Foreword

The year is almost over, but I still have time to get one more story out into the world. This one is interesting because it came about due to a thought I had while editing "Like His Father". For those new to my stories, "Like His Father" featured Aniu and told the story of how she fell in love with the husky who would become Balto's father. She had to be careful because a wolf from her pack, Mayak, not only wanted her to be his mate as well, but he also had a pathological hatred of dogs. I could go on, but I think it'd be best to read "Like His Father" yourself if you already haven't.

Back to the main point, this story came about because of a thought I had about a certain scene, in which part of Mayak's hatred for dogs is explained by other members of her pack. The aim was to give some background on Mayak, but it seemed to be lacking the sinister side of him I was presenting in the story. I got to thinking how someone would get that way when a thought popped into my head. What if the story Aniu's friends knew wasn't the entire story? What if there was something more, something darker, something that would be seen as a precursor to how Mayak acts towards Aniu? And thus this story was born.

Before we get too into it, I'd like to thank Silwer-Paw for looking this story over and giving me some early feedback on it. If you want to know where the inspiration for this story came from, then take a look at "Like His Father" in my gallery (I think the specific scene is in Chapter 5). With nothing else to say, it's time to get this story underway.

Chapter 1: Two Brothers

Two wolves faced off in a clearing while many others surrounded them, watching aptly. One of the two in the center was the leader of the pack - the other was an outsider. The pack waited for the next move to be made; the decision on what to do with this newcomer rested with their alpha. If he wanted him chased away, they would have to oblige. The chilling winter air was still, the only sound coming from the trees that creaked from the cold.

"I was surprised when you came to me like this. I never thought I'd see you again," the alpha wolf said.

"I thought so too... and yet here I am," the newcomer replied.

"You know, you coming here like this is quite odd for a wolf your age," the alpha continued. "Most wolves would be off leading their own pack by now."

"True... then again I've never really been like most wolves," the other replied.

The alpha couldn't help but grin a little. "No, no you haven't."

"All I'm asking is for a place with your pack," the newcomer explained. "I may have been a lone wolf for the past few years, but I'm ready to start a new chapter in my life. I have experience from my travels and can contribute with much to your pack."

"I know you can, but you pulling your weight is not my only concern," the alpha replied. "I need to know that I can trust you. I need to know that you'll remain loyal to me and my pack." On hearing this, the newcomer smirked a little, as if he thought the request was silly. "Do you find something amusing about that?" the alpha asked sharply. The pack became apprehensive on seeing their alpha's annoyance. If an alpha ever felt insulted, he could seek any kind of retribution he wished on whoever had wronged him.

"I just find it funny you have to ask that question at all," the newcomer replied. "I thought my little brother knew that he could always count on my honesty."

The alpha wolf started to grin; that was the answer he was looking for. "You're right, you always were the one I could count on," he mused. "It's been so long that I almost forgot how you looked out for me."

"Well here's a chance to repay that favour," the newcomer continued. "I could have tried my luck with other packs, but none of the other alphas know me as well as you do. We have been through so much together, and I can-"

"You don't need to give me the whole speech," the alpha cut in. "I'd already made my decision the second you first entered my territory." He paused and the rest of the pack watched in anticipation for their alpha to reveal his intention. Most were wondering how this stranger seemed to know their leader so well, but they would get their answer soon enough. "Welcome… you're one of us now Mias."

The newcomer grinned in triumph. "I should have known - you always had to be so official with everything Mayak."

The wolves howled in honour of their new comrade, and on that night, two brothers were reunited after taking separate paths. Mias found his home thanks to his brother Mayak.

The winter days went on and Mias settled in quite easily with the pack, thanks in part to his direct relation to their alpha. Mias was a full year older than Mayak, but he usually wasn't one to try to take charge. Mayak on the other hand had a much more demanding personality. That, combined with his slightly bulkier build, meant that he could topple his older brother in a fight by the time he was eight months old. Mias didn't mind - he was always willing to concede to the better opponent in anything.

