For Quiet Ocean, it was another day of fun as she wrestled with her siblings in the den. Snow Fall was putting up a pretty good fight, though Quiet Ocean was able to throw him off his guard with a slight nip of his tail. That was until Daffodil Bloom came from behind and leapt at her, knocking her onto her back.

"No fair! No sneak attacks!" Quiet Ocean complained.

Daffodil Bloom snickered. Her fur was growing more golden by the day. Perhaps she had not noticed, but Quiet Ocean had. Quiet Ocean had been noticing a lot lately.

As she grew older, she felt more strange. She felt more and more like she didn't belong in the right place. Her mother would tell her this was because she was outgrowing the den and soon would be training, but it was something else, Quiet Ocean knew it. There was something strange lurking in this den, and the more time went by, she was growing more suspicious.

Daffodil Bloom's pelt color was one thing. It was glowing as golden as her mother's and was as thick as her father's. Meanwhile, Quiet Ocean and Snow Fall couldn't help but look like cousins to Daffodil Bloom with Quiet Ocean's gray fur and Snow Fall's white fur.

Once, Quiet Ocean had asked her mother about these strange colors, to which Small Fox replied that it was just a recessive gene, whatever that meant, and that was why Quiet Ocean and Snow Fall looked a bit different from Daffodil Bloom and their parents. Small Fox had explained that her brother had gray fur, so it made sense how Quiet Ocean could end up that color too.

Quiet Ocean was never satisfied with these answers though.

"Stop causing a ruckus and come listen to a story," Small Fox told the pups.

Quiet Ocean was gladly willing to take a break. She was growing tired, and plus, Small Fox had bit her a bit too hard at one point and had drawn some blood. It was nothing more than a small bite, but it still slightly stung from the dirt that had gotten into the wound while Quiet Ocean had been wrestling with her siblings.

"What story do you have that you haven't told us already?" Snow Fall complained.

It was true that as they got older, there were less stories to be told. They had heard the same ones again and again, both from their mother and father. Quiet Ocean was waiting for the same stories to be told when Daffodil Bloom spoke up.

"Can you tell us about the rogues that attacked?" Daffodil Bloom asked.

Small Fox frowned. Time and time again she had refused to tell this story, and once again, she offered an excuse. "That is not an appropriate story for pups. It is too dark."

"But we're older!" Snow Fall exclaimed. "And plus, we'll have to deal with scary things when we're grown wolves."

"I'm always confused when wolves talk about it," Quiet Ocean offered as another excuse to tell the tale.

Small Fox let out a sigh, clearly seeing her pups were bent on hearing this story above all else. "Very well." She moved to sit in front of them and shut her eyes, as if she were remembering the details of that day. Suddenly, Quiet Ocean wondered if she should not have asked to hear this tale.

"It was a normal morning, just as any day here. All the wolves were carrying out their daily activities as they would, exchanging conversation and smiles with each other. We had caught the scents of rogues for a while, but none had appeared. Then, that day, a large black wolf named Flint and his peers appeared by our dens. He called their group the Pack of Rogues, and he and his followers shouted horrible things at us. They did not like the idea of a pack where wolves and dogs lived in harmony. They wanted our territory for themselves, but the alphas would not back down.

"Then, the fighting began. It descended into chaos quickly. I was helping to fight off the rogues from entering the pup dens. I fought valiantly with some others. In the distance, I could see my brother, your uncle, Jay's Tail, fighting bravely. As I wrestled back wolves from hurting pups, I watched my brother give his life for the pack. I learned my other brother had later given his life as well.

"Thankfully, Flint and his followers grew tired, but they warned they would be back. And that is where the story ends..."

Quiet Ocean felt her fur stand on edge. Her siblings were quiet as well, perhaps regretting asking for this story as well.

"So...so they'll be back?" Daffodil Bloom asked fearfully.

"That is what they said, but we have been training hard. The Pack of Falling Stars has never lost a fight, and we will not anytime soon. Plus, you three will be training soon, and you'll become strong wolves capable of defeating any wolf that crosses your path," Small Fox exclaimed, which lightened the mood some.

"Jay's Tail...was he...Lily Petal's mate?" Quiet Ocean asked. She had heard the two have their names thrown around together.

Small Fox dipped her head. "Yes. It was his death that drove Lily Petal to the state she is in now. A loss of a mate is a very hard burden to bear. I cannot imagine how it felt for her. Losing my two brothers was hard enough."

Quiet Ocean suddenly felt frightened again. She could not imagine losing Snow Fall or Daffodil Bloom and being an only child, just as her mother had been. She would take her mother's words to heart that the pack was strong. There was no way they could be defeated. She had to believe that.

"I hope I have not scared you pups too much," Small Fox murmured. "Like I said, this happened before you were born, and it has been some time now since then. We are being extra vigilant so we aren't surprised again. But now you know a bit more about what the others are whispering about. If those wolves ever do come back, we'll send them running with their tails between their legs."

"Yeah!" Snow Fall exclaimed. "I'll avenge Jay's Tail, and your other brother too."

Small Fox smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. "He would be proud," she said.

"Can we go back to playing now?" Daffodil Bloom asked. Clearly the somber mood had not settled well with the pups.

Small Fox nodded. "Yes, yes, but be quiet. I don't need Shining River snapping to me about how you're disturbing her slumber."

The three let out shouts of glee and resumed their antics, though something about Small Fox's story, about Jay's Tail and Lily Petal, struck deep with her.