Blackout

Blackout had been spending time with the female he and hawk found and it was the only time he was near the pack. If he wasn't with her he spent away from the pack. But he was growing more annoyed lately and started staying near the pack with his tail in beta position. Though when Mega was around he did lower it a tad for the moment but he was getting to the point that he was going to attack his elder brother and this time he didn't think he'd stop till Mega submitted fully to him or possibly death. Storm should of just allowed Mega to have a year or two as alpha. This wouldn't be a problem if he had. No one seemed to care either blackout was nothing to them but another damn subordinate and it pissed him off. He had no clue when he had been off that Megatron had been making passes at the new female either that would urk him.

Darling & Waterlily

It had taken several weeks for Waterlily's leg to fully heal, a vile testament to the power of the terrible monster's bite. Even now, there were days where the wolfess favored her forelimb, where a patch of barren skin remained stubbornly without fur, and the bone beneath seemed to ache with lingering pain. Still, Lily was alive, and her health had steadily improved thanks to the kindness of Blackout and Hawk on that fateful spring day.

On this afternoon, the pale-coated Waterlily was laying in a small clearing, enjoying a grooming session with the elderly Darling. Lily was fussing over a patch of fur along the other fae's neck as Darling continued their current conversation, "What do you think of him?"

Waterlily snorted softly, "He is confident and strong, and he's not bad on the eyes... but, he's..."

"Old?" Darling finished with a chuckle.

"It's not just that." Waterlily deflected, now moving on to clean Darling's ruff. "Megs wasn't the one who rescued me. Blackout and Hawk where. And Hawk, you know he's still got hopes for that one fae?"

"So, Blackout?" Darling pressed, enjoying the gossip as much as she did the grooming.

A pause lingered for a beat or two before Lily responded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her maw, "Yes. But, I don't know... there's so much tension between he and Megs. I don't want to make it worse."

"You making a decision could help. It could give him the confidence to stay with the pack more, perhaps confront Megatron." Darling offered.

Blackout

He could hear the two were talking but didn't hear what. He knew one reason megs wanted lilly he wanted pups. But blackout wanted lilly for more then that. His ears flicked as meg now moved toward the two females and blackouts fur bristled as he stared at his brother teeth bared

Megatron had ignored blackout even now with his tail above his back he approached the two females. Megs would get pups out of a female he needed to get a son so his son could lead the pack. Oh yes if he couldn't have what he truly wanted and deserved he'd train a son. **Ladies** he said

Darling & Waterlily

Darling's ears went back reflexively when Megatron entered the clearing, and her tail patted the dusty ground in greeting. Despite the tension that swirled around Megs and Blackout, Darling loved her younger brothers dearly and did her best to stay out of their conflicts. "Afternoon, Megatron."

The folding of Darling's ears had cued Waterlily in and she arched her head back, holding black a flinch when she saw who it was. Not because she was frightened, but because she worried he might have heard with the two were talking about.

A little belatedly, Waterlily angled her auds back, though they didn't lay as horizontal as Darling's. "Hello." Her greeting was cordial, though not perhaps as warm as it would have been had Blackout been the one standing their instead. Little did she know that the younger of the two brothers was nearby as well.

Megatron

Megatron laid down near Waterlilly. His ears flicked every now and then. I hope I did not interupt anythinghe said calmly.

Blackout was slowly getting closer. He did not like Mega near Lilly.

Darling & Waterlily

Waterlily shuffled her limbs and leaned ever-so-slightly against Darling. A gentle smile was offered to Megatron, "No, no, just some girl talk is all." Her eyes danced briefly to Megatron's, trying to decipher whether he had heard them and was fishing for the truth, or if he was simple there to strike up conversation, and was none-the-wiser about the topic they'd shared.

Sensing her friend's discomfort, Darling piped up, "How have patrols been going, brother?"

Blackout still hadn't been picked up by either fae, though Waterlily was sure she'd heard the crunch of a leaf? It was so slight of a noise that she wrote it off as a ground squirrel or robin picking through the underbrush, and thus she kept her attention on the beta male, anxiously awaiting his response.

Megatron

He hadn't heard what they were discussing. ** Quiet** he responded to darling

Blackout fur was bristled as he got closer soon he'd be able to tackle his brother

Darling & Waterlily

Waterlily's gaze fell away from Megatron after holding there for a moment, satisfied that he seemed oblivious to their previous chatter. A slow breath of relief was released. On the downside, she was now sandwiched between the big male and the elderly Darling, leaving Lily with little space to wiggle away from the beta, so she distractedly began to nibble at her paw, pretending to clean away some grime that wasn't really there.

