Blacktail Deer Plateau of star & sea

For a while, all Aningan could do was stand there and watch. He listened to the words shouted, the arguments made—he witnessed the advances, the posturing, the aggression. Every inch moved, every syllable spoken—he was there to catch it all, silent, jaw clenched. Each time someone moved he tensed, preparing, but lacking any true reaction beyond that. Wide eyes stared after the lot of them, unblinking until finally, he could take it no longer. Everything since he left the glacier, all that was built-up over time, suddenly came to the forefront of his mind. Every challenge, every little act of aggression and in-fighting—he couldn’t take it anymore.

A vibration—low, soft and simmering—

A growl—growing, rough and crackling—

A snarl—loud enough to echo off their neighbouring mountainside, coupled by a raised tail and erect ears, a bear carved from snow come to life at last.

“Taima! All of you!” came his shouts, gruff and garbled. “When does it stop? When does all of the fighting stop?!” Atop stiffened limbs he made his approach, drawing nearer to the source of it all—his seconds and the sisters. “We’re always fighting—everyone’s always fighting! Isn’t this why no one would let Caiaphas come back? Her fighting?” When she fought, when she created enemies, she was deemed a villain and cast out. But everyone else, old and new, could continue to fight—one another, no less—and there was nothing to be done. And Aningan was tired of it, could hold it in no longer; all he wanted was to protect his family, to have a family—but all anyone ever wanted to do was fight and challenge one another.

“You’re either part of the family and stop this now, or you can leave,” he snapped, glare drifting from one wolf to the next. “And if you leave now, never come back.” All he wanted was some peace, for his family to be safe. And if achieving that meant losing friends, then he would bite the bullet and take it in stride.