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 Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 5:35 am
The youth, named Tane, was but a year old. He would soon reach the height of the other pack adults, Acheron thought – perhaps larger, due to his mother’s blood. However, despite his size, he still looked the part of a lanky adolescent. He was not yet considered an adult, but that wouldn’t last for long if all went well, for the pair were not directionless in their morning amble but focused, headed towards the point that would mark the adolescent’s rite of passage.
Normally, Acheron left the task to his Beta, but he had finished his work early that night and he was eager to see the young wolf. Tane was the pup of an outsider but, more importantly, a son of one of his closest friend and ally. And so, when he thought the adolescent had rested well enough and night soon inevitably shifted to day, he had roused the wolf and began to lead the male farther away.
They had been walking a good deal now, but this was only the first part of the test (one Tane remained unaware of, as Acheron had not yet let the other know of his intentions) and by far the easiest. By the time Acheron finally allowed the other to stop, they were well away from the territory’s border and on strange land where the trees were fewer in number and the light bright enough to be visible as soft rays between the trees.
“You’ve grown much, Tane,” the Alpha stated softly, his words rumbling like boulders running down a mountain. He had not been affected much by the long walk and his breath and voice was as even as it had been when he had called for the adolescent to wake.
“It won’t be long before we ask for you to help us, to strengthen the pack, to work for its betterment as a whole, and to defend and nurture the future lives it holds. You’ll have to be an adult, Tane, but it isn’t about just age, is it?” His words were more statement than question and to a keen listener, it may have sounded just a bit sad. He had certainly come to know what it meant to grow up.
“It’s time for you to go through your rite of passage,” he continued, his voice strengthening and leaving no room for the other to decline. No one could simply sit down and grow up whenever he or she wanted, nor could one choose when the ascension would be made. Acheron had decided that Tane would begin his rite now, and it would be up to the young wolf to step up to the task and prove his own worth.
“I’ll be leaving you here for three nights. Alone. There will be no pack, no territory. No other wolf resides in or has come into these parts. We’ve taught you what we can, but it’ll be up to you to survive. Do what you must. Go farther if you require but come no closer to the pack. If you return before someone comes to take you after the three days are up, know that you have failed me.” Here he bared his teeth, and the last of his words (the last in particular, as it further enforced his role as one of higher status) were more growls than speech. Nature showed favor to no wolf, and no matter how fond he was of the adolescent, he couldn’t let the boy think he would be the exception against the cruelties life could show. It may have been ironic that Tane had to prove his worth to the pack by being away from them, but the quality of the pack came from the individual, and the quality of the individual only added to the pack.
The Alpha drew himself higher, arching his neck to make himself appear taller as he stared down at the young wolf. He waited, as if to allow the other to speak, ask questions – anything. But his demeanor, from the way he held himself to the way he looked down upon the wolf, invited no words. Then, in a voice that was almost a whisper but as authoritative as it would ever be: “Go.”
---
When Tane had left, Acheron allowed himself to sit. He did not like having to use such a tone but knew it would be inevitable, especially if he were to ever have pups of his own.
An ear cocked towards the direction of the adolescent’s departure and when he was sure the male was too far to hear him, the Alpha barked. In response, multiple wolves came to him from the shadows, their lithe build and scent revealing them as Gammas under Acheron’s rule. With a swing of his head, he commanded them to follow the adolescent. They would observe Tane and his progress, intervening only if his life was on the line. Everything Tane did would be seen, remembered, and recalled back to Acheron. Even if Tane were to keep himself alive for the duration, it would not mean automatic success. After Acheron had heard all that Tane had done during his time, it would be up to him to decide whether the male was worthy of being recognized as an adult, or if he would still be but another pup to the pack.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:08 pm
 The colorful adolescent male with a few decorative trinkets that were passed down to him when he was born walked beside the great alpha Acheron. The alpha was an intimidating figure to even so much as look at with the bone necklace around his neck and the skull on his face at least it was by those along with the pelt that was a shocking white against his dark fur. When he had been younger as a pup he had often wondered why the alpha covered his face and what was under there. But of course that was just the natural inquisitive mind of this wolf. He wanted to know, to learn about the world around him. Oh! Where is the author’s manners?! The young male wolf Tane was no more than a year old and still had not reached his full height but he soon would.
Though the first thing he wanted to do before fully reaching adulthood was to prove to himself, to the pack and to his alpha that he was a worthy piece of fur rather than a moocher. The idea of not doing anything didn’t sit well with his restless spirit. Tane was ready to prove himself worthy. He wanted to prove that he could pull his own weight around and make this pack stronger. Even make a name for himself so that he would as good as his father, Ney’IK. After all his aunt was the beta of the pack, so what could it hurt to be something special that was helpful and meaningful like that of his paternal side of the family?
