Post by Burn on Jun 7, 2019 16:58:21 GMT -6
It all began when one lone dispersal male travelled into this prosperous land of many wolves and plentiful resources. His name was Blackstone, a very large mackenzie valley wolf who'd ventured up into Yellowstone National Park from the Great Plains of North America. He was above average height even for his subspecies, with a long and silky brown coat mixed with black and bright ember eyes. He was a legend of a wolf, both in his homelands where he successfully hunted buffalo with his natal pack, and in Yellowstone where he founded one of the strongest packs in the region. He was the first wolf to create a pack in Fire Valley, and he was the creator of this history.
It was mid October, Blackstone had been wandering around the broad valley for a few months, coming to know the land and love it more every day.
One day he came to Fire Falls, or the Woods of Falling Water, as it was called back then. He'd come here to merely get a drink from the crystal clear waters, but in these woods to the northeast of the valley is where he came upon one wolf, a young female two years of age, who was as well in search of a mate like Blackstone was. Her name was River, a beautiful dark grey pelted female with long legs and thick coat, and silvery blue eyes that contrasted with her dark pallette.
She was across the pool of flowing water, sitting near the waterfall as she bent to drink. Once laying eyes on her Blackstone immediately halted his stride, coming to a stand still just across from the female. For some reason he was frozen in place, unable to move as the dark furred wolf he gazed at looked up, bravely meeting his eyes and holding his gaze. Something about her eyes, Blackstone just couldn't look away. He was drawn to the icy color, the brave shine they held, he just couldn't help taking a step closer, coming to the edge of the water. The female, introducing herself as River, boldly spoke up, greeting Blackstone kindly.
This first meeting was only the beginning, after this Blackstone and River would meet time and time again throughout the valley, coming to know each other better each time. Until one winter night when they made things official. That night was the first ever Courtship Ceremony in the region, and when the pack of Fire Valley was founded.
***
The following spring was a happy one indeed, the beginning of new life in Fire Valley. Not only was there plentiful amounts of prey, but there was also the joy of the first pack two litters of Fire Valley. The Heirs Sired by Blackstone and birthed by his mate River, four pups were born in mid spring, all dark pelted in color with a healthy size. There was three males, and one spunky female. And later Swift had his own pups with his mate Echo, they had two pups, one son and one daughter. They were part of the beginning of the Fire Valley pack.
Over the winter, the leading pair Blackstone and River had picked up a few other wolves who joined their group, the founding wolves who began the Fire Valley pack. These other wolves were Swift, a steady and trustworthy male who soon earned the rank of second-in- command. Hunter, a creamy colored male who was always joking and searching for action. And last but not least, August, a rusty furred female who was always kind and patient.
These wolves, Swift, Hunter, and August, were all very important to the pack, as they helped raise the pups and look after the territory. With Swift helping to lead, Hunter guarding and protecting the territory, and August assisting in caring for the pups, they all made a good pack with a strong bond between them. They were a family, even if they weren't biologically related. And this key trait of the pack still runs deep in the system to this day.
With the help of the pack, the pups grew quickly, soon coming out of their large den to see their first light of day, and then swiftly beginning their rambunctious playing. As they grew, they quickly began to show their traits, with two of the males, Alarick and Hielo, being obedient and composed, while the last male, Sable, was usually lazy and slept all day, and finally the female, whom they called Valerie, was bold and tough, often rough housing her brothers much to their discontent. She was a hassle for the adults, as she would continuously wander away from the den, putting herself at risk of predators. Luckily River or August usually had a close eye on her.
The months pasted quickly, spring turned to summer, and the pups were soon venturing out farther and learning to hunt.
During this time the pack had picked up two more members, a lone male and female. The female was an older grey wolf with a large build, she was tough and had a personality to match. Her name was Letty, and she soon became Fire Valley's first Warrior. The other loner was someone Blackstone knew, and someone he thought he'd never see again. This male was Blackstone's brother, Kongo. He was a black male with average height, much smaller than his brother but still muscular. And with a bold and domineering personality, he wasn't exactly happy with the Seeker rank.
