Dragoncrest Cliffs Northern star

Kiwi took his quiet correction mostly in stride. He saw the wrinkle of her nose that suggested he may need to muzzle her to put her back in her place, but it faded into a grin as she accepted his proposal and hopped back into a play bow. This pleased him. His own features lightened into as close to a smile as he ever got as he too shifted into an inviting crouch. His eyes narrowed as he dipped towards the ground and he studied her. Her posture was weak, and she radiated too much excitement for his taste. So, he stopped immediately, and stepped forward to correct her.

"You give away too much," he told her, "Show your enemy nothing of your feelings - not your rage, your joy, nothing. A good fighter sees his enemy's rage and takes advantage of the recklessness it foreshadows. He sees excitement and takes advantage of your overconfidence. Give an enemy nothing and he cannot be prepared to use anything. Put them off balance. Make them guess."

It didn't occur to him that his younger sister was barely more than a kindergartener in human terms and so some of his word choices ran the risk of going straight over her head. Nor had he learned how stupid it was to expect so much of one so young. He always had and always would demand excellence of his packmates, no matter how young. He himself, after all, had been born the fine piece of wolfish perfection he was today. It had just taken him a little time to get taller, that's all. And he would require no less from the other sons and daughters of heda.