Laika chuckles,"We don't fear others." Laika swings her gaze up, then back down towards Ferox,"We honor them and respect them." Amusement sparkles in Laika's gaze,"Well, most of us do." A affectionate rumble moves through Laika's body as Ferox nuzzles her too. Agreeing,"We wouldn't have to meet out here in the middle of the night." Laika leans against Ferox's hug, before straightening up. "I love my Elders, but yes, that is something that they got wrong." Laika looks up to the moon,"I wonder what our ancestors went through to make that a law?" Laika sighs,"Maybe it was pride..."

Ferox slowly nodded. "If it's anything, that'd be it," he said thoughtfully. "Every one of the packs is guilty of pride, and they have been for a long time." Ferox gave a sigh. "I wish we could change that. I feel like the packs could become friends, but there's so much holding them apart." He shook his head lightly, then nudged Laika. "I wish things were different," he said. "It'll be hard for us to be together. If the packs find out, they could kill us both." Ferox gave a snort of humorless laughter. "I can think of a few wolves that'd be glad to kill me," he said, thinking of Steel.

Laika chuckles,"Indeed, I can say without doubt my pack is." Laika shakes her head,"I'm pretty my pack's main known traits are literally wily and proud." Laika agrees,"I wish so too." Laika tips her head,"We could be so much better as friends, rather then enemies." Laika bobs her head before resting it on Ferox's shoulder,"It will be hard. Incredibly hard." Laika sighs,"I know a few in my pack who would be happy to kill me to." Phantom, who wasn't necessarily in the pack, but would love to. His friends, and maybe even Aragorn. Who knows, Aragorn seems to have gotten better... But Laika didn't know

Ferox sighed and turned his head to lick Laika's ear, then he smiled slightly. "Well, we're friends," he said, then corrected himself. "More than friends. But we're both proof that wolves from different packs can get along." Ferox licked her cheek, then took a short step back, nudging Laika's muzzle and looking her in the eyes. "Maybe we'll be the ones to mark the way for everyone else." He fell silent for a moment. "You are right, though," he said softly. "It will be hard. Probably impossible." He sighed and shook his head slightly. "Even if our packs respected us more, they'd still kill us for breaking one of the most important laws."

Laika dips her head,"More then friends." She chuckles at Ferox, smiling slightly,"Definitely. But, I suppose I can also see why the packs stay separate." Laika looks up,"Even if it is dumb." Laika leans against Ferox, looking back to him as he nudges her muzzle. She smiles,"Maybe we will be..." Laika sighs,"If our packs ever found out... I highly doubt that they would stop to listen. I know my pack sticks to the Law very well. Incredibly well." Pain flashes through Laika as she imagined what would happen if her pack found out, the pain and hurt in her family's eyes.... Laika looks up, frowning,"It's almost time to go."

(Should we skip a few weeks or maybe even a month? To get to the part where Laika is pregnant?)

A Few Weeks Later

Laika trots into the healer's den, finding her sister,"Ember!" The female turns to greet her Alpha and sister,"Laika... How are you?" Laika dips her head,"Doing well." Ember studies her sister,"You seem much happier then when you first started as an Alpha." Laika lifts her shoulders in a shrug,"What can I say? After Phantom's little stunt, I haven't had many issues at all. In fact, me being Alpha has been running incredibly smooth." Ember's eyes sparkle,"That's great." Ember tips her head,"But you didn't come to just chitchat did you?" Laika flicks an ear,"How did you know?"

Ember laughs,"I'm your sister, I know these things." Laika chuckles,"Well, I was wanting to know if you wanted to come with Ignatius, Inigo, and I out. Hunting, exploring, whatever. Just have some sibling time." Ember dips her head,"Sure, let me just finish up sorting these herbs real quick." Laika nods, backing up a little to give her sister some room. The last few weeks had been kind on the young Alpha. She still had her every other night meetings with Ferox, and running the pack was going decently smooth. Aragorn had returned to his duties as Delta and was respecting the Law and the pack very well.

Though, Laika had noticed she was getting plumper.. Which was odd, because nothing about her routine had changed. She still went out with patrols at least twice a day. She may no longer trained Eyre, who had been promoted to Delta, but she still got plenty of exercise. She didn't eat a whole lot. But the young Alpha was aware of another possibility... But at the moment she was ignoring that possibility. How could she not? If it was true, both her and Ferox were screwed.

