Russet

Russet is one of the most book-smart wolves in the pack. Despite this, he is likely also the most insecure. His father is the pack leader, his mother is Elm's right-paw wolf, and his brother, in Russet's opinion, is infinitely better than him. Russet's parents were always distant, Elm off leading the pack, Aspen hunting and rallying the older wolves with no regard for her puny offspring. Brook seemed to take this as a challenge to be the best hunter in the pack so that he could impress their mother. Russet took it as proof of his own uselessness. The only break from his endless insecurity is his partner, Hibiscus, Calendula's apprentice and perhaps the only other wolf who worries as much as Russet does. They'll check up on each other throughout the day, and when their jobs are done, they'll often lay together and trade stories until they fall asleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The heavy, grassy scent of cow flooded Russet's nose, nearly stifling his other senses as he readjusted his grip on the carcass's red-and-white shoulder. He could see his half-sister, Yew, trotting ahead, pointing out tall ledges and sharp rocks that they should avoid. On his other side, Russet could hear Brook, his grey-and-beige pelted brother, grunting with effort as he heaved the cow over a sharp stone that its fur had caught on. Though he couldn't see them, he knew Halley and Sadness were keeping pace behind them, on the lookout for scavengers and other wolves.
It was Brook, really, who had done most of the work helping the hunting party get such a huge kill. Though winter was finally loosening its freezing grip on the world, the snow wouldn't melt from the mountains for many moon cycles yet. Even so, the grassy plains at the base of the pack's mountain were almost hard to look at, bursting with new grass and crawling with cattle. Why the no-furs let their cows wander around the prairie just waiting to be eaten, Russet would never understand, but it worked to their advantage. Brook had come up with a new hunting strategy that worked shockingly well. Once Yew had helped the party pinpoint the cow they wanted, Russet and Halley had crept up around it, while Brook charged the huge creature head-on. As the rest of the herd bellowed in terror and fled, Russet and Halley had closed in on the cow, cutting off it's escape routes. The no-fur's dogs had tried to interfere, nipping at the wolves with enough barking to wake the dead, but Yew had joined in to fight them off while Brook pulled the cow's back leg out from under it. Once the huge beast was down, it had been no struggle to keep it that way while Sadness finished the job with a clean bite to the cow's throat.
"We're almost there." Yew's voice cut into Russet's thoughts, and he glanced up to see her standing on top of a short ledge, the slowly rising sun turning her red fur to blood. Russet flicked his ears to show he'd heard, and felt the cows weight lessen as Halley and Sadness dug their teeth into its haunches and helped push and shove it over the ledge. From there, it was only a short trot between the evergreen trees before Russet and Brook could push the cow down the slope and barely control it's sliding descent over the slick rocks and into the pack's den.
"Whoa!" A shivery feeling settled in Russet's chest, as if his heart had shaken raindrops off its fur. He let go of the cow without noticing, and Brook's snort cut in.
"That's right, Russet, go cuddle your boyfriend while the rest of us do all the hard work, as always." Brook curled his lip teasingly at Russet, but the gray wolf's tone was surprisingly bitter. "I don't know what Father was thinking, picking you as a chaser. The only thing you chase these days is naps!"
"Hey." Hibiscus interrupted Russet's descent into a self-loathing spiral as the brown-and-white wolf trotted closer, brushing his pelt with Russet's. His voice didn't change, calm and neutral, but his eyes burned with anger when they met Brook's. "Don't bully Russet just because you don't know how boundaries work and then get surprised when she-wolves reject you."
The two wolves glared at each other for a moment. Hibiscus's eyes seemed to be sending a silent challenge. Go on, attack your herbalist. See how impressed your precious father will be. After what seemed like an eternity, Brook let out a furious snarl and whirled around, storming back towards the main den.
"Whew." Hibiscus relaxed and turned back to Russet, his tone suddenly amused. "That'll be an awkward cave to share tonight." He bumped Russet's shoulder with his own affectionately. "You can sleep in my den instead, if you want."
Russet blinked, tearing himself out of the frozen trance he'd been in, watching the argument. "Yeah- yeah, that sounds good. Thank you. But won't Calendula mind?" Hibiscus shot him a teasing grin.
"Not as long as she isn't woken up by your outrageously loud snoring." Hibiscus trotted towards the cow carcass, helping Sadness, Halley, and Yew drag it to the growing prey pile. The she-wolves shot him a grateful look, and he responded with a friendly nod. Russet caught up and moved the other prey aside to make room for the huge carcass as the she-wolves moved it into place and went off to do their other duties.
"I don't snore, do I?" Russet wrinkled his snout, and Hibiscus laughed, making Russet's heart feel like it was full of sunshine.
"No, don't worry. You're a very polite sleeper. No need for the insecure-crinkle-face." The herbalist bumped Russet's nose with his own, laughing again as Russet tried to fix his expression. "You're adorable."
Russet's pelt burned with embarrassment, but Hibiscus's grin brought a small smile onto his face too. Hibiscus's tail wagged, apparently without his noticing.
"Want to help me sort herbs? Calendula's grumpy at me because I forgot to do it yesterday." Russet nodded, letting himself relax into the feel of Hibiscus's presence beside him, almost managing to forget about failures and expectations and brothers that might hate him.