Redsand Canyon Said, oh, I’ll never know

Oh boy, what had she gotten herself into?

The woman listened intently as the wolf spoke, her bright eyes meeting his own, only momentarily breaking contact when she dipped her head to tear another bite from the carcass. She restrained herself from taking more than her fair share of the meal. Although Donovan hadn't specifically mentioned, she assumed such a large kill would be taken back to the pack and shared among it's other members.

But returning to the conversation, Leigh was unsure how to respond. This was definitely a difficult ordeal to handle. The she-wolf understood her alpha's frustration, despite not agreeing with his approach. But this wasn't her decision to make. Pulling her gaze away from Don's, she angled it downwards as she took a moment to silently think to herself.

There was no way they'd get around this situation without bloodshed, was there? That was out of their control, but perhaps who's blood was shed was their choice? Leigh glanced back up to meet the now familiar golden eyes, hoping her idea may be taken into consideration.

"Nyra spoke to me and mentioned both a black wolf and a brown wolf. At first I though she was mentioning a leader of Ursus and a pack member, but Nyra said that several wolves attacked her and I don't see a reason why she'd single out one particular follower out of the bunch." The dark-furred female took a pause as she regained her breath.

"You said 'that raven, Merrick's little guard dog'. Nyra said to look out for a black wolf with violet eyes specifically, and she mentioned this wolf first above all. Now that you also mention a 'raven', I'm assuming you were both talking about the same individual."

Leigh was beginning to put the puzzle things together, and it was only fitting that a puzzled expression overtook her features. The woman wasn't raised to be an observer. If she had stayed in her birth pack, she would have ended up a lot more like Donovan. But the family she had lost taught her far more than her pack ever could have. And her mate just happened to have been the local 'detective'.

"As for the brown wolf, I can only assume that this is Merrick. If Nyra was going to pick two wolves to discuss, it makes sense that she'd choose the two pack leaders. Recognizeable, distinct, and well-known wolves. Easy for a newcomer like me to spot."

As she spoke, she nodded to herself at a steady pace, her thoughts bouncing around. She was sure that this was all information Don already knew, but to explain her plan she needed to explain her thought process.

"But despite them holding the same rank, it seems like this 'raven' does most of the work. Tell me Donovan, does Merrick actually love his mate? If she were to die, would he refrain from taking another or would he quickly jump to finding someone else?"

A certain pain struck her heart as she contructed her next words. But it was necessary.

"I know this 'raven' has a family. And if she were to pass, a mate would lose his partner and children would lose their mother. But if a full blown war were to start, countless more wolves would perrish as well. Who says they don't have families too?"

Leigh's eyes turned away from her friend and settled to look in the distance instead. It was all such an unfamiliar world that she still needed to figure out.

"No one should have to die, no matter how awful they are. This is about Nyra and a child right now, not some petty fight. Merrick is also a leader of Ursus. If he doesn't actually love his mate as much as he may claim to, or if he at least disagrees with her methods, perhaps you should redirect your aim and attempt to speak with him instead."

Something about her talk with Nyra had sent a spark flying. And that spark just happened to fall into a pile of old wood that hadn't been set aflame for a very, very long time. But maybe, just maybe, that little spark would reignite a fire.

"This 'raven' seems unreasonable and unlikely to have created your alliance. So I'm guessing it was Merrick who agreed to the deal. If Ursus is this willing to start a war, it wouldn't surprise me if they got on bad terms with some of the other packs around this area."

Rising to her feet, she shot a sharp look back towards Donovan. She would stand her ground, even against an alpha. Right now he needed some fucking guidance and common sense and she'd beat it into him if she had to.

"Get your shit together, Donovan. To be a real leader you need to start acting like one. Gather more wolves, build this pack and train them all in useful skills. Make this pack valuable. Make the Saints of the Dying fucking Light so valuable that even Merrick wouldn't dare lose this alliance knowing how much we'd be a help in a real war. And if that fails, you can figure something else out. But don't make Merrick or his guard dog bleed. Make them fucking cry."