Northstar Vale interstellar

Skipping the subordinate wolves to keep this moving. Hop back in whenever you can!

Lucy shrunk down to the the tiniest size she could manage. It appeased Saena by virtue of instinctive reaction, but it did little to change her mind. The head bitch was simply not a generous sort of wolf anymore. Sparing resources for someone who was more likely to wander off, given that was the case with every child she'd ever taken in, appealed to her about as much as eating shit did. And eating shit did not appeal.

Thankfully for the stray child, Warbone swept onto the scene with compelling words. Much as the man might believe that, Saena turned flashing fangs upon him in an expression of displeasure. Reek had had a similar argument, and yet the coyote pups had amounted to nothing but a lot of trouble. Granted, she'd spent no time whatsoever on them and left them solely in his care, and with his own questionable reliability, perhaps it was no wonder they'd turned out so sour. "I am not here to mother orphaned children that aren't likely to return the favour, Warbone," she sharply pointed out. She almost added a vitriolic comment about how Lucy's parents must be stupid to have let her wander off, and how likely it was that their vagabond child had inherited that stupidity, but she clapped her jaws shut when she realized she was no better.

After all, she'd lost her children, but hardly thought of herself as an idiot.

Besides, Warbone was the true leader here. Saena held command over all the wolves of the vale... except for him. He could bend to her will if he chose to, but he was also powerful enough to defy her will. Whether she wanted it or not, he would make the final decision. So with a resigned growl, she stalked away from the fallen shadow, but her face contorted wickedly when the child spoke out her promise, and she bared her teeth at Lucy in a mistrustful growl as she replied, "you will." It was an order, and a threat. She was not going to be another pup to use Saena like Scarlett's useless brood had. Even Desna, who'd held such promise, had proven to be wayward, unfaithful, ungrateful, and ultimately, worthless to her.

Lucy would be faithful, or Saena would take her payment in blood, as she should have the first time.