Ariste loved the feeling of running-Almost as much as the taste of blood, or the feeling of fangs sinking until her skin. Her paws travelled soundlessly over the earth, hitting the earth for less than a mere second, before stretching into a new bound. She focused on how her body moved, every time her muscles contracted or flexed, every heartbeat, every swift pawstep. She heard her blood roar in her ears, her legs burning and begging for rest. She didn't know how long she had been running, or how far, but she did know that now she was in one of the pack territories, one she hadn't visited. Her tongue rolled out, panting, focusing on the ground and tuning out the pain of her aching body. She was determined to show it was a good idea to allow her in Erenyx. Already her muscle was beginning to build from her tireless and constant training. Her daily runs and hunting, forcing her body to it's limit. She would prove she wasn't useless. 'I wonder when I will meet this alpha, Steele.' Her thoughts wandered to the leader, one whom she had heard much of. 'I both pity, and greatly envy the one as his apprentice...that wolf must be very lucky.. The thought of her training with Steele briefly crossed her mind, but was bitterly shook away. She needed to focus on training herself, first, and returned her full attention to her current task.
Her breath began coming in shallow pants, tongue lolling. She felt the wind whipping her long fur, the cool autumn air seeping through her coat, biting into her flesh, taunting her to run faster. 'Just a little bit more..' She thought, giving a small shiver. By now her legs felt like dead weights, slowing her pace, feeling as if she had to drag them every step. Finally she stopped, chest heaving, as she dipped her head. The ebony fae noticed she was near the entrance of the Shallow Bend, an Erenyx territory she had heard other wolves speak of. She sat down, ears flicking as she pondered going inside. She rested her tail on her paws, before lifting herself to her paws, standing for a moment, before padding towards the unfamiliar place. She kept a slow pace, carefully walking in. She walked towards the shallow pool of water, licking her nose. "A small drink could not harm..." She murmured to herself softly, lowering her head to the cool liquid, tongue flicking out. After swallowing a few mouthfuls, the black she-wolf sat back, her thoughts wandering. She thought about the ones she had met. Delta Katyusha, Warrior Cassiopia, Hunter Loki.. Her mind strayed from thought to thought, until returning to the pack. Her eyes closed, but her ears flicked anxiously, alert to all the sounds around her. Her nose twitched, scenting for any animals other than her. Her body tensed, but she relaxed the sore muscles, as her multicolored orbs opened, roving once again.

Katyusha felt each ache and pain course through her body as she walked, each step sending a jolt down her spine as her joints and wounds begged for rest, but she didn't care. The young fae had been training under Steele for months now, each day taking more and more abuse, and each day growing strong and stronger to the point she hardly noticed the wounds that would have left her defeated just weeks before. Slowly Katyusha was starting to gain power she had never thought possible, and rise to heights she never imagined she could reach. But at the same time something else weighed on her mind.

With every passing day she spent hours with Steele, watching him and learning more about him, and even through the brutality she endured on an unending basis she could not deny her feelings for him, feelings she was certain would go unnoticed and undesired by the one she pined for. But Katyusha was a strong wolf, pushing her feelings aside, letting them rot in the dark corners of her mind like the garbage they were, not allowing them to take her focus away from her training and her work with the alpha. But this wasn't as easy to do as one might think, and it took a lot of cleaning up to keep her mind focused when with the alpha, a lot of will power to stay on task and not break down and beg to be his mate, to offer him anything he could desire in exchange for such an honor, to keep herself respectable in the pack.

Often Katyusha would wander the pack lands, trying to memorize every inch of their territory in an attempt to guard and protect it. While the fae was no longer permitted on the border because of her rather severe training injuries, but she still desired to fulfill her duties, even after a long day training. As the fae walked the otherwise desolate landscape a familiar scent would come to her nose, a soft grin coming to her face "This should be fun." she delta spoke, shifting to walk in the direction of the scent, and quickly coming upon the familiar fae "And what brings you here Warrior?" she would bark, her tone flat and bored for the time being.

