Redtail Rise This Time, Baby, I’ll Be Bulletproof

The solemnity of their conversation was broken by a brief nip and a third smile. To this, Riley grinned in return , rubbing the bridge of his nose as he considered each thing shared with him.

Truthfully, nothing Masque spoke today wasn’t something Riley hadn’t already thought himself. And it wasn’t because he was one step ahead or smarter - he was neither of these things. It was because he was an observer on the sidelines. Like Watcher, he viewed the world warily and categorically remembered each interaction. He watched the way the Rise upended and mended again. How it belched out decent wolves and turned its back on others.

The pack dynamic was fucked, simply put.

Even if Masque didn’t fight, Riley understood. He agreed that actions were more important than one arbitrary fight to establish dominance. So do it. See if they look at you with two heads. If they do, who cares? At least you made your thoughts heard and known.

And if it doesn’t work — we can build a stable life elsewhere, Riley thought to himself. Finally, he understood why Wolverine and Ancelin had left it all behind.