Neverwinter Forest Intrepid

Approaching footsteps foretold the arrival of a third member of their pack, causing Impala's ears to twitch. His gray eyes slid sideways as a white she-wolf emerged from the surrounding woods and moved toward the kill. Before indulging, she glared at the yearling, who bowed his head deferentially while taking a few steps backward. She flung sharp, distasteful words at him, which her black companion corroborated. His father spoke last and Impala stared down at his own feet agin.

The problem was, he was none of these things: disloyal, fickle, a traitor. His loyalties remained with his grandparents, the Alphas of the Blackthorn Clan. He swallowed. He understood why these wolves so aggressively rejected his inability to commit. He did not hold it against them for requiring it from their recruits. But he badly wished to learn more about the man who might very well be his father. Would he be able to do that without going back on his word to Cathal and betraying his family?

As much as Impala remained convinced that he was looking at his sire, the holy grail of this expedition, he could not bring himself to break his oath to Cathal, the man who had raised him. "I understand," he said simply. To the russet male, he queried, "Would it be possible to call upon you in the future?" He paused, hoping for an affirmative answer and, moreover, a name. "I am Impala," the young hunter added.

While keeping one black-lined ear pricked for the other male's response, Impala made a point of backing even further away, certain he would now be driven away from the kill, and rightfully so. His dark eyes flicked upward, hoping this was not the first and last time he would lay eyes on his father.