Bearclaw Valley dancing with the devil

The boy shook his head. It might have been why he studied them further, but it wasn't why initially. His mother and grandfather had both been quite adept in the field. "I learned from my mother and grandfather, at the start. But that made me want to help others. To heal." It was the truth - Evien wasn't much for lies in the first place. 

           Merrick's strike was unexpected, just as the strike from a venomous water snake would be. And it was not difficult to knock Evien off balance - only three working legs would do that to a wolf. He tumbled onto his side, first surprised, and then pissed off. They'd been having a civil conversation up until this point - there'd been no need to be physical.

            I need to know if you will kill. A soft growl settled in Evien's chest and he got back up to his feet, shaking his fur off. "I just fucking might, if you knock me down like that again," he rumbled, bristling with indignation and embarrassment. It wasn't as though he actually would harm Merrick over something like this - or even that he could. His handicap wasn't something he thought of often, but he would never be good at fighting. But if he was correct, and this was a test, Merrick would want a true answer and not just his embarrassed one. 

         "There are wolves who would deserve to die. I don't like the thought of it, but I would kill, if I needed to," he answered, shaking out his bristling fur to save face.