denali – Jun 21, 2013 12:00 AM

Denali has been on a pendulum of behaviors, one minute he and Luna are dominating Boltz and showing some increased status, the next minute Aidan forces Denali to the ground and Luna has one side and Aidan has the other. The life of a 2nd ranking male can be active, but these ritualized dominance displays are important to keep a clear indication of the order of the pack, and while it may look unpleasant for Denali to be pinned to the ground (or Boltz), there's no question of leadership. In the wild, when the pack needs a leader to hunt or defend territory, it's the critical behavior such as rank order displays that keeps a pack functioning. These ritualized displays are short, but they can be vocal. Some people may interpret it as fighting, but in reality, a rank order does the opposite. If a pack daily established the order and reinforces it, there is clear leadership and fights to run a pack are avoided.