Cassiopeia's View back in black

She was right - why settle? Excellence was in his nature. He wished to rule because he should, that was all. He wished to rule because he would do it best. His people would be well cared for, his territory jealously guarded, and his pack respected or feared - he did not care which it might be. His people would serve and in turn be served by their leadership and he - Grimsley - he would see that it was done and leave a legacy for his children to grow from, away from the shadow of their ancestors.

He might tell her this one day. Maybe, if she was right and if she would have him. Of that bit, he was confident - perhaps arrogant. There was something in her eyes, in her body and the way she spoke that challenged this absolute belief but so young and full of nothing but confidence he elected to ignore that instinct.

He followed her willingly and without hesitation. He lay next to her, rolled to face her slightly. He was back at his place on the mountain, on his throne - Grimsley was pleased.

She told him an agonizingly small amount about her life before this moment. Grimsley was a curious creature but not enough to chase most things. This woman was a bit of an exception, however - this one, he wanted to know. While she looked out at the flatter lands below, Grimsley watched her. He watched the expressions on her face, the coil of her body - and he met her eyes evenly when she looked back at him. "Nn." His answer was quiet but not dismissive. He accepted her silence, that darkness in her stare. He burned to know but he saw that she did not wish to tell - not now, perhaps not ever. He gave her that respect and they moved on - but he would not forget. 

He listened to her explanation of the packs that lay around them. Indeed, there was a strong one in the mountains. It seemed someone had good taste and power. He was not surprised, and his curiosity was tinged with a desire to explore the potential for exploitation. Tzila said that the mountain pack - Moonspear - were strong and allies of her own. How strong were they? Perhaps he would not need to forge his own place from the ground up, though the idea of building on inferior foundation discouraged him a bit.

"What felled it?" He asked, somewhat dismissively, of her former pack. He had been listening but only vaguely to her explanation of the other packs. This last had caught his attention only because it pertained to her. His attention was divided and half lay with Moonspear...and hers. She still had not said what that was, although they ruled this 'Great Wilderness' together, apparently. "And what pack is yours? Who runs with the mountain pack? You've told me that Moonspear has powerful allies and that this ally is your people - so who are they?" His gaze had wandered as he'd listened to her tell him about the life and politics around them. It had returned to her, now, intense with curiosity and a bit irritated at beating around the bush.