My name is Blaze.

I don't know much about my family.

No, I don't know how the hell it happened. Ask my parents!

Or don't, actually.

They are dead.

My father died soon after I was born. I never learned his name. He died in a border skirmish with some other gangs members. He was pretty high up in the gang, though I wouldn't call him leader. The leader was my father's sibling, Scratch. He was brave and strong, but he often lost patience with weaker members of the gang, wondering why they weren't strong enough to go into battle. Rumour had it he was jealous of my father for getting my mother, Hope. She was the prettiest female in the gang by far in my opinion. I may be biased, because I'm her daughter, but good looks run in the family, just sayin. She and my father had me and my two siblings- Swift, who was stillborn, and Sky, who died shortly after birth from black-cough.

Not much for a family.

But it was fine. With Hope and Scratch to raise me, I got a pretty good life. I admit I was probably the most social (and stupid) in the gang. I guess I played with my food more than I was supposed to, and I guess I annoyed the mothers by playing with the younger kids a little too roughly, but things were practically perfect.

Until Hope died.

I was about 1 year old, and food was running low in the gang. Consequently, tempers were high. So when we saw a deer roaming on our territory, Scratch ordered all who were fit to join his hunting party.

I volunteered without a second thought. My mother also volunteered, stating I was too young to go alone. I remember shaking her off and saying "Hope, it's fine..." But she insisted.

We chased the deer for what felt like hours, stomachs growling so loud we thought the moon would hear, until we came to a small clearing. We all froze. The deer, who turned out female, was sleeping with two fawns in the moonlight. Her ear twitched as she heard us step on a stick, but she didn't wake. Scratch motioned us forward, but Hope motioned us back. Scratch glared at Hope, and motioned us forward again. But again Hope pushed us back.

I didn't know what was going on. A  gang member had never challenged the leader before. It just wasn't done. You could be thrown out of the gang for that, or worse. But Hope still persisted. Scratch glared and gritted his teeth and motioned us forward. When no one reacted, he snarled at us.

"Cowards! I'll do it myself."

Scratch jumped on the female deer with a dagger as quick as a flash. The deer let out a shrill cry of pain and tried to kick him off. Hope rushed to help him, and just as she did the deer kicked out. My mother went flying across the clearing and landed with a dull thud. I ran over to her. Blood trickled out of her mouth, and her eyes were staring at nothing. I shook her with my small hands frantically.

"Hope! Hope c'mon! Get up! Help!"

Hope's eyes focused on me for a brief moment, then clouded in pain. She let out a little gasp, and her chest fell still.

I remember Scratch telling the gang "Only the strong survive." When he was asked about her. Whenever someone said her name, his shoulders tensed slightly and he would glare at whichever unlucky kid made the mistake of mentioning her. Moons passed, seasons changed, and the pack went on as usual.

But I always remembered her in my dreams as a mother who would never come home.