The issues of old had subsided, kinda. His parents were gone. His family was gone. Samael lived through it all and was able to rise above it. In the silence of his den, he stared at the ceiling. A few roots stuck through, almost reaching into the den. He stared at it and then looked to the entrance of the den. As he rolled onto his side and eventually to his stomach, he stood up. As he walked out of the home, he shook his coat from side to side. He watched the excess dirt and grime fling from him and he smiled. But he was still dirty. When the wolf examined his own coat, he decided he wanted to be clean. He wandered from the pack clearing and headed for the new lands he had heard rumors about. One place, solitude was a huge thing, appealed to him more for anything. As he wandered, followed the scent of the horrid beast who now owned the land and his father's pelt. It was a hideous sight, one he could not stand to look at. He followed the trail and finally discovered the open and fresh air. What a beautiful place the Mesa was. From the murky water he could see the too was flat as day. Instead of trying to climb it today, he decided to lounge in the water. As he walked to the edge of the water, he looked to his reflection. It was distorted and different than before. He was no liger a pup anymore. Now he was a two year old wolf. He was tall and slender, still trying to fill out in his body. It would take some time, but Samael had come to realize he was as tall as his father now.

The single green eye and silver eye stared at him. They worked together, scanning over the image as if he were seeing it for the first time. Who was this grown wolf now? Surely it was not the young apprentice, the heir to the throne. But indeed it was. Samael stretched out and stepped into the murky waters. The water flooded his paws and his ankles. It clung to his fur and he could feel the base of the weeds between his toes. The water was cool, which helped keep the sun off his midnight coat. Finally he moved to the center of the lake and dove under. His complete body was submerged in water and he felt much better. The dirt washed away and he felt clean once again. He padded around in the water aimlessly.

Fel stared out into the light of the spring day through the entrance of her new den. She was lucky that the ground was already thawing when she arrived at Erenyx, because she could proceed to immediately warm her body by digging the den and then curl up inside. Just a few days later, emerald grass was springing up from the earth and the weather was getting warmer. The water now, she figured, wouldn’t be dangerous to wash herself in. Fel did not mind the scent of the remaining blood that still clung to her pelt, but she wished to be rid of the traces of Helidos upon her and the added weight on her already heavy fur. Slowly, the new beta emerged from the darkness and trotted out of the center of their territory. She was of high rank and decided it was important that she knew what lay beyond the pack clearing in Teren’s domain. To stretch her muscles, she eased into a slow canter, running with a lengthened stride. As the scenery rolled past her, Fel took it all in. These lands belonged to her new pack, and more specifically, her new alpha whom she was to serve. The revelation that she was no longer working under Quinn or that bastard Azul was strange. Everything she had worked for during the past couple of years was ripped away and replaced, beginning not only a new chapter in her life, but perhaps a new book even. Maybe her life was not a single novel, but rather a trilogy…

The icy eyes flickered to a glimmer in the near distance. It seemed that there was a mesa surrounded by water below. The heights of the actual mesa did not currently interest her, but she noted their arrangement for later exploration as she picked up speed towards the location. The water right now was her main goal. When she finally neared it, Fel slowed her pace down to a walk. The water was not exactly pristine, but that did not matter. She was here to bathe, not to drink. She padded into the quiet marsh, shaking her paws slightly as they were immersed and watching the dried crimson be washed away from her. The blood that made her back and haunches become covered in spiked clumps was next. But as she waded in farther, she noticed a brute some distance away from her walking around in the same water. The male was tall, but clearly young, as his body did not yet fill out the potential he held in the size of his shoulders. The brute was not Teren and therefore could be ignored for a while longer. Fel kept her head dry as the water surrounded her large body, shaking her pelt to cleanse her long raven fur.

Wading in the water forced him to be peaceful and not think of anything. His gaze stared to the mesa, what exactly was it? His eyes looked to the area around and he moved through the water. His slow circles finally ceased. He stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes were on a large female. She was black like he was, but her eyes were very different. They were both one color, a light blue like the sky. He stood there, trying to analyze the scent which were on her body. One scent, in particular was on her and it smelled like Lucas when he first joined. Helidos. What was she doing here? But she also smelled like Erenyx. Perhaps she was new to the lands, though her taint was covered in Teren's. A snarl tried to escape from his maw, but he stopped. He only stared to her. She was new to the lands and he intended to find out who she was. "Who are you?" His voice was cold and stiff, much like his heart and his eyes.

