The Alpha had accepted me but now what? I had been as submissive as I know how and I suppose it worked since I was now apart of the pack, but I wasn't sure what to do past that. Mother had never told me of course, she didn't really tell me anything besides how to hunt or find shelter. So now that it was time to approach the others and find my place among them, I was clueless. Hanging back, I ducked my head and watched for a few moments before slinking off to lay next to a tree.
I was quiet of course, not wanting to draw much attention to myself. For now I just observed, taking in each pelt of a pack member in hopes of remembering it soon along with a name. But going up to a wolf with a simple greeting of 'hi' didn't seem appropriate. Would they think me disrespectful though if they had to approach me first? Nerves racked through me but for now I just held still, laying my head on my paws and hoping that soon enough I would figure out how to act around other wolves.
Saena's ninth month was fast approaching, and if she hadn't had the drive to establish herself in the ranks before, she certainly did now. It was likely a combination of ageing and being determined to be more like her sister in hopes that the Blacktail spirit would live on in her. Unbeknownst to Saena, her mother had gone through a similar transformation, albeit a whole year later than her daughter.
She hung back from any attempted dominance against those wolves she knew well or were long-standing, but now that she spotted a newcomer—a small wolf like herself—Saena was eager to test the waters. She approached Tauska in the rigid manner of unfamiliar wolves and arched her neck. Her ears tipped forward into sharp peaks and she flagged her tail high over her hips, making a clear effort to establish herself as the higher ranking individual.
"You new? I'm Saena," she introduced herself, making direct eye contact with Tauska. She was careful not to appear confrontational or pompous; she wanted only to begin making her mark on the pack so that when she turned a year old, her place was already clear to the pack. Perhaps, if these early encounters went well, she would even go so far as to attempt to establish herself above her aunt. She was the last remaining heir, after all, since Pura showed no interest in that sort of thing.
I raised my head and tilted my ears forward as I saw a young wolf walk my way. She seemed dominate in her posture as she approached and I wondered what I was supposed to do? Being older I felt like I should raise myself above her and show that I didn't want to be shown up by a young wolf, but I also didn't want trouble when I only just arrived. So as she introduced herself I merely looked up at her, my piercing blue eyes meeting hers but my body showing indifference to her attitude as I continued to lay there.
"Tauska" I replied. Of course I did not whisper, it was not like I was trying to hide from the rest of the wolves. I spoke normally, directly and without issue to Saena as she called herself. But I realized now by the size of the girl and of the others that I was no bigger than that of a juvinille. I wasn't sure what would happen if I remained indifferent to those around me besides the higher ranks as I knew my smaller stature would surely get me in trouble if I tried to grapple with a bigger wolf. But instinct told me that I could not be an omega.
Pushing myself up into a sitting position I still displayed indifference but no longer was I beneath Saena. Clearly I was uneffected by her show at trying to be dominate.
No one had ever told Saena that age mattered, because it didn't. That was reality for her and most of her kind. Age didn't matter in wolf society because a juvenile of nine months was as useful to the pack as a wolf in their prime, and had the same likelihood of winning a duel. Dominance was ritualized, the rise and fall of wolves in the hierarchy nothing but mind games. Rarely did injury ever occur. It was a matter of willpower. In this moment, Saena had an abundance of willpower. She was the last remaining heir to the pack, since her brother scarcely made an appearance, and she was not willing to become a yearling in the lowest rank of the pack just because she was a yearling. She held two trades and was well on her way to a third. It was not her destiny to sit meekly at the bottom while unproven wolves paraded their age above her, as Tauska surely was doing.
The female sat up, showing herself to be taller than Saena, but only by a couple inches at best. The juvenile was fully grown and had only a little filling out to do. Tauska was a fuller wolf for that reason, likely more stable in stance, but not towering. Smaller in build, just like herself.
Though Saena had nothing against this newcomer and would share words and meat with her as easily as with any other pack mate and wished her no harm, it was the need to establish herself that made her surge forward in response to the other's indifference. Tauska did not submit nor make any effort to engage Saena in this rank ritual. It was nothing but plain disrespect; even an attempted dominance would have shown more than this. Not only that, but Tauska proved instantly she thought herself above those who had lived on this Plateau for many moons longer, something that wouldn't sit well with any pack wolf, least of all the self-proclaimed heir. With a displeased growl the juvenile lunged for the other female's snout, fully intent on gripping it and shoving her head down, where Saena thought it belonged.