The first shafts of the morning light were hitting the trees. This day was particularly chilly, the wind bringing a faint moisture to Fel’s tongue as she opened her jaws to taste the air, her nostrils flaring as well. The beta was certainly in her den, but Marrok seemed to be elsewhere at the moment. The dark fae looked to the sky, seeing a small cluster of storm clouds advancing to block out the precious sunlight. She could do nothing to turn the tides of the battle that was taking place far beyond the leaves above her head. Although, she would have run alongside the storm if she could, as it was her favorite force of nature.

Fel paced around, a little nervous to be speaking to her superior of such things, but she felt truly out of place with her minimal amount of work. The warrior craved just a chance to prove herself, to be given some weight to bear on her shoulders as she had once done long ago. And this is why she had come today: to politely ask for a consideration. Fel was going to wait until the beta had come out on her own accord, but a deep rumble from the sky urged her onward. Even though she loved this weather, her thick, lengthy fur would take a long time to dry. She cautiously came forward, asking in a soft voice as to not disturb the fae should she be sleeping, “Ma’am, it is Fel. May I seek counsel with you on this fine morning?” Already, Fel braced herself for the chance of a denial, but decided that showing initiative was the best thing she could do for herself.

[[ I did a time skip so then she's not pregnant in this one. ]]

The morning's glory brought light into her and Marrok's large den. However, the weather did not present the summer all of one would expect to come upon the lands of Helidos. As Marrok was off to his duties like he normally did before she woke, the newly promoted Beta female basked in the silence and little warmth of sunlight, lying on her side in daydream. Ever since she was a young fae, she had directly be put into forced training, eventually standing to be a great and expected of Alphess to take over once she was to be betrothed to a fine Alpha's son from a neighboring pack. She admired the Alpha's son, Brenet for his charisma and great strength, but he was not the one she found the spark. Instead she had already found another by the name of Ace, who soon ran off with her at the night of the mating ceremony and had a litter of one, Riot. But, with all nice things come with a price, and that price was to be paid with tragedy. Their blood trails still fresh in her mind across the meadow's floor, the tears that fell from her very eyes stain the moist, spring dirt.

The beta female would not forget such things to of something that scarred her for life, but later on she took an unexpected turn to come upon Helidos's pack borders in late winter. Juno then was granted a Warrior, soon then being promoted to Delta and then to what she is now, a Beta. Though it wasn't easy, and she wasn't alone. In the pack's swampy areas, she found a brute with a charming smile and the strength of a great fighter and hunter like herself. That day was nothing she could ever forget, the day her heart was pushed back together and glowed deeply for another once again. She found love, they mated and only a few days ago she gave birth to a lovely litter of three, along with the Alphess of Helidos a week before. To her surprise, one of the pups resembled Riot, but his personality was far off from each other. With a little thought put into the names, Marrok and her decided with Apollo, Ryland, and the look-a-like Riot to be Griffen. They were all beautiful and healthy young pups that inherited both of their greatest traits and genes. And with time, they too would grow to be great warriors like they were. Now all the Beta female was left to do was sleep, but how could one sleep with so much going on around her? She wished to run, prepare and take down prey again, let alone the need to take border patrol before she sleeps.

On her feet, she felt the presence of another not far from her chambers. Their scent reeked weakly off of their pelts, but the case did not fathom between her choices of to move or not. The obsidian fae peered out of her den with vibrant green eyes as a female's voice spoke inside. Lifting her tail and providing her rank with dominance, she straightened up and walked slowly outside, nodding a small hello to the fae before turning to face her completely. "Salutations, Warrior Fel. It seems you've come here for guidance, speak your reason and stand straight. There is no reason you should hold little for your rank," Juno knew little of the dark fae, showing not even a hint of a smile to her lips in return for her confidence in coming for her help. The new rank had taken a toll on her emotions she would not deny, along with the stress of a litter of not only one, but three pups to worry about. She had heard from Marrok about this warrior, great things and it amused her to know why she had come to her den.

Fel watched closely as a fae, dark like her, strode out of her den with an air of dominance to her. ‘This must be the Juno,’the warrior thought, ‘Is it really such a good idea to come with a request like this upon our first meeting?’ She shoved her uncertainty away, giving a respectful bow to the beta as she approached and nodded her greetings. Looking up at her, Fel noticed that she was troubled by something, something painful and dark. Her heart ached to comfort the fae, but there was nothing she could do.

