Meadowlark Prairie In the number of times I punched with my fist

Truth be told, Xan had no idea who Burke was. He had never officially met him, and his dad hadn’t really said much about him. By the way the lion child spoke of him, as if he had a say in whether or not a wolf was permitted to join the pack, he was brought to the conclusion that the wolf who’d bruised his side was Burke. He had mentioned the den as belonging to the Alpha, but that didn’t make sense. Meldresi was the Queen, possessing an honourable title, and being ranked way higher than any alpha out there. The elder waved the question off, frowning slightly. “Who cares if he wants to let you or not?” the child stated. “The Queen gets the final say, right? I’m sure she’d make this ‘Burke’ guy let you join again.” With a price, perhaps, but that wasn’t important at the moment. Things would work out in the end—they had to.
 
The Inuit watched the younger lower his head, mumbling once again. “Quit mumbling,” he said, a demand in his tone. “Speak up. You can’t act like that if you want to get revenge someday.” No, he had to be bold and stand out. To fight for himself, take control of his life. Alexander would teach him the best he could, and if that failed, he’d just teach him to act that way. He assumed it would be easy, especially since the eldest aimed to be the best. The best would have no problems teaching someone else skills, and so he was determined to accomplish whatever was necessary of him. He was pulled from his set thoughts by Leo’s voice, and responded with a nod. “If you don’t like it, then return to Blackfeather,” he advised, once again using a tone that signaled how simple he viewed it all to be. The most that they’d have to worry about is his parents or siblings coming after him—actually, not even that would be worth worrying over. If training started early enough, then there was no doubt that Leo would be able to stand up for himself.
 
“Your siblings or others might try to find you,” Xan pointed out, pausing for a brief moment after. “But I doubt they will. If they do, we can send them back to whatever crummy place they came from.” At that, he grinned, confidence never ceasing to shine from the child. He was certain he could fend off anyone, and if it just so happened he couldn’t… well, his dad was only ever a howl away. He suspected even Nemesis would aid him, despite his constant need to bug her. “So are you coming with me?” They’d spoken of his return to the woods, but a definite answer on what decision he’d make had not been given. Alexander wanted to know what would be happening, if he’d return alone or with another wolf at his side.