bone mountain

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Iqniq has never been patient. He has repeatedly persecuted Tatsuya from the very start. The wolf never displayed anything other than contempt towards him and his efforts. Tatsuya has, in fact, been a team player from the get-go. He has taken part in: getting rid of a skulk of foxes prior to Tonravik's teachings, bringing down buffalo, and worked hard on the Spine's demands to become a Warrior and a Warden as soon as he stepped foot within the Spine. Tatsuya never took more than was necessary. Even if he did need some nourishment, he made sure to replace just as much as he took. Testing the leading members of the pack was to be expected. Just because a wolf had a rank does not mean they were fit for the role. This was commonplace in the wild, typical of their kind.

It had been Iqniq who had let...whatever the fuck all of this is sit and suppurate. Iqniq was the Alpha. It was his job to show curiosity and approval in those ranked below him; to strengthen those who have recently joined rather than discourage them time and time again.

There was no denying that he was, indeed, close to Tonravik. He had considered her romantically back in Crescent Basin, but she was not one for love. She was a beast, drawn to her baser instincts. Tatsuya did not know if he held anything other than the utmost respect and admiration in his heart for Tonravik. Love was a realm that he has not ruminated on since their fishing lessons. Mostly because would her affections even be enough for the likes of the Epsilon? Would Tonravik even consider him an eligible mate...? Wolves mated for life. Unless, of course, one of them dies. Tatsuya has not sunken so low as to plot a pack mate's demise. Iqniq was an asshole, but even that was crossing the line. It was against the life he now led. Even if he does come to love Tonravik, he would not pursue her. Unless, of course, she showed interest. Then it was fair game.

She deserved every goddamn act (or word) of praise he had to offer. Every time he bowed his head to her, every gift he gave her, every herb he has prescribed...she deserved all of it. Because she saw a tool; one that has been thrashed by the currents of Whitewater Gorge. A utile creature that would have been a waste to do away with. And now that tool has evolved. He was more than a pawn in Tonravik's eyes now (or so he thought). There was nothing Iqniq could hold Tonravik against, least of all contempt. To say that Tatsuya was not fit for the likes of Tartok was a fallible argument. He has lived the wilds. He has faced hunger. He has spent nights thinking it would be his last. But most of all, he has survived. He was fit for Tartok. Perhaps more than Iqniq ever was.

She led them. She nurtured them. She instructed them. She was the true power of Ouroboros Spine. The tiny ember before him did not share in this power, living in the perpetual shadow that is Tonravik. None would reach or surpass her status. No one. Not even the Epsilon. Tatsuya swore she could rule from the fucking grave if she absolutely wanted to. Laws of nature be damned. So yeah. He did have a case of “hero worship” for the she-bear, but it sure as shit was not unfounded.

She had seen many things in Tatsuya on that day he almost met an early end. Most of which Iqniq obstinately remained blind to throughout his stay in Ouroboros Spine: ambition, assertion, and power, tempered with forbearance, kindness, and humility.

He was not named after a fucking dragon for nothing.

Kapvik...He could modify Kapvik into a name that held as much meaning as the name his parents bestowed upon him, but he would always be Tatsuya. Not in defiance, not in fear of change. No. He would make Kapvik his own, just as Iqniq has made Tonravik's title his own.

Iqniq was not in any position to run him out, much as he would like to think. Iqniq's concerns about Tatsuya's resistance and involuntariness to take part in the pack was baseless; as if pulled from thin air. It was obvious that Iqniq was incapable of living with wolves with drive, with purpose, with fire in their veins, thinking these individuals as usurpers. This did not for a good leader make. To view those below you as competitors, not comrades; as enemies, not friends. The only wolf of merit here was Tonravik, to which he looked to now. Now Tonravik held power. She was not driven to petty disputes left and right as Iqniq was so inclined to do. Perhaps once upon a time, Iqniq had been a good leader, tending to his inner circle as much as the newly gathered. But even these mannerisms change.

Tonravik did nothing to put a stop to this spat between the dragon and the bantam ember. Thank the deities. Because this was a dispute that has been coming for the longest time now. A dispute that could have been avoided had the ember been frequent, benign, and heartening each time they met. Iqniq invited this and has done nothing to lessen the distance between them. This is more your fault than it is mine.

“私を許して,” he glumly whispered. No punches would be pulled. He would make Iqniq broken and bloody or Iqniq would do this to him. If they were to squabble, let it not be for rank, but to teach Iqniq that he would not tolerate his incessant jabs any longer. You have only yourself to blame.

As much as Iqniq would like to think, respect and rank did not coincide with one another. It never has, and it never will.

“Iqniq...Make me.” A childish refute, yes, but one he expected the ember to respond to. Or would he hide behind his cherished rank, declaring him an enemy of the Spine? Yes. Show me how much you desperately cling to your position. Show me how weak you truly are.