An ear flickered towards the brute as he stared, but otherwise she ignored him as her pelt was cleansed. It was almost liberating, feeling the dried blood wash away from her dark fur and tint the water around her. The nature and the lands in this pack were accepting her, taking away what had cursed her. Finished with her bath, the dark demon rose to her full stature and moved out of the depths as she shook off her pelt, letting the damp raven fur fall flat against her muscular form. The minor wound Azul had given her a few days ago was healing well and currently hidden under her long mountain fur. Then finally, the voice of the brute sounded. Fel stopped and stood still, turning her head towards the other wolf. Her gaze fell onto his black form emotionlessly, moving to meet his unusually colored eyes. “Beta Fel.” Her voice was flat and low, but as smooth as the ice in her eyes. The brute before her was young; yet he seemed hardened for his age. In the back of her mind, she wondered what had made him this way. He almost resembled her in her own youth. That, however, was many years ago. Silently, she turned her body towards him, her tail raised to be parallel to her back in authority, but not aggression. If there was need for those measures, she would take them next. “And you are?” Fel asked the brute, wishing a swift reply.

Beta.. she was a Beta, but of which pack? He had never heard of any other wolf being a Beta in his pack. Nyx, she was the female Beta. Who was this wolf? Her name was Fel, an interesting character to say the least. His eyes moved over her form, but he did not move. He stood still. His awkward eyes stared at her, trying to figure out who she was and where she was from. "What pack do you come from, for I know the Beta of these lands, and you are not her. Her eyes are amber and blue. Her coat is white and she is not as large as you." He stared at her, keeping a snarl deep in his throat. "I suggest you not cross the boundary into these lands... Helidos. Your time here is almost over. I suggest you leave before I call my pack here and they force you out." The male stood as tall as he could, his eyes scorned her, hoping she would not put up a fight and leave this place immediately. This may not be the lands that he wished they were, but he would not stop himself from defending the only home he knew. He was afraid of nothing now. What more was there for him to lose?

Fel watched this young brute as she began to question her and then threaten her with force. How adorable. She stared calmly at him, though her muscles tensed slightly beneath her soggy fur. “On the contrary, my time here has just begun. I am banished from Helidos for murder, and have been welcomed by your alpha, Teren, as the new female beta of these lands. I do not know of this Nyx is, but she is clearly not present anymore.” Arching her tail above her back, undaunted by his attempts at displaying power and aggression, she continued. “By all means, young brute, call upon the members of your pack. In fact, call upon your leader. I would enjoy seeing his insight on your mistake.” Her voice rumbled in a low tone. Her emotionless eyes watched his body, watching for any sudden movements. If this male, who still hadn’t answered her question, was naïve enough to doubt her strength, Fel would gladly enforce her authority. Yet she hoped the doubtful brute before her would swallow his snarl. She had, after all, just washed the last round of blood from her pelt and did not wish to repeat the process.

And then he stopped himself. With her words and her actions, he knew he was in the wrong. But what had happened to Nyx, the one wolf he truly admired within the pack. Was she no more? The thought of losing another wolf he cared for was rather daunting. It made him upset and yet he could not bring himself to feel depressed any longer. His eyes stared at the Best, not meeting her gaze directly, but to her form. His eyes trickled to the water beneath her body. He noticed a small pigment of pink and red around her. Either she was bleeding or the murder she had spoken of was washing off her body as she spoke. Had she murdered Nyx? This question bubbled in his mind. "So who then did you murder, Beta?" He spoke her name as if it were a disease. It was a vile name, filled with an evil in his ears.

