Stand up and fight like a brute! Stop quivering, you excuse for a pup! Dark jaws snapped at the pup's awaiting nose, already having learned to now shy away from a punishment. What are you scolding him for now, dear? Honey words whispered from the shadowed den, a fragile fae emerging from the depths only to see her pup being faced with another. He refuses to attack this prisoner! The memory was haunting him even then, no matter how much Damon scratched them beneath the surface. Only a few months of age, dawn upon them, his father had brought Damon a slightly older child who he kidnapped from a rival pack. His duty was to strike the pup, just as afraid as he, and show his father he was worth his time. Damon had committed the act after his nose had been brutally bitten several times, the scars still remain though the story behind them changes frequently.

This memory had been buried for numerous years yet as he stood upon a pack's border it arose from death to cackle in his ears, questioning, What will you do? The pack's border line was the pup and the sharp winds which brushed by where the harsh words of his father, the bird calling in the distance his fragile, ignorant, whore of a mother. Snap! Woods splintered beneath his paw from a fallen branch, hidden beneath chilling snow, as he crossed finally, the sound almost making him retreat and rethink his decision. "Stop being a wuss and do it, god damn it!" Damon angrily fumed to himself, though only he could hear his faint words. Finally, Damon went more into the territory, braver then he should be in the situation. Though Damon was Damon, not a random male off the block, being overly confident was his usual way of mocking his conscience. The Mongolian-patterned wolf released a firm howl as he stopped his border crossing, awaiting an answer from a superior. "Come on, hurry up." Eventually, Damon resorted to simply lying down, his tail about his side, waiting not-so-patiently for someone to arrive.

Traveling through the lands, he was on his way again. another round. Another wolf to accept. He heard the howl and made his way towards the loner. He could tell it was impatient, hoping this wolf would not be like the last one he spoke with. The other annoyed him, speaking of an old rank he would never hold in this pack. Steele kept on his pace. This one would wait for him. He would approach when he was truly ready. As the other came into view, he noticed the brute was lying down. His scent was bizarre, yet he still made his way in his direction. After leaving his Alpha and other, he was feeling calmer than before. Perhaps it was the cold weather beating down on his hide, or the harsh wind which whipped through his fur. Whichever it was, he confronted the other, looking to him as he snarled softly, "who are you and what brings you to this pack?" He was not completely angry, nor was it filled with hatred. For now his aggressive behavior had subsided, although not all of it completely disappeared. He was a Beat after all, and keeping his rank was most important thing to him.

Within minutes, Damon stood in the presence of a pack member. As he faced this brute, the male knew better than to show arrogance in his stature, for it may be mistaken for feeling superior. The male before him smelled of this superiority and it almost sickened Damon. Try not to be judging, Damon told himself, just because this wolf smelled similar to his over bearing father and the ignorant, supposedly wise Alpha in his past, it was wrong to compare him so quickly. Damon received the standard interrogation and it bored him a little, though the irritation did not plaque his features. Couldn't someone come along and spicen it up a bit? "Hello to you too," Damon began, eyes raking across this new male's body and mentally noting his features. The Beta, maybe Elite, perhaps? Tail lowered against his leg, Damon's body remained to the submissive scale though his face remained slightly uninterested and neutral. "I am Damon, I come here seeking a final destination for my wandering. I've schemed through packs before, dear superior, until my hide was found and the last pack I was in wasn't my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong," sly smirk, "it was glorious but I need a pack of so much more. Ask what you wish and I will provide you the information you seek, let's see if we are worth one another's time." His words had a slight edge to them, an underlying confidence, not to be confused with arrogance, and each was said and placed just so. Let the fun begin.

"I do not wish to play your stupid games. I have far more important things to take care of than to play with you. What skills have you to bring the pack? Tell me everything you think you can do. After you have told me it all, I will make my decision." Steele grunted as he sat down. He had never acted this way with a wolf at the border before. Perhaps it was for fear that Azul would also grace them with his presence. Maybe Steele had grown tired from his constant traveling, wishing only to sleep in his den. He knew not the answer, nor did he really care. The onyx brute looked over the male, seeing scars of all kinds. His mind became curious, but yet, he did not ask. His silver hues washed over the other, keeping his thoughts within his won mind. He would give the brute enough time to speak, hoping he would have something useful for the pack. If he did not, Steele would surely strike.

