Thoran

"Don't look back. Just run, run as fast and far as you can. Do not return here." The last words of his mother echoed through his mind as he woke from his dream. His heart was beating fast, like he actually had been running.
Thoran stood up, careful not to wake his mate, and left the den. A walk in the morning breeze would do him some good, help him clear his mind. So many years had passed since he left his parents, but it still haunted him.
If he would have been a fighter, maybe he could have helped them. Maybe he could have stopped the bloodthirsty intruders. But despite his impressive size and athletic body, Thoran had never been a fighter, and he still wasn't. He couldn't kill a wolf, not for anything in the world. He wasn't even that good of a hunter, though Ailyn still insisted his talents would be wasted as a pupsitter. There was no sense in picking a fight with Ailyn, she always got what she wanted in the end.
Climbing up on a rock and stretching in the sun, Thoran allowed himself to relax for a minute. This wasn't a bad place to live, he had a mate, he wasn't forced to serve as guard or scout or warrior, he had a nice den and was well fed. He shouldn't complain.
But he still felt like there was something missing from his life. He just couldn't figure out what it was.
"Lost in thought again, are we?" Finrick jumped up on the rock and sat down next to Thoran. "A pretty boy like you should live in the present, not in the past."
"Good morning to you, too, Finrick." Thoran sighted. The fox was his best friend, migrated here just like Thoran himself did. "Are you running from your wife again?"
Finrick rolled his eyes. "You know how they are when they're pregnant. She wants strawberries. I told her, they aren't ripe yet. She still told me to go find some. What am I supposed to do? I'm not a magician!"
Thoran couldn't help but chuckle. He'd have to go through that one day, too. He loved Thana wholeheartedly and wanted to have a family with her, but he truly wasn't looking forward to the time of pregnancy.
"So, are you up for an adventure?"
He nodded. Getting away from the den for a day would do him some good.
"Good, because I gotta show you something. Found it when I was looking for strawberries, and I have no clue what it is."
Thoran followed his friend through the woods, to an area he had never been to before. Was this even still Nemos territory? Ailyn would have his pelt if he crossed the borders without backup, it wasn't save.
"How far from here is it?", he asked, suddenly not feeling too sure about this idea anymore.
Finrick looked back at him and replied: "Not far anymore, we're there soon."
They stopped at some large rocks, where the fox vanished into a crevice.
"And how am I supposed to fit through there? I'm slightly bigger than you.", Thoran huffed.
"Then make yourself small. It's worth it, I promise!" Finrick's voice sounded like he was standing in a cave.
For a moment, Thoran considered to go back again, but his curiousity won over. He ducked into the hole, the rocks scraping through his fur as he slowly crawled in. "Please don't get stuck. Please don't get stuck.", he thought over and over again, until the tunnel widened more and more. At the end, it led into a large cave, the walls covered in beautiful glowing crystals.
Thoran was about to make a comment if this was the only reason he had to come all this way, when he noticed that something wasn't quite right. In the middle of the cave, the air flimmered a little bit, like it sometimes does on hot days, and there seemed to be a crack whenever Thoran wasn't looking straight at it.
"That's... unusual.", he said, trying to hide how much it scared him.
"Told you so." Finricks hackles were raised, telling Thoran that he wasn't the only one scared of this thing.
"I think I should tell my leader of this. She surely knows what it is." Thoran backed away from the crack, he wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. This wasn't his business. He wanted nothing to do with it.
Finrick's tail swished from one side to the other. "Are you sure we shouldn't find out what it is first? i wouldn't want to bother her for nothing." The fox was scared of Ailyn, though they barely knew each other. Maybe it was because of her looks.
Thoran backed away even more, shaking his head. "No, we need to tell her. She'll take care of it. This might be a portal, and if it is, we shouldn't be anywhere close to it, and surely shouldn't pass through. Those things are dangerous, Finrick. And if something passed through there, I don't wanna be here anymore by the time it comes back."
But as if the gods had heard him, there was a sound behind them in the tunnel. A hiss, unlike anything Thoran had ever heard before.
He looked around, frantically trying to find a place they could hide, but there was nothing. Finrick next to him seemed frozen in fear, he was staring at the tunnel.
The snake-like beast emerging there had its gaze pinned on him, the eyes glowing like fire, the scales seeming to swallow all light. Just in the moment it struck at the fox, Thoran lunged at it, pushing the fox away and trying to sink his fangs into the beast's neck.
But his teeth didn't even leave a scratch on the scales, and now the snake turned to him. "Why did I do this? I am no warrior!", Thoran thought.
When the beast hissed at him, he could see the fangs, dripping with venom. One hit from that thing, and he'd be dead. On the other hand, he didn't seem able to harm it in any way. This wouldn't end well, that much was clear. He should have tried to run instead of making it angry and catching its attention.
"Get out of here!", he called to Finrick. "Get help!"
The fox hesitated for a second, but luckily decided to take the chance and leave while he could. He quickly vanished through the tunnel. At least he'd be out of harm's way now.
"Why does that thing not attack again?" The snake kept staring at him, reared up so its head nearly touched the ceiling, slightly swaying its body. What was it waiting for?
A soft breeze brushed Thoran's fur. "You're not alone, young one.", a voice whispered. The air around him crackled with energy, and he felt stronger than he ever did before. He took a step forward, letting out a deep growl. His first growl, ever. "These are not your lands. You are not welcome here. Leave now, or face our wrath!" The words were coming from him, but in a language old as time, and filled with a power that wasn't from this world.
The beast shivered, then it lowered its head in agreement and quickly slithered past Thoran and through the crack in the air. So it was a portal after all.
"You should leave now, too." When Thoran turned towards the voice, he saw the translucent form of a dark wolf with pungent violet eyes standing by the entrance of the tunnel. "Tell your leader what you saw here. She needs to know."
"Who are you?" Thoran asked, unsure. There was no scent coming from the starnger, and the voice seemed to be right in is head rather than coming from the shape.
"I am Saiutri, speaking for the ancestors of your pack. We were watching you, young one. You have a great journey lying ahead. But it is not your time yet, and this fight is not yours, though you have done well today. Go now. I won't repeat myself."
Obeying, Thoran made his way out of the cave, and ran as fast as he could back to the den. This fight maybe wasn't meant for him, but he had fought today. He had found the warrior within his heart. And judging by the words of the ancestors, one day he would have to fight again.

Found in the desert 01/24/2023, stats at level 1:

Strength 56
Speed 58
Agility 54
Wisdom 55
Smarts 54
Total 277