Lone Star Mountain engine no.9

Pack life was so much more tumultuous than he’d ever anticipated. Mulherin’s matter of fact response did nothing to dispel the notion. Cambria pondered this as he took a step toward the darker yearling, making certain he wasn’t invading Mulherin’s space with a glance at his face before reposing on his pale haunches.

I never had a family, he said, speaking with the same plainness as he stared straight ahead. It was just my mother and me. She left me behind as soon as she decided I must be self-sufficient enough to survive on my own. Fortunately, she wasn’t wrong.

It had not been easy. There had never been much in the way of love and affection between them, though it had still been very hard when she’d gone, never to be seen again. Images from that day flashed through his mind. Cambria took a deep breath and pushed them away.

I always thought living with a pack would be more settled, he admitted after a moment, slanting his snout toward his comrade, but I had no frame of reference. I always did learn best through experience. And I’m still glad I’m here. Well, he amended, gesturing at the rise, chuckling dryly and setting down his paw. You know what I mean.

He started to drag his eyes away again, though they caught on Mulherin’s face when he suddenly noticed the way the sun hit it. The swarthy wolf wasn’t pitch black, the light bringing out streaks of brown and gray. They were rather fetching, Cambria noted, feeling a strange little tug deep in the pit of his belly.

He certainly didn’t want to be caught staring at the pack’s leader too long, so he forcibly shifted his gaze to the landscape once more. But it was hard to focus as he resisted the urge to catch another glimpse. In lieu of looking, Cambria plumbed his mind for something to say to carry the conversation.

Speaking of family, I’ve been trying to work out how everyone’s related. It was hard to sort out when barely anybody spoke. But Mulherin did. I guess it would be easiest just to ask. I wouldn’t mind a quick history lesson about the Redtails and their rise, if you’re up for it.