Delsin & Kasper's History [Pre-roleplay]
Apr 8, 2017 20:58:43 GMT -5
Post by Blue Apples on Apr 8, 2017 20:58:43 GMT -5
The story begins long before the brother's birth, taking place within a group of nomads. As the cruel talons of winter began to show themselves the pack took that as their cue to begin the travel to their winter hunting grounds. Their route was long established, each member having made the trip at least once in their life. For Mimiteh Orzo, a young charcoal-colored female from the Alpha's latest litter, this would be her second time making the journey.
This time around the family ran into a young lone male as they made their way through an ancient pine forest. It was not uncommon for the nomads to accept unrelated individuals into the pack, but the brute, who was quick to introduce himself as Adler, seemed only interested in getting lucky with one or more of the she-wolves, as was evident from his flirtatious behavior. Orzo Sunni, the Alpha of the group, was tolerant of the him at first, finding his frivolous attempts to be humorous, but as Mimiteh began to take interest in the male his tolerance quickly faded. Any time the loner came too close he was swiftly chased off, yet that didn't stop him from trying again and again.
Mimiteh had never met such a handsome, charismatic wolf before (at least he was such things in her mind) and she fell head over heels for him in record time. Mimiteh made her affections quite obvious and Adler was quick to return the feelings, though that didn't stop him from continuing to flirt with her sisters. Orzo was not blind to Mimiteh's interactions, as secretive as she tried to keep them, and presented his daughter with a choice: continue to be a part of his pack, or take her chances with the loner during the dead of winter. Her choice was obvious, she knew well enough she and Adler couldn't hope to survive on their own just yet. She did her best to convince the young male to appeal to her father and join the pack, in the hopes that they could wait until the peak of spring before breaking away, but Adler remained disinterested in the idea. At the very least he agreed to follow the pack's trail, which gave her some peace of mind.
Mimiteh's littermates, while disapproving of her affair with the loner, did their best to help the two meet in private every so often. Dyani, in particular, held Adler in disdain, finding the way in which he continued to flirt with other females disgusting. She tried to warn her sister of his unfaithful behavior, but Mimiteh wouldn't listen, too blinded by love to believe any of it. Unbeknownst to the rest of her family the she-wolf had become pregnant with Adler's pups. When she went to share the good news with the brute she came upon him flirting with another lone female; the behavior she usually viewed as charming, if not a bit annoying, suddenly sent her into a rage. In a moment of fury Mimiteh charged at the strange female, chasing her clear out of the area before turning on Adler angrily. The good news she planned to share in a moment of love was instead given via yelling. Adler was, nonetheless, happy if not a bit awkward about the idea of becoming a father. With spring slowly closing in Mimiteh was looking forward to starting a family of her own.
Unfortunately the signs of her pregnancy became more obvious the more time went on and her family were quick to notice the change. No one said anything about it, creating an air of tension amongst the group, and with Adler going missing for days on end Mimiteh could not even take comfort in his presence. She could only wait and hope he would return soon enough. Her littermates did all they could to distract their parents, but eventually she was confronted by her father.
"I've given you fair warning Mimiteh, and yet you still defied my words," he growled. "Its time you left us, you and your offspring will not be welcome in this pack,"
Before she could make an argument against him Orzo lunged, he only nipped her on the shoulder, but the attack nonetheless startled her. The Alpha did not let up, and the nips beginning to draw blood the longer she held out. Her only option was to turn and run, yet even then still he did not stop. Only after she left the territory did Orzo stop the chase and Mimiteh dare to halt and catch her breath. Without her family or her mate she had nothing, and the emptiness quickly settled into her mentality; the she-wolf lingered in the area, hoping Adler would return from his travels in a little while.
Too large to hunt on her own Mimiteh took up residence in the hollowed out space beneath a tree and spent most of her time resting. Whenever she did leave to hunt she returned with only a mere mouse or vole, hardly a mouthful. Despite the poor diet refused to leave her makeshift den, fearful Adler wouldn't be able to find her if she moved on. Her patience rewarded her in the end, as after a couple days the sound of pawsteps crunching through the underbrush alerted the female to an approacher. Her eyes scanned the bushes in desperation, but it was not Adler's form that appeared before her.
The familiar scent of Dyani tickled her nose a moment before she appeared, a large chunk of meat clamped between her jaws. Mimiteh emerged from hiding, thankful nonetheless of her littermate's loyalty.
