Not Too Proud

[Juice]

The tombs were always a source of relaxation and calm for Piala and when she came here it was always to clear her head. She thought about when she had come here in the past with her father and contemplated the ins and outs of life. It was here that she was told she would be chosen to be the beta so many years ago. It was funny how life seemed to turn out. Here she was, the alphess of a pack older than time and no trusted beta or mate to help her lead the pack. No one was left, Rhiannon was gone, her father was dead and Trabea had passed long ago. What was she to do? The pack was growing all the time and she would need help especially if something unfortunate happened due to the alarming amount of orphaned pups she'd allowed Vega to take in.

Piala had to be honest with herself here - she needed help, desperately. When she had first met Bloodbath that fateful day in the hunting plains she had been impressed with her personality. Bloodbath had made it known to Piala that no matter who Piala was, she wasn't about to submit to her. Bloodbath viewed Piala as an equal that first day and it had spoken volumes about her character. She was also reliable, followed direction well and formed her own opinions as well. She seemed like the perfect candidate for the Beta position and Piala planned to tell her this today. She did have some worries about how well the pack would receive a relatively new member as their Beta but she trusted her pack and she knew they would trust her decision in return.

The white alphess threw her head to the sky and howled a summons for Bloodbath. She then took a seat near the tomb her parents rested in and said a quick prayer to her ancestors, asking them if this was the right decision. When Piala opened her eyes, she saw a snowflake fall directly at her feet. It was the first snow of the winter to reach the Tranquil Meadow and it was her pack's namesake. She took this as a good sign.

@kaori

[Deleted]

She had been contently gnawing on a bone, having been dismissed by Piala earlier in the day. However, her ears perked and she was on her feet at the call of her alphess. She looked back at the bone and dragged it into her den before loping off. Sure, constantly being told to follow Piala did seem odd..but she was just glad that the other wolf did not reject her...so she would be at her disposal for as long as she could.

Snow was starting to fall and cover her red back fur with little clumps of white. She slowly padded her way into the tomb area and over to her alphess. "I am here, alphess." she said quietly, not sure what exactly she was doing but not questioning it either.

[Juice]

Piala smiled warmly when Bloodbath arrived and felt better now that she wasn't alone in the tombs of her ancestors. "Bloodbath please come sit with me." The alphess requested while still facing the tombs. Piala had to think about how to word what she needed to say because she wanted to make absolutely sure that Bloodbath understood her. "I was just thinking about our partnership to take down that elk back in the hunting plains." Piala began "Back then you made quite an impression on me. You trusted my word enough to follow through with the plan to surprise the elk. You were powerful enough to leap at him and get a good hold on his throat long enough for me to come take out his legs. Bloodbath, I have never forgotten that partnership." Piala paused for a moment and narrowed her orange eyes in concentration, choosing her words carefully. "The reason I have been taking you all over the packlands with me was to assess your leadership abilities. Its no secret I am alone in my leadership role here in the pack.." Piala sighed and it was the sigh of someone who had been very tired for a very long time. "And I have called you here today to offer you the position of Beta among my ranks." The alphess turned her head and looked at Bloodbath with a serious expression. "With this position comes great responsibility. If you were to accept it you would be taking on many roles. You would assist me in border patrols and also be able to judge the worthiness of other wolves who show up at my borders. If you see fit, these wolves you come across may join if you so say it. In addition to this, I may call upon you to act as an ambassador one day and send you out to find our allies. I can't often leave the pack so I would need you to be my eyes and ears on the outside. However, when I do leave the packlands on occasion, I would need you to stay behind and keep an eye on things. I know this is a lot but I promise I will train you until you have these tasks down pat." Piala sat quietly for a moment before asking "Do you accept?"

[Deleted]

Bloodbath quietly obeyed, sitting close to her alphess. The quiet and calm was soothing to her, even though she had not known the spirits f the wolves' passed. She carefully watched Piala, noticing that she was focusing on something. Her ears perked forward as she spoke again , and recounted the day they had met. Her tail swayed gently, she too liked their team work. it was a great victory, for two wolves to take down such nice prey.

Her tail swayed slower and stopped as Piala began uncovering her plans to Bloodbath, and though the darker female could guess where it was going before she came right out and offered her the position, she waiting patiently and politely for her to finish everything she had planned to say.

