Deep in the dark I don't need the light
There's a ghost inside me
It all belongs to the other side
We live, we love, we lie

Hello, hello
Nice to meet you, voice inside my head
Hello, hello
I believe you, how can I forget

Is this a place that I call home
To find what I've become
Walk along the path unknown
We live, we love, we lie

The Spectre, by Alan Walker, released on the album The Spectre, released in 2017

Shadow's POV

It had been a long time since I had ran with my pups like this. Even longer since I had been able to spend time with them. Each of them with their own powers, gifts much like the Vampires I had saved Bella from, and each sporting their own fur colour, a reminder of the family I had lost. They had been all too eager to help me once I explained my plight, still having a childlike innocence that I envied of them, despite being centuries older then they would have been.

Whisper-Wynde-Wisp, my eldest daughter, ran alongside me as we navigated under the hustling and bustling path that I knew was called a 'road', as I had learned from our pack. We weren't far from the pack now, and my estimation of the time was not so far off. From where the day-circle was in the sky, it looked to be about mid-day, perhaps a little off from it.

"Are they good, father?"

I crooned, a warm throaty sound that I often did when they were pups and I had to soothe them. My poor darling daughter had been looking after her siblings for so long, that I feared she forgot what it was like to have a childhood. She was the one, as eldest, to look after her siblings while I went hunting to feed them.

It was a responsibility I did not want to put onto her, but that I had to. I nodded my head as we continued to lope through the thickening white-fall, moving around trees as we crossed the path in small groups of three and four. I had no intentions to alert them to our presence, especially after learning how cruel and selfish they could be.

"I believe we can trust them, but as always we must remain guarded. But what they fight for is just, and they fight to correct a grave injustice committed upon them."

The trees were becoming more familiar, as we became more and more remote. I skidded to a stop, Whisper-Wynde-Wisp following shortly after as we waited for everybody to come closer, and also catching our breaths. The forest naturally shrouded us, and I knew that between all of us, we would quickly become aware of any nearing predators or kin-stealers.

The first three to arrive were the other eldest of all my pups, Torrent-Drink-Life, Bright-Stinging-Yellow, and Ember-Hot-Year. Their pelts, although contrasting in colour, looked very akin to one another in the drifting white-fall, were vastly different. Torrent, for example, had a blue-grey pelt, with the piercing blue eyes to go with it. He was our best water-mover, perhaps due to his power, which was water-manipulation.

We'd found out that power when his Mama had taken him out to the lake with the intention of teaching him how to water-walk, only to realise that no lessons were needed as the water simple boosted him up as if he had asked it himself. And then when it started to arc around him, forming chutes and soaking his brother, whom he had been annoyed at earlier in the day, we found out his power.

Bright's power had been discovered in a unique way, being the only one out of the quadruplets who had not been afraid of the stinging-night-yellow. She had disappeared one night and when I went out searching for her, I found her sitting, watching the stinging-night-yellow as it danced around her, her fur standing up on edge as small arcs danced throughout it. She hadn't been in pain, so we knew instantly it was her gift.

We had no idea how they all had gifts, considering that my mate had no gifts, yet all our children had them. Eventually, we had narrowed it down to the magic running through my veins- she had been the only one I had trusted with the truth because I wasn't going to form a mateship with her if I wasn't going to be honest.

Lastly, Ember, who we had initially assumed had no powers, only to be immediately corrected as he fought off a forest-red-hot, rescuing several of our fellow forest-kin from the fury of the red hot. It was destroying burrows and dens alike, and we had later found out that some careless kin-stealers had caused it in an attempt to flush us out, which hadn't work. He had dived straight into the clutches of the fire to rescue Bright, who had become trapped behind a choking smog.

