Ilmenite

All her life , Ilmenite had lived with her parents, Indigo and Thunder. Not in a clan or pack, just them. They told her many stories of their old pack, a ''dismal enviroment that discourages critical thinking'' ; thats how her mother always described it. When she was a pup, she constantly asked about why the weather changed. Thunder asked her parents, her siblings, her elders but no matter who she asked, they all said that She made it happen. Being unsatisfied with the answer, she went out in a storm one night to examine the sky! Ilmenite's eyes widened in disbelief the first time she heard that story. ''That happened?'' Ilmenite asked. ''Yeah, our leader decided that she couldnt take food from the prey pile that evening. It didnt stop me from sharing my rabbit with her'' commented her father. He always watched the stars when he was in the pack. The other wolves thought he was very spiritual since to them, every star was a soul with no body. "They genuinely thought I had a gift until- her father stopped to giggle. "until I told them that I liked how the shiny stars contrasted the dark sky!" Her parent's thirst for knoledge about why the sky changed and what came after it meant that she had a destiny. (Though her parents never believed in the concept of destiny) "I'll make a clan and figure out the mysteries of the sky!" she said with fire in her eyes. "Ilmenite, you dont have to do such a thing, we arent making you" said her mother. "I really want to though, I'll find the answers and we'll finally know'' "You know what? You go do that, Im too old to come with you" Ilmenite knew that Thunder was desperate for hope since Indigo died a moon ago. They cuddled up together that night and in the morning, Ilmenite left for her journey.

November 30th of 2023
Ilmenite gave her partner soft pats, as she usually did to awake her. Nothing.
''Someone's a sleepyhead, come on! You're pupsitting shift is up soon!'
....
She shook her repeatedly. She stayed lifeless. It was like shaking a log. Or like shaking a cor-

No, no, no. Thats not happening, thats not happening that's not happening-

Ilmenite woke up in the medicine den, with the taste of healing salve on her lips.

''Good, you're awake.'' said Crescent

''What happenened to her?!'' she said, immediately sitting up

Crescent stared with a sullen gaze.

''Mother is...I checked and rechecked her but she's-''

''-Alive? Ok? Doing well?'' interjected Ilmenite, as if willing those words to come out of Crescent's mouth

"She resides in the sky now...." said Herbert

''But- she wasn't supposed to- I--''

''It's unusual that she died at this age. We've determined that a heart attack claimed her in her sleep..." said Crescent

She curled up with Olivine for a few hours more, a burial ceremony happened, her and Olivine's pups said wonderful things about them, she got to bury her but...

After, she had to keep being leader, keep on bringing her pack to greatness. But how could this pack ever be great without Olivine in it...?