Iceborn

When Ice was born as the last pup of her litter, her parents - Flint and Moonshine - realized with shock that the tree next to them had a flame inside of it. The flame grew rapidly and started to turn blue - it seemed just as it would have come from the dreamlands. Panicking the parents grabbed their pups and rushed away as the fire came close but they struggled to keep the babies inside heir mouths which resulted in Ice falling to the ground - whining as the cold ground hit her. The fire was too quick and the parents didnt't know what to do. Flint promptly decided to bring the others to safety and then rush back to get Ice because there was no chance that they could carry them all at once. He pushed the pup towards some cool stone plates in the hopes that they would protect her for some more heart beats.

They ran as fast they could and as soon as they met some of their territory members Flint gave them the pup he held and bolted towards the place he left Ice.

When he arrived at the scenery there was no fire left. Confused he looked around and spotted the rocky plates where he left Ice - and they were empty. Frantically he searched for the puppy - and spotted her. She sat inmidst of one last shining blue flame. Flint cried out loud as he tried to somehow get his deceased pup out of the fire. But before he could reach for her she ... stepped out of the flames by herself. Flint stumbled and looked his daughter in the eyes. She was covered in flames but seemed fine - or even stronger. She looked at him with literal sparking eyes and his heart was filled with warmth. He quickly checked on her if she really was fine and couldn't find anything - except for some of the flames still somehow around her. Just as he wanted to pick her up she turned around and looked at something that seemed like strings or something similar. When Flint tried to pick her up she refused until she got some of the strings in her mouth. The little pup was carried home and welcomed warmly.

While some wolves had spread rumors about "The pup on Fire" or "Burning Ice", most of them tried their best to let Ice grow up without being reminded of the first hour in her life. Of course she didn't forget it though. As a reminder she carried the beads around all the time. Oddly enough, these beads started to "burn" from time to time and the older Ice got the more frequently and stronger the flames got. In the beginning the others didn't like that but after a while they found out that the fire on her doesn't start on other surfaces. She didn't really understand what the blue fire, the beads and her experience after birth meant, but she was eager to find out.

Anyways, she grew up to be a strong and curious adolescent. Even though some of the other wolves doubted her, she knew how to prove herself: she went on hunts and showed her skills very early. Something the others didn't know was that Aphelios had been watching her because you couldn't deny that he was getting old - someone will soon have to take his place.

As Ice hit adulthood she had earned her trust withhin the pack and she was quickly integrated in one of the hunting parties. While she did so, Aphelios had started making plans about the future leader and he was strongly thinking about letting Ice take over the pack.

Shortly before Aphelios couldn't even stand up anymore, he announced to the pack that Ice would become his heritage and all wolves howled cheerfully. When the next full moon appeared, Aphelios was dead. He was mourned greatly and Ice started to take over his deed.

Up until now, Ice has proven that Aphelios had made the right decision.

Many years have passed and Iceborn realized, she was getting old. She started thinking about the wolf that will follow her footsteps and become the new leader. After thinking thoroughly, she decided that Apollo must be the best choice: He was fair, liked by the whole pack, very smart and had experience. He will only be able to lead the pack for about one and a half years, as he was only about a year younger than Iceborn, but she could not think of anyone in the pack who would fit the job better.

Iceborn felt that it was time. She gathered the pack and spent a very nice night with all of them. She knew, that Apollo was ready and she could also trust her pack, her family. After enjoying the beautiful night, she left towards a spot near the den, where a beautiful lake was shimmering in moonlight. There she took her last, peaceful breaths.

Special NBWs found: Amelia, Airglow Base