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War was coming. Zaene had declared eagerly that if Arch did not hand over the Gifts to him he would simply take them. Arch had called in favors to defend our home and the wolves had risen to the call.

Siro, the Alpha Male of the Full Moon Tribe, and the Warboz, the Alpha Male of the End-Moon Tribe, had agreed that Zaene needed to be stopped. If he broke into the woods and forced the Gods to restore the Severed Moon to a fully blessed tribe, it would mean disaster for all living here. They were outsiders, and Zaene only had one goal; conquest. It may not happen right away, but the Severed Moon would move through Ilim Woods like a fire, absorbing and killing people as they saw fit in order to continue to expand and grow.

Siro and the Warboz had agreed that their tribes resources would meet at the Temple, and over the last couple of weeks more and more foreign wolves had begun to appear; wolves wearing silks and furs from the north and wolves wearing heavy plated and boiled leather carrying heavy and deadly weapons. The logistics of it all were maddening; finding places for these men and women to sleep and eat was becoming more and more of a challenge, and more people arrived daily. Only a small number would remain in their respective homes to guard their own territories. This was the largest gathering of tribesmen since the fall of the All-Moon tribe. It was a surreal experience but also a headache.

Arch had tasked all of his Alpha to find places for these people. My striders had been going around all day setting up tents. At first the foreigners had balked; a foreign wolf was usually treated with great honor and respect in another tribe and guaranteed a place near the level of opulence as an Alpha Male, but with so many people coming every day, there simply was not enough room in the temple. People had to sleep outside.

I had given my son and his mother a small room in the temple and asked them to remain out of sight for the time being. I won't lie, the thought of either of them being attacked made my fur bristle. I wanted them out of the way. My son needed to survive these coming weeks, and he needed his mother. I would protect them. I knew Avalon would too, but I didn't want him distracted. With his new position as Warrior-Beta, he had enough on his hands.

We all did. Our minds and bodies were being stretched thin as the Alpha Males figured out how to control so many people. I trusted them and had faith in them. I was a good subordinate. I would let them make the hard decisions and support them as best I could in the coming weeks. Some might ask why I took such comfort in their command and control, trusting them with choices that could ultimately lead to my death. My response to that would be similiar to when a child can rely on a parent; sometimes you just had to let the more experienced person make the calls and that did take the edge off. I trusted Arch and I knew my trust wasn't misplaced.

Today I had been working on getting a network of message relays set up around the temple and the roads around it when I heard from a friend that some argument was happening in the Warrior's Enclave. I ignored it, continuing to look at my map until I had been informed it involved Avalon. I stood at the table and stared down at the map as I considered my options. I could go and see what was wrong and potentially intervene, or I could let him fight his own battles. I didn't want people to think he only had his position of authority because of me. I wanted Avalon to be liked and respected among our people. However, we were a couple and at least my presence could be supportive. Besides, staring at these maps was starting to give me a headache. I decided to go.

It was a short walk from my tent to the Enclave. Warriors of all kinds had set up camp around it, but during this hour it was surprisingly empty. A lot of the warriors were out in the outlining woods with some of our men, learning the terrain and talking about tactics. The enclave was not a place you were at during mid day. Chance had a tendency to bark and yell orders until it was cleared out. Mid afternoon it would be busy, but for now people had things to do and places to see. Except a few.

I entered the torch-lit dome building to see a few people inside. A couple of End-Moon warriors were sitting on the stone benches with a map between them and talking, sharpening their blades. I saw a small pack of Full-Moon warriors in a corner practicing magic. Apparently their warriors could wield spells just as well as their mages. Today they were deflecting balls of energy. If you didn't hit it back quickly it would explode with a heavy pulse and knock the target back. It was designed to teach them how to deflect magic. I had asked Siro if he could teach some of our men this trick and he had agreed with Arch's insistence. There would be classes on it starting today.

The argument was centered in the middle of the ring. Avalon stood to one side and Kaliko the other. The Alpha-Mage of the Full Moon tribe was wearing flowing silks, a long green loincloth with a matching vest. He wore bands of beads and leathers all over his body and carried with him his signature crystal staff. Avalon was dressed as he always was, and while he didn't have either of his swords drawn, I could tell my mate was at his end of patience.

