Moonstone Mountain Pack

The Moonstone Mountain Pack began, truly began, when two young pups washed up on the banks of a small stream. The two had been through a mighty ordeal with the their homeland being ravaged by a storm started fire. Zala, the bigger and older pup, had fled to the river under orders from her wise father and that was the last she ever heard of him or heard anything from her pack. Morrak had just begun discovering the world when devastating blazes separated him from his mother and if it was not for Zala finding him and dragging him to the river he too would have perished. 

Now the wolves were from rival packs so the alliance was shaky at times but for the first few months they shared food, dens and each other's company. However, after a brutal argument the two parted ways for a time. Both went scouting and exploring the wondrous yet fickle mountainside alone. Occasionally they would cross each other's scent or hear a distant yet familiar howl. Zala searched for a way home but she could not remember which way the river had taken her. Morrak searched for other wolves but only found loners, no packs. Eventually, Zala went to find Morrak and ask him to pair up with her. She was hungry, tired, weak and cold. She needed a pack and if she couldn't find her old one she would just have to start her own. And when she did find him, it was like he knew for he had found a den, brought some food and sat there waiting for her. With a wolfish grin, he said "finally" and the two began their life together.

Now a year on from the two starting their own pack, Zala could not even imagine leaving their mountainside haven and Marrok shared her sentiments. The Pack had flourished over the year and now is home to six other adult wolves, including two of their own year old pups, and fourteen ravenous rambunctious puppies. The newest pups are Zala's own three daughters and the rest are pups of the other pack females (all the pups are sired by Marrok). With so many mouths to feed hunting is crucial and even when successful not everyone eats their fill. But even so the Pack survives and continues to grow and the mountainside they call theirs is constantly lit up under moonlight in which they all bay beneath. 

With Zala's third litter safely here the Pack has been working overtime to bring in food and supplies, not to mention extra scouting and constant supervision of tiny new arrivals. Acalia, Zala and Marrok's eldest girl, is thriving as a pupsitter and mother herself and Thorin has proven himself as a worthy hunter. However, the lead pairs second litter having just joined the throng of adults are going through some growing pains. Lily has not yet been trusted to watch over any pups, Delilah often gets distracted when scouting and Rosa has messed up three hunts so far. Anyway as the pack expands their territory flourishes, the mountainside Lake glistens and the forests hum with birdsong, even the grasslands beneath are greener. And new howls of wolves, both strangers and those who have moved on from Moonstone Mountain, sing a chorus of bliss every full moon.

5 years of living on the beautifully harsh mountainside has begun to take a toll on the pack. Only the strongest pups make it past their first birthday, and even then it is truly survival of the fittest. Zala and Marrok still rule together but only 4 out of 12 of their pups are alive. Thorin, Accalia and Delilah now well established adults do their best to protect and provide for the pack alongside their parents. The alpha pair's youngest Zorro, who is not yet 1, is already all too familiar with life's cruelty having lost all of his littermates and his determination and wit have got him this far. Often the pack adults go hungry to feed the pups and freeze on the outside of the huddle keep them warm but these days no one is safe and they must stick together - for the lone wolf dies but the pack survives!

A new era of the Moonstone Pack is emerging as Zala and Marrok's 7 years have started to show. The once strong and mighty pair's best years are now behind them and new leaders have begun to step up. Zorro is the front runner with his mate Caia and his nephew Kovu is also a strong contender for the role Alpha. The pack is strong now and its legacy is beginning to run deep into the mountains, all creatures have heard of this mighty pack and their courageous leaders but many have also heard that Zala and Marrok's reign is ending and some may seek to cause chaos amongst the changing of the guard. Only time will tell how the pack survives its first change in leadership.