[Read Only] pack lore thread wip

Ambrose is the quintessential grump, and always has been. Having set out from his birth pack at as a young adult, he was the first wolf that Tanana met upon her arrival to the mountains. Though it often seems like an odd match to outsiders, the gruff and gloomy Ambrose and the lighthearted Tanana are mates. They fell deeply in love and decided to start the Shenandoah Pack together. Ambrose became the first scout, happily leaving leadership in his mate's creative and more sociable paws. Within just a few weeks of the pack's founding, Tanana realized that she was carrying Ambrose's pups.

Tanana's first pregnancy brought a slight change in Ambrose. Fatherhood seemed to be exactly what he needed to sand down some of the rougher edges in his personality. And indeed, the first few weeks of his pups' lives were the happiest in Ambrose's own. His daughter Tikaani and son Kenai brought a sparkle to his eyes and a warmth to his heart that no one, not even Tanana, had seen before. Sadly, this didn't last long.

When the pups were just three months old, Ambrose was shaken awake by their pupsitter, Oriole. She was in hysterics, and it took a few shouts and snaps from Ambrose before he could get her to speak coherently. Then he got the news that would snuff out the light that had just recently come into his life. 

While he was out playing, little Kenai had fallen off of a cliff, presumably to his death.

Ambrose bolted out of his den, knocking Oriole to the side in the process. When Tikaani, also in tears, tried to follow Ambrose, he practically roared at her to stay put with Oriole, if the pupsitter wished to actually do her job. He didn't wait to see how they reacted, and instead roused Rappahannock, the other scout, and set out a search for Kenai. The scouts both went in different directions, casting a wide net below the cliff where Kenai was last seen.

Ambrose was the one who found him.

His worst fears confirmed, Ambrose remained at the base of the cliff for a few hours. His memories of that day are hazy, but he eventually did bring Kenai's tiny, broken body back up to Pineshade Hollow. He does recall that breaking the news to Tanana and Tikaani was one of the most difficult things he's ever had to do.

Despite the hopes and best efforts of Tanana, the family didn't rally after the loss, or become closer. Ambrose lost no love for his mate and surviving pup, but something within him had crumpled, and he became even more distant and aloof. He began to scout farther and farther afield, spending days and weeks alone between reports.

In the late fall, after a scouting trip to the north that resulted in an injury to his leg, Ambrose was sleeping beside Tanana in the herbalists' den. She licked his ear to wake him, claiming that he was suffering from a nightmare. They talked for a few hours that night, processing some of their shared grief and concerns for their future. Ambrose was genuinely shocked when Tanana haltingly expressed that she wanted to have another litter of pups. She assured him that it wasn't to "replace" Kenai, or anything of the sort. But, they'd had dreams before the tragedy -- dreams that they could still achieve, even with Kenai's memory in their hearts. Ambrose was hesitant, but agreed.

So while Tanana was in heat in the early winter, Ambrose remained with the pack. It was... strange, seeing everyone again for such a long period. He hated how some of the wolves looked upon him with pity, and others with fear. But worst of all was Tikaani. Looking at her, he saw a reflection of himself -- she was nothing like her mother, or the smiling young pup he'd left behind. Instead, she'd adopted a gloomy and pessimistic attitude much like his own. She would barely speak to him, or anyone else besides her fellow adolescents, for that matter. Ambrose was given pause, but felt powerless to mend the rift that had opened between himself and his daughter. Was this what the new pups would grow up to be like as well, if they even made it that far? Ambrose began to have second thoughts about the new litter, but at that point it was too late to change course. 

After Tanana's heat, Ambrose departed on another scouting expedition to the north. By the time he returned, winter was well underway. When she ran to greet him, Tanana was blissful, and kissed him passionately. Ambrose greeted her with trepidation, unable to look away from the roundness of her belly. He learned that the new pups were due in early spring. Sensing Ambrose's hesitation, Tanana climbed up on his shoulders and bowled him down to the ground, whining and snuggling into his neck. Ambrose laid his ears back and leaned into her, suddenly overwhelmed with a heaviness in his chest. 

