The wolf moaned and grunted. She was new to the feeling of giving birth and had never dreamed it would be this painful. Panic took over as she realized that maybe she was one of those unlucky she-wolves that has something go wrong. She calmed herself by telling herself that it was part of Nature and if it were meant to be then she would go. Suddenly another thought came to her, who would care for her pups if something went wrong and they survived but she didn't? The horrible thought was quickly forgotten when another contraction came to her.
In the distance the pack stood around waiting and talking in hushed voices in their own little groups. The pups that still had to undergo training clustered around their mothers. They could tell the pack was tense and none knew enough to comfort one another. This pack of wolves was different from the normal wolves of the past. These creatures were much more intelligent. They still had traits of the old breed like their ranks of Alpha, Beta, Hunters, Caretakers, and the Omega. They were different in numerous ways such as size and strength and intelligence. These wolves also had different fur colors and the creatures had meanings behind certain markings and patterns.
One puppy boldly approached the Elders, who were clustered together and murmuring. He stood before them and stared.
"What is it little one?" asked a kindly old she-wolf that could no longer have pups of her own.
"What is wrong? Why is the pack so worried? Isn't Clover just having her puppies? What's the big deal?" replied the pup in a hurried voice.
"Calm my dear," the old gray wolf whispered. "Come here all of you. Let us old and gray wolves tell you a little about birth and the reason for all this excitement and worry."
The pups quickly gathered around the waiting adults and their wagging tails showed their excitement at learning about this mystery. The gray she-wolf that had been speaking stepped back to let another wolf take over. This male was even older and slowly going blind. He was thin and old and his fur was more silver than gray. The fervent children's excitement enervated at the grandiose male that stood in front of them. The aged wolf slowly sank to the ground to be at eye level with the puppies. Then he began spreading his knowledge and soon most of the pack stood around his to listen.
"Where shall I begin?" spoke the elder. "Long ago in a time before any one of us lived there were other wolves that were similar to us and different from us in several ways. These wolves never let any wolf have babies except the Alpha female. Not only that, but these wolves were a mix of many different fur colors not just one color with one marking like us. Although we have these differences, we also shared the belief that Nature is in control. This answers why the pack is worried. If Nature decides that Clover isn't fit to have her puppies or these puppies aren't meant to survive yet, then Nature has the control to take away their lives and take them to live in the Blu Trail. All of you know what the Blu Trail is, correct?" At this question, some pups nodded and others looked down in embarrassment. The silver speaker shook his head and then continued.
"The Blu Trail is above you children. It is the sky and where we all go when our time on this land has come to an end. It is where I shall go to live in due time. Nevertheless, our legends dictate that Nature must be in have power over of lives and that none of us may help our dear Alpha female at present.
All of the little ones looked over to where, in the distance, Clover was straining and panting with the pain. Then that same pup from before turned his muzzle to the elder trying to decide whether or not to ask for more.
"You there, little gray. What are you called and what is this question you are so wanting to ask?" questioned the silver elder that named Winds of Change, but called Torno by the pack.
"Wh-what am I ca-ca-called?" stammered the gray puppy. "I am called Elix. My question is will you, perhaps, remind us of the markings and the stories for each one?"
"Indeed I will Elix," replied Torno cheerfully. With a slight sigh he began. "Legend says that all wolves are made one solid color and their place in the pack is determined by what marking they have. If a wolf has markings on the paws they are a Runner because our ancestors gave us paws to chase and walk and run, but some must be faster than others. Hunters have markings on the chin and throat because we need to hunt, but if there are too many hunting wolves can get hurt. The Fighters have a marking on the chest because Fighters must be strong to protect their pack and leader. A tail marking formulates a leader because if there were no tail markings we would all constantly fight for the place of Alpha. A marking on the stomach means that the wolf is a Sitter. They are great There my dears, that is what legend says," finished the old wolf.
"What about the Payla? Isn't that part of legend?" asked little Elix.
