Asteria

~~~

Asteria woke up one morning, away from the den she had been born in, and away from her family. Her two brothers were gone, her parents had vanished, and she was alone. Except she wasn't, there were dozens, maybe hundreds of other pups around her. Brightly colored fur and shining eyes.

There was only one adult, a bear, who she learned was named Lillemore. She was scared of Lillemore. She didn't know why, but most of the older pups avoided her best they could, while the younger ones crawled all over her.

Lillemore caught Asteria's gaze and smiled a toothy grin, her teeth were sharp. Asteria flinched, turning away and settling down behind a large stone. She sat there, for longer than she realized, the strong daylight turning into soft dusk.

Then the pups started to run or hide, the older ones. The younger ones had started to sleep, breathing softly. Asteria decided to run too, shaking gathering sleepiness from her paws.

She ran, and ran out of the clearing, away from the bear and the dozens of pups she kept. And there she ran into a wolf, colored like a sunrise, with flowers in her fur. She paused, looking down at Asteria with wide eyes.

"Oh hello, darling. Are you quite alright?" The she-wolf asked, tail swooshing calmly.

"Um, no. I can't…I can't find my brothers." Asteria said, glancing behind her, at the wolf before her, and then all around at the forest.

"I think I might be able to help with that…is one of your brothers, Astraeus, by any chance? My name is Eos, by the way." The wolfess smiled, teeth reflecting moonlight.

"Yes! Where is he?" Asteria asked, tail waving with excitement.

"This way!" Eos turned, leading Asteria into the forest, on a well-trodden path covered with wolf scents.

Asteria was led back to the Moonlight River pack, where her brother Astraeus was waiting for her. He had woken up earlier than her, and adopted by a pairbond in this pack. Asking someone to go back for his sister, as soon as they could.

Then Asteria and Astraeus, though they never found their third brother, had a pack. It was sad to think about, how easily their life had changed. With their family and friends in their home pack one second, and the next in a new pack. But they welcomed the change, and began to train.

~~~

Inspired by the many conspiracy theories in forums about Lillemore eating the pups that nobody adopts.