Stormy Sky murmured and squirmed as a nose pressed against his side in the early hours of the morning. He slowly opened his eyes, finding his mother staring at him.

"Stormy Sky? Are you awake?" she asked.

His mouth fell open in a yawn, and he nodded.

"I'm going hunting. Stay here, and don't make a sound," she murmured. He watched his mother's figure disappear into the dark woods at dawn.

This was a routine Stormy Sky was used to at this point. Being alone in the den for hours at a time was not unusual, and he always followed his mother's instructions. Be quiet. Stay low. Don't make a sound.

Stormy Sky wanted to curl back to sleep, but his stomach was growling. His mother didn't always return with food, and though she was always the one to make sure he was fed the most and she got a few leftovers, it was still never enough. There was always an insatiable hunger in his stomach, almost from the moment he was born.

Perhaps that was why he was so small, Stormy Sky thought. His mother never brought up the fact much, but he knew she was concerned about his slow growth. Though what was to be expected when they were both malnourished.

Slowly, Stormy Sky had been learning more about his past, especially the fact that his mother was an omega, and that was why her hunting skills weren't perfected. He promised himself, in these moments that he lay alone in the den, that he would be strong enough to hunt for himself and his mother one day.

But for now, in his tiny form and weakened state, he could do nothing but lay awake and carefully listen to any sound nearby. Stormy Sky had never faced any danger laying in this den, but he always feared the one day that an intruder would enter and he would be defenseless.

Thankfully, when the sun was higher in the sky, the sound of pawsteps only turned out to be his mother. She only had a small mouse to share, but for the time being, it would stop the growling of Stormy Sky's stomach.

The meal was eaten all too fast. It made Stormy Sky want to eat more, but he knew there was no other food. Usually, at these times, he would ask his mother for a story in order to distract the fact that his hunger needs hadn't been met.

"Did you get more food in the pack?" Stormy Sky asked. 

Gentle Breeze shook her head. "Well, perhaps a bit more. But it was always the scraps. That was how the omegas were treated."

Stormy Sky thought it was brave for his mother to leave the omega life behind, but he also knew she wasn't doing that well on her own.

"Would you ever go back?" he asked.

"We can't," Gentle Breeze told him. "They'll kill you."

Stormy Sky had asked this question before and heard the same answer, but he never quite knew the reasoning behind it. It had something to do with his father, he knew, the father who gifted him the lightning strike on his chest. When Stormy Sky closed his eyes and tried to picture his father, he could barely make out anything.

"Why?" Stormy Sky asked. He had never asked the question before, and he didn't expect an answer, but Gentle Breeze lowered her head and let out a sigh.

"I suppose it doesn't help to keep the secret any longer. You're getting older, and you'll get more curious. You know I was an omega. But your father was not," Gentle Breeze said.

"So?"

"Omegas were forbidden to have mates in the pack," Gentle Breeze said, her voice pained. Stormy Sky shrunk some, wondering if he should have asked his mother about a topic that seemed so painful to her, but she continued to speak. "Your father and I knew the risk, but we loved each other and were secret mates. But we weren't careful enough, and I got pregnant with you. There was no way to hide the secret then, so I ran off."

"Why couldn't he come with us?" Stormy Sky whimpered. He loved his mother with all his heart, but his heart also yearned for the father that he had never known.

"I wouldn't let him. He has a family back at the pack. He's a brave and strong wolf. I didn't want this to ruin him. He has another mate now, to throw off suspicions. There is nothing left between us," Gentle Breeze murmured sadly.

"But he--doesn't he want to meet me?" Stormy Sky asked.

"Perhaps, but that is not possible, Stormy Sky. I am so sorry that you will not grow up with a father, but I will do my best to care for you," Gentle Breeze promised, nuzzling her muzzle against him.

"What is his name?" Stormy Sky asked.

Gentle Breeze sighed. "Feather Wings."

"Feather Wings," Stormy Sky murmured. His eyes traced down to the lightning strike on his chest. He wondered what his father's lightning strike looked like on his body. Was it as large as it was on Stormy Sky? Did it stand out against his fur? Stormy Sky knew his gray fur color must come from his father, as his mother's fur was brown. Was the lightning strike on his father white-furred then, as it was for Stormy Sky?

"Stormy Sky. I know what you're thinking. But it's too dangerous to go back to the pack," Gentle Breeze warned. "The pack will not be happy to know you have an omega mother if you returned."

"I know, I know," Stormy Sky murmured. 

"Come here," Gentle Breeze said.

He walked toward his mother and curled up against her stomach. Letting out a sigh, he pressed his head into her warm fur and felt her lick the top of his forehead.

"I love you, Stormy Sky. Which is why I want to keep you safe. Which is why we stay here," Gentle Breeze said.

"Will you tell me stories about him? About Feather Wings?" Stormy Sky asked.

"If it'll stop your curiosity, sure," Gentle Breeze said. "Are you comfortable?"

Stormy Sky nodded, curling up closer against his mother. His eyes threatened to shut as she launched into a number of tales of the days that she and Feather Wings spent together in their old pack...