"It's going to be okay," she whispered. That's when Ambrose heard a strangled whine coming from his own throat, and felt Tanana's snout rubbing against his now trembling shoulders. None of the other pack members bothered the pair as Ambrose lay beneath his mate, grief and fear pouring from his throat as the floodgates finally burst. They stayed there together well into the afternoon, snuggling and comforting one another, with Ambrose apologizing for his absence, and for his behavior. Tanana accepted the apology, but did admit that the distance had hurt her; it was plain to the whole pack that Ambrose's extended scouting trips were merely an excuse to avoid staying home. She asked that Ambrose remain in the mountains until the pups were born. Having felt them kicking as he lay against Tanana, Ambrose knew that he had no choice in the matter. Without hesitation, he agreed.

Of course, nothing really ever goes to plan during a harsh winter. One morning, during a heavy snow storm, Ambrose was sitting in Pineshade Hollow, speaking with a cousin of his that had joined the Shenandoah Pack during one of his previous scouting excursions. That was when Tanana walked in, caked in snow and with her head held low. Ambrose excused himself from Wren and rushed over to meet her. She was trembling from the cold, and a smear of blood had gotten frozen along her shoulder. Before he could even ask what had happened, Tanana took in a sharp breath and asked for him to fetch Falcon, the pack's resident herbalist. 

He delegated this task to Tikaani, who was trotting up at that point. His quiet, calm tone gave the adolescent something of a shock, judging by her expression. Ambrose ushered Tanana further into the den, toward the chamber that they shared. He could tell by the way she breathed that this wasn't about the injury to her shoulder; she'd gone into premature labor.

When Falcon arrived and assessed the situation, she informed the pair that there were no medicines available to stop the labor, and that the pups that were originally due in Spring would be arriving during this late winter blizzard. Ambrose remained with Tanana through the birth, comforting her. As it turned out, she had gone out to trade with the local raccoon merchant for some extra food in case the pack was snowed in, and had gotten into a tussle with an aggressive moose along the way. Swallowing his immediate shock that she would go out alone this far into her pregnancy, Ambrose pressed his forehead to hers, simply saying that he was glad that she made it home.

A few hours later, two tiny pups were born. They were frail, and barely made any sound as they groped around for their mother. Falcon informed Tanana and Ambrose in a low, quiet voice that the pups were unlikely to survive due to their prematurity and the winter cold. The only optimism she could spare was that they were developed enough to have the instinct to suckle, so there was a slim chance that they might grow, thereby increasing their chances of survival. With that, she left, intent on gathering ingredients to make a wound salve for Tanana's injuries.

Ambrose was hesitant at first, but eventually leaned down to lick his new pups after Falcon's departure. Despite the pall of sadness and worry surrounding the situation, he was letting himself fall in love with the little things, just as he had done with Kenai and Tikaani. One of them, a little white pup with golden patches, gummed at Ambrose's nose as he leaned down to him. The other flipped over onto its back and whimpered, feebly flailing his tiny pink paws into his father's snout. Ambrose heard another unexpected sound rising from his chest -- a soft laugh. His tail wagging, he lay down beside his mate and new pups. He wouldn't leave them... not until they grew, or perhaps passed on. They would know both of their parents for as long as they had. Tanana was struggling to remain awake at this point, but she did move her head on top of one of Ambrose's paws. Their eyes met for a few moments, and then she settled in for a nap.

Tiriaq and Aqissiaq did live, and grew into two very different wolves. Aqissiaq is adventurous and dopey, and reminds Ambrose very much of Tanana at times. Tiriaq on the other hand... He is troubled, possessing a cruel streak that nothing has been able to repair -- from gentle talks with the healer and Tanana, to direct discipline from Ambrose himself. Ambrose desperately hopes that Tiriaq's hunter training will provide enough of an outlet for his vicious nature.

