Finally, he had ascended into the adult ranks. He felt the same, still, but knew with his coming of age meant the opening of more doors. No longer would he be forced to remain beneath everyone else, but, instead, he could work towards steadily climbing the ranks until he could proceed no further. The idea alone sent a shiver down his spine, a feeling of joy in regards to that which could now be achieved. Alexander didn't quite have a plan, however, aside from climbing as high as he could. The first step, though, would have to be whoever was right above him in the hierarchy. He'd heard of a new wolf having joined them recently, and had decided right away that she would serve as his experimental run. His test subject, if you will, to better estimate how well his climb might go.

And so, with determination in his step, the boy set out in search of the woman he knew nothing about. In truth, he was more or less wandering blindly, for he knew not her name nor even what she looked like. Even still, that did not deter him, for Xan was dead set on claiming that which he wanted.

With his limited knowledge on the newest member, he'd decided early on that he would base who he was to challenge off of whether or not he'd ever seen the wolf before. If he were to spot someone he'd never seen, then chances are they were the one he sought anyways. Lucky for him, it wasn't long after his quest had begun that the boy had spotted an unfamiliar figure. Even from his place away, he could tell it was a female, and she seemed comfortable within the territory. That made him certain she wasn't a loner, but the very wolf he'd set out to find. Confident in his thoughts, the male had changed his direction so that she was his final destination, tail raised and ears pressed forward. Even as he approached, his demeanor did not change, for he knew himself to be superior to her.

Alexander said nothing, even when he'd grown close enough to be heard. Instead, he'd stood there with his legs a decent length apart and his head held high. His strange gaze was quick to find it's way to her own, meeting it directly as a silent challenge was initiated. He had put up with enough, but no more. Though only recently had he joined the adult ranks, the albino knew he'd been there for far longer than the stranger had. Thus, he felt himself entitled to a rank above hers, and so he would stop at nothing until he'd acquired exactly that.

The female had shown signs of aggression, revealing to him her incisors and growling. Xan could not accept such behavior, especially from someone he felt was already beneath him despite their current ranks. His own lips curled back as he snarled, warning her. His ears remained forward and his tail was stiff over his back, gaze never leaving her own. Even when she'd started to act as if she was injured, he did not back down or soften his glare. If she had truly been injured, he did not care, for he knew not who she was. He had no connection to her, thereby preventing him from feeling anything in regards to her well-being. Thus, the boy kept his posture rigid but balanced, head raised up but with his chin tilted down. He would show his strength by protecting his lifeline, while also displaying dominance over the woman.

"Back down," he'd commanded, just barely managing to get the phrase out. It was gargled, rough and deep, having exited his mouth with a growl in tow. He would not back down, as he felt himself to have dealt with too much to remain beneath the fresh meat of the pack.

No, this could not go unattended. This female was trying to hurt her step son, ruining the purpose of a rank challenge entirely. It was about dominance, as Xan was playing but hurting a packmate did nothing but bring everyone else down. She waited a few more seconds before intervening, but Burke had already appeared. It was clear Whisper was a tactician, as she could see from the feigned injury and strategy, But Xan had earned his mercenary trade, and had grown up challenging everything in the dark woods he could find. On this one, she would side with Xan although it was not to be mistaken for favouritism but of experiance. He worked hard, and while Whisper proved to be a decent hunter, overall Xan had excelled. That was not to say Whisper could not earn back her rank, but as of now, she knew the boy had earned a higher place in their ranks. 

She couldn't help but to release a feral growl as the she wolf spoke so ill of Xan. Who did she think she was?! Now, this got her protective. Whisper needed to be corrected, as such ill will and violence to another pack mate was not tolerated. Infact, it was the same among packmates in general. It was an accurate representation of her new mindset, as she had much to learn of how they worked, all the more reason to promote Xan. But she would wait to see how Burke dealt with it first, for had this been any other female, she would have put her in her place for even uttering a slang against her step son. But she could not resist, the arrogant-ness was getting to her. "The purpose of a rank challenge is a dominance display, not a bitch fight. Under no circumstances do we hurt a fellow pack member," She snapped at Whisper, for she didn't like how she replied to Burke either, it was just plain rude in the presence of the Alpha."Know your shit before you start it," She muttered, but did not take precautions to make sure it was not heard, as internally she hoped they both heard it. But she made her hasty retreat back to the shadows, not wanting to stick around long enough to watch the ordeal continue to get on her nerves. Today was just not her day.

The woman would not back down as was commanded of her, angering the boy as per usual. He did not attack, though, keeping himself in check this time around and ensuring no physical damage was inflicted upon either of them. It was but a second's passing after that when Burke had arrived, stopping and engaging the female. As the words were not directed towards him, he remained silent, but held his stance. When the newer member raised her head, the boy did so as well, but was mindful of the alpha's presence. While he was intent on stealing from the pallid wolf her rank, he dared not raise himself above Burke. Perhaps that would mean not towering over the one he was challenging, but his battle for dominance over her would be obsolete if he were thrown out for disrespecting the elder male.

A single ear had been twisted back as he heard another's approach, having not realized Nemesis was there until a reaction had been gotten out of her. He'd listened to her words, but again, said nothing in return. The conversation had yet to be directed his way, and so he kept his mouth shut. While his attention had initially been divided between the leaders and Whisper, the latter had eventually earned back a greater portion of his focus. She was trusted about as far as she could be thrown.

Xan was silent the enter time, listening to the words tossed about. His eyes lingered upon the female, looking down on her as a result of his subconscious thoughts. He was higher than her in the world—this was something he strongly believed, and noted, then, how he was given the official status to back up his wordless claim. The favour of the "match" went to him, rising the boy up in rank while the other was then stationed below him. He couldn't help but smirk at that, forever the cocky little bugger that he was, and then waited once more to see what would happen to the other pale being. More importantly, he wanted to know if Burke had anything more to say, as well as if the nameless female might be further chastised.