Coulter

Coulter was born and well-raised by a pack named Wolves of Teton. The forest he grew up in was called Teton Woods, which was abundant with lush foliage and nourishing resources. It was located roughly 320 miles from the deciduous forest he now resides in with his pack. About 80 miles away, there was a popular landmark that was called The Carpenter's Cottage where it was believed the two-legged resident raised dogs with wolf descent for his own benefit, using them to transport cargo and goods via sleds he made himself. Coulter's pack also believed these dogs may have been close relatives to themselves. Prey was never scarce there and each member of the pack worked hard to ensure survival. Coulter's father was especially noble, hard-working and dedicated to raising a pack with good intentions. However, one day, his father became sick. His personality completely changed. He became violent and began snapping at pack members. Every day seemed to get worse and worse, until one day he killed a young pup while in a rage-induced frenzy. Coulter lost his temper, wishing to avenge the innocent pup, and attacked him with all the strength his young body had. Because the attack was so unexpected, Coulter had an advantage. His father never thought his son would do such a thing. Coulter suffered minor injuries, just a few slashes throughout his body. His father however, had a gash at the top of his chest that extended up the side of his throat. He was weakened even through the belligerent energy his illness provided. He refused to let any of the pack members nurse him to health and because of the location of his injuries, it was difficult to tend to them. His wounds became infected over time and even though Coulter was angry at his father for murdering a pack member, he began to feel sorry for him while he watched him slowly fading. Death was close. He wanted to find out why and how he'd become so ill that it would change him to such an extent. He desperately wanted to find a cure if that was possible. As his father was becoming weaker and weaker every day, Coulter snuck away to find answers to the questions he had about this illness. He wandered to neighboring territories, in search of a herbalist. He walked for miles and miles. He'd ask wolves he came across where he could locate an herbalist, sometimes having to defend himself from those with chaotic tendencies. The more he walked, the more he felt himself change. His thoughts of good intentions were seeming to fade and were being replaced by violent thoughts and desires. He fought with himself, starting to recognize the changes in himself; he was becoming what his father had turned into. He began to panic, struggling with the ugly transformation that he realized was inevitable. Every encounter with a wolf, his friendliness disappeared. He'd curl his lips, snarling and barking, with foam bubbling from his mouth. Once he'd latch, he couldn't let go. He'd rip and tear into his victims' flesh until it separated under his grip, each raking of his head triggering tremors that took over his entire body and stole the control he had of himself. He began to forget what was happening. He couldn't remember the encounters he had of other wolves, nor the directions they'd given him to find the herbalist he'd seen searching so hard for. As time went on, while out in the middle of unfamiliar lands, Coulter was beginning to lose himself. Due to her sociable nature and ability to gather information from her many acquaintances, a wolf named Cherrybark had heard about this wolf. A wolf that was once dedicated to helping his father gain his life back, but was now slowly succumbing to a horrible illness. She traveled to the herbalist he was seeking and explained the situation to her, describing the symptoms Coulter was suffering from. Cherrybark expected the herbalist to be shocked, but luckily it wasn't an illness she hadn't heard of. She determined it was rabies, an ailment with very rare occurrences in Coulter's home land. Somehow, his father had been attacked and bitten by prey that was infected; at least that's what the herbalist assumed had happened. She determined it must have traveled far to reach Teton Woods. The herbalist worked hard to gather the herbs required, while Cherrybark devised a plan. She found Coulter's location and used special herbs from the herbalist to cover her scent, as she carefully stayed close in hiding. Because of her speed, she was easily able to keep up with him and sprint away when he was close to sensing her presence. Then, she began using small chunks of meat to lure him toward the herbalist. She had gathered a group of friends to help capture him at the herbalist's location. As he got close enough, the group tackled him to the ground and held him there. As he tried to wriggle away, they fought him harder. Their combined strength kept him from escaping or biting any of them. They looped a sturdy rope around his mouth and pulled his jaws almost completely shut. The herbalist carefully stuffed some rather beautiful herbs into his mouth, easing them down to his throat with her paws. After he had swallowed, she poured water in to help his digestion of these special herbs. Amongst these herbs was one that would put him to sleep for 3 days. She let him rest in her den, tending to his wounds while he slept. Coulter had nightmares day after day, especially of the countless murders he committed, but Cherrybark stayed close and comforted him through each one. She had grown fond of him after watching and hearing of his journey, feeling sorry for this good wolf who had lost his way. After the 3 days passed, Coulter awoke, confused and somewhat panicked. Cherrybark quickly came to his side and licked his face, assuring him he was in good care. After a couple days of rebuilding his strength and hearing from Cherrybark what had happened, he was relieved to have come across such caring wolves, but also worried about his family back home, especially his dying father. Coulter spoke with the herbalist about his father's situation and she instructed him to find the same herbs they had used on him to cure him. Cherrybark insisted on helping him, since she had aided the herbalist in finding the ones they used for Coulter, so they left to find them. Throughout their search, Cherrybark and Coulter became enamored with each other. Coulter convinced her to come home with him to his pack and she was hesitant at first, but agreed to go. She wanted to be a part of him and build a life together. They gathered the herbs, Cherrybark said goodbye, and they left for Teton Woods. It took roughly 10 days to achieve, but they finally made it back home. Coulter's excitement grew as he neared his home land, picking up speed as he went. Cherrybark noticed something about the air, though, that wrapped her body in a strange uneasiness. She kept this eerie feeling to herself, but told Coulter to be wary. As they approached the den he grew up in, Coulter suddenly stopped. A horrible, unsettling scent filled his nose and lungs, his stomach instantly turning sick. Death. He recognized the scent from the incident where his father had killed that pup. Panicked, he ran into the den, searching for answers, bodies, scents, something. There, he found remains, the bodies of his pack members mostly torn apart by unknown predators. Grief overwhelmed his body and he immediately let out a series of sorrowful howls, the morose feelings within him emitted with each sound wave emerging from his muzzle. Cherrybark tried desperately to console him, but he quickly ran off to find the rest of the remains. He identified most of them, pausing a moment for each one in an effort to honor them. Then, he began digging holes to bury his beloved pack members in, the heartache swelling more and more in his chest. That night, he covered the graves in the beautiful herbs intended to cure his father's illness. He then rested upon his parents' burial sites, falling asleep while mulling over memories he'd had with his family. Cherrybark stayed in the area, but gave him his space, mourning with him, even though she'd never even known his family. After a week of mostly sleeping and expending his breath through forlorn howls every few hours, he finally came out of his state of grief. He looked longingly toward each grave, thanking each one in his thoughts for the good times they gave him. He apologized to his father, wishing he'd been able to bring him the cure to his illness sooner. After saying his goodbyes, he and Cherrybark left to make a new life together. They traveled the 320 miles to a beautiful deciduous forest with abundant resources, somewhat close to the herbalist that had saved Coulter's life. They settled in and began a pack together named Wolves of the Copse, named after the cozy thickets that became the camouflaging entrance to their new pack's den.