Swiftcurrent Creek bad habits, schmad habits

Cutthroat would be of far more use to them alive, rather than dead, and Fox wanted to see to it that he was made as useful as possible. Dead weight was not something she would keep around. She kept the creek full of able-bodied wolves who were up to the challenge of serving her and themselves. If they lacked the capability to do that, then they would be brushed aside like a flea scratched off the skin.

When he questioned her reasoning for keeping him here, she nodded. "There are more ways to be useful than hunting and defending our land." Her response was purposefully vague. Males could be made useful by merely being males. The same went for females, although Fox was less likely to go around collecting those. She did not expect to share child-bearing rights with anybody else, sans her mate when the time came.