Soft come the dragons

Hey, you write however much (or little) as you want—as long as you're enjoying yourself, so am I. :D

The rush of rainfall drowned out the sound of approaching footfalls, so that Koontz jumped slightly when Ariston abruptly emerged from the treeline on her left. The familiar sound of his voice quickly relaxed her and she lowered her head and her tail in deference to the more dominant wolf. In response to the friendly bump to her shoulder, she nuzzled the underside of his chin respectfully and let her limp tail wave.

Smiling at his toilet humor—it reminded her of her mother—Koontz replied, "No, the flatulent gene skipped me, thankfully." She paused, head canting slightly. "I guess I'm just trying to take the Beta thing seriously," she said to explain her no-nonsense expression. "Guarding too," she added.

Even as she said it, Koontz realized that it sounded kind of banal. Ariston didn't seem to take himself too seriously and he was the Alpha male. The yearling's other role models—namely, aforementioned gaseous mother—hadn't let their ranks and responsibilities affect their personalities. With that said, Koontz was quiet and contemplative by nature. She exhaled through her nose, telling herself she would find the balance at the end of the day.

"Have you seen Ray?" she asked in the next beat, glancing at the Alpha's face without meeting his eyes. Perhaps he'd seen her brother wandering around the plateau. "I was hoping the three of us could hunt for some breakfast. I just finished patrolling and I'm famished." Although she was much too unassuming to seek Ariston's direct approval, she hoped he noticed and appreciated her effort. She knew they both hoped she would be able to step up as Alpha beside him one day, yet Koontz knew there was still a lot to learn.