When growing up, Kongo had always been treated like a prince compared to Blackstone, as he was the Heir to their natal pack in the great plains. He always thought he was better than Blackstone, and he was jealous that his brother led a successful growing pack. Though for now there was nothing he could do.
As the Fire Valley Pack grew in numbers, so did another group on the opposite side of the valley, claiming the Misty Woods to the southeast of the valley as their territory. This pack had formed during early spring, but was gathering multiple lone wolves and growing strong in numbers much like the Fire Valley Pack. They called themselves the Wolves of Misty Creek, named after the water source running through Misty Woods that is now called the Blackstone River.
At first there were no problems between the two packs, both living in peace with each other and sharing the huge valley, Fire Valleyians staying to the northern side of the valley and Misty Creek members sticking to the southern side. But as the two packs grew in numbers, more space was being taken and prey animals dwindled. This caused some wolves to trespass on each others territories to hunt, which in turn caused riot. Fire Valley had young to feed, they had more numbers than the Misty Creek wolves, and they had been there first. One evening the Fire Valley wolves held a meeting, to decide what they must do to help ensure the packs future, while a couple were against it, Blackstone and River could only come up with one solution: they must drive the Wolves of Misty Creek out and claim the entire valley as their own. It was presumably a good plan, but the only way to drive out the opposing pack would be to fight them out.
Fire valley had many strong forces, most being trained Warriors who were eager to drive out the opposing pack. It was planned that Fire Valley would declare war at the packs borders, send in their strongest forces first to take out the tough wolves first, then other will come to finish the job, while the den mothers and weaker wolves stay behind to watch over the pups and elders in the densite.
Three days passed before the two packs met within the valley, their garrisons lined and ready for a fight. Before they began, Chief Blackstone of Fire Valley and Alpha Esmond of Wolves of Misty Creek met in the middle to exchange words, once finished they gave a bow and moved off, and then waited. At the sound of the Chief's howl they would begin battle, and take over the valley. It was time.
Snarls and growls and yelps of pain filled the morning air and echoed off the mountains as the two packs rushed each other, meeting in a clash as they fought to have rights over the territory and prey. The battle did not last very long, but was gruesome indeed. Blood was shed of course, some unfortunate wolves lost their lives, but in the end only one pack won, the victorious Fire Valley Pack.
The Wolves of Misty Creek fled, their forces injured and some lost, they were weak and could no longer hold their ground against the strong Fire Valley Pack. And the same day they had left the valley completely.
The victorious pack held an event that following evening, one where everyone relaxed at the densite and gathered their bearings, the Shaman's fixing up any injuries and those who lost loved ones being sympathized. Among these mourning wolves was Blackstone, for during the battle he had lost his dear mate, River. Never had he felt so terribly, but he had to stay strong, for his pups, and for his pack.
After the battle, the Fire Valley Pack stretched their territory over the entire valley, and soon as their pack grew they became the largest and strongest pack in the region. They were like a kingdom, reigning over a prosperous land with great forces. Blackstone, though sad about losing his love, continued to rule over the pack with good intentions. His pups grew fast and strong, soon learning how to hunt and fend for themselves. Fire Valley was thriving, and because of this one pack member soon became jealous.
The Chief Blackstone's brother, Kongo, had always thought he was better than his sibling, he thought he should be the legendary leader Blackstone was becoming, and it angered him that his rank was no more than a mere Warrior. Kongo wanted to rule himself, he wanted to be loved and worshipped like his brother was, he wanted to be their king. Kongo soon began to show his anger, always arguing and going against his brothers orders, and before long he demanded a Battle Royale for the Chief rank. Blackstone of course refused at first, but after time he could no longer withstand Kongo's antics. The two brothers would fight for the title, the rightful winner becoming the new Chief of Fire Valley. Kongo of course was very confident that he would win, due to this and being larger, Blackstone had an advantage on him. Hardly anyone was worried, as their Chief was skilled and could be ruthless, surely he could win without effort.
Despite their faith in Chief Blackstone, the day of the battle was taken seriously, all but some wished Blackstone luck as he went to meet his brother on the battle field.
