War is something that has always been around, it brings out the worst in the best of souls. The saddest thing is, war can never end. It brings about a cycle in itself. There's always a greed for power. With that greed many will abandon their morals in order to achieve power. The people they take advantage of and trample will hate them, some may even seek revenge. Now what? You got your revenge right? It's all over? Wrong. Now the people who supported and loved that person have it out for you. Your loyal friends and family, why wouldn't they protect you? Guess what you've started? That's right, War.
In the ancient valley of Saintsmith, war had been a long lost memory. Peace had reigned amongst the wolves. The citizens of Saintsmith worship the wolf god Fenrir, a God of and have always strived for peace. After winning the war with the opposing wolf kingdom, a kingdom of the worshipers of Loki, an ancient wolf God of War and destruction. The followers of Loki believed that the world should constantly be at war, that the strongest deserved to rule and the weak should be picked off. The war lasted many years until finally, the followers of Fenrir reigned Supreme. After the war slowly but surely the military personnel of Saintsmith were disbanded, as with the entire continent at peace, there was no need for violence. There were small emergency forces for any unforeseen circumstances but they rarely had to act on anything. As time passed on wolves were able to spread off and create their own territories and lead their own people, as long as violence never spread they were left unbothered. But unbeknownst to anyone, 100 years of peace was coming to an end.
Humphrey's POV
"Mom, I'm not a pup anymore, cut it out!" I say, trying to shake my mother off of me.
"I don't care what you say sweetie, you're my pup forever so youre gonna have to deal with it" she says, putting her other paw on me licking a stain off my fur.
My mother, Charlotte. I get most of my looks from her. My gray fur, though hers, is a tad bit lighter than mine. Her eyes are the same shade as mine, as light as a clear blue sky. Though while I do have some pretty soft fur, if I do say so myself, my mothers fur is so fluffy and always seemingly flowing seamlessly whenever she walks.
"Hey kiddo you're not giving your mother a hard time now are you? Or are you trying to lure me out to challenge me again?" my father asks, sitting in front of me with a smirk.
"My Father, Alec. Now this is the man who gave me my attitude. A proud wolf, who would never back down from a challenge. He always walks around with his head high and with so much confidence. His fur is as black as the midnight sky, it looks to be rough but is soft to the touch. Nobody would dare question if my dad is the real thing, he's one of the best hunters in Crystal Lakes.. He's a lot more built than me, but I'm catching up slowly but surely.
"Listen old man, if you want to go again it's your own downfall" I state, removing myself from under my mother and getting into a defensive stance.
"Listen here pup, keep it up and i'll stop going easy on you." my father chuckles, standing up to face me.
My old man always says he's going easy on me but I think I've started seeing some concentration in his eyes. I dive towards him with my right paw extended to strike, but right before the strike I propel myself to the right and strike with my left paw instead. My father smiles after my sudden change in directions and jumps back to dodge the blow. Shortly after landing, He charged straight for me. Using his weight to my advantage I quickly dodge left while pushing my father farther back into the den wall since it would be harder for him to stop. He turns to the side at the last moment to cushion the blow onto the wall, but I use this time to sweep his legs from under him and try to pin him against the wall. Unfortunately I haven't caught up to my father in strength so he easily pushes me off him. I land on my back but before I can get back up he's pinned my paws to the ground.
"Looks like someone hasn't been skipping out on his training" he says, a wide smile on his face as he lets me up off the ground.
"Aww man, I would have had you if I was just a bit stronger." I say frustrated, smacking my paw into the ground. The frustration soon fades as I realize I've gotten much closer to finally beating my father since I've started.
"Maybe if you put on some muscle you might actually stand a chance against me eventually." My father says, smirking at me.
"Now now children, stop playing so rough. I don't want to deal with any injured children." Mom cuts in, shaking her head at us.
"Me, a child? Why don't you try to take me on?" my father says, bowing to my mother with a smirk.
"And with that, I'm out of here" I say, running out of the den ignoring the calls of my mother."
Crystal Lakes always takes my breath away, no matter how many times I look upon it. Fir and ask trees were scattered around, full of leaves and pinecones. In the winter it looks even more beautiful. A few minutes south of me and my parents lies a lake with water that's crystal clear. The water itself is always cool and refreshing, a popular place people visit to recover lost energy. But my favorite spot? It's going to be faaaar north, towards the end of our territory. It is a lengthy climb, but oh boy is it worth it. At the top of the cliff is a spot I've always loved coming to. It has the most breathtaking view. From the top, I'm able to see all of the territory. The important places have trees cleared where you can see plenty of other wolves enjoying their days. Eating, playing, just enjoying life. The sunsets are always a sight, I can never get tired of it.
"Son, there's something we need to talk about" I hear my father say behind me.