⌘ Natt ⌘

With Ulls mark on her forehead, Natt traversed life with similar views.. Except this time, Ulls spirit was ready for a change. Ull, the oldest of the royal siblings, left behind a humble legacy of a kind older brother who didn't butt in too much, while his little sisters, Skade, Gerd and Vår, were Beta, Alpha, Beta, and later Vårs descendants would have multiple alphas. Skades family didn't need alphas, she was the most fearsome and respected Beta there ever had been. But Ull? His descendants were important too, for the packs bards were always his kin. But that's pretty tame when you think of the others..
-
Natt and Dag were the same in spirit, they understood eachother so well, and were always supporting eachother. And that's why they were both in trouble right now.
"Those wolves seem crazy, maybe we should leave," Dag said as they watched from behind some rocks at the strange pack below.
"Maybe we should," Natt agreed, but they both stayed. Natts tummy tickled from the excitement, and she looked over at Dag, who seemed to have a similar dilemma. Suddenly, Dag fell down the slippery rocks and got her paw stuck, and they both heard the pack go silent as they noticed the intruder.
"Leave, leave, leave!" Dag hissed at Natt to save herself, as she freed her paw and tumbled down into the pack where the wolves assembled. Natt didn't listen, she ran down there and stood beside her sister. The wolves were all adults and they circled them.
Fuck, the sisters both whispered. The wolves were mumbling to eachother, and came up to them to sniff them. Dag yelped as one of them grabbed her by the neck, presumably to carry her somewhere, and Natt couldn't control her instincts, within a second she was hanging from the wolfs ear and clawing at its face. It growled and smacked Natt with its paw as it let go of Dag. Natt heard something about a "filthy runt" before they both started running away. The wolves weren't following after them.
Pappa was furious, the sisters couldn't hide the chip in Natts ear or the scratch on Dags paw so they came home with their heads hanging and ready to be yelled at. Pappa did yell, but then he hugged them and cried and took them to get bandaged up by the herbalist. Mamma had a similar reaction, and she told them she was so happy they were safe now. Natt felt bad about making her parents worried.
-
Natt and Dag met up with pups from other packs to play and learn the tongue that they spoke, and shared information on what was going on in the different packs, just because they were curious. They had just come home from one of those meetings, when it was time for Natt to go to the only thing they didn't do together: History lessons with Arla. Arla had taught Natt a lot of things, and she had introduced Natt to the elders of each royal family, who taught her about their familys history. Natt didn't know what they would talk about today, but she had her own plans.
One of the wolves she had met thanks to Arla was Tore of Gerds family. He was very kind and knew a lot, so Natt visited him often. Well, she visited all the families a lot, she loved them all and wanted to see how they were doing! But Tore, he had said something to Natt that had stuck with her. Something about black eyes, which Natt had; "I think you're the first one to have them in Ulls family, how strange," he had said.
"Why is that?" Natt had asked.
"Well, heirs are supposed to have white or yellowish eyes like our ancestors, but when a male from Skades family became mated to a princess from another pack, Skades family lost their yellow eyes almost entirely!" Tore explained, "but the first one to have them in Vårs family was Arla, and she got them from her mother, who was mated to the late alpha, Borg. You must've gotten yours from her, too, even though your mother has white eyes, so both Vårs family and Ulls family got them from the same wolf."
"Where did Gerds family get them from?"
"We only have one wolf with them, and her father was the packs stud, so it's not as special," Tore laid down to rest and Natt sat there, pondering. She knew her Mormor had been the alphas mate, and given birth to Arla, and when the alpha died she had pups with some other wolf and had Natts mother, who fell in love with Måne of Ulls cave, Natts father. But who was she, her Mormor? Was she also a princess? She died when Natts mamma was little, so she didn't know much. That left one wolf, Arla.
"Ah you're early to our lesson, do you mind waiting? I haven't chosen if we should talk about the third war or the espionage, or if we should.. hmm," Arla was shuffling around some scriptures on top of the stone that was in front of her.
"I can wait.." Natt said innocently and let there be silence for a few minutes before asking, "Arla, did you know Mormor Fåk?"
