Ouroboros Spine It matters not how strait the gait,

She'd not deviated from instinct. No. If anything she'd fallen into it and embraced the old traditions of the past that'd long since been erased by the whimsy of love and longing and wanting to find that happily ever after. There was none of that within the Spine. There were hardly words. Only nips and nudges and primal body language used to convey praise or scolding for a job well or poorly performed. Here and now? She taunted once more, slipping from that stage of warning and beckoning to ripe and ready for the taking.

He didn't like it. He didn't care to leave his future in the hands of fate on the off chance that strength alone would be enough to rule by. Tonravik was certain this would be enough. He did not share the same opinion, nor did he look out amongst his pack mates and see a male to which he would willingly bow. They all submitted to her too eagerly and most times, to him as well whether they realized it or not.

The wolf who strutted before her now was a pup barely grown into his own ears. Kero'd seen him stalking her. It was blatantly obvious as to his intentions, but he lacked the drive to hold any real respect should he fall into the position he unknowingly sought. Kero's eyes narrowed as he lingered and waited to see if any other outside contenders would venture into the fold and save them from this disgrace. From this need their alpha had taken to wandering the borders for outside contenders for none within her own fold would rise.

There were none. There would be none.

Unless some other soul loomed within the shadows, their fate would fall into the hands of a mere babe who could not think without another's thought to guide him. Idiot.

Curse it all.

He hated himself.

He rose anyway, for the first time within this pack asserting himself with the rank he held as Delta as he moved within the fold and intervened, moving to place himself between the wolf-pup and their alpha. His tail lifted. His head held high and defiant with his piercing golden stare as he bore down upon the chocolate wolf. His stance was wide. His posture aflame with dominance he'd never felt the need to assert before. "Leave us," he hissed. The words dark and low as they rolled beneath the gravel of a growl building within the depths his chest. Kero snapped. Teeth clipping the air as he followed his words with physical promise.