Finally, the brute had come to the realization that he was mistaken. The aversion of his eyes and the cessation of his snarl was enough to see that. The raven fae’s tail, however, remained arched like a banner above her spine. Fel watched him with a cold stare. The tone with which her rank was pronounced was spiteful, but it did not bother Fel. The hatred seemed to be directed towards the position she held, not herself in particular. Perhaps the brute was unhappy with her replacing this Nyx he spoke of… Either way, it did not matter. Indifferently, she replied, “I killed Athena, the only remaining child of Azul. Her brother, Lucas, was slain a few hours before that by Teren. The fae died in front of her father and the current alphess in the pack clearing, and her blood, as well as some of her father’s, is what taints the waters around me. That is all you need to know.” Tainted. The meaning of her name – of Fel – was tainted. And as she was tainted, so became the water around her. Each sin only added onto her nature, only solidified her malice. Each life she had ever taken and each injury she gave or received was rooted in her beliefs in honor, but to most others, it seemed to be fueled by a sadistic desire to do evil. “Now then… Why don’t you finally introduce yourself, young brute of Erenyx?” Her voice was flat, and her patience for him was slowly beginning to run thin. He seemed to think he could question her and yet ignore her own queries. If this was truly how he behaved, Fel was intent on leaving him to his imaginations and finding a better waste of her time.

The names she spoke of meant nothing to him, accept for one. At first when he met Lucas, he was an Apprentice who was looking for a new life. He spoke of his home as if it was a plague he was trying to escape. The land sounded horrible, and it made his stomach turn hearing it from the other male. The white male had become a friend for him, an ally even. The two boys were the same age and shared the same ideals. They were friends. When Steele was killed, Lucas did nothing and honestly, Samael did not blame him. He was newer to the pack and knew his place in the pack. He was to be quiet and stay out of it. He did not make any unkind remarks to Steele or about him. For this, Samael was happy. It was a shame the dark presence over these lands had taken one of the only males in his pack whom he knew to be a friend. Lucas was brave, and Samael could only think of what he did to cause the monster to strike and take his last breath. When she asked him his name, he looked her in the eyes. "I am Warrior Samael, son of Steele and Esmeralda. I am the last living heir to their bloodline." If she was from Helidos, there was no doubt she had heard of his father, and she might even know who he was personally. It would interest him to know what she knew of his father or even his mother.

Fel looked over the brute’s body a second time. So this was what Steele sired? A strong wolf, but a strange-looking one indeed. Steele, from what she knew, had been a brave, ruthless leader. He was respected as an enemy. The beta dipped her head slightly in respect for the deceased, beginning to speak as she did so, “Ah yes, the former Alpha of Erenyx. I was personally prepared from my Guardian position by Kenai – the wolf Steele failed to murder – and trained by him primarily to guard Azul against Steele and his minions like yourself.  Who knew I would, by a twist of fate, stand under the new devil who conquered the land of Erenyx?” She paused, holding the awkwardly colored gaze without much interest, “Though I have heard great things of your father’s battle skills, I hope you surpass him in your own abilities. Who have you trained under? Or perhaps, still are...?” The question flickered in her thoughts. If he called himself the last ‘heir,’ perhaps he implied that he thought the throne was his. For all it mattered to her, it could be. The only thing she was driven to maintain was order and strength within the pack. If some brute wished to challenge Teren personally at some point, that was his problem.

So she knew their greatest adversary. But she had been trained by a wolf, who as his father put it, was the dumbest wolf and most incompetent one in all the pack. And this new Beta, claimed she was trained by him, as if it were an honor. She would have much to prove to the young male before he would honestly respect her rank. How could he trust a wolf his father knew to be useless? "So, you trained with an Elite for your position? What position did you hold in Helidos? For my father never mentioned your name. Kenai, I am familiar with. But not Fel. I have heard many stories about your trainer. He was incompetent and let his emotions get the best of him. One of my father's favorite things to do was to get beneath his skin and irritate him like a parasite. Yes, my father failed to kill him, but anyone would think the deed was done once they saw his body just lying there in the water. Warrior Lucas told us he had been killed by a bear. Foolish for a wolf to fight a bear, don't you think?" Samael knew all to well about Steele and Kenai's past. He also knew a lot about Lucas. The two were the same age and shared a common passion. They both did not want to live under the shadow of their fathers, no matter their status. Steele could have been claimed the greatest Alpha in all the forest and he would not wish to be under his shadow. Samael wanted to make his own path, his own way. He wanted to be known as the wolf who conquered the beast. Someday he would be Alpha, this much he promised to himself. "Yes, I do plan to surpass my father. He was my trainer, as he trained Beta Nyx and Elite Katyusha. My father has many years of fighting and killing. It is because of him, I am how I am. Br it is also for my mother's betrayal and the foolishness of my siblings do I come out on top in the end. You see, unlike many wolves, I am not emotionally tied to anything or anyone anymore. You tell me of Lucas, and he was a friend of mine, but I do not care. Better him than me. With this mindset, I am unstoppable. And as a suggestion to you, I have plans for this pack and if any get in my way... I will kill them myself." Samael spoke in a deep tone, one which was free of aggression or disrespect. He hoped he Beta would not try and protect her Alpha when the time came.

