By the time Altair, Castoph and Steele had returned to the clearing, Beku and Tuulikki had settled down and were both asleep just outside of Altair's den. Tuulikki's head was resting across Beku's front paws while his head was comfortably placed between her neck and shoulders. Both Castoph and Steele bristled at the sight, but Altair didn't seem to mind and remained silent. He calmly walked over and nudged Beku lightly with his nose.
"Beku… wake up," Altair said quietly making sure to not wake up Tuulikki from her sleep. Beku grunted softly and opened his eyes sleepily before he lifted his head and met Altair's gaze.
"Ah. Hello Altair. Do you need me for something?" Beku questioned lightly. Altair opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a quiet sigh. Altair and Beku focused their attention to the source of the noise and saw Tuulikki nuzzle close against Beku's body. Altair titled his head to one side and chuckled lightly.
"No, stay with her. I'll take the others on a hunt so you may have peace," Altair said with a smile. Beku returned the smile and nodded. Altair turned and began to walk away. Castoph sighed under his breath and reluctantly followed. Steele was the only one who lingered for a moment. He grunted and glared slightly at Beku.
"If you're using her just to get on good terms with Altair, you're even worse than I thought," Steele growled. Beku gave Steele a smug grin, flashing his canines.
"What I do is not of your concern. Besides, I believe you have a hunt to get to," Beku countered with a grunt. Steele bristled then ran off after the others out of the clearing. Beku grinned then looked down at Tuulikki and gently licked her forehead before he stood up and walked into the middle of the clearing. He cast a quick glance back at Tuulikki then looked out into the distance.
"My motivation to keep this up will be for power. Soon, she will develop enough feelings for me that she will be blinded her emotions. When the time is right, I will kill Altair and frame Steele as the killer. She'll hate him and help me drive him out. With her at my side I will be able to get this pack started on the road to becoming greater than it has ever been. All other packs will have the strength of my pack to fear. I'll make sure of that." Beku chuckled darkly.
It was late into the night when Altair returned with Castoph and Steele following behind carrying caribou meat. They had all eaten their fill at the kill and now needed to feed the rest of the pack. Altair entered the clearing and was the first to spot Beku and Tuulikki. Beku growled playfully as his tail wagged while Tuulikki nipped playfully at his cheeks. Altair chuckled lightly and bounded over to the pair.
"Good to see you are doing better, Tuulikki," Altair said softly. Tuulikki nodded and nipped at Beku once more.
"Thanks to this fellow here," Tuulikki said happily. Beku chuckled lightly and shrugged at the acknowledgement.
"Well, who wouldn't save her life? She's too beautiful to let slip away," Beku replied with a grin. Altair flicked his tail with his approval and nodded.
"Thank you once again, Beku. Now, both of you should eat some food. Castoph and Steele brought back some caribou," Altair said with a quick point of his muzzle to the pair coming into the clearing before he headed off to his den. Beku and Tuulikki walked over to the middle of the clearing. Castoph and Steele placed meat in front of the pair then quietly walked to their sleeping spots to lie down. Beku and Tuulikki began to eat their portions side by side.
Once the pair had finished eating, Beku led Tuulikki over to his sleeping spot. He cast a subtly challenging glance at Castoph.
"Castoph, if you wouldn't mind, Tuulikki would like to sleep by my side tonight. It wouldn't be too much trouble for you to sleep in her spot instead, would it?" Beku asked in a calm tone. Castoph had known Beku long enough to recognize that this wasn't a casual question, but was instead a silent demand. He flicked his tail once and stood up.
"Sure, no problem," Castoph mumbled as he walked over to the spot beside Steele and lay down. Beku and Tuulikki soon settled down. Steele grunted loudly with irritation and prodded Castoph's shoulder with his nose.
"What's the matter with you? Why would you listen and let him get away with that? He's only using Tuulikki. You should know that," Steele said in annoyance. Castoph glared at him.
"You don't know Beku like I do. He's not one to start something with. He's dangerous. Just go to sleep. You should just give up on Tuulikki," Castoph said quietly before resting his head on his paws with a sigh. Steele grunted in surprise and looked back across the clearing. Beku gently licked Tuulikki's face as she happily wagged her tail. Steele growled lightly under his breath then rested his head on his paws and soon fell asleep.
A week had passed since Beku had saved Tuulikki and matters had only gotten worse for Steele and Castoph from there. Beku and Tuulikki were inseparable, Steele lost his position as second in command to Beku and Altair began putting Beku in charge of patrols which only made Castoph and Steele's lives that much more demanding.
As the sun rose, Beku was the first to rise. He walked over to Altair's den and barked quietly. Altair woke up then walked over to the entrance of the den and looked at Beku expectantly.
"Altair, may I have a word?" Beku asked with a slight tilt of his head. Altair flicked his ears lightly with a moment of consideration.
"Ah, Beku. Of course. What is it?" Altair asked curiously. Beku flicked his gaze to the trees.
