Willows

He hadn’t missed the side-eye she gave him at his words about running from danger you couldn’t fight. He didn’t press on that rawness, instead laughing softly as she finally realized that he meant something way bigger than a mountain cat. “Yup. Not fun. At all.”

He listened with interest as she explained her confusion’s origin, nodding thoughtfully and musing, “I can see why you got them mixed up. And hey! Learning can be a hell of a lot of fun.”

He grinned at the giggle, tail swaying pleasantly through his work, and as she asked how long the meat might take to dry, he rocked back on one elbow, eyes exploring the undersides of the willows in thought, calculating. “Probably all night as long as the fire’s kept going.”

Her next query brought a dreamy smile.

“I’ve known I wanted to be a warrior – the best I could be – since I was old enough to know the difference. My mother was a warrior, and the pack’s secondary Alphess beside Aurielle up until she died. Not only that, but my great aunts and uncle were all warriors in their own rights, and all of them, including my grandmother, were queens or a king at some point. And then the great grandparents… My namesake Cairo was a warrior king who his people loved, and while his late mate, my great grandmother Guinevere was alive, she was a warrioress as well. So… I’ve wanted to follow in those pawsteps.”

He sprawled onto his side, squirming belly up and rubbing his back into the grasses, legs kicking, tail flipping. Lastly, he gave all four legs a massive stretch, straight up like some imitation of a fainting goat before his limbs dropped limply, forepaws draped over his chest in contentment.

“But I wanted to do more than just be a fighter. I didn’t start out knowing quite what I wanted to do, but then I realized that hunting was a good way, where I can stay fit, practice my tracking and scent identification, and practice bite placement on the run. So, it helps my reflexes and provides for the pack. Plus, the beta rank I’m after presides over the Fighters and Hunters. I’m hoping my sister makes it to be my partner. We’d work well together.”

His tail swept side to side in a contented wag.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think