Totoka River if given a knife and a hand in which to hold it, the mind would eventually eat itself

Embry's brow furrowed when the boy spoke. The shadowy youth might as well have painted his emotions across his flank for how visible they were. Embry was well-acquaintenced with such sensations - zeal, ardor, ire and the like. And he could understand how this wolf must feel; truly and deeply in his heart and in his mind. The entire situation was satisfying, like the snug clip of a jigsaw fracture slipping into place. Finally, Embry felt as though he was learning. Learning the backstory behind this stranger, who only so many minutes ago seemed like nothing but an irritable flea in his fur. He was so young for the age he portrayed in his words and in his thoughts. Oh, life. Ever indecisive.

 As he listened, Embry assumed a thoughtful countenance, though he was careful not to let it morph into sympathy. There was no worse a poison than the sudden commiseration of a former foe. When he was asked to teach, however, his entire atmosphere shifted. It was similar to the breaking of a wave, in which the great blue crowns of the ocean are split by brilliant white lines of foam. He looked the boy hard in the eye, and only when he saw that sincerity - resolute and yenning - did he stir. This was what Embry had always yearned for - the chance to be a part of someone's story and change it for the better. He could see that this youth was in pain; pain for his pack and his home. 

He nodded and closed his eyes, sensing the stranger's fervor even beyond the darkness of his lids. As if he had read the youth's mind, he parted his maw, "It would certainly be difficult to do alone." And his blue orbs probed the boy for his response, for he knew exactly what had been his intentions. 

"It would be difficult to learn, that is. To learn alone," and he chuckled drily, recalling the recent head-to-head exchange. "Perhaps you might teach me a few things, as well..." 

Embry shook off what former tensions the two shared, hoping to make the situation more amicable by disregarding his former stolidity. "If the water doesn't bother you, I'd love to share what knowledge I have."