Stardust Vale Pack - Sequoia (En Route to The Winter's Moon Packlands)
The world seemed to fade away as the trees and the under brush flew past her peripherals. She could hear the heavy steps of her fellow beta nearing from behind, and despite her fastest sprint, she could not hold her ground in a race against a wolf of noble blood. Soon enough, she felt a nudge on her flank as Pan caught up with her. She let out a friendly "Hey! You haven't won yet!" at him, as she reached deep within her energy stores and pushed herself harder. She pulled ahead of the male for a moment or two, but no sooner had a smile of victory crept across her face, the black wolf shot up from beside her and pulled ahead with ease. She laughed, impressed with his speed and stamina. As the two rushed through the woods, all the familiar paths faded in the distance behind them. The ground they covered now was strange to her, and thrice, Sequoia had to catch herself as she nearly tripped over a root that she didn't see coming. It was different running at these speeds in strange lands, she didn't know these routes like she knew those in the Stardust Vale Packlands. But... if things went as they were hoped to have gone, these lands would soon be her home. She took in her surroundings, the air silent between the pair's strides and pants.
"These lands are rich, and strong, much like ours. This pack will be well fed and well grown." She saw that she was falling behind, lost in her thoughts once more. Shaking her head, clearing her head, she dove back into the chase and a burst of speed shot through her. The two ran, and ran, and ran, and ran, with a seemingly endless supply of energy, one of the gifts to the wolves from the Goddess of the Moon. When hours had flown by, they were well into the unknown territory they were seeking.
As they bolted up a rise in the terrain, a shift in the wind carried a scent to her nostrils that raised every hair on her body. An alpha.
Instinctually, she shuttered, her body screaming to submit to the dominant presence, but she summoned her willpower and reminded the primitive part of her brain that this was not her alpha, and she would not bow to him. Then the question arose: where is he? She could smell him, quite clearly now, but could not pinpoint a location. She knew it would be a few moments before Pan noticed the scent, he was not a female nearing estrus. This time of the year, she could pick up the scent of a healthy male from miles away, and this alpha was certainly healthy.
Slowing down, she huffed at the dark beta ahead of her, "Pan, wait." As he slowed his pace, she approached him. "We're here. We might not be right here, but the alpha is near, or marked here recently. We're in their lands now.." She lowered her head, feeling an unease. She did not know the lay of these lands, she did not know the scents that surrounded her. For any wolf, the presence of their alpha had a powerful, controlling effect, but this control was shifted to trust and protection. In the presence of an opposing alpha, there was a similar power inflicted on any lower ranking wolf. The scent of any alpha drove submissive instincts to the surface of any lupine, but to feel this urge caused by a stranger, was not a pleasant feeling. It was like being forced into submission by one you neither trusted nor respected. Sequoia shivered and neared Pan, taking in his familiar scent to try and calm her nerves. After a short bit, the initial power of the scent was calmed as her body adapted to it, and she lifted her head, looking Pan in the eyes.
"Perhaps it would be best to take on a less intimidating pace from here on out. The last thing we want is to come bolting out of the woods and running into the local pack. Even the most civilized wolf couldn't stop their instincts from hitting defend mode."
