Chinook

Chinook was born away from the rest of the pack, in the grasslands. For the first few months of her life, it was just her, Ferret, and Bass, her brother, in the grasslands, where she could roll around in the sweet-smelling grass, chew on scallions she found in the dirt, and enjoy her mother's love. Ferret was a good mother for those first few months, but only for those fleeting months.

As soon as they were weaned, and spring drew to a close, Ferret began testing their abilities. The tests were long and hard, and Bass couldn't keep up with his mother's expectations quite like Chinook could. That was why one morning when Chinook woke up, she found an empty nest where Bass should be. Chinook aggressively interrogated Ferret when she returned from wherever she went to do who knows what with her brother. Ferret grew tired of this berating, and advised Chinook to "Forget about your weak brother, he would only have dragged the pack down."

Chinook would come to miss her days of being alone with her brother. For now, Chinook was lead to the mountains in the middle of summer, the hot sun blazing into her fur. Ferret would scoff whenever Chinook asked for a rest, and Ferret glared at her pup while she sunk under the nearest tree, panting. Finally, the two reached a stream, where Chinook dove in to cool off. Ferret's growling was forgotten, and Chinook took pleasure in the cool water. Chinook knew her mother would drag her out of the water as soon as she was done drinking, so Chinook collected some algae and mud on her back. With luck, the unusual coating would protect her from the sun. Chinook traveled the rest of the way to the mountains with no complaints of the heat, and Ferret seemed pleased with her daughter's innovation.