"Quiet is good." Darling held up the conversation for Waterlily's sake, "No humans then, I take it? I know Hawk has been quite talkative about those gummy berries the last human-" There was a sudden pause to the she-wolf's words as she finally caught a glimpse of white fur just beyond where Megatron was laying. She recognized this instantly as her little brother, and seeing how his hackles were raised, her heart began to race. This was not going to be pretty. "-uh, the last human gave him."

Megatron

He snorted ** he was a fool to eat that stuff** he said his ears twitch and that's when blackout lunged but Megatron was quick and met him with teeth and claws

Darling & Waterlily

Waterlily nearly tripped over Darling in her panic to get up when Blackout exploded from the underbrush, and Megatron wheeled around to meet him fang to fang. Darling's ears were pinned again as she too scrambled to her paws, though her movements were slower and stumbled once onto her hindquarters before properly scooting back from the embattled males.

"Boys, enough of this!" Waterlily barked sharply, knowing that her words would do little to stop their fight, but she had to try. Worriedly, she looked to Darling, "We need to do something, should we call the pack?"

The elder female shook her head, "I don't think either will be talked down from this. Storm has tried, but they're as stubborn as their father."

An anxious whine crept through Lily's throat. She half wondered if there was something she could do to stop this fight, but the other half told her it would be pointless. She only hoped neither of them were wounded too badly in this latest brawl.

Blackout

Blackout was determined to win but despite meg age he was still a formidable for. He heard lilly but till he was back as beta. And till meg left lilly alone. This fight was more vicious then last.

Stormrunner, Darling, & Waterlily

Waterlily recoiled at the sight of the violent encounter and put some distance between herself and the combatants. "Megatron, please... Blackout!" She made another appeal to the pair, but wasn't even sure if her urgent yips would be heard about their snarling.

Darling didn't bother with trying to talk her brothers out of their rumble. And despite not calling for the pack, she was sure the noise of their scuffle would carry through the woods all the same.

Sure enough, Stormrunner had been alerted to the fracas and was soon rushing to the scene. His gray mantle was expanded and his tail held aloft as he entered the clearing, carrying the pose of an alpha, but the gaze of a worried brother as he saw the two were really going at it this time.

Megatron

Megatron wanted alpha but he saw that most of the pack was too damn loyal to storm even if alpha should of been his. But he would never step down as beta till he was either forced or he had a son to raise to be alpha. The two teeth locked now onto eachothers shoulders and neither were letting go. They were shaking Thier heads pushing each other and pulling both attempting to pin the other

Stormrunner, Darling, & Waterlily

"Storm, you have to do something!" Waterlily insisted when the alpha finally showed up. Her anxious gaze flit between him and the brothers who were now locked into each other's shoulders and thrashing one another about savagely.

Storm shook his head softly, "This is not a fight I can settle." Undercutting his firm words was a look of genuine concern from the alpha that was not missed by Lily. The Stormrunner was worried not just for the wellbeing of his brothers, but for the health of the pack. The tension and unrest stirred up by their constant fighting was leaving everyone on edge, himself included.

"They aren't going to stop." The she-wolf implored, while Darling looked on, "One will end up dead. Storm, please. You're the alpha, aren't you?"

He flicked an ear in her direction, showing that he was listening even though his sights were glued on Megatron and Blackout. He growled faintly, and to Waterlily's surprise, that growl grew into a thunderous snarl that had her cowing back a little. But the growl wasn't meant for her, "Stop! Both of you!" Stormrunner stepped forward now, baring his fangs and stiffening his high-held tail.

Megatron

Megatron snarled at Storm right back **Not till he learns his place back off** He snarled. His own tail stiff.

black snarled only at Megatron **My place is above you** He snarled at his brother.

Stormrunner & Others

Stormrunner narrowed his eyes and deepened the tones of his snarling, "I'm giving both of you a direct order. Stand down." The fur along his back prickled up, joining the expanded mantle of fur that was already wreathed about his neck and shoulders. A snap was directed to Megatron's flank, a rebuke for daring to snarl back and defy his orders, and a look of warning was briefly shot to Blackout to remind his sibling that he too needed to heed Storm's rule.

Waterlily stepped gingerly away from the angered alpha and took up space beside Darling, who observed the quarrel with the same quiet reservation of one who'd endured this kind of scene many times throughout her long life. For Lily though, she was still getting use to it, and this was the first time she'd seen the normally calm and even-tempered Stormrunner so agitated.

Not far off, Starscream was now making his way to the little clearing. The former alpha was far too old to even begin to engage in these activities, but there was no doubt he'd have plenty to say about it when he got there.

Crow & Hawk

Through the summer foliage came Hawk, loping at a quick clip. He tended to shy away from his cousins' squabbling, but as per usual, could often be found in the vicinity of Stormrunner or Blackout, when the former beta was in the territory.

