Grackle

Born in the first autumn of The Sanctuary Pack

Mother: Oriole

Father: Finch (surrogate)

Personality: Teacher's pet. The youngest pup of her year, Grackle is always trying to seem mature and worldly, to prove she’s just as smart as her older year-mates. She has few friends in the pack, and is more likely to spend time with the adult wolves than with her peers.

Naming Convention: Blackbirds, fifth generation

Grackle was born to the lone wolf, Oriole, in the first autumn of The Sanctuary Pack. While Oriole initially kept quiet about the father of her pups, as Grackle grew the family resemblance became impossible to ignore. The father was Finch, The Sanctuary Pack’s breeding male. Finch- who was in a committed relationship at the time- claimed he was just doing Oriole a favour; she wanted a litter, and had asked him to act as a surrogate for her. 

Oriole backed this up. True or not, it resulted in a blow-out argument. Even if Finch hadn’t cheated, the pack couldn’t afford a new litter of young, vulnerable puppies; not with winter fast approaching. And- as if a sign of the harsh season to come- Grackle’s littermates all grew ill, and passed away. 

Her siblings’ deaths, and the tension surrounding her birth, made Grackle a shy and sulky child. When the other pups of her year played at hunting and fighting, Grackle stayed in the den and talked with the pupsitter, Finch.

As autumn turned to harsh winter, Grackle aged into an adolescent, and joined the hunters out of necessity; the pack had hungry mouths to feed. This same lack of food- and Grackle’s independence- were too much for Grackle’s mother, however. With barely a word to her daughter, Oriole left The Sanctuary Pack, deciding to take her chances migrating south. 

Friendless and unhappy, Grackle whiles away her days as a mediocre hunter: a lone wolf with a pack. If she can’t connect with other wolves, or find her calling within the pack, Grackle might be destined to follow in her mother’s pawsteps, and strike out into the wilds, alone.

After the harsh winter ended, Grackle become a pupsitter, and found her calling there. While she's not terribly popular with her yearmates, she has a good friend in Finch, and a close relationship with her daughter, Tanager. After an uncertain childhood, Grackle's finally found her place in the pack, and happily spends her days keeping pups out of danger.