Ariste had her eyes closed for the time being, fulfilling the difficult task of allowing her mind to wander, but keeping her senses on full alert. She heard every water drop, mind focused.  She didn't allow her defenses to waver, always at the ready. 'I wonder what will become of me in this pack..' She mused licking her black nose, opening her eyes, skimming them across the water, before closing them again, allowing them to rest. She was roused from her state of subconsciousness by the scent of another wolf, and the light pawsteps. Familiar pawsteps. Her ears perked straight up, eyes cracking open. 'And what brings you here, Warrior. As the acutely familiar voice was heard, her thoughts being pushed to the back of her mind, the bored-sounding words entering her ears. She looking out of the corner of her eye, at none other than Katyusha. She remembered this was the first wolf she had met, and her eyes narrowed, before becoming emotionless pools of silver and gold. She turned her head to meet the other fae's gaze, dipping her head slightly. "A day of training has led me here..." She paused, ears tilting back ever-so-slightly. She slipped her gazed over the she-wolf's body, observing the wounds, before returning her gaze to the Delta, as she slowly rose to her paws. "And what brings a tireless fae such as yourself here, Delta?" She inquired, ignoring the protest of her aching body. Surely Katyusha had not come to see her, that was out of the question. Why? She mentally shrugged, chasing away her suspicions about this wolf. She mentally smirked. "I should think you should be training under the guidance of someone, to become yet a greater Deltess?" She said, a single tendril of sarcasm slithering in to her tone. The statement itself, was both an insult, and respect. Respect, of the hardworking attitude the ebony fae knew this wolf possesed. But also disrespect, for it was acknowledging that Katyusha still had to work under other wolves. Her gazed didn't waver, body bracing against attack, as she awaited the other woman's words, whether they be an insult, a word of advice, a lecture, or a snap of her fangs, Ariste would  take it with the same void expression, the same cold demeanor, the same expressionless muzzle.

Katyusha stood in silence over the other, body burning with the effort of such a simple task, but she showed no pain. The back of the fae's neck was covered in many scars and wounds from the countless time she felt fangs slamming her to the ground. The fae's front paws each had very distinct bite marks in them, each tooth leaving its mark, and the rest of her body was littered with cuts or dried blood, matting her fur and giving her a rather rough appearance, but her demeanor and stance showed no pain, no weakness, and no acknowledgement to the wounds, to her they didn't exist.

With the warriors reply the fae would nod, looking her over and noticing no signs of training "Then you aren't doing a very good job." she spoke coldly, not impressed with her weak attempt at training. As the warrior presented her own question the fae would look around for a moment "Simply doing my duty to the pack and patrolling it's lands." she answered honestly hearing the fae's words and giving a low growl "I have completed my training for the day...I can't occupy all of Steele's time with my training, he does have a pack to run." she spoke coldly "And before you scoff at my apprenticeship warrior, there are many in this pack who would literally kill to have what I have earned...no doubt you included." she said with a smirk, knowing just how much of a prize she had won in that spar with her alpha, even if she had lost the actual fight.

Ariste silently listened to Katyusha, not flinching under her harsh gaze, or frosty tone. She stood, posture straigh, eyes foreword and locked on the other wolf's, a sign she was paying close attention. Her legs still felt ready to give way beneath her, but she didn't show it, standing to attention of the higher rank. Her first sentence did not faze the ebony she-wolf, as training she did did not show physically, but the results hidden beneath her thick coat. "Simply occupying my time until I have an actual spar, not all of us have personal trainers." She stated as her training was critisized. She flicked her ear at her next spoken words. "Of course I would like to be a high ranking wolf...is it not the same in every pack? Every Omega, fighting to be a warrior, or such, every apprentice wanting to succeed in the path they have chosen? I have yet to discover all ways of training...unless of course, fighting thyself would please thee?" Her words were spoken with no sarcasm nor humor, but mentally  smirked at the thought of running in circles, striving her grab her own tail, throwing herself against objects in a weak attempt to harm. Her tail quivered slightly, at the amusement of her own imagination. Self harm-what she often did, was far from actually attempting to fight with oneself, and very unsuccessful, in which it would make more sense for her to fight with a leaf, or a rock. She dipped her head, tilting it slightly. "Well, if this is her attempt to make me a better wolf, it's failing.. How can I take advice, and work on techniques if I am never given any advice to begin with?' She mused to herself, returning herself to her previous stance.

Katyusha watched the fae closely as she stood, noticing subtle things most would let slip. Every wolf had weaknesses, it was just a matter of finding and exploiting them, something Steele had taught her well "There are plenty of wolves willing to spar around the pack...Tye and Magnus should be healed by now...they would be great training partners...and Chiara would be more than happy to train you if you asked." she said, rolling her eyes at the fae as she continued to speak "And that is not what I meant...yes I earned my position, but rank is nothing more than a title if you do not have the authority to back it up...what I earned in that spar wasn't some useless promotion and a new title...I earned an apprenticeship with the strongest wolf in the pack. No the strongest wolf in these lands. I didn't earn my rank because Steele told me I had it, I earned it by gaining the strength, power and knowledge to enforce my words. A rank is just a label of who you can and cannot beat....nothing more." she said sternly, knowing this to be all too true.

