in some sad way i already know

A dry smile fringed her black-stormed lips -- she wondered if Mordecai had deliberately placed the pun 'Sounds' charming in reference to their Sound. She swung her head to the side as he continued -- she did not realize he was an alpha. He had certainly never suggested his prestige; neither in posture nor in words. She wondered then if it was a more recent thing, and for a moment her brow furrowed as she inwardly recanted their entire interactions.

But she could not recall once him stating his rank.

"Oh, a promotion? " She ventured with a singular ear canted suggestively -- perhaps the canine equivalent of a hiked eyebrow. She could tell he was taken aback by her question -- she certainly knew only about the Sound, but it seemed the valley was replete with packs and every which way she went she was frustrated by the clear pack borders that marked their presence. "I ask only because packs are everywhere. We are far away, but our presence has an effect on everything."

"Why must you keep everyone settled? Should it not be their place to be settled? Is that not what your kind came to the Spine for?"