[Sorry for the wait folks. If I had a beta reader I'd be a happy happy camper. I'm posting tonight and editing tomorrow.]

Aleu and Niju

New Land: Valley and Cliffs

Niju pushed Aleu into the wet ground. His teeth were bared and he was quite livid. Much to Aleu's dismay there was no softening of his expression when they recognized each other. Aleu stared up into his eyes seeking some understanding.

"You shouldn't stray from your beloved pack, halfbreed." He sneered at her.

All traces of the traveling companion she had come to recognize in him were lost as he pressed his weight upon her.

Her eyes narrowed. "Niju! Let me go!" This was far too much like that first fateful night on the iceberg- but Papa couldn't save her now.

He seemed to be in a rage beyond her understanding. She couldn't understand his reasoning or actions at all at this point, not that she understood him much as it was. "Why have you come?!" He bellowed into her face.

As much as she disliked being shouted at, she still replied honestly. "I…I was looking for help- But instead I found you." This was much like their earlier meeting in the old lands.

Niju remained puzzled for a couple seconds of speechless silence. " Help you say….. Help? So you have regained your position as clan leader- only to leave the pack again to rub your victory in my face?!" He smashed his nose into hers, and she felt the weight of his body seem to grow on her chest.

"No you idiot! The elders have taken over everything! I haven't a spot to return to..." She seemed to lose her temper, but her anger couldn't mask the tremble in her voice.

Niju heard himself being called an idiot- but it mattered little to him at this point. The more important news was that there was no chance of returning to the clan he had tried so hard to fight for, hunt for and live amongst for almost all his years. It was all lost. The journey ended in the cave.

But Aleu wasn't quite done talking; he hardly paid attention as he released her from his crushing weight.

" I mean I might still have a chance to prove myself...I volunteered to lead hunts- accidentally of course. No idea how that happened. I don't know how to organize the clan in a hunt, not even the first clue." She rambled on as she unsteadily rose to her feet.

Suddenly Niju seemed to be all ears as he blatantly interrupted her. "What?"

Aleu rolled her gorgeous big blue jewels and began to repeat. "I said I might have a chance t-''

"I heard you the first time." Niju interrupted once more.

"Well ok then. Now do you understand why we need to do something?" Aleu stepped towards the big wolf, no fear was in her eyes.

"It's clear that something must be done, yes!" Niju sounded mockingly agreeable. "You should probably do something about that." The other shoe dropped as he put the emphasis on 'you.'

Niju turned to walk away, but Aleu ran to catch him. It was then that he whipped towards her with rage etched into his large features. "Leave me!"

Aleu stood stock still for a brief moment, shocked by his sudden outburst. "I have only come to you for your help Niju."

Her blunt honesty took him by surprise; it was an odd sensation for him. Could it be that he liked seeing her de-throne herself to ask for his assistance? Of course he did. He reveled in his immense power over her at this moment with his next remark.

He began to circle her like a shark on the hunt- ready to snatch his hapless prey. "Hmm, is that so? The great half-breed chosen by Aniu… Has come sniveling to me once again."

Aleu on the other hand was formulating a bit of a devious plan of her own. She'd get him alright, she knew just what he wanted. She knew the power and ultimate authority he wanted. "Niju if you help me achieve what we set out to do- you'll be powerful..." She narrowed her eyes and began to circle him now- getting closer and closer to him.

"Just think of all the doubted you, all who stood in your way to being a great leader- think of how impressed they will be when you rise to power. How they will feel when it is you who guides us through these dark times."

Niju couldn't help but imagine his pack healthy and strong again- with him at the head of it. In the back of his mind he knew she was egging him on, but he liked the way she was speaking. He couldn't help but smile. "That's the least self-righteous way I've ever heard your tongue move, house-pet… I like it."

He felt suddenly out of place, like she had too much power over him. She seemed less innocent and much less of a witless teenager this way. He realized the fully grown Aleu was something he wasn't sure what to do with. She had grown up much since their meeting on the ice… She still lacked the robust frame that he would desire in mating a female. Not the kind of frame for producing good healthy pups and fending for her own in the wild. Nonetheless, her more refined and elegant build did her some justice when she talked like th-

"It's a work in progress!" Aleu chirped in his face, totally breaking the vortex his mind was lost in for the briefest of seconds.

