You've Got A Friend In Me

All he could hear was the sound of footsteps above his head, how they echoed in the wolfen igloo he had made, cocooned by the compacted snow that had fallen while he was sleeping outside of her den. Nazareth had dreamed of the lashing he would recieve, the verbal punishment that would be bestowed upon him, and the stripping of his rank. With a shudden of his body, the snow on his back caved in, and he stood from the hollow spot in the snow bank. *Winter here is damn near brutal and it's only begun.* Nazareth now covered in snow was a sight to see, like a canine snow man, at this thought he began to laugh as he walked toward the opening of her den. Surely, she had gone inside, not knowing he was in the snow outside, the watery fluff covering his scent or better yet masking it. Emitting a slight whine, he called to her become a soft and tender growl, as he dipped his head to the entrance and took two steps in, awaiting to hear her voice in return. "Ma'am?" He gently called out to her before he continued, "May I please have a word with you?" The voice concerned and caring, yet fairly upset. *Here we go...* Ears perked forward, he refused to move until told too, not wanting to overstep his boundries once more.

The female could almost blend into the snow that surrounded her den. She was curled into a tight ball, her snow as white as that of it outside. She had been dreaming peacefully, her body healing from all the stress and tension. Soon, she would be fresh. Her mood chipper and less violent, but now she just needed to sleep. And that's exactly what she did. The sound of Nazareth's voice alerted her. White ears perked and amber eyes opened hesitantly. She could have slept forever, without a care in the world. But, all good things must come to an end, and she would have to come back to reality eventually. Her ears gave a flick, her body tensing at how upset and concerned her Beta's voice was. Quickly, she gained herself to her paws, going through a quick grooming session to make her look half way decent. It was a woman thing. Though, in the end she still looked like some kind of creature with white spiky fur. With a slight yawn, she decided to allow him in, it was only fair. "Come on in." Her voice was sleepy, but soft. A tone she hardly used, but was using now. It sounded almost like how a mother would talk to a mate, or cherished one.

Word Count:221

Lowering his body a near inch from the ground, he crawled his way into her den, allowing his large body room to get into the hole. Yet, once in, the den seemed to magically open up into a fairly decent sized den. Large enough for the Alphess and at least two more adult sized wolves. Nazareth had never been in her den, only his own, which was not too far from her's. It was comforting and warm, the ground still soft, and the clay formed around his paws. *Beautiful.* The thought was pertaining to the home she had built for herself as well for the Alphess herself. As he regained his posture, he made sure to stay relaxed, so that she may not be fearful of the brute in her den. "Ma'am, I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier. I overstepped my boundries when I spoke out of turn during your encounter with the new wolf, Achak." His voice was soft as he spoke to her and sincere as he dipped his head in shame, his eyes closing. "As your Beta, it is my responsibility to protect you at all times, to challenge those who come to our borders, and to make my opinions known. Obviously, my timing was off, and I had highly upset you which was not my intent. My own eyes saw no harm with the young male at the borders and I thought a light joke was appropriate when in fact, it was not." The smooth voice continued as his hind quarters found their way to the floor, his front paws tightly placed before him, as his back straightened.

Nazareth then lifted his head, proudly, and opened his eyes. As he opened them he could finally see the true beauty of the Alphess before him. A sharp inhale was heard as he scrambled to find his words. He had never really looked at Alluri like this before, with respect and a growing fondness. It wasn't just protection he felt for her, it wasn't just a job. The time that they had spent together alone, trying to built a pack, had taken a toll on him. As her right hand man, he had begun to develop feelings for her that could not be explained. *She is so beautiful and you're just noticing now Naz, you stupid wolf.* His mind raced as he thought hard on what to say next without sounding like a fool. "Alluri, you look beyond tired, you should rest. If you wish I can keep post outside of your den tonight and we can discuss this in the morning, I fear my den has been snowed in." Nazareth then smiled at her as he lowered his head a bit to get more comfortable. "I truely do apologize Alluri." The sound in his voice was painful but sincere.

As her Beta made her way in, the Alphess ears perked on her head, twitching in his direction. He looked so sad and she felt a flicker of depression in her stomach, knowing that she was the reason he was feeling that way. The apology came first, and like any woman, she found her ears pinning, obviously putting on some kind of tough act. She wanted to be tough all the time, not wanting to give in or show off anything that could make her look weak. Her tail swayed slightly in the snow, catching the white chunks on it's tip and the rest in her thick winter coat. But, instead of arguing, she forced her ears forward and dipped her head in forgiveness. He was obviously shaken up about the mistake and his grief and understanding of the mistake was all the white wolf could ask for.

