Chapter Text
Snow.
Thats all she saw around her. Walking up the mountains, shivering and sneezing looking for shelter. Her short white fur moving slightly in the strong winds. She walked and walked for hours, trying not to be seen by anyone or anything. She had ran away from the people who had captured her and hurt her. Making her breed with males who she didn’t know. She looked and looked for any sort of shelter around, but luck is not on her side. Her battered up leg making the journey hard and her swollen belly full of pups making it harder.
A few hours has passed without finding warmth. She’s sure she would die if she didn’t find any shelter soon. The wind had calmed down making the cold chilly weather a little bearable. Her stomach rumbles, she can’t tell if she would make it through the night. She would need food for strength and protection from the nightly predators. She spots a cave nearby, hoping no animal would be inside she moves closer to it, but she paused. She spots something hopping through the snow. The smell of a rabbit makes her drool.
She crouches down. Her white coat making her almost invisible. She lightens her step slowly making her way closer to the rabbit. She stops every once in a while making sure the rabbit is unaware of her presence.
Once she’s close enough she pounces, opening her jaws as she landed. She chomped down on its neck. The rabbit squirmed and squealed trying to escape, but she doesn’t let it suffer much and kills it in an instant closing her teeth around the rabbits neck harder.
Once the rabbit is completely lifeless, she headed over to the cave, the rabbit still in her jaws. Stopping at the entrance and sniffing the air. She smells the faint scent of prey animals, nothing that she should worry about. Walking inside the cave she takes in her surroundings. Looking and sniffing around before finding a gigantic nest with a bear in the middle of it. It smelled of death. She nudged it with her nose feeling the body. It was still warm so the animal must have died earlier.
She dropped the rabbit next to the nest and began to drag the bear out of the nest and outside the cave. Once that was done, she tiredly went back into the cave and checked for any bugs in the nest. Once it was all clear she picked up her rabbit and began feasting. She was very lucky the rabbit was plump and juicy instead stringy and skinny. Her meal was filling and her pups will surely be fed. She took the bones of the rabbit out of the cave and had the strength to move the bear further away from her new home. So that she didn’t have to deal with any other animals.
The next day went smoother than yesterday when she had traveled from a human town to the mountains. She took the rest of the day to prepare for pup’s arrival. Making the nest more comfy to lie down in And making sure to eat well. Once she was done she rested and awaited for tomorrow for which she is sure she would give birth that day.
It had been nine weeks since she moved to the mountains. Her coat now full and silky rather than what it had been when the humans hurt her. She went out hunting, feeling greater than she had ever felt.
She hunted for a while and had caught plenty of food. Three full rabbits and half of a deer that she had earned from fighting a coyote that killed the deer. She buried the rabbits and dragged the half deer back to her den. It was heavy and surprisingly well and plump. The night was beginning to show and she hurried to take her food home.
Her bright yellow eyes shining as she looked up to the sunset. She stopped to take a break and looked up at the beautiful vibrant colors. She had never seen something so pretty in all of her years of living. If a wolf could smile she sure would be smiling at this moment. She had to tear her eyes away from the sunset and bring the food back home. Once she made it she could already hear the tiny yips and yaps of her tiny pups.
She dragged the deer inside and her pups immediately ran to the entrance of the cave. They came to her one by one. J her first born, nuzzled up to her leg. V her second born, sniffed at the deer and tried to bite through its tough skin but was quickly scolded by her mother. And lastly N, the runt of the litter, he wobbled over to his mother yipping happily. He tried to nuzzle the same leg that J was but J didn’t like that and nipped at N growling slightly. Their mother continued to drag the deer further inside and the pups followed behind. They ate the deer and were full. The three of them cuddled around their mother and fell asleep snoring softly.
The next day had been basically the same thing as the other days. Their mother would go hunting for them and the pups would be in the cave sleeping or playing around. The pups were growing rapidly, and it was obvious that they were strong and healthy. They wrestled with each other playfully, their tiny bodies wriggling and tumbling over each other in excitement. J was always rough when playing. Especially with N, to her he was just a wolf trying to take her down and be the alpha. Even though she was still a pup, her instincts told her to be higher than him no matter what. However, N didn’t think of any of this when playing around. He found it fun and entertaining, though sometimes J would hit him just a tad bit too hard and he would let out a whine or whimper to tell her she was being too rough. When V played she would always bite and nibble at her siblings legs. She was always thinking about food and seeing her siblings limbs as a deer leg or a rabbit thigh. But she never did any real damage, knowing the difference between food and her siblings.