Though Blackstone was big and powerful, Kongo was swift and had better endurance, they both had a grand fight against each other that lasted nearly half an hour. But in the end, using his signature move that nearly always worked, only one wolf won. Blackstone had his brother pinned to the ground, holding him there by leaning his weight into Kongo's throat. Blackstone could have easily killed Kongo and ended all worry of him challenging for the Chief rank once again, but he was his brother, and despite how annoying he could be Blackstone still cared for him. The reigning Chief settled for banning Kongo from the Valley from then on, never to return to the pack for the rest of his days. Embarrassed and terrified, Kongo eagerly agreed and departed from the valley quickly, never to be seen again.
***
Months of peace passed for Fire Valley, it was now fall, the first litter was beginning their training for survival, Valerie and Alarick proved to be the best at combat and hunting, while Sable wasn't very interested, and Hielo lacked confidence. But they learned quickly and soon became good young hunters, Alarick especially, whilst his sister Valerie excelled in combat as she was the biggest of the litter. Chief Blackstone was proud of his children, especially Valerie, who reminded him of her mother River, who had passed some months back.
Though he still missed his previous mate River, Blackstone had moved on a little, especially when he met one female who joined the pack. Her name was Cascade, she was a pretty whitish grey pelted female with sweet green eyes, a slim figure, and the sweetest personality. It wasn't hard to fall for her, she was just so kind and gentle, Blackstone couldn't resist. The two quickly became friends, escalating into a more advanced relationship, until one early winter day Blackstone and Cascade were coupled in way of a Courtship Ceremony.
The following spring new lives began with the second litter of Blackstone's, one female and one male this time. The one female was called Kira after Blackstone's mother, having light grey with black markings, and the male, Sandstone, was the smallest of the litter, being white and tan colored. These two grew quickly in their parents care, Kira was more like their father, bold and daring, while Sandstone was like their mother Cascade, being more sweet and timid. As they grew and learned, Kira showed the most confidence, often play fighting with her brother and making him even more scared of everything that moved.
Time flied and the pups grew over the months with good food and a protected home, they were healthy and happy, two pups couldn't want anything more. Soon they turned four months old, beginning their training in hunting and combat, Kira showed much skill and confidence, though Sandstone usually failed his assignments in some way or another. But he was a quick learner, taking on to hunting splendidly despite his clumsy ways.
***
A year passed peacefully, hardly any drama pursued other than the mild scuffles between pack members, and the young Heirs Kira and Sandstone were now a year old, strong and healthy as ever. Soon their parents Blackstone and Cascade had another litter of pups, two brown females and one grey male, named Cassandra, Current, and Archer. Sandstone willingly helped raise his young siblings, along with his older sister Valerie, though Kira was a bit busy with her adventures to deal with the pesky pups.
One day, it was Kira's turn to watch over the frisky pups as the others went on a joyous hunt, Kira was mad because she didn't get to go and had to stay at the boring den. Pacing back and forth while the three pups slept she thought, what could go wrong if she slipped away to explore around the woods? They were sleeping anyway. Without hesitation she slipped from the dens, loping into the woods and leaving her younger siblings alone.
Before the mischievous Kira could return though, the young pups had woken, only to find themselves all alone with no supervision. With Archer being just as mischievous as his older sister, he tempted his littermates to take advantage of this freedom and sneak away to check out the world around them, it did sound intriguing, Current and Cassandra just couldn't resist.
The threesome bounded out of the densite, feeling rebellious and free, completely oblivious to the fact that anything could come and put them in danger at any moment, and there was no one to help them. Nevertheless, Archer led his sisters down one trail heading towards what was then called the Misty River, now named after the great Chief, it's called the Blackstone River this current day. Not only were the pups prone to being picked off by predators, but it had also rained the previous day, making the river banks swell with rushing water that held all sorts of dangers for them. But they were not afraid, they had no idea how bad flood waters could be, as they were only a few months old. What could go wrong?
Back at camp, the adults returned from their hunting trip only to find an empty densite. With their children missing, both Cascade and Blackstone worried for the worst. They quickly organized search parties, and set out to follow the fainted scent trail the young pups had left. Blackstone led his small party towards the river, thick nose to the ground as he followed his youngest pups scent. With the recent rains the river had been swelled and the waters rushed in rapids, he fear his children were in great danger if they ventured too far near the river.
