Blackfeather Woods You shall not pass

Kove could accept the other’s perspective on the matter, but that didn’t necessarily mean he agreed. Though he had not been a leader for as long as the charcoal man, he had been a father longer. Technically, Burke did have other children, ones he’d sired long before his entry into Teekon, but the Inuit felt they did not count. The brute hadn’t assisted in the raising of them, or so was the impression he’d received upon meeting Sebastian and then speaking with his fellow Brother about it. It was not the blood connection that made someone a parent, after all, but the role they played in the lives of their children. He could see how the role of a leader could be similar, but it was not identical. A father was a father, and a leader a leader. They shared some common characteristics, but that which made them different kept him from being able to group the alpha role into something of a fatherly one. They were the guardians of the pack, yes, but they were not there to coddle every single member of the pack. They were not there to love every member of the pack.

“Let us agree to disagree,” the pallid man suggested, not interested in pursuing the topic any further. Having been placed on thin ice from the very beginning, he didn’t take too kindly to the idea of engaging in a potential argument. In some aspects, he was quite the opposite of his clone, such as the fact that he wasn’t so argumentative. Though the male had his own opinions and thoughts on everything, he was calm and level-headed, able to see from the perspective of someone else when necessary. The skill was something that was all his own, and something that had served him well no matter where he was—including within Blackfeather. It was a trait he often wished could’ve been passed onto his boy, but parents never had a say in what their children inherited from them. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if Xan’s life would be better had he taken on that specific trait. Perhaps it would have kept him from letting hatred seep so deep into his heart, and at such a young age, no less. He looked to Burke, then, hearing the assurance that was made. “I’m sure they won’t as long as they have you and the rest of us around to tell them all about her,” he commented, turning his gaze forward once more as he approached and marked another tree. “They may even end up idolizing her. They’ll grow up being proud of her, just as long as they never lose their ways.” With Blackfeather always with them, he doubted they’d ever lose sight of who they were and where they’d come from, but it was still a thought to consider.

The Inuit’s attention was drawn to the new face once more, watching with a careful eye as the other male bowed his head. He silently accepted the gesture, but did not return it. He felt it to be unnecessary, in all honesty, and refused to lower his head in response to someone ranked beneath himself. There then came a given name—Oli—but no surname was announced. He paid that detail little mind, however, especially considering his own had not been given. The thing that really grabbed hold of his focus was that the male then stood there, the expression on his face revealing that he was waiting for something. It took only a second for Kove to piece together what it was that had him remaining there in place, which caused a question to arise in his thoughts; Is this kid deaf? “I sure hope you’ve experienced some sort of hearing loss within your years of life, or else I’m left to believe you’re a fool,” the man stated, all the while his expression remained neutral, unreadable. “Burke, your king, just shared my name with you, so I wonder why you look as if you’re waiting for me to repeat it. Do you often ignore the words of your alpha?” At that, he cocked an indiscernible eyebrow, awaiting to hear what type of answer the male might cook up. Though he’d always seen Meldresi as his leader, and things were rough between himself and the tank-like man, he respected the late queen’s decision to appoint Burke the alpha of the woods—and, in turn, respected Burke as a leader.