As the days passed, the pups continued to grow and explore their surroundings. They began to venture further and further from the den, their tiny legs carrying them on adventures throughout the forest. Their mother kept a watchful eye on her pups, always alert for any potential danger that might threaten them. But as they grew older and more confident, she found herself allowing them more freedom to roam and explore. One day, the pups stumbled upon a small stream. They approached the water cautiously, sniffing at it with curiosity before dipping their paws into the cool, clear liquid.
The pups began to splash and play in the water, their barks and growls of delight echoing through the mountains. The mother watched them from a distance, as said again if she could smile a small smile would be shown on her face as she saw how happy and carefree they were, something that she never had as a pup.
As the sun began to set, the pups grew tired and hungry. They trotted back to the den, their fur damp from their earlier swim, and eagerly waited for their mother to feed them. But she didn’t. They nudged at their mother confused on why she wasn’t going hunting. She sat down near the entrance of the den not moving a muscle. The pups looked up at their mother, puzzled by her lack of movement. They had grown accustomed to her providing them with food, and now they were hungry and confused. She watched as her pups whined and pawed at her, their little bellies rumbling with hunger. She knew that it was time for them to learn how to hunt for their own food. She let out a soft growl, signaling for them to follow her.
The pups quickly scrambled to their feet and began to follow their mother as she led them deeper down the mountain. They were still young and inexperienced, but they were eager to learn and prove themselves. Especially J, she always wanted to prove to her mother that she could be better at anything. Their mother led the pups to a clearing where a small rabbit was nibbling on some grass through the snow. She stopped and looked back at her children, silently instructing them to observe her movements. The pups watched intently as their mother crept silently towards the rabbit. She stalked her prey with a predatory grace, her movements fluid and precise. She pounced on the rabbit with lightning speed, pinning it down with her strong jaws.
The rabbit struggled and squeaked, but it was no match for the mother wolf's strength. She swiftly ended its life, her jaws snapping its neck with a sickening crack. The pups watched with a mix of fascination and awe as their mother fed herself the some of the rabbit before leading it to her kids. The pups eagerly devoured the rabbit, their tiny bodies fueled by the fresh meat. They were still a bit clumsy in their movements, but they were already showing signs of improvement. The mother watched them with pride, knowing that they were on their way to becoming independent hunters.
She knew that hunting was a vital skill for her pups to learn. She continued to take them on hunting trips, patiently showing them how to track prey and stalk their targets with stealth. The pups slowly began to improve, their tracking skills improving with each hunt. They began to mimic their mother's movements, learning how to hide in the underbrush and approach their prey silently. When J hunted she made sure her mother was watching. After she had caught her kill she brought up to the den proudly showing it off to N. But N didn’t really care, he rolled his eyes at her pride and turned away.
Their mother was now confident that her pups could hunt for themselves. She no longer needed to provide them with food, and instead focused on teaching them other essential skills like defending themselves and working as a team and not being against each other (J). The pups continued to grow and learn under their mother's watchful eye. They became skilled hunters and learned to navigate the down the mountain with ease. As they grew older, they began to show signs of independence, often going off on their own to explore the surrounding area. N was the most adventurous of the pups. He often sneaked out of the den at night, restless and eager to explore the world around him. His siblings slept soundly, but N was filled with a sense of wanderlust that he couldn't ignore. Strolling down the mountain sometimes catching some prey to snack on. It had became a habit for him.
N's nightly strolls took him to the outskirts of the mountains, where he would wander through the never ending snow and observe the night sky. He would watch the stars and listen to the sounds of the nocturnal creatures around him, feeling a sense of freedom and independence. But sometimes the nights wouldn’t be so peaceful. He would often hear the ground rumble with these giant metal things that would patrol close to their territory. He had learn from his mother it was called a vehicle. As N watched the vehicle speed by, he felt a mix of fear and fascination. He had never encountered anything so fast or loud before. The humans inside seemed so small and fragile compared to the vastness of the mountains. He wondered what they were doing, so close to their territory.
Another night had come upon the wolves and they had settled down to sleep. But N couldn't resist the urge to explore again. He quietly left the den once more, determined to return to the spot where he had seen the vehicle. He walked through the forest, his paws moving silently over the ground as he navigated the familiar path. But to his surprise, he felt something hit his neck. N stumbled and fell to the ground, feeling a sharp pain in his neck. He tried to get up, but his limbs felt heavy and sluggish. He let out a soft whimper, his vision blurring as he struggled to stay conscious. The feeling of tiredness overcame him quickly, and he found himself drifting in and out of consciousness. He fought to stay awake, but his eyelids grew heavier with each passing moment. The last thing he remembered was the sound of rustling leaves and footsteps approaching him before everything went black.