Houke

Name meaning: a little overconfident, proud of his physical abilities.
A headstrong young wolf with a tendency to think he can do everything better than everyone else. He keeps his criticisms (mostly) to himself, preferring to be polite and kind, and wanting to avoid conflict.

Houke is the second oldest surviving pup of Xaasa, and was destined to be the next leader (at least in his mind) until Yai came along.

When his mother's illness became worse he took on more and more duties, hoping to make his parents proud of him once Xaasa had recovered. When she died, he was devastated.

During the informal test held to determine Coal Valley's next leader, Aya'ah and Quohau'ru dropped out early, leading to him only putting in as much effort as he thought was needed to surpass Yai. The haughty adolescent surprised him by actually putting his full strength into competing, leaving Houke feeling cheated and enraged.
To him, the test was only supposed to be a formality, and the only sibling who had never felt a connection to their mother was now in charge, adding insult to injury.

Houke tries not to resent his younger brother, but often can't help complaining to Aya'ah when things go wrong, and, when Yai inevitably crumbled under the pressure, he was the first to step up and take care of the pack.

Year 6: Houke has always taken his job seriously, and has dutifully balanced his hunting responsibilities with running the pack.
When Yai decides to spend more time his family and make an effort to be a proper leader, Houke becomes unsettled once again.

He feels strongly that Yai shouldn't be able to waltz in and take over after two years of "goofing off" and doesn't see that his brother has grown up and changed for the better.
When Aya'ah finally calls him out for wanting all the perks of being in charge, without the real stress of formally being the leader, Houke realises that he some real soul-searching to do, though he isn't ready to show his support for Yai just yet.