Bearclaw Valley we know the way

It was easy to agree with the pale individual—the valley was special, especially to Alexander. Born there, it was his right to now lead a pack there, claiming it as his own. For that reason, and the fact that Bearclaw held the memories of his mother tightly within its grasp, he couldn’t view it as just another valley; it was more than that, he could feel that it was. “It is,” he agreed absentmindedly, absorbed by his thoughts. He was curious, wondering how Scarlett would feel had she survived and could see him now. Would she be proud? Angry? The realisation that he didn’t know her well enough to answer the question on his own bothered him; he had never been particularly close with his mother, having viewed her as a traitor throughout nearly the entirety of his childhood. She had abandoned him and his father, she had taken his sisters away from him, she had—

Blinking, he was yanked from his memories by the male’s voice. The stars and moon led him there? He knew that some used the stars to find their way but, the way he said it, it seemed unusual. Looking passed that—easily done, given the request that followed—he continued to listen to Phocion speak, adding neither words nor nods to the conversation. He kept his thoughts to himself, remaining quiet for the time being whilst he thought about what he should say next. So far, he’d more or less just allowed those that were interested to join him as long as they seemed physically capable. This guy was smaller, though, and didn’t seem like much of a fighter, so he felt torn. Either allow him entry and risk him being unable to pull his own weight, or judge him based on appearances alone and send him on his way, possibly losing an able-bodied wolf.

Perhaps he should have participated when wolves showed up attempting to join Blackfeather, maybe then he would have learned a thing or two before setting off to reclaim the valley.

Luckily, it seemed like this wasn’t his first time joining a pack, as he went on to share a few details about himself; of course, Xan noted this immediately and decided to remember it, planning to use the question at a later date for a different wolf. “How are you with hunting in a group?” he asked. “And if someone tried to attack us, are you prepared to defend my pack with your life?” Few had ever earned his loyalty but, those that had it, had a man that would lay his life down for them without question; he’d intended to do the same for Kendra until tragedy struck. Still, despite his failure in the past, he expected the same degree of commitment from those that would follow his lead.