"Yes, of course I did, I'm an old lady unlike your mother," Arla joked and smiled at Natt before looking back at the rock.
"Can you tell me about her?"
"She's not a royal, she didn't do a lot of important things," Arla dismissed the request.
"But she's my ancestor, and she was mated to the alpha, right?" Natt looked at Arla with puppy eyes, and it seemed to work. Arla stepped away from the scriptures and sat by Natt
"Fine," Arla said, "she was a beautiful white wolf. When Borg met her, she lived alone with no pack. Then they fell in love, and that's it."
"Why did she live alone?"
"She had run away from her pack," Arla looked back at her scriptures.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Come on, give me some detail!"
"Ugh," Arla rolled her eyes and hummed, "I think she was friends with the herbalist?"
"Nypon?"
"No, the herbalist before her. Alright, it's time for the actual lesson.. Let's do... The espionage!"
-
"Ah I think I remember her.. but mother never talked about that with me," Nypon said and Natt sighed, dead end. Natt must've looked really sad, because Nypon continued, "but maybe my sister knows something.."
"Your sister?" Natt perked up, and Nypon looked uncomfortable, as if she said something bad.
"Oh ehh I don't know, it's a bad idea!"
"Why?" Natt walked closer to Nypon, who was walking away.
"Because, well, she lives with some bad wolves, I don't want you to get into trouble puppy," Nypon said.
"Okay, I understand, thanks anyway, herbalist," Natts words seemed to have shocked Nypon, and she relaxed again, smiled and bid Natt farewell as she left. But Natt knew exaclty what pack it was, only one pack would make a wolf so nervous, and she knew someone who could lead her there.
-
"Fine, I'll go with you!" Gunnveig agreed after Natt had told her she would just go there on her own otherwise. They started the journey immediately.
"Why are you looking for Nattljus anyway?" Gunnveig asked after they had walked for hours, "and we should really take a break, I don't have your puppy energy."
"Well, I think she knows something about my ancestor," Natt said and sat down, letting Gunnveig rest, "do you know much about yours?"
"I only know what I told you before when you and Arla visited, sadly," she admitted.
"Don't you want to know?"
"Hm. Maybe," Gunnveig said before attempting to take a nap.
"Do you know anything about the black eyes in Skades family?" Natt couldn't be quiet for more than five minutes.
"I know that the wolf who brought me to Skades family, Frida, had them when she was alive. And Skugga had them, too. They say I look a lot like Skugga, but I don't know, I never saw her. If she had black eyes we probably weren't very alike," Gunnveig said, and then she looked up at Natt as if she was ashamed, "no offense."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you know, I didn't mean it like that," Gunnveig was apologetic, Natt didn't understand why but she decided to not dig as Gunnveig stood up, "let's keep going."
-
"Yes, they were friends. My mother was the first wolf she met after seeing the alpha for the first time. But I don't really know a lot about that.. If there had been anything in the herbalist journal, then surely Nypon would've known about it," Nattljus explained, "Maybe there's something in the Alphas journal?"
"The alphas journal.." Natt pulled her ears back. She couldn't possibly..
But she did. Later that night, she snuck up to the alphas cave. No one had seen him in a while, and the place seemed empty. Well, except for the guards outside, but Natt was too sneaky to let them stop her. Her dark eyes were very good at protecting her from bright sunlight, this summer had the sun glaring at them, but now it was dark and the eyes weren't helping at all. There was a stone on the corner, it looked just like the one Arla uses for her scriptures, and it had unlit candles on top of it. Natt went there, found some papers and immediately started rummaging through them.
"Hello?" a weak voice made her turn around and look for who it was. She couldn't see him, "Ull?"
Natt squinted her eyes and saw a dark mass moving in the corner of the cave.
"A-are you talking to me?" Natt asked.
"I thought you left a long time ago," the voice said, and when the mass turned around Natt could see the white glistening eyes in the darkness. It was the alpha.
"I'm still here," Natt wasn't sure if she should tell him she's not Ull.
"Was there something you wanted to ask?"
