Bottom of the valley

A tiny lilac pup covered with purple swirling markings, wings made of a glowing magenta light landed beside Daybreak with a thud quite suddenly and unexpectedly. Completely oblivious to the standoff, she leapt joyously onto his back.
"Hey dad!" she chirruped, clambering to his neck to look at the crowd over his head. "What's going on?"

"Trying to bargain." Daybreak explained, "Cynder wants to hurt us if we don't hand over our prisoner. But I'm offering a trade."

"Is that how a trade works?" enquired the lilac fluffball, pink eyes fixated on the company in front. "It sounds fun!"
She nibbled her dad's ear in the same way she had seen Kaiti do before pausing to speak again.
"So is that brown fluffy wolf who's in Mother's cushions the 'prsioner'?" she asked.

"Yes, her name is Brook. She is a fun toy." Daybreak confirmed.

"She had cool wings," remarked P'Taia vaguely, picturing the scarred she-wolf in her little mind. "What do you do with 'toys', Dad?"

"I play with toys." Daybreak replied.

"Does that mean that mummy repairs broken toys?" asked P'Taia, a picture of Kaiti's actions towards Brook flashing through her memory. "So you can re-use them?"

Daybreak paused, thinking.
"Yes...Yes I suppose that is the case."

"So they're trying to steal the toy mum repaired?" P'Taia looked at Cynder, her tiny lilac features graced with an expression of disappointment.
"That's a shame."

"They aren't our friends either." Daybreak added.
Chessru took a step forwards, "You want power Daybreak."

"That's all he wants, Chessru." Cynder said. She turned to P'Taia. The little pup had identified Daybreak as her father. But that wasn't possible. Or was it?

"Daddy is the most powerful daddy and you can't do anything about it," backed up P'Taia valiantly, eager to defend her family. She glanced at Cynder's questioning face and raised her little wolven eyebrows in response.
"Why are you staring at me?" she asked matter-of-factly, returning her look with her own pink gaze.

Daybreak grinned proudly, but said nothing.

"I'm just looking." Cynder said simply. "Again, you're ARE going to have to be more specific."

"Daddy is always specific. Maybe you are just stupid?" suggested the lilac puppy, her pink runic wings dancing in the breeze as she tightened her grip slightly on her father's head to avoid being blown off by the strong breeze.
"I'm less than a moon old and everything he says is clear as crystal to me!"

Cynder flexed her claws angrily.

"I am not playing mind games. I asked your father who he wanted. He has not named anyone yet."

Daybreak flicked his tail aggressively.

"Final clue, Cynder. I'm looking right at them."

"What if the evil robot-wolf attacks mummy?" P'Taia enquired, nibbling her father's ear with inherited absent-mindedness. "I guess mummy' stronger, though. Mummy's the best mummy." she reassured herself with a grin. "She'll keep daddy's toys safe, right, dad?"

"Yeah, mummy is great. Mummy will keep the toys safe, because if evil robot wolf attacks mummy, she'll have to hurt me to hurt mummy." Daybreak assured her, starring straight at Cynder.

"The robot wolf is evil?" the puppy looked at Cynder excitedly. "It's like the stories they tell in this valley! You and mummy are superwolf, out to defeat the evil lord robotdog"

Daybreak stifled a laugh, still focused on Cynder.
"Yes, the evil robotdog."

"Robotdog." Cynder snorted. "You make this sound like a game. It's not; Come on, Featherkite. We'll return when we are stronger."

P'Taia gave a little snarl, trying to be big like her father.
"You WON'T come back. You're not allowed to come back." she told her. "So there. This is mummy's realm and you can't come here without her saying so, wich she obviously won't!"

Featherkite stood up, trembling and nodded, she limped over to Cynder, head low.
Chessru looked back to Daybreak, expressionless.
"Chessie, ah Chessie, five summers ago you were on my side." Daybreak taunted. Chessru ignored him. Cout'av narrowed his eyes.

"Little one," Cynder said sweetly. "Do you THINK I was given permission to come here in the first place?"