She shifted her weight between her front paws somewhat uncomfortably as she thought about it..and while it did sound like an honor- to be by the side of the first wolf to accept her, she had to voice her concern.

"I am not unaware of of own abilities, and I'm honored that you want to use them and would consider letting me continue to work with you." she replied, slowly, also choosing her words carefully, "But I just joined not so long ago, perhaps there would be someone who is also qualified and more experienced with the ways of your pack?"

[Juice]

Piala smiled gently as Bloodbath spoke and knew her judgement about the red wolf had been correct. Bloodbath was as intelligent as she was loyal and the alphess was not shocked by her concerns. "I assure you Bloodbath, I have considered all of my pack members for this position at some point...unfortunately none of them possess the skills, at least not yet, that are required to be a good beta. You have all the qualities I seek." Piala sighed and looked towards the bright, white sky. She didn't want to force this position on Bloodbath but she was also in desperate need of help. "Believe me when I tell you this Bloodbath, you are the only wolf worthy of this job." The white she wolf looked at the red one and gave her an honest look and nodded, waiting for an answer.

[Deleted]

Well, she had voiced her concerns...but as she had hoped, Piala had already thought about this thoroughly. She almost felt a little guilty that she hadn't accepted sooner as it became clear how tired her alphess was looking. She knew what she wanted, but she took the moment to think it all over once more. Her newness and her name would certainly make things awkward at first...but she had seen how accepting one of the packmembers had been before...and she was sure that Piala had the trust and loyalty of the rest of the pack. With her assurances, and some hard work of her own...maybe she could be seen as part of their family as much as the alphess herself. Her tail wagged slightly at the thought of it all...of being of use to her alphess, and of being accepted by a whole pack whereas the other goods in her life had been rather unfriendly.

"Piala...I will accept your trust." she stated with a short bow of her head, "...when do we start my training?"

[Juice]

The white wolfess hadn't realized it, but she was holding her breath while waiting for Bloodbath to answer. When her friend accepted the new position, Piala exhaled with relief and a genuine smile spread over her face and lit up her eyes. Her tail wagged happily and she said "I am so glad you've accepted Bloodbath." Before nuzzling her friend excitedly. This was definitely a rare behavior for the alphess as she often seemed cold and unaffectionate but this was a happy occasion and, for once, Piala let her feelings rule out over logical thinking. Once she composed her self a little, Piala sat down on her white haunches to think for a moment.

"Well actually Bloodbath-" Piala said with a sneaky smile "You've been training since your arrival here. The reason I wanted you with me at almost all hours of the day was so that you could observe my behavior. I'm sorry I didn't tell you of my intentions earlier but I had to be sure you were right for the position. You are more than right Bloodbath, you fit in perfectly with the pack and we work so well together. As for formal training, I don't believe you need any. If you wish, you can still accompany me on my border patrols but I believe you have the gist of that. You are now allowed to accept newcomers into the pack at your discretion but do please alert me when you've done so. As a beta, it will be your job to watch over the pack in my absence and its important that you get to know the rest of the pack personally. I know that's a big project as we have grown in number, and it will take time, but you will be able to accomplish this." Piala smiled happily, thankful for some help and excited to begin working together with Bloodbath. "Do you have any questions?"

[Deleted]

Bloodbath paused as she was told that she had already been in training, having a bit of a mental flat look. But looking back on it, it certainly did feel a lot like how she had been trained earlier in her life...and she was glad to know that Piala was pleased with her performance, though she felt she had not done much at all.

The next step should be to meet the pack.


"I see. I think I understand border patrol and member accepting. If you don't mind, I'll be focussing on getting to know the pack...for whenever you go out next." She paused, her tail wagging slightly. "But of course you should probably announce it first, when you want to get to it."

[Juice]

The white she wolf nodded at her partner's words. It was indeed true the announcement of Bloodbath's appointment to Beta female should be made to the pack. Piala lifted her red flecked muzzle to the sky and howled long and high pitched to alert the pack member's of their new authority figure. "Now then, since that is all squared away I will need to be continuing my duties." Piala smiled brightly at Bloodbath, her promising new Beta. "I look forward to working with you Bloodbath." were the alphess' parting words as she trotted off to reestablish scent markers.

-Exit Piala-

ooc: Woot! Next time we get someone posting at the border to join go ahead and throw Bloodbath in there and take your beta duties for a spin :0