Blacktail Deer Plateau Heat death infinity splitter

Pura's next question implied an astuteness Peregrine had formerly believed beyond the boy. Perhaps his foster son was a little slow, yet not strictly unintelligent. Peregrine looked at him shrewdly, a fond light glimmering in the depths of his dusky eyes.

"If a wolf threatens you, your pack mates, your home or your principles—do you know what those are?—then it is within your rights to defend yourself. Sometimes, that results in the enemy's death. For instance, if a stranger trespassed on the plateau, I may kill him for violating the laws of nature, as well as my property. But," he concluded with soft emphasis, "I would not eat his body. It is considered against nature to eat your own kind, Pura, unless there's dire need of it, such as during a famine."

The Alpha male paused there, giving the freckled youth a moment to digest that and pose any questions he might have.