Alpha Varogathe

Varogathe groaned as he slowly opened his eyes after what felt like ages drifting through a dream-like haze. The last thing he could remember doing was following some yellow lights and as soon as he stepped inside the cave, everything went dark. Varogathe huffed as he stood up slowly and shook out his fur. It felt good to be able to move finally, now if only he could remember where he was. Was he in the mountains last time? Or was it the tundra? "No matter. I'll just explore until I get my bearings." he thought to himself before gathering his resolve and leaving the cold cave. He could swear he saw a familiar wisp of light as he was leaving but when he turned his attention back into the maw of the cave, there was nothing.

Varo could feel his hackles raise as he felt like he was being watched before brushing the odd feeling aside and trotting away from the den. It was going to be a long journey and he didn't have time to investigate the cave he woke up in. Besides, he hardly wanted to stay there any longer than he needed to. Something about that cave felt sinister.

-- The Reunion -- January 28th, 2023
After a few days of wandering through a dense forest, he finally managed to pick up his mate's scent and rushed to follow the trail. He managed to bump into her after a couple hours of running and was overjoyed the second he saw Ella. However, he was briefly taken aback when Varo saw how scarred she was. He instantly began to feel guilty for not being there to protect her but that feeling was quickly brushed to the side when she ran to him and nuzzled into his fur. Ella missed him, he could tell that much and it seemed like her previous injuries didn't affect her too much. The two sat there, enjoying each others company while Ella caught him up on things that happened while he was missing.

Later on, she mentioned joining a new pack and how she ended up becoming the new Alpha. Ella immediately insisted Varo should join which he eagerly accepted and was led back to her pack's camp, never leaving her side unless absolutely necessary.

-- Haunting Dreams -- February 4th, 2023
Recently, sleep has been hard to come by for Varogathe. His dreams have been plagued by nightmares that almost feel like memories yet when he wakes the dreams slip away but the sense of dread never leaves. He can recall flashes of his dreams, a dark colored wolf demanding to lone wolves to return her pups and if they refused to help her a yellow light... A wisp? Some of these lone wolves were calling them wisps... One of the yellow wisps would fly over to them and glow so brightly that the light consumed them. Once the light died down, the lone wolf that once stood there was gone. Is that what happened to him? Is that why these dreams, these memories, make him feel like he's floating aimlessly in the air above these wolves?

The dream shifted once more, the dark wolf was gone now. The cave had grown darker somehow and more sinister compared to the previous scene. Now he can just barely make out two large shapes of feline-esque creatures claiming to be whatever the "Faelcu" might be. He could hear other voices now, shouting at the creatures before the Faelcu turned their gaze upward to where he was floating above them and gave him a toothy grin. Varo felt himself freeze before he tried to thrash around to get himself to wake up.

He woke with a gasp and quickly checked his surroundings inside the den but he slowly relaxed when he saw Ella next to him with a worried look. "Is everything alright, Varo?" he nodded with a small sigh. "Yes, I'm sorry to wake you, Ella. Just a bad dream is all." he mumbled before resting his head on her back. Varogathe didn't fall back asleep that night but he was at least able to relax with his mate lying next to him.

-- Reassignment -- February 7th, 2023
With spring arriving finally, Varogathe felt like he could breathe finally. He was able to shake his nightmares a bit more easily since the landscape no longer helped remind him of the dreams. However, he grew tense when Ella kept him within the camp. Insisting that he should take up a scouting role instead.

He finally turned to face her and felt his gaze soften. He could tell just how worried she was. How worried she was about him and his inability to get proper rest. It weighed on his guilty conscious, Varo felt terrible for driving the hunting teams success rate down since he started having nightmares most nights. He could tell how frustrated they were getting during their hunts in the winter snow.

As he got lost more and more in thought, he was broken out of it when he felt Ella leaning up against him. Varogathe gave her a weak smile before relenting and taking her up on her offer. "If you think it will help the pack more, Ella... I'll do it. For you." he settled and gave her a strong, determined smirk. "This will be just like old times," he thought to himself as the duo left camp together. One to patrol their territory and the other to ensure no lone wolves made it into their territory.

