Aleu laughed as three wolf cubs scampered about playing tag. The cubs were orphans and were invited to join the pack only a few weeks ago. They weren't the only ones. Wolves of all shape and size had been joining each week; there was hardly a day when Aleu wouldn't find a stranded wolf to invite to the pack.
There were over thirty wolves already, but the number seemed to grow. Aleu had become rather close to Tina ad Luitia, two pack members. They were always giving advice and helping Aleu in her troubles.
They both walked up to Aleu as she was trying to set matters straight with two young wolves. "I'm telling you, Aleu, he cheated! I won the race fair and square! You saw me, Luitia, didn't you?" The other wolf retorted. "I took the exact same route as you did. I just don't have the same stubby legs as you do!"
Aleu cleared her throat, getting the two wolves attention. "Boys, instead of arguing over the racing, how about you go fetch some mice for the cubs to snack on? Ok? They seem about rowdy." The young wolves immediately forgot about the race. "I'm going to catch a larger one than you!" "No you're not!"
Their voices faded as they ran, leaping over fallen logs. Aleu rolled her eyes and sighed, sitting beside Tina and Luitia. "Gotta love them," Tina teased. "Aleu, you do so much work in this pack. It's kind of over your head, don't you think?" Luitia asked. Aleu shrugged. "Well....yea, a little bit.....but I like being in charge and caring for everyone. It's fun."
An elderly, blind wolf was absently making her way to the stream. Aleu leaped up and ran in front of her. "Hey Tantatia.....I think you'll find this spot over here more comforting," she said with a small laugh, gently directing her toward the grass area. "Th-thank you dear...."
Aleu smiled and headed back to the girls. Tina cocked her head. "You sure can use someone to help you run this pack." Luitia smiled. "Someone.....somebody...some....he-wolf..." "What?" Aleu asked. Tina's eyes widened. "Yea! Yea....you could use an Alpha male, Aleu! And....and Luitia and I can hook you up...it'd be so fun!"
"An Alpha Male? Girls, you've been trying to get me to say yes ever since you met me! No......no...I don't think so..." Aleu said shyly. "Why not?" Luitia asked, "You so could use one right now! We can get you to fall in love...." Luitia said smugly. Aleu walked a little ways away from them, looking at the ground. "Well yea, you can get me to fall in love.......but....can you get a guy to?" she asked, finally considering their offer.
Tina gasped. "You don't think you're attractive, do you?" "That's ridiculous!" Luitia exclaimed, "You're a very pretty, caring wolf......a wolf every male wants." Aleu just looked up at them and smiled. "Come on, just give it a chance," Tina pleaded. Aleu sighed. "Please...." Luitia said, battering her eyelashes.
Aleu laughed. "Fine....we'll......try." "Yes!" Tina and Luitia said together. Tina and Luitia started running away. "We're going to find the perfect one for you!" Luitia exclaimed.
The very next morning was chaos for Aleu. Almost every male wolf heard the news of Aleu looking for a mate. Many male wolves would come and talk to Aleu, practically giving her a speech.
The first was Teko, a very shy, nervous wolf. He walked over to her shaking harder than a rattle. "A-a-a-a-a-le-leu?" Aleu blinked a couple of times and stared at him. "Um.....are you alright?" she asked. Teko shook harder, shaking his head everywhere. Aleu couldn't tell if he was saying yes or no. Teko slowly opened his mouth. "I-i-i-i-f.....If I w-w-were t-to b-b-be A......A...." Teko opened his mouth wider, as if the words "Alpha male" were too big to come out. "A...Alpha m-male.....I would m-m-ake sure ev-ev-every o-o-one g-got food."
"Oh.....you heard about that...." Aleu said. Teko shook his head yes violently. "I-i-i'd b-b-be a v-v-ery good mate," he blurted out. Aleu smiled sympathetically. "Um....look, Teko.....you're a very.....um, nice wolf, but I don't mean this in any bad way, it's just.....well I'm looking for a wolf a little bit different. I'm sorry. Thanks anyway....maybe someday you will be the Alpha of a pack." Aleu smiled.