"Yes, indeed it is bold pup. The Dreamer was a part of our history. Unfortunately, they are extinct now which means they no longer exist in our world. Ergo, Elders rarely tell their story recently. Since you asked though, I shall tell you the story of Paylas, also called Dreamers. If a wolf is born with their ears marked in a different color, well little ones they are known as a Payla. A Payla was a very gifted wolf. These wolves could see visions of the past and future in their dreams. Not only that, but they were given prophecies by our ancestors. They were even more gifted than just the super natural of Gods and visions though. These creatures could feel the mind-set of the animals around them. Anything with the ability to have a feeling, such as fear or love or happiness, these dear animals could, in turn, undergo it themselves. They only felt mild forms of the emotion, but still they knew what others were feeling."
At that moment, the pack heard a sudden cry of pain from the distance. All the wolves looked up and the Alpha male took a step toward his mate. Winds of Change growled softly to remind him to stand his ground until Clover was completely done. The great leader flicked his ears toward the Elder to acknowledge his reminder, but still stood facing in Clover's direction.
"Children would you like me to tell you about the old breed of wolves some more?" asked the sweet old gray wolf that Elix had asked his first question to. The pups turned their heads toward her one by one and nodded.
"Well, tiny dears, the old wolves were different from us in numerous ways. Not only was the Alpha female the only female to have puppies and their colors all mixed up instead of one solid like us. The old breed was given a name at birth by the mother like we do, but they had one name unlike us. We are each given a name by our mother at birth and it has a special meaning and our ancestors help our mothers chose names. Our name tells us something about the wolf we will grow to become. Also, we must tell no one our real name or it is thought that we lose our destiny. The only ones to know our true name are our mothers and our mates when we have one," explained the she-wolf.
At almost the precise moment she finished, Clover barked and her mate took off without any thought. He reached her side to find his mate huddled around his children. Relief washed over him as he realized there was nothing to fear. With that awareness, the Alpha male then licked Clover's muzzle with pleasure. The new mother and father knew they could not know the three puppy's colors or see their little eyes open for a few days. They were patient and wanted to treasure every moment. Lying in their little hollow dug by all the pack, the couple waited with happiness in their hearts.
A couple of weeks had passed and the puppies now had beautiful furry coats and their lovely eyes now opened to see the inside of the hollow. Their mother laid around them, watching them play, and thinking to herself of the names for her puppies. Her ancestors had helped her in her dreams these past few nights to find suitable names.
This is my dear little Song of the Lark, thought the proud mother as she looked at her only female child. Lark was all white with her puppy blue eyes. Her paws were covered in gray meaning she was a Runner. The next was a red male with the same blue eyes and white on the underside of his tail.
You will be a leader like your father. Rock is extremely proud of that, thought Clover of the Valley with a smile. Phoenix of the Mountain sounds like a good name for you my dear. Your father is called Stone of Ice, so Mountain should go nicely with Stone. Rock will never know because you will be called Phoenix, but at least you and I will know, the mother thought as she smiled to herself.
Now for you, Clover thought as she looked at her last mother looked at her last puppy. He was all black, blacker than any black wolf she'd ever seen. He also didn't have the normal blue eyes that puppies have for their first few weeks of life; he had green eyes with tinges of blue. The puppy was extremely special too. The black wolf pup had white paws, a white chest, a white throat, white on the underside of his tail, even a little white on his stomach. The oddest, and one that stood out the most, was the edges of the pup's ears enclosed in white.
Your father worries that the others will fear you. Torno, however, sees this as a great sign from the Gods. I agree with Torno, though I do worry you may not be accepted right away. My dear black son…I still have no idea what to name you. The Alpha female paused and thought back on what she had just said to herself before continuing. I have it! My dear little one, I shall name you Midnight Sky After A Storm. I will let everyone know that I have my quick Lark, bold Phoenix, and gifted Storm.