i'm coming to terms -- ae kids & battle summons (open!)

[number nine.]

The loud and drawn out call of his name caused Number Nine to lift his head, ears perking up as the jaguar inspected the forest around him. He had been having a hell of a time attempting to hunt out in the Twisted Forest, but it seemed as though he no longer needed to focus on his ill-fated little task. Instead, he now had children that he needed to watch over, if his judgment of the voice that had called for him was correct. Letting out an amused little chuckle, Nine slowly spread out his large and small wings, taking off into the air and being careful to avoid the trees that crowded around him. It wasn't long before he was airborne, gliding lazily from the cramped forest towards the wide open expanse that the boardwalk presented. As he grew closer, he could already see the crowd of shapes that were following after Laeglin, clearly the entire crowd of children that they had been told they were going to harbor. As he came to a landing next to Rhinestone, he shook his pelt and feathers out, dropping off a few fallen leaves before he spoke, "You're Laeglin, right? Bai Shi told us about you. I'm Number Nine, a warrior here. Like I'm sure Rhine already mentioned, I'm gonna be helping to watch the little ones while the battle is going on." He then offered the tom a calm smile, hoping that Laeglin was alright despite the trek that he had taken to get there.

Turning his attention then towards Wuyi, Nine felt a fond rumbling laugh unfurl forth from his chest, his words kind as he exclaimed, "Wuyi! It's good to see you again... I'm excited to teach you all about flying while you're here. And maybe some other combat things, if we've got the time. Although, hopefully Alithís and our warriors can drive those nasty bandits out real quick." He then reached a broad paw out to pat xyr on the head, a surprisingly carefree smile on the jaguar's muzzle. While he had initially thought he was just going to head into battle with the rest, he had ultimately decided against it, mainly due to his interactions with Wuyi. While he didn't really want children of his own, he certainly didn't mind playing babysitter, something that was becoming quite obvious at the moment. With his hidden gaze moving from Wuyi over to Poppy, he questioned softly, "And... who might you be? Like I said to Laeglin there, I'm Number Nine. But you can just call me Nine, since it's easier." Poppy seemed a great deal more shy than Wuyi, but that might have just been because Wuyi had been in Palmclan's territory before.

HELLBENT ON MAKING YOU LOVE ME TOO