Reaching the scene of the fight, Hawk's hasty steps slowed, and his tall auds switched between slicking back in apprehension and flicking forward to catch the growling words of his packmates. Hesitantly, the golden-eyed brute took a place a few yards back from Stormrunner and observed the interaction in silence.

Further back in the trees, Crow was moving to intercept Starscream. Not to stop his uncle, but to be there should Star be foolish enough to try and insert himself into the fight.

Megatron

Megatron snarled at Storm but didn't bite back he did stop but his tail was still up and hackles raised. Indeed he interupting something an alpha would not normally interupt. you are not beta i amhe snarled back.

blackout snarled keeping his tail in beta position now. He wouldn't lower it. ,Now your interupting a beta challenge? im beginning to wonder how well you are as an alpha. I will not bow to megatron i am beta He snarled.

Stormrunners & Others

"Both of you!" Stormrunner thundered, his voice carrying with authority that his glistening fangs backed up. Another snap was aimed at Megatron's rump, a little harsher than the first, warning his brother that his patience was running thin for his continued insubordination. "A good beta listens to and respects their alphas, and a good alpha steps in when fighting has gotten out of paw." Dangerously narrowed eyes honed in on Blackout, giving the former beta a rare rebuke as well for calling him out, "Check your egos and stop this fight long enough to hear me out. That is an order."

Waterlily was utterly silent now. The constant fighting and tension had certainly made her anxious in these past weeks, and this had to be the worst tussle of them all. On top of it, with Stormrunner here, she wasn't sure if it would escalate further, or whether the pack leader would be able to contain the ongoing feud.

To Lily's relief, Stormrunner didn't launch into an attack on either of the brothers for disrespecting him, but carried on with words instead. "One of you is going to end up seriously injured, or worse." Storm began, in a voice still thick with an underlying growl, but the bared fangs had been sheathed. "This constant fighting with one another is harming the cohesion of the pack. Iopa is with pups, and I need a family that is more focused on hunting and working together than being distracted by you two trying to tear each other to shreds." What Storm didn't add, mostly because Starscream was now joining the pack in the clearing, was his concern for the elderly members of their clan. Their father had begun to show a sudden and worrying decline in his speed and health, and could no longer participate in hunts. Darling wasn't much better off, and Crow wasn't far behind them.

Megatron

He snapped back this time. But mostly at air. well its not gonna stop till he learns his placehe said with a snort .

blackout was baring his teeth at Megatron My place is BetaHe growled.

Stormrunners & Others

When Megatron snapped back, the line was crossed. Stormrunner moved forward to grab Megatron's flank, or the side of his cheek if the elder brother was still facing him, and this time he'd give Meg's a light thrashing. As much as he disliked violence, letting an insubordinate snub his orders would only invite further rebellion and chaos in the hierarchy, and weaken his own position. "Enough fighting!" The fangs were back in play, being bared in all their pearly white glory, "I cannot have a beta who only uses his fangs and aggression to solve his problems." He was staring his elder sibling down, fire in his eyes that was fueled by frustration more than anything. "If you insist on this fight, take it out of the packlands and settle things today. I won't have you two continuing to unsettle the pack like this."

Starscream came up alongside Darling and Waterlily, having blundered past Crow's attempts to corral him. The old wolf snorted and sat back on his tawny-gray haunches, "What's this fight all about? Fighting over Waterlily?"

"It's over ranking." Darling informed quietly, even thought Waterlily was a big reason Blackout was so riled up. The former beta did not like the way Megatron kept putting moves on her.

Lily felt like a bubble ready to burst. A quiet whine escaped through clenched jaws. Harks crept up at Starscream's words, and then Darling's response. "Actually..." The words left her before she had time to stop them, and they kept coming. Apprehension aside, she had to do what she could to end this feud. Or would this make things worse? "..I think my presence isn't helping. I.." Her soft gaze landed on Blackout, "I don't know if I'm ready for a mate or not, but if I was, I would chose Blackout."

Megatron

Megatron barely dodged Storm The pack can move away from our fight no one stopping them im not leaving the territory to just put him in his place. he said . Do not interven in a rank fight it is inappropriate no matter how severe. Go take the pack for a damn hunt or somethinghe said his ears flicked at lilly but nothing more.

Black snorted Leave us to our fight no one stopping the pack from moving away from the fightHe said his ear slightly went back at lilly words and part of him wanted to stop but he needed his positon back.