The bright colored wolf hadn’t noticed that the walk he was on with the alpha was a long one nor would he guess what the larger male was thinking or intending. Though what he did know was that they were far away from the pack’s territory and entering unknown territory where the trees were becoming less and the light from the sun filtered through the overhead that made him squint his eyes. Tane wasn’t used to having much light blaring in his face and for a moment he wanted to shake off the glare but didn’t dare move or even breathe for that matter around his alpha. He still hadn’t gotten confident around the elder wolf and he didn’t want to start out what would be a fragile relationship to ruin a potential comradeship.
Though by the time Acheron spoke to him, Tane was panting softly from the walk as the only sigh of being affected by the walk since he tried to keep it off his face. Nodding in agreement he didn’t say a single word. It wouldn’t have made a difference since this was not the time for chitchat. This was the time to prove his worth. With the next words about bettering the pack, Tane nodded in agreement again though showing a bit more confidence, though why the alpha sound sad about the last part of his statement was curious.
Looking up at the male, he just watched silently the commanding presence surrounding him spoke to him with the instructions of his Rite of Passage. Listening Tane had a short lived moment of hesitation. Three days alone, with no pack to survive in this new area. With his ears pressing back a bit at the last words that were said in a well heeded warning, he watched the alpha wolf, Acheron stand straighter looking very imposing. With the single word of “Go”, Tane ran off in the set path of the Rite of Passage that would either make it or break it for him.
XXX
Running through the foliage, Tane had to admit that the sun wasn’t that big of a deal and nothing but an annoyance. If anything he had a scowl on his generally friendly face. Slowing down he stretched his lanky body and tried to think of the first thing he needed to do. Well, he needed to mark an area he knew where to return so he didn’t get lost during the day with his somewhat weak eyesight in the light but could easily find his way during the night with his good night vision.
Going to the nearest trees, he started making deep incisions with his claws against the tree bark. Doing that at every two trees on each side of the so called path he was on, however what made them different was that he placed them at different lengths, angles and places on the trees so that if he saw one of them he would go to the next tree to make sure it matched the pair. At the very least he didn’t want to make it easy for any other predators bigger than him to figure out that he existed. Next Tane had to search for a water source and a place to sleep or to rest which could take a good amount of hours.
The hours ticked by, the heat of the sun a constant annoyance just like the light but he was becoming accustomed to it little by little. In doses was he getting used to it. Finally with the sun slowly turning from noon to afternoon, perhaps around four o’clock by human standards, he found the water source and drank deeply. The water came from a stream that was cool and a true heaven send to his perched and thirsty body. After taking his fill he looked around to take in his surroundings and noted that there weren’t many trees here but more open with a few rocks strewn here and there with growing grass over them. There was the occasional bush and a tree that stood alone. It was open lands for the most part and it was a curious sight.
With that restless nature and curiosity to look around Tane walked on finding a boulder to make a few claw marks, though it was very faint and had to be looked at very closely to see it, so keep at least something with his mark and or scent on it. Looking around he found this part of his test to be….fun. Walking along the stream he broke away from there, far off away from where the tree line was that contained his claw marks, Tane stopped when he came up to an area that had… A hole in the ground. “What the…?” He questioned softly and continued on far away from the hole and found another then another.
Pressing his nose down he caught the scent of a curious animal, one he had never scented before. Tane had a decision to make here. It was to either search what the animal was and risk his life, or risk losing a valuable piece of knowledge by passing through. He had to be here for three days, perhaps today wasn’t going to be counted as one so he needed to get going to explore and learn by putting what he was taught to use. Making the decision, Tane walked off, trotting away from valuable knowledge when he looked up from the ground, the sun blinding him momentarily that cause the poor adolescent to step in a hollow’s den that was deep within the ground with brush, branches and bark covering it. Stumbling he fell on his face over the opening and crushed the cover.
Grumbling about being half blind, cursing the sun, though where he learned cursing was beyond belief, he suddenly felt something poke his stomach. Blinking some he held himself still to feel a persistent poking that borderline annoyance. “You bloody idiot! Get. Off. My. HOME!” Snarled a muffled, grumpy voice. Tane jumped startled and laid his ears back his body tense and in fighting mode, baring fangs. Beady black eyes glared back at him from the creature that came from the den. The creature had a bluish gray coat, more blue than gray, with white lines one his face with a bit of black on his face. Looking closer Tane noted that the gray on the coat wasn’t because it was naturally there but that it was marked as age. Even the look in those black eyes showed age yet wisdom far beyond what Tane could ever possibly achieve.
