The Alpha Den

[Kaziph]

Cassiel's mane had ruffled up again as the harsh words continued. He looked about him and saw the wide ranging emotions, anger and bemusement and confusion, all of his doing. He hated that his clan was upset, but it could not be undone. He stood before them, then, and raised his voice over the growls and worries they shared. That is enough! I understand your anger, as much as I can. He glanced after Glyph's retreating form. Bring Epitaph to me, to us, then. This will be settled as civilly as possible. He wouldn't, certainly, have his sons fighting, if that's what they were inclined to do after such bitter tones.

The alpha then felt Luma's nose in his fur, and he let out a sigh of release. There, as you have always been. He returned her nuzzle, although not as affectionate as he had done earlier, when they were alone. It was best, he felt, not to cause more anger because of how he interacted with his new mate, how easily he calmed at her touch. I know you will fight. Yet you must be careful, you carry life within you now. I will stand by you, regardless of the outcome of this meeting.

[Kaziph]

Beryl wasn't quiet sure what to make of the sudden, terrible exchange. All the information seemed to spill from everyone's lips at once, and the dark young fem was left in a muddle trying to climb out of the abyss. Glyph was mad, terribly so. Basile, in return, was as well, but his anger stemmed from different sources. Aisha seemed like her good old self, surprisingly sensible in the boiling emotions around them all. Yet then, she was with cubs by her precious Jaden, so how could anything be truly wrong for her? Roc, too, was disturbed by this turn of events, yet she was remaining silent... something, Beryl realized, that she too was doing.

The black wolfess didn't voice her thoughts. She wasn't really sure what her thoughts were. She loved her father, the one male she adored, but she worshipped her mother. How could things have turned out like this? Was it truly one's fault, or the other's? No. It was both of them. They had drawn apart because of absence, regardless of the cause. Epitaph had had her reasons for being away, but Cass had looked and looked in vain. It was no one's fault but fate.

Her green eyes narrowed, not in anger at any one wolf or another. She, too, would not submit, but it wasn't out of love for her mother. She would wait, like her sister, to see the outcome. Then things would be decided. Fate's strings could only control so much, and Beryl wondered whether or not the Maker had any say in the matter as events came to a head.

[Kaziph]

Thaddeus, for his part, knew enough to keep his head low as the wolves began to snarl and argue over the interesting news. He, personally, was overjoyed at this turn of events. What a story this will make someday! And to think here I am, a part of it! Surely the Maker had known how important this decision was, how very important it would be to have a story-teller firsthand to know the outcome. He knew, however, it would be most unwise to sit like a fool looking on, wagging his tassel like no tomorrow.

So the lanky black brute sat beside Raelik, ears pricked to hear the words exchanged. He dipped his head to Basile, accepting the apology. There is no need, he lowered his head over his neck. Things are obviously very tense, and I have a feeling that they are about to get worse.

[Goanna]

Keeya had lingered by the carcass while the others had run off to answer the call. She'd felt a change in herself, in her body as mating season had come and passed, and unsure of what this meant in relation to her relatively low position in the pack, had decided to stay back. She had borne witness many a time to the devastation wreaked upon an abandoned kill and had vowed to make the most of the mostly fresh meat. Time had moved on, however, and as the hours turned into days, she felt an increasing urge to rejoin the main group. Moving swiftly, with an unrequired sense of urgency, she had picked up Basile and Thad's trail and had located the pack.

She now hung back as angry voices and movements filled the air and caused her hackles to raise unvoluntarily, covering her form behind a straggly tree. Keeya lowered her brow, hunched her shoulders, while listening in as best she could. From what she could make out, the alpha had selected a new mate and had given her a bellyful of cubs, while Aisha also now carried a litter. The pack was, understandably, in uproar. Further furrowing her brow, Keeya leaned in. Her plan was to hear out this gathering before making an inconspicious entrance. This plan was interrupted when she heard Basile's raised voice, sharply edged with anger. Heart beating against her chest, the grey female edged towards the group, slinking in to stand beside him.

