Her words are heavy on his ears and he's almost speechless. Her eyes are void of the doe-like wetness the a child usually has. Even his little starry mistress Vessel has the glassy stare of wide-eyed wonderment that this girl lacks and Ves is much older. He thinks of Sreva as well with her innocence – this little purple wonder is nothing like them. As wondrous, unique and on fire as all of his women are...they're different than this girl, the flower-child with pastel stripes and moves like smoke.

Normally Chem's sole motivation when approaching the opposite sex has something to do with his primeval arousal, his spark of natural interest in them, but it's different here. She's literally way too young to light any sexual embers, even for him, but something about her potential makes her desirable all the same. He wants to have her with him, under his protection, in his family – under his watch.

When she moves off it's like she has him on a string, leashed behind her by the nose. His feet thump against the cracked earth, he keeps pace just behind her. Their hooves slash and gauge effortlessly into the Earth's wet spongy flesh. “North, and then eastward just a little, it's the Volcano range just below the Tundra and north of the Chamber.” He's not sure if she knows where to go but he lets her urn in front of him for a while, maybe even the whole way if she can navigate properly. He wonders if she can easily lope the whole way, like him. She's young, but fit, and he lets her set the pace. If they canter the whole way then it is because she allows them to, and if they don't, it is because she's slowed down and he matches her. He's already quite impressed with the little lass, but there's always room for more and more and more. Naturally he tests everything to it's max, including adoptive wards, apparently.

chemdog

astra inclinant, sed non obligant.