It was a calm afternoon in the deep forests of Moscow. The sun shined warmfully over the leaves of the ancient trees. Deep within the forest, there thrived a large pack of wolves. The pack was well organized, each wolf having their roles. There were groups of hunters and caretakers. The caretakers would nurse pups for mothers who deemed themselves "unworthy" or "unprepared" to care for their kin. The pack was known as "чистые из них", which is Russian for "The Pure Ones." They achieved their name by having the said to be purest bloodline in all of the packs of Moscow. However, that would soon change before they even knew it.
A new litter of pups were to be expected by their Alpha female named Dalla. In their pack, only a special few were allowed to have pups since they were afraid of a possible mutation in their bloodline.
Dalla paced around her den impatiently, her abdomen having substantially swollen due to the pups inside. Her tail lashed about, only making her seem more anxious for the pups to be born already. Today marked to be the 31st of October, Halloween. Dalla knew this day was partially important to the humans since she had come across a few disguised in rather absurd pieces of clothing to ask for treats. She would often times watch the humans from afar since the interactions between them had taken her interests. Her subconscious thinking was interrupted by a few of her close friends padding into her den with a few slabs of rabbit. Dalla stopped her pacing, her bronze eyes turning to observe them.
"Here, you must eat up. We cannot have more malnourished pups being born due to ignorant mothers." One of the she-wolves said, nudging the pieces of meat closer to her with her snout. Dalla chuckled at the remark, rolling her eyes as she stepped forwards, feasting on the pieces of meat rather feverishly. Within minutes, she was finished with the short meal, her tongue gliding across her mouth to clean off any blood from the meat. Dalla stood up, stretching her hind legs as she prepared to step out, but an immense pain surged throughout her entire body, causing her to yelp and stumble a bit. The two she-wolves quickly ran to her side, hoisting her on all fours again. They looked at each other, the both of them knowing what this sign meant. One of them told Dalla to stay in the den while they went to get her mate along with the pack's medics. Dalla bit her tongue, whimpering due to the cramps in her abdomen. The pain eventually caused her to fall onto the soft grass below her, her tail swaying vigorously. Her mate, Faolan stepped into the den, his ears lowering at the sight of his mate in pain. The medics ran into the den, helping Dalla into a more appropriate position as they told her to take deep breaths. Faolan sat besides Dalla, placing his paw over hers embracingly. Dalla breathed quickly, whimpering as she looked up at Faolan, examining his warm, concerning stare. Dalla's eyes watered slightly, the pain strucking every nerve.
"С тобой все будет в порядке. Я так горжусь тобой,"(You're going to be okay. I'm so proud of you.) Faolan muttered, staring lovingly at his mate. The medics instructed Dalla to begin the process, so she did, causing her to howl in agony. Faolan's grasp tightened gently on Dalla's paw, trying to keep her as calm as he could. One of the medics told Faolan to leave the den for this, so Faolan hesitantly left the den. All that was heard was the whines and howls of agony from Dalla. Wolves nearby stopped, looking towards the den and at Faolan. A few stepped towards them, seemingly excited to have new pups. In all truth, it had been a long while since there had been new litters. Poachers made it hard for them to continue to expand the pack. Faolan paced back and forth, the distant cawing of birds not helping the situation.
A few hours later, or so a few minutes later in reality passed, but the waiting made it seem like eternity. Faolan anxiously creeped towards the den, his tail swaying slightly. The two medics stepped out, giving him a warm smile as they went back to their former dens. Faolan heard pups whining in the den and his worried glance disappeared. He stepped into the den, smiling brightly at the sight of a litter of 6 pups. Dalla lifted her head, beaming proudly. Faolan neared the pups, nuzzling them gently as he touched noses with Dalla, overjoyed and proud of the pair. The newborn pups feasted quietly, one of the pups not being able to feed. The pup appeared to be smaller compared to its siblings. One attribute caught Faolan's eyes. The pup had a striking black pelt, a few rays of white covering its tail. Faolan tilted his head, grabbing the pup by the scruff and setting it down in front of the pair, sniffing the pup. The pup whined quietly, searching to feed. Faolan moved one of the other pups, letting the runt feed. Faolan looked at Dalla a bit concerned, sighing.
"Dalla.. We have to consider. The pup is-"
"Тише!" (Shush!) Dalla bared her canines a bit, growling lowly. So what if the pup was smaller than the rest? It was still hers and she'd care for it till death. Faolan sighed again, shaking his head as he exited the den seemingly disappointed a bit. Runts were not allowed in this pack, they never were.
Meanwhile, Dalla thought of names to give for the pups, examining each of them. She decided to name the runt first, picking the pup up and smiling. She nuzzled the pup, examining him as eventually a name came to mind. It was a rather odd name to give a wolf, but she had always wanted to name one of her own the name.
"Your name will be Scorpion. Мое маленькое чудо." (My little wonder.)
YOU ARE READING
The Appalled One (On Hiatus)
Ciencia FicciónScorpion is thought to be a pure-bred in his pack. However, further down the line he is discovered to be more than that. The discovery takes his life down a steep hill, in which he is faced with trafficking, violence, and torture along with more tra...