What would he owe, if to have the pleasure of requesting the Beta female’s company for the remainder of this evening? He stood at the entrance to her den, politely statuesque, unused to the way it felt (though it was questionable, as far as pack gossip was known to go, whether or not he felt anything at all) to be the one going out of his way to inquire into the likelihood of having an audience, what with his generally anti-social tendencies. He lifted his bronze chin confidently, ears rotating to hear if there was anything to be detected amidst the otherwise still, quiet atmosphere. Although he wouldn’t go so far as to claim it a late hour, surely there remained the possibility that she was now asleep, having retired early. Nonetheless, he acted upon probability alone, believing that the odds would be in his favour tonight since he was seeking nothing more complex from her than the betterment of their professional relationship. She would be a fool, after all, to think it anything more, and he chose not to fancy her a fool.

“Beta Fel,” his tone was equal parts respectful and respectable, accepting of a quick dismissal on her part should she have any reason to turn him away - alike in ranking, it’d be his place to obey. Having not picked up any signs of distaste from the interior of her den, he took it as a welcoming to finish his thought. “If you are not otherwise committed tonight, it would be inquired on my part as to your willingness to join me within Dragon’s Breath for the simplistic purpose of sharpening our partnership.” He said not a word more, retreating as quickly as he had taken his post. The Beta male didn’t anticipate a response from his counterpart, unusually alacritous to venture into Erenyx’s lesser populated territories regardless of whether or not his company planned to take him up on his offer. If she decided to come, then he would meet her most graciously, and hopefully leave with a much better understanding of who it was that held the other half of his authority within her commanding paw. If not, then he would rejoice in the opportunity to once again make the most of his peace and quiet; he would not be angry with her for not showing, for such was an incompetent waste of an otherwise unnecessary emotion.

His muscles were rewarded with a break after traveling the required distance to reach Dragon’s Breath. He settled his muscular body into a comfortable sit, lapping at the nearby water to quench his parched throat while he waited to see whether or not Beta Fel would be arriving shortly afterward. The silence was immensely tranquil, and he thought it shameful that, soon enough, should she choose to appear, it would be shattered by the sound of their voices. Surely the beautiful land would forgive them both, for after all it was their land (theirs second to Alpha Teren, of course) to fill with the sound of their voices to whatever extent they pleased. Having claimed it for Erenyx as their glorious sovereign had, the Beta male need not fear that he would be disrupting it in any way. Until then, however, he would be content to let the silence persist.

He acknowledged her approach with the flutter of a dark gold ear, eyes politely resting upon her large, black paws for an elongated moment before, finally, averting up the length of her body to establish themselves within her stony facial features. First and foremost, the she-wolf took a drink, and he waited patiently, reluctant to say so much as a word until she seemed outwardly ready to listen. He found that it was relatively easy to grow comfortable in her company. She was like him in a number of ways, though the most notable, by far, was how she, too, shared his appreciation of the quiet. Having risen up the ranks accordingly, he had taken it upon himself to become more involved in pack matters than his previous position, as the Delta male, had entitled. He knew without so much as exchanging a word with anybody that she had taken it upon herself to sharpen the skills of one of their newest Healers. He quite liked the idea, for although he had yet to personally train another wolf - nobody had asked, and he wasn’t one to offer - he found it purposeful to ensure that the wolves of Erenyx, even those that weren’t meant to specialize in combat, knew how to take care of themselves when it came down to it. He didn’t anticipate a conflict happening between the two packs anytime soon, but it was wise to remain wary at all times, what with their apparent dislike and mistrust of one another. Every wolf in the pack needed to be prepared to defend their home, should the need to do so ever arise. Alpha Teren would not be made a fool out of simply because his subordinates proved incapable of living up to Erenyx’s fierce reputation - the reputation belonged to the name of the pack. The wolves inside of the pack, however, needed to earn carrying that reputation upon their shoulders.

“I am of the belief that there exists a mutual trust between us, Beta Fel, for we are alike, in some ways, when it comes to our means of leadership.” His voice was authoritative in all of the places that his body wasn’t, for he wasn’t often known to wave his standing around like a flag. He didn’t see much use in demanding submission from those beneath him, for he already acknowledged their places, just as he was sure that they acknowledged his. There had yet to be a wolf that crossed a line with him, and throughout his time in Erenyx as the Beta male thus far, he hadn’t felt challenged by a lack of submission, either. He would deal with such a problem if it ever arose, but until then, he was firm with the belief that making a show out of his sovereignty was pointless. “Above all else, I suppose, I am curious to understand you more than I currently do. I don’t expect you to tell me everything about yourself that has gotten you to this point, but - ” He lifted his head higher, then, angling it so that he could meet her eyes if she sought to meet his. “ - nonetheless I am prepared to listen to whatever insight you’re willing to extend to me, if any exists at all."

He paused, waiting for the weight of his request to fully sink in. He wouldn’t be offended if she denied him any knowledge, for she was entitled to her privacy, and he would likely respond in a similar manner if someone ended up wanting to know a thing or two about who he was before Erenyx. She could trust that he wasn’t one to take someone’s words, only to whisper it into someone else’s ear minutes later. He kept to himself the things that other wolves wished to share with him. He was a bank, filled to the brim with knowledge of all kinds; he treasured his intellect and rather enjoyed the way it felt to sharpen it. “I am curious about what has you as you are, standing before me as you do this very second.” Have you always mirrored my traits? Or has someone, or maybe something, made you out to be this way? He had many questions for her, but it’d be rude of him to ask them, and he was quite well known amongst his pack-mates as a genuinely reserved soul that minded everybody’s personal matters if they, in turn, minded his.

