Empire of Angels (CHALLENGE)

Hati had heard Valentine's challenge, and though he had hurried to join him, froth flecking the teeth of the bear's skull, eyes blazing in the shadowed caverns, he was not fast enough. It hadn't helped that he'd been sulking in the orchard, hiding from Valentine's adventuresome little rugrat daughter, and had to cross much of the pack's lands to reach the battlefield. But he had to be there for Valentine. He had to. Ve frolicked beside him, capering like the mad little demon he was, but Hati ignored his high pitched giggles and sing-song rhymes. He was the bear, and he would be there to guard Valentine's back.

But the whole of it was over in a flurry of blows as he reached them, and as he slipped up past Cascade to Valen's side in time to hear his words to the unknown female he threw a disinterested glance at the defeated male, before glancing up at the larger alpha with the same intensity of focus on him that spoke of his mental instability. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ve making ridiculous faces at Akemi, but that was hardly unusual. His ghosts often interacted with each other. Just yesterday Baldur had dropped a disgustingly yellow snowball out of a tree on Vili's head - it was hardly uncommon. So why shouldn't Ve and Akemi both be there? He thought nothing of it other than that... though it was odd that the pink-eyed boy from Imperium seemed to be interacting with them as well.

"Valentine," he rasped, the words coming slowly. "I will assist in carrying them if you wish me to. I will not... bite them. I will... be gentle." He slid a sidelong glance at the unfamiliar female Valen had made his offer to, unaware that his grave promise might be taken as threatening to the pups in any way. After all, he was saying that he wouldn't bite, which seemed a reasonable thing if Valen didn't want him to bite... He was just trying to play nice for Valentine's sake. If that was what Valentine wanted him to do.