WC: 363
Jaden was using his typical threats. Slade was faintly amused at the wolf's lack of retorts or witty comments, especially since the brute stood there laughing for a moment. "Running out of ideas, eh, Jaden?" he mumbled, not intending to be heard. As Jaden continued talking, he had no wily insults, just a threat of injuring the coyote again.
Slade bit back a quick retort; he hadn't begged Jaden not to hurt him last time and he didn't plan on starting now. On the other hand, he didn't feel like getting another scar, either; the fact that they were both somewhat more evenly matched hardly mattered, because Jaden was much bigger and stronger. However, the brute lacked his shortbow, which meant Slade could run away and quickly reenter the pack's territory. The question of whether or not he actually would run if a fight rose still remained unanswered.
It took a bit of a pause for Slade to come up with something to say in return. He would have liked to sound brave and reply "death", but he was by no means that type of coyote. He hadn't lied at all at their last meeting, had he? Again, now was not the day he intended to start. He was trying to remain as neutral, if not icy, but he was aware that his ears were flattened and he was still rigid, and subconsciously raised his head when Jaden stepped forward. If he became openly angry, that was all Jaden would need to start throwing out the insults. He wasn't keen on suggesting a fight, either; he had no experience, whereas Jaden had to be a skilled fighter.
Come on, Slade, is there something Jaden didn't want to talk about? Anything I can use to take his attention away from a possible fight? There was the whole "Dahlia de Mia" mixup, but a simple mispronunciation was nothing to make a fuss about. Thinking back to their last meeting, Slade tried to remember why they had decided to speak in the first place. Forcing back a confident, tricky smile, Slade gave a counter question as his answer. "What did you do to that 'Vigilante' fellow?"