Konrad grimaced at the term "Former alpha", but he did as he was told, making his way to the room he was told to go to so Eve could keep an eye on him. He was more than surprised that neither he nor she noticed all of this happening. He understood it would be difficult to notice all the details while they were fighting, but not noticing enough to put a halt to their fight momentarily and fight off the rouges seemed rather odd to him. Gritting his teeth with impatience, Konrad paced around the room, unsure of what to make of the entire experience. Being chased out of his pack was one thing, being beaten was another, but both in the same day, on top of the rouges wrecking a formidable and rather large pack was something all it's own. He sat and thought about how it could have been done, what kind of strategy was used, but it didn't add up to him. This was probably the most frustrating part, the not knowing. It was a point of pride that Konrad fancied himself among the higher levels of intelligence, yet he couldn't wrap his mind around how the rouges pulled it off.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>One of the wolves Eve sent out to help other found Aurochs in the snow, his body looking like something out of a horror film, but could clearly see him breathing. He called over two others and the three got him to the clinic and began to try and patch him up.<br/><br/>--------------------------------<br/><br/><br/>The Elder was walking along a forest path with Aurochs when he was eight, the two enjoying jerky and Aurochs listening to the wisdom the Elder had to share. No one but the Elder knew how long he had lived, and he kept his age hidden in an old riddle that Aurochs had long ago forgotten, but suffice to say he was old. His tattoos depicted ancient battles and legends, but the Elder could tell tales as if he had lived them himself. There was one tale in particular that had always stuck with Aurochs, it just resonated with him and he never forgot it. It was a tale of valor, a story to be told throughout the ages for warriors. There was once a lone wolf, so mighty that none could surpass him. He despised his solitude, but nothing could change it, so he lived alone. An evening came once that would change the wolf, he met his mate. Her beauty was like nothing he had ever imagined and he loved her from the moment he met her. She shared his affections and for the moment, they were happy. But one day, a powerful force came and took his mate away, stealing her from his very arms. Rage and hate welled around in him and he tried to get his mate back, but being driven only by fury and loathing restricted his power and he failed to save her.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>Pain, unlike anything he had ever felt, surged through Aurochs as he regained consciousness. His body had healed completely, but hunger and soreness ripped into him, leaving him weak and hardly able to move. But what pained him the most was the fact that he couldn't smell Rose. His eyes flew open and a snarl escaped his lips. It didn't matter that he had never met her, or didn't know her name, he knew they were meant to be together just from her scent and the quick glimpse of her he got, but above all else, he failed her. Trying desperately to get up, he fell out of the bed with a thud. He pushed the pain away and forced himself to get up, but he was too weak to go anywhere. Falling back down to his knees, he nearly doubled over in pain.<br/><br/>Thoughts of fire an destruction raced in his mind, all the seething anger he had ever felt in the past was dwarfed by the uncontrollable rage he felt in that moment. How dare he fail!? How could he let them take her?! Almost foaming at the mouth, Aurochs tried to shift into his wolf form, only to find that he couldn't. Not discouraged, or unable to comprehend what just happened, he tried again, and again, each time more painful than the last. Growls and snarls filled the room as he tried desperately to shift and failed each time.<br/><br/>His rage was so consuming that he didn't even know if he was alone in the room, nor did he honestly care. Aurochs began to pound on the floor with his mighty paws, throwing some kind of tantrum to try and bring out his power, but to no avail. He was breathing heavily and his pulse was sky high, but he stopped the fit as it dawned on him what had happened. He lost Rose and lost his dark shift. Then he realized that he couldn't feel his primal power at all. It was as if everything was stripped away from him, leaving him nothing more than an accident of nature. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to stand, an act that would have crippled others in his state due to the pain alone. He didn't know if she was alive, or if she felt the same way about him, but he knew he had to find her and save her, no matter what. Aurochs finally noticed that someone else was in the room. Turning to look at them, loud pops and cracks could be heard from his body. There was a pained and furious look on his face, and his claws were bared. Aurochs had long ago given up human speech, only remembering what things meant, not how to make his mouth form them, so he didn't bother asking where he was or who the woman was. Her blue hair seemed odd, but his entire being probably seemed odd to her, a giant of a man who had sliver fur in a diamond on his chest, a line down his back, and on his forearms was probably enough to be considered strange, let alone his legs being covered and his claws and fangs, so he didn't pay it any mind. Taking a slightly aggressive stance, he wanted her to keep her distance for the moment. He could smell that she was the Alpha, but he hadn't bowed down to anything or anyone since he was a child, and he didn't plan to now. It was obvious to her that although he was healed, he still needed to recover, despite how he tried to hide it.