I headed away from the table to find Emerald after finishing my food. I walked the Black Dragon hall looking for Emerald's room. A passing large Black Dragon stopped and bowed to me. "Black Dragon. I have been waiting for you to come back home."

I smiled and bowed. "By chance are you Emerald?" She smiled and bowed to me in answer. "Black elder told me that she asked you to be her sister and that you had an interest in joining my pack."

"I do. I came to the Black Dragon hall as soon as I heard you were here." She lifted the bag in her hand. "I was in the market. I got a gift for a Black elder."

I smiled. "Do you want to go somewhere private so we can make this decision?" Emerald nodded and gestured to one of the rooms nearby that we could sit in. I followed her into the open room and closed the door behind us. "So you want to be a member of my pack?"

"I wish to give my hatching a good start. I know that the fight is going to be long over before they will hatch but I would like them to have a place to go if anything happens to me. I have spoken to other wolves and they told me that a pack is a family that is not related. It is like having a colour before you can change your scales." She sat down on the bench as she talked.

I sat opposite her. "I see. Well, that is true but packs are different in so far as if the alpha says you do something you do it. You will also be given a station within the pack and that will come with important duties. You would need to make sure that your duties as a Black Dragon and your duties to the pack do not collide." She smiled. "I wouldn't be able to guarantee your position would be high in the pack."

"How does the hierarchy work in the pack then?" She asked with the same smile on her face that told me she was interested.

"Well, you are born into your place but can change if your position no longer fits with your abilities. As you are a Black Dragon you will probably be a pack warrior. Maybe even my gamma. I am the alpha and my family is above everyone in the pack. Michi is my bata which means he is a step below me and the gamma would be under him." She nodded along seeming to take in all the information.

"How do you sort non-wolves into their station?" She asked pulling out her notebook and jotting some things down.

"I would have to test your abilities and see where you land. The same as I would a wolf except I would have their birthright to consider." She nodded as the door came open and a young dragon offered me a note. "Thank you." I said taking it.

My blood started to boil and I found myself growling. "A problem alpha?"

I looked at Emerald and then to the young Dragon that waited for my replay. "No replay thank you, Dragon." They bowed and closed the door. "I have been sent an insult. One of the other packs is trying to take me down."

"Maybe I could help?" Emerald offered.

"I will let you in the pack but the official stuff will have to wait. I promise I will have you in my pack. I'm afraid you can't help with this. This is alpha business. If you could stay close to Katja then at least I know she will be safe."

She stood and bowed. "I shall go and ask to be close to her while she is at home."

Emerald left the room and I sighed sitting back. I need to talk to Katja and Michi. I thought shaking my head and standing. I think I will start with Katja. I walked out of the room and walked to Katja's office. I was surprised when I saw Silver Elder coming out looking angry. I bowed to her as she passed me. She bearly looked at me.

"Black Dragon." I turned to see Katja standing in the doorway to her office with a White Dragon. "Gold elder is coming back home. She wishes to speak to us both. Please go to meet her and escort her to my office."

Katja looked tired as she closed the door. I turned and started to head to the entrance of my home. The White Dragon followed me out of the Black Dragon hall and when she turned towards the corridors heading for the entrance to home I realised she was going to meet someone too.

I was lost in my thoughts and I practically walked into Topaz who stopped just in front of me and bowed. I stopped and watched the White Dragon walk away taking with her the fear that she mite have been sent to watch me. "Honoured mother. How are you?" Topaz said drawing my attention away from the White Dragon.

I smiled at him. "I'm alright. How is Kyros? Katja mentioned you were in charge of his care."

"He is doing well. I had to travel with him as his wounds kept reponing. He is stable but unconscious right now."

"I see. Katja is in her office if you are looking for her. I'm going to meet Reina when she comes in." He nodded. "Are you going to see Katja?"

He sighed. "I can not at the moment I am on Blue Dragon business. I was sent to talk to you. I heard you and your sister fort in the battle and you were very angry."

"It's a thing that happens when I'm outnumbered. Nothing to worry about. Is that why you were sent to talk to me?" He shook his head and I sighed feeling sure that I was going to be hassled. "Then follow me to the entrance. I need to see Reina when she lands I think I may have upset her."

He fell in beside me after nodding. He walked in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "It was not your anger that had me sent to you, more a worry for your wounds after the battle. Is there something I can do for them right now?"

I chuckled. "My wounds are fine for the most part. I'm not hiding my pain now Topaz." He smiled at me. "To be honest I'm more worried for my sister. Your brothers keep trying to tie her up when she loses herself. Is there a way to have them treat her a little softer?"

He sighed. "She does like to bite when she is lost and very little charms her. Unfortunately, we can not always be available to calm her down and Black Dragon has not got her full trust yet. I have talked to Blue Elder about the situation and all he said was that we could try and make her comfortable with someone else."

