Wilden

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧

He watched the squirrel carefully. While normally the brown wolfdog would be slinking in the rainforest, stealing from other woodland creatures, palm squirrels were an elusive creature that always took his attention. Perhaps it was his dog instinct, or simply the drive to catch something so quick and fast. The meat was quite good, too, though there wasn't much of it.

The squirrel was watching Wilden just as cautiously. It tried to make a risky jump to a higher branch, however, the small critter missed and fell, saving itself on a lower branch. The wolfdog took advantage of the situation and leaped up, pulling the branch down. The palm squirrel skittered to the ground and attempted to make a run for it.

But Wilden was also fast.

He darted in pursuit of the squirrel, his claws raking the ground as he picked up speed. Adrenaline coursed through the palm squirrels veins, yet any life the adrenaline provided was cut off with a sickening snap.

Proudly, Wilden returned with his catch and his head held high. He walked past the pack of wolves, who had to admit his catch of the swift creature was impressive, and laid it at the feet of his mate, Esmae. The dog's eyes lit up at the sight of the catch, and the two embraced in a warm nuzzle.

𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 -- "𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝, 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝." [𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧]

⬥ Father: Takara
⬥ Mother: Seraphina
⬥ Siblings: Hibiscus [Eldest sister], Delja [Middle Sister]
⬥ Other Relatives: Kanikonna [Niece], Kaleho [Cousin], Kuparr [Nephew]

⬥ Mate: Esmae
⬥ Offspring: Sandalio
⬥ Adoptive Offspring: N/A

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𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲

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[Song Name Linked]

Wilden's life began under the rainforest canopy, as the light between the leaves made it's way into the small den. Seraphina showed a tired smile as she looked over her new pup. He let out a quiet mewl and snuggled closer to his warm mother.

Wilden's puphood was a bit strange. For one, he was the only male his mother had, and his two sisters were both older than him. Delja, who had recently took lead, was excited at the prospect of being an older sister. Hibiscus, though she pretended to be aloof, truly loved Wilden, though she wouldn't really let it show. He was also much like his mother, and it was obvious he adored her. Much of his puphood was spent trying to catch squirrels (he even succeeded once!) and stealing little things here and there.

The wolfdog, sadly, never knew his father. He had died while Seraphina was pregnant, half a month before Wilden was born, and the wolfdog always wondered what he had looked like. His mother said he looked a lot like Delja, except he had olive eyes and a slightly darker pelt. Wilden was disheartened about the fact he never knew his father. Sensing his sadness, Seraphina went into their den and moved aside a small rock to reveal an owl talon necklace.

"He would want you to have it." The dog said with a bittersweet smile, pushing the necklace to him. "Your father had been given the necklace by his father, and I think he would want to keep the tradition going."

His orange-coral eyes were afire with excitement, and to this day, the wolfdog still proudly displays his owl talon necklace as the third-generation-holder.

Wilden not only had a shocking resemblance to his mother, but also shared her personality. The wolfdog slunk and stole from both woodland creatures and wolves, and he was quite good at it. Crocodiles would awake to find their eggs gone, humans would find their trashcans knocked over, and even a fellow pack wolf might notice a bite out of their food. Wilden loved the adrenaline rush of stealing from dangerous animals, and he loved getting away with it even more.

One day, the rambunctious still-young wolfdog had been journeying through the rainforest when he stumbled upon a slightly older adolescent, silently weeping to herself under the midmorning canopy. Not quite sure what to do, Wilden simply sat next to the brown wolf, gave her a friendly smile, and let her mourn in the silence she had wanted. Eventually, she opened up and explained. Her name was Ysabel, and she had just lost her father. He tried to offer some words of comfort.

"I never met my father, but I'm glad you got to spend time with yours."

At first, he thought he made it worse. Tears filled her eyes. But they were tears of gratitude as Ysabel launched herself at Wilden in a hug, fervently thanking him. The two have been best friends since, and Ysabel is always happy to see Wilden come into the medic den.

The wolfdog never quite outgrew his love of chasing (and catching) palm squirrels, and has caught more than his fair share of them. He doesn't always succeed, but when he does, he occasionally leaves the rare catches as a present for his friends and family.

Wilden met Esmae while stealing food from a street vendor, and she had followed him back. The two became close and eventually became mates. Esmae's nonstop talking is a stark contrast to Wilden's sneaky demeanor, but the two are no doubt in love.

