allegro

He'd expected to be met with the same rough-and-tumble attitude most of Drageda's and Trigeda's youths had, but instead Koi seemed to shrink down. She didn't relinquish her hold on the antler, for which he was privately glad, but her reaction wasn't what Ephraim anticipated and it made him pause. He went slack-jawed, allowing the tine he'd seized to drop from his lips as she spoke in a hushed voice, then asked a question that, to him, didn't make a lot of sense.

What? he inquired, neither certain what 'peace be' meant nor sure exactly what she was asking. Did he keep it? Sure, he would keep it if she gave it to him, but he'd really just been meaning to have a bit of a game with the antler. He so often felt he had to keep up appearances in Drageda that when he had an opportunity to loosen up without anyone seeing how childish he could be, Ephraim was happy to seize it. But it seemed she was less inclined, as his eyes panned over her dark-to-light configuration and the almost submissive way she clutched the antler with dainty paws while melting into the ground. His gaze lingered on her curious ears for a moment before he decided to try another tactic, one he probably should have started with.

Do you know tug of war? he wondered.