In the early hours of night, the sun was no longer shining. The moon hung high in the sky, and the stars twinkled around it. The luminescence was something to marvel over, especially for a wolf. The moon gave the wolves the ability to see within the night. The reflection of it in their eyes allowed the predators to be lethal when the sun no longer showed. The tiny Alphess found herself wandering within the open lands of neutral. She did not seek anyone in particular, just doing a little bit of exploration. So much had happened since before the birth of her young. The world around them was changing and she knew this well. Tiny paws made their way until the grass turned to sand. The ocean was beautiful and filled with life. The waves rocked back and forth, pulling all water back to mother ocean. If only raising pups had been so easy. But Quinn knew it was the pull of the moon which had forced the waves to be as they were. Silently, the Alphess made her mark in the sand, paws covered in the little particles of rock and shell. She walked along the rolling shore, the water dancing over her with each step. It was so beautiful, she had only wished her mate was there to share in the beauty. She sighed as she found a small rock not too far from where she was. Tilting her head, she walked over to the rock, climbed on top and rested her fluffy buns. Her tails curls around her paws and her chin rose into the sky. Eyelids closed of the harvest hues from all the world, shrouding her in darkness. She released a quiet and lovely song into the winds. The sea breeze carried it out to the ocean, and the stars seemed to dance in her beauty. As she opened her eyes, she stopped her song and starred off into the water's home.

Cast in darkness, the maniacal monster waited in the shadows. He could hear the rustling of the bushes before him. Whatever it was, it would be killed. He sunk low to the ground, his tail hung behind him in the air. This prey creature would not understand his display of dominance, but everything needed to see he knew who he was. The great Alpha moved carefully along the ground, keeping his breathing still. His emerald eyes stared into the night before him. The bush continued to shake and the Alpha sprang forward. Jaws open wide as his maw searched to grasp hold of the beast before him. The Alpha could feel the creature trying to flee beneath him. But he had caught it off guard. A young fawn had wandered away from its herd. What a pity. Teren destroyed the small being with a simple shake of his head, thrashing from side to side. Immediately the neck was snapped and the hunter was able to feast upon his meal. He ripped and teared, as blood splashed all over his body. It dripped from his muzzle and landed on the ground between his paws. He licked his chops, cleaning himself as he enjoyed his prize. He cleaned what he could off the meal, leaving the scraps to lay in their place.

With blood still fresh on his coat, the Alpha left the territory. It was to early in the night to call it slumber time. Instead, he was wishing for a small adventure. Hopefully the excitement of the kill would wear off from traveling and he would be able to sleep soundly. Lately his joints had been making him have trouble sleeping. He would need to visit the Healers, asking them for aid. In his old pack, a wolf was able to create a remedy to keep the pain away for weeks at a time. It tasted horrid, but it worked. That was what mattered. As he moved past the borders of Erenyx, the Alpha couldn't decide just where he wanted to go. He had been to every location within the neutral lands, and he had heard tales of Exiles roaming in Rogue territory. Maybe he would get lucky and find the body to the wolf he hated most? As he traveled to the lands, he could smell the scent of the ocean. The salt was fresh and clung to each crashing wave. It was then that Teren heard the call of a wolf he had completely forgotten about. A low growl escaped his maw, clenched between tattered jaws. Quinn. He had forgotten that the pathetic Alphess and her mate were here as well, owning a pack and running it into the ground. He proceeded to walk towards her rear. He saw her form, resting on a rock before the ocean. What a stupid fae. And no mate to protect her. Instead of immediately attacking her, Teren decided to play with his prey. "Shouldn't a little wolf like yourself be within your home lands, hiding behind the numbers in your pack?"

A deep male voice broke the silence of the night. It sent a chill up her spine. She knew who it was, even before turning around to see him. She knew his voice from anywhere. But Quinn also knew the black wolf liked to intimidate his foes. She had watched him do it a thousand times. The Alphess slowly turned to face him. She showed no emotions, no fear. She stared him directly in the eyes. Flashed back to a time when they were on the same side, the Alphess greeted her Elite with a nod and a smile. He spoke in a low and somber tone to her. She could feel the friendship between them grow. He had always been a dependable wolf. He was trustworthy and when he spoke, she felt at ease. "Quinn the borders have all been checked, there have been no new wolves to our lands for days, but a herd of deer have rooted themselves not too far from our home. If you would like, I can gather a party and we can refresh the kill pile." It shocked her how different things had become. She now stared at the wolf who was once an ally, a friend. He had told her mate horrible, terrible things about their young. She could not believe it, but Fenris had. Fenris did not tell her all he had said, but she knew there was more. "What do you want from me Teren?" she asked with a smile on her maw. If Quinn acted like all was well in the world, perhaps she would be able to slip away from the beast before her.