Sighing I nodded. "Now we are not officially at war I'm sure we can make sure one of us can be with her until she can trust some others. If we could get her here for a bit Katja could be here."

"I know Eboni wouldn't hurt Katja but my brothers and sisters would not like her putting herself in the way of someone they see as mad at the moment." I nodded. "No amount of words can fix the problem with your sister. I will try to be there for her."

We stopped at the entrance of the volcano. Topaz looked around at the others in the crater. I saw the White Dragon and thought. So she was on her way here.

"Tell me about your wounds. Are you in pain with any of them?"

I shrugged. "Not a lot. I'll let you tend to them later if that is why you are here." He sighed at my tone. "Sorry, Topaz I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm just worried about what Reina wants while I'm trying to work out what I'm going to do for my pack."

He put his arm around my shoulder. "I am sure Reina is not going to be upset with you. What are you trying to do for your pack?"

I looked up at him seeing the smile on his face made me remember why he was interested in the pack. Looking back at the crater above me I remembered him asking if he would be a member. "There are certain expectations on a pack. We are expected to have strength and land. Right now other wolf packs will look at the night wolf pack and see only two wolves and a human. We are easy pickings in their mind. The village will be seen as my territory because I'm in charge and so they could try for it. My only hope is to grow the pack and hope the Dragons will protect us while we try to get ourselves together."

"I am a member of your pack and Katja has a Black Dragon that wishes to join too. You are not as easy to take down as you think. You are Duha Wolf of the battlefield. They haven't taken that into account either."

Shaking my head I looked up at him again. "Theirs is a pack with 20 members that are already plotting from the message I got. They have warned me to stand down as mayor of the village or face them for a challenge. I doubt they would win but if I'm facing challenges all the time I will not have time to do anything for the pack. Not to mention that the pack fighting is going to be a problem for Eboni."

"If you explain this to Reina and council you will get help. I will come to you later to help you with your wounds." He turned and started to walk away. "Do not forget Duha, I am in this pack too and if you need help you can call on me."

With that, he left me. I sighed and went back to watching for Reina. It took a couple of hours for the transport to announce themselves and in those hours I was plagued by the thoughts of what my pack was going to face now.

I saw three White Dragons fly over the opening at the top of the volcano and watched as they circled with the flags they held flapping behind them. Then the transport came into view and started its slow descent the White Dragons breathed fire. When the transport was halfway down the Dragons started to follow it.

I looked over at the White Dragon that had moved at the sound of the transport. She stood back straight waiting like I was. With a soft thud of the transport touching the ground, I looked back to see the White Dragons lining up around the transport hiding it almost completely behind a wall of white scails. Two others walked slowly to the door of the transport with their flags. This seems silly. I thought watching the presetion. That was when I realised the White Dragon was waiting for Reina too.

We both approached the transport and she bowed to me to give way to me. The door came open and I saw Reina standing there with Kyanite. She looked to Kyanite who took the two children Reina held and walked off without a word. He looks exhausted. I thought watching him disappear into home.

"Come on you two to Katja's office." Reina said leaving her bag for someone else to take to her room. We both followed Reina all the way to Katja's office. She walked straight in and turned to the White Dragon. "Would you wait here please White Dragon?" She bowed and stood there like a guard.

As Reina closed the door Katja spoke. "What can we do for you, Gold Elder?"

Reina sighed turning to her and sitting in the chair opposite her leaving me with the sofa. "What is this thing that needs the council's attention?" She asked looking between the two of us.

Katja sighed and pulled something out of her pouch and laid it on the desk. "My alpha needs the ear of the council and as a pack member, I am obligated to help her be heard. I know you're worried that it could be something bad. She just wants help for our pack."

Reina turned to look at me and I nodded. "Then I don't see this being a problem... I assume that gem means something I should know about."

"A promise from the Dragons to help our pack when we need it." I said.

Reina nodded and sighed. "Right well we are needed in the council chamber and I need to raise my own issue with them. Do you need help Black elder?"

I stood and Katja nodded. "I will ask a Dragon to carry me there in a moment. I have one more thing I must do before I leave."

Reina nodded and stood. "I know Topaz helped with Kyros.. do you know how he is?"

"I spoke with Topaz before you came. He is stable and will wake up soon." I said making Reina turn to me.

Reina smiled sighing. "At least he is alright for now. I will go and see him with Kyanite before the meeting. Now I must go." She walked to the door and left.

The White Dragon followed her. "Can you get me a Dragon Mum?"

I nodded looking at her up and down, seeing how tired she looked. I went to find one at her dismissal. I walked out of the room and headed for the Blue Dragon hospital. I will find her a Blue Dragon to take her and drop hints about her needing rest.