A New Face

Katja listened silently as the black-coated yearling spoke, but when the child called her "my dear", Katja lifted her eyebrow in reproach. "Yfir is much of what you speak of. We do not seek the formalities of kingdoms and empires - we are raiders and vikings, not kings and lords. But we do demand a certain degree of respect... perhaps even greater than those of the bureaucracy." She paused to seat herself, eyes fixed upon the yearling as she considered how to word her response. She was not impressed with the yearling's choice of address, though the girl might not understand yet the distinction. "Age, gender, bloodlines... these have little bearing upon the opportunities here. But experience, trust, skill - they are of utmost importance. If you do not have the trust of those of the pack, you are a liability in battle. If you treat your packmates without respect they will not respect or trust you and that will put everyone at risk. If you believe you can do this... Yfir may indeed be for you."