We were all busy trying to dim the red-hot, each of us using our powers, that none of us noticed Ember slip into it, unharmed by the flames. The next trio of pups was not far behind, loping in large bounds as they crossed the grass, fur ruffling in the breeze. Forge-Strength-Glisten, Peace-Tranquil-Tune and Life-Den-Borne were next, the duo of brothers and single sister were two-cycles younger than my first set of pups, and it showed, with them acting a little more naive then my first quadruplets did.

Their powers represented their names, and in our world, they were fairly unique. I had incorporated the use of several human words that I had picked up over the years travelling, and the terms were ones I was familiar with, despite my aversion to human-life. Forge. A simple word, and one I had come across when I had been forced to walk in a human's skin, in order to get various fabrics for Peace, the runt of the litter.

It had been a particularly harsh white-turning that cycle, and she struggled to keep warm, lungs barely filling with life. So I gathered their detachable skins, or 'blankets' as they called it, and snuck them out of the village. You may wonder why I said I borrowed the human words for their names, despite the fact I just insinuated that they were born before my skin-walking.

As was custom, wolf pups are not named until they survived six day-turns, as to make sure they have an increased chance of survival. My trip to the village took place two day-turns after their birth.

Forge was a word I had heard used by a particular human who wielded a tool much like our fangs and pushed it against various minerals in order to make a shape. Since the human used the red-hot to temper the tools, and he looked like a particularly fierce human, perhaps of an Alpha or Beta level, I borrowed the second part of his name: Strength.

A term used to describe the ferocity of a human, or so I've learned. The final word- glisten- was one I also used, as I had heard a human refer to their fangs as 'glistening white'. I do not make a habit of incorporating human speech into our own, but I liked the ring of all the words I borrowed. The female- who was Alpha- made that weird version of a chuffing noise, before correcting the child to 'glisten.'

Life-Den-Borne incorporated only one word of the humans: 'life'. From what I understood, life was the action of existing, of living, what we called 'being-walking'. Where we walk, and never stop until we go to the end. I had heard that on the same expedition into the village, where the humans were returning one of their own to the earth, a deep disturbance in the earth where the limp and distinctly death-smelling form of a small human rested.

The life of this babe was not meant to be, taken by God too soon. I had walked, that weird way that humans did, away quickly, but the word life stuck in my head. And so, that was how Life-Den-Borne got his name. Peace-Tranquil-Tune got her name far, far differently when I had been lax in my protecting of my kin, and Peace had snuck out, ever mischievous and curious.

It wasn't until Whisper had tracked me down, disturbed and anxious, to tell me that Peace had gone missing. I spent no time, running back to our Den and scenting around, reaching out with my shadows and my powers in order to find my youngest and weakest. Through the bushes and shrubbery, tracking her scent a few minutes run away, where I saw her being picked up by two pups of the humans.

I fought every instinct I had, tensing and remaining hidden in the grass, as they picked her up, turning her gently in their small, clawless hands. There was no smell of death surrounding them, none of those weapons visible, and there was no sign they were going to hurt my pup.

"She's only small."

The other youngling looked at the one currently holding my daughter, the back of his hands grooming the tuft of fur sprouting on her back. Peace seemed relaxed, turning in their hands, and nuzzling them softly, like one would their Heart, just minus some intimacy. The boy hummed, looking over my pup as Peace was passed into the other's hands. His eyes narrowed, looking over my pup and tickling her stomach with the back of his paw.

"That's because she's a baby- a puppy. She shouldn't be away from her parents."

"So what? Do we leave her here?"

The boy shook his head, making sure not to harm Peace, who was licking his hands. I was going to have serious words with my daughter once I got her back. I was willing to break the laws of life and harm the younglings should they harm my graceful daughter. The boy sat down, arms making a protective layer around Peace, as the little girl followed suit.

"No, we wait here for her parents to come. They will look after her from there."

It was odd to see the human-kind so not-terrified of us, even back then. We were respected, but they often attacked us out of the misconstrued conception that we will simply attack anyone who happens to come across us. They didn't care that we would not attack unless we were threatened by their weapons of death.