Ariste bit back a sigh as Katyusha seemed to insult her in her own way-without actually insulting her. Tye, Magnus, Chiara. She stored the names away, curios as to why she had not met them yet. As the Delta began going into an...oddly philosophical speech, for the first time Ariste felt compelled to listen, not because it was a requirment, because she wanted to. She didn't speak for a long moment, thinking, before nodding. "I know...that's what training is for. To make you a stronger wolf than you were before.. She said quietly, still musing the fae's words. 'The only difference is, sometimes you can win over a title above you, from blood, sweat, and hard work.' She added mentally, but not voicing her thoughts. She darted a quick, narrow eyed glance at the other wolf, curious. She remembered considering the Deltess to be tempermental when they had first met at the boarder, at what must have been two weeks ago, if not more. She flicked her eyes to the ground and back, before finally giving up in finding something else to say. She gave a silent, almost imperceptible sigh of unsureness. Unsure of what to do or say, she settled for silence, the only thing she could rely on. The truth was, she didn't even know how long Katyusha had been Delta, how she won the title, or what rank she had been before. She only knew of the subtle murmurings of other wolves, as she strained her ears to hear all she had missed. The truth was, though she wouldn't ever admit it, she felt misplaced, ignorant to all around her, not having the memories of the past of the pack that the other members may have. She frowned slightly, opening her muzzle slightly, but her mind blank of anything to discuss. "What's it like to train under the Alpha?" She questioned, speaking the first question that came to mind, the one she had shoved into the far corner, but bit her tongue, assuming it was a stupid question, and she should be punished. For only the second time, she adverted her gaze from the other fae's, once again bringing her attention to the scars and blood and marks along the other's body, keeping her muzzle closed.

Katyusha watched as the fae listened, actually impressed the other paid her any mind, or showed her any respect, having been almost certain she would have to beat the lesson into the newwer fae. With her statement Katyusha would nod "Yes, but do you understand how to train? Not only physically, but mentally. It cannot be done alone as no wolf is capable of properly training themselves...you must learn from someone who knows more than you...and there is always a wolf who knows better than you." she said honestly, not so arrogant to think she was better than everyone else, especially the alpha she idolized so deeply.

As Ariste stood in silence the fae would watch her, taking note of every subtle movement, every twitch, every sigh, it was habit now. Katyusha had it beaten into her that every wolf was a threat, every movement was hostile, and she had to know exactly how to kill every wolf she was ever around. If she needed to fight, she would win without any real threat to herself, and if she didn't, nothing was lost. As the other spoke Katyusha would raise her gaze again "It is brutal...hard...painful...but I am grateful for every second of it. Steele isn't the kind to go easy on you...there have been several days I wasn't sure I would survive the night, and I am forbidden to go to the healers after training. I just have to lay in my den and bleed, hoping I wake up in the morning. But every day I do..and every day I get stronger...I hardly notice the pain anymore, and even with my wounds I am capable of things I never thought possible." she admitted "I am very lucky to be given such an honor as to train as Alpha Steele's apprentice."

Ariste nodded, listening to the other fae. She considered, searching her mind to see who else she had met, but could only recall those three wolves. 'I guess it's time to meet some new wolves...' She stored it in the back of her mind, to meet every wolf in Erenyx if possible. As Katyusha began to explain how being an apprentice of Steele was, she subtly tilted her ears forward, listening intently. She mentally sighed,  glancing at the Delta's appearance. "I can tell. I can imagine..." She flicked her tongue out, wrapping it around her muzzle to touch her long, painful scar. 'Hundreds of these...' She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. What would she tell Katyusha? That she had basically cowered away from everyone, because she hated others? 'That would go over well.' She thought sarcastically."I can only imagine how great it would be to train under such a wolf as Steele..." She mused aloud. "But I have yet a long way before even pondering that." She said humbly, ear and tail flicking. "But of course, I will fight to be the best wolf I can be, and then some." She said, wondering what the Deltess' reaction to be. 'I wonder when I can meet this great Alpha... That train of thought continued into dozens of questions. What will he be like? Will he accept me? What will I say to him? She snapped her attention back to Katyusha as soon as her thoughts strayed to far. 'Focus, quit wandering off. You're talking to the Delta, and she's not attacking you. Don't ruin that by missing a question she asks and not being able to answer! She shook away the millions of unanswered questions, She realized there was no longer reason for them to be here, in the Shallow Bend, besides talking, which surprisingly, Ariste quite enjoyed. A small smile curve her lips, a rare one at that. "I can see you being a great teacher someday, with an equally student." She said, surprised at the truth she spoke. 'There is no denying it, she has the toughness to push her student to succeed, but also enough..what's the word? niceness, that the student wouldn't run away with his tail between his legs. Or maybe he would. Not my problem.' She stood to attention for Katyusha's next words.

