Raika finished her patrol of the valley and hurried back to the Alpha. She had checked in with him every day to see how her sister was doing. Raika didn't like to admit it, but she missed her sister being around. Raika stopped to look out over the busy village. The sky was cloudy today, which made everything seem darker than it was. Raika watched the vibrant village, wondering why Aura always stopped to look over them. She saw the children laughing and playing while adults were busy talking or working. Everything seemed so normal like any other village she had visited while training with Aura and Jalen over the last three years. What made this view so special to Aura?

Raika sighed and continued toward the village. Her body was still recovering from the Immanis snake poison, causing her to move slower than she desired. Aura had left before Raika had a chance to recover, which saddened Raika. Her sister usually made a point of saying goodbye before she would leave on a mission. Alpha Enoch just shrugged off Aura's behavior.

Raika made it to the grand hall and found Alpha Enoch finishing a meeting in the main chamber. Raika spent most of her time here with him in between her duties as a Huntress candidate. Alpha Enoch never seemed to mind her company.

"Good day, Alpha," Jenro said, leaving Alpha Enoch at his meeting table. Jenro politely greets Raika and moves on.

Alpha Enoch looks up from his mountain of papers to see Raika's happy face. It calms his mood to see her happy face. He has been under stress trying to keep the caravans from entering the valley and managing to sift through the mission reports. "What can I help you with, Raika?"

"Has there been any word from, Aura?" Raika asked, taking a seat next to Enoch.

"Not directly, but yes. Your sister has been very busy. She found Jalen and Ivy, rescued shifters from hunters with Jalen, and made contact with the guild master that Jalen was searching for. She is still looking for Karis and trying to solve the plague problem. Also, Ivy, Jalen, and Aura are looking into the recent increase in hunter activity. I suspect she will be gone for quite a while." Alpha Enoch informed her. "We need to tighten up patrols around the mountains, so I hope you are ready for long nights. Shifters were captured in the Hailia Mountains, and I will not stand for it."

"If the hunters breach our borders, we will be in big trouble. Are you sure tightening up patrols will be enough, Alpha?" Raika asked. Her studies to be a Huntress included battle strategy, and she was eager to put her skills to use.

"At least half of the elite guard is away on missions. We have to work with what we have." Alpha Enoch explained.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Raika nodded. "I hear you, Alpha, but if they come once with ease, they will come again. We need to get the upper hand. I think it is worth it to set some traps for them like we started doing for the caravans."

"Raika, we have already done that. This is not a game from your studies. This is a serious situation." Enoch crossed his arms with frustration. Usually, Raika has been a welcomed distraction from the mounds of paperwork and endless meetings, but today she was annoying.

Raika thought silently of what her next move should be. Enoch was more stressed than the day before, and she knew if he continued this way, the stress would get to him. He would start making rash decisions instead of well-thought-out plans. She knew he wouldn't take care of himself on his own. Raika remembered his frustration and stress that he had while training with her sister. There were many times that Raika had pulled him aside and helped him relax again whether it was roasting corn and hog meat over a fire, sparring in the training room, or going on a run through the valley. It seems that even now he still needed her. "Alpha, can you do some sparring with me? Usually, Aura or Benji would do it, but they are both off on missions. I need to keep up the practice for the exhibition matches in a few months."

Enoch looked at her incredulously. He was buried under a mound of paperwork, and she wanted to spar with him… What was she thinking? "Maybe another time, Raika. There's too much work to do."

Raika wasn't giving up. Enoch may be stubborn like a nail in the stone, but she could remedy that. "If you say so, I would probably win anyway. That would make me Alpha, and I certainly don't want your job."

"You think you would win?" Enoch scoffed. He could pin her easily. "Not in this lifetime."

"I pinned you before Alpha, and I can do it again." She said, emphasizing her words.

"That was three years ago, and I got distracted. It doesn't count." He said annoyed. What was with her today?

"I pinned you more than once, Alpha. Don't you remember when you were struggling with Aura's training methods and we would spar to blow off steam? The first time I pinned you was after she made you take down the saber grizzly bear alone. You were so mad that the bear won. We were sparring for hours. I pinned you for the first time that day once I understood your attack pattern. You were stunned, and I fell over laughing. Lucky for you, the training room was empty." Raika laughed.

Enoch had forgotten that day. He had spent many evenings with Raika after training with Aura. She was always warm and inviting to him. The first to call him out when he wallowed in self-pity, and first to congratulate him on his mission successes. Aura didn't comfort him like Raika did all those times. He huffed thinking about those days before he was an Alpha. Days long before the previous Alpha Hunter retired and left the position open. The previous Alpha Hunter told Enoch to pick an Alpha Huntress that would make him stronger. What did that really mean? Did Aura actually make him stronger? He shook his head. Raika might have the right idea to get out of this office. "Okay. Let's go to the training room. I need to remind you of Alpha." He got up and left his paperwork mound behind, chasing after Raika who went barreling out of the main chamber.

Raika leaped and bounced off the columns in every room to stay ahead of Enoch. Raika felt the stone beneath her crack. "Opps." She needed to focus to conceal her strength, so Enoch would realize how strong she had gotten yet. Her excitement beamed on her face. She just hoped no one would pull him away before she got the chance to show off. "Don't forget to tell Beta Nyko that I am going to borrow you." She giggled, leading the chase.

"Already done." Enoch smiled. There was a big difference between Aura and Raika, and today, he was happy Raika was by his side. Was he happier with Raika than Aura? "Raika was awesome at cheering him up. That's all..." He muttered to himself.