Riverpaw's mother became pregnant by a wandering male, and stayed in hiding from her own pack in a cramped abandoned burrow near the river. She stayed there until Riverpaw was born and old enough to walk. She then nervously returned to her pack with her young pup on tow. Her alpha practically went feral at the sight and smell of another male's pup. Riverpaw and his mother fled for their lives, and because of that Riverpaw grew up wandering with his mother. They lived like this until a month before Riverpaw became 2, when the alpha of his mom's former pack stumbled upon their temporary home. They had found a nice clearing in the woods and a large, hollowed log with space for 2 wolves. They had admittedly stayed in one place for too long, lulled into a false sense of security by the serenity of the early spring. Riverpaw had to once again flee for his life, though this time without his mother. After that, Riverpaw realized he needed to find a new territory, and he set off along the river to start his own pack. That is when he met his strong Beta, and mother of his first litter, Russet.