The snow was finally beginning to melt from the ground as spring came and brought its warmth to the forest. It was easier for the male to get out and about and stretch his still healing stilt with the warmer weather, making his limb more mobile and less stiff with each day. He had been spending more and more time out of his den, finally feeling like his old self. He had let his injuries get the best of him for too long, and his encounter with Kershov had made him realize that. Normally he was in the company of his king on a more regular basis, keeping up with things in their own pack as well as others. But after running into Macaria, the female from Saw Tooth, he had been distracted with repeated injuries and attempting to heal his body back to the warrior it used to be. But with repeated work outs and training his leg was strong again and he no longer walked with a limp. Noone but those that had been there for the cougar attack recently would ever know that anything had happened.

Grey Wind was no longer concerned about his limb, he had other things to worry about now. His last encounter with Kershov had not been the most pleasant, and it had left the two on bad terms. He knew that the other brute was upset with him, Grey Wind was upset with himself, but he knew that Ker was not one to hold a grudge and instead the king would punish him and the two would move on. That was how Kershov acted, he knew what was best to do and Grey Wind always trusted his judgement. But the alpha had not acted in a way that the grey would have expected. After Kershov discovered Macaria with him, he had of course been angry, but then had just left him. Grey Wind assumed that he would come back to deal with the situation, but he didn’t, and that was not like the Kershov he knew. As days went by, he went out to search for the white male. After searching for days on end, it was clear that the brute was gone. He had no reason to explain himself to Grey Wind, but the male still felt a bit of betrayal. He could only assume that whatever the other being was going through had been too much for even Abendrot to help with and instead had gone out on his own. The scent of Ker began to fade upon the border, and the grey brute knew that if he didn’t act, Abendrot would be vulnerable, and he would not let anything happen to this pack, to his true home.

Grey Wind then found himself doing border patrols as he always did, but instead was marking the borders with his own scent, as if he was the alpha. It was when he first realized this that he knew what he was to do, he would take over for Kershov. Noone could ever replace that reign that Kershov had had over Abendrot, but someone needed to be the alpha of the land. And Grey Wind was more than ready for the job. He had been taught from his puphood how to be an alpha one day, and now his time had come. He wondered if anyone would try to take the place, if Scarlet Nights was still out there, or Marx, or Enigma. But none of them had been seen for a long time. They of course would always have a place here, but they were not here now and Abendrot could not wait for them to come back. The male was debating when to call the pack together to let them know of the change, if they did not already, and the decision was made for him when he heard a howl from Halina. He did not know the female very well yet, but he knew how much Ker had trusted her, and so he trusted her too. There was no one else that he trusted like he had trusted Ker, and he hoped to get to that level with Halina.

Grey paws pushed through the trees, going towards the howl, knowing that next time it would be him that would call the pack together. As he approached where the female was, a foreign scent reached his nares. Someone else was with her. His yellow orbs saw Halina’s dark form, and a russet female sitting next to her. The two were sitting very closely, the unknown one’s red tail intertwined with Halina’s darker one, and he could only assume the two were mates. ”Hello, Halina.” He greeted his pack mate before turning his gaze to the other female. ”And who are you?” His words were not harsh, just upfront. The russet femme gave Halina’s neck a quick lick before she spoke, ”My name is Ygritte, Halina’s mate.” The female had a look in her eye that said she was the type to cause trouble, perfect for Halina. His head nodded at her, not going to question wolves that Halina had already accepted into the pack. "It is nice to meet you. My name is Grey Wind. I suppose since you are Halina’s mate that there is no point speaking to her in private as she will just tell you the news anyways.”

Grey Wind’s face turned to the female he already knew, knowing from her face that she knew Kershov had not been around as of late. "Halina, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, Kershov is gone. I have the sense that he will not be returning either. For that reason, I will be taking over as Alpha for him. I know we do not yet have the relationship that you had with him, or that I had with him, but I know how he trusted you. For that I am naming you my Beta.” His gaze turned back to Ygritte, addressing her directly. "Ygritte as you are new here and we just met, I am keeping you as an Omega for now until you prove yourself to this pack. I hope neither of you take offense to this, but ranks are earned here, not given out as Halina knows to be true.” He was unsure of how the female’s would reach, but Ygritte gave him a smile before speaking, ”No offense taken at all, it shows that you are taking your role seriously. I am new to a rank system anyways, so I will be following Halina’s behaviors to learn.” He thought it curious that she did not know of ranks, but perhaps she had been a loner her whole life. After he conversed with Halina, he too sat down, a few feet from his new Beta’s side. "I was going to be calling a pack meeting soon, but as you have already called to the pack we can wait for the others to come to tell them the news.” The male wrapped his plume around his paws, waiting to see what other vargs within Abendrot would come.