“Look here you bloody mutt! This here is MY home! You come around here looking for a meal and now you just succeeded in ticking me off! Who do you think you are? Coming around here ruining homes like you own this place!” The sharp voice grumbled. Tane blinked and tilted his head to the side, still tense but not about to fight when there could be a much more diplomatic way of handling things. “I’m…Sorry?” “Sorry? You’re sorry?!” The bluish animal came out showing a smaller build, the fur soft but it was sticking every which way because of the anger coming off him. “Do you have any idea how long it has taken me to build that cover?!” “Um…No?” “Of course not you idiot!” Tane didn’t like being called an idiot because he wasn’t. The wolf snapped back. “It was an accident. Rather than waste time why not build it all over again and better!?” The creature gave him a droll stare. “Son, if you haven’t noticed, I’m old. I’m not young and robust like the others around here to do that.”
Tane blinked and shrugged. It wasn’t his problem. “However,”Cut in the male. “Maybe you can help me collect the same materials to build it again. It’s the least you can do for being an idiot and clumsy. Honestly, you wolves don’t know anything better.” “No, no, no, no. I can’t do that. I’m on a mission to-“ “A mission? A MISSION?! Damnit boy you ruined my home! I can’t live like that without the likes of you or those damned bears or eagles coming here! I’ve lived too long to be taken so easily!” The colorful wolf shook his head but sighed. Tane again had another choice.
One, it was leaving this creature to his own devices and be eaten by someone else since Tane wasn’t that hungry and eating this animal might upset his stomach by the looks of him or help him and gain experience. Glowering a bit he nodded curtly and stood up. “Alright, I’ll help you since it was my fault. How would you like me to help you?” “Well for one we have to go down that way.” He sat up, pointing in the direction that Tane couldn’t see well but nodded nonetheless. “Let me ride you to collect the materials. You help me bring those back and you’re free to do this mission.” It sounded outrageous but it was doable and if it would earn him some credit to him in having helped another creature in need then sure. Blinking he tilted his head to the side. “I’m Tane.” The creature glowered a bit. “I’m Cerulean. My friends call me Ceru for short.” The creature walked over to Tane. “Now get down so I can climb.” Grumbling that he was easily swayed but didn’t want to be a rude type, perhaps that softness came from his mother, he laid down to let the creature mount him. With Ceru settled he started walking farther away from where he came from. “You're not from around here. I’ve never seen a wolf in a long time.” Tane looked up, blinking. “Really?” Ceru nodded. They started a conversation to pass the time until he entered another type of tree area. With the sun finally waning lower to sunset and twilight approaching, they managed to gather some of the materials, only rather than go back to Ceru’s den, he started to dig.
“What are you doing?” Tane asked. “I’m digging. You don’t know what this is?” The elder drawled sarcastically. “Well I just don’t understand. I’ve never seen a creature like you before.” “Oh…I’m a badger. It’s what we do by nature. It’s too dangerous for us to live up here with bigger enemies like you.” Tane grumbled. “I’m not here to threaten you.” Ceru was about to answer but then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. There is no such thing as the prey befriending the predator. It’s just not done.” The wolf blinked and wondered on that question. So far this Rite of Passage seemed to be an odd twist but perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. Thinking on that Tane let the creature, no badger, NO, Ceru to his digging to go hunting for something as night approached on his first day of the Rite of Passages. Running off he took his time to hunt for a meal, the night a great welcome from the blaring sun. Silent as the shadows, he went through the trees like a phantom with his head lowered and nostrils flared to catch any scents of a meal.
The wolf continued on until he slowed, crouching low at the sight of a deer close by. The deer was oblivious to the night walking wolf that crawled closer and closer when a large shadow reared up, snarling. Eyes widening, the deer run off in fear as the bear crashed through to the spot that it left from. Tane tried to crawl back, hoping that the bear didn’t see him but that was hoping for too much. The bear looked over where the movement was and took in the scent of the male wolf, snarling loudly as it reared up roaring. The wolf jumped up and ran back the way he came. However the bear catch up to him with a sharp swipe of his paw. Yelping and trying to jump out of the way, he fell down on his side with the wind knocked out of him. Looking up as the bear reared in anger, a smaller shadow jumped over Tane to land on the bear’s face and attacked.