Behind Avalon stood Jack, wearing his signature orange loincloth and a short sword at his waist. Over his chest was a vest much like Kaliko's, only not silk. He had his arms crossed and seemed to be enjoying the show.

"--don't understand why everyone here is defending him!" I heard Kaliko say.

"You don't need to understand," My mate countered. "He is a pup of the Half-Moon tribe and as such is protected by our laws. I saw what you were doing earlier to him."

"I was showing him that if he continues to talk to me like that, with that annoying quip of a tongue, he's going to get punished for it." Kaliko added. "I wasn't lying when I said I was a bit of a stickler for order. I told him he needed to stop trying to push my buttons so I pushed his back."

"You don't push buttons with fire, you kinda burn them. Though you did miss. I guess the only thing you're good at catching is another man's--"

"Jack!" Avalon snapped, a hand going down just as Kaliko tried to step around him, blocking the white wolf.

"I don't want you to stand here and let this side!" Kaliko growled. "He's not even being punished by you."

"He'll get a scolding," Avalon added. "But only when I'm sure you won't attack him once I stand down."

"In other words," Jack added from behind Avalon. "You should go run and jump into Arch's bed. I think he's probably cold. Frankly, I'm surprised you can even walk after the other night when I heard you--"

"Jack!" Avalon said, but this had seemed to annoy Kaliko to his limit. I saw his staff start to glow bright.

Kaliko brought his staff around and pointed the glowing crystal tip at Jack. When the weapon moved to the side Jack seemed to work like a puppet, moving out from behind Avalon. I watched the Alpha-Mage twirl the silvery staff in his palm before he drove the base into the sand, the crystal glowing. "Listen to me, pup," Kaliko began as he stepped forward. When Jack tried to slip behind Avalon he found an invisible wall there. Jack's paw slid along the energy but could find no way to get back behind the warrior. "You are either bored, or don't know how to approach a Mage. I heard you used to drive Reyna up the wall with your insistent badgering and curiosity, am I right?"

"Maybe," Jack said, giving up on trying to find his way through the energy and crossed his arms over his chest. "And maybe I just like picking on mages."

"I grew up with a twin," Kaliko said, stopping a few feet from Jack. "I'm not easily annoyed, and I'm not going to let you light a fire under my tail."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"I mean you want me to do magic." Kaliko responded, a slow smile on his face. "That's why you annoyed Reyna, isn't it? You got to see her do magic. Make fire appear, water swirl, air plume, the earth shake. You saw her glow in all the colors of the rainbow and do things you probably could only imagine. You want me to amuse you, entertain you, even if it means a bit of singed fur."

"That's saying a lot just to get you to do a few spells," Avalon added.

"No it isn't," Kaliko responded, hazarding a glance toward my mate. "In his mind he probably views it as a sense of control or dominance over me. If he can provoke me out of my mental discipline, he's won. At least in his head."

"Do you think I like getting set on fire?" Jack finally retorted, letting his arms drop from his sides. "Or drenched? My fur changed colors?"

"Yes," Kaliko added. "You do. You like the attention. It probably makes you feel validated as a wolf. The ignored street rat is now the center of attention for some of the most powerful mages in the tribes. That's a bit of an accomplishment."

All that did was earn a scowl from Jack, his eyes locked on the white wolf. "Shut up."

"What?" Kaliko said, smiling as he approached Jack again, inches from him. "I didn't hear that. You didn't like that I figured out you're just a lonely little pup?"

"Shut up," Jack said coldly. "You don't know anything."

"I know you don't want to be ignored, and you want to learn magic, but are too afraid to ask. I know you're about as stable as a wet scroll, and you don't know how to even act like a normal pup in society."

"Shut up," Jack said again.

"No," Kaliko said, huffing loudly. "You made this happen, and I'm not going to let you push my buttons anymore until you decide to act like an adult."

"Enough!" Avalon growled, his hand shoving between the two of them, stepping in front of Jack. "You know his background, you know what he's been through, and he is a pup. Don't hold him to adult standards."

"If we don't hold our young to adult standards, what are we expecting from them?" Kaliko asked, stepping back to easily look up at Avalon. "You don't make him behave in public, he'll keep pulling my and others' tails until he crosses the line."