Deciding that I needed to get Peace sooner rather than later, because our Den would likely become a cacophony of howls and warbles, I stepped out of the shrubbery, carefully walking out, my eyes glistening with the twisted shapes of the shadows that I was ready to use. The younglings kept still, carefully lowering Peace to the ground as she yipped, running back to me and dancing around my legs happily, chewing at clumps of my fur.

I ran my tongue along her back, before picking her up by the scruff of her neck, her legs dangling above the air. I bowed my head to them graciously, somewhat amazed that they didn't try to attack me or my daughter, before turning my heel and walking away, intent on making sure the Den was still in one piece.

"See?"

The boy said as I could hear him shuffling upwards, lifting up his sister with a small grunt. I kept walking, intent on lecturing Peace as we moved along- there was a reason that we didn't go near humans, not after what they had done.

"That was the Papa wolf. We can't separate them- would you like it if we got separated from Papa?"

That little tale leads me onto my son and my daughter, only a year younger than the quadruplets. The only two who were not born of me or my Mate, but rather came to us by an unconventional means. They were the result of a debt owed, and a debt repaid, along with lessons learnt, and once again reminded. It was roughly a year or two after my previous litter had been born, and we had since moved outside of the area, but not far.

I didn't want to move until Grass-Hunt had passed. I had taken Life and Peace hunting, to prepare them for the responsibilities of being in a Pack, where we had come across hushed crying and the sound of breaking branches. Prowling forward, hunched low as my son and my daughter flanked me, I carefully pushed on the branches, allowing me some perception to accompany my hearing. In front of me, there was a very familiar older boy, looking around thirteen cycles old, with a little girl, only around ten-cycles old.

Although they had grown, and their clothes no longer baggy and loose, I recognised them easily, for I would never forget a face, for better or for worse.

"Humans!"

Life growled, his bark having not grown into his body yet. I hushed him with a silent snap of my teeth, before turning to Peace, who's tail was wagging faster than the falling of the stinging-night-yellow when it was summoned from the sky.

"I remember them!"

I stepped out, gesturing for Peace and Life to follow me out. They followed my lead, as I saw the scenario a little bit clearer. The boy was on the floor, his ankle bent at an awkward angle, as the girl was crouched next to it, trying not to harm her sibling any more.

I bowed my head, approaching slowly and non-menacingly, as Peace kept herself calm, despite me knowing that she wanted to go and play with her playmates. Life kept by my side, lingering and on edge as if he was expecting them to lunge.

"They did me a great favour Life. Heed my lessons about human-kind, but note that there will be exceptions. They protected Peace that day, and for that, I have a debt to repay. I shall guide them back to the village."

I shortened the distance as the little girl stepped in front of her brother, opening her arms wide as if to scare us off with the sheer force of will. It was admirable what lengths she would go to protect her brother. Relying heavily on the human speech, and reaching for the pull of my magic, I carefully opened a window into their mind, establishing a link.

"You are hurt. I smell pain. I will carry you and your sibling back to the human village. I repay the debt I owe you for caring for my daughter."

His eyes widened, as Peace slowly approached, laying on her tummy, non-threateningly. The little girl, seemingly recognising who it was, laughed and wrapped her hands around Peace's neck, as Peace licked her cheek. The boy encouraged the girl to go onto Peace's back since she was now big enough to carry a youngling, as I looked over the boy, who I would carry.

It was naive of him to assume I was being honest- even though I was in this instance- and it would be a lesson that he would have to learn later.

"Thank you."

I bowed my head, lowering into a position where he could climb onto my back. Life, taking initiative, moved to his side, bracing the boy as he climbed onto my back, his hands grasping hold onto my thick and coarse fur.

Calling Life back to my side, we began to walk to where I knew the Human Village was, the only intention on my mind was to make sure the younglings got home okay. It was the law of us all to protect any youngling, regardless of species, from any harm, and doubly more so when one had a debt to pay.

