TWs: Themes of 5!(kn355, bv11!35, d3@+h, ableist wolf, near drowning experience I remember a story from long ago, back when I was young and had no idea what dangers the world held. I’ll tell you it, if you’d like? {Prologue: The Frog} A young puppy was watching a frog one early morning. The frog sat there. The pup sat there. The frog blinked. The pup blinked. The frog croaked. The pup did not croak. The pup, in fact, was not a frog, so he couldn't croak. He could bark, but not croak. The pup's name was Currentpup. Currentpup of the Waterfox pack. Everyone called him Current, though. Current was the narrator. And, of course, the frog was a frog. {Chapter 1: Garter Snakes} I don't know why, but I think that the frog is just really interesting. Like, how does it survive without fur? How does it catch flies from midair? How does it- "Currentpup, get back to camp!" That's Adder. Adderparry, a patroller. "Coming!" I sigh. Well, maybe one of the other pups will play hide and seek with me. I return to the camp. "Garterpup! Minnowsky! Do you want to play hide and seek?" I know that Garterpup is mean to me because I look different, but Minnowsky thinks I'm fun to play with. So maybe?... "Why would we want to play with /you/, weirdo?" Garterpup sneers. Minnowsky opens their mouth to speak, but no words come out, and they hang their head in embarrassment. Garterpup laughs. "Go hang out with Flysky instead." At the mention of my older sister, my fur bristles, and I feel a rush of protectiveness. "You have no right to tell me what to do. And you have even less of a right to talk about my sister that way.” Garterpup just laughs. “Come on, Minnow. Let’s go do something fun with the normal pups over here.” Minnowsky casts me an apologetic glance, but Garterpup loudly says, “you’re coming, right?” And Minnowsky has no choice but to follow. There they go, and I’m alone again. I stalk back to the den, then pause mid step. I’ll just go and check on Flysky quickly… {Chapter 2: Wish You’d Fly Again} I enter the healers’ den. Frostnight is there, fussing over Flysky as usual. My sister lies spread out on a moss bed, barely moving, her eyes closed. I can already smell her sickness, feel her warmth, and hear her raspy, troubled breathing. My heart hurts every time I see her this helpIess, though I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t. “Oh, hello, Currentpup!” He says, sounding flustered and overwhelmed, “have you come to say hi to Flysky?” I nod, and he responds, “well, I’m really sorry, but she’s asleep right now.” “No, I’m awake.” Mumbles a barely understandable Flysky. I rush over to her. “Fly! How… how are you?” “I’m good… I guess. I’m good for… for me. But we all know I’m-” She breaks off into a covgh, and Frostnight promptly feeds her a small berry. “Alright, Currentpup, I think it’s time for you to leave. Flysky needs some space, okay?” And so, I do. I exit the den, praying for the Sky to save her. I lie down in my own nest, wishing with all my heart that things were better. That Skyfly was less s!ckly. That she’d ever heal. And yet, I know the truth. I’ve overheard Frostnight talking to the Alpha in hushed tones, casting wary glances around. The fog had hidden me then, and I’d learned the horribIe truth. Skyfly was getting worse. {Chapter 3: Fall} Morning comes quickly, and with it comes fog. And my pelt is a similar colour to the fog. It lets me blend in. And blending in gives me freedom to explore. I sneak down to the river. It’s peaceful here, and it gives me the time to think. A rustle from behind me makes me turn. A dark blue and brown male pup stands behind me. Oh no. It’s Garter. “Hey, little pup.” He sneers, “whatcha doin’ out this early?” I glare at him. “I can’t hear you, if you’re saying anything.” It’s a lie. I can hear him quite well. I just don’t want to talk to him, obviously. “I’m pretty sure you can hear me. Unless you’re deaf as well as stvpid?” He laughs, then pushes me. I fall. The world slows, contorts, and blurs as I try to comprehend what just happened. He pushed me. He pushed me. I’m falling. I barely think as I hit the water. It’s cold, but I don’t notice it more than a distant, back of my mind thought. I can’t see, and breath is but a distant memory. Then, in an instant, it all returns. I panic. I splash around, trying to make sense of what has just happened. Garterpup pushed me into the water. I’m in the water. I don’t know how to swim. I’M GOING TO DROWN! I grab for a piece of wood, flailing my paws wildly. I manage to keep my head above water, and I soon find a big enough piece of driftwood. I look back, but the Waterfox camp is already fading into the distance. Oh no. I’m… alone. I’m all alone. But wait… the water makes it hard to tell, but I think this is another pack’s territory! My fur catches on a branch connected to the shore, and I sigh in relief. I might be safe. All I have to do is wait… (More In N+C)