"Sorry I couldn't come any sooner, it took me a while to hide away enough food for you," Dyani apologized, depositing the chunk onto the ground.
Mimiteh uttered her thanks before tearing into it; after satisfying her hunger she inquired about the pack, privately hoping her sister's appearance meant her father had forgiven her. Not to her surprise that wasn't the case, Dyani was visiting without his knowing.
Her sister, in turn, asked about Adler's whereabouts to which Mimiteh admitted he had not returned from wherever he'd gone. Dyani did not seem surprised, then further inquired what she planned to do if he did not return before her pups arrived. Mimiteh refused to answer. Dyani was not a wolf that readily tolerated ignorance, so she left her sister with the promise that, should she want it, she would do her best to provide food for her while she couldn't hunt.
Days passed by, but Mimiteh waited still. She knew that if Adler did not show up she had a good chance of finding him in the nearby mountain glade he had always talked about. She had to make a choice: try to find the mountain glade at the risk of giving birth in inhospitable lands, or take up Dyani's offer and siphon resources from her former pack at the risk of running into her father. The she-wolf longed to see her mate again, but she could not put the lives of their pups in danger. With her mind made up and too impatient (and somewhat worried) to wait for Dyani's return, Mimiteh set off towards the edge of her former pack's territory.
With extreme care she crossed over the border and sought out any one of her littermates, knowing full well that if Dyani had promised her help then her littermates would as well. Unfortunately she ran into Hotah instead, a sibling from an older litter and one of the pack that disliked Adler the most. Thankfully he didn't attack right away, though he did hold her trespassing in suspicion. She managed to convince him to take a message to Dyani: "Tell her, I agree." Hotah questioned what she meant by it, but she refused to elaborate and left soon after.
Without a pack to support and care for her and her pups Mimiteh's littermates did their best to build up a food store for the soon-to-be mother. Unable to contribute to the hunting the charcoal colored she-wolf spent most of her time digging out the space beneath the tree where she had first spent the night until it was large enough for her liking. She also marked off a small portion of territory and asked her littermates to do the same to give the appearance of pack-claimed land and hopefully deter any predators or other wolves from intruding on her. Adler had still yet to return, but despite what her siblings said Mimiteh still held out hope; whatever worries the loner had had about becoming a father she knew he wouldn't have just abandoned her... at least she hoped he wouldn't have.
As she approached her due date Mimiteh's siblings stopped by less and less, trying to avoid drawing suspicion to their disappearances and giving their sister a bit of peace while she gave birth to her new family. For days Mimiteh remained in her den, leaving only to get food and to relieve herself. Some sort of sixth sense told her it would be soon and her days were filled with nothing but anticipation; her contractions began mid-afternoon the next day and after hours of painful ripples the she-wolf gave life to two little males. Only mere seconds old the two brothers showed admirable strength, squirming towards the scent of milk and letting out high pitched yips and whines. As was family tradition the pups took their father's first name as their last, and though Adler wasn't around Mimiteh felt he would have approved of the names Delsin and Kasper.
The food store lasted only about a week, whatever meat remained had begun to rot. Her littermates did their best to provide meals for her, but their time was heavily divided between pack duties and babysitting their newest litter of siblings. When Mimiteh could no longer depend on their help she took things into her own paws. Her pup's eyes were just beginning to open and they had started to test their legs, but she could not risk under-nourishing them and so took to leaving the den to hunt for short periods of time. The she-wolf stayed as close to the den as she could, though she had to put some distance between herself and the pups if she wanted to actually catch something.
Sometimes Mimiteh would return with a rabbit, other times she caught nothing and went hungry for the night. She swiftly quit the habit when she detected the scent of a stranger appearing around the den whenever she went hunting. Though the pups were always unharmed the she-wolf was unwilling to push her luck. By that time Delsin and Kasper had fully opened their eyes and were capable of walking (mostly) on their own, so Mimiteh took a chance and brought them hunting with her. She would hide them in the undergrowth, between tree roots, and in tall grass, instructing her sons to remain as quiet and still as possible. Being quite impressionable they followed through with the orders, viewing it more as a game than anything else, with freshly killed meat as their reward.
Even still, Mimiteh would occasionally find scents of the stranger around her territory. She was able to identify them as a male, but definitely not Adler. Concerned for the safety of her sons she decided it was best to move. Gathering her pups the she-wolf traveled to the other side of her pack's hunting grounds, skirting dangerously close to their borders. And by doing so Mimiteh played a part in her own downfall.
