you got something I need (joining?)

The bitch's words failed to arouse in Hati any desire to be in her position. Powerful wolves, powerful pack, what did it all matter anyway if you had to constantly be herding them like a bunch of cats? But maybe Hati was too used to constantly digging his feet in against his fate, too used to constantly needing to impress his father for any sort of rest at all. All the freedom in the world as a rogue, but all he wanted was for someone else to have to make the big decisions for him. So when the alpha asked why she should let him in the pack, Hati didn't metaphorically flip her the double middle finger and walk off as was his usual reaction, nor did he point out that he hadn't actually ask to join her little gang. Instead he actually considered it.

His paws flexed, scraping restlessly against the dirt, not in threat or anger but simply because Hati was a very physical wolf and movement allowed him better focus. His gold eyes stayed fixed on her pink ones. "Because you need me," he said finally. "Not me because you probably got a half dozen wolves just like me. But you need more of us, because you're small, and you're not nice, and nice packs are going to be afraid of you, and when they are good and worked up about it they're probably going to try to gang up on you and wipe your pack out of existence because that's what they do when they're scared enough of someone. I'm a fighter and a killer and I'm fine with that, I don't want any more than that, I can go where you point me and do what needs doing, and that's the sort of wolf you're going to need."

This was probably the longest speech he'd given since he'd come to these lands, and for a moment he was irritated all over again that impulse had driven him to it. He hated monologues. He shrugged jerkily at her. "Basically I'm big and I can fight and I can follow orders. Maybe you need that and maybe you don't. Whatever."



"Speech"

the sins of our father, the sins of our young