postcard from los angeles

[Skoll]

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Ten four. The bronze wolf nodded to Anderung as she came, acknowledging her words with a slight smile. He was surprised when no one else showed up, he had expected the bulk of the pack, and while he hadn't met the majority of the wolves here (he kept to himself and was usually content with guarding the border alone), he knew by smell that many had not arrived. Scenting the wind, he decided that there was a good chance no more would come. Anderung and he both had taken some time in getting here, if no one else was around, it was likely that they were outside the packlands, or perhaps still caught in sleep, though he had never known sleep to be a problem for this sort of meeting before. He certainly hoped they were out...anything else could be perceived as an insult to their second-in-command. Pilot made the same observation at about the same time, and began to share his announcement with the two Stormwolves that actually had arrived. Skoll took a seat in cave nearby the other two. At Pilot's next words, Skoll felt a pang of guilt. He didn't let any of it show on his face, but he felt it nonetheless. If Phoenix hadn't had to come bail him out of that situation, the one created by his carelessness alone, he wouldn't have had to exert himself fighting Glaesring. The dappled wolf had been a scrappy opponent even for Skoll, and had likely been an even greater challenge for his large friend. The fight hadn't lasted long, but a wolf as big as Phoenix tired faster, and Skoll hadn't known at the time of his bout of pneumonia or his recent recovery from it. Guess I'm going to have to hope he lives, and defend him and his loved ones in the meantime. Not really any different from what was going on before, though this is concerning. Skoll couldn't help but feel a sudden pang of condescension, but banished it quickly. In his native land, it was very unsightly for an alpha to become sick, and a sickly alpha was completely impossible. Phoenix definitely wasn't sickly, but Skoll still revoked those thoughts as quickly as they came. Besides, Phoenix did the same thing that his father would have done: hand the leadership to someone else while the illness persisted, and then a battle for leadership--or simply concession at the cost of some of the stand-in alpha's honor--could commence for the reinstatement of the old leader. "That is troubling," Skoll said aloud after a moment. "Besides his leadership duties, he is valuable to the pack's defense. No one wants to cross a pack led by such a robust wolf." He took a moment to consider his own words. "Then again, we are far from Inferni, the only truly hostile presence in this valley, so I doubt they will target us either way. Still, I will make due with my own capabilities and with any Spahers we have in the event of a crisis." He knew that--no longer being a spaher or the pack's wahrer--it wasn't his responsibility to watch the borders. Since he still intended to defend them provided someone other than a joiner or a visitor arrived, he thought it best to make it known that he was still dependable. ~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.

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