Catching her scent drifting on the breeze Orzo was alerted to his daughter's presence, none too pleased by her apparent return (and presuming Adler to be with her) he followed her trail to her newly established camp. Mimiteh had heard his approach, but foolishly assumed it to belong to one of her littermates and continued to situate her pups within the new den. Orzo attacked without warning, easily gaining the upper hand in battle and pinning her to the ground in a matter of moments. Kasper and Delsin, terrified by the turn of events, could only watch in horror. Mimiteh fought back as best she could from her position, eventually managing to push him back. Exhausted and bleeding Mimiteh grabbed Kasper in her jaws and urged little Delsin to follow alongside her as she fled. Orzo did not give chase, he knew he'd won.
For Delsin the experience had been exhilarating, terrifying yes, but he'd never traveled so far in one day, much less got to witness a real battle. Kasper was simply happy they'd gotten away unharmed. Once the danger was far behind them he could only think of exploring the new, unfamiliar landscape. The ancient pine forest was long gone by then, an impossibly high mountain rose up above them. Without being able to return to their old den and cornered by the pack's territory the only option for Mimiteh and her pups was to climb the mountain and either settle somewhere along its ascent, or cross it to new lands.
As excited as Delsin and Kasper were to hear that they'd be climbing a mountain they only got so far before giving into the exhaustion, exploration suddenly wasn't as fun as they thought it was, even Delsin, who had always been so keen to seek out new things, wanted to go home. Though they begged and pleaded with their mother to turn around she pushed forward, and they had no choice but to follow. Hours later, and only a few yards up the mountain, the family took shelter in a patch of sparse, coarse grass. Their journey continued on into the next day, and into the next; though Delsin and Kasper asked repeatedly where they were going and why, Mimiteh remained tight lipped about the matter. Eventually they stopped asking.
For the time being, until Delsin and Kasper grew strong enough to travel, the small pack settled in a mountain grotto, close enough to the forest to safely hunt and hidden from any mountain predators. The brothers occupied their time by play-fighting and exploring the surrounding area; at two and a half months old they began to accompany their mother on hunts, sometimes watching, sometimes participating. Though Delsin seemed to inherit most of the muscle he was an awful hunter, at least in comparison to Kasper who was quick on his paws and found it easy to catch up to even the swiftest hare. Luckily for him Mimiteh was a patient teacher and allowed her son to get as much practice in as he wanted. Though Delsin would always lag behind in hunting skill compared to his brother he slowly grew better over time.
As spring began to draw to a close Mimiteh took her sons out for hunting lessons less and less, knowing full well her former pack would start the migration to their summer hunting grounds soon enough. Delsin and Kasper, by now used to not receiving explanations for their mother's odd behavior, simply went along with her orders. The two entertained themselves by hiking, with Mimiteh's permission of course, and experimented with mountain hunting techniques, not that they ever caught anything.
During this time they ran into a lone male, much older and larger than either of the brothers, but far from hostile. The male, who named himself Johann, often gave them advice and showed them neat places to visit within the mountain range. He became something similar of a mentor to them, happy to share his knowledge but never seeking them out personally. Should they wish to learn something new the brothers knew where to find him.
Once the pack had left the area Mimiteh and her young returned to life as they knew it. Johann, encouraged by his good relationship with Delsin and Kasper, began to show up around the family more and more often. Mimiteh generally seemed annoyed by his presence, but that didn't seem to deter the old male, if anything he seemed to find it charming. Over time the she-wolf accepted his presence and even allowed him to stay with her pack for days at a time; he made his feelings for her pretty obvious, but Mimiteh refused to acknowledge them, still holding out for Adler's return. He respected her feelings and gave her the space she needed, but no less became a part of her pup's lives as the father figure they needed.
As winter rolled around once more, and with it the return of Mimiteh's former pack, Delsin and Kasper had grown considerably. Delsin taking on a bulky and muscular appearance while Kasper had a sleek, lithe look to him. Johann had, more or less, become a part of the pack and was slowly winning over Mimiteh's affections. Though having only four mouths to feed the she-wolf didn't want to risk competing with her former pack for the local herd. They didn't have the strength to fight for ownership of the hunting grounds, nor could they hope to outsmart the large pack. Their only option was to leave in search of other prey populated areas, and luckily for them Johann had just such a knowledge of the nearby terrains. Following his lead the small pack would embark on what would become their migration route.