"Good, because I wasn't in the mood to play them either," Dark eyes flashed with a serious tone and kept the emotion, narrowing slightly as the lay on the wolf in front of them. He had not returned a name and even though Damon believed himself more than capable of taking this male on in a fight, he saw it best to keep it trap shut and not make enemies on the first day. "Many things, superior. I can do more than ca be said. My fighting abilities are nothing to scoff at, hunting singular is a better quality but with the right wolves it excel to greater heights, loyalty runs thick through my veins if I chose my leader truthfully and... Perhaps the former was best not to mention? Damon rolled his shoulders in a light shrug, not caring what the male thought of his next comment, and I can keep females pleasant during the mating seasons, if your pack is outnumbered, until everything blows over. Seems a trivial skill but trust me, you'll appreciate it, my future leaders have." Well most, the old cook with the many daughters wasn't on the list but a few leaders had thanked him in the past for calming their raging females during the heat, though that was before they ran the sneaky devil off their lands.

"The latter is not of much importance, the former is my greatest attribution. Also my capable of handling pressure is remarkable, so if I were to be kidnapped by a rival pack you can rest easy knowing I won't reveal any information. Whatever they would do to me, I can assure you I've been through much, much worse." This wasn't bait nor was it seeking symphony, it was a direct and harsh truth which Damon felt his future leaders should know. Damn, if the role was reversed it would be interesting information to Damon; it would answer the question, just how loyal would the stranger be if they were put to the test? "Unless it lessens my changes and promotes an unneeded attack, can I have your name, superior? Or do superior feel good, a worthy praise, to your ears? His last comment was not said with agitation but in his mind it had been. During his puphood, his father loved to have his only male child call him high names he thought he well deserved, shout them to the world if necessary. Was this male the same? If so he would not reveal his hate but would look much less upon his raven coat.

Black ears perked forward, listening to his many answers. His tail wrapped around his feet, keeping them warm from the harsh winds that threatened to blow them off of the earth. Steele opened and closed his eyes, fighting the sleep that pushed in his mind. He was tired, but he knew his duties came first. Fighting was good, not too much he could say on that at the moment. But he knew the brute would be tested later. Hunting was a skill that any brute should be able to accomplish. Although, there were faes in the pack who seemed more than interested in a good hunt. So far the male was doing all fine, but as soon as he mentioned faes, his mind directed him towards one fae. Esmeralda. Although she had a deep fire in her soul and a hatred for the brute, he couldn't help but be confused of his feelings. The brute had never listened to anything besides his mind. His mind told him three things: fight, kill, lineage. If any male even thought of touching her, they would surely answer to him. "I doubt the Alpha, Azul, would allow such a thing."

He continued to listen, watching him cautiously. "I am Steele, Beta male of the pack. I do not wish to be called anything else. It's... weird." he moved his eyes away slowly, watching the wind pick up speed and velocity. His eyes targeted back to the male. "For now you may consider yourself accepted into the pack. You will be a Warrior, since you seem to think your skills are very useful. There will be a time and place to prove your worth, but it is not here and it is not now. Now that you have been accepted, you may go where you please. I am headed back to the dens before the cold winter covers us in her ice and freezes us until our last breath." Before waiting for a reply, Steele turned and headed towards the camp clearing. His midnight fur almost completely covered by the rapid winds of snow and ice flying through the air.

His messages appeared to have gone through the male's skull, this pleased Damon greatly. The Alpha wouldn't approve of such a thing; what a shame. No matter, he didn't need the Alpha's permission. Faes were too much fun to let go to waste, Damon would have his fun in good time and perhaps even stay true to his pledge; search for a potential mate. We won't rush into tying downs just yet though, Damon thought comically and let the smirk just ravish mentally. "I agree," Damon murmured as the Beta found himself not favoring the "superior" title. The male had rose significantly in levels of respect with Damon, now clearly not entirely like his father which more than a blessing. If he ran into a wolf like his father, he'd probably murder the bastard and obviously not seek acceptance with the pack. "Extremely useful, or yes, I'd like to think so. I appreciate the ticket of freedom, I will surely explore the wondrous territory, Beta Steele. Thank you for acceptance, it's nice to finally have a pack, a permanent one."

Like a black phantom, Steele dissolved in the sudden blizzard amongst them and Damon was left on his own. Damon left the spot and headed in a different direction than the male, keeping to his word on exploring the territory. How large was there pack - did they have females - how many - males - how many? Questions ran through his mind just as fast as the blizzard he embraced and he was dying to know the answers to them. For now though, Damon would have to simply leave his trail in the snow and hope someone else may come along on his venturing.