[Shai'Ren]

R a e l i k

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away…
It's a slow fade, when black and white have turned to gray…



Raelik kept his maw shut as there was dispute within the pack. He was used to this sort of thing; growling and snarling were common where he was raised. Also, as he had learned, he would not choose a loyalty until the growls died down and something was settled. He had never seen the alphess, but he was so new it didn't surprise him.

His eyes only strayed for a moment to Thad, a brute almost as new as he. Raelik could see he was excited under the surface, but what for was his guess. He particularly hated situations like these. There was naught he could do but wait to see how things turned out.

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid…
People never crumble in a day…

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[Shai'Ren]

Please don't ask me why
I fear that end is near...
Is there a reason not to cry?
Hoping to find some peace of mind...[/font][/color]


The Shadow of the Kameskai walked across the field which she had not touched in the longest of times. Her paws felt odd upon it, her pads being roughened from her times within the peaks. She made no grand howl of return, she only entered with her crown and banner flagging as they should. Her acidic green orbs spoke of war, though of what kind was anyone's guess. However, the alphess had been called, and there was no doubt that this was Epitaph. The sheer size spoke of no replacement to be equaled to she.

Her orbs glanced over what she assumed to be the entire pack, noting how it had changed since her second appearance. She would make her introduction to the loners later, they were not important at that moment. She only had knowledge of what her son had swiftly told her. She was not going to jump to ugly conclusions.

As she approached, the scars on her flesh became more apparent. They mostly marred her haunches and her front quarters. Some were little crescents, others were large slashes. Beneath her right eye was what looked to be the freshest wound; a little brownish scab covered the light gash from the corner of her eye down to her cheek. It couldn‘t have been but days old.

She shook her pelt out a bit, spreading the pure scent of the mountains, mixed with the coppery, dull scent of her blood, amongst the group. Her haunches stopped their lope between Beryl and Roc, her glance to them a quick hello. Her keen nose told her all of the rest she needed to know. Had she been any other wolf, perhaps she would have made a large outburst with snarls and growls. That would be for a later time.

It appears I have… a bit of a story to share with you all… She looked to all of her family and practically ignored everyone else. The reason for my disappearance is by no definition lofty… it was a means of protecting you all…

…You see… the mountains are very large. And I have yet to see a wolf who has explored them to its entirety… so, I set out to do just that… what I found was something no alphess would allow to stand… Her acidic, emotionless orbs looked into the eyes of others as she spoke. Her tone was not quiet as the previous Epitaph had been, but that characteristic breaking up of sentences was still present. …you are not aware, my friends… of how easy it is for a loner to breach the borders… and then make a home within the crevices of the mountains… I determined, then, that I would stay and push them out…

I chose no one to join me in this lonely quest… it was by chance and fate that Glyph managed to find me within the mountains… not too long after, Beryl also managed to find my form… though she did not stay as long as Glyph… and then finally, Roc found me as well… it was not as though I was hiding… Epitaph stopped her sentence there, knowing that if she said her thoughts then she would likely cause insult to the rest of the clan. Indeed, Epitaph had been within the mountains, shadowing them and pushing back the loner-beasts who refused to leave.

I think I can afford time to join with you all again… I have seen no other wolf within the mountains beside the one I found a few days ago… which grants me time to deal with pack issues… Epitaph gave no one time to speak between this period and the period between her next words. Her tale they could take as they liked; the scars were there to prove it. And if they could not understand the pain as each one of those healed, then there was nothing she could do beside mourn for their apathy.

Her eyes locked on Luma.So... you have mated with my mate... I can smell the guiltiness on you…Her eyes glowed with that fire that they held back in the Lake of Yorian. Confidence exuded from her as her maw began to curl upwards. Shall you return the position to me… Or... do I need to rip those whelps from your womb until you whine in submission...? Epitaph glared and grinned simultaneously. Will you try to tell me... that you can fight in such a poor state...?
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Across the dark into the light--
Take me home where I belong--
This journey on the trail of tears
Please come, come to an end...

