Sun Mote Copse The stars collected, each world accounted for

She'd judged Eljay, before, for being so soft-hearted. Of course, it was a personality trait that she'd lacked, and she'd found it irritating that he would be so gentle and kind, as though he had no idea how vicious the world could be. His sweet-tempered ways had no place in a wolf who would be expected to fend off intruders, or fight off predators- and she'd found him at fault for being that way, because that was what she'd prized the most both in herself and in other wolves. That glint to the eye that meant 'I could kill you if I wanted to-' she admired wolves that had that. Eljay didn't. But now that she saw him interacting with her son, she realized that he'd not been built to be that way. This was what he was built for. 

And she envied him, immediately. She had little patience, and didn't know how to act around puppies. Until they were the age where they could learn how to hunt and patrol the borders, she didn't know what to do with them. She didn't know how harsh she had to be to punish them, or how gentle. She didn't know, really, how to play with them either, without teaching them bad manners. Eljay effortlessly captivated Bronco, and gave in to her son's demand for attention, flopping down onto the ground, much to her son's delight. She exhaled a small puff of air in admiration. Okay; so Eljay had skills. Mad skills. 

"Hey Bronc," She said, but as per usual, he wasn't listening. "Bronco," She said a bit more emphatically, which had a 50/50 chance of getting his attention. He cast her a glance- but then turned to look at her for a moment, because for once, she didn't have a stern look on her face, but a smile. "Tickle."