[j] conquistador

Echelon approached and had obviously overheard the 'conversation' taking place. With the dark coywolf's attention foremost on Kingumut, Kroc made no move to force her to display deference to her rank. It was not something she would normally let slide, but the creature was not going to put such things on display for the unknown male. Still, she kept her posture, tail high and her ears erect as he was questioned further, despite his desperate, last ditch attempt to convince her of his intentions. 

Why he thought that she would just blurt out that they were Tartok was beyond her but with the puppies on the way, she would be hard on all that came to join them. There would be no untrusted teeth near their soft, vulnerable bodies. Soon after the pups came, Winter would be upon them and they needed loyal wolves who would not turn on them or disappear just because the times got hard.