| IN THIS COLD WEATHER... |

Gray-white paws padded silently, odd eyes intent on the fawn. Snow's nose twitched; as well as the deer's scent, there was the smell of a wolf he didn't know. Plus the ever-present hint of his dead mother's scent that he barely noticed anymore.

The other wolf came into view, her hunting too fast, too noisy. Snow sighed; she was ruining his hunt. Plus she was in his territory, uninvited, perhaps even unwanted at this rate. Forget the young buck. This wolf had to be shown her place. Besides, his prey wasn't going far, not with that leg.

He stepped forward, face contorted into a snarl. "You ruined my hunt. In my territory. Explain yourself!"

Lone wolves were a liability, and Snow didn't know how this one survived. Her hunting skills left something to be desired. Even if the buck was injured, it was no excuse for a wolf to let her standards slip. Only the very best hunters could survive as lone wolves for long.

The first thing Snow had done upon claiming this territory was to scentmark the border, and he knew his possessive scentmarks were potent enough that even a stupid, almost nose-deaf caribou could smell them. There was no way this lone wolf didn't know that this territory belonged to someone.

Snowfire began to circle her, teeth bared, hackles raised into a ridge upon his back. Tiny white flakes of snow began to fall, an indication of a terrible blizzard in the world outside the ravine. It took a truly fearful storm to whip the air in the ravine up into a gale, but it was on its way to that, with little whirlwinds sending the snow into flurries.

When Snow passed through a particularly thick flurry, he became all but invisible, hidden in the white flakes. He broke out the other side, fur ruffled, but without breaking stride.

"EXPLAIN!" he snarled, leaping closer.

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.snowfire. .one year, one season. .male. .white pelt. .one blue, one amber eye.
.alpha male of arctic ravine.

Snowfire huffed out a frustrated sigh. "You don't seem to understand much about territories. You are here because I haven't yet run you off my land. Any prey on my territory is mine unless I say otherwise. If you chase it onto my territory, too bad. It's still mine. It's especially mine if I was the first wolf on the hunt. Which I would assume I am, considering I have been stalking that buck for hours! Therefore, it was my hunt, not yours. If you get to eat, it's because I let you."

His lip relaxed a little, but his teeth were still bared, a clear threat that he was seriously considering hammering home exactly why he was the Alpha. Nobody stood up to the Alpha. The majority of subordinates would whimper, roll onto their backs, and then lick his paws when he allowed them up. His betas were the closest thing to equal as there was in the pack - they were advisors, and made suggestions on behalf of the pack. Snow made the decisions, and whether he considered the betas' suggestions or not was his own prerogative.

If he had a mate, she would be truly his equal. The unwritten law of Pack made sure of that. The unwritten law of Pack also made sure that anyone who stood up to the Alpha would eventually challenge for leadership, and be shown their place. Whether they won or lost, it would be a demonstration of their true place in the pack. If they won, they were the new Alpha. If they lost, they would be thrown down a few pegs in the pack rankings.

Snow's size and authority had ensured that he had yet to be truly challenged by a subordinate, and because he was only a little over a year old, he was going to become larger still. Wolves didn't finish growing until three or even four in some cases.

"If I am to allow you to remain on my territory, and partake of its bounties, I must be able to expect obedience. I say jump, you say how high? I growl, you hit the ground. I growl at you, you submit. You hunt with the pack, effectively, and you wait your turn to eat. You will begin as the Omega, which means you will submit to every other member of the pack, including the cubs. You will have to work your way up from there." Snow's demands were matter-of-fact, and only what was required in any wolf pack this side of the Great Divide (which was a huge ravine, opened up by the Quake, that divided Frostfall from the mainland). If this strange female would not accept his demands, she would find herself a lone wolf, and with the severity of this Winter so far, she probably would not survive.

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.snowfire. .one year, one season. .male. .white pelt. .one blue, one amber eye.
.alpha male of arctic ravine.