"I'm looking for the a.. Um, the journal?" This wolf seemed delirious, and Natt wanted that to be her advantage.
"The journal? It's over there somewhere, I haven't written in it in ages.." The alpha laid his heavy head down.
"Oh, alright, I'll just go look for it," Natt went and continued her rummaging until she found a binding of scriptures. This is it. Suddenly the room was lit up by an orange light. The alpha had lit the candles on the stone.
"Now you can read better," he huffed.
"Oh you didn't need to do that, you seem tired," Natt became worried that the elderly alpha would waste his energy on her.
"It's fine, it's fine, pup," he said and sat down, then he looked at her and made a funny face, "you're not Ull."
Oh gods. Natts ears pulled back and her mind started racing, trying to come up with a plan.
"I'm his granddaughter," she burst out, which wasn't a lie.
"Oh," Magne said, and simply laid down. His eyes closed but his head was still up, as if he didn't want to sleep but couldn't help it. Oh well.. Natt started reading. She flipped through maybe two pages signed Magne, and then the pages signed Borg started appearing. They weren't many, but - there it was!
I met a wonderful wolf, fur as white as snow, and the darkest eyes I've ever seen. I don't know if she wants to meet me again, she didn't come visit yet
Natt flipped through two pages to find more.
I feel so sorry for her, she was abandoned by her parents as a puppy, then given up by her adoptive parents, too. I understand why she's keeping distance from others.
That was the information on her past, and there was no name of any of the packs she had been in and Natt understood her search had come to a dead end. But she kept reading the diary, until golden light shone from the far away entrance of the cave. The alpha caves opening was facing the sunrise perfectly. Natt scrambled to her feet when she realixed she had been up all night reading in someone elses journal. Magne appearently woke up and yawned. He laid on his side while he stretched, not unlike a puppy would, Natt found it pretty cute but her heart raced. She was in so much trouble.
"Ull- I mean, Ulls.." Magne shook his head as if he couldn't remember a word and couldn't remember who she was at the same time, and Natt was about to introduce herself when he got up and said, "follow me."
Natt followed and was ready to be punished. They got out of the cave, where the guards greeted their alpha, but then they looked at Natt.
"What were you doing in there?" one of them asked, bewildered.
"Will you young wolves go fetch us some breakfast," Magne said clear as day while he limped away. Natt followed after him and tried not to look at the confused guards. They walked behind the alpha hill and into the forest, "I wanted to show you this."
They rounded a cliff wall and - there was a big mural of Ull, with his name written under it. The paint was flaking and a little discoloured, but it was Ull. She had never seen him so clearly, he had a light yellowish coat, a bright white blaze and firey eyes. He was magnificent.
"Woah," Natt let out as she looked up at her ancestor, then she caught herself, "why are you showing me this? You weren't alive back then, were you?"
Natt was sure he wasn't, Ull died many generations ago. Magne looked at her with a confused look on his grey speckled face.
"I guess.. I don't think I did.. still I remember him, or someone.. I don't know," Magne looked down.
"It's okay," Natt said and smiled at him, "thank you for showing me this!"
Magne nodded, got up and walked further along the wall, there were more murals. One of each of the royal caves ancestors. They passed by Ull, Skade, Gerd, and then Magne stopped by Vår.
"This is mine," he said and looked up at her, "it makes me.. sad, that her image is fading."
They sat there and looked up at her for a bit.
"Have you seen the other murals?" He asked.
"What murals?" Natt tried to recall other murals, she only remembered the big one of Tyr.
"There are murals in all our old territories, they're beautiful," Magne sighed with a smile, "There are even grave murals in remembrance of every wolf who died, at the burial grounds."
"There are?" Natt had never been there, and she suddenly felt a deep desire to go.
-
"I was wrong!" Arlas shouting surprised Natt and put her on edge, "I believed everything that everyone said about us, I projected it on you, I'm sorry."
"What are you talking about?" Natt looked her in the eye, much easier now that Natt had grown a bit and become an adolescent.
