Page F

You ask her about the different packs in this Wolf-Born Land, and she briefly furrows her brows together, and then, she briefly scuffles away, only to return with a roll of parchment – a map.  

“There are numerous packs around here, ranging in size from minute to large. We are here right now.” she points towards the red crescent in the bottom corner of her map. The only two packs that are taking members right now, are the Tachaeia and the Greybacks. And they both don’t like each other, so if you decide to join them, be prepared to fight.”

You inquire about the Tachaeia pack, and the corners of her muzzle up into a barely noticeable smile. She must be fond of this pack.
“Currently, the Tachaeia Pack is the biggest pack around. Their strength lies in agility and speed.
Their former Alpha couple had two daughters, ‘Alaina’, the first-born, and ‘Nissa’, her younger sister of only a few minutes. Alaina had been prepared for her role as the future Pack Leader ever since she was a cub, and now that their parents stepped down, she has taken up the mantle as the Tachaeian’s Pack Leader.. And by the size of her pack, it seems like she’s a pretty good leader too..
Her younger twin sister Nissa, however, isn’t someone you should underestimate either. She may have grown up in the shadow of her sister, but she’s received as much attention and training from her parents as her sister did.
As for their friends and enemies.. They don’t really ‘like’ humans, but they will never attack them without provocation. This cannot be said for a pack as say.. The Greybacks.”
You see how the Wolf-Born in front of you briefly rolls her eyes.
“Either way, they – the Tachaeia – are friendly towards the Khione and the Stormrunners, and they won’t turn away a stranger in need.. If your views agree with theirs, you’d probably be more than welcome to join their pack..”

You nod, digesting the information regarding the Tachaeia Pack.
“And the Greybacks?” You then ask. You can see how a small frown passes Shadow’s face.
“They’re.. Quite a handful..” She finally says.
"They're the second largest pack nowadays, led by their alpha male, Cayen, and the alpha female, Saba. Cayen is a vicious and hard-headed leader, although I must admit that his pack has grown both large and cumbersome under his leadership. And Saba.. She's a piece of work, really. They believe in strength in numbers, obviously, but their average individual physical strength is greater than that of, say, the average member of the Tachaeia Pack.
They believe that mankind is the problem of this all. That mankind has nearly destroyed the Earth, and that they are too dangerous to be allowed to live."
Judging from the pensive look on the she-wolf's face, you guess that she disagrees with the Greybacks.
"They are very territorial, and generally don't allow outsiders in their territory, save for the Guardians."
You nod, taking all the information in.
The Wolf-Born however, is not finished.
"Do know that if you ever decide to desert their pack, they will hunt you down. And unless you find the protection of another pack, or of the Guardians, they will kill you."
“What about the other packs you mentioned?” You ask her, eager to know more.
“It would be a waste of time to tell you now, since neither of them are accepting new members now.. The only things you should know is that you’d be better off not wandering into Yami or Eclipse territory, and that the Khione are very helpful towards those in need. There is one other pack though..” She trails off, seemingly in deep thought.
“The Guardians..” She mutters, but you do not see the pack name on the map.
"They are very secretive.. They only rarely decide to show themselves, but when they do.." she pauses. "Those who have triggered their scorn run, tails between their legs. Of course, it would be the most logical thing to do."
"Why?" You ask. The word is out before you even register it.
"The Guardians, even though they are probably the smallest pack nowadays, with only four living members, are probably the most powerful pack. They once decimated a pack that was easily four times bigger than themselves."
How, and why, a pack that is so small could decimate a much larger pack is a total mystery to you.
"But how could they do such a thing? Why did you let it happen?"
"They are exactly what they are called. Guardians - of the packs here, of the land which you stand on, and of the balances which we are part of.
You might compare them to 'law enforcement and justice' in your human world."
Your eyes narrow in suspicion. How did she know about the human world? Did she once walk among humans as well? But the she-wolf pays little attention to you and continues.
"If the Guardians have decided to show themselves, it is because the wolves in question are assumed to be a danger. The pack in question clearly did something that was unacceptable."
"So how can I join them?" You ask, and her scarlet eyes focus on you again.
"You can't. They are 'born' into it, so to say. Some wolves become a Guardian when the balances have become too upset. How they are selected, I do not know. But I do know that all Guardians have an unnatural eye colour, as well as a crescent mark on their foreheads, and the more powerful they become, the more markings they will develop. The eye colour and the colour of the markings always match, for as far as I can tell.
But it is important to know that not every wolf with unnatural eye colours will become a Guardian. I have always had red eyes, but the crescent mark has never developed on my skin."