That was part of what led them to different lives after they left their parents. Mayak quickly attracted the power and influence of another pack, and after rising in their ranks, he ousted their previous alpha a few months beforehand. Mias on the other hand simply wandered on his own, traveling until he came full circle to his brother. Something in his mind urged him to try out pack life, and he thought there would be no one better to ask than his own brother. If worst came to worst, he wouldn't have much trouble continuing his travels abroad either.

Despite his less domineering personality, Mias was no pushover. His time alone had forced him to develop very keen - and some unorthodox - methods of survival. This only strengthened his body, molding him into a powerful wolf. This, along with the respect he earned from the pack due to his relation to Mayak, meant that he soon found himself settling in as the beta male of the pack, second only to his brother. Some idly talked about what could happen if Mias challenged his brother, but he hated the idea. He respected his brother too much to pick a fight, nor was he the most ambitious wolf out there. He was content with what he already had.

Mayak was one who valued rules and authority, which allowed him to lead decisively, if a little coldly. Mias, on the other hand, valued opinions and feelings more, which made him a little warmer to deal with. It was this approachability that enabled Mias to quickly make friends with most of the pack and listen to their thoughts. That was the mark of a good beta; they could act as a bridge between the alpha and the rest below. The final word was with the alpha, but the beta was free to give their input.

This day would be like many days, in that Mias would find a group of wolves chatting and easily slide himself in. "So, how are things going today?" he asked.

"They're pretty good," one of the wolves replied. Mias knew him as Atka, and he was talking with two other wolves he was close to: Faro, one of the scouts, and Salin, a younger pup. "Faro says that he's been seeing some humans walking in the woods just outside our borders," Atka continued. The humans were something that Mias was familiar with from his travels. They were bipedal creatures that seemed to be in a class of their own. At a glance they didn't look like much, but he still kept his distance; many creatures were capable of a few surprises and the humans were probably no different. In addition to his glimpses of them, he'd heard stories about what they were capable of. Some were wondrous… and some were terrifying.

"Humans eh? Hm, maybe they have a town nearby," Mias mused.

"A town? What's that?" Salin asked with wonder.

"A town is what the humans live in. They are able to construct their own dens using trees or other things, and they seem to like grouping them together so that many humans are in together," Mias explained. "I once passed by one of these towns, and they are certainly something to see."

"What are they like? How do they make them?" Faro asked.

"I really don't know; I didn't go in for a closer look," Mias replied. "However, it was probably a good thing because I'd passed by a couple of wolves that claimed that the humans hated wolves and would kill us on sight with their weapons. They said that any wolf that tried to enter their town would never come out alive."

"Why? Why would they do that?" Salin asked.

"Once again, I don't know. They seemed pretty spooked when I mentioned them, so I made a note of avoiding them afterwards," Mias replied. "They also said that the humans were capable of laying painful traps in the ground that would catch animals by their legs. I would later see what one of those traps did to a wolverine. It was awful; the thing had snapped and bit into his leg, holding him there painfully… which I guess is to keep them there until the human comes back. If there is a town nearby, then we should avoid going near it."

"Maybe that's what happened to old Treg," Atka mused and Mias gave him a quizzical look. "One day, Treg decided to go out for a short walk, but after a few minutes, we heard him howl out in panic. His howl was cut short and when we followed his trail, we found no sign of him, except his blood staining the snow. There were these strange tracks all around him too, leading away from the scene."

"Oh, I'm sorry for what happened to your friend," Mias replied solemnly. "If it was the humans, then they probably got him quickly. At least he didn't suffer much."

"Do you think the humans would do that to all of us?" Salin asked with concern.

"Don't be ridiculous, there's no way anything could overpower all of us at once," Atka shot back. "We're wolves, the masters of our own design!"

"But… Old Treg…"

"Don't worry, the humans have only been seen a few times and they were far from the core of our territory," Faro assured.

"Although, Mayak's never mentioned them… then again, he never was much of a talker. I'd like to know if he has something in mind to help us," Atka suggested.

"I guess this is where I come in," Mias continued. "Alright, I can tell him your concerns and see what he thinks about it." This seemed to please all present, so Mias set off to find his brother.

