Northstar Vale marble bone

A slave.

At the end of the vine, momentarily, he saw himself. He swallowed hard, and nearly felt the knotted tether tighten. Would he cower and obey, become a servant of those who had slain his family? Or would he wait until the eyes were turned, chew his way through the vine and bolt, even if it meant being hunted down and killed?

It was fortunate that he wasn’t a fox. But where was it, exactly, that Muskrat drew the line? If she was willing to raid another pack if they hunted on neutral grounds, and took a fox kit as a slave because its family had stolen from her…

Something clicked.

Lesson learned. Do not fuck with this woman.

Now his choice was to either allow her a glimpse of the lay of the land, or refuse her such hospitality when she had come bearing a gift? He felt she intentionally put him in this position; his neighbour was like a splinter, eagerly working her way into the flesh. He couldn’t help but admire her for her tactics. 

But he did wish that Viskani would materialize instantly and relieve him of this predicament. For now, he could only stall. 

Have you trained one before? He asked, gesturing to the fox. Will it obey, or do they have a tendency to run?