When his Seraphina died, Wilden's world crumbled. His mother, the only parent he had known. No longer would he get into mischief with his mother. No longer would they share stolen food, or chat about their family. No longer would he hear her voice singing him lullabies. No longer would he see her face light in the morning, noticing the squirrel he had left for her. Wilden watched her laid her to rest next to Takara's grave, and left a pink diamond he had stolen from a jeweler, and he cried with his sisters for his mother. Others seemed saddened too; the first dog the Kohana Pack had known had died. But no one could deny that Wilden was the most broken.

That night he laid on her grave, and Esmae had visited him. But she wasn't alone.

Ysabel, his best friend and the current herbalist, also came. When he asked why, she gave a gentle and bittersweet smile. She placed a gardenia flower next to Wilden, and on top of Seraphina's grave. "It's a gardenia flower. It symbolizes family. I thought it'd be fitting to leave on her grave, I know she would have liked that." Ysabel paused. "Plus... I had to repay you somehow."

Tears once more welled in his eyes as he stared at the flower Ysabel had placed and he felt Esmae nuzzling him comfortably. This was his pack, and there was no doubt in his heart he'd die for them both. A wolf and a dog, comforting the wolfdog. Truly, the kindness of the Kohana Pack had no limits. That night, they all slept under the canopy, and Wilden felt a wave of peace wash over him knowing his mother had finally been reunited with his father.

Eventually, Wilden and Esmae had a pup of their own. He was more dog than wolf, that was certain. His ears were floppy, his muzzle was longer, and he was shorter than the other pups.

So, Wilden being… well… Wilden… jokingly suggested the name Sandalio, which meant true wolf. But Esmae, who assumed it meant sand dollar, thought it was an amazing name. Even after Wilden explained his reasoning, she was still fond of the name.

"He may as well be a true wolf, he's in a pack, and related to the alpha!" She had reasoned.

Though he took after both parents, he acted more like his mother. Nonetheless, he still occasionally joined his father for some mischief. Wilden loved his son dearly, and understood what his father must have felt when he was alive raising his sisters. Wilden vowed that before he died, he would give Sandalio the necklace his father had given him.

Nowadays, when Wilden isn't stealing food or catching palm squirrels, he's often out chatting with his sisters, relaxing with his mate Esmae, or hanging out in the herbalist's den with Ysabel, his best friend.

As the time passed, so did Esmae. Wilden's heart broke. He should have died first, after all, he was a few months older than her. Esmae was the first pack member to be buried in the desert, a cruel milestone. Yet fate had been unkind to him as it had been to many others, and Wilden's heart broke. Although he had been in good health before, Wilden's health began to deteriorate. He came to realize he often felt more stressed. He felt less energetic, and had trouble doing the things he had been able to do so easily before.

Sandalio urgently took him to Saira, pleading with her to find some sort of remedy or help. But though she inspected him closely, Saira couldn't find anything inherently wrong. As the two talked and Wilden slept, Sandalio begging for at least some sort of response.

"I know I'm supposed to give you a real answer, and this sounds like something out of a fairytale... but I think Wilden's heart is broken." Saira's voice cracked. "And the piece we need to fix it is Esmae."

The wolfdog's dream was of him frolicking through the rainforest, with Esmae and Sandalio at his side. But just as he was about to reach the light of the Tribulation Beach, he skid to a halt. He heard a familiar distant weeping. Wilden slowly awoke, to see his son crying. With a newfound energy, Wilden got to his paws and gave his son a nuzzle.

"Pa?" Sandalio looked at his father with sad, golden eyes. "Is there any way to make you feel better?"

A smile crossed the wolfdog's face, and he lied back down, slipping the owl talon necklace off. "Take care of this for me please, Sandalio. It belonged to my father, and his father before him. Maybe you can give it to your own son one day." Wilden closed his eyes, feeling incredibly tired. "I'm... going to see... my parents and Esmae."

And with a final breath, the last of Takara's offspring left the Earth.


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𝐀𝐫𝐭 & 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨

Wilden Headshot [Made by Akumu] ⬥ Wilden Tag v1 [Made by bellicose] ⬥ Wilden Tag v2 [Made by bellicose]

⬥ Biomes Lived In: Rainforest, Desert
⬥ The 3rd generation to hold Kobayashi's talon necklace
⬥ The only son out of three pups to Takara and Seraphina
⬥The 3rd wolfdog of the Kohana Pack, the other two being his sisters