what's this?

this is a collection of short stories i've written about my pack, the sylvan tribe. i enjoy using the game interactions (socializing, pup training, explore, etc.) as inspiration for stories, so i'll include screenshots of those interactions. i'll organize the stories in this post, along with any art i do that's inspired by them. feel free to leave comments related to my stories/art, but please don't clog up the thread with unrelated comments or conversation! if you want to talk to me or ask questions about the stories, please just PM me instead.

acantha, amatus, caius, sabina, tiberius

The autumn sun warmed the ground in the small clearing between the tall fir trees, burning off the fog that had accumulated overnight. The forest had embraced the new season with open arms, and the mornings were brisk and wet more often, a stark contrast from the gentle warmth of the long summer days. The colder weather didn't dampen the boisterous energy of the tribe's pups, however. Acantha watched the four young wolves racing around the clearing, barreling into each other with excited yips, their clumsy paws churning up the soil. The white tip of her tail swished back and forth happily as she let them play for a few more moments, hoping that they'd be better able to focus once they used up some of that puppy energy.

"Alright, let's start the lesson." She stood up and shook out her black and white splotched fur, before padding into the center of the clearing.

The girl, Sabina, slid to a stop and turned to watch the pupsitter. She gave a soft bark to her pack mates, trying to get their attention. Caius paused his pursuit of the youngest pup, Amatus, and went to sit beside Sabina, his curious gaze focusing on the older wolf. Acantha nodded approvingly at the two.

Amatus let out a high-pitched yelp of pain as he tumbled to the ground, somersaulting across the dried fir needles and landing in a heap of dark colored fur. Tiberius pounced on the smaller pup, grabbing an ear in his mouth and growling playfully. Acantha let out a sharp bark, which made Tiberius jump back in surprise.

"Tiberius pushed me!" The younger pup whimpered, giving the pupsitter a pathetic look. Acantha glared at Tiberius, who looked shocked.

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Quiet!" Acantha growled. "You need to pay attention to the lesson I'm about to teach you." She began a long-winded lecture on the importance of stalking, "Forest prey will hear you before they see you, which is why knowing how to stalk your prey without being detected is one of the fundamental skills you must learn to be a successful hunter."

Tiberius quickly tuned her out, and leaned over to whisper to Amatus. "I hope you step in bear crap, liar," he grumbled, his three dark eyes squinted at the smaller wolf. Amatus huffed and turned his nose up, refusing to look at the older pup.

The lesson went on without any more issues, and the pupsitter demonstrated the proper form for stalking prey in the forest. Tail low, head level with shoulders, and step carefully to avoid alerting the quarry. Tail and ear gestures can be used to communicate silently with pack mates, to strategize during the hunt. Caius picked up the techniques quickly, and was soon creeping through the ferns with such skill that even Acantha had trouble spotting him before he emerged into the clearing to pounce on the limp rabbit carcass she had caught to aid in the lesson. Sabina took it upon herself to help Amatus work on his form, watching him practice creeping from one side of the clearing to the other and giving him reminders to keep his tail down. While she was focused on her younger pack mate, Caius used the opportunity to sneak up behind her, pouncing onto his friend's back with a snarl. Sabina barked in surprise, twisting around to begin tussling playfully with him. The other two pups joined in soon enough, and the lesson devolved into another play session.

Acantha gave an exasperated sigh, and settled down at the edge of the clearing to let the young wolves play. She had to admit it was delightful to watch them play, even if it was interrupting her very important lesson.

'They grow up so fast,' she thought wistfully, 'Let them play while they're still young.'