He shook it off in disgust. She was nothing more than a means to an end, an immature, spoiled-brat of a halfbred wolf.

"So Niju, we got a deal or not?" Her vacant innocent stare was back.

Niju growled as he paced back and forth, he knew what he should do. He knew what he had to do. But he was honestly growing tired of Aleu. To take time to train her would be a test in his patience indeed.

"You will follow my instructions exactly, half-breed. If you do not or you fail to improve, I will banish you from my sight." Niju spoke coldly as he turned to trot up the cliffside Aleu struggled to keep up on the rocky outcropping.

When Niju reached the top he spoke words that were possible colder than the ones spoken just moments ago. "It is my suspicion that you utterly lack the necessary skills to make a kill. But I haven't a thing to lose while watching you fail."

Aleu had finally caught up to him. She hadn't growled at him in a surprisingly long amount of time, but now he was clearly spoiling for a fight. She let out a growled that Niju registered as sounding much more mature than last time, a much throatier and deeper tone. It sounded more wolfish than any he'd heard her make before. He would've wondered why he was noticing how much she'd grown, but then she'd gone and done something incredibly stupid.

Aleu had had enough of him doubting her; she was going to show him how much she'd grown. She was going to show him who was going to fail. She had planned on lunging for him, taking him by surprise and once she had him pinned saying something along the lines of 'Oh yeah? Watch me.' But things didn't pan out that way.

Before Aleu could so much as touch him, he had her pinned to the ground again. This time he let her go immediately to her surprise. "Your tactics need work, house-pet."

Frustrated and a slight bit impressed she waited until Niju had his back to her again. She used the cover of a low rumble of thunder from the waning storm overhead to lunge for him once again. She hoped the thunder would conceal the noise she made while she jumped for him.

This time he caught her and slammed her into the wet ground. She tried to fight with him; she kicked her soft feet into his sides and attempted to lift him off of herself. Mud soaked into her downy fur as he clasped his fangs around her neck. Her movement stilled as her eyes grew wide.

"Do not test me, or my capabilities. I suggest you return to your place before I put you there myself!"

She growled and offered him a curse under her breath. His grip tightened suddenly. "It would be easy, Mutt!" He offered her an empty warning. She had seen him save her so she didn't believe he'd kill her, but he was capable of hurting her a great deal.

Once she let out a yelp he released her in repulsion. He wordlessly moved off and proceeded up the cliff. Aleu's mind was engulfed in a storm as she listlessly followed him. The actual storm overhead had stopped and twilight was upon them.

Niju stopped for water and Aleu did the same. She found it odd that he was leading her through lands that he hardly knew. As he stepped into the cool creek the golden hour of a summer sunset was upon them. The world around them was bathed in a golden light and Aleu watch the brute of a wolf drink.

She wondered what had made him so different form their adventure at sea, he seemed much kinder then. Perhaps it was that she had lost her alpha status for the time being, perhaps he deemed her much less of an asset now. She watched his large and well-muscled frame until he caught her eye. She was in a bit of a trance while staring so when he spoke he startled her.

"I've made a den in those cliffs over there." He gestured with his head and shook droplets of water from his pelt. "I'm putting as much space between me and the clan as I can at the point in time. Unless you want them asking you questions about something you know nothing about, I would suggest you do the same."

Aleu took note of that. She knew if her fellow clan members asked her about how they should hunt together, she would be lost. She would want to help them, but she would have no idea where to start, and telling them to eat their bigger kills instead of bringing them to the elders was no good either, that could start a bloody fight between members. She wasn't ready for that.

"Those clouds look bad…" She commented while staring up at the sky. More of the storm system was moving in slowly, ending the golden window of sunset in an angry darkness. She looked around but it appeared that Niju had wandered off while she was lost in thought.