"He doesn't cross the line with us," Avalon said.

"Who? The warriors?"

"Yes. Jack has earned a place here. He hasn't once annoyed anyone here. Why do you think that is?"

"Because he knows you could break him in two?" Kaliko said with a bit of an eye roll. "I don't know, or really care, how you got him to bend the knee to you and your Alpha-Warrior, but until he learns to stop bothering me, I'm not going to play nice."

"Is that so?" Avalon said, a slow step forward. "Then I don't have to play nice either."

For a moment no one said anything. The people in the dome didn't seem to even breathe. But finally, I saw Kaliko smirk and bring his staff around. A flash of white followed the stone. Avalon leaped back, shoving Jack behind him. I watched the pup dive for the sand. Avalon was shaking his head and reached down for his sword, slowly drawing it out.

"If you just wanted a duel you should have asked for one."

"I want you to control Jack a little bit. If I win, you control him and keep him out of my fur."

"Deal," Avalon said. "And if I win, you give him magic lessons. Any rules?"

"None," Kaliko added and whirled his staff in a circle in front of him. A gleaming stone appeared in the center of the drawn circle and a flash of white light flared. A blast of chilly cold air, spotted with snow and ice, flew from its center and impacted on Avalon, the blast strong enough to force him to dig his heels into the ground while he was pushed back.

The fight started before I could even say anything. Avalon shot out from his side of the sand laden ring, bringing the drawn sword in front of him. My eyes darted quickly to Kaliko as he moved to keep the distance between them constant. A wave of his staff and the sand rumbled, pillars of the grainy material exploding upwards in Avalon's path. The warrior was undeterred by this show of magical force and dodged left, right, left, right, right, right, left, not letting himself be swept away by the rush of sand. Just as he was in striking distance of the white mage, a flash flared between them.

I had to lift my hand to shield them from the blast. When my vision cleared, I saw Avalon's sword pushing down against...air? No, not air. There were four points forming a six foot long square between him and Kaliko, each point a different color. Blue, green, violet, yellow. The square was a faintly rippling, shimmering piece of what looked like glass, colors flowing like oil in a puddle of water. Kaliko smiled and tilted his head to the side, lifting his paw and touching the glass. "I didn't think I'd have to block you."

When his fingers touched the glass, it exploded, knocking Avalon back and sending the large, red-furred warrior skidding through the sand, only to adjust quickly. Glancing back to Kaliko I saw those same colored points now floating around him, joined with red and orange. Six points of colored, glowing light, orbited around the mage. When Avalon started forward one of those colored lights, the blue one, wizzed over to the mage's staff and settled over the crystaline point. Kaliko's staff moved quickly, flicking the head and the butt in rapid succession. Globs of water flowed from the now blue haze covered shaft, soaring at Avalon.

At first my mate dodged them, but no one's perfect forever. Kaliko had managed to land one of the large balls of water, sending Avalon staggering backwards and holding his chest. The force of impact must have been greater than I expected, since I could tell Avalon was in pain. A mate knows things. But I stayed put, silent. Kaliko was just smiling. He was succeeding in keeping Avalon at a distance, well out of range of his sword.

"Do you relent, Avalon of the Half-Moon?" Kaliko said, burying the end of his staff in the sand.

"Do warriors in your tribe always give up so easily?" Avalon countered and ducked low, running in a zig-zag motion across the sand.

I heard Kaliko sigh. The colors floating around him changed. A yellow and a green stone now replaced the blue. Once again, Kaliko's staff lanced outward, now in a jabbing motion. Lightning crackled from the tip, however, I quickly realized this was no lightning. Lightning happens in the blink of an eye but this moved slower, easily seen by the naked eye. Could magic not recreate the flashes from the sky? I had questions for Renin-later.

Avalon seemed to realize that even though this may not have been true lightning, it was still dangerous. He waved and dodged, getting closer and closer to his target. Kaliko, seeming to be a little surprised by the swiftness his opponent was producing, jabbed his staff faster, quicker. Avalon was still at a disadvantage, however. As the distance closed, Avalon had less time to react. If he messed up, he would probably be sent back and have to try this all again.

