Spirit's Bitter End

Chapter 1 ~ The Birth

        A lone wolf trotted along the sandy outskirts of a frozen lake. Frost clung to the grass, not wanting to let go, and snow fell from dark clouds overhead. The wolf perked it’s ears up and looked into the trees, spotting a deer. But the young doe was far too fast for this old wolf to catch, so he left it be. A crow cawed, breaking the spell of silence that winter had cast. Somewhere off in the distance, one of the wolf’s kin howled, but he knew he could not reply, for he was no longer part of the pack. They no longer accepted him. His spirit had wandered far, far away.

        The sun had just chased off the last bit of winter, and the land of Kuran was lush and green. Water trickled from the top of cliffs, soon turning into roaring rivers that dumped into the vast ocean of Nimbas. A female wolf lay in her den, panting heavily. She was about to give birth to her first liter of pups, and nobody was sure if she would survive through the ordeal. The father of the unborn pups sat outside the den, twitching his nose anxiously, praying that his mate would be all right, along with the pups. He sat there till his rump was sore. After quite some time, he heard soft yips coming from inside the den. Quickly as possible, he scrambled to his feet and ran inside, hoping that his mate had survived. He let out a large sigh when he saw three healthy pups and a very tired, alive, female wolf. He nuzzled her and laid down so he could get a better look at his newborn children. One was a pudgy golden female with the pinkest nose he had ever seen; another a large chocolate brown male with a short tail; and the last was a small male with ash colored fur and many markings. The three little pups yipped quietly as they wrestled for a cozy spot against their mother. Their father smiled and licked all three of them gently on the head, and then he turned and licked their mother. He stood up slowly, glancing back at his new family one more time before trotting out of the den, barking happily. At the sound of his joyful yips, many other wolfs emerged from their dens, trotting over to congratulate him. He watched as a few of the females of the pack walked inside his den to go see his mate. After they had disappeared in the dark den, he diverted his attention to the pack leader, who was walking towards him. The alpha nuzzled him, showing him that he was glad to have three new healthy pups in the pack. The proud father of these pups wagged his tail. His life was now complete. Or so it seemed at the moment.

        The male wolf trotted back inside his den when all the other wolves were done congratulating him and his mate. His new pups would need names. He looked at all three of the youngsters thoughtfully. He thumped his tail against the ground, signaling for his mate to sit next to him. She stood up slowly with a quiet sigh and padded over to him. He licked her nose, then looked back at the now sleeping pups. They where curled together, and looked like a pile of wet moss. The oldest pup whined quietly and shifted in his sleep. The male wolf glanced over at his mate as if to ask ‘What should we name them?’ The female wolf turned to look at the pups again, examining each one closely. She stood up and walked over to the chocolate brown pup. She licked the top of his fuzzy head until his eyes slowly opened up and he viewed his home for the first time. His eyes were a much darker brown, almost black compared to his brown pelt.

        "Muran," The female barked weakly, giving the pup his name. Her mate stood up and padded over to the golden female pup, licking her head as well. She immediately opened her eyes and glanced around the room nervously. Her eyes were stunning shade of blue, the color of sapphires.

        "Kari," He barked, giving their only daughter her name. Kari looked up at her father and blinked questioningly. He just gave her a toothy grin before turning his head to the youngest of the three. The small one with ash colored fur was already wide awake, staring at his parents intently. His eyes were the color of new spring grass, giving him a unique appearance. Not many gray wolves had such colorful eyes. Mostly, they all turned out pale blue, but this time it was different. This pup was destined for something spectacular.

        "Pedrah," the father whispered, barely audible. The female wolf’s brown eyes grew wide with shock and concern. No wolf had used that name in over a hundred years. So why would her mate pick it now?

        "But, Ubron, that name was…" She let her voice trail off as her mate turned to face her.

        "It’s alright Saria, now is the time." He muttered, looking out of their den and into the blue skies that were just out of reach. Clouds danced lazily across the blue tapestry and the sun shone merrily, foretelling a lovely spring day. But sadly, this happiness would not last forever as the young couple had hoped. For nothing good ever lasts.