In the dawning days of the spring following Tiriaq and Aqissiaq's birth, Ambrose stuck around the Shenandoah territory. He still patrolled the borders, and was returning from one such outing one evening when he found Tanana weeping at the northern side of Pineshade Hollow. He immediately went to her and embraced her, and his heart sank when she told him the news. Tikaani had decided to leave the pack that day, and had said her goodbyes and departed already. She hadn't waited to bid Ambrose farewell.

Ambrose was saddened by the news, but he did not allow it to tear him away from his remaining family. He continued to nurture his young sons, and his bond with Tanana grew stronger every day. The rest of the pack even began to take note of the change in Ambrose, and those looks of fear and judgment began to disappear. 

Weeks later, Tikaani returned. The whole pack -- excluding Ambrose -- ran to welcome her back as soon as she made her presence known. While he was glad that she had returned, and that she had become less hostile and more self-assured over the course of her journey, Ambrose could not bring himself to speak to her. He knew that he had no chance of repairing his relationship with Tikaani. He'd missed too much of her life, and he had no one to blame but himself for it.

Instead, it was Tikaani that approached him... But not to mend their relationship. She sat down with Ambrose and Tanana and explained that she had visited a pack that lived far to the north. They had been hospitable, and she suggested that they could make fantastic allies for Shenandoah. While Ambrose was skeptical, Tanana was thrilled by the prospect of communicating with another pack. And so, The Wolves of Wapiti Run became Shenandoah's first allied pack thanks to Tikaani's visit. 

Not too long after her return, Tikaani became ill. She was rather secretive about the illness, but there is only so much one can do to hide vomiting from someone who sleeps in the same den. Before he had a chance to express his concern to Tikaani, she returned from a visit to Falcon with tears running down her cheeks. Ambrose was in the den when Tikaani broke the news to Tanana. Despite the clues being right in front of him, Ambrose was shocked to discover that his daughter had returned pregnant from her journey. 

Ambrose didn't play much of a part in Tikaani's pregnancy outside of finding the best bedding that the valley had to offer. This, he handed to Tanana and the pupsitters of Blackrock, to pass along to his daughter. It took some time for Ambrose to process his anger at the idea of some wolf mating with his daughter and then letting her undertake the long journey home with no attempt to stop her. When he met this "upstart scout" Conoco later on, he treated him coolly. At Tanana's request, Ambrose refrained from attacking him or even causing a verbal altercation. 

Ambrose's relationship with his grandpups from Tikaani is more distant than he would like. However, Aqissiaq later had a pup with one of the diplomatic entourage from Wapiti Run. This pup, Watseka, is the apple of Ambrose's eye.

Pack Biography: Tikaani

Tikaani is the eldest living pup of the Shenandoah Pack's leader, Tanana, and the scout Ambrose. Some of the older members of the pack would tell you in hushed voices that her puppyhood was cut short by grief and sorrow. There's truth to this. While she was a carefree and mischievous puppy up until three months old, a significant life event set her on the path toward becoming the bitter wolf that she is today.

Tikaani was actually the younger of the two pups in her litter. Her elder brother, Kenai, was a much-beloved beacon of light for the pack. He was always thinking of new games to play, and always had a question to ask of his elders. Tikaani loved her brother to pieces, and followed him everywhere he went, participated in every bizarre game of pretend he ever concocted. The two were inseparable, and loved nothing more than running circles around their doting parents and their pupsitter, Oriole.

One morning, Kenai and Tikaani were exploring the area outside of Pineshade Hollow, and passed through a thick, stand of pines and overgrown bushes to find a gorgeous view of the green mountains. Excited by the discovery, the pups ran toward the outer precipice of the cliff in order to get a better look. That was when Kenai tripped on the tree root. Tikaani heard him yelp and skidded to a halt. She could only watch in horror as he rolled forward, bouncing with the force of his own momentum, and then disappeared over the side of the cliff.

