"Watch me, pup, I will show you how we hunt." Kyra stretched luxuriously, showing off her rippling muscles as she watched her little pup hop up to her. He was growing muscular, just like his father, and she felt a hint of pride. She nodded to a fallen tree trunk that lay on the forest floor just ahead, resting slightly above the ground on a rock. His eyes followed her gaze and he tipped his head.

"Are we gonna hunt a tree, Mommy?" He bared his tiny teeth- clean and sharp. "Imma show my teeth and scare it into submission. Graa!" He lunged at it, but she gently reached forward and nipped his scruff before he could.

"Now, be patient, pup," she purred. "Hunting is not all about scaring your prey. You must be quick and painless in killing them."

"Why though, Mommy?" He worked his paws in the earth. "The food isn't hounds. Why do we have to be nice to it?"

"Because all living creatures are like us, little one. We just want to survive. Now, pay attention to me." Kyra narrowed her eyes, envisioning the tree trunk as the dusty pale coat of a beefalo, before charging at full speed. Her bulk tore away at fronds and brambles until she reached it. Instead of launching herself at it, she feinted to the side and slipped under the trunk, pressing her spine against it and freeing it from its perch. It fell with a thump, and before it had time to settled she was on top of it, her teeth ripping away at bark where the beast's neck would be. Finally, she released it, panting with elation as she dipped her head to her little pup. "Now, what did you see me do?"

But he wasn't watching anymore. His huge eyes were traced on a butterfly, fluttering around his nose before landing on it. He sneezed, and looked back at Kyra innocently. Despite herself, she wasn't able to be mad at him. She padded towards him and nuzzled his neck fur. Oh, Shatter, I can't send him out to battle. Varg wants him ready by mid-Spring and... I don't think I have it in my heart to.

She licked his cheek, and turned back to their encampment. "Come on, little one, let's get you something to eat." Like all hounds in the pack currently, her pup had the slightest hint of fat in his cheeks and flanks, but that was alright. They could hunt as much as they liked until Summer, in which the fire hounds would take over as it became too hot for any other hound to bear. She wasn't worried, though. Her friend, Rose, would likely make sure there was enough for all of the pups to have their share.

"Mommy?" Her puppy spoke up behind her, and she slowed down to let him catch up.

"Yes, little one?"

He paused, clawing at the ground before continuing. "What happened to my Daddy?" He asked finally, looking genuinely curious.

Instantly, she felt the pang of grief fresh in her chest. "What do you know about your father?" She asked gently.

"I know he was a big and strong hound!" He said happily. "And he was sweet and loved by everyone. But... what happened to him?" Fire lit in his eyes, something that surprised Kyra and scared her even a little bit. "Did the mean Survivors get him! I'll kill all of them!"

Her steps faltered a little bit, almost terrified of her own puppy. The pack is corrupting his mind... she realized suddenly, but she shook her head to drive the treacherous thought away. The thought had been appearing a lot more recently, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was a better life for him. No. The pack brings safety, and food, and shade in the Summer. Nothing can be better than that. "It wasn't the Survivors," she corrected him gently. "It was a beefalo." She remembered the scene clearly now, running with the wind in their fur and joy in their steps. Shatter and Kyra running side-by-side, their fur brushing as their muscles stretched and folded to the same rhythm. She had loved her mate with all of her heart, and even though she spent countless nights wondering and thinking and crying, she could never figure out what went wrong- why that time was what brought the mighty hound down.

It was well before her pup was born, she didn't even know that she was carrying pups at the time, but even though there had been whispers spread about her mate disappearing just before she found out she was carrying pups, she knew that they were their's. And now, the rest of the pack couldn't deny it either. No other hound had such a bulky and powerful build. She lowered her head, breathing in the chilly sent of her precious son. She loved him. She loved him with all of her heart. The pack would expect the same of him that they came to expect of Shatter. He's too tiny... he's so small... please, don't make him attack entire herds of beefalo, please don't think he can do as much as his father could. Please... I can't lose another pup.

"Don't we eat the beefalo, though, Mommy?" His sweet, innocent voice brought her back from her thoughts. "How did the beefalo-"

"I don't know," she cut him off, just wanting to not be reminded again of how her mate fell. "But, what I do know," she continued before he could be deflated by her dismissive tone. "Is that there's something very special I must discuss with Varg when we get back."

…

"Shatter, hmm?" Varg mused, lifting his mighty head from the pool of which he drank. "A powerful name for a powerful pup, Kyra. But it would bear a weight that he might not be able to handle- do you really think he will grow up to be as strong as his father?" His beady eyes met Kyra's, thoughtfully. "Do you think it would discourage him, knowing he might not be able to fill the footsteps his name would set out for him?"

She lifted her chin slightly. "I am very sure, my Alpha."

Varg shook his head slightly. "If you are certain, then the ceremony shall take place immediately. It's about time he's gotten a proper name." He shook himself off before raising his head. "It is time for a pack meeting!" He barked, his voice low and smooth. Kyra stood by his side proudly, but then felt that pang of pain return. Shatter should have been on his other side. "There is a pup who has grown into his name. Pup of Kyra and Shatter, stand forward." She saw the confusion across the face of her puppy as he stumbled out of the den after Sizzle and Ebony. He yawned, then scampered to stand at Varg's feet. Varg nodded to Kyra. "Go on."

She took a step forward. "Before Shatter and I came to this pack, all we knew was hunting and an owner who cared nothing for us. We were nothing but a tool for his survival, and we got only the scraps of what we hunted. But neither of us could have expected to find such amount of love in this pack and more importantly, in each other. Shatter, if you can hear me now, I want you to know that I still love you, and I wish you were here to stand beside us now." She dipped her head. "But I have thought long and hard on this, and I realize that you are not fully gone, but you live on in our son. Which is why I request our leader to pass on your name to our pup."

"Kyra's request is a humble one," Varg rumbled. "And I accept. From this moment on, this nameless pup shall no longer be nameless. In its place, I pass you the name of Shatter, so that your father's legacy shall not go unremembered."

She could see the shock and excitement flashing over the newly named Shatter's face, as though he couldn't believe that he had a name now. He didn't move or speak, but finally, he broke away and buried his face in Kyra's chest, laughing and crying at the same time. She touched her nose to his head. "You earned it, little one."