his golden eye. "Ah have tha' effect, y'know. Comes when y' actually pay attention t' folk." But I don't suppose you'd know much about that, would you? he sang in his head. The dragon roared to life inside his chest, the rush of blood almost deafening in his ears as he lifted himself off the ground. Something in his better sense warned against the sway, the casual wag of his tail and the tip of his head, but how could he help it? Maksim had come with only one thing on his mind, that much was obvious. Why else would he interrupt his child's obvious joy?

"Y'need somethin', 'er y'come t' ask 'bout th' eye, too?"

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Oh, yes, what any wise man would do, Kjors thought bitterly.  His lips fell, but the smile did not dissipate, the threat of teeth dancing in his single eye as he fought the urge to laugh.  Large, powerful and healthy, @Maksim was not a wolf to be underestimated.  The male had no interest in a fight, not today, not with Lekalta underfoot, but it was clear that he would not simply bare his neck and allow the King his throat on command of it.  If @Karina asked him, he would relent without question – if @Kisla asked him, he might consider it for a moment, and relent all the same.  It had come to the point that he'd begun to trust the Queen, and wished to please her and her offspring.

Her mate, however—

His tail swished behind his rump in a snaking serpentine, unable to keep still as his gaze shifted from the posturing king to his young daughter.  The smile the princess was offered was much more genuine, ears tipping forward as he hummed.  "Oh, aye.  Only th' bad ones lose an eye t' a witch.  Th' thing is, she was a witch, an' Ah'm a dragon – there's no love lost between th' two.  Now, understand, in th' Greenwood there was only one beta.  A King, and his lover, an' directly beneath 'im a beta – an' tha' was th' witch, slowly stealin' th' man away from his wife," he hummed, thoroughly enraptured by his story.  His eye was only for Lekalta, gauging her reaction, hoping she found the story as entertaining as she did the last.  "Now, see, witches can use magic t' do such things – some wolves don' know, 'er mebbe they don' much care.  Either way, she'd a spell 'round the King of the Greenwood, an' Ah sought t' stop her.  Knock 'er down a rank, 'fer a dragon knows magic when he sees it, though he's got none of his own.  Got in a argy-bargy with 'er, terribly fierce, an' then th' teeth an' th' claws."

Ah, how desperately he wished to knock S down from her post.  He'd have killed her, had she not gotten the upper paw on him. "Bu' she used her magic on me, my dear, and 'fer me insolence, she took th' eye, made sure Ah'd never challenge 'er again.  Suppose she wasn' wrong – Ah didn'.  Ah left, after tha'.  Ain't much point stayin' there, not when no one would listen.  So y'see, Ah was very bad, an' she punished me fer it.  But ye'll never have such pro'lems, mhm, Lekalta?  Yer a good lass."

Eventually, his gaze drifted back up to Maksim, something self-satisfied in his gaze as he hummed softly.  Was the story true?  Was it fiction?  He gave no indication, though he certainly sounded earnest enough.  Clearly he believed some of it, if not all, though Kjors made no attempt to continue.  "Y'need another story, 'er yer curiosity's satisfied, now?"

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Perhaps it was too much to hope that satisfying the princess would satisfy her father, too.  Already Kjors regretted his presence, though he did his best keep on his bright expression and relaxed composure.  If only it was as easy to be around Maksim as it was his mate – inherently, he trusted women less, and mothers even less than that, but something about Kisla had earned the dragon’s begrudgingly loyalty.  Apparently, it did not extend beyond the woman herself, for the River King was met with considerably less enthusiasm.

“Naw, Ah think yer sister’s alright,” he drawled softly, bobbing his head towards Lekalta.  He’d met the darker pup before, and while she’d been wandering perhaps a bit too far, he thought the young Baranski princess to be no more rambunctious or wandering than any other pup her age.  She was polite enough, she was well-meaning – there was no reason for any of the Baranski princesses to fear.  (It was unlikely the witch would ever be seen again, and even if she were, Kjors had no doubt the wolves of Hearthwood River would rise up to run her out, especially if she hinted at harm towards any of the pack’s youth.)

Eventually, his attention was drawn back to the alpha male and he puffed softly.  He should have known, Maksim couldn’t leave it at story time.  Oh no, he’d have to ruin the pleasant time @Lekalta was having with questions of the eldest princess.  Ears flattened out to the side.   “Been teachin’ her t’ defend herself.  With her visual diability, tha’ is,” he rumbled, tilting his head so the empty socket was all the more apparent.  While his lost organ limited his depth perception, and @Karina struggled with the clarity of images, to find another wolf who had visual issues at all was something of a boon, and they took what they were handed.  “Also teachin’ her t’ accept it.  Ain’t somethin’ wrong with her.  Jes’ her.  Jes’ th’ way it is.  Ah ain’t keepin’ her from Nineteen, y’know.  She does an awful lotta practice on her own.”

But this couldn’t be going anywhere good.  Shifting his weight, the subordinate took a step back, glancing from princess to king, and back again.   “Now, s’tha’ all…?  Thought t’ catch meself somethin’ t’ eat while th’ day’s still in.”

Fade.

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