The nomads avoided other packs during their travels, migrating from land to land as they saw fit. Surviving a second winter didn't prove to be a challenge even with Delsin almost constantly wandering off on his own. As it so happened, the small family had temporarily settled close by to another pack's territory. Though they were far enough away to avoid confrontation, it wasn't far enough for Delsin to ignore the scent of females. Maturity kicked in sooner for him than his brother, and though he knew it was dangerous for him to wander too far from his family, he couldn't resist the temptation. One investigation of the stranger pack was all it took for the young male to fall head over heels for a pale-coated lass. Despite his better judgement and warnings from his parents when they found out, he continued to visit her.
Without his brother around to hang with most of the time, Kasper formed a closer bond with his parents, especially Johann. The young wolf was eager to learn about everything and anything, so Johann took to teaching him. Among the many topics was other ways of life, which Kasper became fascinated with almost instantly, taking a special interest in the life of spiritual worship. It felt as if he were peering into another world when Johann shared stories about packs that followed laws given from divine ancestors and heeded warnings from those that become spiritually enlightened. Within a matter of weeks Kasper embraced this philosophy and sought to become one who could talk with those from the beyond. Mimiteh was less than pleased with her mate's 'brainwashing' (as she put it), but didn't interfere since she saw no harm in the beliefs.
As spring came around the family prepared to move along in their travels, without Delsin. The young male had spent so much time with the other pack they all expected him to stay with his newfound mate. Mimiteh, while angered by her son's disobedience wouldn't stand in his way, but Kasper felt differently. He begged and pleaded with his parents to talk to his brother, make him see the right choice, or even force him to join them. In the end Johann finally managed to convince the young wolf that if Delsin felt happy with that pack, they should leave him behind. It broke his heart, but Kasper didn't argue.
It wasn't long after they set out that the family discovered they were being followed, deciding to meet the stranger passively they stopped to rest. Lo and behold it turned out to be Delsin, who's only comment after not seeing them for ages was "Whoever did the headcount before leaving should learn to double check." He said little about why he chose to leave his new pack and mate and after a couple vague answers everyone dropped the subject.
From there on out the family experienced little trouble, from time to time they would come across a hostile pack and have to defend themselves from attack, but that was pretty much it. Delsin quickly developed a habit of flirting with nearly every female he came across and Kasper became more devoted to his newfound religion.
It wasn't until their fourth year that tragedy struck. During a particularly mild winter Johann fell mysteriously, yet violently ill. The strong and able male swiftly became unable to move, eat, or even take care of himself. The family bedded down in valley and did all they could to care for their friend. While Mimiteh and Kasper focused on hunting enough food for them all, Delsin was often left to watch over Johann until they returned. It was around this time that the male took a serious interest in the nature of disease, he asked Johann all sorts of questions: what had he been doing before he got sick, had this ever happened before, was it something he ate, etc etc. Any answer, more often that not, left Delsin with more questions.
One day they all woke up to find Johann missing without a trace. The three of them searched for almost three days before giving up and deciding he was likely dead. Mimiteh grieved for the loss of her second mate, but did so quietly and to herself; Kasper, on the other hand, flickering between stoically calm and distraught. He had never had to deal with such a personal death before, and though his belief in rebirth did ease the pain a bit the male became severely depressed. They moved on from the area, but not far, and settled in the next valley over until spring. Mimiteh and Delsin functioned as usual, however Kasper grew more distant in each passing day. His brother did his best to cheer him up in whatever way he could, from playing games, to taking long walks, Delsin even activity listened and persuaded his brother to tell him more about what Johann had taught him over the years.
When he found the time away from family duties Delsin did what he could to collect research on disease, as little as it often yielded him. He would questions any loners or friendly packs they came across, observe sickened prey animals, even recalled the time what he or his brother had caught something as small as a cough. It wasn't much to go off of, unfortunately, yet he never gave up learning more.
Hardly a full year later Mimiteh grew weak and fell ill, leaving Delsin in charge of leading the pack. Though he had watched Johann and his mother discuss which paths were better to travel than others he was still so inexperienced. In the end he led them off course, getting them lost within stony crags and steep cliffs. Nonetheless he pushed onward, eventually coming across a large valley between two mountains. With winter soon to come the male decided it would be best to set up a den on the mountain edge, close enough to the valley to get food without putting themselves in harms way of another pack.