Just when Avalon was a mere ten feet from the mage, Kaliko changed tactics. In a quick spin, a line of purple magic floated around him. He came to rest in front of Avalon and slammed the butt of his staff into the ground, letting the energy he had created around him become volatile and erupt away from his body, whirling quickly, kicking up the sand and debris. Avalon was surely going to be knocked back.

At least that's probably what Kaliko thought. I watched as Avalon brought his heavy sword up in a sweeping arc. A flash from the blade and then...a gust of wind flowed away from him. A quick glance at his sword revealed glittering runes dancing down the blade, only to vanish once the magic had been canceled out. Kaliko's expression was priceless; a look of awe and surprise, but he moved quickly and stopped Avalon's blade from slicing into him by blocking with the shaft of his staff. When the sword connected to such a magical object like the staff, the runes glittered and skittered down the blade, revealing that it was, indeed, an enchanted weapon.

Kaliko stared at the weapon and looked back up at my mate. "Magic? You use magic?"

"Hardly," Avalon countered with a mild smirk. "These weapons came with magic. I don't know how they work, only that they do."

"It is old magic," Kaliko commented as his eyes stared along the blade, admiring it. "But it's not enough. Rune magic is the most common kind of magic and the first to lose its potency after just a couple of uses. "And with such a bold statement, Kaliko let one of his hands go off the staff, clutch the green crystal floating next to his head, and held it up to his muzzle, blowing onto it. A rush of wind exploded away from the shimmering stone, and Avalon had to struggle to hold his footing.

The fight continued. Avalon rushing in with his swords, only to be parried by Kaliko's magic. His powers seemed so dynamic and unpredictable, quite like how Reyna would have dueled someone. At one moment, he would be channeling ice to try and make Avalon slip, at another, fire would appear. Avalon dodged easily enough, but it was hard to really see him winning this fight. Kaliko knew magic, a tool that Warriors just didn't grasp. Mages and Warriors seldom got into fights for this very reason; a mage had the upper hand unless the Warrior got in close. Kaliko understood this and kept Avalon at bay. He never got close enough to even swing his sword. Kaliko seemed to be trying to wear him down. This was going to be a long fight.

Avalon looked at me and then Kaliko, ducking as a large blast of snow flew over his head. "You said I could pick any weapon, correct?"

"Correct," Kaliko confirmed, narrowing his eyes.

"Fine. Then I pick Slayn as a weapon."

In that moment I knew I had to move. Kaliko wouldn't simply stand there and argue the point. No, he would do whatever he could to stop me and then argue it was unfair.

I jumped forward and rolled to the side, just in time to dodge the blast of freezing water that hit the sand behind me, instantly freezing it. I guessed right.

Up on my feet I ran as fast as I could, leaping onto the stonework seats that ringed the sand pit like a stadium. Twice I felt the rush of cold air blast along my tail and freezing the tips. I jumped and flipped over a large support stonework, grunting when a blast smacked into it, causing me to fly forward and slam into my chest. Recovering, I pushed up and flipped onto my feet just in time to outrun the freezing cold following me.

My distraction was what Avalon seemed to be hoping for. I looked over and saw Avalon in range to strike. A look of frustration crossed the Full-Moon mage's face as four of his precious stones flew up and made a perfect square that blocked the sword from slicing down and injuring him. The magic shimmered as Avalon pushed, then kicked, sending Kaliko right into the sand.

I stopped by the group of warriors and grabbed a set of knives from the rack behind them, slinging the leather strap over my shoulder. They weren't my usual throwing knives, heavier and made for a warrior, but I didn't have time to go back to my room and grab my vest. For now, this would do.

Kaliko was up on his feet and used a combination of stones, green and orange, to blast himself backwards with a gust of wind. It had two effects; the first moved him out of the way of Avalon's foot that had come down to plant on his chest, and the other knocked me off my feet, sending me rolling to the ground on my shoulder. I was getting up just as I saw an arc of purple lightning smash right into Avalon's sword, only to be knocked away with a swipe of his weapon. I saw a pure look of frustration cross Kaliko's face again.

"That sword is annoying, Avalon." He said with a growl.

Before Avalon could answer, I threw one of my knives forward, trying to surprise Kaliko before he could produce another spell.