Despite my best efforts, we kept running into the two younglings. Whether it was because Peace snuck off- something she had proven quite adept at- or because I had to walk into the Human Village, we would run into one another every 31st day-cycle or so. This happened for a few years, and whilst I had no lingering love for the humans, there was a soft place in my heart reserved for the two of them.

Whatever encouraged them to see us cycle after cycle was something that I wasn't aware of, and my travels through the Human Village yielded no information. Still, in that time-frame, a mere two cycles after my previous litter, we had our final set of pups. Honour-Legend-Ancestor, Spirit-Walk-Bridge, and Tempest-Cycle-Eon. My three youngest, and to our expectancy at this point, had powers of their own. Time manipulation, ancestor-communication, and a human term here- a shifter ability to shift into whatever she pleases.

She had great fun with that, but less so when she nearly got killed by one of her siblings after running around as a small-lurcher. It was safe to say we watched our hunting very carefully once she came along. I shook my head to clear my thoughts of the past, upon realising that we were arriving back at the Pack Den. I settled back into what they called the Pack Mind, slipping back into the spot as I made way for my pups to join me, a tentative bond joining them to it.

It was quiet, overly so for the normally hustling and bustling pack. I had passed the huts that were made for my acquaintances to stay, and I left them to it, instead waiting, sat on my haunches as I waited. They were due any time now. Curved came trotting through the undergrowth, and the weight of his mind was heavy, turgid, sad.

Something had happened while I had been away, and I didn't know what. Curved scanned over the assortment of my twelve pups, as the human form of Strawberry strode up alongside. They looked better, and the weight of the Alpha role, although not a light one, looked well on them. A few of my pups growled in warning, and the air suddenly got thicker, before I turned to face them, snapping my teeth emptily in a warning.

"She is wolf. She is human-born, but not. She is what we call a shifter. She walks a wolf-skin like I walk a human-skin, but she is to be trusted."

The growls ceased as if I had personally commanded it. I turned to face the two of them once again, as Strawberry crouched down, running her bruised hand along Curved's spine.

"Curved-Blackened-Tree, Strawberry-Honey-Forest, meet my pups. Pups, meet my Pack."

Strawberry's look was that of surprise, while Curved had a neutral look on his face. Curved quickly recollected his thoughts, and nodded, a gruff huff being his acknowledgement. The look of grief, one I had seen on my own muzzle quite a few times, weighed him down, and it left me wondering one thing.

What had happened while I had been gone?

Notes

Day-Circle – Sun

White-fall - Snow

Kin-Stealers – Hunters

Water-mover – Swimming

Water-walk – Tread Water

stinging-night-yellow – Thunder

forest-red-hot – forest fire

White-turning – Winter

being-walking – Life

Grass-Hunt – Spring

Small-lurcher – Rabbit

Curved-Blackened-Tree - Jacob

Strawberry-Honey-Forest - Bella

Author's Note

At this point, I'm beginning to think that I should just create an entirely new language for Shadow and his pups. I'd like to think that some of the names for things- 'white-fall' being a notable example, are fairly easy to guess, but who knows.

Also, I'm going a pretty dismal job at sticking to what I say I am going to write about. Harry's funeral was what I was going to write about- but then I remembered that it could take a little while for them to be planned.

So that's next chapter, but for now, I hope you enjoy a little bit of Shadow's past- and all of his pups minus two, who will be introduced at some point. As a side note, it ain't easy to come up with different sounding names for every pup- and I compiled a list of potential names.

So, question of the week: If you could have one exotic animal as a pet- with no consequences, and they would be like a normal domesticated pet- what animal would it be? For me, I think it would either be a wolf, simply because they are my favourite, or a lynx because I happen to love cats too.

As always, thanks for everybody's reviews, whether a guest or not. They put a smile on my face!

See you next week!

~Cait