His intuition proved itself correct the first time he descended below in search of food. The territory belonged to a pack who called themselves the Greywood Alliance.
This time around the family ran into a young lone male as they made their way through an ancient pine forest. It was not uncommon for the nomads to accept unrelated individuals into the pack, but the brute, who was quick to introduce himself as Adler, seemed only interested in getting lucky with one or more of the she-wolves, as was evident from his flirtatious behavior. Orzo Sunni, the Alpha of the group, was tolerant of the him at first, finding his frivolous attempts to be humorous, but as Mimiteh began to take interest in the male his tolerance quickly faded. Any time the loner came too close he was swiftly chased off, yet that didn't stop him from trying again and again.
Mimiteh had never met such a handsome, charismatic wolf before (at least he was such things in her mind) and she fell head over heels for him in record time. Mimiteh made her affections quite obvious and Adler was quick to return the feelings, though that didn't stop him from continuing to flirt with her sisters. Orzo was not blind to Mimiteh's interactions, as secretive as she tried to keep them, and presented his daughter with a choice: continue to be a part of his pack, or take her chances with the loner during the dead of winter. Her choice was obvious, she knew well enough she and Adler couldn't hope to survive on their own just yet. She did her best to convince the young male to appeal to her father and join the pack, in the hopes that they could wait until the peak of spring before breaking away, but Adler remained disinterested in the idea. At the very least he agreed to follow the pack's trail, which gave her some peace of mind.
Mimiteh's littermates, while disapproving of her affair with the loner, did their best to help the two meet in private every so often. Dyani, in particular, held Adler in disdain, finding the way in which he continued to flirt with other females disgusting. She tried to warn her sister of his unfaithful behavior, but Mimiteh wouldn't listen, too blinded by love to believe any of it. Unbeknownst to the rest of her family the she-wolf had become pregnant with Adler's pups. When she went to share the good news with the brute she came upon him flirting with another lone female; the behavior she usually viewed as charming, if not a bit annoying, suddenly sent her into a rage. In a moment of fury Mimiteh charged at the strange female, chasing her clear out of the area before turning on Adler angrily. The good news she planned to share in a moment of love was instead given via yelling. Adler was, nonetheless, happy if not a bit awkward about the idea of becoming a father. With spring slowly closing in Mimiteh was looking forward to starting a family of her own.
Unfortunately the signs of her pregnancy became more obvious the more time went on and her family were quick to notice the change. No one said anything about it, creating an air of tension amongst the group, and with Adler going missing for days on end Mimiteh could not even take comfort in his presence. She could only wait and hope he would return soon enough. Her littermates did all they could to distract their parents, but eventually she was confronted by her father.
"I've given you fair warning Mimiteh, and yet you still defied my words," he growled. "Its time you left us, you and your offspring will not be welcome in this pack,"
Before she could make an argument against him Orzo lunged, he only nipped her on the shoulder, but the attack nonetheless startled her. The Alpha did not let up, and the nips beginning to draw blood the longer she held out. Her only option was to turn and run, yet even then still he did not stop. Only after she left the territory did Orzo stop the chase and Mimiteh dare to halt and catch her breath. Without her family or her mate she had nothing, and the emptiness quickly settled into her mentality; the she-wolf lingered in the area, hoping Adler would return from his travels in a little while.
Too large to hunt on her own Mimiteh took up residence in the hollowed out space beneath a tree and spent most of her time resting. Whenever she did leave to hunt she returned with only a mere mouse or vole, hardly a mouthful. Despite the poor diet refused to leave her makeshift den, fearful Adler wouldn't be able to find her if she moved on. Her patience rewarded her in the end, as after a couple days the sound of pawsteps crunching through the underbrush alerted the female to an approacher. Her eyes scanned the bushes in desperation, but it was not Adler's form that appeared before her.
The familiar scent of Dyani tickled her nose a moment before she appeared, a large chunk of meat clamped between her jaws. Mimiteh emerged from hiding, thankful nonetheless of her littermate's loyalty.
"Sorry I couldn't come any sooner, it took me a while to hide away enough food for you," Dyani apologized, depositing the chunk onto the ground.