The young wolf’s eyes went wide when the voice of the yelling creature attacking the bear came from Ceru. Ceru jumped off when the bear fell back to wipe the blood from its face. Breathing heavily the badger walked over to Tane and nudged him. “Get up and go. I’ll handle him.” He said, some blood coming from his side. The wolf moved and shook himself, taking a step to leave but there was a primal part of him that barked no. It barked to turn around and fight the bear. Baring teeth, he turned around and lunged for the bear, biting the thick fur and whipping his head around as if the bear was a chew toy. Tane was a wolf. He was a member of a great wolf pack, and like hell was he going to back down from a fight for survival. He had to let this bear know that messing with him was a big mistake. Jumping away he growled a deep rumble that was totally primal as the badger went the other way, both working together.
The bear snarled and swiped at them, alternating between the wolf and the badger. However rather than go after the lithe wolf, the larger beast went for the badger. Tane snarled at Ceru to move was away but the reaction time was slow. The beast slammed his paw down on the badger earning a yelp and a pitiful cry of pain. Tane snarled, jumping on the bear to claw at him and tear at his fur, surprising himself with a side of him that was vicious and not so nice. Blood was tasted in his mouth that spurred the beast within to drive the bear to fight him off and retreat rather than fight to kill. Jumping off Tane breathed heavily, giving a vicious growl as he inched towards Ceru. The badger was breathing heavily and looked up at Tane in fear.
Lowering his head and ears he nudged the creature that he sort of befriended on his first day of his Rite of Passage. “You’re…Scary to watch.” Ceru muttered coughing a bit as he tried to get up on his own. Tane shook his head. “Not really. I’ve never done that before.” “Never?” “Never.” “Well you still scared me.” The badger said, limping making the wolf smile a bit. From there both creatures retreated back to the borrowed den that was located on the plains where the stream was and the area that would lead Tane back to the marked trees. Yet he didn’t go to the woods but stayed with Ceru to make sure that he was alright and in a sense he wanted to watch over him to make sure that he was healing.
The next day went by like a blur. Tane worked on his hunting skills when it came to small prey to bigger prey like the deer. The adolescent worked on tracking and marking, making sure to not leave obvious marks but at the same time so he learned to make identifications. The wolf would go back to Ceru every time he had a chance, speaking with him and noting that as much as Ceru busied around his den, there was something wrong with him. The badger looked tired and the wounds hadn’t healed. Tane helped rebuild the opening of the burrow and went out alone to search for strong materials. Yet during the second night he had left Ceru to the depths of the forest and found himself face to face with the bear. Only this time he played it smart by keeping his scent downwind to not attract attention. By the time the third day came around the wolf traveled back through the familiar trees, sniffing out his markings to know he was on the right track. Coming from the tree lines, he saw that the badger he had come to know was laying on the ground…motionless.
Freezing he ran over quickly to check on Ceru and found him breathing but barely. Ceru opened his eyes a bit, a small smile in them. “Ceru…What’s wrong?” The colorful wolf nudged him to get him to move but the badger sway at him weakly. “Leave me be son. It’s my time to go. I feel it.” “You can’t go. You can’t go out like this. You said-“ Ceru laughed softly and closed his eyes. “You learn that what you say is different then what fate says. Fate has decided it’s my time and I’ll accept it.” His voice was slowly leaving and soon his breathing as well. With the final breath Tane just stood there, staring. In his mind he had never seen death. Never knew it or touched it. Now he had. Then he learned something from seeing this death.
The wolf learned that there was a fragile line between life and death. That although you are strong, death came come as swift as a bird to claim you. That no matter how great of a fighter you were, death didn’t pick favorites. Perhaps this part of life was what it took to become an adult. Seeing the life of another taken away was one of many things that hardened one to become an adult. To understand the balance between life and death and that one had to accept it then move on from it. Or at least that was what the mind of Tane came up with. Lifting his head up Tane howled at the sky in mourning. He would mourn the loss of a new friend, having found Ceru amusing with his grumpy disposition and the wisdom he did share.
It was only a short time, yes but that didn’t mean making a connection with another had to take longer. Most did if only the other individual didn’t wish to make a connection but Ceru did and Tane felt honored. However it was the third day and though he couldn’t go back before his time was up he nudged his friend to lay in his home, under the dirt to be sent back to mother earth. Tane walked away with a heavy heart and a contemplative outlook, heading for the stream for a deep and long drink. I uh.....Hope this was alright >> The Word count is 3, 328 excluding those three captial X's since that was used as a break.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 2:00 am
The wolves who followed Tane had prepared well for the own trial they would go through. They were born and bred within the pack and had hard time adjusting to the light. However, they had slight coverings for their eyes provided by their Alpha, and they stuck to the shadows like honey to bread, hidden from both wolf and sun alike. They kept their distance but took advantage of every one of their senses to know what Tane was doing, what he was planning, and most importantly, how he was faring.
