Ouroboros Spine opportunity is punishable by death

If he was not contented by her response, he did not show it. Tonravik was learning to read him, his nuances, and understand him. His quietness as he rested his head upon broad paws told her that her words were things he accepted... although, there was no reason not to. She had agreed with him. Her dark eyes remained upon him, and while some might become uncomfortable before her steady stare Tonravik believed that by now, her mate was used to her occasional scrutiny. She crawled toward him in the dark, not seeing anything of note to give her worry.

He spoke again, and she listened, holding her silence for a long moment. Given she took things literally, she believed him to mean where as in location. "Outside," she responded. "Not too far away. He took down a mule deer alone. It was weak," she remarked with a shrug, "But then, so was he." He had shown himself to be stronger even despite his obviously-leaner-than-typical build. Not only that, but he had held his own as well as he could have against her. And in the end of it all—the very end, when she had found ripped him from the river—he had yielded to her.

The man, she believed, would fit in well here. He was finding his place, as Tonravik herself would have done, testing to see where he could rise, and where he could not. It was natural. And she herself did not worry; she knew of her mates strength, and had seen it. If Iqniq truly felt threatened, Tonravik would not disallow him from running the man off; but her mate did not seem the sort to be shaken easily. The alpha female nosed him, as though to cause him to spill his curiosity from his lips. But the woman was not curious herself; she was glad for the interest, and his acceptance.