The strong survive [J]

His words were enough for the woman, who knew that if he was given the name Tartok, then he was a wolf welcomed here; to wear it meant it was earned. And so she drew forward to nip him companionably, growling her welcome. "You are home again," she hums to him, knowing he had moved from one branch to the next. She thought of his words, of relegating things.

"I trust I will know when this task is no longer meant for me," she responded at last, and then gestured toward their land, "But now you will aid us. You must become a warrior and a warden here, as you have elsewhere." Whatever else he could offer them, she was sure he would say now; she was far more encouraging, though still stone-faced, than she had been mere seconds ago. The tension gone, she looked to her mate, her plume waving evenly behind her.