While Mias' thoughts were concerned with the humans, Mayak had something much different on his mind. He was behind some bushes, trying to think of the right thing to say to the snow-white female a short distance away. She was taking a drink from a stream, and after collecting himself, he walked out into the open to approach her.

"Ah, Sami, there you are. I was hoping to find you here."

Sami looked up at his call. "Mayak… what did you want to find me for?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to take a walk with me tonight. After all, we're both alphas, so we should spend some time to get to know each other. We can't lead properly if we don't know anything about each other."

"I… I'm not sure," she replied. She didn't want to say it to his face, but she was never comfortable around Mayak. She always preferred the previous alpha male in the pack; he always told the best jokes, while Mayak had as much personality as a bull moose. The fact that he chased off the previous alpha didn't help her opinion of him much either.

"Why not? Don't you think it would be best for our pack if we were…together?" he suggested.

That was another thing she didn't like about him - he had no concept of subtlety. He was always business, and it was obvious what business he was trying to get at. "Look, I'm feeling very tired from our hunts over the past few days and I have a bit of a headache. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be turning in early tonight," she replied. She was fibbing, but she really wanted to get away from him.

"… Alright, never mind then," he finished and let her go, despite his disappointment. Sami trotted away to go somewhere Mayak-free, and as she did, she crossed paths with Mias.

"Sami, I haven't seen you for the past couple of days, how are you?" he asked cheerfully.

"I'm doing great, thanks for asking," she replied, while thinking, 'At least one of the brothers has a sense of the social graces.' Just having Mias around always had a cheering effect on her, thanks to his warm, outgoing personality.

"If it's not too much trouble, I was wondering if you'd seen Mayak anywhere. I need to talk to him for a moment."

"Oh, he just back there near the stream," she replied. "What's it about?"

"Some of the pack are getting a little antsy about the humans they've seen. I wanted to let him know about it," he explained.

"Yes, I've heard a few things about them too," she said. "Some are worried that they may come and attack us."

"I've heard some of that too. I tried to reassure them, but my thoughts got a mixed reception," he replied.

"Well, at least we have someone like you who can sit and listen to everyone... I don't know if Mayak would do the same."

"Hey, Mayak may not be the most social wolf, but that's where I come in. He listens to me and I listen to everyone. No matter what, everything will reach him eventually."

"I'm glad you have that worked out. Well… it was nice seeing you again," she said, a bit reluctant to let him go so soon. She wanted to be able to talk with Mias some more, but following him would require being near Mayak again. As they parted ways, she thought, 'He's such a good soul, willing to listen or talk when the time is right… and he's handsome too… such a nice smile…'

As Sami entertained herself with her fantasies, Mias found his brother pondering by the stream. "Mias, what brings you here?" he asked when he heard his brother approach.

"Something I've heard from the rest of the pack," Mias replied. "A few of them have started to see humans around and it's making them nervous."

"Nervous? What for? These humans have done nothing to us, so I don't see why there should be anything to worry about," he replied.

"You might not, but I've heard and seen what they are capable of. They shouldn't be taken lightly," Mias urged. "I think you should do something."

"Something? Like what?" the alpha asked.

"I don't know… at the very least you have to reassure them. Tell them to avoid the humans, or make up a plan for if they come closer," Mias suggested, earning a quizzical look from his brother. "Long story short, they're nervous because they don't know if their alpha is prepared for this."

"Are they starting to question me?" Mayak asked sharply.

"No, but you could tell them what to do just so they know their leader is thinking about this," he replied. "It'd mean a lot to them if it came from you because you're their alpha. They look up to you… just like you used to look up to me."

"Yeah, that's true… at least until I started knocking you over," Mayak replied, causing both to laugh heartily.

"Yeah, I didn't know what hit me that time," Mias said. He noticed his brother had gone back to staring at the stream, deep in thought. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, it's just… I wanted to have a walk with Sami, but she turned me down," he replied. "She claimed she had a headache.-" he heard a sharp smirk from Mias. "What? What's so funny?"

"Oh, the old 'headache' excuse. That's female code for 'not interested'," Mias replied, trying not to smile too much.

