Fern

Born into a prominent family in a large pack, Fern was the apple of her parents’ eyes. The pair had been struggling to conceive for some time, and though they’d been hoping for a male to continue the family line, they settled for quiet, gentle Fern, and hoped that with time she would be able to fulfill her promised rank of the pack’s advisor, succeeding her father. There was a change, however, as Fern neared the end of her adolescence. Another miracle pregnancy, this time bringing not one, but two younger brothers into Fern’s life. Almost immediately, she was cast aside, told that she would be better suited bringing new blood into the pack, and that now was the time for her to select a mate with matching or better status. 

Crestfallen, Fern weighed her options. She’d never really wanted her father’s role, but it would have been a stable position in the pack, with promise of protection. She couldn’t really resent her parents for their choice, as males were generally preferred within the pack, but she didn’t want to sit around as somebody’s mate, destined to bring litter after litter into the world, and have any future daughters suffer the same fate. Fern made the difficult decision to leave one snowy night, in the cover of a raging blizzard.

It was a few days later that she crossed paths with Meira, whom at first she’d mistaken as another lone wolf. She was surprised to hear that Meira was in fact one of the heads of her pack, and it wasn’t due to a family line or a lack of males, but her skill instead. There was an instant trust bond between the two, and though she was hesitant to join the Blue Moon Hounds, she was impressed by their level-headed leader, and seeing that they were desperate for another responsible adult to help raise their newfound orphans, she settled into the role of pupsitter easily.

Though Fern generally keeps to herself, she puts the pups at ease with her soft-spoken voice and plush fur, and she’s a natural caregiver. Aside from Meira, Fern’s closest friends are the fellow pupsitters, Bronze and Slate. She enjoys her time in the pup den, but when convinced, can be seen stargazing at the highest points of the mountains with Tanicus, who’s a little more than in love with her, though she doesn’t seem to notice.

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Fern and Tanicus did eventually become mates, but Fern did have two litters of her own before then. She also adopted two pups with Tanicus, but she loves them as much as she loves her own flesh and blood. Of her offspring, she gets along best with Autumn and Sparrow, as they appear to be like minded. She struggles with her relationship with her only son, Hare, one of the reasons being he seems visibly uncomfortable visiting the pupsitting den and they seldom see each other. Her eldest daughter, River, is the most unlike her, as she is confident and loud and outspoken, whereas Fern has never quite shed her reserved and diplomatic attitude.