Noctisardor Bypass Put my gun away when it's loaded.

'member that big man? Kikimora piped up with it suddenly and without warning, silvery blue eyes unwavering on @Druid's face, you got mad ad 'im. She had not forgotten the anger in her mother's voice as she stepped over her child and used it to keep the giant at bay.

Who was he?

In the weeks since that confrontation, the girl had found herself wondering in the quiet spaces she made for herself. The interloper had never returned that she was aware of, but his interest in her family had been cause for concern.

Her daughter’s unexpected question made her stiffen initially, though Druid coaxed herself to relax. She returned the girl’s inquisitive stare with a speculative one of her own, deliberating how to word an age-appropriate reply.

It takes two wolves to create pups: a male, the father, and a female, the mother. He helped me create you and your brother and sisters. After he did that, though, he started treating other wolves very badly, so I asked him to leave. His name was Glaukos.

She could only imagine the two dozen questions that might spring from that one, so she shifted her weight, folded her forelegs over one another and waited patiently with one slightly arched brow to see what else Kikimora might ask her today.

Druid looked to her, and the intensity of her stare brought about a desire within the cub to shrink. She blinked, dark ears splaying. There was regret within her for asking as silence hung between mother and little daughter but, when her dam began to explain that she'd been created by both she and this mystery giant, concern was replaced by confusion. It wasn't a topic that Kikimora had ever considered before: how did I get here?

The details were spared, thankfully, and she accepted the vagueness. Some sort of magic shared between her mother and this Glaukos made most sense to the child, who turned her focus to the fact that her apparent "father" had treated others badly.

Why'd he go bad? Kikimora asked, her voice small. Am I bad?

Trust a child to pose the million dollar question. Druid didn’t know the answer, though she doubted the Butternut would be appeased unless she offered some sort of explanation. While she mulled, Kiki asked a second question, which earned a cant of the Den Mother’s head.

No, she said firmly and simply, you’re my wunderkind. Your Aunt Heda and I have made sure of that. I don’t think Glaukos had that when he was your age: good parental figures, I mean. I think that’s part of why he treated others badly.

It was a complex topic for someone so young, not to mention dark. She didn’t fault the young lady for her curiosity, though she didn’t think Kikimora should be dwelling on such matters at her age. Druid wondered if she couldn’t shift the child’s attention elsewhere.

His name was Glaukos. Did you know I have a given name too? It’s Druid. And I’d love it if you called me that, though you can always call me mama or whatever else you like, she made sure to tack on, following Artio’s reaction to this information.

The firmness of Druid's "no" brought some comfort, for she'd given her children no reason to doubt her word. What he do? Kikimora asked, eyes wide with curiosity as she began think up all the bad things she'd experienced in her short life.

His name was Glaukos, the Den Mother repeated, and Kikimora twitched her oversized ears. Druid carried on, attempting to distract her from darker topics, but the speckled youngster was too young to recognise this. She carried on, offering her own name, and suggested that she could call her thus if she so wished.

Droo-id, she drawled, and enjoyed the sound.

Kikimora seemed a lot more keen on the name than Artio. Druid’s face actually lit up when she sounded it out. It was a little silly but it was really such a joy hearing it in each of her children’s voices.

He hurt Anselm and Etienne for no good reason. Not that there’s many good reasons to hurt someone, Druid replied carefully. Anyhow, back to names: do you like it when I call you Kiki? Or would you rather I called you something else?