"Oh....o-o-o-o-k-k-k-k.....b-b-b-bye!" Teko exclaimed, running away. Aleu sighed, relieved, but then another wolf walked in.
"Wassup Aleu?" Chako said, looking around at the surroundings. Great....Aleu thought. "Hey Chako..." she replied, trying not to sound annoying. "Oooh! Ya sound so pretty when you say my name." Chako said. Is this his way of flirting? Aleu thought to herself.
"Anyhoo.....heard ya need an Alpha Male, but did you hear....that I need an Alpha Female?" Aleu rolled her eyes. "No.....actually, I didn't, but did you also hear that I'm not quite interested in wolves who use the words, "Anyhoo" or "ya" all the time? Hmm? Did ya?" Aleu asked poking him with her front paw. Chako stared at her for a second. "You rejecting me or somethin?" Aleu laughed. "Oh, of course I'm not rejecting you! I'm simply.....saying no." Aleu said with a sarcastic smile. "Good bye Chako!"
Chako mumbled and left, not looking back. That wasn't the end of it though. More and more wolves came, driving Aleu mad. Aleu finally couldn't take it. She climbed to the top of a large boulder, towering over the pack. "Ok, please, everyone listen!" she shouted, "As you probably heard, I'm looking for an Alpha male! Well, guess what? I'm not! So please, don't come up to me and flirt....or whatever it is you call it! Thank you!" Aleu said, slowly walking down.
Tina and Luitia were there to meet her. "What happened? What's wrong?" Luitia asked with a concerned look. Aleu's eyes widened. "What's wrong? Haven't you been watching? There are all these annoying wolves coming to give their "wanna be your mate" speech!" Aleu exclaimed.
Tina shrugged. "So? You have to sacrifice for a mate.......you have to really want him." Aleu sighed, "Well......then maybe you should just forget about everything. I'm not ready for this. I've been handling the pack for over three years; I can still do it now." Luitia and Tina gave her a disappointed look, but nodded.
The next morning came, way peaceful than the morning before. Aleu awoke before everyone else as usual, taking her stroll toward the lake. As she made her way, three silhouettes of wolves appeared, already at the lake.
Aleu greeted Tushu, one of the members. She looked at the other two unknown male wolves. "Who are these?" she asked, her smile covering her caution. One of the wolves stepped up to her with a shy smile. "Hey, I'm Dokak, Tushu's stepbrother." The other male wolf gave an obvious look of rudeness. He looked away as if not knowing Aleu had spoken. Dokak glanced at him and rolled his eyes. "Eh......and that's Krak, Tushu's real brother."
Aleu nodded at Krak. "Are you two visiting or something?" Dokak was the first to answer again, "Um......sort of...we were kind of looking for a place to stay." Aleu laughed slightly. "Well you're welcome to stay here whenever you'd like." Dokak gave a big smile. "Thanks......um?" "Aleu," she answered. Dokak paused, whispering it to himself again. "Thanks Aleu." She smiled and left, walking back to greet the pack.
Dokak looked after her, then turned to Tushu. "Who was that?" Krak sighed, walking in front of Dokak. "She just told you, Mr. Dreamer." Tushu laughed. "Sorry Dokak, but I don't think Aleu's much into a relationship now. She says she can run the pack alone." Krak froze, looking at Tushu. "She's the alpha?" Tushu nodded. "Pretty good for a girl."
Krak stopped and looked down at the ground. "An Alpha female.......an Alpha male. An Alpha rules the pack," he mumbled to himself. "Um, yeah.....yeah they do," Dokak replied. Krak snorted at him then sat beside Tushu. "Tell me more about this.....Aleu leader."
Aleu continued leading the pack by herself, but almost every day new ones would come. Aleu didn't have the guts to scare them off, so she'd always welcome every wolf with open arms.
Soon the sun disappeared behind the tall mountains, giving way for the moon and stars. Aleu sighed a relief as she was left alone. She sat on top of a hillside, watching the many stars in the sky. "It's beautiful out here," a voice said.
It was Dokak. He gave a questionable look as whether he could join her or not. Aleu smiled, her eyes glowing in the dark. "Yes.....it's amazing." Dokak sat beside her, following her gaze toward the sky. "You have a nice pack here.......huge." Dokak replied. Aleu nodded, "Mmmhmm......a whole lot of responsibility."
