1,029 words.
####Vigilante’s wounds had healed by now, in the physical aspect anyway. It had been a very strange few weeks for him, and he did not know exactly what to think of everything. His niece was deranged and living in Dahlia de Mai, he was Constable of the pack (though as far as he knew, only Jacquez and Ayita knew this), someone had attacked Ayita’s daughter, his house now was home to four, and he had finally asked the woman he loved to be his mate. It had been a very strange few weeks, indeed, but the balance of good and bad events was what seemed to throw him off the most. When something bad had happened, something else good happened in another area of his life. He did not know what to think of his strangely balanced luck, but he supposed he should not question it completely. After all, with all of the good things, he had nothing to complain about. He was still filling confident about his burst of courage in asking Ayita to be his mate, as well, which only served to confuse him more, since he was feeling rather serious as of late. Something needed to be done—he felt that—but he did not know what or even why. Though he had initially vowed to go back to his old job, he still had mild doubts, as he did not want to upset Ayita with it. The news of his past had upset her, it had been obvious, and it was a very tender subject for him, as well.
####Standing in his kitchen and staring at the snow outside, Vigilante ran his fingers through the shaggy dark hair that matched the dark mask of fur on his face, contemplating the way he was feeling. It was so strange to think that there was something boiling deep within that was bothering him that he could not pinpoint. Normally, he was very in tune with his emotions and thoughts, a side affect of his long and hard training. It was one thing to feel confused about something specific he was feeling, but it was a whole different story for him to feel confused about nothing, and yet, everything at the same time. “You have been thinking too much,” he muttered to himself grumpily, turning away from the window. He needed something to distract him, but Ayita had gone somewhere that day, so he was left to his own devices. Her children were with their father for the day, so he did not have them, either. They were sweet kids, and he was glad to see that Mara’s problems seemed to be lessening, from the way that Ayita had described them to him at first. And yet, during one of the happiest times in his life, there was something bothering him, and he had no idea what it was. His only guess was that it was related to his niece and the information she had given him about their old pack and her brother’s continued actions. That was the most likely thing, indeed.
####The desired distraction came in the form of a howl from his leader, and Vigilante’s ears perked with interest. He had no idea why the collie man was calling for them all, but it seemed as though it was important, and it was just the thing that he needed. Perhaps it would also be a good time for the rest of the pack to know of his promotion, though he did not know what to expect from them by way of reaction. Those that he knew, he was on good terms with, although he could not say it went for Leroy, but he was certain that there were pack members that he did not yet know. How would they take to hearing that he was their new Constable? Their first Constable had left the pack without explanation, only to later return and take a plunge off of a cliff, and he did not know if this information might affect the way anyone saw his promotion. For those that missed Svara, would they begrudge him taking up her old rank? And for those that did not miss her, or did not care either way, how would they feel? Though he had never been overly concerned with the way that others saw him, he was surprisingly concerned about how the pack was going to take to this information. Ruri was someone he had never met personally, but heard good things of, so he could only assume that the pack would be happy to hear about her promotion. Unfortunately, he could not assume the same thing for him, and it did matter.
####The call had come from the hotel, so Vigilante set off in that direction alone, his head down against the bitter cold. It was something that he was accustomed to, most certainly, and while he was not particularly bothered by the snow, he was also not that much of a fan of it, either. It had snowed much harder and more often back at home, but he still did not like it now, where it was simply a breeze compared to his birthplace. As he arrived, he realized that he should have walked faster, as many others had already gathered. He recognized Jacquez, of course, and Haven, Alaine, and the woman he had talked to once outside the horse corral, though their conversation had not been much. The face he sought, however, was also there, and Vigilante strode to Ayita with a smile. Their relationship was still new, and he did not know if anyone here knew of it, but the seriousness of the call made him not wish to speak up about it yet. He stood next to his mate, though his attention was mostly focused on Jacquez. Ayita had made it easy for him by being near Jacquez to begin with, as he felt it was probably his duty to stand near the King during meetings, even if he had no idea what the meeting was about and no one else knew him to be a leader of their motley crew of a pack.