"Oh Quinn, dearest Quinn... How I have missed your little form..." he chuckled as he rested his haunches in the sand. His malevolent eyes glared at her, right in the eyes. It was something he had not done before, not in this way. The power he held was invigorating. He could hardly believe he was given this chance, this opportune moment. And where was her big bad mate? He had much loved the interaction with the brute all those months ago, feeding his head with lies and malice. He grinned to her, one he had shown her a few times when they were "friends". But the whole time he hated her. He hated her more than anything. He loathed her. She was a fae who did not need to own a single being, yet she had a whole pack beneath her paws. The brute chuckled once more as he looked down upon her. "Alphess Quinn of the babies, of the weak and down-trotten. You seek the company of a wolf who is no longer bound by your laws. I am a monster, the truth behind all the lies is set free. I want nothing from you, nothing but silence... for now. I have found you here, and I want you to know that I have always hated you. I was Delta of Maple Woods, the only high ranked wolf. The pack should have been granted to me, not you. You showed up and immediately took control of a role you knew nothing about. You led all our pack to die. When the fire struck, where were you? Did you stay? No, you fled. You abandoned those you swore to protect. You left your family to my disposal. I took good care of them. But there were two I was missing. Your mate you are so obsessed with and you. I do not wish for anything new from you right now, but tell me... Did you and your arrogant little mate breed any new offspring for me to torture?"

She did not like the way he spoke to her, chastising her. It irritated her to the very core. So long ago his words had been kind to her. But now they were filled with the venom of a thousand serpents. His words cut her like a bite. Internally she had been dealing with a lot, finding his true feelings about her and her family. But what set her off the most was his blame game. He posed every detail, every bad thing on her. Like Quinn herself had asked the wolves of the other forest to strike down an electrical current so strong it would kill all her pack members. Yes, because Quinn had been all about killing. Such a foolish wolf to say such a thing. Immediately she was drawn back to a time when the flames rose high over her head. She tried as she could to make it to the den, the den where her family had lain, but she could not. Whines and whimpers escaped her as she tried her best to call out to her family. But the smoke was collecting within her lungs. With each exhale, it felt as as if she was allowing twice the smoke inside. Coughing and choking on her own air, she had to break away.

Unable to hold it any longer, the Alphess snarled at the black serpnt before her. The dragon with words of fire stared at her. His fire spread through her mind and she could see nothing else, only him. Enraged by the words he had told Fenris and the words he spoke now, Quinn knew this was not going to be a pleasant gathering. "You... you imbecile! Do you think it wise to speak to me in such a way? I've heard what goes on in your pack. I know your numbers are dwindling. Your pack may not know the true wolf you are right now, but they will learn, and they will flee from you. They will see the creature that you are and want no part in the life you try to bear down on them. You are pathetic and alone. Teren, when my mortal body passes on, I will be greeted at the entrance to the other forest by those who love me. When you die, not even the vultures will wish to pick from your devious flesh. If there is another place than the other forest, I am certain you will dwell there all alone. Nobody will come to rescue you or save you. You will live eternally void of all love and happiness. Instead, you will only have yourself to blame for your loneliness and anguish. I may be small, Teren. But what I lack in size, I make up for with intelligence and hope. I know what my future holds for me, but do you know what it holds for you?"

Mission accomplished. He had lit the spark beneath the Alphess. He forced her to unwind and truly show the beast within. He cackled at her, laughing and carrying on as he listened to her pathetic attempts to make him feel worthless. Nothing she nor anyone could do would ever be able to accomplish that. The elder wolf chuckled and laughed still, allowing his massive jaws to stretch wide and his voice to grow in volume. "Pathetic pup. You think I give a damn about any of the wolves I know? You think I care about loneliness? My dear Quinn, I invented the term. Do you know how many packs I forced to feel lonely? Do you know how many wolves I directly forced to feel lonely? I am the devil on earth, sent to give every single wolf a risk at loss, a chance to see what it's truly like to be alone. Take this wolf, Sam-something, he was the son of the first Alpha of Erenyx. I took away his father, I stripped him of his home, and I turned wolves against him. I was the savior, guarded by their naive nature and willingness to believe in anything I told them. Eventually, I helped strip the young wolf of his own life. I crushed his bones beneath my paws and left him to die an Exile. As for your own flesh and blood... I raped them, made the boy watch and when I was done, I ate them. I picked at their flesh and left them to the vultures. My future will feature Teren, ruler of all these lands. Even yours sweet little pup. It doesn't matter how large or small my pack is. My wolves know what it means to fight and to kill. You probably wait for all your prey to die, instead of killing it yourself. We take what we want. We do not ask. We do not question anything. If you wish to stand in my way, then by all means, please do. For your pelt shall be the start of my already flourishing collection. Yours will lay atop the others, showing any wolf that I have easily subdued my most irritating enemy. So Quinn, are you ready to die?" He snarled as he started to circle about the rock. He would make his way for her throat as he stared over her form. He snarled and held his head low. His tail hung over his spin, ready for anything.

