The Valle man had things he needed to talk about that he didn’t want anyone else in the pack to overhear. He needed the confidence of an advisor and seeing as his cousin had up and left not only the pack but also her small children he didn’t have many options. There was only one other wolf that he would trust to advise him in these times and that was his father. Once had had been reassuring him that he would be a good father and that he turned out to be untrue or else they would all still be home and alive. But, Viorel knew his father to be sneakier than he let on to be.

Viorel had considered consulting with Rochus, who he still suspected of being involved with Platon’s disappearance somehow, but had thought better of it. He was too closely involved with Vayko, and he didn’t want anyone else knowing of what he was thinking yet. Instead he had snuck out as the sun was coming up behind a smoky hazy sky, casting the world in a dangerous orange tint. Within earshot of the territory he had called to summon his father and then kept moving until he reached the marsh. Here he was confident they would not be overheard.

Pacing amongst the grey trunks and the shallow water he waited, he needed his father.

It took his father longer to answer than the Valle man would have liked, though he let it slide given what a distance they were from the pack. Vasco entered the area, proud as ever and his voice reflecting the exact type of slyness that Viorel needed him for. All at once, staring at the smaller man in front of him the leader was strongly reminded of a fox, sly, quick, and in some cases dangerous.

Rolling his shoulders which were bunched with anger and tension, his voice was dripping with venom as he stated simply, ”I want to make them pay.” He thought it was clear who he meant, the Cove, the very wolves who had set this downward spiral in motion. If not for their idiocy then Sephrina would be alive, he wouldn’t have felt so beaten down, Isla would be with them, and Archer wouldn’t have gone looking for comfort dick first in Kateri. They had wronged them, and they needed to know what they had done.

That was what he needed Vasco for. Surely the older man would have the intelligence to advise him on how to make this happen, how he could spread the cruelty as Kateri had so aptly put it onto those who deserved it. He stared at his father, expectant, intense, hungry.

Vasco responded almost exactly as Viorel had expected him to. There was no pretending he didn’t know who or what he was talking about, or like the mountain pack didn’t deserve it. His father was all in from the beginning and it only fueled the fire that had been smoldering deep within the salt and pepper wolf. It gave the anger and hatred the gust of fresh oxygen it needed to explode into actual flames.

The leader’s thoughts were only further enforced when the wind picked up and gave at least a few minutes of sweet relief from the smoke. It was as if the world was telling him that he was on the right track. Turning on his heel to pace in a manner that only a wild animal could pull off, Viorel’s thoughts were running a million miles an hour. He grumbled, ”I don’t know. I know I want to cause them as much pain as they’ve caused us, but I don’t know how.” It wasn’t like he was going to kill one of their kids. He was angry but there was a line.

He paused his frantic movements to size Vasco up, ”So go on, advise me.” He didn’t know his father’s involvement exactly in Platon’s disappearance, but there were enough clues to point that he wasn’t innocent either. He would know what to do.

His father’s confidence which bordered on glee only bolstered the Valle man’s rage and determination. He had been festering this idea within him for so long, but too afraid to voice it out loud and now that he had, it hadn’t been rejected, rather it had been celebrated. Gold eyes looked over the smaller man who suddenly seemed perfectly in his element and the thought that he had something to do with Platon’s disappearance made a lot of sense. But it wasn’t the time to dive into those daddy issues, they had other problems at paw.

Vasco’s words rumbled out of him, and for just a second Viorel felt a moment of pause, enough to add, ”I’m willing to do whatever it takes, but I’m not killing one of their kids. That’s where I draw the line.” He wanted the adults to suffer, not the children. They were innocent in all of this, the subordinates and leaders were the ones who were supposed to be watching Sephrina and failed. There had to be a lot of other options that they could come up with where the punishment would suit the crime. Rolling his shoulders back into a proud stance he questioned, ”And whatever it is, we’ll need to be careful to protect our own from further retaliation, they need to pay for their crimes without them being able to confirm that we were the ones behind it.” They could assume of course, but they couldn’t get caught doing it.

The leader could see the gears turning in his father’s head as he processed the instructions. Viorel had never been one to be sneaky, or think this far ahead strategically and it was clear that this was a job best left in Vasco’s capable paws. Nodding in agreement to the final sentiment, all he could offer was, ”Okay, I trust you will get what needs to be done, done, before coming home. I’ll tell the others you’ve had some personal business to attend to and I have approved your leave, when the time comes.” Who knew how long it would be before they had their revenge. But it was clear that it was coming.

Nodding once more, Viorel turned towards home to take his leave. The less he knew about all of this, the better.