What happened next happened in an instant. I saw Chance rush from the darkness, leap over Kaliko and smack my knife away before it could make contact. He whirled around and slammed his fist hard into Kaliko who had managed to throw up one of his barriers, but it shattered upon contact with his fist, like Chance had punched a thin piece of glass. Kaliko was knocked down, hard, into the sand. Chance didn't stop there; he bounded forward right for Avalon.

"Alp--" Avalon attempted to say, but was silenced by a heavy punch to his gut hard enough to lift him up and off his feet. He was then lifted up and over Chance's shoulder and thrown, hard, into the sand.

Too stunned, I didn't even have enough time to react as Chance bolted over to me and slammed a heavy fist against the side of my muzzle, knocking me down to the sand. I laid there, seeing flashes of light in front of my eye, and I could see droplets of crimson falling down into the pristine sand. I coughed and wiped my muzzle and rolled onto my back, staring up at a very angry mottled wolf.

"What do you three think you're doing?!" Chance growled out. "We are at war and you three are dueling like children. Kaliko, Slayn, I expected more from the two of you. Get up." He reached down to haul me to my feet. "Avalon, you are my Beta-Warrior, but from what I could see, you had just as much say in starting this little fight."

"Chance, I--" Avalon began but Chance kept walking right toward Kaliko and dragging me by the arm.

"This is serious. Do you three think war is a game? Do you think that fighting with magic and blades is something we should be doing? You all hold positions of power and authority, but I see you squabbling like young pups, too eager to show off!"

"Hey," Jack said and stepped out in front of Chance, standing between him and Kaliko, who had now risen to his feet. I could see in the archway two other figures. Arch and Siro. They must have come with Chance from somewhere. "Kaliko was picking on me, they jumped in to help me."

"Tell me," Chance said. "Did you put any of my training to use? Did you even try to stop Kaliko? Or did you rely on others' strength to fight your battles?"

That got a sneer from Jack who held his mouth shut. "I didn't ask them to fight for me."

"You didn't try to get them to stop, either." Chance countered. "You pitted an Alpha-Strider, a Beta-Warrior, and a foreign Alpha-Mage against one another. Two of them are mated and bound by blood, another can wield power equal to Reyna's. What did you think the outcome would be?"

"I don't know..." Jack said with a quiet voice. "It wasn't...look, no one was going to get hurt!"

"Slayn threw a knife at Kaliko who wasn't ready to dodge it. Magic can do many things but can it heal a knife to the eye? That's where Slayn's target was."

"Hey now, I could have blocked it," Kaliko said and came around.

"Hardly," Chance finished. "You messed up. I grew up with Reyna, with Arch, and I've been to war. Above all, I've dueled Slayn since he could lift one of his daggers. Do you think I don't know his fighting style? No. He may be a strider but he can also kill at a distance. Battle does things to men, Kaliko. It brings out their instinct to survive. Slayn threw out of instinct. He wanted to end the fight. He may have killed you on accident."

"I'm not so weak," Kaliko said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I would have stopped it."

In a flash, a hand slapped Kaliko across his muzzle. I saw a spray of blood fly from his nose and trickle out of the corner of his mouth. "You know I'm a threat. Why didn't you stop me?" Chance said. "This pride of yours is going to get you and any man you command killed in the coming fight."

"Now, now," Siro said as he advanced into the sand. "While I do agree my brother has a bit of a pride issue, Chance, hitting him so many times may result in your own unfortunate injury." Siro said as he stood near his twin, touching his shoulder. I saw Kaliko try to pull away but his hand gripped the shoulder tightly, keeping him steady. "Kaliko has learned his lesson, haven't you, brother?"

"...Yes," Kaliko added, glaring up at Chance and finally at me. "Did you really intend to kill me?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "You were slinging magic faster then I could throw daggers. You were attacking my mate. When Avalon is in danger, my head goes somewhere else."

"Exactly," Arch said as he stepped forward himself. "Which is why the two of you will not be working together in the battle."

I felt fear fly across my face, but I held my tongue. Arch wasn't done talking. "You two love each other, but you both act stupid when you fight together. You're an amazing team but you don't know how to control yourselves if someone is in danger. I know Avalon would have used his other sword if you had been injured, Slayn, and your throw for Kaliko's eye proved to me you can't control yourself. It is common with new couples."

