Taking it easy

If he could have read Sirius’ thoughts, Cairo wouldn’t have been surprised in the least. It was part of being an alpha to wonder at every move another made—was it a threat, was it genuine? There were intricate dances of politics, diplomacies, ambassadors. Never allowing yourself to portray your pack as weak or spineless. Cairo would become part of that dance himself once he achieved Sentinel as he hoped.

For a wolf as – to be blunt – paranoid as Sirius, it must be one hell of a headache, always wondering what angle another alpha was playing—even when there was truly no angle there. Aurielle was shrewd. She never pushed for an alliance if it was unwanted. Valhalla was, for the most part, neutral unless trifled with. The pack had seen off its fair share of trouble.

He tipped his head to gaze at Sirius as the Warlord let go a sliver of his origins. “I think that’s the best reason to go anywhere. For love, for a friend.”

He met Sirius’ glance squarely, nodding. “I am. Really I take any learning I can where I can get it. I’m training to become the primary beta of Valhalla. I was beginning to think I might achieve it by my fourth year but—“ He smiled ruefully with a nod at his legs “I may be set back quite a bit. I’ll just have to work even harder once I’m back on my feet without splints.”

He rested his chin on the fur roll with a hum as he added, “I’m also a hunter, though I only finally decided that was what I wanted to be aside from a warrior last season. I felt it was the best way to serve my pack.”

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