Blackwater Islands searching for smoke in a stillwater pond

Akantha was satisfied, for now, by his continued deference. She took a bit of joy in it, of course, but knew better than to let to go too far because she valued him too much to scare him off with her prickly tendencies. By allowing her muscles to relax and her ears to shift back to a more casual set, Akantha silently released them both from the need to posture. While she still had suspicions of his involvement with Kalika, she chose not to question him. He knew his place well enough, like Whip, and remained respectful despite their rocky start (both presently and before in the grotto).

The swarthy Matriarch swung her great head around to regard him with a quirk of her brow, and a lopsided smirk. "And that won't be a problem for you?" She asked somewhat rhetorically, not really caring for the answer. Akantha drew in a breath before straightening a bit, bracing her paws against the sand, and shaking out her windswept pelt. A few tufts of shed fur erupted from her fading winter coat and fell upon the sand. Her jaws parted as a yawn overtook her but when it passed she abruptly set off down the beach in the direction he came, inviting him along with a gentle sweep of her tail over his flank.

"Do you have any questions for me so far?" she asked over her shoulder to the pale boy with the curious accent.