"Arch," I began. "I can control myself."

"It has been decided, Slayn. I am sorry, but this is too important. Avalon is a capable warrior and you are the best strider to ever grace our tribe in a hundred years. Both of you will survive. I need you worried about the mission, not about each other. Siro," Arch said and turned to the white wolf. "Your twin has done quite a bit of damage to this room. He will help in the repair."

"Very well, Arch." Siro said and looked to his brother. "You will make this right with SIMPLE magic. Exactly how Chance wants it. Do I make myself clear, Kaliko?"

"Siro--"

"Alpha," Siro said in a correcting, firm tone. "You have your orders."

Kaliko glared for a moment, but nodded and pulled his shoulder free from his brother. He stepped away and Chance let go of my shoulder, walking over with the mage. I saw him talking and pointing to some of the large craters that had been created from Kaliko's magic.

People were getting up and leaving, heading back to their jobs. Arch was turning to leave when Jack ran forward and grabbed his wrist.

"Arch!" Jack barked. "You can't just leave like that."

Arch, looking surprised, slowly turned, and quirked his brow. "I know you don't have a lot to do, Jack, but I'm actually very busy."

"You'll make time for me!" Jack barked, not letting go of his wrist. "I'm tired of you avoiding me!"

"Avoiding you? What makes you think I'm avoiding you?" Arch asked, pulling his arm away and crossing them over his chest. "I'm planning a war, Jack. I'm busy from dawn till dusk and that means, yes, I can't indulge you as often as you'd like."

"That's not what I mean!" Jack yelled. "I mean you make it hard for me to come home, make me feel like I'm not welcome in our--your room!"

"Nonsense," Arch countered. "It's as much my room as it is yours. You're always welcome."

"Even if you're pounding away at that white wolf?" Jack said with a bit of bile in his voice, thumbing his way toward Kaliko. "You do it nightly. He's there every night and leaves. Why do you think I stopped showing up? Here's a hint--it's not your terrible decorating skills!"

Arch growled and dropped to a knee, staring Jack right in the eyes. "Your home is in my room. You don't have to leave because I'm...entertaining a friend."

Jack twisted his arm free of Arch's grasp, backing away and scowling. I took a step forward, but Avalon, who had come to my side by now, grabbed my shoulder and shook his head. This was something Arch was going to have to deal with himself. Still, I wasn't going to simply let Jack fight this on his own. I stood in ear shot if for my own curiosity.

"You don't see a problem with that, do you?" Jack said, scowling and pointing at Kaliko. "Maybe I don't want to see you sleeping with him? Maybe I want to come home and it not smell like sex? Maybe I want to come home and not find someone else's clothes on the floor, or the sheets wet? Maybe I want a home where I don't have to worry about wandering in on random sex!"

Arch huffed. "This is what I do, this is how a tribe works. I have sex, I have a male lover in Kaliko, and when Apollo visits from his tribe of leopards I tend to invite him to my bed, too. What's the problem in that? No one's complained and I've had people come to my room many times when I've had lovers stay with me."

"It's not their home, Arch!" Jack sounded exasperated. "It's mine! You took me from that village, you made me your son, but you don't make it a place I WANT to be! I have to sleep with Slayn and Avalon these days because they don't have sex all evening long and if they do, they do the nice thing like change the sheets!"

Arch looked stunned, but quickly recovered, grabbing for Jack's arm again who only twisted away and jumped back just enough to avoid being grabbed. "I don't believe this. You spend all your time with them and they have sex, what's the problem?" Arch stared for a moment and narrowed his amber eyes. "Is it because you've slept with them? You're more comfortable in a used bed than mine?"

"No, Arch," Jack said and held his hand up to his face, rubbing his eyes in a bout of melodrama. "It's because they don't have sex all the time that I'm there. Yes, I slept with them, and it was fun, and I've done it a few times now, but there are times where I sleep in their bed or on the couch in their room, but they go out of their way to make me feel welcome and comfortable! Avalon, especially, has tried his best to treat me nicely and make their room a home. I can't say the man who I should be calling 'father' is doing that! You just wanted to save me with that title, but I'd rather be put to death than be treated like this."

Arch rolled his eyes. I had to wince. That wasn't going to go over well.

