Tamen wrapped his own arms around his daughter returning her warm embrace.  "Old man is it?  Hump... well not so old that I can't turn you over my knee and give you a good swat if I took a notion to."  His smile and light chuckle completely off setting the words he had spoken.  The irony of his little joke was never once had he ever had any reason ever to turn her over his knee.  She had always been the sweetest and most well behaved child he had ever known.  He did not think this way simply because she was his daughter but it was just a true matter of fact.<br/><br/>The two of them had always been close but ever since the loss of her mother they had grown even more so.  The only thing that really pained him at times was that Ayshia was nearly the spitting image of her mother at that age.  Her mothers beauty, mannerisms, likes and dislikes as well as her kind and loving spirit were all alive and well wrapped up in their lovely daughter whom Tamen loved dearly.<br/><br/>His latest and deepest fear was that when the time came some man would sweep Ayshia off her feet  taking her away from his hearth and away from the Wolf Camp altogether.  It would not be so bad if they were still in the same camp he knew but if she were to leave he would not really know what to do.  The loss of his loving wife had been absolutely devastating to the carver.  The loss of his daughter might very well push him over the edge.<br/><br/>The concern in his daughters voice brought a few more unwanted tears to his eyes.  For a man who had never cried before seemed to be making up for that fact over the last few months.  But what could he answer her without bringing her own high spirits down as well?  He simply could not lie to her.  It was something he had never done before and was not something he was about to start doing now.  Deciding on the seemingly safest path, "I cut my hand this morning working on my new carving.  This winter has been long... and I just can't seem to keep my mind on the tasks at hand for very long as I was once able to do."