Speaking of which, Laika was suppose to meet Ferox that night for their meeting. She had yet to decide if she wanted to tell Ferox of the possibility or wait a little longer. Ember trots up,"Alright! I'm done! Shall we?" Laika dips her head,"We shall." The two sisters slip out of the den, joining their brothers, before the siblings head out of camp at a run. Though before long, Laika was slowing. Inigo laughs, throwing over his shoulder,"Laika! You've grown slow! What happened?" Laika pants as she struggles to keep up,"Just... Rough day, I guess." Her siblings slow, exchanging a glance. Laika had always been the fastest, even injured....

Ferox gave an approving nod as his trainee, a shy little wolf named Garnet, moved silently through a patch of tall grass at the edge of camp. Stealth seemed to be her strongest point, as she was naturally quiet. Once she was through, she looked back at him with a hopeful expression. "Very good," Ferox complimented. "Nice job remembering to stay low." Garnet gave him a small smile and nodded her head. They had been drilling this all afternoon, and although Ferox hadn't been working with her for very long, he knew she was going to be the best stealth hunter in the pack.

A few weeks ago, Ferox had finally assigned Rosemary's pups mentors. He hadn't had quiet enough for all of them, though, and he was forced to take on one of the pups himself. Rosemary had not been pleased, and Ferox didn't blame her one bit. He still blamed himself for Shale's death, and so did everyone else in the pack except Oak, who was constantly trying to reassure him. Ferox respected the Elder's opinion and tried to let it help, but this was one of the few things he couldn't allow himself to feel better about.

Ferox sighed and got to his paws, shaking off his pelt and trotting over to Garnet. "You did good today," he said with a small, strained smile. Garnet wagged her tail, then remembered her manners and dipped her head. "Thank you, Alpha," she said quietly. Ferox stood still for a moment, then said, "You may be dismissed for the day. We'll pick this up again tomorrow, and if you do well, then we'll move on to something else." Garnet nodded, then quickly dashed back toward her den, where Rosemary was waiting. As Ferox walked past, she gave him a wary look and put one paw protectively around Garnet.

Ferox made his way to the den with a sigh. He had hoped that as time went on, being the Alpha would be easier, and it was, to an extent, but his hold on the pack's loyalty was tenuous at best, with Steel and a couple others still resisting his commands. The rest of the pack wasn't as bad, but it was discouraging to see how little progress he had made. It would only take one small mistake before they were openly rebelling once more. Ferox often felt like they were watching him, especially now that he had taken on a trainee again. As the evening patrols returned, Ferox welcomed them back, then the pack ate, Ferox going last as tradition dictated. He took his food to his den and laid down inside to eat, feeling disheartened despite Garnet's progress. He finished eating, watching as the sun began to set, then he stood up with a jolt, remembering that he was supposed to meet Laika tonight. He poked his head outside, making sure everyone had gone to their dens for the night, then slunk out of camp, running to he and Laika's usual meeting place, where he sat down to wait for her arrival.

The siblings had a nice day out, and a productive one. After chasing each other around the territory, while also checking borders. They finally slowed down to hunt. And by the time they entered camp as the sun was going down, each wolf was laden down with prey. Wolves hurried forward to help, and the fresh prey was passed out in order of tradition. Elders, mothers, and pups. Then to the Delta's, trainees, and healers. Then Beta's, and finally, Laika steps forward to take her portion. Laika dips her head to her packmates, before retreating to her den to eat.

The Alpha finished soon enough and as she peeks out of her den, she notes that most of the wolves had disappeared to their den. Save a few who were still out. Laika slinks back inside her den, and slips out of camp. She found it harder then usual to slip through and she knew that her fears had just fully been confirmed. Well, all day they had been. She was slower then usual, plumper then usual, and tired quicker. Laika sighs, what would Ferox think? The young Alpha lopes on, heading for their meeting spot."Hey, Ferox." Laika greets as she trots into the clearing, her tail wagging. Laika trots up to Ferox, her eyes bright though also worried.

Ferox froze, hearing pawsteps approach. No matter how many times he and Laika came out here in secret, he always felt tense before she showed up. A stray breeze carried a scent to his nose. Ferox sighed with relief and stood up, wagging his tail and trotting forward. "Hey, Laika!" he greeted, nuzzling her and licking her cheek. "It's great to see you again!" Ferox took a step back, smiling as he allowed some of the strain of being an Alpha fade away. Then he noticed the slightly worried look in Laika's eyes and tilted his head, giving her a concerned glance. "What's wrong?" he asked.