Lily raised hir hand. "I'm calling dibs on the storyteller position!"
Selena nodded. "Anyone else wanna challenge hir for it? Just remember, hir cock and balls are off limits!"
Nobody said anything or raised a hand.
Selena smiled. "Looks like the job's all yours, Lily. Consider yourself our pack's storyteller!"
"So, where exactly do I learn the history and stories of our people, Selena?" Lily asked hir alpha. "A storyteller needs some stories to tell, after all."
"Kibibi and Asanti are supposed to fill you in on that," said Selena. "Asha, too, I guess. Oh, and Taylor's learning the religious myths of our kind from Shaman Kweli. I'm sure shi'll pass it all on to you."
"Great!" Lily said. "I can't wait to start doing my job!"
"I can hardly wait for you to bring our lore to life with your acting skills, Lily," Harper said, smiling at the theater kid turned werewolf.
"Would anyone else like to claim a pack position?" asked Selena.
Ashlee came prancing up to the alpha. "Ooh, me, me! I'd, like, totes like to be made Queen of the Dance! I'm already, y'know, captain of the Cheer Squad, and cheerleading's sort of a human version of a ceremonial dance. Hey, the other cheerleaders can totes be the other ritual dancers once they join the pack!"
Nobody challenged Ashlee. Even Summer kept hir arm down.
"Sounds unanimous," Selena smiled. "Though I'm kinda surprised you didn't want to fight for the job, Summer. After all, you're a cheerleader, too."
"I know," Summer shrugged. "But adjusting to life in a werehyena pack's complicated enough without being given a job with all kinds of responsibilities. I think I'd prefer to let Ashlee handle all that."
"Thanks, Summer!" Ashlee said. "I've honestly had enough fighting for now."
"Congratulations, Queen of the dance!" Selena said, cheerfully patting Ashlee on the back. "So, does anyone else have a challenge?"
Beck raised hir hand. "I'd like to challenge Skyler for the beta position, Alpha Selena. I've been your friend and a member of this pack longer than shi has, so why should shi outrank me?"
"Because I'm a leader by nature," Skyler fired back. "Content yourself with being a delta, maybe join Kibibi's warrior band once shi arrives, just stay away from me and my beta rank."
"Then I take it you accept my challenge?" Beck laughed.
"I so do!" Skyler laughed back.
Beck approached Skyler and shook hir clawed hand. "May the best werehyena win, Skyler."
"Don't worry, Beck," Skyler smiled. "I will."
The two werehyenas began to circle each other. Beck lunged forward at Skyler, claws swinging. Skyler grinned. Of course Beck would try to win with brute force. Shi was a highly physical person, after all. Well, Skyler had tactics on hir side! As Beck lumbered forward, Skyler speedily darted off in a diagonal line. As Skyler sped past Beck, shi stuck out hir footpaw and hooked it around Beck's own, tripping hir. Pressing hir advantage, Skyler leaped onto Beck's back and sank hir long claws in.
Beck winced with pain. "I admit it, you're good!"
Skyler smiled smugly as shi raked bloody stripes across Beck's shoulder blades. "Good enough to make you yield?"
"Not quite!" Beck chuckled as shi suddenly sprang back onto hir feet, sending Skyler flying. Beck pinned the stunned golden-furred werehyena down and tore a deep gash across hir belly. Skyler wasn't ready to give up, though. Shi began lashing out at Beck's legs with hir footclaws, painting red stripes to contrast Beck's light brown fur. Beck stumbled backwards, and Skyler was up in an instant.
As hir closest friends in the pack cheered hir on (Ashlee and Zoey being the loudest), Skyler darted in circles around the clearing as shi searched for a position of advantage. Hir massive cock flapped wildly in the breeze as shi sprinted, earning the beta more than a few lustful wolf (hyena?) whistles from the appreciative spectators. Once shi was close enough to Beck, Skyler made hir move; she seized Beck's tail in hir mouth and bit down hard. With a scream, Beck sank down to hir knees before Skyler roughly threw hir down to the ground. The beta clawed savagely at hir challenger's tits before clamping hir teeth down on Beck's neck to end this.
"I yield, Skyler!" Beck gasped. "I yield!"
Beck released hir grip on Beck's throat and helped hir up. "Good match, Beck. You fought bravely. No hard feelings, right?"
"Nah, we're still friends," Beck laughed. "These status challenges aren't anything personal (unless you're Abbie and Riley, anyway), and we non-binaries gotta stick together, right? Congratulations on defending your title. Just be warned, I'll be looking for a rematch one of these days!"
"That should be fun," Skyler smiled. "You make me freaking work for my rank, Beck Hamilton."
"Good to know I at least have the beta's respect," Beck chuckled. "It's probably good that you're the beta for now, though, considering that I'm leaving for Japan with Ellie, Harper, Brianna, Kristi, and Joelle tomorrow."
"Good luck with your sumo training, by the way," said Skyler.
"I will," Beck grinned. "I'll come back nice and jiggly!"
Skyler shrugged. "Not really my thing, but to each their own."
Selena stepped back into the clearing. "Congratulations on defending your beta rank, Skyler! Now, I think that's all the sparring we need for now. Everybody's free to split up for now and enjoy the day. Thanks for participating in this crucial pack ritual. Now I'd better go see if Hannah's gotten Morgana to patch up Abbie and Riley yet." With that, Selena shifted back into her human form, got dressed, and hopped onto her bike.