Wayward Hearts

Lore

Zyla was the runt of her litter, weak and fragile. Her brothers were brutish creatures, though. As the only female, and the smallest pup in the pack at that, she was ridiculed and bullied despite being the Leading Lady's own spawn. 

She spent her puppyhood watching her brothers with a keen eye. Their training, how they moved and fought one another. It didn't take her long to learn how to avoid her horrid brothers and their torments. Due to her slender frame she could easily squeeze herself into places they were too large to fit.

Her birth pack had an odd tradition with the male pups of every litter. Once they were of age to reign, they would fight one another. There was no surrendering- only one winner, surrounded by the bodies of the losers.

Zyla's meanest brother lost first. He was too cocky and slow, and her eldest brother took him down swiftly. Zyla watched from the shadows as the last two brothers fought one another. Her twin, and the smallest of the males, won, but not without injuries of his own.

Zyla stepped into the center of the fighting circle across from him as he licked his wounds. He thought he was victorious.

A female had never challenged her brothers before in the history of her pack, but that night... She did. And as her brother tended to his wounds and her family watched on, Zyla lunged. He was too weak to fight back against the ambush and Zyla whispered a prayer into his ear and the light faded from his eyes.

Zyla took the title from her parents, and stood atop the great boulder for all her pack to hear her speech.

No more violence. No more traditions of males killing one another for titles and rank. No more meek females hiding in the shadows behind their mates.

Zyla banished her parents, who never protected her from torment and send the males of the pack after them. Banished to the edge of the territory, where rogues and bears lingered, watching for loners and weak targets.

The remaining females gathered around her, cheering and howling to the moon.

The Wayward Hearts would never be a cruel, blood driven pack for as long as Zyla ruled.