Featured Verse:
1 Corinthians 13:6
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth.
Open to calm, civilized discussion of my beliefs in Christianity.
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The Wolves of Kirsuk- a small, lonely island where a pack has grown from a few outcasts.
Avatar features the "original" pack: Noktor, the first alpha male; Kula, the first alpha female; Buno, the first beta male; Yalu, the first adopted pup; Thala, the alphas' first pup; Du, Meir, and Nocha, the rest of the pack early on.
Backstory as found in each wolf's Bio:
Noktor: first alpha male of Kirsuk
Briskly, Noktor trotted through the forest, following his father. Beside him came is sister, two brothers, and a few older wolves. His heart raced with the exertion. Summer, fall, and winter had come. Summer, fall, and winter had gone. Despite the dangers that followed him at every step, he had survived! Now, a year old, he could join the pack in their hunting expedition.
Noktor's sister nipped at his heel, teasing him. She wanted to play; there was no prey nearby. Noktor shook his head, neck fur rippling. He frowned. He was here to hunt, and he would take that job seriously. Just the way he did everything else. His sister yipped, calling for him. He did not answer. He was always quiet, and especially now, while he was concentrating.
His head jerked upright as he ran, ears lurching forward. His mother, alpha female, glanced over her shoulder at him. While she had an exceptional nose, she knew her son was more skilled in hearing. Despite his young age, she let him move towards the front of the pack. His father looked at him, baring a fang and warning him to stay back. Seeing the way he held his ears, though, Noktor was allowed to advance a little more. Just a few more twists through the trees, and he lead the pack to a herd of whitetail deer.
It was another year since Noktor first joined the hunting party, and already he was learning to hold himself like his father, the alpha male. This learning, he knew, he would need when he left to be on his own. As much as he loved his pack; his parents, his siblings, they were all.. a little much. Excitable. Playful. Busy. Noktor valued quiet. He wished for a place to get away and hear his own thoughts. He was always browsing the land for such an opportunity, but had yet to find one. His keen pale eyes scanned the ground, keeping an eye out for a shallow cave or any such nook that he could claim for himself. He was supposed to be helping his pack hunt. And he was, as much as anyone else was. They were searching for food, but nothing had been found yet. So the whole pack was just running. He could do that.
Moving like a single wave, the pack eased out of the trees and onto the beach, noses high and searching. The warm sun, no longer shaded by the trees, warmed Noktor's fur. He gazed over the sea. And stopped.
His sharp ears had heard something the rest of the pack hadn't. They pushed past him, continuing on as one, glancing over their shoulders to see why he stopped. Not wanting to quit following their leader, the rest of the pack soon faded as they trailed the alpha. Noktor was alone. Hesitantly, suddenly a little embarrassed, he gave a soft howl. Then, composing himself, he let out a mighty, full, strong howl. Somewhere beyond the sea, he had heard another wolf.
There's land beyond this place that a wolf can live on?
Barely thinking, Noktor jumped into the water, strong muscles pulling him forward. This was his chance to get away. There, he heard only one wolf. Here, were the whines and growls of many.
He slipped away, unnoticed.
Kula: first alpha female of Kirsuk
After struggling to find room to build her own pack, facing exclusion from all established ones nearby, Kula began to grow bold. Forcing her way into claimed territories, desperately trying to find a mate, she quickly grew infamous to all packs on the Mainland. Finally, in a wild attempt, she thrust herself into the middle of a territory dispute between two packs on their borders. Already full of negative emotions, both packs turned on her and began driving her away. With such a large group on her tail Kula grew desperate. They ran her to the edge of the sea, but seemed to have no intention of stopping. So she jumped off from the shore..
Furiously paddling, Kula fought against the raging water. Dark, dense clouds filled the sky, pouring down rain and drenching any part of her that wasn't already soaked in salt water. She groped forward, mouth open in an attempt to breathe without drowning. It seemed like forever before the thought passed into her head: where was she going? Kula shook her head, avoiding the thought as though she could throw it off like the bite of a playful pup. If she considered the fact that she had no goal, she would stop paddling. She couldn’t stop paddling.
A light shape formed from within the dark clouds. Kula's weary eyes couldn’t focus, despite the rain having lessened. Without even realizing it, she found herself washed ashore on a fertile, forested island. Instantly she collapsed into sleep, dirt sticking to her soaked fur.
Kula began to explore the island in the following week, finding plenty of large and small prey animals but no other wolves. She was still just as lonely as before. Finally despairing of any hope of finding another wolf, she let out an agonized howl, the loudest she ever had and sank to the earth. Her eyes closed. But then, from somewhere, a faint howl responded. She listened hard, suddenly alert. Nothing more came. Jumping to her feet, she howled into the sunny sky. And another howl responded. She ran through the thick foliage, trying to find where it originated from. Eventually finding herself on the shore of the island, she looked far into the horizon. There, in the distance, was a dark spot. Another mass of land. After a few minutes, she realized it wasn’t the only dark spot. There, in the calm sea, was the faint shape of a wolf, swimming towards her island with all his might.
Yalu: first beta female of Kirsuk
Kula was certainly overjoyed to see Noktor arrive on her island, showing her affection by prancing and constantly dipping into play bows. The feeling was not entirely mutual. After giving her a relaxed smile so not to be entirely rude, Noktor shook his soaking fur and trotted past her. Kula cocked her head in confusion and waited for him to be barely out of sight. Then, with careful stealth, she crept after him. Carefully, she watched as he attentively sniffed every flower, inspected each smell of food on the breeze, and made his way through the various island biomes.
Noktor closed his eyes, lying down in what he deemed to be the island's safest corner. Briefly a thought passed through his mind in wonder of where the female wolf had gone, but he wasn't awake enough to fully consider. He slept deeply. No longer jostled by family, he slept the best that he had in years. At twilight he awoke, startled to see the female wolf pressed against him, lightly snoring. Gently, he eased away from her and trotted away. He never saw Kula in the next few days, but every time he slept he awoke to find a rabbit, a vole, or a small fish laid by his nose. On the forth day, she was standing near him when he woke, patiently waiting. She had learned what he wanted: peace, rest, and gentle love. This is what she gave him. Kula began to learn to control herself in her excitement, and a lick on the nose a few days later from Noktor let her know she was getting to him. They began to bond as they found a middle ground: Noktor displaying affection and Kula learning to show hers in less energetic ways. She couldn't help but push for pups a little, but Noktor was hesitant.
It was then that a small black bundle washed ashore, as the two were walking side by side, silently, along the beach. Kula ran to inspect it, sniffing furiously. It was a soaked wolf pup, salty and lying on a board. She licked the little bundle, and it blinked.
Noktor was pleased that Kuka took to raising the pup, who she named Yalu, mostly on her own. When the little girl was big enough, Noktor taught her hunting. She was strong and tough in hunting, playful and tomboyish, but loving. As she aged, he began to feel more affection for her, and for Kula, finally understanding her desire for pups. He began to really love Yalu, and officially adopted her as a daughter and Kula as a wife. A pack was beginning to grow.
Ranks:
Alphas: pack leaders
Betas: next-in-command, advisors
Subordinates: main wolves of the pack
Omega: lowest rank, pup-sitter
Dispersal: wolves in the process of leaving the pack
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