510 words.
####The gesture surprised him, as Vigilante generally kept a respectful distance from everyone, but he merely nodded with a small smile, as if to apologize for being so, as Jacquez put it, modest. It came as a surprise to hear that his suspicions were correct, as he hardly knew the King, but the reasons that he gave were solid ones. Vigilante certainly could not argue with him about the way that packs needed to present themselves. While he found it slightly uncomfortable to know that their leader was away so often and even admitted to neglecting the borders, and subsequently the safety of his pack, the doggish man was glad that the collie man was making an effort to do something to offset these unfortunate facts. He did not think it was good for the pack to have such a wayward leader, but at least now they would have three leaders, and though he was not completely certain of his abilities, he would not do anything to let his pack down.
####Soon enough, as well, he would need to meet this young Ruri to get acquainted with his fellow sub-leader. He doubted he would ever really know Jacquez, and he also did not think it likely that most ever would, but it would be worth the effort to know his fellow sub-leader, at least. Of course that meant that he was going to take the promotion, although it did not actually seem as though he would have had much of a choice to begin with. Vigilante doubted that Jacquez was the type to accept “no” as an answer, so even if he was not interested in the position, it did not seem like that would be good for him. “I’d be honored to take the position, Jacquez,” he said simply, unsure of exactly what it was that he was supposed to say in response to everything that the King had told him. He was unaware of any potential dangers to the pack, but he could certainly understand, and even relate, to the collie’s concerns.
####As long as Ayita was in this pack, he would forever be wary of anyone who came near the borders. The mere idea of anyone finding a way to hurt her was something he found to be completely unacceptable, and he was not even willing to think about that risk. He understood that he was partially chosen to be a strong face for the pack, and he was okay with this. Vigilante was aware of his own body and the fact that he obviously had physical strength and generally presented a clear, well-developed mind. As long as the pack had one leader that did not look to be easy to take advantage of (as much as he hated to think that about Jacquez, and especially about a girl that he had not met), he might not need to worry nearly as much about Ayita’s safety, unavoidable as it was. He did not want to show her that he was so protective of her, but he was.