01-17-2008, 10:37 PM
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It had come full circle. Phoenix flashed back to the day Gibraltar had asked him to be his gamma. It had also been the day he’d brought Sun and Moon home after promising their dying mother he would take care of them. Before, he’d been an aimless, unloved wolf with no real reason to keep going, and then in the space of twenty-four hours he became a father and a leader. It had been overwhelming at first, but it gave him purpose in life. Pilot was not nearly as destitute as Phoenix had been then—but then he was quite a different wolf, probably due to his upbringing, or rather the fact that he’d had one no matter how unorthodox, when Phoenix hadn’t. He had never figured out why Gibraltar had all of a sudden decided he needed a gamma. But then, he had never really tried to get close to his alpha, preferring instead to remain a respectful distance. At the time he didn’t seem to be having the same troubles the current alpha had. In fact he had rained almost a year before choosing a second in command. Phoenix had barely reigned five months. “Neither did I, when Gibraltar chose me,” Phoenix stated. “An’ I was a lot less sure of myself back then than you are now. ‘Sides, you help out with th’ pack all th’ time. You stepped up when Slade was actin’ outta line. I can’t think of anyone who loves Storm more’n you do an’ could help me run it better.” To Phoenix, it was not a matter of qualifications, but heart. “I don’t doubt that you can do it, Pilot, I jus’ don’t wan’tcha doin’ it if it end up makin’ you miserable.” Though he remained outwardly neutral so as not to affect his friend’s decision, inwardly he hoped Pilot would accept. He needed the help. The burden hardest to bear was always lighter with another to help carry it. |