passing the torch

[Firebringer]

Matthew walks into the shared den, feeling the weight hanging over him. The Serthaha defended what was theirs with a ferocity many would fail to appreciate. But that didn't have to mean control. Especially if what he was becoming no longer fit the leadership they needed.

Which was why he needed this talk with his Beta.

[Firebringer]

Always, the temptation to present a mask of unyeilding stone, to keep his own troubles from even his own pack. And as that part of him which was wolf grew, the desire had become even stronger.

But he was not of Skolis' brood. He had seen the destruction wrought by those who tried too hard to blot out all appearance of weakness.

Matthew's face twitches into a brief flicker of a smile. Sally's grin was infectious, and it only made him more certain that the decision was the right one. "Faithkeeper. You know I've grown distant lately. From the Herd, from other packs. Sometimes even from you and the others." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "I'm the hunter, the predator, and that has only become more pronounced with each turning of Luna's face. For fleeting moments, sometimes even the youngest of our kind have begun to strike me as prey-like."

Eyes seek out, and seem to bore into Sally's own. "Our relationship with other packs, and with those just finding this city, is at least as important as striking down blights against the mother. Which is why it's time to recognize that I'm no longer the leader this pack needs."

[Firebringer]

Matthew reaches out to clasp his pack-sister's hand in a rare show of affection. In some ways, Faithkeeper was even stronger than himself, which made it all the more jarring when she showed signs of starting to crack. "No. I've left family behind too many times to do so again now. I'll still be here to provide guidance, and to fight as one of the pack as I have always done. But you must be the one to lead now. You have the strength to guide this pack, and keep it aligned with its purpose."

[Firebringer]

Matthew nods, remembering. "It's not an easy path, but you're strong. And we'll all be here to help. I had less to start from.

"I'm sure you've seen Taylor Roads' grave, but have I told you his story?"

[Firebringer]

Matthew is silent for a moment, throwing his mind into the past. Years it had been, and still so vivid. "It started with a dream. A fire blazing, growing to consume all. I was so certain it was the Anshega, that we needed to warn the packs of an incursion."

He shakes his head sadly. "There was an incursion alright, but it wasn't the Pure. In the night Taylor sent out a howl. The Justicars were on our land, calling challenge. I was the first into the fray, and the first to fall. When I woke, Taylor was the only one of us still on his feet, but the Rage had taken him."

The alpha falls silent. A flash of imagery, the great hunter descending on him. When he finally resumes, the bitterness in his voice is palpable. "In that instant, he wasn't my alpha. Just a ravenous beast knowing only hunger. And I was prey, broken, defenseless, barely conscious. That's when Tony ordered it. A sniper round, and the next instant, my alpha was dying. And I couldn't do a thing to save him."

The Cahalith takes a deep, shuddering breath. The rifle's discharge, the sticky wetness of hot, spattered blood, continuing to flash through his mind. "I wasn't ready to lead. My alpha had just died in my arms, I was half-dead myself with my packmates in hardly better shape. And the Justicars had just laid claim to a large swath of our land. All because they saw us as weak. But I had to pick up the pieces, see that we endured."

He reaches out, to rest a hand on Sally's shoulder. "But I did it. We survived, and thrived, despite everything. Which is why I'm sure you're ready. Even if you doubt yourself."