Again, he heard her before he saw her, her footsteps, though light, could be heard as she ran up to him. He paused just a moment to look down at her, feeling her excitement as if it were a palpable thing that he could reach out and touch.
Walking into the woods, feeling her tugging on his arm, he smiled as he led the way. "Of course I will protect you, kitten. Most things in the woods are more scared of me than you are of them. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." He moved towards a large tree and turned to where his back could lean against it.