From the moment his eyes shifted to mine I could tell things had changed since the last time we had exchanged words. Still, I greeted him warmly enough and inquired as to his presence so deep within the mountains. From what I had learned of him upon our second meeting, I thought that he would make a good candidate to fill the vacancy of Spider. But the doubt that etched across his face now did not reassure me of such. Kalseru’s words distracted me from him for a moment though, and I gave her a soft look as she stammered through a semblance of an explanation that disintegrated into an apology. I would not harangue my daughter for the way this meeting had gone; no, instead I would take her aside and ask her for the full story. She was still young, seeing only her first winter, and in interest of their youthful innocence I had not begun to train any of my children in the ways of ruling. I had been saddled with such responsibilities at a young age, and I was grateful for it because of how quickly I’d had to take up the role after my parents deaths. But I intended to be around for a long time, and there would be plenty of time to teach one or all of my children what it meant to be an alpha, if they so desired it. Perhaps this would end up leading into Kalseru’s first official lesson.

My attention shifted once more to Iscariot as he spoke, and something in his voice was different than the last time we had met. There was reservation there, an uncertainty that made his tones less than welcoming. Concerned, my brows furrowed slightly as I listened to what he had to say. Perhaps beginning training for my stead at such a young age helped me now, as I withheld the urge to bristle at his choice of words. Features remained calm as he apologized, and I figuratively bit my tongue to restrain the words that appeared in my minds eye. This was the first time I had faced such insults to any of my children, and I found myself completely lacking in appreciation for it.

“I am...sorry you feel this way, Iscariot. My children were born as a princess and princes, but they have not yet seen four full seasons. The business of heirs is of little concern to me at this point, only that all children of the mountain are raised with a set of values akin to those of myself and my pack. I think that hasty is, perhaps, a correct choice of word here.” My words were spoken evenly, tones so similar to that which I had adopted during our conversation only earlier that season. But if he was so quick to jump to such conclusions about a child within my pack, could I really trust his intuition when gathering information from outside the pack? Perhaps we had both been too hasty in our judgments of one another.

The uncertainty on his expression did elicit a sympathetic vibe from me, for something deep down seemed to have unsettled him in this moment. I held no qualms against him, but I would not stand by and allow my children to be spoken of in a derogatory fashion, even if it was mildly done. “My daughter and I would gladly walk with you to the border, if you desire the company.” It was not in a dismissive way that I spoke, but rather as an acquaintance escorting a guest as they took their leave. Whether or not he chose to return was up to him.