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A change was sweeping through Gomorrah. Leadership had been passed on, a title exchanged, and new blood was replacing the aging. To most, it would have seemed a welcome change - or, at the very least, little bother.

To Django, it represented a much more complicated problem.

Before this young upstart had come into the picture, his ties to Lilith had been strengthening - her trust was slow to come, but he had been confident of gaining it, with time. He didn’t know much about this new alpha, but he sensed that she was not as likely to treat her pack members with the same leniency as Lilith. There was something about her, something he sensed from the little observation he had done, that spoke of confidence, control, and above all, a need for that control.

Tighter security did not fit well with Django’s plans, though, vague as they were. He needed to build trust with his alpha, whoever she might be, and he wanted to build it fast. Any time that he had spent talking to Lilith was now a waste, for she was no longer alpha. Django’s scraggly pelt rippled in irritation. This young wolf was complicating things.

Frustration had taken Django on a random path through Gomorrah territory, pacing in quick, light steps between the twisting of trees and undergrowth around him. His short time with the pack had already made him so much healthier. A fortnight ago, he would not have allowed himself to exert this much unnecessary energy, for it would have made him painfully aware of how emaciated and powerless he was. Now he let his irritation direct him, with no thought for the effect it might have on him. He was still as thin and mangy as ever, but it was reassuring to have some control back.

Abruptly, the scent of his new Alpha reached Django, interrupting his musings and causing him to wrench his head up. It was not simply a scent-marking - Piper was close by. Wrinkling his nose with a somewhat annoyed curiosity, he found her general location, a ways ahead of where he now stood. There wasn’t much of a wind - she would notice him within a few seconds, at most. Standing stock still, he allowed his thoughts to flow freely within his head, hoping a course of action would make itself known from the mess.

The solution was already evident, though, no matter how much he disliked it. He had to shove down his pride, along with any irritation, and simply begin to once more to work his way into his alpha’s trust.

The question was, how should he go about doing this?

This solution came tumbling in a second after the first, adequate enough if a little simplistic. A new alpha needed friends and support within her pack, even if she had received her title in a legitimate fight. He was not well known among the pack, but he did know them. Most of his time as a pack ‘outsider’ had been spent watching the other wolves interact - and his sudden, unexplained acceptance by Lilith had earned him a certain amount of respect, he liked to think. He had his loyalty and his wits to offer to this new wolfess, at the very least. Loyalty was the first thing a new Queen would ask for.

His decision made, Django moved forward once more and met Piper nearly head on. The white and blue wolf was walking alone, also, and he realized that it was the first time he had seen her up close. She was beautiful, he had to admit, in that lanky, confident way of a wolf just reached adulthood. And, also for the first time, he realized that he was dealing with a real wolf, not just some distant concept of an alpha. This wolf had her own complexities and motives, her own feelings and oddities. She was his Queen - and she was also just a wolf, as he was just a wolf. It was an interesting thought.

“My Queen,” Django lowered his head in respect for the wolf. “I knew Lilith only briefly - my loyalty is with you now. How may I serve you?” His greeting was dramatic and generally overdone - but she was very young, and newly an alpha, so he imagined that something so cliché was exactly what she was looking for. Still, he hoped she had caught that crafty, expectant look that had accompanied his question. It would be wonderful, Django thought with a small amount of hope, if this new Queen was smart enough to take advantage of help offered to her.

After all, it was always easier to respect a leader who was not shy of power.

She was smart one, this wolf! Django stared mutely up at her for a moment - and then broke out into rasping laughter. He could get used to a Queen like this.

“Heh, I see you’re a wolf to keep an eye on, eh? I’m glad to know you won’t be used - I can certainly respect you for that.” His eyes lit up, and he raised his head a little. He was not a ranking wolf, and he would certainly never challenge her, but that did not mean he would hold himself as meekly as some common omega. He liked this wolf, and he wanted to show her that he had at least some self-respect, and confidence of his own.

“And yes, I am part of this pack, although that was a recent development.” He added, not bothering to elaborate. “And you are Piper, daughter of Tabansi?” He tilted his head, eyes narrowing in thought. “Yes, I think I’ve heard your father’s name mentioned before…” He nodded his head slowly, feeling the weight of his matted neck fur. “And certainly I’ve heard your name, especially in recent days.” He grinned at this last thought, a flash of teeth and sparkling eyes.

“Well, Piper, daughter of Tabansi, I am Django… son of no one. Whether or not I planned to use you seems to be of little importance - I have a feeling you would not let me get away with such a thing, even if I tried!” He let out another huff of laughter at this remark. There was something about her straightforward manner that had cheered him immensely.

Her words also made him stop and think, though. She had been sure to mention, quite plainly, that Lilith had stepped down willingly for her. Were there some who contested that, or who contested her fitness for the position? Piper was a young wolf with no experience leading a pack, after all, and the wolves had known Lilith‘s habits and requirements as leader. He could understand why some wolves might not want Piper as their Queen. The unknown was rarely favored over an already-comfortable reality.

Still, there was something in him that made him disagree with this assumption. He could tell that Piper was made to be a leader. Lilith had been too haunted by her past - although, he reflected, his knowledge of said past probably hadn’t helped the situation. This young wolfess, though, was living solely in the present. After all, she was already Queen - and barely out of her adolescence!

“I believe you, Piper - you seem more than able to rule, and I do not think Lilith would give over her position if she did not also see this.” For a moment he was solemn, before a sly note crept into his voice. “Are there those who would not have you for their Queen? That seems most… problematic.” He licked at his lips, and eyed her appraisingly. “Do you plan to do anything about that?”

Another question, unspoken, followed after his last words: Is there any way I can help?

Django couldn’t help but let his curiosity show openly, as Piper talked. She didn’t care if some wolves left? The idea was a new one, and he chewed it over carefully, finding both it’s flaws and also it’s strong points - and there were more of the latter than he had first instinctively thought.

The flaws were basic. The whole idea of simply letting wolves under her power get up and just walk away did not make sense to him. It had always seemed to him that the whole point of being an Alpha was to exercise control over the wolves in your pack. It was what he would do, at any rate. It was the only example he’d seen so far from alphas - at least until he had happened upon this interesting pack.

Django sat slowly back on his haunches, his ears pricked to show that he was still keeping his complete attention on Piper. His eyes, often unsettling in their complete focus, stared openly at her without flickering.

The strong points of her sketchy plan were actually somewhat compelling, he reflected. If she was not intending to keep the pack groveling, frightened and constantly in line, then this type of openness would make sense. The wolves who didn’t support her would leave, to be replaced by those who did want to serve her.

The problem was… how could she guarantee that more wolves would come? When she asked after his opinion, this worry was so prominent in his mind that it almost didn’t surprise him that she had addressed him for his advice. Almost. Then he remembered his relatively low station in the pack, and let the reality of the situation hit him. He wasn’t an omega, but at the same time he was nearly an outsider - and she wanted his input.

She might or might not listen to it, but still, it was something.

“I would say, Piper, that if wolves choose to leave, it is indeed their loss. But, my question is… how do you intend to recruit other wolves to replace them? This pack functions as a whole - I don’t doubt you know that fact already.” He shook his limp neck-ruff, and shuffled just a little closer.

“You’ll need recruiters, once this fully starts - the ranks will sort themselves out, but that won’t work if there are no wolves to fill the spots. If recruiting isn’t done to replace those who leave… then it will be Gomorrah’s loss, not the loss of the wolves walking away.”

Django shuffled back a little bit once more, letting out a nervous laugh that turned into a hacking cough. He had only said what needed to be said - had he still overstepped his bounds?