you're dancing in quicksand

[Phoenix]

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While the coffee-colored coyote was unusually large, muscular, and just about bristling with raw power, the fact was that he lacked experience in combating other wolves. He had been in only, what?, two or three scraps in his lifetime. Though he had been mostly victorious the fact still remained that he lacked training and discipline. Anyone with such had an advantage over him, since he relied merely of his brute strength to get him through. Usually that was enough, but if there was one bit of wisdom ingrained into Phoenix’s fiber, it was that luck never held out forever. Phoenix remained stolid, impassive as yet more veiled threats were tossed his way. This was not a game to him, at least not one that he was an experienced player in, but Phoenix was adaptable and could learn quickly—especially when the cost of losing could be his life or, more importantly, the lives of his loved ones. “Skoll has saved my life, an’ the lives of just ‘bout everyone in this pack, more times than I can count,” Phoenix stated. How and when was unimportant, but he only stated that fact to make a point. Use of half-truths were a skill he was just becoming skilled in. “For that, we owe him a debt. He is welcome in the Place of Lightning and Thunder if ever ever decides he wants t’come back, whether you like it or not.” Phoenix never know what kind of relationship his predecessor had with the coyotes of the Land of Wuffluvers, but he’d always had the feeling that something was influencing his viewpoint, perhaps even impairing his judgement. Even though one of his closest friends was a member of that clan he had no delusions about the rest of the bunch. They were dangerous and treacherous. Phoenix knew perhaps he had gone too far with his last statement, but he did not want Gabriel thinking that he feared them. “However, it would only be under the condition that he swears to avoid your lands at all costs. If he ever broke that promise while livin’ in my pack, an’ hurt one of your members… I promise you, I’ll help you kill him myself.” Melodramatic, but he was mostly bluffing. He knew Skoll would never do such a thing. “But I know it wouldn’t ever come t’that. Skoll may be a jerk, yeah, but he’s got a word. He told me he don’t want no more trouble, an’ I believe him.”

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