Mimiteh uttered her thanks before tearing into it; after satisfying her hunger she inquired about the pack, privately hoping her sister's appearance meant her father had forgiven her. Not to her surprise that wasn't the case, Dyani was visiting without his knowing.
Her sister, in turn, asked about Adler's whereabouts to which Mimiteh admitted he had not returned from wherever he'd gone. Dyani did not seem surprised, then further inquired what she planned to do if he did not return before her pups arrived. Mimiteh refused to answer. Dyani was not a wolf that readily tolerated ignorance, so she left her sister with the promise that, should she want it, she would do her best to provide food for her while she couldn't hunt.
Days passed by, but Mimiteh waited still. She knew that if Adler did not show up she had a good chance of finding him in the nearby mountain glade he had always talked about. She had to make a choice: try to find the mountain glade at the risk of giving birth in inhospitable lands, or take up Dyani's offer and siphon resources from her former pack at the risk of running into her father. The she-wolf longed to see her mate again, but she could not put the lives of their pups in danger. With her mind made up and too impatient (and somewhat worried) to wait for Dyani's return, Mimiteh set off towards the edge of her former pack's territory.
With extreme care she crossed over the border and sought out any one of her littermates, knowing full well that if Dyani had promised her help then her littermates would as well. Unfortunately she ran into Hotah instead, a sibling from an older litter and one of the pack that disliked Adler the most. Thankfully he didn't attack right away, though he did hold her trespassing in suspicion. She managed to convince him to take a message to Dyani: "Tell her, I agree." Hotah questioned what she meant by it, but she refused to elaborate and left soon after.
Without a pack to support and care for her and her pups Mimiteh's littermates did their best to build up a food store for the soon-to-be mother. Unable to contribute to the hunting the charcoal colored she-wolf spent most of her time digging out the space beneath the tree where she had first spent the night until it was large enough for her liking. She also marked off a small portion of territory and asked her littermates to do the same to give the appearance of pack-claimed land and hopefully deter any predators or other wolves from intruding on her. Adler had still yet to return, but despite what her siblings said Mimiteh still held out hope; whatever worries the loner had had about becoming a father she knew he wouldn't have just abandoned her... at least she hoped he wouldn't have.
As she approached her due date Mimiteh's siblings stopped by less and less, trying to avoid drawing suspicion to their disappearances and giving their sister a bit of peace while she gave birth to her new family. For days Mimiteh remained in her den, leaving only to get food and to relieve herself. Some sort of sixth sense told her it would be soon and her days were filled with nothing but anticipation; her contractions began mid-afternoon the next day and after hours of painful ripples the she-wolf gave life to two little males. Only mere seconds old the two brothers showed admirable strength, squirming towards the scent of milk and letting out high pitched yips and whines. As was family tradition the pups took their father's first name as their last, and though Adler wasn't around Mimiteh felt he would have approved of the names Delsin and Kasper.
The food store lasted only about a week, whatever meat remained had begun to rot. Her littermates did their best to provide meals for her, but their time was heavily divided between pack duties and babysitting their newest litter of siblings. When Mimiteh could no longer depend on their help she took things into her own paws. Her pup's eyes were just beginning to open and they had started to test their legs, but she could not risk under-nourishing them and so took to leaving the den to hunt for short periods of time. The she-wolf stayed as close to the den as she could, though she had to put some distance between herself and the pups if she wanted to actually catch something.
Sometimes Mimiteh would return with a rabbit, other times she caught nothing and went hungry for the night. She swiftly quit the habit when she detected the scent of a stranger appearing around the den whenever she went hunting. Though the pups were always unharmed the she-wolf was unwilling to push her luck. By that time Delsin and Kasper had fully opened their eyes and were capable of walking (mostly) on their own, so Mimiteh took a chance and brought them hunting with her. She would hide them in the undergrowth, between tree roots, and in tall grass, instructing her sons to remain as quiet and still as possible. Being quite impressionable they followed through with the orders, viewing it more as a game than anything else, with freshly killed meat as their reward.
Even still, Mimiteh would occasionally find scents of the stranger around her territory. She was able to identify them as a male, but definitely not Adler. Concerned for the safety of her sons she decided it was best to move. Gathering her pups the she-wolf traveled to the other side of her pack's hunting grounds, skirting dangerously close to their borders. And by doing so Mimiteh played a part in her own downfall.
