he lingers near blackfeather, rebuilding his strength from forgotten caches and small prey. vaati is in no shape to travel further, or risk exposing a weakened self to not only the elements but awaiting rivals. though he has not taken an official residence under the wood's dominion, he sees no reason why anyone should protest to his presence under its shadow haven. despite the fact that he had no wish to pursue any claim to the dark woods, it was his birthright, after all. 

as he walks through the territory, a dart of silver graces his peripherals and he snaps his head towards it as the figure disappears into the underbrush. vaati's eyes narrow a fraction, unable to see the creature beneath the shadows and haze, but his nostrils flare and catch on to the scent of his child. following closely, he finds her dragging along a bone belonging not to prey, but likely, another of their kind killed on the borders of the territory. perhaps, killed by vaati himself. pushing through the bushes, he comes to stand in her path, blocking her course with his much larger frame. he nudges his head in the direction of the aged bone dangling in her teeth. "the remnants of your enemy?" he asks her, though he does not offer an amused smirk this time. the brute of a man is assessing her, attempting to figure out who she takes after -- her father or her mother?

though he probably should have, he doesn't question who this 'eyes' individual is -- assuming it to be a nickname of another child or adult within the dark woods. it is hela's next statement that draws a surprised intrigue from him, yet not out of the taboo nature of her claim. "why should you let something such as size stop you? you are a melonii, are you not?" the man challenges her, narrowed eyes piercing her frigid gaze. however, he does not say it with the intent to push her towards an act such as murder, but consider the fact that she should demand greater respect from her peers. it was her right. the concept of his own offspring being pushed around in the lands of their ancestors -- lands that they owned by blood -- seemed like a severe miscarriage of justice. 

"however," he pauses, briefly wondering if this was information too volatile to be sharing with a child. though, had he not been exposed to such content at her age? in the end, it had served him well to grow up quickly, for the world did not shock him once he set out on his own. vaati goes on, "killing does not necessarily require brute force, but intelligence and skill." hydra had forced him to his knees once and while the titan had been much larger than her at the time, her combative skill had been unparalleled. ultimately, it was the reason he now bore a slash across his throat. size was a useful aid, but that alone was not enough to win. "and if these people have made an enemy out of my daughter, they must not be that smart." he cocks his head, matter-of-factly. perhaps if she would not deal with her foes, he would do it himself. that's what fathers did, right?

the fact that the target of her ill-wishes lied within the woods as kin remained of little consequence to him, nor did it change his viewpoint on the topic. at an equally young age, vaati had asserted that he was the most dominant of his peers and it did not change. it was something he wished for his own children, for within their lands and beyond was a cruel game of survival that preyed on the weak and spat out the cowardly. if there was anything he could assure about his kids, it was that his girls would be neither.