Kintla Flatlands we can't compete with the squirrels

Eske’s ears flutter back slightly as the girl avoids her touch but then again, realizes that affection might be some sort of sore subject for her and that they don’t actually know one another all that well. She would apologize for it later but not here. Not in front of this stranger whose own sharp words greet her. There is a flick of the Wanlida’s tail against her hocks, trying to deduce where he gets off being sharp just because she’s doing what any guardian would do: protect those beneath her care; and she knows nothing of him. How is she to know he’s not some sort of cradle robber? Some sort of kidnapper? Truly, it’s not as personal as this man appears to take it. Eske would be this way with any stranger around the girl. “Not that I owe you any explanation but I was giving her space to roam as freely as she pleases. I am not her jail keeper and she does not need to have me or one of mine with her at all times, but for the record I was close-by.” Eske knows that she, herself, would have hated being constantly shadowed ( and sometimes she does dislike having escorts that accompany her places especially when she can take care of herself ). Gyda had never been an overbearing mother and Eske in this ( as she has no real experience with caring for a child ) seeks to emulate her mother.

“As far as talking to strangers goes, the conversation appears to be one-sided. If she doesn’t wish to speak to you, it’s not your place to force her to.” Considering she has yet to even speak to Eske herself ( if it’s something she’s even capable of doing ). Eske doesn’t trust him. She’s made that clear. Yet, she doesn’t want him causing trouble for Heda or Drageda because he thinks they intend to claim. Eske wants nothing to do with these lands. His next question prickles at her and her hackles bristle slightly — it’s not really any of his business ( and oh! how her tongue burns to speak the words ) because they aren’t bothering his pack, but clearly he’s been monitoring them closely without their knowledge. Or at least, this is how she percieves his question to mean. Wanlida shifts her weight and fixes him in an stare to seek to prove her honesty. “We’re on a scouting trip. Once we find what we’re looking for we will leave.” She does not give him any more details than that. She has told him their purpose in this area in the hopes that it would appease him into leaving them alone while they search for Arlo and Wildfire.