With his mate Cascade by his side, the Chief loped through the brush towards the river bank, pausing once reaching the rocky edge. Archer, Cassandra, and Current's scent was stronger now, and little paw prints could be seen in the damp ground. Blackstone, growing more worried by the minute, briskly bounded alongside the rushing river, his mate Cascade and old Deputy and friend Swift running right behind, but as he came to a small ledge where the ground level dropped he was relieved to see his three children, happily bounding and playing with each other just ahead of him. But they were not safe yet, not until they were away from the raging river.
Before the Chief, Chieftess, and Deputy could take another step towards the three pups, the brown female Current jumped to the right, clumsily slipping on the wet rock and rolling with a splash into the deep river. Without hesitation Blackstone jumped into action, galloping along the river bank as he tried to catch up with his pup being swept down the river, struggling to stay afloat. The Chief bounded in long strides, panting as he yelled at his daughter to stay with him, to hang on, to Blackstone everything was blocked out, he just had to get to Current, he had to save her. Alerted by the shouts, the other search parties quickly came to the river, farther down than the struggling pup and determined father was. Blackstone, focusing on Current, didn't even realize there was a small drop ahead until they were right upon it, the river dropped in a small waterfall into a deep, wide pool before continuing in a set of rapid waters and rocks. As he watched his nearly drowned daughter go over the edge of the fall Blackstone made his choice, bravely he leapt from the rocky ledge, majestically soring through the air with his mate, Deputy, and youngest children left behind him, the other pack wolves gathered along the banks of the river below. With a huge splash the large male plunged into the depths, completely under water a moment before coming back up with a gasp for air. Swiftly he began to swim towards his pup, being pushed by the current and his strong strokes. After a moment he caught up with his daughter just before she was pulled under, grabbing her by the nape of her neck and holding her trembling body above the rushing waters. With forceful strokes Blackstone tried to swim towards the bank where his pack ran alongside, ready to help if they could. The brown and black Chief struggled to gain traction on the rivers rocky bottom, trying his hardest to push against the strong currents that nearly slammed him into a rock protruding from the rapids. Just a little bit close to the bank, he had to save his daughter, they could make it. Once close enough the Chief gave a toss of his head, sending the soaked Current flying through the air and being caught by the creamy tan male Hunter, who had been one of the founding members of Fire Valley. Relieved that his daughter was finally safe, Blackstone less frantically made his way towRds the bank, still being pushed down river. The raging waters whipped and lashed at him, splashing into his eyes while furiously surrounding him. In one moment he was pulled under completely, coming up a second later, gasping for breathe while coughing up water. The pack continued to follow alongside, shouting at him but he could only hear the rushing water around him. The Chief managed to cling onto a large rock, panting in exhaustion while trying to pull himself up. As he struggled he heard his beloved mates cry, though he couldn't make out her exact words he looked around, his wet golden eyes widening as he spotted the reason for her distress: a big log tumbling down the rapids, heading straight for him.
There was nothing he could do but make a last attempt to launch himself from the boulder, but it was too late, the log was right upon him and the high waters kept him from getting a good grip. He brought his gaze to lock with Cascade's, her cry the last thing he heard before he was hit by the quick moving log, being pushed under to never resurface again...
And so ended the reign of one great wolf, the founding Chief of the Fire Valley Pack, father to three litters of pups, and the one whom the grand Misty River was renamed after, the Blackstone River that ended the amazing Chief's life, all to save his dear daughter.
After Chief Blackstone died, Cascade retired from the Hierarchy, allowing the first daughter of Blackstone's to take over as Chieftess. Valerie ruled over Fire Valley for nearly three years, she ended up banning Kira from the valley once she was two years of age for abandoning Archer, Cassandra, and Current that daunting day their father was lost. A year later Kira's brother Sandstone ended up finding a mate himself, and had a litter of their own.
All was peaceful, Valerie reigned well up until it was time for her to retire, Sandstone's son Blackburn then took over as Chief, and that brings us to the current day.