In the Beginning {Laika}

[Rontu]

Alone, half-starved and numb, Rontu had persevered through the harshest of mountain ranges. He had wandered solitaire through no-wolf-zones, through human settlements and pack lands too, never to rest until he found it. Either the perfect somewhere, or the perfect someone. Whatever came first.

Well, his perfect someone had found him first. And it made finding the perfect somewhere all the easier to bear.

Rontu cast a sideways glance at Laika as the two stood over their new dominion. A broad, emerald valley stretched before them, guarded on all sides by jagged, snow-capped peaks. The valley was dotted with pine trees, and a shimmering river cut through as well. It was ideal; sheltered, rich in resources, and teeming with prey to boot.

A crooked smile splitting his face, Rontu leaned over and touched Laika's shoulder with his nose. "I like it."

[Laika]

"I like it."

A small smile touched the she-wolf's maw as she felt Rontu's cool nose brush against her pelt. Laika returned the affection with a lick on the brute's muzzle. "It's perfect," she breathed, moving her eyes over the landscape. And indeed, it was.

The young she-wolf had often dreamed of this day, when she would be free to raise a family and a pack of her own, alongside a loving mate. And now that it had finally come, Laika could hardly contain her joy and excitement.

With a playful nip at Rontu's ear, the fea dashed down the slope and made her way to the river. Laika waded out into the water, grinning at the feeling of the current swirling around her legs. She turned to Rontu, waiting for him to catch up. "And what shall we call it," she asked him. "Our new home, and our pack."

[Rontu]

With a chuckle, Rontu started down the hill after his mate. "Oh so that's how it's gonna be," he teased, chasing the she-wolf to the bottom of the slope. He followed her into the river, shivering as the cold water cascaded through his fur. Pointedly he aimed a calculated splash at Laika, bounding back in the case of a counter attack.

For a moment, Rontu admired the sight of the femme, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. She was beautiful, he thought, and one of the strongest and most courageous she-wolves he had ever known. Without her, Rontu was uncertain of whether he would have survived the last hundred miles.

Their trials at an end, they would now rule this valley as Alpha and Alphess. It was almost too good to be true.

"And what shall we call it? Our new home, and our pack."

Rontu stood for a moment in the river, feeling the bottom sand ripple beneath his paws. A faint memory appeared to him, of the name he used to chant in unison with the team. What they would call themselves upon crossing the finish line, if it had come to pass. It was about time he honored that beloved team, whose names had been lost with the blizzard of time.

"Perhaps, we shall be the Aarothee pack," said Rontu, slowly coming out of his reverie. "And all who surround us will respect that name."

[Laika]

A sharp squeal was uttered as the she-wolf's pelt was drenched by cool water. Laika whipped around to face Rontu, her eyes wide with fright. His playful attack had caught her off her guard.

As she watched him dash away, that crooked smile upon his maw, she couldn't help but laugh. He was just as playful as a yearling pup, and at the same time he was the most gentle brute Laika had ever known. Her heart fluttered whenever she looked upon him.

She still planned to get even with him, for splashing her, of course.

"Perhaps, we shall be the Aarothee pack. And all who surround us will respect that name."

A smile touched the she-wolf's maw. "That is a noble title," she replied, dipping her head in approval. She noted the thoughtful expression on her mate's face, the distant, far-away look in his eye. As if he were lost in a memory. Laika wondered what significance the name held for the brute.

She approached him now, reaching out to nuzzle his cheek, but instead, she pressed her cold nose into his ear. Oh, wouldn't he just hate that! "Pay back!" She declared, grinning broadly.

[Rontu]

The feeling of Laika's cold, wet nose in his ear sent shivers running down the length of his spine, and Rontu bounded away, sending up more waves of water. "Not fair!" he protested, and yelped as he tripped and landed completely submerged in the river.

Paddling underwater for a brief moment, Rontu opened his eyes to slits, marveling at the sight of a whole other world beneath the water's surface. Schools of salmon swam by, scattering from the wolves' legs, while pebbles on the riverbed glittered beneath the sunrays.

Rontu held his breath, pondering with some amusement his mate's reaction, should he not reemerge from the water.