Blackfeather Woods Let my eyes be the rhythm

wintersbane listens in stoney silence as flicker offers him an explanation at his request. it did strike him as patronizing and also in some bizarre twist: as a compliment. her words left nothing to be desired; she saw him as the strongest link and for a moment he isn't sure how he feels about that. likely, she meant that he was physically the strongest of them — was he though? from some of the brief glimpses he's gotten of kove he would bet that their dark master is formable himself. she thinks that the boy is the problem ...and it would seem like a beast over eager to battle is but that eagerness brings with it clumsiness. no, it was hydra that would be the real threat.

the cerberus would be the real threat if they brought war to us. he says. he doesn't explain how he knows; is it relevant? does it matter? wintersbane grew up in stages of his life going through a proverbial metamorphosis from child to teenager to adult and each stage brought with it something that shaped him into the man he is. he doesn't and hasn't spoken about his time in moonspear not because he fears retaliation but because he didn't see how it mattered at the time.

he struggles to grasp how to explain mou-screech-titmouse but she makes it evident that she understands who he's speaking of all the same. i don't know what his real name is. hypocrite. was he not the same way? had he not shed name after name like a snake shedding it's skin? roarke. kahlil. drogon. wintersbane. i don't know what is true and what is fiction when it comes to him but i do know that moonspear and redhawks want him dead. seemed like a lot of trouble for one wolf. a lot of trouble that the shrinking blackfeather woods was not equipped to deal with.

looking at it from a tactician's point of view, we better hope neither pack decides to march against us. we won't win. not with our low numbers. they had what? a handful of adults. two kids. and absolutely no allies to call upon. connections and contracts had long since been severed by the leaders before and thus there were no lingering favors to call upon. as much as wintersbane enjoys a good fight ...he does not enjoy the prospect of facing certain slaughter.

i could go to moonspear, speak with hydra. she used to be my mentor. maybe she'll listen to me. wintersbane pauses briefly and adds and redhawk. they still owe me a favor for saving the life of one of their cubs. he draws in a breath. he doesn't hold much hope but it's something. blackfeather woods might not have connections or favors to call upon ...but wintersbane does. perhaps i can dissuade war so we no longer have to keep looking over our shoulders, waiting for the moment they come to end us.