As the meeting dissolved, wolves fleeing in all directions, the newly appointed leader felt deflated. He had not succeeded in raising the spirit of his pack, and could only hope that he had at least assured them that he would be a worthy and capable leader. Soon he stood alone with the young prince, and he had to force a smile, pushing aside his feelings of failure; I'll have to deal with that later... For now, he needed to focus on Darrah, and luckily, it wasn't hard to keep smiling as he approached the dark boy, feeling proud like it was his own son before him. Triell's firstborn was growing into a stunning young man, already it was hard to recognize the stocky, quiet pup he had known since birth. Drestig's chest swelled and he smiled wider, reaching forwards to gently touch his nose to the boy's jaw as he came to a halt in front of him.

He seemed to have taken the news well, accepting his uncle's promotion, however temporary, and that made the elder wolf very happy. He did though remember the lad's comment about Nayeli, and while he could not be blamed for that opinion - it was one Drestig shared even if he hadn't said it out loud - the newly crowned leader was extra attentive because of it; He's a strong kid, but that doesn't mean he can't break! Leaning back on his hunches, Drestig met his nephew's eyes, still smiling, clearing his throat lightly. When he spoke his voice was upbeat, tail wagging over the grass behind him enthusiastically; "So, what's up kid? Did I inspire you?" An ember eye winked, shimmering mischievously at the little joke. It had always been easy for him to both tease and speak seriously with the young Tainn; Throughout his life, the Avalon had had a special connection to young wolves, and Darrah especially held a special place in his heart. Seeing him grow, and helping and teaching him all he could along the way, was a true joy.

Word count: 342

Thoughts ”Speech”

Darrah was smiling back at him, and it warmed the leader's heart to see the excitement he seemed to have awakened in the youth. He answered enthusiastically, making the older man chuckle as he settled across from his nephew. For a moment the boy's eyes turned skyward, supposedly dreaming about this possible future, then a flow of questions fell from his maw, and Drestig had to fight to contain his smile, eyes sparkling as they watched the lad, practically vibrating with exhilaration. His leader remained quiet, waiting for the stream of words to end before he began answering, taking the time to turn over the questions in his head.

Finally Darrah seemed to realize his babbling, trailing off into an apology, and Drestig allowed his grin to shine through; The expression growing soft at his nephew's last remark. "Of course." He said in a low, warm tone, meeting the boy's own flaming eyes; So like his father… He took a moment to simply look at him in silence, then he professed: "You're a remarkable young man Darrah, you've grown big and strong, and I know that you care deeply for the Bend." The elder man reached out to place his paw across the youth's shoulders; "It is your birthright after all." His smile curved a little, as a touch of mischief made its way onto his face. Then he pulled back a little, clearing his throat.

His voice was more serious when he continued, though he was still smiling; "As a guardian, your job is to protect the pack, our borders and your fellow members. You need to be confident and strong, and always vigilant, to make sure no one comes to any harm. All of the pack will trust in you, to keep us safe, and Spieden and I will count on you to guard the pack when we're away." He paused, allowing his words to sink in, watching carefully to see how the young wolf would react. There was a lot of big words and severity in that speech, but he wanted the boy to know exactly what he would be getting into. Once he was sure Darrah understood, the leader moved on: "Your training will be both physical and mental, to give you the role, I'll need to know I can trust you, and that you can handle the task. I will love to spar with you, and I urge you to do the same with other pack mates, different opponents will teach you different things. Learn to fight, get good at it." Again he stopped, looking seriously into the yearling's eyes.

There was no doubt in Drestig's mind that Darrah could learn to do this, and do it well, but he wanted to make sure he was confident in himself as well; That is so important! Putting a fresh smile on his face, the silver-tipped man tried to lighten the mood a bit, stepping back from the more serious part of the matter; "Most importantly, I believe in learning by doing. Patrol the borders, I know you already do so, keep track of everyone, go with them if you think they need protection, or go search for them if they've been gone for too long. Show Spieden and I that you are caring and capable, that is how you'll earn your role." He nodded, almost to himself, to underline the sentiment, raising his brows a little at the boy; Are you up for it? Finally, before allowing Darrah to answer to all of the information, he pointed out: "We'll probably wait until you've turned two before officially giving you the title, but there is no time real frame. When you've shown us you're capable, and we believe you are ready, you'll be a Guardian."

