Tithe
To take what I'm owed.
Pay me my dues.
Whereas his black companion moved in an unnaturally straight line, Tithe trotted easily just to the side and behind him. Every barrier that came into their path was trotted around as if it had not even been there. He moved around the trees and stones as if not even realizing they were there. Adaptation was a skill he had needed to learn to survive. Everything taken from him he learned to live on his own, take in the world, and change with it. The curious, unwavering, habits of the other wolf brushed in the back of his mind. It was strange behavior and with every passing moment he questioned his decision to carry forward.
Yet still he followed, the instinctual need to be a part of something drove him to see what he was being led to. Even though he had a gut feeling he was not going to like it. The unpredictability Tobias had displayed during their play put the young male on edge. When they crossed into the realm the other obviously ruled, anxiety clutched at the squire’s heart. This was Tobias’ land, home, and pack. Tithe had no place here and no idea if it was a pack like the wolf he had met.
Under the armor of his bristling coat he shielded his soul as well. Guarded in his body and mind, he let himself retreat behind the metal of his eyes. Before him, Tobias stopped and faced him. He stood standing, ready to run if need be. One wolf in the common forest he felt like he could stand a chance against. A pack of unknown and unpredictable wolves was completely different. Mirages of the void faces of his family wavered in his mind’s eyes. Their rolling tongues laying in the dirt and their throats ripped out by a man who was a coward and held a grudge. It was this sight that kept him on alert. He had nothing to live for, but he knew he had to live.
”Your’s.” He agreed. There was more to the word and uttering it. To Tithe is meant everything in this realm was under Tobias’ protection, their loyalty belonged to him, their lives were under his rule and were his responsibility. As an outsider if Tithe were to infringe on the rules or the people of the pack, any retribution Tobias saw fit to rule would be well deserved. Choosing that word outlined as well that this pack was Tobias’, not Tithe’s. The squire’s loyalty did not belong to him, nor them, nor the land but he gave respect to the other brute for his rank.
Quietly, and patiently, he waited. His body ready to react to any command his mind gave him. Much like their games in the leaves, only on a far larger scale.