Tikaani silently padded to the edge of the cliff and looked over, but the morning mist and the height of this cliff -- for it was taller and more sheer than she ever expected -- prevented her from seeing anything. She called for Kenai several times. Hesitantly, at first, and then with a mounting crackle of panic. She received no answer, and turned to run back home for help. She got to the other side of the trees and saw Oriole sniffing the ground, coming in her direction. When she saw Tikaani she smiled warmly and started forward, but then quickly realized that something was very, very wrong.

In tears, Tikaani tried to relay what had happened. She clung to her pupsitter and cried into her fur, but was quickly picked up and carried to Pineshade Hollow at a pace that made her eyes sting. She was sat on the ground when they entered the den, and Oriole immediately ran toward Tikaani's father, Ambrose, and struggled to report the incident. For the first time, Tikaani saw her father snarling at his own packmate as he yelled at Oriole to spit it out, and then he was barging past Oriole, a black blur racing toward the mouth of the den. Tikaani tried to follow him, wanting nothing more than to be close to her father, to be with him while he made this whole nightmare okay again -- he always made everything okay. But he turned toward her and glared down, radiating cold anger. Without looking away from Tikaani, he barked at Oriole to come and fetch her. His voice was rougher and more cruel than she'd ever heard it before. Oriole took Tikaani inside and tried to console her, but the pup simply couldn't stop crying. Not even the arrival of her mother could stop the torrent of tears and wails.

After Kenai's body was found, the pack was quiet for many days. It felt like an eternity to Tikaani. Her mother was a constant presence then, always ready to offer a reassuring nuzzle. But... something was broken. Everything was broken. Tikaani's father would barely speak to her, or even to Mother, after Kenai's burial. His scouting expeditions were getting longer and longer, and Tikaani's memory of his glare from that day was one of the only things she had of him to cling to. Had she done something wrong? Did he blame her for what had happened to Kenai? .... Was it her fault?

The rest of the pack didn't seem to know how to act around her anymore, either. They were always quiet, and acted as if she was sick or dying herself. No one smiled at her anymore. Oriole could barely look her in the eye without tearing up. And worst of all... Kenai was gone. Nothing would ever be the same.

Tikaani retreated into herself following her brother's death, and started lashing out at those around her. She was growing up in the shadow of her dead brother, and she became convinced that she could never live up to what he could have been. Kenai was perfect, and smarter than she was, and if he'd been in her place, he would have found a way to make everyone happy. A tiny, cruel voice in the back of her head was always quick to assure her that it should have been her, not him, that died that day at the cliff. 

She was so steeped in her own grief and guilt that not even the adoption and birth of other pups was able to bring her out of herself again. She eventually gained a new friend in Snowflake, a grumpy pup who'd lost her own family to cougars. The two didn't exactly bring out the best in each other, however, and they became a sort of terror to the pack. They tended toward bullying other pups, and even some of the more sensitive adults. 

Time passed, and Tikaani grew into a rebellious young adult. She still had not made amends with her father, and was at best cold toward her mother. The arrival of her two younger brothers -- sickly, frail pups born prematurely in winter -- did nothing to improve her outlook. She forged no bond with them whatsoever in their first few months of life, and only had cruel words to offer whenever she crossed their paths.

Tikaani, Snowflake, and another young adult named Grizzly, were spending time by the lake one day in spring, kicking stones and bones in to frighten the fish. Tikaani's mood was in a particularly dark place, and her friends noticed this. Snowflake nipped at her and told her to cheer up already, but Grizzly's approach was different. He sat down between the females and crossed his paws in front of himself.

"It's tough around here, huh? Ever thought of... you know... seeing what else there is out there?"