Catching her scent drifting on the breeze Orzo was alerted to his daughter's presence, none too pleased by her apparent return (and presuming Adler to be with her) he followed her trail to her newly established camp. Mimiteh had heard his approach, but foolishly assumed it to belong to one of her littermates and continued to situate her pups within the new den. Orzo attacked without warning, easily gaining the upper hand in battle and pinning her to the ground in a matter of moments. Kasper and Delsin, terrified by the turn of events, could only watch in horror. Mimiteh fought back as best she could from her position, eventually managing to push him back. Exhausted and bleeding Mimiteh grabbed Kasper in her jaws and urged little Delsin to follow alongside her as she fled. Orzo did not give chase, he knew he'd won.
For Delsin the experience had been exhilarating, terrifying yes, but he'd never traveled so far in one day, much less got to witness a real battle. Kasper was simply happy they'd gotten away unharmed. Once the danger was far behind them he could only think of exploring the new, unfamiliar landscape. The ancient pine forest was long gone by then, an impossibly high mountain rose up above them. Without being able to return to their old den and cornered by the pack's territory the only option for Mimiteh and her pups was to climb the mountain and either settle somewhere along its ascent, or cross it to new lands.
As excited as Delsin and Kasper were to hear that they'd be climbing a mountain they only got so far before giving into the exhaustion, exploration suddenly wasn't as fun as they thought it was, even Delsin, who had always been so keen to seek out new things, wanted to go home. Though they begged and pleaded with their mother to turn around she pushed forward, and they had no choice but to follow. Hours later, and only a few yards up the mountain, the family took shelter in a patch of sparse, coarse grass. Their journey continued on into the next day, and into the next; though Delsin and Kasper asked repeatedly where they were going and why, Mimiteh remained tight lipped about the matter. Eventually they stopped asking.
For the time being, until Delsin and Kasper grew strong enough to travel, the small pack settled in a mountain grotto, close enough to the forest to safely hunt and hidden from any mountain predators. The brothers occupied their time by play-fighting and exploring the surrounding area; at two and a half months old they began to accompany their mother on hunts, sometimes watching, sometimes participating. Though Delsin seemed to inherit most of the muscle he was an awful hunter, at least in comparison to Kasper who was quick on his paws and found it easy to catch up to even the swiftest hare. Luckily for him Mimiteh was a patient teacher and allowed her son to get as much practice in as he wanted. Though Delsin would always lag behind in hunting skill compared to his brother he slowly grew better over time.
As spring began to draw to a close Mimiteh took her sons out for hunting lessons less and less, knowing full well her former pack would start the migration to their summer hunting grounds soon enough. Delsin and Kasper, by now used to not receiving explanations for their mother's odd behavior, simply went along with her orders. The two entertained themselves by hiking, with Mimiteh's permission of course, and experimented with mountain hunting techniques, not that they ever caught anything.
During this time they ran into a lone male, much older and larger than either of the brothers, but far from hostile. The male, who named himself Johann, often gave them advice and showed them neat places to visit within the mountain range. He became something similar of a mentor to them, happy to share his knowledge but never seeking them out personally. Should they wish to learn something new the brothers knew where to find him.
Once the pack had left the area Mimiteh and her young returned to life as they knew it. Johann, encouraged by his good relationship with Delsin and Kasper, began to show up around the family more and more often. Mimiteh generally seemed annoyed by his presence, but that didn't seem to deter the old male, if anything he seemed to find it charming. Over time the she-wolf accepted his presence and even allowed him to stay with her pack for days at a time; he made his feelings for her pretty obvious, but Mimiteh refused to acknowledge them, still holding out for Adler's return. He respected her feelings and gave her the space she needed, but no less became a part of her pup's lives as the father figure they needed.
As winter rolled around once more, and with it the return of Mimiteh's former pack, Delsin and Kasper had grown considerably. Delsin taking on a bulky and muscular appearance while Kasper had a sleek, lithe look to him. Johann had, more or less, become a part of the pack and was slowly winning over Mimiteh's affections. Though having only four mouths to feed the she-wolf didn't want to risk competing with her former pack for the local herd. They didn't have the strength to fight for ownership of the hunting grounds, nor could they hope to outsmart the large pack. Their only option was to leave in search of other prey populated areas, and luckily for them Johann had just such a knowledge of the nearby terrains. Following his lead the small pack would embark on what would become their migration route.