Whenever Tane slept, one would rush back to Acheron to give the Alpha a brief report. During Tane’s next rest, a different wolf would go. Acheron had set up the rotation system so that any bias (unintentional or no) from one member would not affect the whole report. The Alpha expected every retelling of the story to be slightly different from one another, and indeed it was. There seemed to be one consensus, however: Tane was doing well.
The adolescent did not suffer from the light-sensitive eyes most in the pack were prey to – a useful boon for Acheron’s future plans. He was also curious, but not dangerously so. Much caution he had shown when he was in the midst of unknown territory and much strength he had proved by taking on first the deer alone, and then the bear. Admittedly, the process had not been a smooth one – the adolescent had gotten distracted in an important moment, for instance, and crashed into a badger hole. It could have meant his death were the badger younger and angrier. He had lowered himself, too, for another creature, one that the wolves preyed upon on occasion. But in the end, everything had worked out.
Tane had shown compassion, quickly befriending another creature that wasn’t even of his own species and displaying an open-mindedness not commonly seen within Acheron’s own ranks. He had shown a sense of justice by agreeing to help the badger build what he had destroyed when the consequence was his own rite’s delay. Had he not done so – had he simply left, or slight the badger any more, the bear would have easily ended his life with none close enough to aid him. A badger’s power was impressive indeed, capable of killing even bears easily when in their prime, which was why the wolves had kept their pups, Tane included, from meeting one before.
These traits, along with the pure skill and thoughtfulness he had shown with his markings, were sure signs that Tane was truly ready to help the pack as a full-working adult. Sadly, it was not over yet.
The badger’s death hadn’t come as a surprise to the watching wolves. They had seen many battles within their lifetime and deaths were not so uncommon for a wolf. As soon as they caught scent of the wound and the creature’s old age, they knew it was over. This they had known and watched many times, to the point where another life gone was meant little. They had not met the badger as Tane had, either, which further prevented them from feeling any stirrings of sadness. But then, everything changed. Tane changed. They could see the despair cloaking his bright pelt and hear the songs of mourning on his breath as the spirit of the badger joined the spirits of the earth. They, too, were reminded of the time they had first encountered death and know it for what it was, and that in itself was enough. It strengthened their bonds with one another and the adolescent (although he would not know yet) as they shared in their sadness and their pain.
---
At the end of the third day, Acheron left the pack. He followed his old steps to the location he had last seen Tane, meeting up with the Gammas that had kept tabs on the male. They led him to the young wolf amidst slabs of sunlight, their steps silent on the cool forest floor.
“Tane,” Acheron had called, softly but in a tone that still asserted his own authority. “You’ve done well surviving so long on your own.” A pause. Then, gesturing towards the pack members that surrounded him, “These wolves have watched you for me. They’ve told me all you’ve seen and done, and all you’ve went through.”
Here, the Alpha approached the adolescent, and he gave the young wolf a warm lick on the head. It was the only sympathy he expressed before he turned away.
“Come,” he said. “It’s time for your judgment.”
Acheron did not let Tane know of his decision just then, however, and showed no signs of doing so any time soon. He had simply walked away and began the trek back to the pack without a single word falling from his lips.
The trip was quiet – hushed, more like, and none spoke as they once again entered the shadows they grew to know. It wasn’t long until they entered the territory, however, and everyone subconsciously quickened their pace, spurned by their proximity to the pack.
“Here is my answer, Tane, pelt of the sky, son of Ney’Ik!” Acheron suddenly cried as they rounded a bend, and he gave a great howl. Suddenly, the sky was ringing with the sound for, hidden from view until that moment, the rest of the pack surged forward and joined their voice to Acheron’s own.
They had stayed late into the morning light to await Tane’s arrival and when he came into view, they barked in delight. Some licked his face, others brushed their sides against his, whereas others gave a simple dip of the head, acknowledging him not as a pup, but an equal. A few howled for his loss, but many more for his gains, for, without a doubt, Tane had truly become one of the pack now.((Congrats! 8D Feel free to determine how the pelt is given to him (whether it was presented to him after his arrival / he chose to bring it himself / etcetc.) whenever you’d like. (Posting a reply here isn’t necessary. ouo) I’ve finished his edit and will post it with his growth when I’m done with the batch (which should be at the 15th the latest unless I have computer problems). (If you'd like it modified after you see it, please PM me! :3 It was made in a different folder for easy modification.) Thanks for participating! 8D))
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