Bearclaw Valley To the ends of the Earth

The appearance of his friend had his gaze momentarily shifting from the outsiders to her. He followed her with his eyes, watching everything she did from the way she held herself to how she acted around them; if any other wolf were to present themselves in the same stance as her, he would surely adjust them but, since it was her, he left it go. For although he did not quite see them as equals, he had such a great amount of trust placed in her that he knew she’d not turn against him—they’d fought alongside one another several times already, why would she choose now, of all times, to act against him? Still, his own tail was elevated just a fraction higher before he returned his attention to the duo.

But what he saw, despite the words, did not sit well with him.

Although his tail was tucked and he made no obvious move to challenge the reigning king of the valley, Alexander still viewed the slight shift in his stance as something in need of being corrected. Standing tall, he took a step forward as he pulled his lips back just enough to reveal his incisors—it was but a simple warning, really. “If you were to join my pack, she”—he swung his muzzle towards Reigi—“would be your superior. You will not do anything to challenge or offend her.” Even though she was not necessarily the second under in rank to him, she held his favour.

Looking towards Onyx next, he glanced over her, briefly, before speaking. “If you’re here to join just so someone continues to treat your injuries, you’ve come to the wrong pack,” he stated. “I will not let resources be taken away from my pack to be put towards new members. This isn’t some sanctuary.” Originally, perhaps it was something similar to one. Scarlett had been such a caring woman, always happy to give her help where it was needed, but Alexander was nothing like her. He might have inherited her looks but he wasn’t nearly as generous—or at all, in most cases. But, despite his lack of natural-born kindness, he wasn’t entirely unreasonable. “Show me you can still hunt,” he said, prompting the female. “I don’t care what it is. Just prove you can still contribute.” Xan couldn’t bring himself to accept an injured wolf, not without first being given some sort of proof of their abilities. If she could hunt, if keeping her around wouldn’t lead to a shortage of resources, then he’d have some ground to look past the fact that she was wounded.