"Like what?"

I could see Jack visibly shake, his hands bunching up at his sides and what he did next made me pull away. His fist shot out and punched Arch right on the nose. The Alpha reeled his head to the side, blood starting to trickle. A hand came up to hold his nose, the other grabbed Jack's arm. In a flash, I was there, my hands moving and grabbing Arch's arm, trying to stop Arch from doing something bad.

But when I looked over at Jack, he was crying. Not sobbing, but tears were streaming down his cheeks. He tried to yank his arm away but couldn't. He growled and tried to swing again with his free hand, but Arch's large black paw had grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Jack leaned his head forward but quickly composed himself, looking up at Arch. "You only keep Kaliko there because you only care about yourself!"

"That's not true, Jack!" Arch growled, holding Jack steady.

"Prove it!" Jack countered, trying to wrench his arm free. I had, since then, let Arch's arm go. "Stop fucking Kaliko and start thinking about how you want to be a father to me, not just some guy who calls me his son!"

"How?" Arch asked. He seemed to be honestly confused about the notion.

"Stop thinking with your penis, make the room welcoming, get me my own bed, give me some space, but keep me close."

"I don't--" Arch started but stopped. He sighed again and relaxed his grip. "Will that make you feel better? If I start...giving you attention?"

"YES!" Jack said. "I want to know you want me around, not some thorn in your side!"

"Then stop trying to make my life harder, stop picking fights, stop making trouble just for the sake of it! No more tormenting the mages, the striders, the scouts, or the warriors! Behave and act like a good boy and maybe I'll be able to treat you like someone I want to be around. If you want me to be more active in your life, then its going to work both ways; you need to behave or I'll use my authority, as your father, to punish you. Do you agree?"

"No more flour bombs in the kitchen...?"

"Jack!" Arch growled. "This is serious, not a game. You say I hide from you? You use your practical jokes to get around anything remotely serious." Arch sighed, leaning close and gave the boy's nose a lick. "Please? I'll try if you try. Just be patient with me."

Jack sighed and slipped his arms down, working them free from that grip, and curled his arms around the big Alpha, squeezing him tightly and close. "Fine, I agree. But one rule. Well, two."

"What?" Arch grumbled. "You know as the Alpha I don't usually have to follow rules."

"One, no more sex in the room. Two, since I know you're not going to agree to rule one, they have to leave before supper and you have to change the sheets. If you want to sleep with someone you can go to their room, but you have to almost always come home...and, well, just...want to spend time with me. Have dinner with me instead of in the council room."

"Jack," Arch sighed again, "This is a very busy time. We have a huge battle to fight soon and things aren't going to be perfect. Many long nights are coming up. I can't promise I can pry myself away from work all the time...but I promise I'll stop bringing Kaliko over, and if I do...sleep with him, I promise to return home. Why didn't you tell me this bothered you?"

"I'm not used to someone actually listening to me," Jack grumbled. "Everyone either treats me like an annoying boy--"

"You are," I said, smirking.

Jack glared at me and stuck his tongue out. "No one asked you, Slayn." He smirked but then looked at Arch. "But anyway, I'm not used to having a voice. I'm used to people just disregarding me."

"Well, you can tell me anything and I promise to listen to you. Completely." Arch said and started to stand up. He slid his arms around Jack and hugged him. "Jack, I have to get back to work. Do you want to join me?"

"You mean with you and Siro?"

"And the Warboz," Arch added. "But you need to be quiet. Don't speak even if you think it would be a good time to interject. You know your letters, right?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "I've been working with Slayn on writing notes."

"Good," Arch said, grinning a little. "You can write down some of what we say. For history."

Jack's brow furrowed. "You want me to write history?"

Arch's eyes then furrowed. "Only if you behave. You will, wont you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I guess." Jack said with a smile and leaned against Arch. The big wolf untangled himself and started heading for the exit. Jack looked over at me and grinned before running after.

"Well now," Avalon said as he walked over to me. "I didn't think I'd see Arch actually embrace the boy. Any idea what got Arch to finally open up to the kid?"

"It's the battle," I said, turning to look up at my mate. "We may die before we see the next winter, Avalon. Arch wants to make sure if he dies, or Jack dies, they die happy. These may be our last days, love."