The warrior immediately followed the orders as soon as they were spoken, rising to her full height as a strong gust of wind rushes through the bracken. Her fur splayed across her muscular figure on one side and rippled in the air on the other, but she did not wince. Such weather was common in her old pack, and she welcomed the little gift from home.

Fel blinked warmly at the slight compliment, providing a smile when the beta herself did not. She had to be both nice and capable to even have a chance at what she wanted, and the raven wolf was not about to make any careless mistakes. Once the last of Juno’s words drifted off on the breeze, Fel began. “I have humbly come here for a request: a chance. Although I may seem troubled at times, I do not know who isn’t these days. Before my… well exile, I was in training to succeed the alpha. I do not ask or even hope for a high rank here, but I would like a chance to prove myself to the pack by carrying a bit more weight on my shoulders. It would truly be a pleasure to have something to do again. And I completely understand if you deny me now, but I supposed that I wasn’t going to get anywhere by keeping to myself.” Her heart thrummed inside her chest nervously, preparing for a denial. The most important thing was that she tried and took initiative, and she was proud of herself for trying to rise up and do something more with her life again. However, The fae could almost hear her father’s voice mockingly growling in the back of her memory, “You are no leader, nor are you a daughter of mine. A failure is what you are. Felwolf!”

An amused smile crossed over her features to twitch at the sides of her black maw, curling back into a toothy grin, "Well in this case I am sorry to say I am not given the authority to promote and demote, but if you're willing to prove yourself to me in action, I would be more than happy to pass on the information to Azul," Though it was worth a shot, it would be a surprise to her mate she has left the den without leaving a notice, hopefully with enough 'persuading' she'll get him to calm down about it. She nodded for Fel to follow for a small walk through the clearing, turning to her left, moving her legs to a relaxing pace, "If you can prove your abilities, it will give me a greater outlook onto your skills in the near future. We can always teach you a few tricks I learned in Delta training with Elite Kenai. But not all of them, I shall save that for later until I've seen what you can do. In order to do so, would you mind going on a hunt with me? You are allowed to bring a companion if you wish as well if you feel it would be less uncomfortable being around me. Most new warriors and hunters that come into the pack underestimate Marrok and I for the last pair, the enemy Alphas, but in all truth, we're friendly and professional individuals who just want to get through the obstacles of life. I expect you to understand, miss Fel, for it is what we are all trying to do in this small world of ours...,"

Juno turned to face forward, sneaking a glance to meet her sapphire blue eyes, a hint of a smile in her emerald pair, "I must say, I am surprised you came to my den instead of the Alphas' themselves. I am, but a Beta, however, I can begin to fathom why and why not you chose that decision. Just coming here, before me to tell me this and not back down shows my that you have a confidence many to not possess and I admire that very much so," Steadying her pace to match with the similar dark fae, she looked to her surroundings, flicking her ears too and fro for any others in the area. There were wolves, she knew, but the fact that there weren't many led her to believe they were all out for the same thing. Food. The weather that was proclaimed dewy or wer from her eyes made her smile, all great things happened to her when the weather was like this, it reminded her of...home. Deep within the northern mountains lies her father's and mother's pack along with twenty other wolves that she was supposed to rule over someday, but chose the path for love and her own choices. A year later everything straightened, and now she stands as the pack's Beta, the Alphas' right paw and second in command. A lovely mate to wake up to and three beautiful pups that will soon take a role in this pack when they're of age. What more could she ask for? It was perfect. It was...her dream.

Fel was truly a bit confused at the amused grin on the Beta’s muzzle as she explained that she could not promote her. 'What was so funny about that?' But the warrior’s visage remained unaltered by her thoughts, and portrayed calm, calculating look instead. She thought about the words. If she proved herself, the beta would pass on the information. She looked up once more to the higher ranking fae with a determined blue flame shining in her eyes. This was truly the moment to sink or swim. Fel turned upon the gesture and silently matched her superior’s strides, listening intently to Juno before replying, “It is a pleasure to hunt by your side, and I thank you for the assessment. And, although I do tend to share such honors with my friends, there are some things one must do alone I suppose.” The onyx fae’s ears patrolled the sounds of the forest quietly as she took a breath and continued, “Do not worry, I know the difference between you two and Steele and Esmeralda, and make no mistakes or confusions. And yes, I know what you mean. Just living each day as it comes and learning from your victories and falls. Such is the life for all of us now.”

