Kaj has suffered with the knowledge that he has no children of his own. It is a conflicting circumstance, because he is so clearly meant to be a father and yet has had his heart broken too many times to trust any creature to hold it once more. Instead he welcomes all to his fold, for his wings are large and can encompass many, and his heart is big and has love enough for all of them. Where he is the childless parent, they are the lost and shunned children of the world. They so badly need and deserve the love that he has for them, and there are despairingly large numbers of them when he is but one man. Nonetheless the ones he had sheltered and cared for have grown, but new lives spring up seemingly endlessly, and he welcomes them happily. Murtagh has quickly become one of them, though his parents are more than loving - and generally dislike Kaj as it is. 

How this became a field trip Kaj still isn't quite sure, and he is not blind to the quiet ghost that shadows them throughout their journey. He is concerned for the silent child, and is careful to keep watch over him as they wander beneath bare boughs. But he does not destroy the barrier, the shield of solitude that Milo hoists upon his shoulders. If he does not want to join them freely, Kaj will allow him the opportunity to gather his courage and serenity until he feels calm enough to include himself. 

Of course, Kaj still has Murtagh's quips to deal with, and he snaps his teeth playfully at the sassy child's rump when he ventures too close in his mockery. "Oh be quiet you knuffeltje duivel," Kaj rumbles, baby blues crinkling at the edges with a helpless grin. He can't help but appreciate the innocent enthusiasm Murtagh seems to give off in endless waves, and it's infectious. It tides him through the odd little train they have going on, Kaj shepherding the children safely across Helovia even as he stands in the middle of them. He is careful not to let his attention wander, caring more about the safety of the foals than recruiting any newcomer, and the burst of color in the fading light is immediately apparent. Of course Murtagh does not chance that, jostling him eagerly before running off to investigate. Even Milo trails after him, and Kaj hangs back to allow the children to experience this on their own before trailing behind them, a towering golden guardian. 

Milo's sudden physical engagement is intriguing, and Kaj wonders if it had merely been him the colt had been leery to approach or become involved with. A pang of hurt momentarily strikes through his heart, but the Czar instead focuses upon the singular lady in their midst. She seems just on the lip of adulthood, and far too young to be leaving the nest in his opinion. Though, he had not been much older than she when he had wandered free of the icy wastelands he'd been born into. 

"Excuse their excitement," the stallion rumbled, but affection and amusement were both apparent in the timbre of his voice as he spoke, one wing extending to nudge at Murtagh's flank pointedly. The other trailed, momentarily hesitating, not sure if Milo would accept such a touch but offering it nonetheless. "Introduce yourselves at least," Kaj admonished through a chuckle. "You'll overwhelm her!" Wings returned with a quick rustle to his sides, feathers flattening and shoulders stretching idly, his bad leg aching as it always did. Chin dipped towards his breast in a more formal gesture of greeting towards the fae, blue eyes curious as they alighted upon her. "My name is Kaj, I rule over the herd of the Hidden Falls east of here. Have you just arrived to Helovia?" That was the general case, but it was a free land to explore, and Kaj had encountered a few false leads in the guise of nomads and travelers.