Bearclaw Valley cigarettebud

It wasn't often that the Regina questioned herself, but she was given reason to pause and wonder what she had done to deserve so loyal a packmate as Cole. Nothing had ever come to her without a fight; nothing had ever been handed down or given without being earned and even when she had tried to prove herself, she'd failed. Now, she was a queen- just as she had predicted, when she'd been nothing but a starving orphan- and Cole had wandered into their midst. She hadn't fought for him, or performed any acts that had set her aside from all the others he could have followed. She'd asked- and he'd answered. 

Perhaps that was all it took- but she wouldn't take his help for granted. She couldn't; she wouldn't likely get this lucky ever again. 

She reached out, touching her muzzle to the corner of his cheek, and grazed the bridge of his nose with a swipe of her tongue. She stirred the air with waves of her tail, suggesting the affinity she felt. For so long, she had only had Ancelin and the girls. After being cast out from Redtail Rise, she'd wondered if she would ever consider packmates to be family again. Those questions were beginning to fade away, like ice melting under an afternoon of clear skies. 

I know I can, She said softly, pulling back. An' know that I'm grateful. She said, with a deep nod of her head.