Kingsfall take this to my grave

@Naia

The person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger

There was a trot, his mind racing with information and ideas as he raised his maw, calling for his aunt Naia to ask her what Lachesis had suggested he ask her. There was no hesitance, and it was strictly a business call despite how much he would love to catch up with his aunt. He remembered talking to his Uncle Lachesis down at the lake and how he was not the only one who was suspicious of the one-eyed dragon’s presence. Still, they could both be acting on something that didn’t exist so that was why he was dragging his aunt into the discussion. He felt like a private investigator in a way, but there was no way he was going to speak to Maksim or Kisla on a hunch or dare he say a veiled jealousy.

He wasn’t going to get Lach into trouble either if it turned out to be nothing. Instead of acting impulsively like he had in the past, he was going to be honest and think things through. He wasn’t going to react explosively over a comment or an action like he had with Aponi or Mercy or Mapplethorpe. He was also set on not holding a grudge, like he held against Elettra. Here there be dragons. There was a small grin to him as his tail wagged, thumping softly against the ground as the scarred man sat tall, waiting for the arrival of his aunt. It might have been easier to seek her out, since she could be out scouting, but the thought had not passed his mind until it was already too late.

Naia’s ears flew to attention as a summons for her rose into the Kingsfall sky. It only took a split second for her to identify the caller as her adoptive nephew Karpos. His tone was not urgent per say, but it was businesslike, indicating that they would be speaking as guardian and scout, not aunt and nephew. Naia began to travel in the direction of the summons at a brisk pace, looking forward to seeing the young Slayer despite the professional intention of their meeting. He was growing up to look so much like his father, and Naia could only hope that she and Lachesis were doing enough to nurture Shade’s compassion and leadership qualities within the lad as well. The boy had experienced so much pain; there was only so much from which a yearling could bounce back.  

Karpos was sitting up tall and handsome when Naia approached, looking ever the loyal guardian. The two of them had seen dozens of wolves pass through the River ranks, and somehow just a pawful remained for the long haul like the ex-Trail members. Even Karpos’s sister and adoptive mother had been transient, and Naia had to wonder how Adsila or Anastasia could do that to Karpos, adding two more heartbreaks to the list that was already far too long for such a young wolf. Naia smiled her greeting to her nephew, noting the scars crisscrossing his pelt. None of those better be from the dragon, Naia thought acerbically, her honey eyes looking stormy for just a moment as she recalled the rumor that Kjors had challenged for Karpos’s rank. The look vanished as she addressed the boy in her usual lighthearted tone. “Hello Karpos, you’re well I hope?” The woman’s tail waved back and forth in her curiosity. 

@Naia

The person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger

A visit with his aunt, the only one who had bothered to stick around for his life which instantly made her his favorite, had been long overdue. He hadn’t actively spent much time with Naia, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t family and that their lack of communication wasn’t a concern of his. It was his constant fretting over his family that made him who he was, which meant a lot to him. His uncle had told him he had leadership skills and more importantly, had charisma but he didn’t believe it as much. He had made too many mistakes to believe that he had skills with other wolves, though he supposed his uncle was just trying to be nice to him.

Soon, the familiar brown, crème, and black wolf made an appearance, greeting him and asking how he was with a certain lighthearted yet curious tone. “Hello, Aunt Naia! I’m as good as I can be, I guess. I’ve been doing some investigation for Maksim, and I had a few questions for you as a scout… and I wanted to catch up, since we’ve both been extremely busy and all.” Karpos felt a small tingle, a sense of nervousness if you will, in his spine as he spoke. He wasn’t truly nervous; just he was starting to wonder if he wanted to know the answers to the questions he was going to ask her. He wanted to know if the dragon was one to worry about, but at the same time, they could all hold their own against him.