tired and sad dad
Two wolves wake in the mountains. One has no memory of life. The other claims the same.
Aella and Coriander find Tala, who coaches them in the skills necessary to create a pack. Aella insists they name their pack after the moon that hung in the sky that night -- the half-moon.
Aella stays a pupsitter with the introduction of new wolves -- Nightingale and Kalu are the first, followed by others who Aella rejects or welcomes. Coriander, being an introverted personality, doesn't mind Aella's influence. He /did/ need help. And, well... He kind of liked being around her. She was charming. Precise and intelligent.
Aella and Nightingale become closer over time, and Coriander distances himself from the pack. Over time, he begins to lose influence. Suddenly, it seemed that all of his tasks were gone -- once, he approved new members. Once he assigned roles. Now? It was like he was obsolete. Unstable in his faith, he goes to Athena, who he confides in. Their talks become regular -- they become friends, even.
One night, Athena comes to him and tells him everything. He thanks Athena, and in a sudden change of heart, promotes her to his second.
Aella, upset by this decision, begs Coriander to talk to her about it. They both wander off to talk.
But only one returns.
Coriander returns to the pack, drenched from the storm, and coated in mud. He doesn't speak to anyone for two days. In the afternoon of the third, he calls the pack together and lays down his new rules. Now, he is a distant leader at best, painfully aware of the rising dissent in his pack.
