Four days time had passed since Steele began learning to hunt from Fayac. Steele had shown promising progress since day one and with Fayac's guidance had greatly improved his hunting skill. It was early morning and the sun was just barely beginning to rise above the horizon. Fayac was the first to rise. She scented the air then turned and gently poked Steele's side with her nose.
"Steele, wake up. Today's the day," Fayac whispered. Steele yawned then opened his eyes and lifted his head, blinking away sleep. He curiously looked to Fayac and flicked one ear questioningly.
"The day for what exactly?" Steele asked sleepily. Fayac groaned lightly and rolled her eyes. Steele could be a little dense sometimes. She'd learned that shortly after meeting him.
"Today you are going to hunt alone and catch a large animal," Fayac explained, a little grin creeping along her maw. Steele nodded once then stood up and stretched. He then brought his attention back to Fayac, a slightly questioning look on his features.
"Do you believe I am ready for this?" Steele asked softly. Fayac smiled brightly and even giggled lightly at Steele's sudden uncertainty. She knew the canine's skill and potential. He shouldn't have any reason to be worried.
"Yes, I'm certain you are. Now tell me, what do you smell?" Fayac inquired with a slight tilt of her head. Steele lifted his nose into the air and scented the wind. By now, he had learned the various smells of the forest and within that mix he clearly pinpointed caribou. He grinned lightly, his confidence spurring up, and turned to Fayac.
"There is a herd of caribou just north of here," Steele stated confidently. Fayac beamed with pride and couldn't help but be impressed by her pupil's accuracy.
"Well done. That means starting now, your hunt has begun. I will follow quietly behind but I will not help," Fayac explained. Steele flicked his tail in acknowledgment of what she had said before he began to head north. Many recognizable scents filled his nostrils, but he remained focused on the one that belonged to the caribou. After a while, he spotted the herd in a clearing up ahead. He paused for a moment then closed his eyes and felt the wind against his fur. The wind was blowing towards him. He smiled with appreciation. He was downwind from his target, a perfect position. He opened his eyes then scanned each member of the herd. Near the middle was a young doe with a slight limp. He licked his lips and flexed his shoulders.
Just when he was about to run, he heard a loud howl and froze. Four wolves were running down the hill opposite of him toward the herd. The caribou scattered, most of them running right toward him. He growled with frustration then ran into the herd, searching for the doe he had spotted earlier. The element of surprise may have been taken from him, but he wasn't giving up that easily. Nothing was going to stop him from catching his prey, not even the wolves. He soon spotted the doe, now currently being pursued by a lean gray wolf with a smaller build than his. He growled loudly and ran even faster toward the doe. The wolf spotted him and growled, also increasing its speed. Steele had the advantage since the doe was running toward him, more focused on the wolf pursuing her, and he leapt up then sank his fangs into the doe's throat. The doe lost her footing and collapsed, but Steele held his grip. The rest of the herd had soon cleared the area, leaving him with the doe. He finally let go once the doe was completely still and when he looked up, he was surrounded. The entire wolf pack was here.
The largest of the pack, a strong looking gray and white wolf with a scar across his muzzle, stepped forward and growled lowly then studied Steele with his yellow eyes. Steele took the moment to observe the wolf. He was slightly larger than he was at the shoulder and more muscular too. The male held his tail and head high with pride. It was clear that his male was a high ranking wolf and likely the alpha too.
"Seems you are outnumbered, stranger," the male said with a grunt. Steele stood his ground and defiantly met the male's gaze without hesitation. If he wanted to make a first impression, now was the time to do it.
"That I am, but you are not in your territory," Steele pointed out boldly. The male held Steele's gaze for a moment and raised a brow with slight interest at the stranger.
"Hmm. You are quite bold," the male stated more calmly. His gaze drifted over to the caribou and then back to Steele. "And strong by the looks of it too. Do you have a pack?" the male inquired with a tilt of his head. Steele's eyes gleamed and he grinned slightly. So far, so good. He hadn't been engaged in a fight and it seemed that there was interest in him.
"I actually don't. I have been alone for a while now," Steele replied casually with a flick of his tail. Though he had valued Fayac's help to get him to this point, mentioning her was not appropriate and it was the safest option to keep it to himself. The male nodded once and appeared thoughtful of the response.
"I see. You are clearly a strong and confident wolf to have survived alone. I'd like to offer you a place in my pack. In fact, I would even like it if you would be second in command," the male said with a grin spreading across his maw. Steele beamed and nodded firmly. Hearing the wolf acknowledge him as a wolf and compliment him was definitely an honor. The male then looked to the other wolves and they broke their circle they had formed around Steele.
"Allow me to introduce myself… My name is Altair. I am the alpha male of this pack," Altair said with a very slight dip of his head. Steele spotted the gesture and returned it quickly out of respect. The male on Altair's right, a dark gray wolf with green eyes, stepped forward slightly and dipped his head lower than Altair had done previously.
"My name is Beku. I am a hunter in this pack," Beku said in a rough tone. Steele mirrored his gesture and flicked his ears slightly at the Beku's tone. Though it sounded harsh, it seemed like that was the wolf's natural tone. The male to the left of Altair, a young looking light gray wolf with teal eyes, then stepped forward and dipped his head as Beku had done. Steele quickly noticed that this was the very same wolf he had outrun in the hunt earlier, but the male didn't behave any differently towards him than the others.
"My name is Castoph. I'm also a hunter," Castoph said quietly. Steele quickly dipped his head and then observed Castoph's posture and lowered tail and gathered that the wolf had a submissive personality. Finally, the female, a lithe white wolf with light blue eyes, stepped forward and flicked her ears slightly before she spoke.