Arrogant and narrow-minded. This was the impression the young brute had given her. Fel answered him, but was on the brink of leaving him alone to wallow in his self-absorbed pride of himself and his bloodline. “I was trained by Elite Kenai for the position of Guardian. I already had more than adequate training by my father and the multiple skilled mentors he appointed to teach me the skills of fighting and leading attacking parties of wolves. Kenai taught me how to protect a target wolf with a more defensive strategy. But as I understand, you did not actually know Kenai, only two wolves who were personally biased against him. I know of an entire pack who loathed your father and saw him as a self-centered bastard, yet that did not inhibit my objective interpretation of him. I suggest you learn to keep an open mind unless you know someone personally. Kenai was, from my experience, honorable and capable… We all fight for what we think is the right cause, do we not? Some follow their cause of furthering their own ambitions, and some spend their lives protecting others. The foolish death is without a cause. Kenai was not foolish.” Boredly, she lifted a paw out of the water, examining the condition of her fur. It was once more the color of a raven’s feather, no longer filthy from blood. Her ice-cold eyes shot back to the brute as he spoke further and patiently waited for him to finish. “You speak of yourself as being unlike many, but you liken yourself to them. I, for one, do not have friends. I make beneficial alliances, not emotional bonds. Nothing, and no one, holds me back from doing what I think is correct. But let me give you a piece of advice, kid. You are not unstoppable, neither is Teren, and neither am I. Errors arise from that because, as your father saw before he died, there are always stronger, more capable wolves…” His deeper tone was nothing to her as he gave her a subtle threat. “As for your little suggestion… You can follow your plans without my intervention, as long as they do not cause disorder. If you wish to gamble your own life, be my guest, so long as it does not fall into the realm of my duties to this pack and to my superior, whoever it may be. I am Beta here, not Guardian. But some advice to you… If you wish to surpass your father, train with wolves different from him. Your knowledge gained from his experiences are not enough, if you suggest you intend to restore your hind end to his former seat. He may have taught you everything he knew, but that didn’t save him.” Her voice still skated smoothly and indifferently from her throat, despite how her mind flickered with thoughts of her current opinion of Samael. If the future held its favor in this wolf in front of her, Fel hoped they would shape him to more qualified for that position before the time came.

"To me, it sounds like you really enjoyed your time in Helidos. Perhaps you truly do not belong here.. Maybe you should go back home. If your Alpha would hear you speaking, I'm sure he would wish you the same. Or perhaps he would end your life. I think it's almost the same result. My father was also an honorable wolf. He stood up for what he believed in, even when he was standing alone. My father, in his last moments, wished that me and Katyusha keep from Teren for fear that we may be hurt as well. I am unlike many others before me. I made mistakes, but none as grave as others. I will not follow the pawsteps of those who have done the worst. Instead I will make a new light cover this land. A new idea will shine bright over the paws and backs of every wolf here. In the future, some day, I will make a difference here. Some may hate me, and think I am born from the loins of a bitch, or the son who looks like his father with the same issues as he. But I do not. I will not. I am a Warrior and I am going to become so much more than my father ever did. I will do anything it takes to make this pack into something honorable, not just a bunch of mindless killers wandering around." As he finished his speech, he stood completely still. A portion of him wanted to run off, for finally sharing his darkest secret with a stranger. How was he going to handle anything from her now?