Silence spread over them for a while, then Dokak looked at her. "You're......pretty young to be running a huge pack like this......isn't it kind of too much responsibility?" he asked, trying to find the right words. Aleu gave him a slightly offended look, "No.....no I think I'm perfectly capable of running this pack. I earned my headship, you know."
Dokak's ears flattened. "No....no...I didn't mean you didn't have capability.....I just mean.....well you're a girl.....it's kind of-" "Yeah, I'm a girl. So? Are guys suppose to be better?" Aleu backfired. Dokak opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it. Aleu sighed, looking away. "Um....sorry Dokak....." Aleu said quietly, trying to calm.
"No....sorry....it's my fault....I shouldn't have-" Aleu stopped him and forced out a smile. "It's ok, Dokak. Don't worry about it. The day's just been hectic....that's all. See you tomorrow?" Without getting his response, Aleu left.
"Nice going, Do-crack" Krak smirked as he walked over to Dokak. Dokak rolled his eyes then left. Krak smiled to himself, looking after where Aleu was. His eyes shined as the moonlight touched the ground. Krak grinned, not just a grin, but an evil one. His eyes were shining just a little too bright.
The next morning, Aleu awoke to find a wolf at the entrance of her cave. "Krak?" Aleu asked, her eyes squinting from the bright sun. "Yeah, Krak...you met him yesterday." Krak answered in a soft voice. Aleu suddenly found the bright sun gone. Krak shielded her eyes from the sun with his front paw. Krak gave an extra sweet laugh. "Better?"
Aleu laughed, blushing slightly. "Um...yeah, thanks Krak." Aleu moved from his shade, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight. "I know you're very busy, Aleu, but......well I thought we could just hang out together," Krak offered. Aleu smiled. "Well.....that sounds great, but who's going to take care of the pack?"
Dokak suddenly appeared, a smile on his face. "Hey Aleu," he greeted, "I was wondering-" Krak interrupted Dokak. "Dokak can do it. He has so much experience. You can't find anyone better." Dokak gave a surprised face. "Really? That would be great!" Aleu smiled, feeling excitement. "Dokak, could you just watch over the pack while I go with your brother?"
Dokak's smile faded. "My.....my brother? Oh, where are you going?" Krak glared at Dokak. "Step-brother.....and it's not your business. Better go before the pack wakes up," Krak rushed, walking beside Aleu. Dokak's ears dropped, but he just nodded. He had planned on taking Aleu for a walk or two this morning.
Krak and Aleu soon became tiny figures in the sunrise. It seemed like a romantic picture of two wolves on a date. Dokak slowly walked away to care for the pack.
Luitia ran to Karana, seeing everything. "Karana! Karana!" Luitia called. Karana paused. "What? What is it?" Luitia smiled, giving a howl. "It's Aleu! She.....she went on a date!" Luitia exclaimed, breathing hard. A smile spread across Karana's face. "What? With Who?" Karana demanded. Luitia caught her breath finally. "Krak....Tushu's brother!" Karana and Luitia gave squeals of delight.
Krak and Aleu arrived later that day, laughing as they approached Dokak. "Well.....thanks Krak. I had a great time today," Aleu replied softly. Krak nodded. "So did I, baby.......so did I." Chills of anger and worry slowly went up Dokak's spine. Baby? he repeated to himself.
Krak left, leaving Aleu and Dokak alone. Aleu still had a smile on her face as she turned to look at Dokak. He looked down, trying to hide his disappointment. Aleu sighed. "Thank you so much, Dokak. I'm so glad I went. We had a great time......your brother's real nice." Dokak's forehead wrinkled. "Step-brother...." he mumbled to himself.
Dokak put on a smile and raised his head, "Hey Aleu.....um....I was wondering if you and I could go hunting together tomorrow. I heard you have excellent hunting skills." Aleu seemed to be still thinking of Krak. She cocked her head to one side. "Oh, I'm sorry Dokak......it's just your brother wanted to go look around the area with me." Dokak frowned, nodding his head slowly. "Oh...ok, no problem." When he looked where Aleu had been, he saw her walking away. "Maybe another time!" she called out.