His words floated in the air for a few moments, and then Snowflake huffed dismissively. What would the point be in going off into the wild blue yonder? It wasn't as if things would be better anywhere else. Snowflake went on for a while longer, mocking Grizzly's supposedly ridiculous suggestion. As she went on, though, Tikaani looked over at Grizzly, who was smiling warmly at her. Even so, she could see the concern in his eyes, and she forced herself to look away. This wasn't a flavor of pity she was used to, but it still stung.

Grizzly's words stuck with her, burrowing their way into her thoughts. After a few days, she was determined to strike out on her own. Snowflake and Grizzly were the first to know, of course. Snowflake took it poorly, and snarled before running off. Grizzly gave Tikaani a quick nuzzle and wished her luck. His hunting training with Pheasant and Badger was well underway, but he promised that he would visit her wherever she wound up. She would just have to come back long enough to give them directions to her new home. He also promised to talk to Snowflake. They agreed that her temper would probably cool by the time Tikaani returned to Shenandoah for a visit.

Satisfied with her goodbyes to her closest friends, Tikaani then padded into Pineshade Hollow. She passed by the pupsitters, surrounded by most of the pack's younger pups. The two tiniest, however, were missing from the throng. Tikaani rolled her eyes and headed into her parents' den, knowing that her little brothers, Tiriaq and Aqissiaq, would probably be there. Sure enough, they were there sleeping soundly at Tanana's side. The milk on their tiny snouts wasn't even dry.

Tanana looked up at her daughter, and her tail started thumping against the ground. Tikaani's ears pinned against the back of her head as she came over and offered a begrudging greeting nuzzle to her mother. Tikaani lay down beside her mother, intentionally keeping as much space as possible between herself and her brothers. Tanana eagerly nuzzled her, asking her how she was doing, and fawning over her as if it had been years since they'd spoken. Annoyed, Tanana sighed offered a perfunctory, "I'm fine," then took a deep breath. When she broke the news to her mother that she intended to leave Shenandoah, perhaps permanently, Tikaani was surprised to find that Tanana was at a loss for words. If there was anything that Tikaani thought her mother was good at, it was constant saccharine yapping.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Tanana blinked away a few tears and gave Tikaani a gentle lick on her cheek. She said that watching her baby heading off on her own was going to be hard, but that if it would make Tikaani happy, she would support her decision. Tikaani felt a weight lifting from her shoulders; that had gone much smoother than she had planned. After thanking her mother and wishing her goodbye -- along with a quick, mumbled "I love you" -- Tikaani hopped up to her paws and started out of the den, intent on gathering her few belongings so that she could depart after informing a few more pack members of her plans. Tanana called softly from behind her.

"Are you leaving now? Tikaani, your father is checking the eastern border. He won't be back until the evening." After Tikaani offered just a grumble in response, she heard Tanana add a quiet question. "Don't you want to tell him goodbye?" 

Tikaani paused at the mouth of her parents' den, glaring down at her paws. After a moment, she barely turned her head enough to look back at her mother.

"You can tell him for me. Goodbye, Mom." She didn't wait any longer. After gathering her belongings -- a healing salve, a couple of pinecones, a rib bone, and a little green stone that her brother Kenai found in the river not long before he died -- Tikaani bid the rest of the pack farewell and set off down the mountain. 