"Look at what you've done, Natt," Arla looked away as if she didn't want to see it, but Natt could tell she was moved, "it's amazing, you're amazing, not conniving or sneaky or whatever anyone says."
"Awh Arla, no one says that, I promise," Natt tried to comfort Arla.
"Really?" Arla looked at her with scepticism in her face. Suddenly Natt remembered pulling out a pup from the stream, and the mother muttering instead of thanking her, and she remembered the times when other pups had shyed away when she came up to them, and being constantly misunderstood and sometimes.. mistrusted. Natt must've let it show, because Arla sighed and put a paw on her shoulder to comfort her.
"It's fine, they didn't mean anything," Natt said.
"You have to stop being so kind to others at your own expense," Arla said and looked up at the paintings that Natt had made. Arla had finally found out.
Natt had visited the burial grounds and looked at the mural, it was a rock wall with a small painting of a wolfs face along with their name. Sometimes the burial stones also had faces on them. But at one point the faces had stopped appearing on the rock wall, and only the names were written. Natt felt so sad for those wolves. She had visited their families and gathered descriptions of them, and painted them by their names as well as she could. She had almost finished now, and she hadn't shown anyone out of fear that they would shut down her project.
"It's not just me who painted it," Natt scraped at the ground with her paw, "I needed to recruit some help."
Arla smiled at her.
"You have a heart of gold, Natt."
-
"Is something wrong?" Tramples voice cut through the silence. Natt rubbed her eyes.
"What are you doing here?" She had purposely gone to the least convenient hill next to the river, no one had any reason to come here, it wasn't close to a passing, it didn't have a nice pool to bathe in and didn't have that great of a view either. Just silence and loneliness.
"I was just out walking and I found you," he sat down next to her, "what's going on?"
Natt looked out over the small piece of water and islands that you could see from here and pondered.
"It's my first birthday," she said, stone-faced. She might as well practice on him. He made a weird face and looked her over.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, I'm just small for my age!" She growled, "what about it?!"
"Oh, nothing, I just didn't realize you were so old," he tried to joke but she just sighed, "if it's your birthday, why are you so sad?"
"My uncle is dying," Natt said as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She wasn't lying this time, but she wasn't telling everything either. He nuzzled the top of her head, something a 6 month old should not be able to do on a one year old wolf, just due to the size difference.
"Are you close?" His question made her eyes misty.
"Yeah.. I've never experienced a death before," Natt sighed.
"It's tough, and it's okay to be sad," Trample said shortly.
"Yeah."
They sat there in silence for a while.
"What's going on with you?" Natt said after taking a deep breath and trying to forget her troubles.
"Well, there was something I wanted to tell you," he didn't have the time to finish before Natts head shot up and she looked at him intently, waiting for what he had to say, but he just looked at her and started snickering.
"What?" Natt furrowed her brow, "what's funny?"
"It's just cute how big your eyes get sometimes," he stuck his tongue out at her and she did it back.
"Was there actually something you wanted to tell me? Or are you messing with me?"
"No," his demeanor changed, now he seemed unsure and clenched his teeth, "I've been thinking of your offer."
Natt lit up, "yeah?"
"I'll do it," he said and Natt screeched and jumped around out of happiness, she couldn't keep it in!
After taking a dip in the river, Natt was leading Trample through the moonlit forest and soon they entered the area riddled with round stones.
"Where are we?"
"The burial grounds," Natt headed straight for the memorial wall.
"Oh.. Creepy," Trample responded and she could hear him trying to catch up with her.
"Are you scared, Puff?" Natt teased him and used his old nickname from when he was a puppy.
"Ugh," he was embarrassed by it, but appearently not embarrassed enough, he walked shoulder to shoulder with Natt the rest of the way.
"Here it is," Natt stopped by the wall and let him inspect it.
"Your work is nice!" He was looking at the wrong painting.
"Ah, thank you," Natts face felt warm and she cleared her throat, "the one at the top, that's the first alpha. Do you think you could restore it?"
After inspecting the flaking paint, Trample nodded.
"I'd need to take some samples and I need references to how it's supposed to look like, but yes."
"No problem! There are loads of them at our old territories!"
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