The nomads avoided other packs during their travels, migrating from land to land as they saw fit. Surviving a second winter didn't prove to be a challenge even with Delsin almost constantly wandering off on his own. As it so happened, the small family had temporarily settled close by to another pack's territory. Though they were far enough away to avoid confrontation, it wasn't far enough for Delsin to ignore the scent of females. Maturity kicked in sooner for him than his brother, and though he knew it was dangerous for him to wander too far from his family, he couldn't resist the temptation. One investigation of the stranger pack was all it took for the young male to fall head over heels for a pale-coated lass. Despite his better judgement and warnings from his parents when they found out, he continued to visit her.
Without his brother around to hang with most of the time, Kasper formed a closer bond with his parents, especially Johann. The young wolf was eager to learn about everything and anything, so Johann took to teaching him. Among the many topics was other ways of life, which Kasper became fascinated with almost instantly, taking a special interest in the life of spiritual worship. It felt as if he were peering into another world when Johann shared stories about packs that followed laws given from divine ancestors and heeded warnings from those that become spiritually enlightened. Within a matter of weeks Kasper embraced this philosophy and sought to become one who could talk with those from the beyond. Mimiteh was less than pleased with her mate's 'brainwashing' (as she put it), but didn't interfere since she saw no harm in the beliefs.
As spring came around the family prepared to move along in their travels, without Delsin. The young male had spent so much time with the other pack they all expected him to stay with his newfound mate. Mimiteh, while angered by her son's disobedience wouldn't stand in his way, but Kasper felt differently. He begged and pleaded with his parents to talk to his brother, make him see the right choice, or even force him to join them. In the end Johann finally managed to convince the young wolf that if Delsin felt happy with that pack, they should leave him behind. It broke his heart, but Kasper didn't argue.
It wasn't long after they set out that the family discovered they were being followed, deciding to meet the stranger passively they stopped to rest. Lo and behold it turned out to be Delsin, who's only comment after not seeing them for ages was "Whoever did the headcount before leaving should learn to double check." He said little about why he chose to leave his new pack and mate and after a couple vague answers everyone dropped the subject.
From there on out the family experienced little trouble, from time to time they would come across a hostile pack and have to defend themselves from attack, but that was pretty much it. Delsin quickly developed a habit of flirting with nearly every female he came across and Kasper became more devoted to his newfound religion.
It wasn't until their fourth year that tragedy struck. During a particularly mild winter Johann fell mysteriously, yet violently ill. The strong and able male swiftly became unable to move, eat, or even take care of himself. The family bedded down in valley and did all they could to care for their friend. While Mimiteh and Kasper focused on hunting enough food for them all, Delsin was often left to watch over Johann until they returned. It was around this time that the male took a serious interest in the nature of disease, he asked Johann all sorts of questions: what had he been doing before he got sick, had this ever happened before, was it something he ate, etc etc. Any answer, more often that not, left Delsin with more questions.
One day they all woke up to find Johann missing without a trace. The three of them searched for almost three days before giving up and deciding he was likely dead. Mimiteh grieved for the loss of her second mate, but did so quietly and to herself; Kasper, on the other hand, flickering between stoically calm and distraught. He had never had to deal with such a personal death before, and though his belief in rebirth did ease the pain a bit the male became severely depressed. They moved on from the area, but not far, and settled in the next valley over until spring. Mimiteh and Delsin functioned as usual, however Kasper grew more distant in each passing day. His brother did his best to cheer him up in whatever way he could, from playing games, to taking long walks, Delsin even activity listened and persuaded his brother to tell him more about what Johann had taught him over the years.
When he found the time away from family duties Delsin did what he could to collect research on disease, as little as it often yielded him. He would questions any loners or friendly packs they came across, observe sickened prey animals, even recalled the time what he or his brother had caught something as small as a cough. It wasn't much to go off of, unfortunately, yet he never gave up learning more.
Hardly a full year later Mimiteh grew weak and fell ill, leaving Delsin in charge of leading the pack. Though he had watched Johann and his mother discuss which paths were better to travel than others he was still so inexperienced. In the end he led them off course, getting them lost within stony crags and steep cliffs. Nonetheless he pushed onward, eventually coming across a large valley between two mountains. With winter soon to come the male decided it would be best to set up a den on the mountain edge, close enough to the valley to get food without putting themselves in harms way of another pack.
His intuition proved itself correct the first time he descended below in search of food. The territory belonged to a pack who called themselves the Greywood Alliance.