Delarn settled at the foot of the Eagle's Peak, her head filled to the brim with uneasy memories as she fell asleep. After using this much energy she didn't doubt she would be plagued with nightmares, but it was necessary if she wanted to restore the mountain and prevent any factions from deciding her clan was a threat. That wasn't an important detail, really.
Her father, from early childhood, held her on his knee and smiled as he spoke excitedly about this and that, adventures that were acceptable for his little girl to hear. He was a big man, with a thick chest and dark red hair that fell down his back and over his shoulders in waves, and his eyes were yellow-green, always bright and curious about something. He was a proud man, and his voice boomed when he spoke, making the little girl grin. She was proud of her father and considered him to be quite the hero.
"Jerzio and Kyriska never were apart," he laughed, referring to one of the six others in his group, "They always made your mother a bit jealous, but she was clingy when she was jealous and couldn't keep her hands off me, so I didn't really mind."
"They had brown fur, didn't they papa?" She replied, used to this kind of talk from her father. It made her feel as if her mother was still alive as if she knew her well. She knew a lot about her mother, really. She was very studious and had a way of enforcing joy or disapproval with a look. Her mother had silky black hair and was the only one that her father would really listen to. She also died of complications after birthing her.
"That's right," he replied, breaking into her thoughts. "They were called the lovers."
"But they weren't like you and mama," she put in stubbornly.
"That's right," he laughed. "They were dumber and didn't know what they were doing half the time. Why don't I tell you a real story? About your ancestors."
She nodded, her eyes wide, and he patted her mop of red as he started, his voice low and careful, "Long ago, before we came to this land before our forefathers came to this world, there were three wolves in the Silver Forest—our home and heaven.
"The first wolf—though all three were born the same and equal—was called White. White was the first wolf to decide that wolves needed to hunt for meat and be predators. She—as she was usually considered—also dictated that packs should have a strict hierarchy so that the strongest and most clever wolf may lead. She considered herself that wolf. She's also known for—" Her father cleared his throat quickly, "For being the goddess of romantic love among wolves—passionate love, and the love of raising pups. As you can imagine, White was a very proud sort of wolf."
"The next wolf was Black," he continued. "Black considered White a dear friend but did not agree with her ideals. She was a very patient wolf and knew how to assuage conflict. Black has been commonly seen as both male and female, and in those times the world was so unformed that they could slip between either with ease. For now, she's a she. Anyway, she amended some of White's creeds, stating that wolves must always work together and never be alone. They must always remember that those in their pack are their brothers and sisters, and they must always care for each other. She was ideally the wolf of friendship and working together to assure the survival of the pack. She promised that even the least of the wolves, if they tried hard to survive, would be given a chance to keep the peace, and if not, that they may have a chance to find a new pack."
His face crinkled a bit, his expression a bit bleak, but only for a moment as he continued, "Now the last of the pack, and the most complicated was—
"Red," Delarn exclaimed, hearing this story many times, but never finding it to grow old.
"That's right," her father laughed. "Now Red was a clever sort of wolf, and knew all about humans, though there were none in the Silver Forest—that's just how clever he was. He knew that wolves were prone to wander far from home when dispersing, however, and it wouldn't be long before they would run into man. He taught the wolves that they should fear man, for most men made it a point to separate themselves from other animals."
"Didn't he make the wolf shifters though?" Delarn asked, like she always did at this point of the story, and knew that she had made it a ritual to do so.
"I'm getting to that in a second," he replied with a smile. "Now Red taught the wolves that they should fear man from the beginning, but White's descendants were very proud and grew in strife with man, and Black's descendants were very friendly, so they grew curious about man and watched them, and neither made it easy to avoid them. Red wanted to warn them not to do either, but Black and White were proud and unyielding, and he knew it would make no difference if he wanted to keep peace in the forest."
"One day, however, White longed for pups. Though she considered Black a dear friend, she considered her foolish—remember that in these days Black could be either male or female, and the three considered this to be normal in the Silver Forest—so instead she came upon Red, trying to convince him to let her bear his cubs, but Red was in love with Black. When he told White this, she grew furious and very jealous. To spite him, considering him far more worthy of her fury, she convinced Black to be her mate instead, and chased Red from the Silver Forest." Izara Faewulf told this to his daughter with a careful smile, knowing that this part was a bit much for children.
"But White didn't know that Black was to bear Red's cubs," she replied with a smile, and he was reminded of how often he told her this story, and some less carefully than others when he was drinking.
"That's right," he replied carefully. "Black, however, thought that Red had simply left her, knowing that he was obsessed with the humans and would disappear for great lengths of time. That's why she finally agreed and took on the form of a male so that White may bear his children, but when White found that Black was already thick with Red's cubs, she sent her away as well, though Black managed to hide away in a different part of the Silver Forest. Both, as females, bore cubs, and ever since Brown and Grey have been at odds—those being their children."
"As you know," her father continued, "Red came to this world, though not this land. Our homeland is far, far to the West, and maybe one day I'll take you back there. We as wolves must spread all across the world so that we may never die for there will always be people in opposition to us, and often after taking things we've had since the beginning of the world.
"Red, fearing this himself, gave us as wolf shifters a significant gift. He was very clever, after all. He made the first wolf shifters out of the blood he shed from battling with White. They were wolves, to begin with, but after using his blood—what we call Wolf Magic, often most effective in moments of great desperation and passion, though never in anger, especially for the red-furred—Red was able to give them the ability to become humans as well as wolves. They would be able to walk amongst them and speak like them if they wished. In our homeland, they grew plentiful, and it wasn't long before they began to travel all over the world. There aren't many in Gielinor itself yet, but I'm sure that may one day change."
"In exchange for this gift, however, they must remember that they are wolves first. If they don't, they will not be able to return to wolf form and will stay a human until they do—their wolf forms are instinctive, so it isn't simply a matter of memory loss.
"They cannot be corrupted and will die if they allow themselves to be influenced to change into other things, such as vyres or demons.
"Though Red loved elves as much as humans, he did not make any exceptions when he stated that if a wolf shifter wished to procreate, it had to be with another wolf shifter or a human if he expected them to be a wolf shifter as well. He didn't want wolves to forget that they are not meant to live long lives, though this gift extended their lives to that of a human where otherwise they would simply live just as long as common wolves. Any other heritage would ascertain defects. That's not to say they can't have children with common wolves as well, but a wolf born as a wolf will wish to be nothing else," her father explained, and Delarn nodded, committing these to memory.
Delarn, however, was starting to fall asleep so her father cradled her in his arms and started humming to her gently, her eyes blinking closed slowly as he told her, "Just remember, this place doesn't know much about us yet, and Zamorak corrupts to the east, and fear of his corruption is more dangerous than corruption itself. Never let them know what you really are, not yet."
"Not fair," she murmured. "You do it all the time."
"Only around my friends, and those I really trust. Trust me when I say that I'm old enough to tell the difference," he hushed her quietly. "For now just do what I say, and everything will be alright."
"Love you, papa," she murmured, before falling asleep, and the present Delarn was transported to a different memory as she slept.