Casper

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When Sterling was dying, Casper was called into her den. Caribou, the herbalist, had sat beside the ailing leader, a somber look in his two-toned eyes.

"She wants to see you," he murmured. "She says it is urgent."

Casper, of course, had been nervous. She hadn't even been two years old, why had Sterling called her here?

Sterling had merely chuckled at her relentless questions, watching her with those steady gray eyes, the same color as Casper's. She coughed, a rattling sound that brought Caribou to her side, but she waved him off. Despite her age, she was still a fiery old wolf. Sterling gestured for Casper to join her, resting her head on her paws.

"You are a worthy successor," she began, huffing in amusement at Casper's shocked reaction. "You may not have my zeal for the fight, nor Dagger's keen gaze, but you are steadfast. That is what this pack needs."

"But I'm young, and inexperienced," Casper protested, interrupting Sterling's line of thought. Surely the old wolf had gone mad, Casper couldn't lead the pack. She had been a scout, and was inexperienced in all matters of diplomacy and combat.

"Inexperienced?" Sterling scoffed. "We choose scouts as our leaders for a reason. You have seen the world, Casper. Not many other wolves are able to boast that. You have knowledge, but you do not have wisdom. But no matter, that comes in time."

Casper, still in disbelief, nodded. Her thoughts raced as she sat before the other wolf, watching Sterling speak. The leader was a grizzled warrior, covered in scars from past battles. She never backed down from confrontation, even in her twilight years. How she ever compare to that zeal, Casper didn't know.

"Not to mention the fact that you've been chosen by the moon," Sterling said bluntly, not one to mince words. "You have a grey coat and grey eyes, and were born into this pack as a female. The moon does not make mistakes, She is the reason we came to the glacier, the reason we have survived for so long. She dictated to Dagger, years ago, that every heir of this pack would be chosen by such criteria. It is the way of this pack, the way of the moon's Silhouettes."

"Oh," Casper whispered, eyes wide. "So there is no doubt, is there? At least not to Her, or to you?"

"Of course not," Sterling grumbled. "Get out of your own head. It is not the right place to dwell upon your destiny. Life can only be experienced on your own paws, out in our world. Not worrying about whether or not you're worthy of it."

Casper nodded. She resolved to become more confident, to rely on herself as others relied on her. Then, she could be a better leader, perhaps even as good as Sterling and Dagger before her.

As Sterling took her last few breaths, Casper sat at her side, with the knowledge that she would be the next leader. The pack would thrive under her guidance, she was sure of it.

It did. Generation upon generation of wolves were born, Oracle's moon-blessed third eye a returning gene among her line, despite the fact that she had passed many years before. The pack grew in size and strength, and despite her lack of romantic relations, Casper had many friendships among the other wolves.

Casper also opened the pack to the countless travelers who got lost in the icy expanse of the glacier, allowing them to stay in the pack before sending them off, to warmer climates. She was an exceptional leader, and life in the pack was going perfectly.

However, she could not find a suitable inheritor for the title of leader. Countless pups were born with grey eyes and grey fur, yet none of them had the willpower or determination to become leader. None, except Hailstorm.

Hailstorm had been born a tiny male pup, but grew to be confident and seemed to command all of his siblings with his presence. Yet he felt less like a he and more like a she as the days passed and he grew.

Casper noticed this, and went to The Grove, a place where one could gather life-altering supplies. She offered Hailstorm a sex changing potion, and he—now a she—gladly took it. The potion was the turning point, and that day Casper chose Hailstorm as the next leader, while she was still a pup.

Yet one of the other potential leaders, a male adolescent with steely fur and stone eyes, had enough. He was older than Hailstorm and jealous, and in the middle of the night, he tried to kill the pup.

Hailstorm stood her ground as best as she could, but wasn't a match against an older and more experienced wolf. She was saved by Wanderlust, a terrifying hunter, who brought him to Casper.

The male, named Mountain Peak, cowered before Casper as she banished him from the pack. It was the right decision, and the moon seemed to whisper her approval that night.

Yet Casper was uncertain. Never before had a wolf from their pack done something so violent. Perhaps this was a bad omen, that Hailstorm's time as leader would be uncertain? Time would tell.

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