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[Kaziph]

Cassiel waited, not in dread, but as though suspended in time. He had looked for his mate, his Epitaph, for so long... and then to be told, by his son no less, that she existed within his territory, existed and didn't respond to his many pleas, was a terrible weight on his heart. He didn't know what had held her for so long hidden away, but perhaps it was her very nature. When she finally appeared, approaching as though nothing were wrong, it was a difficult moment for him. His instinct growled to him, telling him to go to her... but the pretty silver wolf at his side, the one who had never left him... his heart told him that she was a safer mate, one that wouldn't leave him in sadness again. He had already made his choice, but now the pieces of his life were going to fall were they may.

The wounds that lacerated across the black she-wolf were strange. Cass listened in silence as she spoke, greeting her only through his body language, for he knew she would want to explain herself. Epitaph. There was nothing to explain, however. She claimed she had been away, far into the mountains. Yet Cass knew these mountains, too, after roaming them for the past three or four years of his life. They were grand and large, majestic, but he knew his territory, and he had explored all the markers. He made certain, too, that some wolf was patrolling them. If loners has slipped through his guards, it would have been to the far, far north, where his markers were not as strong. That land had been claimed only as a spot of pride, to make the territory larger. Few wolves of the Kameskai ever went in that direction, however, and the terrain had been left off for the loners. Epitaph, it seemed, had been "defending" something that wasn't ever worth defending.

Claim what she liked, Cass knew that his one-time mate had been away because she had wanted to be. She wasn't a fool, and she would have known the land she guarded wasn't worth her efforts. Glyph, Beryl, and Roc might not have known better... but he knew the experienced fem did. Yet this didn't change how he felt for her. He still loved her, but his love had been overshadowed by the grief he had felt, of thinking her gone without a word of goodbye.

Cassiel had felt only pity for the black she-wolf and confusion in his heart - up until she addressed Luma. His hackles bristled then, but he would not fight her. He was the dominant male. They would decide who would be the dominant female. His grumble issued forth, however, in a warning. There is no guiltiness in Luma, Epitaph. Perhaps there is sorrow in me for what has happened, but do not blame the blameless. She has remained, truly caring for this clan, when others have not. She deserves to have a chance at happiness, too. Do not you dare, once wise Epitaph, to threaten the alpha male's cubs. My cubs. You are not the carrier, but remember who founded this clan. Harming the young will bring about only the wrath of the pack that would have raised them, those that have remained and guided this pack toward what it has been become, now.

He lowered his head, eyes narrowed. He still cared for her and wanted this to end well, as well as it could. He was only angry at her threats to the life in Luma's belly. Had she become so petty that she would think to brag about her ability to murder the unborn? The Maker knew that Cass would kill his love to prevent his children, present or in the coming, from any harm.

[Tay]

Artist: entaie.deviantart.com/


Luma's orbs narrowed when Epitaph appeared. She watched the fem approach, and raised her banner and head high. She listened to Epitaph's story, but did not hear it. She did not care the black wolf's reason. She had left. Sometimes, that was all there was. Sometimes...reasons weren't enough.

I believe, dear Epitaph, She spat the name upon the ground, smiling as she did so. You mean my mate? Surely...were he yours...it would be your belly full? Her orbs gleamed like the fires they'd transformed too. Do not threaten my cubs, when you left some of your own to rot. We would not be here, had you been able to be an Alphess. Had you been a true mother. She rose to her feet and snarled.

You must earn what you have lost, fool. Her hackles were raised, and she snapped at the air. And live with the knowledge that the important things can never be returned.

Remember who found this Clan, Epitaph, and who now carries his young. She echoed Cassiel, her orbs mocking.

Fight me! She took a stiff-legged step forward. And if I die, I will die smiling, knowing that the rest of your life...you will never escape my memory. Knowing the pack you left will give you it's wrath.

She bared her daggers again, and shift into fight stance. She knew the orbs of the Clan watched her, and whether she fell or stood she would fight with all her strength. She had no fear. She was fighting for what she loved and as long as she fought with all she had...there was no failure.