The raven warrior felt a pair of bright emerald eyes meet her own icy gaze warmly before the onyx beta started again. She could pick up both a warm compliment and a curious interest in her speech. Nostrils flaring for the slightest trace of prey scent, she calmly replied with a faint little smile, “I know that the alpha has been quite busy lately and did not want to bother him or his mate for such a request as mine. And this confidence you say you admire is merely stubborn determination mixed with a will to prove my capability to the pack, as well as myself. I believe that absolute confidence can lead to arrogance, plaguing the strength with weakness. Please correct me if I am wrong.”

The damp weather was making tracking a bit harder, the morning dew mixing with the chilling breeze that urged the storm closer, but this fae was fully focused on the hunt now. Within a reasonable amount of minutes, the faintest hint of doe stood out among the more stable scents of the dampened forest foliage. Fel flicked her ears northeast, towards the source of the smell, expecting Juno to either tell her what to do or allow the warrior to take the lead.

"The pleasure is all mine. I've been meaning to get out and train again now that I have lost all the weight. These two month of pregnancy have not been easy let me tell you. All the waiting I know is worth it and it was, but the constant need to run and hunt is always in ones mind. It pains to feel it and see everyone else around you be capable of doing so. Now that I have someone to bring me back up to my feet since Marrok isn't here to help, I'll be ready to lead and teach individuals in no time. Azul has been busy as well caring for Lucy and his young. It is her first, and this will be the first time both Azul and Marrok become fathers. If I'm mistaken, I believe Alpha Azul is trying to bring his Alphess back to her paws once again too," Juno walked, lowering her voice as the whiff of a white tailed deer nearby laced through her nostrils. She huffed out a breathe, taking in more and keeping her pace steady with Fel. "As for the rest, you're very correct. I've seen so many cases of arrogance in my day and I have yet to encounter more. I wish not to bring feud between them, but help. Deep down I know they've experienced tragedy, I being one of them. And of course, we've all had our acts of arrogance sometime, and I pity myself for showing it,"

As they walked further along the clearing, Juno caught the change in Fel's ears from the side, knowing instantly she had smelt the scent as well. Perfect. This Warrior could keep up, now all that's left is 'Where is the kill precisely?' It was distant, but that could mean anything considering the climate. Juno rolled her shoulders to crouch low to the ground, hoping Fel would go along, "Keep your eyes open, I'm going to head through the east side of the timber, you take west. If you see it, stay low and try to get back to me. Be careful, the grass is still wet and with one wrong move, a noise could spook the creature,"

Fel’s eyes almost saddened at the mention of the fathers and pups.  She knew nothing of such things. Her heart ached every time she was reminded of this, that her father hated her, no male had ever showed any interest in her, and she never had any offspring, and probably never would. The raven fae blinked, forcing the thoughts away. This was not a time to allow feelings to control her performance. Listening to the beta further, Fel heard her speak of arrogance and tragedy. 'My goodness, this is harder than the actual test!' She did not reply to either of these, shoving down the knot that was beginning to rise in her throat, but found that doing so only got it lodged in her heart. Her father was the epitome of arrogance and the cause of a tragic exile, one topped with spilt blood and sprinkled with failure and disgrace. Remembering his malevolent face made her heart freeze over though, and that was the end of the knot. She focused entirely on the forest surroundings once more.

The warrior instantly crouched down, acknowledging her beta’s orders with a flick of her right ear before moving off silently to the west. She kept her long fur and tail off of the grass, which seemed to be a shade of viridian under the clouds that were crowding the sky. Within a good distance, Fel spotted the doe steadily moving northwest. Being sure to check her surroundings, she scented the air for Juno and crept with quiet speed to her, reporting, “The deer is moving at a casual pace in the northwest direction, a good ways from here, but easy to catch up to. If I may suggest, we should pass it on the left so our scents, already fairly masked by the dampness of the foliage, will be blowing away from the prey. If you are a fast runner, I can sneak on ahead, ambushing the doe while you chase it to me. Of course, that is simply my two mice’s worth.” Fel had begun to take on the tone of a wolf who was telling her patrol the plan of action when she was explaining her suggestion as well as drawing it out on a patch of soft earth before her, but her voice fell soft when she realized how she had been talking to her superior. It was not a rude voice at all, but it was enough to make her lower her head and put her ears to the side in apology. 'Idiot.'

