The moment she entered camp, all eyes turned on her. Topaz was brave enough to step forward,"Where have you been?" Laika heard the accusation in her voice and the Alpha trots forward,"Where is Nova?" Ignatius speaks up, his voice quieter and sad,"She's with Khan." Laika's ears go down slightly,"Is he worse?" Ignatius dips his head, and Laika sighs,"What about the others that lay with him? How are they?" Topaz grumbles,"You would know, if you had been in camp." Laika's ears come back up, her voice sharp,"What is that suppose to mean?"

"It means, we've lost three more packmates, Laika."

Golden eyes flash towards her sister,"Three?" Ember had just emerged from the healer's den, and she looked drained and exhausted, but most of all.... angry. "Where were you, Laika?" Laika pins her ears and Ember continues,"You know I'm not one to rebel against you, or think bad of you. But I came to tell you about our lost packmates, and you weren't in your den. In fact, there was no sign you had been in your den all night. The scent was stale. And your fresh scent, led out of camp. So where were you?" Laika flicks her ears back up,"I was outside of camp, yes."

Topaz interrupts, half snarling,"Why?" Laika bares her teeth,"Let me finish." Topaz flicks an ear and the Alpha continues,"I had to get out of camp. I couldn't sleep, and I just needed some air, and so I walked around our territory. I stopped near some rocks and laid down, to look at the sky and think. I drifted off, okay?" There were murmurs and looks exchanged, but each wolf seemed to dip their head. There was no rebellion when Laika sorted patrols, but some wolves kept looking at her in suspicion. Laika ignored it, she wasn't going to let them get to her.

(Alright, thanks for the heads up)

Throughout the morning, Ferox did his best to focus on Garnet's training, but there was just so much going on in his head. Several of his wolves were hovering at the brink of death, kept alive only by the skill and constant attention of the healers. Most of his pack, if not all, knew that he had sneaked out last night, and he could tell many weren't pleased with the explanation he had given. He worried about Laika, hoping that she and her pack could fight off the grief that seemed to be weighing everyone down.

"-how was that?" Ferox was jolted out of his thoughts by Garnet, who had successfully managed to lever a good sized rock out of the ground with her power. Ferox gave her a small, forced smile. "That was good," he said distractedly. Garnet sunk back, a little disappointed by the minimal praise. Ferox noticed, and he shook his head lightly. "I'm sorry, Garnet," he said softly. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off. We'll keep training tomorrow." Garnet gave a small nod and padded back to camp. Ferox sighed and looked down at his paws. 'You're slipping,' he thought to himself. 'You can't afford to be acting like this, you have a pack to lead.'

Ferox stayed away from camp for several minutes, trying to get himself under control. When he felt ready, he trotted back to camp. Soon, the patrols had returned, and Ferox howled for everyone to come eat. Once everyone had gotten their food, Ferox pulled the patrol leaders aside. "Anything to report?" he asked. Each wolf shook their head in turn. "The borders are all quiet," one said. "Even the edge along the unclaimed lands." Ferox nodded. "Very well, keep me updated if anything new happens." The patrol leaders nodded, and Ferox walked away. It was unsurprising that there was little activity at the borders. The other packs would be recovering from the attack too. The rest of the day went by uneventfully, and that night, Ferox retreated to his den, where he laid down to think, unable to sleep.

The rest of the day, Laika spent the day with her pack. She sent a few more patrols out that day. A few to check on the border and some to hunt some more. The three wolves had gotten their memorial. The others had been reported to recover, even Khan. Nova had shown herself again and had challenged Laika where the Alpha had been. Thankfully in private, so no other wolf had seen the Beta challenge her Alpha. Laika had told her the same thing she had told the pack. That she had needed some time away. And she was sorry that she hadn't been there when her packmates had passed.

The Beta had stared at Laika, but the Alpha had held her own. And finally, Nova could do nothing but dip her head and turn and leave. Laika had stayed where she was for a little longer, before following. Most of the pack had returned from their patrols, laying together, gathered in groups as they mourn their fallen packmates. Laika had joined her family. Her mother, her siblings, Brigid, and the pups. And the whole pack had laid there in silence until the final patrol returned.

Laika stirs, ordering her pack to eat. They were grieving, yes, but they still needed food. So Laika made sure that everyone got some food. Before she took some for herself, settling back down beside her family as she begins to eat. Keeping an eye on the pack. Dinner was solemn and quiet, even among the pups.

The next day, the somber atmosphere had not lifted from the camp as Ferox directed the days patrols. Those who had lost friends or family seemed especially down, and no one could blame them. As Ferox was putting together a hunting patrol, one of the healers, Ivy, approached him. "We've lost another wolf," she said softly, looking down, clearly holding back tears. Ferox shut his eyes and bowed his head. "Who?" he asked softly. Ivy looked up a little. "Derwyn," she said softly. "He died just this morning." Ferox nodded, then tipped his head back and gave a long, mournful howl. The patrols, which had just been leaving, stopped and came back, gathering around Ferox.

