Along the Western Wall

The Archangel grinned at Amos’s response, even as he deduced that the boy’s build was definitely suited as a fighter, well balanced between muscle and agility with the wide chest and long legs. Amos stood the same height as Regulus’s mother had, and he had to hide a faint smile as he remembered his mother’s strength in the skill.

“Well, Amos, I’d be happy to teach you, and even provide a few spars for practice.” He nodded back at his right hind leg with a rueful grin and added, “Even experienced wolves need practice when things change for them.”

Far beyond holding a grudge against the skilled young wolf who had bested him in the Raid, he’d be interested to learn from the girl if he ever met her, despite her affiliation. No matter how old you got, it never hurt to pick up new tricks to keep the fight fresh and interesting.

He smiled at Amos’ surprised reaction and rose, turning as he did and leading the way along the rolling plains. He followed the interior curve of the wall first, stating “This began as a border of large rocks, small enough to carry in one’s jaws or in a deer skin, ringing Celestial’s borders from these plains to the moor to our east. It was to help loners see the border, and to teach our young about pack borders and what they meant.”

His fathomless sapphire gaze lifted and roves along the wall. As he and Paladin had figured out more technique to laying the stone, and that a mud mixed with the right components hardened and kept the stone set into place, the wall had grown sturdier, and with the widening of it to make way for walking along the top, the interior edge had been laid wit the new technique.

“From the start it was a pack activity—whenever someone found a rock, they could bring it and set it out here. And then the Raid from Talis forced me to rethink my ideas a bit. Initially, I was intending for this to just be that ring of stone. But intruders could get in too easily, and young children… Well. The wall wasn’t tall enough yet, and two of our young children went missing.”

And then their mother had gone mad. He hadn’t seen her since she’d asked for him to let her leave, confided that she couldn’t see any of her children without seeing their fathers, and the hurt they’d done her. It had culminated in snapping and lashing out at her own babies, and he could understand how much that tore her apart inside. She’d struck him as a wolf who loved her children… and to suddenly feel the way she had in the end… He had to swallow the sick feeling in his gut as he tried to imagine himself in that position. And he couldn’t.

Thus far, Adore was the only wolf who had truly sought to apply herself and actively seek out training. Nova, Chasm, and Azazel were around, but he wasn’t seeing that same drive. They had all attended Gwenevere’s fight training, though, and that was something. But he hadn’t missed Azazel’s behavior, or the look he’d given the wolves who had fought in the raid.

He turned to grin at Amos, saying, “Eventually, this wall will be wide enough for three or four wolves to walk along it abreast, should the need arise.”

As he reached a path that curved inward into the land, he chose it, gazing about for any of his packmembers, but seeing no wolf shapes for the time being. To Amos, he asked, “Is there anything about the pack you’d like to learn? Our laws? Or some of our ranks and what they’re for?” He’d certainly get to fight lessons in this tour. Just try and stop him.