Aleu wasn't terribly concerned. She knew he'd make good of his end of the deal, and it wasn't as if his presence was doing anything good for her stress levels. She didn't need him now, she only wanted sleep the find her. She settled down in the grass just below the steep cliffs.

Later in the night she was rudely awaked by a soaking rain and the crack of thunder overhead once more. It was so jarring that she let out a yelp of surprise. She greatly detested getting soaked and made for the cliffs, though she couldn't see very well.

The only light that was really guiding her sight at this point belonged to the lighting. It was then that she found a small crawlspace in between the rocks. Upon crawling inside she noticed that it quickly opened up into a much larger space.

Just as she was thinking this must be an abandoned old wolf den, she tripped and fell over something stiff and furry. The ensuing growl told her that this 'abandoned wolf den' was anything but abandoned. Damn.

"What in Aniu's name are you doing, mutt?!" Niju sounded groggy but no less displeased.

Lighting lit up the den from the small entrance to reveal Niju standing over her. Aleu could say nothing but "Eekk!" in the given situation. She was soaking wet, and confused as hell at this point.

"Niju! I… I didn't mean to intrude. I thought it was empty! It had started to rain and I was sleeping in the grass." She clumsily stated.

Niju let out a "Hmmph." of a sigh and Aleu could hear his muscular physique slump back on its side in the darkness.

The thunder was deafening and Aleu realized the storm must be right on top of them. She couldn't sleep so she just stared into the empty space of the black night. Eventually as the storm passed over everything went still. She could hear faint dripping somewhere, but she also heard Niju shift greatly.

She heard him start suddenly and then proceed to pant heavily to catch his breath. It appeared he had a bit of a night-terror visit him in his sleep. He was definitely awake now.

"...Niju?" She would offer him comfort in the dark.

"What?!" He roared back at her.

"Nothing, never mind, forget it!" She barked back at him, losing her patience with his foul temper. She had turned to leave and find elsewhere to sleep without this horrible brute, but in her blindness she'd crashed straight into the wall instead. Sliding down to the den floor, she sighed in defeat.

"Niju, what is the matter with you? I don't understand…You seemed like you were truly having a change of spirit on the ice floe. I thought Nava had taught you to be kinder, and wiser. I thought maybe Nava had gotten something through to you… Maybe he-''

"Enough!" Niju had honestly heard enough.

"You must understand Aleu…" She noticed he used her actual name this time instead of some horrible nickname.

"Everything I do, everything I would work for was for this clan. I really thought I could bring them into better times. I tried to warn them… I did. What slim chance we had is gone." He didn't seem to be speaking to her, he seemed to simply be speaking to himself.

"But Niju, once I win the elders over with my skills as a hunter, I will regain my position as alpha and you will rise as the new ruler. It's just like we planned all along." Aleu assured him.

His tone suddenly turned with a familiar icy twist. "You don't honestly expect me to have faith in your skills as a hunter, foolish mutt?"

Aleu felt herself tense up, but she let it go. "No… Not yet. But you will." She resisted from saying 'I'll show you!' out loud, but she was definitely thinking it inside.

"You had better be ready to follow my strict instruction." He warned.

"Niju. You already told me that." She sounded confident, and almost arrogant. In reality she was just tired and ready to curl back into sleep.

Niju had settled back into sleep as his soft snoring was evident of.

Aleu was still restless in the black silence. She had much on her mind- she wondered if Niju could really help her. She wondered if her patience would last, did she really 'utterly lack the necessary skills to make a kill'? When she finally found sleep she could hear the faint sounds of birds chirping in the distance.

In the faint morning light Niju stirred once more- he hadn't realized how close Aleu was to him in the night. All he needed to do was reach out a paw and he could touch her delightfully plush looking fur.

Yikes. He was definitely going to need more sleep. He turned over and splayed himself out. He could hear Aleu whimpering slightly in her sleep. He wondered if her nightmare was the same as his.

He wondered if it was about the owl, the raven and the impending dark times that he was powerless to stop. He struck fear into him as he stared at the rocky wall. When the rocks offered him no comfort he ever-so-quietly turned back over to watch Aleu's sleeping form. Her breathing lulled him back into a slumber.