Shale

The Shards' former beta head. Shale was a calculated and bold wolf, having taken her role as hunter very seriously. Even after her retirement, she would make sure that everybody stayed on task with whatever they needed to do.

Under Thermal's leadership, Shale was made outcast as a result of refusing to submit, which would lead to her then-rival Sedge taking her place. During that time, she and Alp hunted prey together themselves and would end up falling in love. Soon Polar would return to overthrow Thermal and banish Sedge. Shale would led the hunt again, and became mates with Alp.

in time, she and Alp would have pups. While Shale wasn't available for the hunt, Alp would find another she-wolf named Dawn to help out the Shards. As much as Alp insists that he was only working with Dawn to support the hunt, Shale didn't trust Dawn being around him.

After weaning her pups and even dealing with illness, Shale would return to hunting. This would create a rift between the Shards, as Shale would not only show distrust towards Dawn for being too close Alp, but also had to cope with the brown wolf's incompetence and arrogance. At this point, a rivalry had formed between her and Dawn, which was perhaps more tense than the one she had had with Sedge. From disagreements during hunts, to a scandal involving a forbidden breeding, Shale could never seem to get along with Dawn.

When she realized she was getting up in age, Shale decided to take on the role of mentor and, with heavy heart, would turn the role of lead hunter over to Hoar, Polar and Bear's daughter. As Rime Pack would make their journey to the tundra as part of their destiny to reach the glacier, Shale and her family would face tragedy with the sudden loss of Alp. Not only would she have to mourn her mate, but she would have to reconcile with her son, Bark, who blamed himself for what happened. She tried to assure him that it wasn't his fault.

Unfortunately, things would only get worse for her sons, as Pine and Bark would get into a dispute over taking Brook as their mate. After a nasty argument between the brothers, in which Bark pulled a complete 180 and blamed Pine instead for the death of their father, they would cease communicating together. Yet, despite another low blow for this distraught mother, out of the ashes of tragedy would be the announcement of Brook's pregnancy, with Pine as the father. Though she still wished that her sons were at peace (as she had forgiven Bark for his error), she was looking forward to the prospect of tutoring her grandchildren, as they they would continue Alp's legacy. These grandchildren would end up being the twins, Flint and Opal, whom she would mentor until they were old enough to train with the pack.

Eventually, Shale would begin to exhibit worrying signs of illness. As both Coal and Fjord would test her symptoms, they were unable to reach a conclusion as to what her condition was. All that they could discern was a firm lump inside her fur. However, Shale would remain strong through her illnesses, living on for several more months, until the battle was over.

When Shale died, every wolf in Rime would mourn her, as Shale had been with the pack since its very beginning. None would be crushed, however, than her own children. Coal had watched her die, spending every moment with her mother in her state of decline and hoping with futility that Shale would heal or that she would find a cure for her condition. Meanwhile, Pine and Bark, for the first time in a while, would stand side-by-side in mourning. Unfortunately, Char had yet to return from the glacier, and so wouldn't get to see or speak to her mother again, nor meet the rest of her grandchildren whom Char had had with North. Shale's grandchildren, Flint and Opal, would also grieve for her, as they remembered her warm teachings from when they were pups. Shale would manage to see Brook and Pine's second litter as newborns.

Shale is survived by her four children (Char, Coal, Pine, and Bark) and her 10 grandchildren. May she be given peaceful rest with Alp in the Sleeplands.