In the dead of night, the Alpha wandered far from his home. It was not normal for the wolf to do such a thing, but he started to grow tired of the way things were. It was the same sights every single day. With each step he was moving further an further from the lands. His large paws forced the mud and dirt to compact beneath himself. The earth clung to his paws, but he knew of a place where he could rinse them off. He had been in the Rogue territories for a long while. He knew them all better than his own lands. The large Alpha wandered towards the beach. It was not long before he heard two voices. One was a fae, and the other a brute. The curious Alpha moved closer to the sands, listening to hear if danger was present. Once the two forms became seen, he knew they were not friends. The large black wolf spoke in a deep and malicious tone. Desmond had never seen a wolf as big as him before. He watched for a moment, but when he felt the fae was not going to be able to handle her own, he interjected. "Now, now, let's not get too intense here... I don't know either of you, but I do know trouble when I see it. Normally, I am the cause of said trouble, but I think it is rather rude for a large male as yourself to pick on such a smaller fae than the likes of you." Desmond was quick to stand between the pair, his back to the smaller wolf. Desmond was a big boy, but not anywhere near as large as the wolf before him. He did not fear the other. Being so close to the onyx wolf, he could smell the scent of the other. He knew this well. He had been the wolf to cross the Erenyx border, steal away the Elite fae, and countless other wolves fled his lands to join Agavos. A smile appeared over his face as he spoke the name of the demon himself. "Teren, nice to finally be meeting you.."

Teren's voice forced Quinn to grow angrier and angrier. How could he be making all this trash up? "You should worry about other wolves. You have much to fear and much to be afraid of. All of them should rally and gang up on you. With time, I bet this uprising will happen. No wolf will defend you, instead they will all fight for a piece of you to keep, as a prize for their planning. I will make sure that no wolf ever thinks f you as a savior. Like you say, you are the devil. You are the most pitiful wolf in all the world. Unbeknownst to you, I have killed many prey. I am not afraid to take a life if it means keeping the ones I love, safe." But even before the Alphess was able to say anything more, Teren came closer. His body was much larger than she had recalled, perhaps from not seeing him for so long. He looked so evil, his once soft and lying eyes were now filled with hatred and anger, with truth. She knew a fight was building and the Alphess held her ground. She snarled and raised her tail. The fur along her spine was raised to its highest capacity. She tried to make herself look as vicious as she could. Compared to him, she knew she looked like a young pup. Before too long, a presence appeared. He seemed to be coming to save Quinn from the monster. It was a little suspicious, but Quinn did not speak. She listened to the brute, still staring at the black demon before her. She watched as the male moved to stand between them. Now that this large male had stood before her, she could no longer see the Alpha of Erenyx. It was just Desmond's side now. She stood as tall as she could, not really wanting an un-involved guest to be harmed by an old issue these two had for many years.

A mixture of snarls and laughter escaped from his maw. He could not believe the idiocy that came from his mouth. He had every intention of going straight for her throat. He would punish her for such infamy. But he would keep her alive to torment the Alpha, her lover. Her words had no meaning to his ears. She was just filled with hot smoke. "I will make sure you.." but before he could say anything, they were interrupted. A large male, though smaller than he, walked right between the pair. The Alpha glared to the other wolf, staring him in the eyes. Their eyes were very close to the same hue. It was a strange thing to see. Not many wolves had the same coloring as he did. "So you know my name.." Teren spoke in an angered tone as he lifted his head to stare the other right in the eyes. He snarled as he looked over the wolf, barely able to see Quinn from such an angle. He knew she was still there, for her scent was still quite strong. He thought for a moment, trying to put a paw on the name of the wolf before him. He had heard many rumors about a large Rogue who wanted to be an Alpha. "You smell like a wild wolf, like you don't belong anywhere. But I've heard of you... Desmond. The Rogue-turned-Alpha male. What right do you think coming and breaking up an issue that has nothing to do with you?" If this male wanted a fight, Teren would give him one.

Desmond hadn't planned on fighting the Alpha of the east. Instead he was more just wanting to meet this brute after all the horrible things he had heard about him. "Yes, I am Alpha Desmond of Agavos. I was a Rogue and I did create my own pack. It wasn't too hard for me... after all, many of your members fled your lands to join mine. Just a few names off the top of my head: Fel and Desoto. Both of which have been promoted since living in my lands. Interesting, isn't it? Why a bunch of wolves would wish to leave your pack and follow the rule under a wolf with little to no experience?" Desmond chuckled as he stared the large wolf right in the eyes. He wasn't afraid of anything. Especially not this wolf before him. He had almost forgotten the fae was in the area, though her scent was very strong behind him. He could easily smell both Erenyx and Helidos so closely, it was weird. He had been around both packs before, when he opened his own pack, but it was not the Alphas. This was an interesting thing, most interesting. The most intriguing thing that Desmond found was the way Teren held himself. This wolf was very used to being an Alpha, that much was sure. Desmond stood his ground. "So are we going to dance or are you going to just talk me to death?"