-- Reminiscing -- February 12th, 2023
Ella and Varogathe sat together a ways away from their pack who had positioned themselves near the nesting grounds to easily protect it due to more of their pack members having puppies. She listened as she could hear the excited yips of pups who were still playing even this late in the evening.

She let out a content sigh and leaned into Varo, closing her eye briefly before looking up at the larger male. "Varo?" she paused as the male glanced down at her with a warm look in his eyes. "Do you remember how we first met?" she asked with a hint of a mischievous undertone. The dark wolf chuckled before nodding his head some. "I do, actually." he said before starting to recount the tale.

"I recall you had been chasing a lone whitetail buck in the Deciduous Forest by yourself. You nearly had it a couple of times too! But, you ended up tripping on a root of a tree after getting so focused on catching it." Varogathe chuckled as he recalled watching the young gray wolf tumble and the whitetail darting off into the forest. "I had half the mind to take off after the deer but," he paused looking down back at her with an intense look "Something about the little gray wolf that just laid there, all defeated like caught my attention. So, I rallied myself and went to check on you." Ella smiled as she recalled the memory of him walking over to her. How she scrambled to make herself more presentable. "You flailed around for a few moments as I walked over, I assume trying to not look as upset," he nudged her with his shoulder with a smirk. "But thankfully you were fine and I insisted to help you track down the wounded deer again and we took him down with ease after that."

Ella gave him a big grin after that, "We just clicked didn't we, Varo? It was almost like we'd been hunting together for years even if we had just met." Varo nodded and rested his head ontop of her's. "Hunting with you was like a second nature, Ella. I was so happy I found you too and I confessed my feelings to you two weeks later." The two sat in a content silence for quite some time as the sun set transitioned into twilight. "Think we'll ever have pups of our own one day, Varo?" Varo shifted some in his spot and looked back down at her, his yellow eyes glowing in the moonlight. "I think we will, Ella. Whenever you feel ready for them." he said before laying down and motioning for her to lay down as well. The two fell fast asleep together as the pack began to wind down for the night.

-- Proposal -- February 24th, 2023
Varogathe let out a small sigh as he stood nervously outside Ella's den with a flower placed at his paws. He gave himself a small pep talk mentally before shaking out his fur and grabbing the small snakemouth orchid and crawling into her den. "Ella?" he called out through clenched teeth. The den was completely new as the pack had just finished moving to the southern part of the territory. It didn't take Ella long to come rushing to the entrance, nearly running head first into Varo before skidding to a halt. "Varo! Hi! I didn't think you were back yet from your expedition, how'd it go?" she asked. It was clear she was very excited given how fast she was talking but there was also a hint of nervous energy hidden behind it. "It went well! Thought I'd come back early though since I found this," he now placed the orchid on the floor of the den. "And I thought you'd like it."

Varo watched as Ella's eyes lit up like fireflies in the dim, evening light. "It's perfect! I love it! Thank you so much." she said before nuzzling into his fur. "I'll plant it at the entrance of this den, just for you." She pulled away as she spoke with a big smile. But the smile didn't last long as it gave way to a nervous look and she adverted her gaze. "So Varo," Ella paused as she gathered her courage. "I wanted to ask you how you felt about puppies." she paused again and looked at him, gauging his reaction. "Would you be okay with helping me take care of them?" The male felt stunned as he listened to the question before he instinctively moved to hold her close to his chest. "I would not hesitate to raise pups with you, Ella. It's all I could ever dream of."
...
Later that evening, the pack gathered and was told exciting news! Ella was expecting her first official litter and that Varogathe and her were now officially bonded as a pair. The Alhavenlan Pack rejoiced at the news of pups being on the way and Varogathe never left her side unless it was absolutely necessary.


Art done by Vana#64903!

Notes for me:
- Created in the Wolf Customiser on January 27th, 2023. 36GC cost to make.
- Started with 200 total stats.
- Pair Bond to Ella as soon as she comes off cool down.
- Nicknamed Varo for short.
- Make him scout the Prairie(Speed), Tundra(Smarts), and Riparian Woodland(Wisdom) now.
- Varogathe's Theme Song
- Varogathe's Theme Song 2
- Varogathe's Younger Brother?