"Not interested? How can she not be interested? I'm the alpha male!" Mayak exclaimed.

"There's more to that than just having status," Mias replied. "Trust me, I've traveled enough to know that if you want to impress someone, you have to take the time to let them warm up to you."

Mayak sighed. "Once again, your travels have given you knowledge that I don't have. Everyone likes you, everyone talks with you, while I don't know where to start with any of them."

"Aw, is somebody jealous of their big brother?" Mias asked coyly.

"No… I'm still one rank above you, so I have something else that you don't," Mayak replied. "However, the pack seems more willing to talk with you and… maybe Sami would let you talk to her as well?" he thought.

"I think I know what you're getting on to," Mias continued. "You want me to talk with her and tell her more about you, right?" Mayak nodded. "I'd be happy to. You've done much for me, and now it's time that I helped you out."

"Thank you, you don't know how much this means to me," Mayak said.

"Hey, that's what brothers do for each other," Mias replied.

Mayak took Mias' advice and told the pack what he thought about the human presence. It started well, with him reassuring them that they would be okay as long as they stayed vigilant and kept a watch out for them. Like any alpha, Mayak could project and impose his power physically, but there was something Mias thought he was lacking in some points. His address was very stiff and he didn't bother to address any specific cases, such as the fate of one of their previous packmates. That would have made the address much more personal, but as Mias thought back, he remembered that Mayak always had troubles relating with others.

Everything was always for some official business with his brother, such as hunting or keeping the hierarchy intact. Mias knew it would be a bit of a challenge to get Sami to warm up to him, but he still forged ahead. He figured he could bridge the gap Mayak had left by telling her about their puppyhood. He hoped to make Mayak seem more relatable, and less of a faceless authority. These stories attracted not only her interest, but the interest of the pack as well, as they all wanted to know what their alpha was like when he was only knee-high. Mias loved spicing up his stories with extra description or inflection, which only made them more entertaining to his listeners.

Sami seemed captivated the most by his storytelling and would often come to him after their gathering to talk with him one on one. It was in these chats that the topic of conversation would always shift from Mayak to Mias' own travels abroad.

"You have so many stories of the land, meeting so many wonderful creatures, but for so long you remained on the move. Why?" she asked one night.

"I wanted to see as much as I could," he replied. "Every day gave me a new possibility, a new beginning. I wanted to climb the highest hill, cross the largest woods, run as fast as the wind itself. I was driven to fill my day with new experiences and that meant that I could never stop. If I stopped, who knows what I could have missed."

"And somehow, through all that, you found your way back to your brother."

"Yeah, though it's the strangest thing because I didn't expect to find him," he replied. "The chance of me finding him after wandering for years is… really, really small," he said, chuckling a little.

"Unless… there was some other force at work?" Sami suggested.

"What, you mean like fate? I don't know... I was never one to believe much in spooky stuff like that. I always thought that I could choose my own destiny, my own path. Everyday, I would choose a new direction to go, not always knowing what was ahead of me, but always wanting to see something new."

"And then you chose to join your brother's pack and settle down," she continued. "That seems like an interesting turnaround for someone who wants to keep things new."

"It is, but in a way, it also makes sense. After a while of wandering alone, settling in a pack and staying in one place would have been something new as well. I could have just kept on going… but I chose to stay with my brother. I chose my own fate, and I will continue to choose it as long as I live," he finished.

"Wow... that's amazing," she said. His strong sense of personal freedom caused her mind to start thinking of new possibilities and new lands. She loved the way Mias looked at the world, and briefly tapped her nose to his in thanks before dashing off.

'I always thought that fate controlled everything - and I still think it did when it brought Mias here, despite what he says - but maybe a part of our lives can be chosen and controlled ourselves,' she thought. Until now, she thought that her position as alpha female meant she was destined to be with the alpha male, but she was hesitant to be with Mayak. Despite the great things Mias told about him in his stories, she still wasn't sold on the idea of being with him. She wanted someone better for a mate. 'So what if I chose my own fate with this? Where would that take me?'