Word count: 628

Thoughts ”Speech”

Drestig's relationship with Darrah was a special one. He'd always had an affinity for the young, watching them grow and helping them develop into strong individuals. And with the young prince, he had been there from the start, seeing every step steering him towards the man he was today; Truly special! True, there was some way to go yet, but the newly appointed leader saw the potential in the boy before him, and he would do everything he could to help him achieve it. Darrah too was beginning to realize his ability, stepping into the role he was born to fill, and Drestig watched him, beaming with pride. He might still feel insecure, but the confidence he showed towards his teacher made him grin back, waving his tail encouragingly. The prince might be a lot like his father, but his uncle saw quite a piece of himself in him too.

The young man was listening carefully to all the instructions given, clearly invested deeply in this new goal. Drestig had seen a guardian in Darrah from early on, and he was happy that the boy too, found himself drawn to this task. The prospect of a spar got a humble, yet enthusiastic response, and the elder male chuckled happily; "Yeah, you could probably beat me now, too!" Ember eyes twinkled as they looked over the yearling's sizable frame, knowingly. But then Darrah grew suddenly serious, a light sigh falling from his lips. Drestig's head tilted, brows furrowing as he studied the young man; What's he thinking? When he spoke again, it was first of the time frame his leader had tentatively set, and the wrinkles in the silver tipped man's forehead grew deeper; Is he upset about the wait..? It didn't seem to fit, surely the boy hadn't expected to be promoted then and there.

Then Darrah mentioned his sister, and the pieces connected in Drestig's mind; Of course! He had sought after the lost princess himself, though, he admitted, not so vigorously. Mouth tightening into a fine line, the alpha nodded solemnly, meeting the dark lad's bright eyes; "Zera, yes… A good mission. And look for Sceral too, @Serach has been searching for him, but there's been no trace. Just, keep it in mind…" He looked away, gazing into the woods, at the empty space where the remains of their pack had been gathered just moments before. There was one more name that came to his mind, but he didn't add it to the list; Darrah had already made it clear how he felt about his mother, and Drestig wasn't gonna dwell more on that subject. He could hardly blame the boy, in many ways he was of the same oppinion, and, though he wouldn't speak it out loud, he suspected the princess had run off with her. Perhaps he was a hypocrite, thinking the Tainn's long gone while still holding out hope for the safe return of the boy, who had been gone longest of all, but he couldn't help it, like Darrah, the Donata brothers held a special place in his heart; Always the boys…

Nodding lightly to himself, the alpha turned back to his subordinate, slipping back into the role that he found befitted him so well; "And keep watch of the land, not just our territory but the forest beyond, make sure everything is as it should be… And if you find something amiss, come to us. With everything that's happened… Well, better safe than sorry." He managed a fresh, light smile, though the severity of the situation didn't make much room for humor; "Other wolves, loners or from other packs, rival predators or even larger prey animals that might pose a danger… Keep track of it." As a final note, raising his brows and looking pointedly at the lad, he added: "But do not go after it alone! If anything concerns you, anything, come find us, we'll deal with it together." Then he relaxed a little, tail waving lightly behind him as he waited to see, if the prospective guardian had any more questions.

Word count: 680

Thoughts ”Speech”

It was so easy, coaching Darrah, the words flowing easily from his maw, as they always did in the young man's company. When he laughed, the elder wolf grinned in response, eyes aflame with the effortless humor between them. He reached out to bump the boy's shoulder at his joking words, expression just as mischievous as his nephew's. "Bad habit of mine." He snickered, shooting the lad a wink. In his own, humble, opinion, Darrah could not receive enough praise, but he was skillful enough in the social arts to realize that the comment was the young man's way of saying 'enough is enough'. So he left it at that, instead focusing on making sure the budding guardian had all the instructions he needed. Waiting patiently for any questions he might have, all the while thinking if there was any more he needed to add.

The somber words made silvered brows quirk, smile fating into a more sober grimace. For a moment, Drestig simply looked at the boy, ears lain half back; Such a hard life all this children have led… It wasn't fair, that they had had to face so much hardship in their earliest years; And yet it seems that is what life is… His own childhood had been no easier at least. The leader reached out, touching his muzzle to the youth's, meeting his warm, sincere gaze; "You're a good lad Darrah. You've been through a lot in your short life. Too much… But I believe you've come out stronger. I've no doubt you can do anything you set your mind to." His voice was unwavering, assured in its assessment, and full of all the care he had for the young Tainn; Future king of Oak Tree Bend.

Word count: 291

Thoughts ”Speech”