At least he seemed suitably contrite, even if his answers were very unfulfilling. Drestig sighed loudly, frustration as clear in his voice as every fiber of his body. All of this nonsense was such a waste of energy! Had he been blind, thinking his subordinates better than this? Or was he simply too caught up in his own woes to face the facts of life? No..! His daughter was gone, the pup of Wild Rye Fields was lost and they should all be out looking for her. What was the purpose of a pack if not to raise its pups? If they couldn't even do that, then his whole mission had failed. The elder man growled lowly, shaking his head to clear the pressure of regretful thoughts. One misstep would not topple them, he wouldn't let it! And this won't happen again!
Reyes was promising as much, despite the convoluted nature of his statements. He'd made a mistake, but it wasn't one bad enough to throw him out over, not as long as he understood the error in it. Halting, Drestig bended back his head, taking a deep breath as he looked up at the clear sky, his breath forming a visible, grayish mist against its background when he breathed back out. Then he turned towards the younger male, expression still serious, but more composed. "Don't call me 'sir'," he corrected, gruffly, then continued in a softer voice: "It makes me sound even older than I already am." The ghost of a smile played around his mouth, most of his anger having evaporated just like the cloud of his breath. He was still far from happy with the brute's actions, but snarling and snapping rarely solved anything, in his experience. Instead he fixed Reyes with a stern look, voice serious, but measured as he said: "Look, I don't fault your ambition, rising the ranks is no bad goal for any pack wolf. But you gotta realize that brute force can't solve everything! Rank needs to be earned, if you just fight your way to it, everyone you beat will end up resenting you." This was not a lesson the daring Avalon had ever thought he would be parting onto anyone, but it felt right to guide the younger man, as he had the others under his care for all of his adult life.
Sighing again, though this time much lighter and without the added sound, Drestig turned his gaze back out over the fields, their golden glory now hidden under the glistening snow. He spoke in a more thoughtful voice, brows furrowing slightly with the words: "You wanna be third or second, or even leader one day? Fine. But don't rush it, take your time. Prove to everyone that you deserve it, that you are capable, not just through beating them up, but helping them, sparring with them, hunting with them, getting to know them! Winning trust might seem harder at first than winning a dominance match, but in the end you'll find yourself much more secure in your post, and much less lonely." A soft smile curved the leader's lips as he looked back over at his subordinate, the domineering manner now mostly gone; "So prove your strength, in more than just force, to them and to me. And when you fight, fight fair." His head tilted ever so slightly as he watched and waited, hoping his less stern approach had managed to get through to the chap. But just in case, he bared his teeth in a wolfish grin, adding wickedly: "Or I won't hesitate to show you who really has the power here."
Word Count: 606
Thoughts. ”Speech”