Redsand Canyon Now time for Plan A

He barely acknowledged the arrival of Killdeer, a flick of his ear the only indication he knew the young soldier was here. 

Rage burned in the soldier's chest as he processed what the imperator was saying. His gaze never left the man. That would have got you nowhere, he said flatly, stating a fact. Kallik would be here until the soldiers returned, and he would rather die than let a stranger trespass into their territory where his wife could potentially be in labor or caring for their newborn children. Or where the matrona cared for hers. There were too many vulnerable wolves here, and they had Kallik on edge. 

Family or not, he did not trust this wolf. 

Kallik had been on the receiving end of the imperator's anger, more than once. Combined with his words, his anger was like a whip, painful and unyielding. As a soldier under Germanicus' command, it had been difficult not to respond with teeth, so he was unsure how this man would react. Kallik remained tense and prepared just in case. 

He supposed it was Towhee that had the imperator allowing the stranger the chance to talk to his son now. Kallik could understand, but he didn't particularly like it. As far as he was concerned, the man was a threat to Mereo, and he wanted him gone.