i am the blood of the mountain

For a moment mahogany eyes lingered upon the face of the girl, staring into pools of steely blue that seemed conflicted. It was as if a war between anger and confusion raged behind her optics, though I sensed that she would not make me privy to such mental turmoil if it did exist. Anger seemed to win out as she pulled her gaze from mine, averting her line of vision to her paws. When she spoke, it was a fact that I was already aware of, but I could tell it was not the true answer to the question I'd asked. She took care of Myra, yes, but that was not her niche. That was what she did, but it was not what she loved to do. I could not remember a time in my youth when I had felt so distraught over what my path in life would be. From a very young age Alcide had begun to train me to one day take up the rule of the mountain. My adolescent troubles had come in the form of imprinting, misplaced love, and a brother who had rejected me from birth. Despoina and her siblings were without parents, this I was well aware of, and they had been as such for the majority of their lives. Had I failed her, in not seeking her out and offering some semblance of guidance earlier on in her residence within the mountains? In those moments, as Despoina silently stewed with her attention fixated on her paws, I came to realize that simply making the offer each spring to the adolescents of the pack to choose their paths was not enough. And suddenly the possibilities to better this system for the future unfurled within my mind. But my focus remained upon the troubled girl who lay beside me now. The details of such endeavors could be given the full attention of my mind on another day.

The growl that roiled from the girl's maw took me slightly by surprise after such a long time sitting in silence. My hackles fluffed out slightly, not truly prickling but merely expressing my displeasure at such a noise. Though it was not truly the sound that disturbed me, but the reason for it. Clearly the problems lay much deeper with this girl than any of my pack had recognized up until this point. Perhaps even her sister did not realize what discontentment built within her guardian's heart. A mumbled apology followed the words, though my ears remained pressed forward as I looked down at her, my expression unchanging as I waited for what was surely to come next. But her steel blue eyes never lifted back to mine. She repeated her first statement, but an addition was made. So she liked to bite, did she? My tail made a single, flicking motion across the snow before it came to rest at my paws.

"If it is flesh you seek to sink your fangs into, I suggest you find the time to meet with our Courser, Church. Perhaps you will find fulfillment in the hunt; and once you hone such a skill, you could easily lead hunts." She was still maturing, but it was easy enough to recognize the lay of muscle that developed beneath her fur. With proper training she would become a powerhouse, to be certain. The hunt would also allow her to still care for others - whether that was her sister, or the pack. And while I hoped that Despoina found interest in the suggestion I had made in light of her admission at liking to bite, I would not ignore her first words. She had taken care of her sister for quite some time now, and it was a responsibility that I perhaps should not have let her shoulder alone for so long. Was that the reason for her malcontent demeanor? I could not help but wonder. "She will always be safe here, Despoina. The pack will look after her." When Myra and her brother had come to Spirane she had been a scared pup, perhaps totally incapable of looking after herself. But I had watched from afar as the girl had blossomed, and though much of it was probably a credit to Despoina, Myra could get along fine on her own now. The life of a sibling was a heavy burden for one so young to bear, and if I could relieve a portion of that load now...maybe it was better late than never.

daenerys