Cont. from above {Chapter 4: Is This Home?} Soon, I hear voices. “This is the Waterfox border, right?” Squeaks a young sounding wolf. An older one replies, “That’s right, Click.” The other one- Click- says, “Yay! I was right! Ooh- is this the river?” This is my chance! I wait, and soon, a small, pale brown wolf comes up to where I am. “Sliphop, I smell Waterfox!” Yes! Click found me! Sliphop, a darker brown wolf with pale ear tips, races over. “You’re right, the scent is fresh, but not that strong.” I wait. Then, I take my chance and say, “Hi…” “Click, was that you?” Sliphop asks, to which Click says “I thought that was you!” I realise that my fur blends in with the water. “No, it’s me! In the river!” Two Windbunnies peer down at me. “Is that a Waterfox? It smells funny.” Says Click. I answer with, “Yes! I am! I’m stuck, please help me!” The two help me out. They seem to be able to easily tell that I’m not normal. Or, at least, Sliphop does. Click seems too distracted by my existence. “What are you? You smell funny. You look so cool! Why are you blue? Whoa, your ears look like mine! Do all Waterfoxes’ ears look like mine?” “I’m Currentpup of the Waterfox pack. And no, not all Waterfoxes’ ears look like yours.” “I’m Click! And that’s Sliphop!” Sliphop seems a bit worried. “Let’s get you back to camp.” So, the two Windbunnies lead me towards their camp. It feels really strange. I can feel the wind, calling me to run. Telling me to dash across the hills, carefree and wild. As if I’ve always lived here. But I haven’t. I was born to the lakes, not to the moor. The water, not the wind. Soon, we arrive at the camp. “Alpha?” Sliphop calls out, “I’d like to speak with Alpha.” A slightly bigger Windbunny emerges from the den. "What is it?" Then he stops, noticing me. "Oh... Currentpup, we need to talk." I'm surprised that this wolf knows my name. I’ve never met him. “Who are you?” The Alpha fix is me with a stare that seems to say ‘Not here. Not now.' We enter his den. "So," the Alpha says, "You are Currentpup, correct?" I nod, confirming his suspicions. "Yes... How do you know my name? Who are you?" "I am Hopesteel. And why wouldn't I know your name? We all did, at one point, though it's long forgotten by most." I stare at Hopesteel in shock. "Why..." Hopesteel laughs. "Didn't you know? You're half Windbunny!" "What." I say, a statement rather than a question. I mean... It makes sense. I look weird. I'm weird. But... how has nobody told me before? "Wait... does that mean Dad's here?" "Yes." My heart leaps with joy. I'll get to see my dad! I've lived with Mom for my whole life. But now... "Can I see him?" "One thing first. Follow me." The Alpha dips his head, then trots out of the den, leaping onto a tall rock with one giant bound. "All wolves of the Windbunny pack! Gather below to hear what I must say!" "Does everyone remember the pup lost from our nursery not so long ago?" Many wolves nodded, so he continued, "Well, that pup, Current, has returned!" Cheers and excited murmurs filled the clearing. "Current. If you accept, you will be allowed to join us until your twelfth moon. You will learn our ways and teachings like one of us would. However, as tradition calls for, you will be unable to stay with us once you become a yearpup." I pause, thinking. My inner emotions are hard to control, and I can feel them all at once. I love my home with the Waterfoxes, but I also want to learn more about the Windbunny side of my family. "I..." I can't think. So, I'll just go with my instinct. And my instinct says, "Yes." {Chapter 5: Moons Ago} A few moons pass, and still, Alpha's words ring in my ears. 'until your twelfth moon', he'd said, 'you will be unable to stay with us once you become a yearpup.' And today, I'll be a yearpup. That means I'll have to leave the Windbunnies, who, other than Flysky, are the only family I've ever known. I bid my farewells to the Windbunny pack, and set off, on my own journey, as Currentwander. My first stop, of course, is the Waterfox pack. I have to see if Flysky is okay. I travel for a long time, stopping occasionally to eat, but only once or twice. As I arrive, I feel a glimmer of hope: everything looks normal. But when I get closer, it seems there's something amiss. A light blue wolf lies, unmoving, in the middle of the clearing. I recognise her, but... By the Sky, it can't be. But it is. I pad into the camp, and listen to the wolves' words. "We all know that Currentpup disappeared a long time ago, and his and Flysky's mother was devastated. But just when she had lost everything, she, too, d!ed." No. No. This can't be. If Mom d!ed that long ago, then that's... "And now, we grieve for her other pup. The only pup she had left. Flynight was a truly valiant souI, but she was lost at the time when she was needed most." Flynight. She'd become a healer, like she'd always wanted to. Next, Frostnight steps up. (Cont. in comments)
