Bearclaw Valley When your footsteps conquer the street

skipping with permission!

Ashlar had hoped that this would be enough and that the stressful ordeal would be over.  It was exhausting for the poor boy to be standing like this before two terrifyingly competent wolves.  The next question only made the rift between what they represented and what he knew all the more terrible.

B...battle?  Um, I don't...  his voice faded to nothing.  He didn't understand the question.  He knew what it meant to fight and to defend yourself, but Ashlar had never imagined he would need to.  He'd always been surrounded by wolves with nothing but good intentions, and the idea that these wolves saw battle frequently resonated and put true fear in him for the first time.  He swallowed.

If I have to.  He finally said, his ears pressed sideways.  He knew there was honor in defending your pack and your family, and that sometimes helping others meant bringing pain to those who would harm.  He didn't mind learning to defend them, if that was what they asked of him.  If thats h...how I help.