"My name is Tuulikki. I am a scout," Tuulikki said gently. Steele couldn't help but be distracted for moment by Tuulikki. Her features were striking and her voice was lovely. He stared at her for a moment before he quickly nodded and dipped his head a final time.
"My name is Steele. Nice to meet all of you," Steele said with a sweeping glance over all of the pack. Altair beamed with approval and nodded firmly.
"Now that all the introductions are done, we should eat. Steele, you may start eating first since you brought down this caribou," Altair stated. Steele flicked his ears in acknowledgement then began to eat. Soon the rest of the pack found a place and also began to eat. From a short distance away, Fayac watched and smiled proudly before she retreated to the shadows of the forest.
Once the pack had finished their meal, Altair shook his fur off then lifted his head and began to howl. Beku, Castoph and Tuulikki soon joined in. Steele glanced around with momentary confusion, but decided to mimic the others' behavior and howl as well. After a while, Altair broke off the howl and the others quieted.
"Let's head home," Altair said with a glance at Beku and Castoph. The two nodded and began to walk away. Altair paused then glanced back at Steele and Tuulikki. "Tuulikki, I want you to show Steele around and take him along the borders once we get home," Altair said before he raced ahead to catch up with the others. Tuulikki nodded and followed then fell into place next to Steele. Steele observed her as subtly as he could while he kept pace and grinned lightly. Tuulikki flicked her ears and grunted softly.
"You know, I can see you staring," Tuulikki pointed out teasingly. Steele grunted in surprise then immediately shifted his gaze forward.
"Uh… Sorry," Steele mumbled lowly. Tuulikki rolled her eyes and giggled softly then nipped gently at the fur along Steele's neck. Steele flicked his ears questioningly and glanced at Tuulikki.
"I didn't say I didn't like it," Tuulikki said playfully, a grin painted across her face. Steele let his eyes meet hers directly and he grinned widely.
"That's good news," Steele said with a wag of his tail. Tuulikki smiled brightly as the two continued to walk.
Steele and Tuulikki stopped at a river at the end of a clearing. The two had walked through every part of the territory and along the borders as well. Tuulikki kept a quick pace, but Steele quickly memorized the territory. Even with their quick pace it was near sunset when the pair had finished their route.
"Well, that's the whole territory. We should go back and get you a place to sleep now," Tuulikki said with a smile. Steele nodded and the two walked back to the larger clearing towards the top of the mountain. Altair smiled at the two as they arrived.
"I take it Steele knows the territory now?" Altair asked expectantly. Tuulikki nodded once and nuzzled under Altair's chin affectionately. Altair happily wagged his tail in response. Steele observed quietly and wondered about the relationship the pair might have.
"Yes. I'll get him a place to sleep for the night," Tuulikki said with a quick glance at Steele. Altair nodded approvingly then walked into a small den at the other side of the clearing. Tuulikki headed in the other direction and flicked her tail to signal Steele to follow. Once they were out of earshot, Steele looked over at Tuulikki.
"Do you have feelings for the alpha?" Steele asked curiously. Tuulikki giggled and nudged him with her nose.
"Not in the way you may be thinking. Altair is my brother," Tuulikki replied. Steele nodded once, her response making him feel relieved and hopeful.
"Oh, I see. Would you mind telling me about the others?" Steele asked. Tuulikki nodded.
"Beku and Castoph joined my brother and I last year. Both of them were looking for a pack and had been travelling together before they found us. They are not related though. Beku is rather bold and had his eyes on the second in command position for awhile, so he may not like you much since you're new and got the position instead of him. Castoph on the other hand is rather quiet and usually keeps to himself. He enjoys my company, but my brother Altair is protective of me around males. I'm surprised he hasn't acted that way around you. He must like something about you," Tuulikki explained. Steele grinned widely.
"I'm glad to hear I made a good impression on him at least," Steele commented with a chuckle. Tuulikki flicked her ears and titled her head curiously.
"What do you mean by that?" Tuulikki inquired.
"Well, I took the position Beku wanted, I outran Castoph in the hunt and I don't know how you feel about me yet," Steele replied before he glanced off in a different direction. Tuulikki giggled softly and licked the side of Steele's nose.
"I like you so far," Tuulikki said reassuringly. Steele's tail wagged happily.
"Really?" Steele asked with a raised brow. Tuulikki smirked.
"Of course. Now then… you can sleep here," Tuulikki said as she stopped at a small depression in the ground. Steele nodded once and grinned.
"Where are you sleeping, beautiful?" Steele asked with a smirk. Tuulikki rolled her eyes with a grin.
"Right here if you must know…" She walked a few steps away to another depression in the ground. "Now hush and get some sleep. The pack usually goes on a border patrol in the morning. Goodnight," Tuulikki said before she rested her head down on top of her paws and closed her eyes. Steele smiled and settled in then closed his eyes. Across the clearing, Beku's green eyes gleamed.
"I don't like it. Why should a newcomer be second in command? I have been here for a year and Altair hasn't even taken much notice of my skills," Beku grumbled. Castoph grunted lightly from his sleeping spot beside him.
"I don't like the fact that the newcomer can be so close to Tuulikki without Altair caring. I can't even be alone with her for long without him getting upset. It's not fair…" Castoph said with a sigh. Beku snorted then rested his head on his paws then closed his eyes.
"There's nothing we can do about it since he's part of the pack now. Maybe Altair's just being nice since he's new. Either way, we should get some sleep," Beku said. Castoph nodded with one more glance at Tuulikki before he closed his eyes.