The first few nights were more difficult than she anticipated. Finding safe places to rest proved to be the biggest challenge. At one point, she was even stalked by a cougar, but she managed to lose it by crossing a somewhat deep creek. She kept herself alive by hunting small prey like squirrels and rabbits, but found quickly that she missed the fresh bighorn sheep and whitetail deer that the Shenandoah Pack's hunters brought home on a regular basis. Still, she persisted. She didn't know what she was looking for, but the journey itself was... freeing, in a way. Relying on her own wits to survive distracted her from the depression she struggled with at home. She was proud of the way she was able to handle herself -- and while she certainly couldn't put it into so many words, she was discovering that she was much stronger than she thought she was.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been travelling when she made it to Wapiti Run. The deciduous forest was thick with unfamiliar trees and smells, and the air itself felt as if there was more weight to it than there was back home. Sniffing the forest floor, she detected the stench of beasts that she was unfamiliar with. Out of these, the most prominent was a sour twang, almost like deer... but worse. She wrinkled her nose at this, but the scent that intrigued her most was that of wolves. There must have been a pack nearby. Tikaani hadn't really considered what she would do if she ran into another pack during her travels. It had always been a possibility, of course, but she figured that she would tackle that issue when it landed at her paws. Well, that was exactly what was happening now, and it was only then that she realized that planning for an encounter with another wolf -- or wolves -- probably would have been a good idea. Her tail drooped as she berated herself for the mistake with a quiet growl. As she smacked her paw against a stone in frustration, a bizarre high bugle sounded off in the distance. Tikaani flattened herself against the ground, posture stiff, as she stared in the direction of the noise. Another noise behind her caused her to swivel, but this time it was no strange whistling creature in the wood. She was faced by another wolf.

Thankfully, the Wolves of Wapiti Run were not hostile. On the contrary, they brought Tikaani to their home, and welcomed her for as long as she needed to stay. Tikaani found that around these strangers, she was awkward, and had trouble keeping herself from stumbling over words. Frustration with herself reared its head again, but her hosts' kindness was enough to put her at ease. Their home truly was beautiful. It felt larger, grander, and more established than her pack's Shenandoah territory. It made Pineshade Hollow, which always felt larger than life to her, feel like little more than a bolt hole. Of course, that easily could have been her unfamiliarity with the place talking, but she was impressed either way. Even the deer here were bigger. Well, they didn't actually call their deer, "deer." The huge deer creatures that were responsible for that eerie bugling were called Elk, and the wolves that called this forest home held a certain reverence for them. A kinship. It was peculiar, to say the least. But, Tikaani was in no position to judge, and eventually began to respect the Elk herself. If nothing else, they were impressive creatures. 

During her time at Wapiti Run, Tikaani learned the names and faces of several pack members. The alpha female was very easy to remember, as she looked quite a bit like Tikaani's own mother. There were many wolves that she enjoyed spending time with -- pups, wolves her age... Not to mention a certain type of company that came as a relief when Tikaani's first heat came. Indeed, she enjoyed every moment with Conoco, the handsome son of the Alpha of the pack. In addition to physical attraction, Tikaani was glad to finally meet someone with a somewhat similar background to herself. Like Tikaani, Conoco had experienced puppyhood without one of his parents’ love and presence.  

Even as she forged kinships with these wolves and gained back strength that she hadn't even realized that she lost in her travels, Tikaani found herself watching the tightly-knit pack with a pang of... sadness. She began to miss the sense of belonging that she'd had with the Shenandoah Pack, for even if she'd always kept herself distant from them, there was no denying now that what she had with them resembled what the Wapiti wolves had with one another. 

One evening, she found herself explaining these feelings to some of the wolves who had been so kind to her. She left the next morning, but not before expressing a deep gratitude for everything that the pack had done for her. While she couldn't make any promises, she hoped that this pack would become allies with the Shenandoah Pack in the years to come. As uncertain as that might have been, given her lack of actual authority in Shenandoah, she was determined to visit these wolves again one day.

When Tikaani returned home, she was greeted with enthusiasm by the whole pack. Taken off guard, she slipped slightly back into her old ways and let a few indignant growls escape her. But, for her part, she was happy to see them, and happy to be back. The only one who did not run to meet her was her father, Ambrose, who kept a distance from the throng.

A few days after returning to Shenandoah, Tikaani realized that she wasn’t feeling quite right. She paid Falcon, the herbalist, a visit. Tikaani described her symptoms, and was a bit alarmed when Falcon asked her assistant – a least weasel – to stand guard at the burrow entrance and make sure that they had privacy. Falcon had Tikaani lay down, and then pressed her paws firmly but carefully into Tikaani’s abdomen several times. By the time she was given leave to sit back up, Tikaani’s stomach was sore, and she couldn’t help but glare at Falcon. That was when the herbalist whispered something that Tikaani hadn’t been expecting. Apparently, a refreshed outlook on life wasn't the only thing she brought home from Wapiti Run.