(OOC: So Rennie...we need to have an aim chat to discuss the fight...think you could PM me or put in the chat box when you'll be on? Danke RenRen. )

[Saosin]

G L Y C E R I N E

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Glycerine had been struck idle in the mass of confusing events that toppled upon one another in a precession much like a volcanic eruption. No sooner had the pack been called together, and then everyone was exploding outwards in both body and mind. The anger of some and the love of others clashed in a cataclysmic event that sent sparks through the atmosphere. Glycerine was trapped in a world she knew nothing about. These stories, these sagas that were playing out around her were not her own, and would have been none of her business should she not have come calling upon the pack’s borders. But here she was, and what to think… she knew not. Only that her only friend… could she call him friend? She considered for a moment. Truthfully all Glyph had done was keep guard over her until his father came to acknowledge that she could enter. But he had shared a piece of himself with her in that short time, and her with him, so in truth he was the closest thing she had to a comrade in this sea of unknowns. She had watched with uncertainty as he had raced off into the distance declaring to bring back his mother. She had considered following him them but remained stationary. And as the large black female descended upon them she remained still and quiet at the outskirts of the gathering, looking periodically back towards the hills in search of his familiar form.


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Drink life as it comes
s t r a i g h t[/font][/color] .. n o[/font][/color] .. c h a s e r[/font]
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[Kaziph]

Thaddeus felt himself stiffen upon the approach of the imposing black female wolf, Epitaph. He had never before seen her, but he had for his years wandering once scented her markers along the edges of no-wolf's-land. He then, in the middle of all the chaos, happened to notice another new face amongst the family. It was a female, apparently just accepted, and her attitude was one of confusion. She would have only stumbled upon this as the anger and accusations began. He hoped, for some reason, that she didn't think badly of the pack already.

His strange colored eyes sought her's, hoping to convey a friendly message. They are not always like this. It is the winter pull that brings about such insanity even in the sanest of beings. His ears pricked toward her as he edged back from the scene of the play going on before him. He wanted to see what was happening, but perhaps being close enough to feel the blood that was sure to fall was just a little too close, after all.

[Shai'Ren]

Not I-- I won’t conform to what I see in you.
Not I-- I won’t surrender what I am.[/color][/I]



Eyes narrowed, the first son of Epitaph neared back to the site of chaos. He heard the snarls of their reaction to his mother, and he had to admit, he was also surprised of her fierceness and attitude. He had seen glimpses of it when she was fighting the loners, but never had it shown itself this much.

His eyes then fell upon some new bodies in the crowd, but they stopped when they found Glycerine. A small bubble of relief found its way inside Glyph, and he walked over to sit beside her. I'm sorry you have to see this. That black wolfess there is my mother. There was nothing else for him to do but ignore Basile and watch his mother. No matter how the end came, he would love her.

Perhaps he was the only one who would acknowledge the truth.

Not I-- and even if it was a part of me…
Not I-- I’ll never be that way again.

[Shai'Ren]

Please don't ask me why
I fear that end is near...
Is there a reason not to cry?
Hoping to find some peace of mind...[/font][/color]


Epitaph's eyes widened gleefully as the pregnant wolfess rose. She did not wait for the rest of the worthless words to spew from her mouth, but ran at her, target obtained. Everyone else was but a ghost int he crowd as her neck scrunched up against her body and her maw opened, waiting for Luma's upper foreleg to fall into the iron trap and snap closed. There were no thoughts to be released, no cunning words to be said. She would let her teeth speak when they found their mark and demonstrated what the loner-beasts had felt when she had tasted their blood.

The only question to Epitaph was whether hers would taste sweeter than the others...
[/color]

Across the dark into the light--
Take me home where I belong--
This journey on the trail of tears
Please come, come to an end...

[/font][/color][/i]

[Kaziph]

Cassiel leapt backwards when the black she-wolf charged; he felt his heart go into his mouth. There was nothing for it, though, it was ritualistic. There were far worse things than seeing two fems fight, but seeing two fems he loved dearly fighting... it was enough to bring his brown eyes to the ground, for he was the fault in all of this. No, something whispered back to him, and Cass looked up to bear witness to the events unfolding. This is not your fault, it is the fault of those present. Epitaph for foolishly leaving the clan, Glyph and Beryl and Roc for not telling you what you needed to know, Luma for simply being there when she was needed... Now the eyes narrowed, hardening. He would not choose sides, but his mate was now Luma. Epitaph would forever hold a piece of his past heart, but she would not rule him or the clan or attempt to through some imagined guilt. The white alpha straightened his shoulders and lifted his head, acknowledging the duel. He would continue to rule the clan. After all, knowing Epitaph, regardless of what happened next, she wouldn't be around long enough to cause much trouble.