The male inhaled sharply and seemed to be at lost with his words, so the Alphess took matters into her own paws. Giving her pelt a strong shake to rid of the cold particles, she padded over to Nazareth. When she was close enough, she rested her muzzle against his hung head, gently licking the side of his ear. "If any one is in need of rest here it's you." Alluri murmured gently, her tail resting on the beta's broad shoulder. If she sent him back out to sleep in the snow, the pity would only grow. There was plenty of room in her den and there was no need for him to leave when there was no Alpha. "It's too cold to sleep out there tonight. Make yourself comfortable and we'll clear out your den tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Naz." With that she gave him another gentle lick on the head.

The white she wolf made her way back to the lighted part of the den that was warmed by the moon. Curling into a small ball she wrapped her tail comfortably over her nose. Amber eyes watched to make sure Nazareth had settled before she allowed her eye lids to close and get her some rest.

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*Sleep here, with the Alphess?* His mind asked the question and his heart began to race. *What is happening to me, stop it Naz, you can't fall in love with the Alphess.* Nazareth lowered his head to respectfully follow her to the back of the den, where he made comfort by lying reletively close to her. "Alluri, are you sure that it is okay for myself to lie here with you? I fear that it is highly disrespectful for a single male like myself to lie with his Alphess." Yet, still he folded his paws beneath his chest and propped his head up, longingly gazing at her. "I don't need the rest Ma'am, I slept outside your den awaiting for your return, when I heard your entering I felt that it was time to awake and come and meet you for me to apologize. However, I will be more than happy to share your den with you this evening, but, I shall sleep lightly only to protect you incase of danger and to make sure that the sweetest of dreams enter your mind." Nazareth let out a slight yawn as he gazed over her tightly curled body, only hoping to lie closer to her to keep her warm, but he stayed put.

As he rested his head down, he released his paws from under his chest and stretched out, his muzzle lying inches from hers. As he inhaled, he could smell her scent masked by the snow, but still lucious to him. It was that time of year, when he felt the urge to mate, but he would never mate with someone not willing or unless they felt the same way for him that he did for the admiring female. "Alluri, may I be honest with you?" A sudden pain and rush of excitement ran through his body before he continued to speak. "This is going to be very bold of me, but, over the time that I have worked by your side, I have developed a sense of authority to your pack. A certain protectiveness over you, where my feelings can not be held back anymore. I would like to ask your permission to lie with you this evening as well as begin to get to know you a bit better. I want nothing more than to make you happy and to help you with this pack, but, I fear I can't do that until we are honest with each other." Nazareth was then silent, his eyes wide as he looked her over, how sweet she looked curled up from the cold.

The white female gave a warm smile at the male as he seemed so insecure of himself. Alluri might be strict with the rules of a pack, but she saw no harm in the male taking shelter in her den because his was snowed in. That was simply common friendliness, wasn't it? When he began to just ramble on, she let out a small, amused laugh. "Don't get so worked up. I don't see any harm in it." Her voice was sleepy, an ear flicking toward the male to listen as he continued to speak. Truth was, Alluri liked his company, that was true. She liked how he was so protective, it made the small female feel safe, even though she always made it so obvious that she was able to protect herself and even the other two pack mates she had if it came to be like that.

When he stretched out, lying his muzzle close to hers, Alluri allowed herself to breathe in his scent. It made her feel comfortable and relaxed all at the same time. Now if she really needed it, she would be able to get a good nights sleep. Not having to worry about anything intruding on the pack, at least. Suddenly after she thought he would be falling asleep, he spoke up again, almost making the Alphess jump. But she nodded her head to his question her ears flicking back in his direction. None the less, the white she wolf felt honored by his words. It wasn't every day that you gained a wolf so willing and loyal to your pack. He was strong, loyal, protective, and all the things you could need in an Alpha.

But, Alluri wasn't ready for a mate. She was still focusing on gaining pack members, getting food. She didn't mind having him close to her or sharing a den with him. But, she wouldn't focus on mating or an Alpha until more members came in and she was absolutely sure she could provide for them. So with a small yawn, all she said was; "You are welcome in my den and in my life for as long as you need or want to be here, I will never take that away from you." With the words out of her mouth, the female moved her small body a bit closer to Nazareth. Allowing his dark pelt to brush hers and share his warmth. It wasn't really a romantic gesture, or a hint to anything, but simply a way to keep warm in the deep depths of winter. Another small yawn escaped the females maw as she once again lowered her head to her paws and closed her eyes, this time prepared if he spoke up again.

Word Count:468