Recruit Odd One

Sabino felt blessed to have such a beautiful litter- her three puppies seemed perfect. It had been some time since the puppies had been whelped, and their eyes were beginning to open. The little blue-gray female was last to take her first peeks at the world through the corners of her tightly closed lids, and this was the first hint that something was amiss. The skin about the puppy's eyes seemed inflamed, and Sabino worried for her daughter. The pack was yet to have a blind member, and she didn't want her progeny to be the first. She cleaned her baby's face relentlessly, and though the swelling decreased the redness did not.

As the puppy's eyes fully opened, her mother grew even more despaired. The eyes were blue and clouded, and the condition and color of the skin surrounding hadn't improved. In appearance, the young one seemed at a disadvantage. She was an angry little thing, full of malice for her siblings. She wanted nothing to do with any of the other pack members, and Sabino was almost glad for an excuse to keep the puppy from the pack longer. While the puppy's siblings begged to meet their extended family, the one with the odd eyes seemed only for want to explore on her own.

Sabino wanted only to protect her daughter, but she was intent on spending time on her own. This was increasingly concerning due to the apparent lack of sight in the puppy- but this wasn't the case. It became clear to the dam that her daughter indeed saw the world as any other- or close to it. Upon closer inspection, the eyes had an otherworldly feel. Somehow, this little one saw without pupils. Sabino was relieved, yet her insides tumbled with worry. What would the pack think of the angry puppy with the jarring appearance?

Finally, the whelping den was too small to safely keep three tiny wolves confined to. It was time. Sure enough, her packmates seemed uneasy toward the strange pup- and concern for her obvious disdain. Such a small, angry creature was cursed with a startling appearance, surely she would be an outcast among the Heritage wolves.