The black fae stalked low into the shadows that the trees provided, letting the warrior female part her ways in search. The prey's scent filled her nose in the opposite direction she was facing so she presumed Fel would find the creature far easier than her considering she is towards the other way. Juno wedged her way back to where they began, seeing the other black fae peek out from the woods and come up next to her. She must admit, the warrior had a simple and strategic plan in order to corral the prey into their paws, it reminded her of when the Marrok and her were fighting off the cougar who unexpectedly came for a taste of their doe. Shaking off the though, Juno nodded, "Its a great plan, Fel and I'm pleased to hear it come from you than I. I'm great in agility so that matter does not phase this situation a bit. The fog is used to our advantage it seems today," She chuckled softly to herself, looking to Fel with fascinated green eyes, a glint of a smile within them, "Get into position, I'll be ready when you are."

In doing so, she politely bumped her shoulder on the way to her spot of attack, returning to her stalked position and walking with practiced steps across the soft dirt silently. The fur on the scruff of her neck stood on end as a light breeze blew passed, some of her pelt was damped by the thin layer of vapored water in the air but she didn't mind it. Working her way over, she stopped as soon as the doe came into view and nodded her head to Fel that she was ready.

Fel was a bit surprised that she wasn’t reprimanded for her boldness, but she simply nodded and stalked off on swift paws, concentrating as the doe came into view. She was really quite pleased that the beta had accepted her plan that had instinctively came to her mind, but was not about to let even a smudge of her pride distract her. She just hoped it was something Juno would remember when she finished her analysis. Well, rather the actual plan part of it, not her accidental boldness, though it was polite enough.

She kept her breathing smooth as her paw pads touched the ground in silent, confident motions. The dumb beast was still ambling casually across the timber, her dainty hooves making the grass sway to and fro. Fel looked back to Juno, catching the nod of readiness from the high ranking fae, before shrinking down to the lowest point she could without disturbing her surroundings, her tail snaking in the air behind her. Sticking to the dark shade, she successfully made it well ahead of the doe and crawled into a ravine by the path. Although it wasn’t deep, she could successfully hide herself, her raven pelt blending with the moist earth due to the shadows that cloaked them. As she pricked her ears for the thrumming of hooves and coiled her muscles beneath her pelt, a small drop of water fell down from the heavens and landed on the bridge of her muzzle. More slowly began to follow, dotting whatever dry earth there was in tiny, wet spots.

She was hoping Fel would have moved on by now and ambushed it, but it seemed she would have to take the effort over instead. Shaking the thoughts of getting her attention once again, Juno continued her low stalk towards the subject. Keeping her eyes on the doe patiently, gentle moving through the shadows as if she were one, silent and the pelt just like a shadow. No one understood where she came from as to why she enjoyed living amongst the shadows for she what one would call 'radiant', but her eyes did the talking mostly. Juno flanked left around the opposite side as to where Fel stood, shifting her weight between steps and lowering her long tail to brush the dewy grass. Above, the clouds grew grey, darker than they were before, within seconds tears fell from the heavens to soon shot like bullets into her ebony pelt. Juno loved rain, a beautiful climate for hunting as well as the feeling of love, she smiled at the thought of her night with Marrok. Confessions were spilled, let alone what they felt about each other. But there was no time for daydreaming anymore, she thought. Exposing herself from the shadows, her muscles recoiled and sprung into the air, shifting her body towards a dead right and growling at the doe to run. As told and feared of more, the doe stumbled and sprinted into Fel's direction, followed by the black beauty to clamp onto its rear. Her claws slipped off though, causing her to rear back onto her chase.

She smiled as the sound of thrumming hooves and paws escalated. 'Perfect. Just send her over here,' she thought, 'I will do the rest when the doe is in my paws.'  Within a minute, the deer came scrambling towards Fel with Juno at her stubby tail, and at that moment the war of the skies broke loose, pouring down onto the earth below. 'Closer… Just another stride.' The warrior’s sharp eyes calculated the collision about to take place, accounting for the slippery mud about to form and the extra weight of her wet hide. At the right moment, she sprung at the unexpecting prey, sinking her canines into its neck as they both fell to the left.  Fel managed to land neatly enough, still keeping an iron lock onto the deer. She thrashed her head twice, feeling the doe’s strength ebb with each new pump of blood. Eventually pleased with the result, the raven colored fae stood up to her full height and turned to Juno with azure orbs that flashed with an icy, yet calm success, “Well done ma’am. It all went according to plan, Beta Juno.” Fel finished with a respectful bow of her head, not forgetting who she was in comparison to this superior. The fae, her wet fur plastered against her muscular figure, looked at the fresh kill thoughtfully before turning her muzzle to the sky to wash the sticky crimson fluid off of her as she waited with her ears pricked for an analysis of her hunting and tracking skills.