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Maha was putty in the boy's hands. The petting and scritches, oh he loved it. The fact was clearly shown as his back leg tapped at the ground in earnest. V'demhe shook her head and grinned. "You traitor, you." With a laugh she leaned over and patted his hind leg before she looked at the bird. Since she hadn't really paid much attention to it before she figured she'd hold her hand out toward it now and see if it liked her enough to let her pet it.

When Virain went into his explanation of where his parents were and how he had gotten to be where he was she smiled. The fact that he looked worried made her heart soften. "I see." Dem couldn't really be mad at him though. "Would you mind if I stayed with you until the adults came or let me walk you back?" The alkidike wasn't about to walk away from a child alone in the forest. "I don't want anything to happen to you, the forest can be dangerous for little ones on their own."

With the bird on her hand she'd bring it close and gently stroke it's back. When she heard Virain talk again she'd draw in her lip ring and chew on it thoughtfully. After a moment she nodded her head. "Alright, but you can't wander off." Not that she really needed to tell him that. If Virain did by chance walk away from her she could just send Maha after him. It would be entertaining to see the radaku bring the child back. Of course the alkidike didn't get up right away, she would let the boy decide when he was ready to go back. Forcing him to would only make him upset.

Maha, still wanting attention, nudged his cold, wet nose into Virain's cheek and took a deep breath. Sadly, by doing that, he also inhaled strands of the youngling's hair which caused him to sneeze. The radaku shook his head then went about licking his nose repeatedly.

When her familiar sneezed on the boy Dem had to giggle a little. At least she wasn't the only one Maha liked to torment with his goofiness. The radaku attempted to lick Virain's face when he gave him a kiss but seemed to stop mid-lick when the scratches were given. V'demhe nodded her head when he said that they should head back, though when she saw the sad look in his eyes she gave a frown. "It's alright." Holding Tweet so that the bird wouldn't fall, the alkidike got to her feet then lifted the bird to her shoulder so that it could perch there if it wished.

Looking down at Virain she'd offer a smile. "Would you like to ride Maha?" Not only would it prevent the youngling from getting lost, or tired, but it would hopefully cheer him back up. The mention of his name had the blue goof ball looking at his owner with perked up ears and a tilted head.

Since her hair had feathers and beads in it the bird would have quite a bit to preen. Not that she seemed to mind at all. As Virain said he was trouble she gave a small shake of her head. "Not at all. I was just walking. " More like ambling. She had yet to figure out what it was she was doing anyhow. When he declined riding the radaku she nodded. "Alright." She offered her hand for the youngling. "Shall we?"

She seemed to relax a bit now that the child had hold of her hand. It meant that she couldn't lose him as easily. It was one of the reasons she had offered to let him ride on Maha. Still, V'demhe kept pace with Virain, not bothering to stretch out her legs and do her full stride. She would only do that if she needed to scoop the boy up and move quickly. With him setting the pace she could look around and enjoy the forest. His question had her looking to where he pointed. For a moment she stared, unblinking, then finally shrugged her shoulders. "You stumped me on that one. Normally flowers stay in the canopy." Dem debated for a moment then furrowed her brow. "Just in case, don't touch it okay? The flower could be poisonous." Not that what she said mattered to her radaku. He went in full nose to sniff at the bloom as it glowed and caught his short attention span.

Feeling the grip tighten on her hand she looked down at Virain then at her familiar. Before he could touch it she let out a shrill whistle. Maha instantly turned his head to look at his owner before he moved over to be beside her and the boy. Dem smiled down at the youngling. "There, you saved him from a potential monster. How brave." The radaku rewarded the child by sniffing at his hair and then nuzzling his nose in close to Virain's ear. V'demhe laughed and continued to walk with the boy.

Maha gave a snort and walked along side the boy, keeping him between his owner and himself. As Virain asked her if she was going to ride the radaku when he was older she gave it a thought. "Well, I can, but only for a little while. I might grow to be too tall." Not to mention she wasn't sure what Maha's weight limit would be. He hadn't been working on endurance so right now she imagined the youngling would be the blue beasts limit. It didn't take long for V'demhe to notice that the boy was dragging his feet, so to speak. She gave a smile and gently bumped her knee into his side, her version of a hip bump since he was little. "Are you worried about getting into trouble? I can say it was my fault."

When he said he didn't want to lie to his mother she nodded in agreement. "That is good. Lying is never a good idea." V'demhe smiled as she listened to him state he would tell the truth. "What I meant was, I could explain that I distracted you with Maha. After all, who wouldn't want to play with the big goofy thing?" The alkidike gave a glance to her radaku as he continued to walk on the other side of the boy. She was thankful that he had taken up that position. It kept Virain safely between the two and out of harms way should anything happen. The only thing she would have liked better would be if she had another familiar to walk behind the boy. "Do you think your mother would like to see Maha?"