DE LOBOS.
(OF WOLVES)
BY: PLATINUM KUSH
PROLOGUE: OF SNOW
REX (LATIN) "KING."
REGINA (LATIN) "QUEEN."
"Wolves don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep."
WOLVES.
"With foxes we must play the fox."
FOXES, THOMAS FULLER.
[]
The dark skies were heavy with the promise of a furious blizzard. All around the forest various creatures of all shapes and sizes were scurrying around searching for last minute supplies for their families.
The air was blistering cold and seemed to seep into even the thickest of pelts. The trees shook under the raging tempest, their precious leaves rattled and stolen by the breeze.
However, for a certain four-legged wild canine, the upcoming storm was the least of her worries. The cold winds made her eyes water and stung her nose. Her damp dark fur only seemed to make matters worse.
She took an involuntary dip in the river only moments ago. She'd been in hot pursuit of a rather fat hare and followed it across the frozen surface of the great river thinking it would've supported her weight.
It didn't.
She'd been sitting on the river bank sulking over her apparent extra weight and her lost kill when a series of howls pierced the cool night air. Her pack was calling, and she knew exactly why.
And now here she was, racing across the forest in the dead of night, desperately trying to return to camp for the birth of her and her mate's first pup.
She leaped over boulders and fallen trees, darted across ice cold streams, nearly fell into various dens that littered the forest floor much to their owner's dismay.
She cleared a narrow ravine in one magnificent leap. Powerful muscles rippled beneath a mass of long, impossibly black fur. Her green eyes were fixed straight ahead.
At last the towering sycamores overlooking the camp came into view. The young she-wolf slowed into a job; she had learned the consequences of barreling into camp full speed the hard way.
A beautiful she-wolf with a pelt seemingly forged from the embers of a dying sunrise was guarding the entrance. Her lime green eyes sparkled as she caught sight of the magnificent black leader.
"Wow, what happened to you?" She joked, her ears twitching in amusement, "Fancied a swim?"
The larger wolf purposely shook the excess water from her pelt when she came close enough, drawing forth a slight growl of irritation. "Honestly, Regan, you're still as mature as ever."
The young wolf snorted. "And my dear, Julia, you're still as condescending as ever."
Julia rolled her eyes as she ushered the young leader forward. "Stupid mutt, your queen awaits."
Regan affectionately swatted the smaller wolf with her tail and continued on inside. All around the massive clearing wolves of every shape and size, shade and color prowled about.
Pups played in the clearing while their parents chatted lazily amongst themselves. Adolescents boasted over who was the best hunter or fighter.
Older wolves complained about what the weather did to their old bones to young wolves who looked like they'd rather be elsewhere.
"Congratulations, my lord." A group of dark-furred she-wolves cried.
The young leader was immediately showered with compliments and well-wishes regarding her new family by her pack. They were just as excited as herself.
She made sure she was as dry as possible before entering the large den in the center of the massive clearing, fearing rebuke from her mate.
Saeko hated filth and would certainly chew her out for tracking dirt and mud into the spotless den.
Tail wagging like an excited pup's, Regan chirped softly to alert her mate of her return.
"Regan?" Her lovely voice caressed her ears, tinged with exhaustion but also heavy with emotion.
The smaller black she-wolf was curled up in the center of the den. Her fur stuck up in odd places all over her body. Half-lidded dove-grey eyes regarded her mate with such tenderness and joy.
"Come," She whispered, "Meet your daughter."
The new father practically tip-toed over she was so anxious. Saeko uncurled herself slightly, offering her mate a view of the precious little bundle of fur that was suckling from her mother.
She was a tiny thing. Her brown fur would probably darken or lighten depending on which genes she inherited. But since both of her parents had extremely dark fur, it was possible she would as well.
Regan lowered herself onto her belly and gently nosed her newborn pup, familiarizing herself with her scent and vice versa.
"What will we call her?" She asked softly.
Saeko leaned over and licked her mate's muzzle. "Natsuki."
Regan chuckled. "It's the middle of winter. Surely she deserves a name that represents her time of birth?"
Saeko's ears twitched. "Perhaps, but she looks like a Natsuki."
"She looks like a baby porcupine."
Saeko nipped Regan's jaw and giggled. Her newborn coat was soft and spiky. "I'm fine with whatever my Regina decides." The young Rex whispered.
"Then let us celebrate the birth of our future Rex, Natsuki."
[]
A few kilometers away, a very different four-legged canine was also celebrating the birth of her new offspring. Deep inside a burrow, a young vixen was curled around her first litter of cubs.
There were three in total. Two females and a young male. Both females were nearly identical on first glance. But they had subtle differences regarding pelt color.
The oldest of the litter was the female with the creamy red pelt while her sister's was much paler, almost gold rather than its customary red. The male was the middle child.
And her honey-furred daughter was the runt of the litter.
Viola is a very clever vixen who's learned to use her mind-boggling intelligence to her advantage. Where she lacks in size and weight she made up for in perception and wit.
Her intellect was unrivaled, and she was known to other foxes as 'the Smartest Fox of Her Age.' Not even the smartest of the smartest could match her level of intelligence.
And she was as clever as she was cunning. She'd outsmarted many animals in her lifetime from troublesome humans, boisterous bears, cunning snow leopards, hard-to-catch prey, and even other foxes.
She was the lone daughter of a faceless tod and a mother whose untimely death came at the hands of her own foolishness. She was orphaned very young and had to rely on her wit to survive.
Foxes weren't big creatures by any means. They were the runts of the canine family; often overlooked and underestimated.
They often fell prey to much larger creatures such as bears, eagles, wolves, coyotes, cougars, badgers, and even dholes.
But Viola had mastered the art of survival at a young age. Which is why she was one of the only foxes in Yosemite National Park that was over three years of age. Most foxes tended to die young.
Shizuma was the name she decided for eldest cub. Little Shinnichi was the name of her lone son. And Shizuru was the name she chose for her final cub.
Shizuru was smaller than her siblings and her ears were thinner and more delicate. Her tail was far bushier than her brother and sister's, and her whiskers were pale instead of the customary black.
She knew Shizuru would be challenged in the coming years due to her too-light pelt and her smaller size, but being a fox wasn't about being the biggest or the strongest.
Being a fox was about always being the smartest creature in the vicinity. Shizuru's size wouldn't matter in the long run. She could either outrun a bear or outwit it.
She would never even entertain the notion of favoritism, but she couldn't help but believe that her little runt would surprise her more often than not.
Even blind and helpless, with her siblings using their bigger sizes to shove her out of the way she managed to crawl back and suckle. She was a feisty little thing.
Viola laid her head on her paws as the sound of the wind continued to rattle the trees, her intelligent amber eyes fixed on her little cubs. It would be up to her to raise and nurture them until they were old enough to do so themselves.
She would teach them to defend themselves, how to hunt, how to kill if they had too, and how to survive when she was dead or gone or both.
But the rest was up to them. For many animals it was Survival of the Fittest, but for a skulk of foxes it was Survival of the Smartest.
[]
Went with Latin terms instead of the customary Greek "Alpha" and "Beta" because I find the Latin terms just as pretty. Hope you enjoy this miniseries.