Mistral

Name

The name of a strong, cold north-westerly wind. Also the name of Brontide’s estranged sister.

Lore

0 months old: Born alongside her brother, Mullein, to pack leaders Ashen and Brontide.

1 ½ months old: Ventures out of the Nursery for the first time to meet the rest of the pack.

2 ½ months old: Becomes the dominant pup in her litter. 

4 months old: Moves from the Nursery to the Den, where the pack's adults live. As she is part of the pack's first litter, this milestone is cause for celebration; thus begins a tradition within the Ashen Pack wherein a pup reaching 4 months old and moving out of the Nursery is celebrated. 

4 ½ months old: A second litter of pups is born into the pack, borne by an outsider, Cloud. Only one from the litter survives, and Mistral decides that when the pup is old enough to move around, she and Mullein will need to play with it a lot so it doesn't get lonely. 

5 months old: Mistral and Mullein take it upon themselves to keep Cloud company, and spend their days hanging around near the Nursery, chatting with the older wolf, bringing her prey and listening to her stories. 

6 months old: As adolescents, Mistral and her littermate begin to explore the territory. They make sure to visit the Nursery several times a day to play with Silt, who is now 1½ months old and finally old enough to (clumsily) interact with their surroundings. 

9 months old: Mistral and her brother start to accompany Brontide and co. on hunts, with Mistral wanting to focus on Finishing like her father. 

9 ½ months old: The leaders decide to move the pack into the Forest for the winter. Mistral is uneasy, as she'd never left the Mountains except to hunt; but she puts on a nonchalant air for Mullein and Silt. 

1 year old: The pack joyfully returns home, and Mistral and Mullein reach adulthood. 

1 year, ½ month old: Mistral's parents are focused on preparing for the arrival of their second litter, and Mullein has taken to staying home with them. Mistral, feeling lonely, distracts herself by exploring the Mountains. She comes across a handsome male from a nearby pack and spends the night with him, but quickly regrets it and heads back home. 

1 year, 2 months old: Mistral realises that her encounter with the male wolf resulted in a pregnancy. The pack will already have more pups than last year, with Brontide’s newborns and Cloud and Flurry expecting their own litters; it will be difficult enough to manage three lots of pups without Mistral adding to the number. She spends a few days silently panicking before confiding in Mullein. Together, they plan to leave the pack under the guise of exploring the nearby Deciduous Forest, so that she can deliver the pups in private. 

The ruse works, and the pack bids them a cheerful farewell. The pair find a safe spot near the Coniferous Forest and wait. 

1 year, 2 ½ months old: Mistral bears 3 pups, but due to the stressful situation only one survives. After a few days, she and Mullein bring him back to the pack, claiming they had found him beside a deceased female who had apparently died while whelping. Cloud is able to nurse the pup and immediately offers to care for him.

Mistral proceeds to throw herself into hunting; she tells herself it's to improve her skills and make up for her neglecting the pack's wellbeing, but her parents notice she avoids visiting her month-old siblings and the pup she and Mullein "found", and are concerned. Mullein convinces them that she's upset that they arrived too late to help the pup's mother; the leaders agree to leave her alone for a while. 

1 year, 4 months old: Ashen and Brontide visit the almost 2-month-old pup in the Nursery, and immediately notice that his eyes are the same distinctive dark blue as Brontide, Mistral and Mullein's. They approach Mistral and gently question her about it; she breaks down and admit the pup is hers.

Her parents are understanding, as they would have been unprepared to care for a litter at her age, and explain the importance of knowing the pup's heritage - if he was assumed to be unrelated to any of the pack's other members, he might have unwittingly ended up becoming mates with a close relative. Mistral is embarrassed that this didn't occur to her, too overwhelmed by panic. She approaches Cloud to reveal the truth; she is also sympathetic, and remains happy to keep looking after the pup as her own while also being ready to tell him the truth if necessary. 

From then on, Mistral works diligently as a hunter for the pack, and makes a point of looking after her younger siblings to make up for her initial avoidance.