Field trip [Noel]
To her thanks, the ermine and silver male dipped his head. Little else did he say at that point as he listened to what she had to say in response to his tale. He was not so naive to believe that peace was forever. It had been instilled in him from the teachers of his pack-lands as well as his own parents, particularly his sire, grand-sire and so much more so his greatgrand-sire. "It may be a fool's dream to have eternal peace in this life, but there are still periods of peace, few and far between though they may be." He did not doubt that without the sheer number of wolves that his birth-pack and its surrounding allied sister packs, peace would have been far less obtainable. "Which is the reason we were still trained for battle as a precaution. My training might not have been complete, but I think I would not have made it so far away from home had I not had any." But he had left before his training was entirely complete. He did not enjoy fighting or the thought of blood shed, but he knew enough to help defend himself and others if need be. He glanced back over the sea, thinking about his family. There were those who would gladly take up the mantle of warrior. And if he had something worth defending, so too would he. But it would need to be his choice and not something thrust upon him. Still, he did not intend to return to the safety of his over large family at the idea something could be forced upon him. "I do not know what terrors you feel. But if you would rather not choose, because of the terror, why did you leave what you knew? Why join anywhere? Surely you have the power to alter your destiny, the knowledge to lead your own army instead of being just one more pawn in it?" He stood up and gazing out across the sea, he continued, "The ebb and flow of the sea is constant. It will be here long after you or I are gone. It doesn't have a choice, but you do. And you're strong because you're willing to choose. But do you want to be someone else's pawn and not rule your own army without hindrance, or fear that you might choose wrong the ones you choose to follow?" There would always be those he'd been told before he'd left the sanctuary of his birth-pack that other packs would go to war over one thing or another. It was impossible to stop and even when one did, another might just rise up in its place. Those wishing to be neutral would have a difficult time. Would still need an army if only to protect themselves from invaders. "In order to obtain peace, there are always sacrifices. A lot of time, war before that short age of peace. I have no first paw experience of this, but I know tales of horror. I only hope that you find what it is you are truly searching for. And should you ever need someone to talk to, my ears are always available to listen." The fear of a family member turning traitor and starting a war from within. Stories of long ago about their ancestors and their feuds. Not to mention the fear of the insanity of that side of the family encroaching upon his own mind one day, even though it affected so very few and always on his great-uncles' side of the gene-pool. |