The snow on the ground sparkled like the gleam in the she-wolf. Edme,the pregnant she-wolf, went deep away in to the forest. She'd gone cag mag with the thought of one of her pups being a malach, she'd feared correctly.

One of the pup had a eye that hadn't opened on time,sure it might open sooner or later, not a big deformity. But Edme knew the Obea,the barren wolf that took away cursed pups to die,would take it as one. And if she sensed what Edme sensed about this pup, the Obea would drag that pup away from the clean bloodlines of the MacDucan clan. She could feel the last pup shrivel out her and she sighed,it was over. Three pups. One brown like her and the other two gray like their dad ,Faulon. Then Edme saw it,a mark on the pup that sent a nervous void to her marrow. A swirling star,like that of the mark on her father's paw pad. But on this pup, a swirl around her open eye. She felt the nervousness grow and fill her marrow up.

"It's faint,maby just a fur pattern that will go away with time" Edme told herself. The two healthy, not cursed pups suckled on her teat. The other pup clawed around and Edme tugged its soft body to her. The malach then found her teat and sucked hard. Edme smiled down at her pups,even though she knew the Obea would come to get the cursed pup and take it to a tummerfraw, a place where disformed pups are sent to die. As if on que the Obea came trotting in and Edme felt the pups squirm closer,like they were aware of the other wolf. The Obea,Shibbian, grabbed the closed eye pup and took her away. She would return and get the other pups and Edme. She and her mate would be banished from their pack and the healthly pups would be taken care of by another she-wolf.

Shibbian found the perfect tummerfraw for the freshly born pup. She placed her down in the puddle of melted snow she had found,the mewling of the pup got lighter as she raced back. The pup had no idea what had happened, first she was warm in a nice place ,where she heard the soft humming of fresh hearts beating in time with her own heartbeat. Now she was in a cold,wet place where the only heartbeat she heard was her own,thrashing against her tiny body. She mewled in fear and pain. Then she felt tight talons snatch her and wind made her small pitiful body cry out in pain.

Gwenyetith, the owl who had scooped up the mewling pup, was going to see the Sark if the Slough. She's always wanted to have pups,well now she would. Now as she neared the treehouse of the barren wolf shge slowed her rapid flying to a slow flutter.

"Gwen,how nice to see you! Oh,you've brought me something..." Sark said and her jaw dropped. She sniffed the tiny pup and Gwenyetith thought she saw her muzzle turn up in a smile. The Sark scooped up the pup just like a mother wolf and set her down on one of her many pelts she had.

The pup curled up and mewed weakly. The Sark and rouge smith owl grinned in awe. "Good thing you brought her to me now,any longer she'd have been crow food" Sark told her feathery pal. "No problem! Well,take care" Gwenyetith said starting to leave,but the sudden worry and alarm on the Sark of the Slough face made her stop.

"What's wrong,ma'am?" she asked.

"I don't know how to take care of a pup! I'm barren!" Sark cried

"It can't be hard! You'll do fine!"

"This pup's life is in my two paws,I can't!"

"Listen,I believe in you,now I have to go. Bye,take care!" Gwenyetith said, fluffing out her feathers and flying off.

The Sark went over to the pup. Her paws felt unnatural as she curled them around her small body. The pup's breathing was harsh and the Sark could feel her tiny heart pumping rapidly. The Sark of the Slough licked the fur of the pup,trying to calm her,tell her she was near somewolf. Then she thought,how will I feed her?

Then she felt her teats go warm with a liquid. Milk! Milk! Hurrah, milk has come!

The pup must have smelled it cause she crawled closer to the Sark. She clamped on to the teat and suckled. Sark beamed down at her newly found pup. "Now..a name" she mumbled.

The pup surged forward on the milk and and the Sark felt the power in her small bones. That pup was powerful, Gwenyetith had brought her to the Sark,Gwenyetith is a bird.

Powerful. Bird. Ah,the perfect name, Pheniox!

"Pheniox, I shall call you Pheniox" Sark smiled