Katyusha kept her calm flat look, almost appearing bored even if she were rather amused by their conversation. Slowly the Delta would shift to sit on her haunches, her movement fluid as if there were no pain in her whole body. She would not allow herself to show even the slightest hint of pain, or weakness even with her body covered in wounds.

As the other spoke again Katyusha would nod "Steele isn't exactly subtle with the brutality of his training....Not that he needs to be, no one would dare stop him, and I don't wish for them to. Even with my wounds I am capable of more now than I ever dreamed possible before our training, and what he still has in store for me excites me even more." she admitted. With that the fae would curl her tail around her paws, listening to the warrior as she spoke again "It is great...but it is not a reward that is given lightly. Steele has only ever taken two apprentices, Nyx and myself, and I had to win this in a fight with my life on the line...or a fate worse than death. And while I lost, Steele saw enough potential in me to show me mercy and grant me this apprenticeship anyways. And for that I am in debt to him." she said honestly.

With Ariste's next words Katyusha would get a small grin for the first time in their conversation "Good. If you keep that attitude you will be able to achieve great things in this pack. But you must ensure that it is more than just words. There are many in this pack who will speak of doing great things...but few who will achieve them. I saw potential in you on the border, and that is why I allowed you to live. I do not expect you to make me regret that decision." she spoke sternly, hoping to motivate the wolf to do more than simply speak, as words were worthless to the pack.

As the conversation continued Katyusha would get an almost stunned look, the comment about being a good teacher taking her by surprise and making her drop her cold stoic appearance for just a moment. Quickly the delta would recover herself, pausing for another long moment to gather her words before speaking again "Perhaps someday yes, and once my training is complete it would be my great pleasure to help train others to better the pack. But for now I still have much to learn myself, and much more to give to Steele...although soon if all goes well I shall have my own pups to train, so it will be some time before I take an apprentice." she said honestly, thinking she may have some time while she was pregnant and when the pup were still too young to really train, but they would take priority to her.

(OOC: This just got interesting...)

Ariste perked up with her every word. She didn't plan on saying things that she wouldn't act on. She gave Katyusha a ghost of a smile. She frowned slightly, she had brought up every topic on her mind. She dipped her head. "If you do, you will be a great mother..." She murmured, watching her as she sat. Her tail flicked from side to side, jaws spreading wide in a yawn. Her tongue ran along her teeth, and her ear twitched. She glanced around, taking in the red, jagged rocks and shallow water, gently swishing. Her tongue swipe out, flicking around her muzzle and licking her nose. 'I wonder when these waters rise... She mused silently, as she glanced back at Katyusha. "And your pups would be nothing less than well trained." She finished her earlier sentence. A fall breeze ruffled her coat, biting her flesh. Her eyes returned to void emptiness, as her thoughts strayed, as she found nothing else to say to the deltess


(OOC: CAN'T FIND ANYTHING TO WRITE! Should we end this thread in the next post? Unless you can find something else to say)

Katyusha watched the other with her stern look, seeing the other struggle for something to talk about Katyusha would just lift her gaze "Work your way up to me, and maybe by the time you are ready for my training, I will have some time to give it." she said. Honestly Katyusha wanted to help train members of the pack, and improve her pack's strength overall. The only problem was most of her time was spoken for with Steele's training, her service to him in the coming months, and then raising her pups with the training she had received, determined to make them just as strong, if not stronger than herself.

With the other's words the delta would get a wry smile "There is no question of it...this season I shall have my litter with the alpha, and I will train them the same way I was trained, to be the best." she said sternly, watching the other as she mused about something else, causing the delta to rise to her paws and walk towards the tunnel they had entered this place from "That is enough sitting around though, we both have work to do. I expect to see you in training very soon. Once again do not make me regret letting you into this pack, or I shall make you regret it equally." and with that the delta left.

[OOC: Lemme Just wrap this up so i don't leave Ari stranded to be eaten by the water :3]


Ariste nodded at the Delta's words. "I don't plan to..." She murmured, watching the high ranking wolf leave. Ariste sat back on her haunches, the conversation replaying in her mind, hoping to make sense of it, but only came up blank. It wasn't that she didn't understand the other fae's words or advice, she was confused as to how she went from harsh, to helpful, to somewhat nice, and back to helpful. Then somehow ended up telling all about her training. She didn't regret speaking to Katyusha one bit though, and a small smile tugged on her lips, threatening to surface. Standing, the ebony fae stepped from the water, glancing in the direction Katyusha had disappeared, thinking for a moment, before slowly walking to the entrance. Her ear flicked back, and she glanced over her shoulder, before darting out of the Shallow Bend, back towards camp. 'That certainly was an interesting conversation.' She mused, breaking into a jog back towards camp. She would heed the Deltess' advice, and get help training.