Blacktail Deer Plateau And I don't remember all of my mistakes

The way she spoke alone drew forth a wave of concern—exactly how hard was she working to look and speak in such ways? “Do you want me to get Erzulie?” he asked, unconvinced. She seemed fatigued, over-worked. Was he not doing enough to make her work so hard? Maybe if he did a little more, she could do a little less; it was not an ideal plan, although this he was unlikely to ever realise.

Even before she could get out her um, Aningan was nosing the rabbit closer to her. “You can have the entire thing, I don’t mind,” he assured her; as far as he was concerned, she needed it more than him. He fell silent as she explained herself further, the worry slowly being replaced by a small, friendly smile. “You do a lot.” And, in this case, perhaps too much. “You shouldn’t push yourself so much, though. You’ll end up getting hurt.” Hurt or ill, whichever came first. In truth, he knew little about the woman aside from her lineage but that was enough to earn her his concern, whether warranted or not.

When there was a question to be asked, however, he turned thoughtful instead. “I don’t know if I have respect,” he answered, settling back on his haunches. “I took over as leader by force, when I was angry and scared. I just wanted to keep everyone safe but… I’m not sure that means I’m respected.” The others were nice to him, sure, and let him maintain his role as the Alpha—but he couldn’t say without a doubt that he felt wholly respected. “I think maybe I could have been better respected if I became the leader under different terms. But this pack has always been dominated by challenges, so… I don’t know.” Honestly, there were times where he wondered if he deserved his place in the pack—and he used to wonder if he even wanted the position, after his reasoning for taking it was ripped away from him. “Do you respect me, Nieve?” he couldn’t help but ask, his curiosity genuine. Did her parents? Her siblings?