The atmosphere seemed to have it out for them lately. Raela was following Gent through the territory, her eyes lifting every few moments to keep track of another round of precipitation that was swiftly barreling down on them. It was only the day before that a storm had rolled through the land; warming the air only to have it cooled by the front that now threatened to soak them if they didn't find shelter soon. As they searched wordlessly for a shelter beneath the darkening sky, Raela was finding it near impossible to control her wandering thoughts. It had become near painful not to be with Aeus. Since they'd admitted their feelings she found herself seeking him out at every opportune moment, and doing her tasks with him along whenever she could. The heavy smell of rain was making her yearn for the day before, by the stream. Drifting dazedly through her fresh memory, Raela slipped into the shelter very much on auto-pilot. It was Gent's speech that snapped her out of the daydream as they settled among the lichen-covered rocks. 

Raela returned her companion's grin with a soft one of her own. They were both flying so high on the events that had taken place the past few days. Now he was confiding in her; asking her for advice. It was an honorable position to be in, especially with one's leader. As his tone hardened, the lithe woman pulled her ears to attention, studying the streams of water as they passed down through crevice after crevice while the dark man made her aware of a problem with the young wolf known as Gabriel. The pause in his speech allowed her head to fill with thought. There was so little she could recover about the brown male. He wasn't social in the slightest; more of a ghost in the pack lands than anything. She couldn't go so far as to say that he hadn't done anything for them, but at least she hadn't seen it. She hadn't seen their battle either, but from what Gent said she could see that this was one of the wolves she'd meant in mentioning “those who desire leadership and leadership only,” just days ago. She knew there had to be someone besides Astraeus who wanted the crown.  

Then Gent ended the pause with his plan. Her eyes moved back toward him, studying the man for any hint of that egotistical monster she knew lurked somewhere deep down. A threat was not to be taken lightly, but she couldn't help but feel that demoting the man just like that would only serve to make things worse. She recalled her friend's words from their meeting with Kajika; that they should speak to one another instead of fighting over it later. Raela couldn't help but feel that that this was the same situation. Perhaps he was getting overzealous with the desire to exercise his new found power. At his declaration of intolerance she could only shake her head. “No,” the russet girl offered. Selfishness only lead to death in a pack that relied so heavily on teamwork. His quick mention of Firefly was news to the woman, though. She'd seen the wolf around but never had the chance to introduce herself. That was something she had to fix. Raela wondered only briefly at the reason for her punishment before the topic of her rank shifted the subordinate's thoughts. 

Was she going to be challenged? Rae had never participated in such a thing. She'd never been higher than lowest before at all. And what of Cessair? The other woman was smaller, and probably an easy target if she ever wanted to be Minka's second. Aeus had taught her a little about fighting at least. Perhaps... Her thoughts fell by the wayside as Gent's words became urgent. Shaking her head slightly, Raela turned her eyes upward. Her lips pressed together as she sought the best way to articulate her thoughts. Finding that information was a bit lacking for her to formulate a definitive solution, the makeshift advisor found her friend's face again. “What exactly did he say?” she asked curiously. “I don't really know anything about him. He doesn't really speak to any of us.” Perhaps the mere fact of his seclusion was enough to warrant concern. “I haven't seen him do much for the pack either,” she admitted. Thinking again on the supposed threat, she added with concern, “Did he threaten your life?”

Gent's reply came quickly enough, and he seemed perfectly fine with supplying her all the information she needed and more. His voice was heavy and dark; clearly expressing disdain for the male's actions. As Raela listened on, she couldn't help but agree that his attitude warranted attention. The larger man drew his speech to a close, having grown more and more irritated in tone. Gabriel had clearly gotten under his skin; roused the part of her friend that she knew craved respect above all else. The woman directed her gaze away, taking note of how much the timbers had begun to sway in the storm. It was certainly cozy in this little den. Minka must have been feeling the same brand of comfort; tucked away deep within the confines of the birthing den. Probably nestled close to Kino, Ari and Draven, be they playing or having a nap. The thought brought her tranquility for a short time before she realized the threat this “Gabriel” character could pose to them. 

Gent was right in her mind, at least about the disrespect. Watching Aeus handle defeat was a very different experience than what it sounded like this wolf had done. Idly she concurred with the man while her brain examined the pieces. “No, you're right,” her voice floated between them quietly. “Probably let his anger get the better of him. In any case it doesn't sound like someone I would want as a leader.” But the real problem was whether or not this man was plotting against Gent; plotting more than just a rematch. “I hope he's not the kind to play dirty,” she added, glancing back at Gent with a suspicious expression in her eye. He would know what she meant. Hostile takeovers were not unheard of, especially where she came from. Her bright yellow eyes picked their way back to the dirt at her paws, focusing on nothing in particular while she continued to speak. 

“You should probably try having a word with him before you make a decision.” An ear tilted toward the ebony-coated man to catch any reaction or interruption. “If he really isn't a threat and he just lost his temper, punishing him out of the blue is probably just going to piss him off more. If you have a word with him first you might be able to recover some semblance of respect or understanding between you.” Raela paused again, watching his face a moment before her lips parted once more. “Say you go ahead and make him lowest right away, and he does challenge out of it instead of leaving. If he feels like he was treated unfairly, you're not going to have any sort of loyalty from him after that; he already doesn't like you. You'll still have a pack member, but not the kind you want.” Raela gave him a moment to take in her suggestion. “At least if you talk to him first he has a chance to change his attitude before you pass judgment. If he doesn't, or if he's still disrespectful, there's no reason for you not to do something about it.” She was trying her best to give the male a second chance. If Gent wanted her to be the light for him, she would be. There was no fairer course of action in her mind. 

