Sunflare

Birth Certificate
Birth Date: Aug 21 (Winter)
Mother: Ashbreeze
Father: Nanuuk (Pandora Tribe Pack)
Birth Stats: 609 = 87 STR 171 SPD 182 AGI 82 WIS 87 SMR

Sunflare was an optimistic little girl who woke each morning anxious to throw herself into life's joys. She was rarely seen without a smile on her muzzle and she was always the first one to suggest a game of Tag or Lava. If another pup was sad or anxious, Sunny could lift their spirits with a funny nursery song or even just with her indomitable positivity. Some of her elders said that she was so happy because she was growing up in a strong pack and knew that she would never know hardship. Others claimed that she had some kind of second sight and saw the bright future that lay before her. But her pupsitter Graywing thought that maybe she just didn't know how to see the dark side of things. When prey was laid out for a meal, she only saw food, not the dead animal. When she played with bones or feathers, she saw only fun and spared no thought for the animals who lost these things. Her speed and agility would make her a good chaser, but Gray knew that Sunny's biggest challenge in life would be maintaining her good attitude through all of life's hard lessons.

At the Academy, Sunny went smiling through all her lessons, impressing her teachers with her wonderful outlook and willingness to try new things. Even when a lesson was difficult, Sunny didn't let it get her down. Her elders said that she lived up to her name because "Sunny can peek through a tiny hole". The only time she ever lost her smile was during a basic hunting lesson when her teacher demonstrated how to bite the animal's neck to kill it. Sunny quickly perked up again after class, but Gray saw that her smile was not as bright as before. It was a sad moment, but Gray knew that it was necessary. It was great to look on the bright side, but not to be blind to the darkness.

During her apprenticeship, Sunny kept the days on the trail light and fun with her sunny disposition. But under the surface, something was changing inside her. She liked chasing and herding prey, but watching animals be killed wasn't something she enjoyed at all. Their frightened cries and painful shrieks echoed in her dreams at night and haunted her even in the daylight. She was able to keep up the facade of cheerfulness well enough for most of the pack, but her uncle Skyflash noticed that something was wrong. One evening as the pack was gathering for dinner, Sky pulled Sunny aside and asked her what was bothering her. She tried to play it off but he was persistent and eventually she broke down and confessed it all. Sky listened to her and then told her an old wisdom of wolves. "We must respect our prey, as they die to sustain us. We give them only the fear and pain necessary to claim their lives, as we hope the Ancestors do for us when our time comes. Do not weep for our prey, as their hardships in this world are over. They will find peace on the other side, as all innocent souls do." Sky encouraged Sunny to remember that and escorted her to dinner. That night, Sunny slept soundly for the first time in over a week. The next day, she felt much better and she didn't have to lie about feeling good anymore.

On her first birthday, Sunny could not contain her joy at the party. There was just too much to be happy about. She sang songs, laughed with her cousin Silvershine, and listened to her brother Falcontail's stories. She was at the very heart of the celebration almost until dawn.

Now as an adult, Sunny is still as sunny as ever, but not from being naive. She knows that bad things happen in life. There's pain and suffering and death. But so many good things happen too, and Sunny knows that she's blessed to be born into one of the strongest packs in all the lands. When she's hungry, there will always be food. When she's bored, there will always be a toy. When she's hurt or sick, there will always be medicine. And who wouldn't be happy about that? She still doesn't like seeing animals killed, but she's there to whisper a prayer to the Ancestors for the soul of the prey at every kill.