Ferox looked around at the wolves gathered, then took a deep breath. "This morning, Derwyn passed away," he said, glancing away from where Derwyn's sister and two brothers were standing, staring at him in shock. "He was a brave wolf, and a fierce fighter. We will never forget what he did for this pack." Ferox looked up again, tears pooling in his eyes. Derwyn had been a friend of his before he became the Alpha, and although they had grown distant since then, it was still a hard blow. "Patrols will be delayed this morning so that we can bury and mourn for him."

Derwyn's family was responsible for digging the grave, which, by tradition, was dug without use of their powers. Derwyn's body was placed reverently in the grave, then covered, a fresh stone marker placed at the head. The entire pack watched, grieving for their fallen packmate, then they slowly began to disperse. The patrols were sent out, although Derwyn's family was allowed the day to stay by his grave. As the day progressed, Ferox did his best to focus on Garnet's training. As before, it was much more difficult than usual, but he made it through the day's training. Once Garnet had returned to her family, Ferox made his way out into the trees to be alone.

The next morning, Laika emerges, a little bit more refreshed but till tired. Her wounds were healing nicely and as she studied her pack, she noticed many of their wounds were beginning to heal well as well. Laika sighs as she trots over to the rock. Khan was still in the healers den, and Nova rarely left his side. The Beta Male was recovering, just not fast enough. The morning was somber, the pack still mourning for their lost packmates. But, it seemed they were way to tired to argue or rebel.

So the Alpha didn't have to much of an issue sorting patrols. She sent another one for the border again and then a few more hunting ones. She doubted that the rouges would come back after the wounds they had received. And she doubted there would be any issue from the other packs for a while, they too, no doubt, would be nursing their wounds and mourning for their lost ones. But, that didn't mean they were completely safe. There were still other threats out there. Like lions.

(Sorry! I thought I responded! Also, would you like to skip to the pups birth?)

The rest of the day went by slowly for Ferox as he contemplated alone in the woods. He tried his best to let go of the grief of losing his packmates, but the pain would not leave, and eventually, he gave up. Ferox closed his eyes and laid down, un-moving. It wasn't until he heard a howl from Slate gathering wolves for the evening patrols that he stood and made his way back to camp. Slate had lost someone very close to him, and if he could continue his duties, then Ferox could too. Around sunset, the evening patrols returned, and once everyone had eaten, Ferox returned to his den to get some much-needed rest.

~~ A little under 2 months later ~~

Ferox slunk silently through the trees, two wolves behind him. Their prey, a solitary doe, grazed in a small clearing, blissfully unaware of the danger it was in. At Ferox's signal, he and the two wolves raced forward. The doe, startled by the sudden attack, turned to run, but the wolves chasing it were much faster. They soon brought it down and killed it. "Nice kill, Amethyst," Ferox complimented. Amethyst, who had become a Delta not long after the battle, wagged her tail and grinned. "Thank you, Alpha," she said, dipping her head. Together, the three wolves dragged their kill back to camp, and Ferox howled to gather the pack.

After the food had been distributed, Ferox found Garnet, his trainee, who had progressed remarkably well in the last month or so, and brought her out of camp to practice with her siblings and their trainers. Splitting the trainees into two teams, Ferox had them fight one another. They had at each other with gleeful growls, tussling on the ground. "Use your powers!" Ferox called. Ever since the battle, Ferox had begun having mentors focus more on combat, with a special emphasis on control of the earth. Both teams did as Ferox ordered, and under the combined efforts of Garnet's team, the ground began to pitch.

The other team began to do the same, and Ferox noticed that both teams began looking a little strained. The earth began to split, and Ferox, who had been ready for something like this, quickly dug his claws into the ground and began holding it steady, preventing it from growing any more unstable. "Stop," he barked. "Everyone over here." The trainees, panting heavily, made their way over to Ferox, looking down. Ferox shook his head lightly. "We've talked about this before," he said. "Don't try something that you think you're going to lose control of. No, let me amend that. Don't try anything that I think you would lose control of. Understood?" The trainees nodded. "Alright, let's try this again, but no powers this time."

Ferox spent the remainder of the day with the younger wolves, and once he and the other trainers were satisfied that they'd had enough for the day, they were sent back to camp. Ferox pulled the trainers aside. "Those young wolves are doing quite well," he said. "But they need to learn more control. Have them practice that for an hour every day." The trainers nodded, although a couple looked a little disdainful, dubious that a wolf as young as Ferox would know what their trainees needed. Ferox bared his teeth slightly, and the expressions on their faces disappeared. Ferox nodded, then trotted back to camp.