[Zanna]

The large brown form of Jaden had been farther away than the others when the Alpha's call had rung out, and aside from that, had been in the middle of an attempted hunt. Things had been going swimmingly in Jaden's world; Aisha was his, he had the Alpha's blessing, and the fresh season of sprig would come very soon. If only the Beta position wasn't taken by Luma He had mused with a chuckle before heading off to hunt a small meal to feed his new mate and unborn pups.

Now, having finally reached the place from where the Alpha had called, confusion jarred his mind. The whole pack was gathered, which ad seemed right at first, until he noticed Beryl attacking the Beta femme. The hare he had been carrying dropped from his maw. No... not Beryl. The femme was too large, moved with too much experience, seemed too sure of herself to be the femme who had muddled his thoughts. What reason would this stranger have to attack the Beta, to try and rid her from the pack? Perhaps the odd dark wolfess was there to make his plan run smoother, by casting Luma out of the picture. Perhaps she could attack Basile, also.

As the wind shifted, the scents of the pack rushed toward him. The Alpha, Aisha, Beryl, Basile, Keeya, some her didn't know... and above it all, Luma. The femme scented different. She reeked of Cassiel, as if- The old brute isn't all about faithfulness and family after all He chuckled silently to himself, not fully understanding the situation. The new femme was challenging Luma for the Alphess position, then. As this realization came, the wheels of his mind began tuning rapidly.

If Luma won this fight, he and Aisha would stand a strong chance of being the new Alpha pair. He and she were in this together now, after all. However, if the black female bested her and drove her off, Cassiel would be left in a reck over his mate and pups, even leave after her. The new Alphess would be left with no male to help her run the pack... And if the new Alphess would not have him, he and Aisha could pick up the ruins of the confused and mourning pack, sweep them off into the loner lands, and claim a territory himself.
Against his natural pack instincts, he almost found himself willing the dark femme victory.

He reluctantly approached the pack- his pack, leaving the hare in the snow where it had fallen. His paws crunched lightly, almost silently across the snow, only audible to himself over the growls and nervous motions of his packmates. He slowly came to Aisha's side, concern flashing in his yellow eyes, mingled with confusion. He briefly nodded to Cassiel, this was not the time for formalities. He offered Basile a soft glance accompanied by a dip of his head, though not a deep as the one to Cassiel.

What's going on? He pressed himself against her side, attempting to calm her, though he knew not what worried her so. Who is she? It was asked out of genuine curiosity, the honest question feeling odd on his tongue.

[Tay]

Artist: entaie.deviantart.com/


Luma felt a bitter chuckle escape her jaws before Epi's maw closed on her leg. Of course you try to steal a cheap shot. I would expect nothing more. She felt the bright spot of pain bloom on her left limb. She let loose an ear-splitting snarl, painfully aware of her pregnant belly. She would shield her children as best she could. If any harm came to them Luma would not rest until she pranced with Epi's decapitated head in her mouth like the trophy it would be.

She opened her maw, and snapped at the side of Epi's face. She caught a hold and felt her fangs rip and tear. She could taste Epi's blood. She was balancing herself, the pain all but ignored because of the adrenaline that coursed through her veins. She gave a brutal shake of her head, snarling and hoping she would tear off the side of the ignorant fem's face.

"All is not lost yet, Cass."

"Be careful, my Luma, I cannot lose another. It would break me."

Snatches of conversation wound through Luma's head. She felt the need to bury herself in her mate's fur. Yet fight she must. She didn't want the Alpha position. She wanted Cassiel and her babies. She fought for them. She couldn't have one without the other, so she would risk everything to have the one. Because that one thing...was everything.

She felt herself slide more off balance as she tried to sink her teeth deeper into the flesh still in her maw. Blood ran on her tongue. She never though she'd taste another's blood. Of her kind anyway. Time seemed slowed... and she tried to shift her weight again, tugging at Epitaph's face.