"Would you mind if we took a walk? I have a lot on my mind," Beku replied. Altair nodded then stood up and the two of them headed into the woods. Steele lifted his head once they passed by. He could tell something was up. He stood up quietly and followed after them at a distance.
Steele stopped and observed Altair and Beku from behind a bush. The two were getting a drink from the lake. Suddenly, Beku lifted his head and locked his jaws on the back Altair's neck. Altair gasped and yelped then tried to pull away. Steele growled loudly and leapt out from behind the bush.
"Beku! Let him go!" Steele shouted with a growl. Beku's eyes flicked upward for a moment before he quickly twisted his head to one side while still holding firmly onto Altair's neck. A faint snapping sound echoed in the clearing and Altair's body went limp. Steele froze in his tracks and stared in shock as Beku flung Altair's body into the lake. As Altair's body slowly sank into deeper water, Beku quickly dashed off toward the clearing. Rather than pursuing Beku, Steele ran to the lake's shore and swam into the water after Altair. Maybe, just maybe, there might be a chance.
Beku burst into the clearing and barked frantically. Castoph and Tuulikki were awake in an instant and ran over to him.
"What's going on?" The two of them asked simultaneously. Beku struggled for a moment to catch his breath before he spoke.
"It's Steele. He and Altair left a while ago, but didn't come back. I followed their trail, but I was too late… I think he's drowned Altair. I was going to face him alone, but who knows what he's capable of. I need your help," Beku explained urgently. Castoph and Tuulikki nodded and followed quickly after Beku.
As Beku, Castoph and Tuulikki returned to the lake, Steele was pulling Altair's body by the scruff off the neck out of the water. The three of them growled loudly at the sight and Steele released Altair's scuff before glancing up.
"Please… listen to me. I didn't do this," Steele stammered. Tuulikki's fur was bristled with anger as she ran full speed at Steele. She quickly leapt and bit down as hard as she could down on his shoulder. Steele yelped loudly and attempted to shake her off, but soon Castoph had leapt onto his back and had bitten down firmly on his other shoulder. Beku ran over and bit down on Steele's hind leg and caused Steele to collapse. Steele feebly tried to move, but to no avail. He soon had no other choice but to give in. Beku was the first to release his grip and after he did so, he nudged Castoph and Tuulikki as a signal to let go. Though both of them growled loudly, they obeyed the silent order. Tuulikki glanced at Altair's body and whimpered softly before she went to over to him and gently nudged his muzzle with her nose. There was no response. She lowered her ears sadly then turned her gaze back to Steele.
"How could you?! You killed my brother! He let you into this pack and this is how you thank him?!" Tuulikki shouted angrily, her teeth bared. Steele whined softly and looked downward.
"I didn't…" Steele managed to get out before Castoph quickly bit down on his muzzle which caused him to yelp in pain.
"Shut up traitor!" Castoph shouted with a growl. Tuulikki sighed softly and turned her gaze to the lake. Beku growled at Steele before looking up at Tuulikki.
"Tuulikki, you're in charge now. What do you want us to do with him?" Beku asked. Tuulikki grunted softly, but didn't turn to face the others.
"Drive him away. I never want to see him again. If either you or Castoph sees him in our territory again, you have my permission to kill him," Tuulikki said in a low tone. Steele gasped in shock and tried to stand up, but Beku still had him pinned.
"As you wish," Beku said as he stepped away from Steele. Steele shakily got to his feet and looked at everyone. Beku had his teeth bared and was ready in case he made a move, Castoph was also ready and waiting, and Tuulikki was lost in grief while Altair's body lay in the mud. There was no point in trying to argue anymore. Everything pointed to him. Steele sighed and lowered his ears in defeat. He could have stopped this, but it was too late now. No one would believe him. He turned and ran without looking back. Castoph ran after him to make sure that he was out of the territory, but Beku stayed. He lowered his ears slightly and walked over to Tuulikki.
"I'm here," Beku said softly before he licked Tuulikki's muzzle. She whimpered softly in response and nuzzled herself closer to him.
Even after Steele had crossed the border, he could still hear Castoph following him. He finally stopped and turned to face him. Castoph stopped and bared his teeth at Steele.
"Well, you heard Tuulikki. Out of respect for her, I'm not going to kill you unless I see you in our territory again. I thought better of you than to stoop to this," Castoph said with a disgusted grunt. Steele glared defiantly at Castoph.
"You may not believe what I say, but it wasn't me. Beku did it. I saw it myself. If you chose to stay with the pack, you should be cautious," Steele said softly. Castoph growled and turned away then ran back toward the territory. Steele sighed and continued to walk for a while to put more distance from his old territory before he finally stopped and lay down. Everything had once again gone wrong for him. Sure, he had originally wanted to eventually become alpha of the pack, but he would never have resorted to killing Altair to do so. Now he was once again completely alone. This time loneliness hit him harder than before. He didn't have anywhere to go or anyone to turn to.