Skura

Birth

Skura was born into a small group of rouge wolves in the deciduous forests. This makeshift pack consisted of two mated pairs- Lara and Kalan, along with her parents, Mira and Nikolai. She was also joined by her two brothers, Raante and Tilou. Lara and Mira took shifts watching over Skura and her brothers, working as the pack's broodmothers as well as huntresses in their free time. Kalan and Nikolai made most of the decisions in the pack, but there was no definite Alpha. The four adults all worked together to help the pack and make their living situation work.

Skura rather liked Lara and Kalan. Despite not being related to them by blood, she still considered them her aunt and uncle- almost like a second set of parents. Her real parents- Mira and Nikolai, were just as loving. Nikolai was a bit stoic at times but it was never unclear to Skura that he loved her very much. Raante and Tilou were also very important to her, though she did often get into fights and arguments with them over the most petty things- such as who got more milk, who was strongest, et cetera.

She had quite the typical puphood by textbook definition, despite her caregivers occasionally getting into scraps with pack wolves. They had to move constantly, but Skura found she didn't much mind the nomadic life though she did often miss the old territories.

Adolesence

As she aged into an adolescent, Skura found out just how much peril her and her small family was constantly in. It was when Lara gave birth to two healthy pups that she realized the danger all around them. The moment Skura saw her new little cousins (as that's what she called them), she instantly fell in love. She often took turns with Lara and Mira in watching over the pups and played with them as they got a bit older. Now adolescents as well, Raante and Tilou didn't much care for pup-sitting and would rather be out on hunts with the males or learning how to fight.

It was one fateful night that Skura was watching the pups that her life began to go downhill. This would be the event that would set in motion the rest of her life. She was playing with one of the pups, a small female named Isa when she heard a bark not too far off in the woods. She instantly raised her head, alarmed. Her first instinct was to explore the sound, but she knew leaving the pups alone would go against her duties. So, she decided to take the pups with her. She picked Isa and the other pup, Minna, up and headed into the woods curiously. She followed the scent to find a strange wolf nibbling on a rabbit. 

Skura's small family pack was quite open to strangers, not being near as territorial as pack wolves were. So at this sight, Skura was in no way worried. She called out to the wolf, gently setting the pups down. And then it happened. The wolf turned to her, eyes crazed and mouth foaming. Its pelt was gnarled and it clearly had mange. Skura instantly turned tail and ran back toward the pack with the pups, but she tripped halfway there and fell, dropping the pups. She took a few moments to pick herself back up, eyes wide as she watched the wolf ruthlessly attack the two pups. 

Skura launched out of her hiding place, barreling into the wolf and knocking them over. She let loose a howl calling for help to her family, trying to fend off the wolf while narrowly evading its attacks. Her family came in moments, latching onto the wolf and attacking. In the end, they drove it off but not without many casualties. Many of Skura's family members were badly bitten and scratched, let alone Lara and Kalan's pups. Isa was already dead by the time they had finally sent the wolf running, but they found Minna barely breathing. However, it was not to be. Within the next 24 hours, Minna would be dead.

Skura knew the pup's deaths were her fault, and she begged for mercy to her parents and to Lara and Kalan. To her surprise, they all forgave her. They certainly were devastated about the deaths, but they knew being angry at Skura would get the pack nowhere. The pack had to move on. And so they did. They buried Isa and Minna under an oak tree and moved territories once more, never to see the gravesite again. However, fate was not done with Skura and her family.

It hit Kalan first. He soon fell deathly ill, panting and foaming from the mouth. His eyes went wild, his movements odd and janky. He acted out more against the others, more aggressive even against Lara. It passed to Raante next, then Lara, then Mira. It got so bad that one night, Raante and Mira ended up going wild and killing Tilou right before Skura's eyes. Nikolai fought them, but there was nothing to be done. Her family was falling into chaos, as Kalan, Raante, Lara and Mira all began to look more and more like the wolf that killed Isa and Minna. Worried and confused, Skura tried to talk to her mother, but what she was met with was not her mother. Mira's eyes were wild and darted around constantly, dilated and wide. There was no love in those eyes, or the familiar warmness Skura had always been met with.

That very night, Nikolai came to her in her den. "Run, Skura!" he told her. "I'm sick, too. There's no hope for me. Or for your mother, or your brother, or any of us. You're the only one that isn't infected, Skura. Please...run, before you fall ill, too. Or worse..." Skura had never seen her father so afraid before. So, with a heavy, heart she gave him a lick and a tear, then left. 

Adulthood

After moons of barely surviving in the forests, Skura finally came to the mountains. There, she met Kiritan, a pale silvery male rouge. After her last encounter with a rouge, Skura was wary but Kiritan showed no signs of the mystery illness that had ripped apart her family. Kiritan was a kindhearted wolf, who agreed to help her in survival. They formed a strong bond, traveling all across the realms together. After nearly a year of being together, Kiritan asked her to be his mate and she happily agreed. Together with Kiritan, she started a pack of her own, the Morningdawn Pack. Remaining true to her originaly family pack, she was kind and open to any wolf that wanted to join her new pack. She lead with a kind heart and a gentle demeanor, becoming known across the four realms for being the most peaceful pack leader. She settled down in the mountains, forming a group of four other wolves- Shera, Jericho, Myria and Detali. Soon, Skura's small family was added to- with the birth of her first litter of pups, Emalia and Arlo.

Both Kiritan and Skura joined in on hunting to provide for their new pups and pack, and while this happened, they failed to keep a watchful eye over their young daughter.

It was Kiritan who found Emalia's mangled body, left at their boarder as a message: Keep off our territory. His heart was torn into a million pieces in that moment, as he carried his dead daughter home to his mate. Skura cried and cried for days, and Arlo screamed his lungs out until he didn't speak again. The whole pack was ripped apart at Emalia's death, as Kiritan and Skura were hit with a sudden realization: they weren't ready for this.

They had always imagined leading a pack would be easier than being a loner pair. There'd be more wolves to help out with pups, more wolves to hunt. They'd failed to recognize that it also meant more mouths to feed, more pelts to protect. And pups on top of it all- it was too much.

Skura fell ill once more after Emalia's death, and since the pack didn't have a healer, no one knew why. Skura's health deteriorated fast, and her milk dried up. Arlo died only a month after his sister. 

Having to bury both of their only pups left a lasting ache on both of Kiritan and Skura's hearts. Yet they knew they had to serve their pack. They had to push on and learn from their mistakes. Kiritan grew colder, leading the pack's defensive system and becoming the head scout. Skura made sure what happened to Arlo would never happen again, sending out more hunting patrols and never neglecting to care for any pack member ever again.

As time passed, however, Kiritan grew more and more distant, even choosing to sleep in the main pack dens than with her in the Alpha den. Skura, even with how much she loved Kiritan, gave him his space and didn'tpush to talk to him or see him. Part of her was heartbroken too, after all. And Kiritan was only a reminder of what they had lost. Skura threw herself into her leadership duties, buying herself with work so that she would not focus on the bad memories and everything she had gone through.

One day, however, Skura found Kiritan lingering on the edge of the pack territory. She joined him, sitting beside her mate and staring into his eyes. Wordlessly, an agreement formed between them. And so, Kiritan stood, glanced back at Skura one last time, and left the pack territory. For good.

Skura never saw him again, but often thinks about him. She thinks it's better this way, with the two apart. They can move on with their own lives and forget their deceased pups and all of the heartbreak they went through. Yet still, part of her heart aches for him every day.