Stormrunners & Others

A disheartened look settled in his eyes as he listened to Megatron once more not only ignore his orders, but talk back to him with such disrespect. The snarl that played in his throat was reduced to a low growl as that anger he'd carried simmered into disappointment. Violence had created this problem, and he wasn't going to use it to try and solve it. "I need a beta who puts the pack before themselves and has the decency to listen to their leader with keen ears instead of a snarling mouth. Until you two can prove to me that at least one is capable of that, neither of you will be my beta." He stepped away from his elder brother now, "Continue your fight if that's what's important to you, but don't expect to dine with the pack until everyone else has had their fill." With his decision made, Stormrunner turned a ringing howl to the sky, summoning the rest of the pack for a hunt before moving through the gathered wolves and heading to Galar's Marsh.

Darling quietly loped after her younger brother. She wouldn't be of great help during the hunt, but since the pups were not here yet, she had little reason to stay behind at the den.

Waterlily knew she couldn't stay either, after the brief speech Stormrunner just made. But there was one thing she could do, and that was to approach Blackout and slip a quick kiss to the side of his head with gentle lick of the tongue. "Good luck, Black." She whispered, hoping to give him the encouragement he needed. She then turned and melted away into the undergrowth, following the siblings.

Watching all of this play out, Starscream was scowling. Fangs had always been his preferred method of handling disagreements, and he had little problem with Megatron and Blackout duking it out to see who was top dog.

Crow & Hawk

Hawk dipped his head and followed wordlessly after Stormrunner. With his tail held loosely behind him, he wasn't about to try and claim the newly opened rank of beta, at least not when Megatron and Blackout were so adamantly at each other's throats for that very title. He gave his embattled cousins a brief glance over the shoulder before picking up his pace and exiting the clearing.

Crow was one of the few to linger behind as the rest of the pack filtered away. He would catch up with the pack soon enough to join in on the hunt, but would linger in the clearing for a moment or two to see if he could offer any advice to the two brothers if it was needed.

Megatron

Megatron snarled at that You do not determine whose beta brother once our fight is done it will determine whose beta and if im beta ill eat after you or you can kill me for me it

Black snorted this fight determines who is beta you can't stop that unless you kick us from the packhe said with a snort.And beta eats after alphaHe said.

Kurok frowned at Storm now. They are correct Storm you can't do either of those. They have all the right and its not safe for them to do a fight outside the packhe said calmly. He did frown at Megatron whole you'll have to kill him. But said nothing of it.

Crow

With the alpha and the others gone, the brothers' words fell only on Crow's aging ears. The silver wolf had stuck around for this very reason, and responded in calm manner to try and quell the aggression that bubbled in the wake of this encounter, "The pack needs unity now with pups on the way. Storm has made his decision, and I think it best that you both heed his advice. Strength is important, but you need to prove to him - and the rest of the pack - that you can do more than just fight with each other. Stormrunner and Iopa need a second in command who can show them respect, not hostility and stubbornness."

Megatron

He snorted he has my respect if he stays out of it like an alpha is suppose to. he knew this would happen it is his fault. We have all the right to finish our fight and who ever wins is beta he can't not stop that nor can he stop the beta from eatting after him. I would think you'd know this crow. he said.

Blackout laughed now No no megatron and Kurok are right Crow who ever wins this fight is beta and they have all the right to eat after the alpha. He cannot stop that unless he kicks us both from the pack. And he tries that im sure Megatron will help me fight back. He said with a snort. he knows neither of us will settle this he could of let megatron lead a second pack right here in our territory to keep family close but he chose thishe said. The pack will have one of us beta period the endhe said and then lunged once more for Megatron.

Crow

"I'm worried about the path you're both traveling." Crow responded, carefully picking his words while ignoring the subjects he knew would go no where with these two, Megatron especially. It was the elder brother whom his piercing green eyes focused more on, "You constantly butt heads with Storm, and throw attitude at him and anyone else who has a different view than your own. Our pack needs a beta who has compassion and understanding, not just anger and a hot head."

Those emerald eyes of his turned to Blackout now, and the disappointment at hearing the other's haughty laugh was clear in Crow's expression, "And you're walking in his footsteps, acting no better than Megatron. You both have the potential to be so much more, but right now neither of you are acting the part of a true beta. Our family needs someone to help Storm lead, not fight and hassle him at every turn." To Black's snort, the uncle sighed, "I hope that whoever wins this fight will learn something from what I said, and prove to Stormrunner that you can fill the beta role when he deems you ready."

Megatron

**I've been nothing but good to storm since fighting blackout the first time so I don't know what your talking about butting heads. I was meant to take over the pack as is it's what I was raised for** he snorted now shut crow out as he and black fought. His anger at his uncle's words though had distracted him and he ended up pinned.

Blackout just ignored crow. He barely got meg pinned but did however his left front leg was pretty bad