Heron Lake Plateau You know he's only calling 'cause he's drunk and alone

Fiadh settled in beside her, speaking a short greeting, but then falling silent. Fin was happy to take advantage of that silence and began to doze a bit, confident that Tywyll and Cinder were safe enough under Fiadh's watchful eyes. She'd barely begin to drift off though when her daughter was speaking - rushing straight into it with little to no preamble. Fin opened her eyes to peer up at her in mild surprise, then rolled onto her stomach as the girl continued.

She shook herself lightly without standing as she considered the question. She hadn't heard about this conversation yet (or had she... raising boys sure was tiring), but wasn't exactly surprised to be approached about the outcome. "It's nothing like that," Fin answered, pausing to yawn and lick her lips before continuing, "Ranks are determined by dominance, respect and skill. Tegan might throw giant baby tantrums--" she probably shouldn't have agreed with that... bad mom, "--but he works hard at scouting, he's bold, he's been gaining the respect of all of his packmates, and sometimes, he's even got a good head on his shoulders. If you put your mind to it, I know you can earn yourself a higher rank too. You just need to put in the work."

Just like she had. Kind of... Actually, she'd never entirely understood why Peregrine and Fox had named her beta. She too had been bold, well liked, and talented. She didn't have a great head on her shoulders though.