I should have expected that this wouldn’t last long, his willingness to submit to me, his continuation of doing what would please me. Even in my state of turmoil, he would always be the one to test my limits. It was the way it had always been, from the first time I had laid eyes upon him and he had defied my orders. Of course they were the orders of a barely six month old puppy, but even then I had known what my destiny held for me. I was born to rule; the commanding spirit of my bold and sovereign lineage ran thick in my blood. My brows drew together as I glared down at him. He stared back up at me with a vengeance, clearly displeased with the lack of pain I had inflicted upon him. But that was not me. That was not the way I wished to rule. There was a time for blood, a time for pain, and this was not it. Had I felt abandoned by him? Yes. But was his exercising his free will to come and go from Spirane as any free wolf of Moladion did deserving of such a harsh punishment? I did not believe it was so. And this was perhaps where my painted warrior and I would always stand on opposite sides of the line.

His words cause a throaty snarl to rise within me. Lips quiver with the sound, but it remains dull within my throat as I listen to the words he chooses next. His push is all but ignored; instead of removing myself from my place of dominance I lowered my bodice over his, drawing closer to him and confining the space between us. Even as his words cause a flicker of infuriation in the back of my mind, I am drawn to him by the electricity between us. I knew we had to be careful of this thing; for a single spark could burn it all down.

My nose wrinkled slightly as the growl grew and finally came to my mouth. It is a predecessor to the words I speak next. “Violence may be your answer to all wrong doings, Leo. But that is not the reign I wish to make for myself. When it is required, punishment will be dealt by my own tooth. I have no desire to be a soft or weak willed Queen. But I also hold no aspiration to be feared by those who choose to follow me.” To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by being intolerant to ‘certain things.’ I knew he had trouble with closeness, with physical contact that was not in the form of a fight. Was that what he meant? If it was, so be it. We would fight. Boneclaw and MoonGlow, Thunderbone and Alcide – their might lived on in me. But I would need practice to prove my worth.

As his paws wrapped around me, I relished the coarseness of our proximity for only a moment. I reared up momentarily, hoping to disengage his hold on me before thrusting my forepaws into his chest. If my aim was true it would potentially knock his breath from him and give me the moment I needed to spring away from him. We were almost matched in size and weight, which made him an ideal sparring partner to build my basic strengths. I spun away from him, circling back and doing my best to constantly keep my eyes on him. I would keep him as close to me as possible, not allowing him to get a running start at me. This spar would be far different from any I had ever engaged in with my father. No, this would be more of a dance, or at least it felt that way to me.