Tikaani was pregnant.

An outpouring of panic later, Tikaani was comforted by Falcon, who was herself carrying a litter of pups due within the next few days. Together, they came up with a plan to disclose the pregnancy with the rest of the pack in a way that would be as painless as possible for Tikaani. For while Falcon assured her that there was no need for it, Tikaani was absolutely ashamed of the situation.

Tikaani told her parents first. She broke down sobbing again as soon as the words left her mouth, and immediately, Tanana was there, snuggling and reassuring her. Ambrose did what he always did, and hanged back, barely even looking at Tikaani. Later, she would be relieved that he didn't react with anger, but right then? She was hurt. She had no reason to expect anything else from him, but somehow, it still hurt.

Fortunately, Falcon came through and ensured that Tikaani would not have to have such an embarrassing and stressful moment with her other packmates. The only other wolves she told in person were Snowflake, Grizzly, and Falcon's daughter Bluejay -- her puppyhood friends. Everyone else learned through Falcon herself. Still, this didn't stop wolves from approaching Tikaani during those first few days and congratulating her, fawning over her. Tikaani tried her best to snap at them as little as possible, and took to excusing herself from such uncomfortable conversations. She simply wanted to go through this ordeal and then, once it was finally over, pretend that it had never happened.

The weeks slipped by, and Tikaani's belly became heavy and round. As her unborn pups grew, so did Tikaani's fear of the massive life changes to come. In anticipation of the birth, she was invited into Blackrock Burrow – the nursery den. Just by dint of being present while her pregnancy progressed, she began watching after the pups in the nursery. It gave her some much-needed practice; Tikaani had never been comfortable around puppies before, and she didn't know what taking care of them even entailed. Fortunately, Oriole was there to teach her. Tikaani rekindled her friendship with Oriole, who was beginning to show her age by that point. In fact, Oriole was the only wolf besides Falcon that Tikaani would allow in the den when she went into labor.

It was a long and difficult morning, but in the end, three beautiful puppies were born to an exhausted Tikaani. As they nursed, Tikaani was shocked by how much she immediately loved them. The first and largest was named Utchunquoyes. The middle pup, another male, she called Susquehanna. And last was little Amonute, the runt of the litter and the only female. Tikaani was an attentive and loving mother to her pups, but was perhaps a little lax when it came to discipline. 

When the pups were just a couple months old, none other than Conoco arrived at Shenandoah's border. Rappahannock was the one who carried the news to Tikaani. Good thing, too -- he was tone-deaf enough to happily saunter off so that Tikaani could panic in privacy. The same fear that she'd felt when she discovered her pregnancy welled up again as she imagined telling Conoco that he had fathered her pups. What would he think? Would he be upset? Would it put any potential alliance between Shenandoah and Wapiti Run in danger? Negativity swirled about her ears as she set out to meet him, leaving the pups with Oriole and Pumpkin for the afternoon.

Much to Tikaani's relief, Conoco was thrilled by the news. The next time Conoco visited, he brought the fantastic news that Dioute -- the Alpha of Wapiti Run, and Conoco's father -- considered Shenandoah a firm ally now that he had grandpups within the territory. The pups were thrilled to see their father... So much so, that one of them decided to sneak off and follow Conoco home after he left. For a few terrifying hours, Tikaani couldn't find Susquehanna. Amidst the panic, Conoco returned with his son in tow. It was decided that Susquehanna could go with Conoco to live in Wapiti Run, and that the whole family would visit with one another regularly. Tikaani missed Susquehanna when he was away, but always looked forward to seeing him again during the next visit. And as time went on, she began to look forward to seeing Conoco more and more as well.