(It's alright lol. And sure ^^)

-Two Months-

It had been almost two months since the attack of the rouges. The pack was getting along much better. Many of her wolves respected her more. Many trainee's had become Delta's and many pups had become trainee's. Life was moving on as normal, and though the battle with the rouges would never be forgotten, they were learning to move on and continue forward. Even the pups of Brigid and Inigo had gotten much better. They had become trainee's under a few of the older wolves. Laika had wanted to make sure they learned the Law correctly and would respect the pack and their elders properly.

The Alpha herself had become much more plump, she no longer left camp as her stomach was too big to do so. Though she still was as active as she could be in camp. There was no doubt that the pups would be due any time now. Her sister, Ember, had been fussing over her greatly. Now that the rest of the injured wolves had healed, the healers were less stressed. Giving Ember the perfect opportunity to stress and fuss over her sister. Laika's mother was fussing over her as well, and even Ignatius seemed worried. Despite all that the Alpha still managed to lead. There were still rebellious actions and remarks, but nothing she couldn't handle. And as always, Topaz was still giving her trouble.

The she-wolf still wanted that Alpha Male and was still trying to find who the father of Laika's pups were. But of course, no one spilled. Laika had told Topaz again and again, that she was the Alpha and there would be no Alpha Male. That had left the topaz-eyed wolf bitter, and she often refused to obey Laika. When Laika was still thinner, she easily kept Topaz in line, sometimes physically. But now that she was bigger, she found it harder and harder to keep the wolf in line.

In fact, that morning she'd had to have Topaz sent to the Elders den to learn some respect. The wolf was still in there. While Laika was relaxing on the rock ledge, while Ember was checking (fussing) over her. The Alpha's eyes were half closed, though she was very much still alert as she watched Brigid and Inigo's pups play in the clearing. Their trainers had allowed them the day off, but they were showing off their new moves to each other and their mother. They had started to learn how to use fire, but not to much, and Brigid was there to make sure the pups didn't release any big or uncontrolled fire.

As the sun began it's descent toward the horizon, Ferox set out organizing the evening patrols. He decided to send the trainees out with a few more experienced hunters, and two other patrols would be led by himself and Slate. Ferox watched his Beta organizing his patrol, shaking his head lightly. He was glad Slate was no longer disobedient and rebellious, but he knew it was only because of what had happened to his mate. He had never really recovered after she died, and he didn't really seem to care about much anymore except his pack duties.

Soon, the patrols were out. Ferox led his patrol along the Ignis Lupi border, carefully checking for scents that didn't belong in their land. There hadn't really been much tension between the Terra Lupi and Ignis Lupi packs, but it was wise to be cautious. Finding nothing of note, Ferox led his patrols back home to eat. The hunters had brought back a good haul; a decent-sized deer and several pieces of smaller game. As the law dictated, Ferox waited until the entire pack had eaten before taking his share, and he brought it to his den to eat, then he sat waiting silently.

Slowly, his pack began to settle down for the night, wolves retreating to their dens. Soon, the camp was still and empty, lit by the nearly full moon above. Ferox stood and shook out his pelt, then trotted silently through the camp, careful not to wake his packmates as he slunk away from the clearing. He wove gracefully through the trees until he emerged onto the plain, and he began running. Once he arrived at the Ignis Lupi border, Ferox sat down to await Laika's arrival. He knew the journey would be difficult now that the pups were so far along. He'd wait until midnight, and if she hadn't arrived by then, he'd return home.

(Just a quick heads up, I may or may not be able to get on again until Saturday. I'll let you know tomorrow if I'll be available.)

The rest of the day went relaxing. They had little to no trouble since the rouge attack, and the wolves were starting to let down their guards a little. Laika still insisted on a patrol on the border every morning, afternoon, and evening. None of the pack protested, the last thing they needed was the rouges trying to come back for another ambush. Laika herself had led a few, though as she got bigger, she had to stay in camp more.

That night she sent her brother, Rhys, Khan, and a few others for the border. She sent three more smaller patrols out to check the other borders, and then two patrols for dinner. The patrols were back before the sun fully set and with no troubling reports, dinner was relaxing and almost normal. There was still some solemness as wolves remembered that the lost wolves would never get to laugh, talk, and relax with their packmates.

Laika had come down from her perch and was eating some prey with her family. They stayed pretty happy most days, but every so often they would remember Inigo and how he made them laugh constantly. It did feel wrong without him, but they knew he was now safe and happy in the afterlife. No doubt looking down upon them with affection. Though, Laika still wondered if Inigo would be disappointed in her for having pups with another pack's Alpha.

It didn't take long for the pack to disappear into their dens, and Laika to retreated. It took a little longer for her to get out, having to wriggle out. It was clear that her pups were due any day, but she finally managed to get out. She trots along, moving as fast as she could, which honestly was not as fast as she use to be.

But, it didn't take too long and soon she approaches the border, spotting Ferox. Her ears prick up as she trods along heavily. "Ferox!" Her eyes light up as she joins him. "Hey!"

(All good! Thanks for the heads up!)