Fall of the Packs: Void

Chapter Fourteen

Desert's patrol returned home safely and reported to Colt that there had been no incident. Minerva could tell they were still on edge, however--she guessed no dog would be comfortable at that border for a very long time.

She had taken over sentry duty for Tinder and was prepared to go back to focusing on it when he approached her. "Have any trouble holding down my job?" he asked with a smile.

Minerva simply shook her head. "No. Everything's quiet."

"Including you, I've noticed," he said, gently bumping her with his broad muzzle. "Come on. You've been avoiding me for days, it feels like. What's wrong?"

Minerva shifted her paws, looking at the ground. "Nothing."

"Did I say something?" Tinder asked. "A lot has changed recently. I understand if you need some space."

Minerva raised her head and looked at him directly. There was no point in being cagey. She hated when dogs were like that. "That's just it. Nothing has changed. And I've been... thinking."

"About what?"

"About when I was younger. When my father and siblings died."

Tinder's eyes softened, but he said nothing, waiting for Minerva to continue.

"And nothing has changed," she said after a short pause. "More of my family is dead. And it reminded me why I don't have any friends."

"Yes, you do," Tinder protested.

"I didn't ask for them."

Tinder narrowed his eyes. "There's more you're not saying. Are you... afraid of losing me?"

Minerva looked away. "It won't hurt if I never cared."

"Hey. Look at me." Tinder gazed at her steadily. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm not going anywhere."

"And how do you know that exactly?" Minerva demanded.

"Because things are going to get better," Tinder replied. "I know they are."

"And what if you're wrong?"

"Then we'll handle it. My father wants what's best for the pack, even if he's a little hard-nosed sometimes. But we'll be all right. Listen, you let me handle the worrying, all right? It doesn't look good on you. You do 'effortlessly confident' much better."

Minerva chuckled in spite of herself. "Well, you make a pretty compelling argument."

Tinder tilted his head. "Do you believe me, then?"

Minerva smiled slightly, feeling an unexpected warmth enter her heart. "Yes, I think I do."

Tinder nodded to the ground next to her. "Want some company, then?"

"Don't you want to rest?"

"This is resting, basically. And two pairs of ears and eyes are better than one."

"I guess so, then." Minerva scooted over to make room for him. "I do kind of like having you around."

Tinder grinned. "Then I'm all the more happy to stay."

~

Desert glanced toward the entrance, having just finished giving her report to Colt. She was glad that Minerva and Tinder appeared to be talking again. She was about to turn away when Colt cleared his throat. She looked back at him questioningly.

"I want to speak with you for a moment," he said. "It won't be long."

Desert slowly dipped her head, having a feeling she knew where this was going.

"First and foremost, I want you to know that I respect you," Colt began. "You've always been loyal and dedicated to the pack."

"The feeling is mutual," Desert said in reply.

Colt smirked slightly. "I'm glad. But even though I do respect you, I want to make something very clear."

Desert repressed a sigh. She did, indeed, know exactly where he was going.

"Every dog in this pack knew about the conflict you and Draco had," Colt continued. "But in Night Pack, you don't question your alpha's decisions. You follow them and respect them. And Draco may have been willing to tolerate it, but I will not be."

"If you're standing here right now and trying to convince me not to start a revolution," Desert interrupted, "then you're wasting your time. I would never blatantly disobey my alpha."

Colt narrowed his eyes. "Can I be sure of that?"

"Yes. You can." Desert fought to keep a growl out of her voice. "I only want what's best for Night Pack."

"So do I," Colt said. "So we shouldn't have any problems, should we?"

"I won't make any."

"Good." Colt sat back and flicked his ears. "I'm glad I can count on you. That's all I wanted to say."

Desert stiffly dipped her head and walked away. There was a lot of words that hadn't actually been said, but she guessed that both of them knew what they were. And truthfully, she wasn't going to cause problems for Colt. Arguing against his policies would be pointless and only divide the pack more. She knew there was no longer anyway she could get them out of this war. Her only option was to fight as hard as she could to keep them safe.