Nymẹ

Rise. Rise and eat and run with us.

These were the words Nymẹ (pronounced: nime) spoke to every wandering wolf she came across, the words with which she'd built a pack from nothing but a bright, fiery dream. The pack wondered where she had come from—no one knew for certain, but the rumors claimed that she had grown tired of her old pack's slow way of life and had set out to forge her own. Even now, as she grew rich in years, the pack could see that burning flame in her eyes and hear it in her authoritative words.

And her rule was precise. Every time the pack moved, every time a hunting team was formed, the pack was sure she had thought it through. Even pairbonds, they wondered among themselves—were they really due to chance, or had Nymẹ arranged those too? Yet no one questioned her, for her plans were wise. Prey was plentiful, morale was high, and the wolves grew strong, swift, and observant.

But Nymẹ aged, and doubt crept into her rule.

It started in the summer of her sixth year. Some of the oldest wolves passed on (or "crossed the river," as Calathea put it, gazing towards the unexplored territory beyond Yucos Pass). They were survived by their pups, and Xüdie was the first of the next generation. Almost from birth, the pack trained her to fill the chaser role her mother had held.

Nymẹ, too, had a litter—her first—and the pack paid extra attention to them. One of them could be their next leader, after all. But no one paid more attention to them than Nymẹ herself. Watching them quietly, she saw how most of them turned towards the wandering life, enticed by the stories of the elders. She saw how Xkiran, the strongest, wanted to stay. But he was selfish, and when he failed to grow out of his arrogance, Nymẹ dismissed him as an heir. Then there was Kijelo, the most ambitious. She saw his ambition whenever he looked at her, and she wondered. Was he looking up at her, or did he only seek her role?

Her fears were confirmed when Kijelo provoked a fight with his brother. They snarled and spat and tore at each other, and neither was willing to back down. Nymẹ watched solemnly. Here were her sons; but here were two wolves that had not, even after a year of training, learned respect or selflessness. If they did not change, they would destroy the pack.

She did not believe they would change, so she did not hesitate to banish them.

This decision was the first that her pack questioned. The hunters worried that driving out her pups, the pack's strongest, boded poorly for the pack's future, Ghost told her. But Nymẹ paid no mind, and with her second litter, she made her judgement clear to the pups. Her coldness withered them, with many turning to the wandering life far earlier than usual. The pack whispered behind her.

And here, for the first time since starting the pack, Nymẹ felt a pang of despair. She had spent years building the pack. What if none of her pups were fit to lead? What if none of the pack was? The experienced hunters were too elderly. Máel was too quiet, and stuck stubbornly to her old pack's customs. Xüdie and her rumors would divide the pack, and Nymẹ remembered how she had stuck to Kijelo before his exile. And Yaya's determination reminded her too much of Kijelo's ambition.

Nymẹ seldom saw her daughters. Occasionally, those that were still around tried to approach her. They were timid and flinched when Nymẹ snapped at them with sharp criticisms. Then, one day, Nymẹ was resting by the hunters. Erhyi, one of her daughters, was among them, and she stared at Nymẹ levelly. And then she lunged.

Nymẹ jerked backwards, hackles raised. Her enemy was young, so she would be fast. Nymẹ would bite down on her hind leg first, then rake her claws down—

Erhyi growled, shaking Nymẹ back to reality. "Look at me."

Nymẹ blinked. She was tense, seconds away from pouncing on her daughter. The hunters were watching; none of them had come to her defense. They must have known what was going to happen.

"You forget your own pack," Erhyi snarled. "You forget how to lead. You forget your own daughter." She stood, posture high, and Nymẹ realized how strong she was. How had she not noticed before? And how had she not noticed how close Erhyi had grown to the rest of the pack?

Erhyi spoke with the assertiveness of a leader. "Go rest, old wolf. I know the pack."

Nymẹ retreated, pride bruised. But as she settled next to Calathea, an unfamiliar scent whispered by, and she gazed towards Yucos Pass. Her paws were tired. Her eyes were heavy. Maybe… maybe Erhyi was right. Maybe the pack was in safe paws after all. Maybe Nymẹ could rest now.


Log
2023/03/19 Started with 200 stats at 1 year
2023/04/11 Reached Level 20 with 744 stats at 1 year 11.5 months
2023/04/21 Reached 800 stats (241-113-217-89-140) at 2 years 4.5 months
2023/05/07 Reached 900 stats (263-127-248-105-157) at 3 years
2023/05/22 Reached 1000 stats (293-137-283-114-173) at 3 years 7 months
2023/06/03 Reached 1100 stats (345-144-299-123-189) at 4 years
2023/06/18 Reached 1200 stats (395-153-311-134-207) at 4 years 5.5 months
2023/07/24 Reached 1300 stats (443-164-325-144-224) at 5 years
2023/08/06 Reached 1400 stats (490-171-344-159-236) at 5 years 6 months
2023/08/19 Reached 1500 stats (517-184-364-171-264) at 5 years 10.5 months
2023/09/15 Reached 1600 stats (555-196-377-179-293) at 6 years 3.5 months
2023/10/19 Reached 1700 stats (615-205-385-187-308) at 6 years 10.5 months
2023/11/06 Reached 1800 stats (672-211-390-199-328) at 7 years 4.5 months
2023/11/30 Reached 1900 stats (726-220-405-207-342) at 7 years 10 months


Records
Total stats gained: 1723
Total guarana used: 3
Total smouldering effigies stomped: 140+


Leaderboard information
Best leaderboard (heritageless): #1 highest stats, #1 strength, #1 agility, #1 smarts, #10 speed, #10 wisdom
Best leaderboard (all): #7 highest stats, #6 strength, #7 agility