Stormy Sky absentmindedly tossed a pebble  back and forth between his paws while in the den. His mother had recently gone out hunting, leaving him alone once more. The older he got, the more boring he found his mother's absence to be. He wasn't as small as he used to be, and the den felt cramped at times, especially when it was a beautiful day outside.

Stormy Sky was hoping his mother would let him venture freely soon. He knew he was still a pup, but he was beginning to know these woods well. It was getting too much to stay in the den all the time, especially when his mother's hunting skills still were not great. He figured he could help her hunt sooner or later.

Today Stormy Sky was particularly agitated. The sun was beating down warmly onto the forest while a gentle breeze flowed through the trees. His eyes were locked onto a pale butterfly gently floating near some flowers.

Checking his mother was not nearby, Stormy Sky crept out of the den slowly. He only wanted to practice his pouncing skills a bit. Surely his mother wouldn't be opposed to that.

Stormy Sky stalked through the grass slowly before pouncing at the butterfly. It quickly flew off, but Stormy Sky was quick to follow it. It led him further into the woods, near flowering bushes and trees filled with chirping birds. For a moment, Stormy Sky wondered if he shouldn't venture too far, but he knew where he was, and he wouldn't travel far, so he kept following the butterfly and continued to fail at capturing it between his paws.

The area got more wooded the farther he followed the insect. He knew his nose could lead him back, but he realized he was not in a part of the woods as familiar to him. It was no matter. He only had to turn around and--

Stormy Sky paused and immediately shrunk down into the bushes. He heard footsteps and voices nearby that sounded nothing like his mother. Through the bushes, he was shocked to see two juvenile wolves coming into view. One was black, and the other was a black-gray color. They were awfully close to his territory, but he had never seen them before.

Stormy Sky turned, about to run off, but suddenly he heard a shout.

"Hey! What's a pup doing out here?" one of them called.

Stormy Sky froze, cursing himself for being spotted.

Thankfully, the wolves approached cautiously and had smiles on their faces.

"Are you okay out here by yourself?" the black one asked.

"I'm fine...I know where I'm going," Stormy Sky said, almost a little too defensively.

"Don't worry. We're friendly," the black and gray one promised. "My name is Rock Path."

"I'm his brother, Black Berry," said the darker one.

Stormy Sky found his beating heart slowly coming to calm. Okay, so maybe these wolves were okay to trust. They were larger and older than him, but definitely not full grown. Perhaps they were in a similar situation to him. He smelled no odd scents on them. They must not be from a wolf pack then, he guessed.

"Are you out here alone?" Black Berry asked. "You should really be careful."

Rock Path nodded, suddenly looking solemn. "There are rogues creeping nearby. We recently lost our sister."

"I'm so sorry," Stormy Sky murmured. 

"You're not one of them, are you?" Rock Path asked, anger suddenly in his tone. Black Berry held him back with his tail before he could grow more angry.

"N-No! I'm not a rogue. I live nearby with my mother. We live alone out here," Stormy Sky explained.

"See? He's fine," Black Berry told his brother. "What's your name, then?"

"Stormy Sky."

"Nice to meet you," Stormy Sky said. He shuffled his paws a bit. "So...do you two like to play? My mom plays with me sometimes, but she's usually busy hunting..."

"You have siblings?" Rock Path asked.

Stormy Sky shook his head.

"There's no harm in taking a bit of a play break, right?" Black Berry asked his brother. Rock Path shrugged, and immediately, Black Berry leapt at Stormy Sky.

Stormy Sky giggled, beginning to wrestle playfully with the two. Though they had just met, Stormy Sky felt for sure he would be great friends with these two brothers. It was lonely not having a playmate. For the first time in his life, Stormy Sky didn't feel so alone.

The three wrestled for a bit longer, but eventually, they grew tired and broke apart. The three laid down in the sunlight next to each other, and the conversation gradually picked up.

"So why do you live alone out here, then?" Black Berry asked.

"My mother used to live in a wolf pack, but she left before I was born," Stormy Sky said. He left out the details of her being an omega, as his mother had warned him to always keep his identity secret and not talk much about the past. He felt it was appropriate information.

"The same for us!" Black Berry exclaimed. "We live with our parents as well. We've always lived out here. Our parents used to be in a wolf pack, but they left as well. So we've been living out here for the time being. Rock Path and I were out practicing our hunting skills when we ran into you."

"Hunting? That's nice. My mom's not so good of a hunter. I want to learn to hunt one day, and to fight and be strong, so that way she doesn't have to keep working so hard to care for me," Stormy Sky murmured.

"Is your dad not with you?" Rock Path asked.

Stormy Sky shook his head. He left it at that, hoping it would make it seem like his father was dead.

"That's tough," Black Berry murmured. "But I have an idea! Why don't we teach you?! We're not top notch hunters yet, but we've got more experience than you. Rock Path just missed a rabbit on the way over here. Our parents have been teaching us for a while now, and they've been doing a great job."

Their parents must not have been omegas, Stormy Sky thought.

"Would you really do that?" Stormy Sky asked.

"Of course!" Black Berry said.

"Maybe we should think about this," Rock Path warned.

"Nonsense. It's not that difficult to do. You live nearby right? Is this a good spot for you to meet at?" Black Berry asked.

Stormy Sky nodded. 

"Then it's settled. How about every other day we come here and practice? We can't stay too long, or our parents will be worried."

"That's fine!" Stormy Sky assured him. He couldn't linger long either when his mother went out hunting.

"We better head back," Rock Path murmured.

"Thanks so much! I can't wait to learn!" Stormy Sky exclaimed. He was practically hopping in place, excited that he was becoming a step closer to being more independent. One day, he'd be the one finding meals for his mom, and she could live comfortably.

"We'll see you later, Stormy Sky," Black Berry said, taking off with his brother.

As they turned the other way, Stormy Sky heard a bit of their conversation.

Rock Path was speaking. "He won't replace--"

"I know!" Black Berry growled. "But look how excited he was. Plus we'll get to practice."

After that, their conversation was lost to the woods, and Stormy Sky had to take off quickly to make it back to the den before his mother got home. Thankfully, when he arrived back, the den was empty, and within only a few minutes, his mother returned with a mouse in her jaws.

"Sorry. It was all I could manage," Gentle Breeze murmured.

"It's all right! One day, I'll catch a big deer for us to eat," Stormy Sky said.

Gentle Breeze smiled. "I'm sure you will."

These days, that possibility was becoming more likely.