Everyday seemed to be the same. Whenever Dokak would want to ask Aleu out, his brother......I mean step-brother......would always have plans with her already.
Krak and Aleu came back one night, being gone all day. Dokak sat near a tree, watching them return. He couldn't hear anything, but had a pretty good view of them both. As they said their goodbyes, Dokak saw them nuzzle each other. A growl grew in his throat, full of jealousy. He pounded one paw on the ground, then left without looking back.
Early next morning, Dokak found Aleu alone at the pond, looking at herself in the reflection. Dokak smiled and walked over to her. Alone.....no Krak.....finally! Dokak thought. He sat beside her, watching his reflection also. "Looking for something?" he asked with a laugh. Aleu smiled, unresponsive.
She finally tore away from the water to look at Dokak. "Dokak, do you think I have beauty in me?" Aleu asked all of a sudden. Dokak opened his mouth slightly, surprised by the question. "Um....yea.....yea! I mean, I don't think you have beauty in you......I think you just are beauty. You're beautiful." Aleu beamed in delight. "Thanks Dokak." After seconds of silence, Dokak asked, "Why?" Aleu sighed, her eyes glued to the reflection again. "Well.......I don't know.....it's just...last night I asked your brother what he's looking for in a girl. He said leadership, boldness, and mainly beauty. I mean, I think I'm pretty bold and of course I'm a leader......but.....beauty?" Aleu asked again.
"Psh....that's all you!" a voice said from behind. Luitia smiled, Karana beside her. Aleu smiled, hugging her friends. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you in a looong time!" Karana blurted out. Aleu gave an apologetic look. "Aw....I'm sorry...I've been out with Krak a lot lately." Luitia whistled. "So is he your Mr. Alpha?" Aleu laughed. "Well......I don't know......I'm not sure......maybe..." she replied, turning bright red.
Dokak felt his body falling. So is he your Mr. Alpha? So is he your Mr. Alpha? So is he your Mr. Alpha? So is he your Mr. Alpha? The words repeated over and over in his head, and Aleu's answer didn't make anything better. He cleared his throat, but just left.
Dokak glanced behind him, looking at Aleu again. He found Krak there, looking Aleu over. Dokak glared but kept going.
Luitia and Karana left also, leaving Aleu and Krak alone again. Krak watched as they left, a smile on his face. "So, baby cakes.......where you wanna go today?"
Dokak left, but not all the way. He spied on the two behind some bushes, squinting his eyes while hearing their conversation.
Aleu tilted her head to one side, "I'd love to go out with you again, but the pack needs me. I'm sorry Krak." A smile spread across Dokak's face in his hiding place. Krak nodded, still smiling. "Ah, no worries, baby. Yeah, I have some stuff I need to catch up on too. Don't worry bout it." Krak began walking away, but he paused for a second. "But hey! It's you and me tomorrow right?" Aleu walked over to him and nuzzled him. "Of course."
Dokak's smile disappeared from his face. The wrinkled forehead came back and Dokak's heart pounded. His ears rose as Krak walked towards him. Dokak slowly crouched down, hoping Krak missed him. Krak ignored his step-brother's scent and walked right on by. Without thinking, Dokak silently followed him.
Krak lead Dokak to a gray, dead-looking area. Dokak stayed low, keeping caution not to let Krak see him, but also taking caution for whatever could live in this area. Fog also crept low to the ground, covering Dokak. Krak leaped over a huge boulder, disappearing on the other side.
There was a whole row of boulders, creating like a large fence. Dokak peeked through a space between two boulders, only to see a pack of wolves.
Niju, Aleu's former enemy was among them. Krak was in front of all the wolves. He gave an evil, cackling laugh. "We have her, boys. It's like taking candy from a baby!" The wolves joined him in his ridiculous laughter. Dokak's ears perked up. "All we need to do is wait for the perfect time. You boys be ready. When the time is right............we strike! The pack will be mine and Aleu will be dealt with properly...."
Dokak's eyes widened and he ran off to warn Aleu and the pack.
~TO BE CONTINUED~