Skoll had been growing increasingly difficult to deal with these days. Once upon a time, it had been a delight to spy on the little cub of a prince, watching him play by himself and listening to him practice new words on his own in conversations with himself. Now, times had changed. Angier was the one who was constantly being watched and whenever the dark princeling caught sight of the aging Lyall, it was in the patriarch's best interests to make himself scarce and ignore Skoll completely. Most recently - actually, just in passing while on the way over to this part of the Ridge - the two had almost squared off. The yearling had started it, offering a provoking growl where there had once been a somewhat respectful woof; Angier, in attempt to put Skoll in his place, had ended up in something of a face-off. The only thing that had broken them apart was Skoll's inexperience in dealing with such a heavy and sure-footed target and Angier's unwillingness to let the dominance displays escalate into anything more. A flash of Skoll's teeth and the Lyall was off with a snort and a frustrated growl.

He had just been walking along when he had spotted her there, shaking the snow out of her coat. Facing Skoll's age-mate, though, was a different story. Where the dainty princess had once been squealing after him with her chirps of "Anjee!," there now stood a young woman who was just as beautiful, intimidating, and as fiery as Elettra herself. He let a small smile settle on his grizzled maw as he stopped to look at her, offering a low woof in a friendly 'hello.' He would be damned if she even dared to do as her brother had done. He might have merely been their step-father by name, but as hard as he tried, he had done everything in his power to raise Elettra's "sired" litter into outstanding members of his mate's pack. Morganna, as he had always known, was his favorite and she had never done so much as flash her teeth towards him (so long as he never pressured her to do anything she didn't want to do).

His hackles, which had initially been raised from his encounter with the Archer prince, had lowered now and his raised tail gave her an amiable wave. "Least the blizzards' 'ave let up," he stated, maintaining his distance from her in case she was not in the mood for smalltalk. A quick sniff and a glance around alerted him to the normalcy of it all - no sickness or blood, no signs of injury or anything 'off' or 'peculiar' in her scent - but then, with the realization of Morganna's possibly detachment, there came the feeling of being watched.

A tilt of his tawny head relayed his partial confusion and genuine interest in the girl's business being out on her own. "Everythin' all right?"

The Princess Morgana gave him a respectful greeting, a straightforward and painless touch of her muzzle to his chin and a puff of air in a neutral sort of salutation in return. She let him know that she was all right; and, as far as he was concerned, no harm had come to her and her reasons for being alone within pack boundaries were possibly for the sake of quiet, blissful solitude. She had been thinking, however, and what had come to mind had taken Angier by surprise. It really shouldn't have, seeing as the young royal was soon coming up on the cusp of adulthood but, now, he felt guilty to ever have assumed that she might have taken up the same attitude and outlook as her brother. With Morganna being so much like her mother, naturally, she went about things the 'right' way... the way maybe Elettra would have preferred her to.

It had occurred to her that Spring was an important time of year - not only was it a time for birthdays, warmer weather, hunting and cache collecting, but for new cubs, also - and with such a realization came the ideas and ambitions of what she might become in the second year of her life. Angier smiled at her, his bottle brush of a tail waving amiably at the thought of her musings. It warmed his heart, really, that she might have found her calling; and, where her brother might have dictated what his place was within the pack, she proposed the idea of what could be.

To be frank, Angier had indeed taken notice of Morganna's brief absences from the pack lands, but time and time again, he was able to take note of the occasions in which she returned home. She was usually never gone for long if she left at all, and it eventually occurred to him that he ought to never worry about her. She was an Archer; and, Archers, he knew, were more than capable of finding and making their own way. Obviously, her brother @Asriel had managed just fine.

"That sounds like a grand idea," he replied, wanting so much to encourage her further on her path towards becoming a full-fledged member of Willow Ridge. "I'm pretty sure yer mother would really like that." His smile inched up a little higher on his muzzle; and, as he looked her over, he admired the becoming features in her face, the sheen in her fur and notably the length of her dark-furred forelimbs. In his opinion, she would make a fine Lookout. He eased himself into a sitting position, his curved tail still wagging about. "Anythin' else you've been thinkin' 'bout?"

Her face seemed to change and, while waiting for her to assembled in her mind what she had wanted to say, he studied her. At the moment he had all the patience and time in the world. In the blink of an eye the - his little princess had grown up and he was more than interested to find out what she had to say. It came with a frown, “I’ve been lookin’ fer Asriel.” Angier's face mirrored her scowl but it did not linger on his brows for long.

It made sense, the way he saw it. While Sköll typically ran off in search of solitude, Morganna would use her time wisely and spend her hours on something productive. This simple declaration had also explained that one instance in which he came across her scent trail and noticed that it had led towards the foothills of the mountain. Her brother had gone after her, which was the only reason why he did not bother to seek her out.

She explained further and all Angier could lend was an understanding and insightful, "I see..."

“I was thinkin’ when it gets a bit warmer I want to go a bit further north," she then added, "an’ maybe over the mountain, see if I can find where he got to.” The Lyall's heartstrings would have tightened around the girl if they had been something tangible and practical for tethering someone close to home. Morganna was his and Elettra's only (step-)daughter; Willow Ridge's future should Elettra see her as fit for such an aspiration. Having grown up among brothers, both her litter mates and younger half-siblings, she, he felt, was the one to prize and favor above them. She truly was her mother's daughter.

"If yer askin' me fer permission, I'd give it to ya," he said, his smile straightening a bit in the seriousness of the subject matter. "In a heartbeat... but, you'll need ta clear it with yer mother first. You can tell 'er that I would allow ya. Every youth needs that chance ta stretch their legs an' see the world, even if only fer a lil' bit." He gave a small snort as though he were holding back a partial laugh. "Reckon it'd be nice to 'ave Asriel home. Maybe he'd put yer brother in line. Keep 'im from actin' out all the time."

He gave a small sigh, "He 'asn't been troublin' you lately, has 'e?"

Her smile could have warmed him a thousand times over. Just knowing, hearing, and seeing for himself that Morganna was happy made him feel accomplished. As if he had done something right, proof that he was capable of a number of things. He mentally latched and held onto the feeling. Goodness only knew just how quickly it would all fizzle out if Sköll happened to stomp his way again.

He pulled his gaze from her and looked elsewhere, towards the bare curtains of willow branches and wherever the snow remained untouched on the frozen ground. She retorted with an answer that clearly told him that she, more than most, knew how to handle herself in the presence of her more devious brother. Angier let out the small chuckle he had initially withheld. He should have known that better than any; Morganna had to deal with him all throughout her cub-hood, most of the time succeeding in getting revenge for his little antics and false fronts for what might have been an invitation to rough house. The Lyall, himself, might not have seen anything more than the few playful nips they gave one another and the verbal show-downs they had had to establish within their puppy hierarchy, but it become a fact now that the princess held precedence in any case. Sköll only believed he was the more dominant of his siblings.

When he came to look at her again, his tail gave one more small wave to one side before growing still. His head canted to one side with a lopsided smile. Was that all she had been brooding on? He had to wonder. If there was anything else, now was her chance before her grand "solo expedition." Nothing was more terrible than traveling with a heavy heart or a mental hoard of unanswered questions. "Was that all?" he quietly asked, his tone inviting and coaxing at all the right notes. "Ya know you tell me anythin', Morganna, an' I can promise that I won't tell anyone else if ya don't want me to."