He listened politely, unmoving, unflinching, for the duration of her elongated summary, not daring to so much as twitch the corner of his tawny lip until he was certain that she was finished speaking. She had an interesting story; there was a number of elements to her background that were, admittedly, unanticipated. For instance, he would’ve never thought that she was a mother, let alone a mate. Ever since he had met her, she had been nothing but detached, which left little room for his brain to decipher that, at one point in time, she had found herself capable of feeling love, even if it was only an illusion. Pondering it more deeply, he considered the fact that, perhaps, it wasn’t to be so unexpected after all. Hadn’t he, the most robotic of the robotic, fell into the same illusion once? He recalled the face of Silacea with stunning clarity, the she-wolf having vanished within days of being promoted to Lead Warrior. He’d be lying if he claimed to miss her, which was the only clue he needed in order to understand that she never genuinely meant something to him. It had all been false. If he was truly able to feel something for another, for a potential suitor, then he would’ve been driven to follow her trail into the night. To at least try like Fel had done, pursuing it to her former borders. He knew not whether the sentiment was true on her part, but he’d be no less satisfied if to live out the remainder of his life without knowing the answer.

“I am surprised that you were a mother and a mate while in Helidos - ” he said with no surprise on his face whatsoever, “ - but, it would seem, even those that are genuinely without emotion are capable of falling into a sense of false emotion from time to time.” He, of course, was including himself in the category, but it was entirely up to his fellow Beta, and whether or not she was attentive enough to catch the indirect meaning behind his comment, to determine that he, too, had once thought something true of him that proved otherwise in the end. As was to be expected, he didn’t sympathize with her past. He didn’t ask her to enlighten him so that he could offer a variety of meaningless apologies on her behalf; he believed that she wanted them about as much as he wanted to give them. That was not the point of having her share her history with him. He wanted to be able to better understand who it was that served alongside him, and now he could say with certainty that he did. It was only sensible, however, that she would request that he do the same. He hadn’t been caught off guard by her asking; he found that it was almost . . . too easy to sink back into his memories, thinking about all of the things, all of the wolves, that he could’ve sworn had been forgotten long ago. It was quite shocking that he remembered their faces with such outstanding detail.

“I, much like yourself, have always had this . . . trait, so we shall call it, inside of me. I wouldn’t say that it runs in my family, for I saw little of it in the faces of my parents, or my sisters. I suppose it grew inside of me upon its own doing. Anyway, in my birth pack, I was next in line for my father’s position as Alpha male. I was the eldest, and also the only son, which meant that it was my place to inherit everything that he had worked for upon his passing. It came as a surprise to everyone, particularly Paroxysm - the second oldest, with the greatest temper and the highest capacity for jealousy - that I ended up not wanting the power. My father’s death was nearing with each day, and it seemed . . . wrong, in my opinion, to call myself the Alpha male in his place while I was still so young, and still had yet to prove anything to the wolves that would be expected to obey me. If I didn’t think that I deserved it, then there was a good chance that I didn’t. I couldn’t expect anyone to simply take my father’s word in saying that I was the best choice for leadership. I had done nothing to earn it surpassed being the firstborn in an Alpha’s litter.” He paused, wondering if Fel would understand his reasoning for wanting to reject authority. It was something, he found, that most wolves craved - some dedicated their lives to being in charge. Surely, Paroxysm wanted it more than he did, even Octane, the youngest, the one of quiet tendencies and sensitive emotions, likely would’ve sooner had the position than him. “Paroxysm and I didn’t get along, to put it simply. She hated me for having a direct pathway to the position of Alpha male, and then she hated me even more when I decided to throw the opportunity away. I don’t know who it is that I pray to, but I’d guess they were just as oblivious as I was to her crawling through the night, approaching where it was that I slept in the hopes of slaughtering me. She had a lot of drive, a lot of ambition, too, but she was foolish. I had been trained far more than either of my sisters; it was meant to prepare me for the role that I’d be taking. There was no catching me by surprise, like she had hoped for. I told her to back away, to never try again, to never speak of it again, and in return for this I would keep her treachery secret. Perhaps you’ve guessed that she was beyond seeing reason?”

The question wasn’t meant to be answered, but he took a break anyway, his dark gold eyes finding themselves in the reflection of the water. “I had to kill her, lest I die myself. Even though I didn’t want to be the Alpha male, dieing would have forfeited the position to Paroxysm, and I wanted better for my pack. They would suffer miserably under her rule. The next day was proof enough that my pack didn’t trust me. Certainly not enough to call me their leader when my father died. I explained Paroxysm’s death, and never once was I dishonest, but nevertheless they labeled me a sadist and exiled me from their lands. It was better this way; I was surprised, for lack of a better term, that I wasn’t sad to leave them behind. Even Octane, the youngest, the sensitive one, who knew of Paroxysm’s rage and jealousy just as well as I did, thought I was a murderer. If my own blood couldn’t take my word, then I wasn’t in the right place. To this day I am glad that I never decided to claim my father’s position, because I’d be shocked if those wolves could even bring themselves to respect my orders about a pack hunt. Nonetheless, I wasn’t saddened by this. I was right in the beginning to believe that my authority wouldn’t mean anything if I hadn’t made them all see that I was worthy. At least here, in Erenyx, my position as Beta male is something that I worked for. Something that I know I received because of genuine worth.” Finished, he found that he somehow felt lighter, as if speaking about a history that had been locked away inside of his brain for so long had been a pleasant weight to release. He felt no more guilty about Paroxysm’s death at his paws than he had the night that it happened, but he believed that there was no harm in being completely honest with Fel about it, because she seemed as though to be the last who would stare at him with accusatory eyes. He had done what needed to be done. Even if his pack still didn’t see it today, likely under Octane’s rule, he had saved them from a tyranny.