They both seemed to be absorbed in watching the weather. The storm was only getting worse; lightning now casting its fury into the towering expanse of trees above. The light was close and bright, followed quickly by a particularly vicious sounding rumble of thunder. The nervous girl in her crept out, causing Raela to take a tentative step back from the mouth of the cave. She brought herself up against the back wall, tail curled protectively around the woman's feet. How she hated thunderstorms. It was all fine and dandy until it got this loud. Looking uncomfortably out at the whipping wind, she twitched an ear forward to catch Gent's small talk. She only looked on silently between his great black form and the pelting rain outside; unwilling to press the man for a response. It would only better her case to be patient and not overbearing. His agreement came slowly, seeping from his lips in something of a surrender. 

Had it really been that long since Gent had begun climbing the ranks? Thinking back, she supposed she couldn't quite remember, having not seen or heard of the scuffle until later. She regarded his cold eyes with curiosity. The man was clearly still mulling this over. When it appeared that he had finally chosen her suggestion, the girl's eyes grew softer. A smile would have been inappropriate, but it gently worked its way onto her face following his last admission. “Oh I don't know, our little chats seem to go pretty well.” Her voice was light and cheerful as she attempted to console him. Realizing quickly that there was more she could offer, the woman's face hardened some to illustrate that she was in fact taking this seriously. 

“You don't have to cuddle him, just talk to him like you do me. If you go in accusing him of something or acting like you're upset, he's probably not going to want anything to do with you.” She paused, well aware that her friend probably already knew the truth in what she was saying. It was more of a reminder to get his thoughts rolling down the right path than anything. “But if you make it seem like you care about how he's doing in the pack, or that you just want to get to know him better, you might find out if something besides you is bothering him. And if it is you, maybe you can clear it up.” She knew it could be entirely likely that Gabriel simply detested being defeated; and therefore was bent on de-throning Gent, but if that was the case the leader would find out soon enough by just talking to him. Her attention now fully focused on the new patriarch, Raela made the mistake of dismissing a subtle noise from outside as simply the storm rustling leaves or breaking a branch in the distance. She cast a glance toward the wet world but the sound was quickly forgotten. There were far more important things going on.

Not a moment after the woman had finished her sentence did the alien voice of who she would soon recognize as Gabriel begin to fill the enclosed space around them. Immediately her eyes flickered toward the outside world, body tensing as she pressed herself backward into the cold stone wall. How could she not notice him? Flattening her ears as the reality sunk in, she was allowed only a moment of embarrassment before Gent was on his feet. Instantly the dark male rose to his full height, his soft ebony tail curling commandingly into the air. The movement made her anxiety at the intrusion subside some; but the even tone of the other wolf's voice still created unease. He spoke of “testing” Gent during their fight, as if he wanted Gent not to attack; as if his initiation of the fight had been an error on Gent's part. She only found herself confused. Surely those words were meant to incite violence, and he must have known that a challenge was always physical when it came down to it. The whole thing seemed absurd to her. 

The man's next few claims were equally as peculiar. She felt shame for mentioning his apparent lack of provision for the Crest; at least if he was telling the truth. The more she thought about it the less she felt she believed the man. If he had been scouting so much, Minka would be able to tell her what this Gabriel had discovered. Scouting was of course useless if the pack was left uninformed. For all she knew he'd not spoken a word; and their only potential guide in these lands was deserting them. The thoughts urged Raela to consider doing some scouting of her own after this; she hadn't done as much with the eastern reaches of the land yet. Then, the younger male announced his leave; lowering Raela's ears with some kind of sympathy. She still wasn't sure if he spoke the truth, but she could understand pack life to be suffocating to some. It was of course, no excuse not to contribute, and she'd seen little from this man. 

Her eyes searched for Gent as she took a step forward; watching as the eavesdropper made his way toward the border. She found only a twisted snarl on Gent's face. It was predictable to say the least. The Alpha had not only been caught speaking ill of a pack member, but that member had stood before him with not so much as a submissive display, declared them both wrong, and deserted the group altogether. She might have been a little irritated herself, were she not so inclined toward empathy. It was then that Gabriel's voice reached back to them; sending the Crest wolves one last declaration as he trotted off into the rain. The realization made Raela's face warm, chilling her spine in the process. That was the problem right there. His past, it was always the wolf's past that created troubles like these. Now she did feel sorry for him. 

The meaning of his words and their connection to her own origins fully occupied her thoughts as Gent moved out to follow the ex-subordinate. She appraised his posture and gait, worried at first that he was going to charge the man but finding thankfully that these were not his intentions. She followed with her head low and ears flat, the harsh rain digging under her fur as the wind forced it down, down to her skin. The girl didn't so much as open her mouth as they trekked on; following the wolf until the Crest was barely visible through the trees. Finally the deserter was allowed to slip from sight; vanishing through the rain as they watched. Gent located another shelter, not nearly as secure and dry as the first, and invited her with a question. The soaked subordinate grimaced, glancing his way before curling up beside him in the semi-dry space. “I certainly can't say it's any great loss,” she offered, her tone now flat and defeated. Raela's head nestled itself between her ivory paws as she listened to the pelting rain. There was a moment of silence before she thought to continue. “I don't know how much I believe him about the hunting and scouting thing. It seems like a pretty good excuse to say you were just out scouting when he was probably just making himself scarce.” Her eyes clouded over into the distance; lids falling to half-mast as the next few somber words collected in her mouth. “I know what he means about his siblings though,” she said quietly, letting Gent in on another little piece of her history. After a moment, the woman pulled her attention back to the present. “What are you thinking?” she pried, her tone light. She could practically see the irritation her friend was radiating.