Duskfire Glacier [j] you know nothing of pain

Malachi tried to listen with a one-track mind, but as Raphael spoke, the young leader found his thoughts derailing more than ever before. Loyalty, protection, devotion, equality. What the warrior sought was fair, and what Malachi hoped to find in a leader and a pack. But could he give his packmates that? He had not abandoned Duskfire in its time of need, but if he'd been given the insight to see the whirlwind that had come to follow, would he have done the same? He had stayed for the sake of the Sveijarns, and he told himself that was what held him in leadership now. Yet if he was honest with himself, that aim which had bound him to the Glacier was fading, and it hurt to peel his eyes from the fantasy to the reality that dawned upon the Glacier now - the one everyone seemed to see but him.

Scarlett's voice returned his straying mind, and he broke his concentration to bid her farewell, offering her a dip of his head though she had already turned to depart. For a heartbeat he let his gaze linger on her shrinking form before turning his eyes upon Raphael again. "You seek much, but it is good. I can only promise to do my best." He said, knowing he could do no more. Only time would tell if he lived up to the warrior's standards, and he hoped he would prove true. "There's a place for you in Duskfire, if you would give us a chance."