Darkness.

It was warm. There was safety-smell and home-smell all around him. The smells, and the feelings on his skin were all he knew. Also, he was… wet? Something big pushed down on him, and stroked his whole body a few times. Then he felt himself getting rolled on his back, pushed down again a couple more times, and rolled back on his stomach. He was picked up, and put down again. He knew it wasn’t anything bad, the smells told him as much. He tried moving his body and getting up, but he felt quite weak and wobbly.

Wobbling a bit, a tasty-smell called to him, and he wobbled towards it. Other wobbly things were in the way, they gave off litter-brother-smell and litter-sister-smell. He climbed on his litter-brother and litter-sister to get to the source of tasty-smell. It was hard work, he was tired, but he finally bumped into it. Tasty-smell told him to use his mouth, and he latched on the squishy thing that gave off tasty-smell. A liquid with thick tasty-smell went down on his throat, it made him happy. He took more of it. And at last, he was content, and snuggled among his litter-brother and litter-sisters, he tiredly fell asleep.

After a while, he woke up and felt hungry. He wobble-crawled towards the tasty-smell again to eat. After he felt full, he got pushed around by something big. The smells told him it was Mother cleaning him. Mother gave the tasty-food, so Mother was amazing. He fell asleep again.

Days passed by like this. He slept and ate, ate and slept. The smells told him things, he knew he had one litter-brother and two litter-sisters. Sometimes, Mother left. It made him anxious at first, but when Mother left, he then smelled big-sister-smell. Big-sister lay down next to him, and he felt safe again. Big-sister didn’t give the tasty thing, but she smelled safe and warm.

As more days passed, he felt himself getting bigger and stronger. He also started to realize that he was him! He wasn’t his litter-sisters or litter-brother, and he wasn’t Mother, but he was him. He was like them, belonged with them, but he was also him! As his sense of self slowly grew, he could smell his smell and smell inside him. There were different smells inside him, but there was also a smell that was not him. The smells outside told him that all smells inside of him now should be his smells. But he instinctively knew that this one smell inside of him was not him. It was wrong, and he wanted it out. But the wrong-smell didn’t answer him, didn’t leave, it stayed stubbornly, making him feel uneasy.

This wrong-smell felt foreign, an intruder! He felt danger-smell. He whimpered, he was afraid. But the wrong-smell didn’t do anything, it just was, making him anxious. Mother comforted him, cleaning him, giving tasty-food, making him feel better.

Days turned into weeks, and one day something changed. At first, it was scary, but the smells comforted him. They told him he was in the dark before, but now this darkness subtly lifted. It was still dark, but less dark. And there were shapes! The small shapes, the smells told him, were his litter-brother and litter-sisters, and when he moved his head around more, he saw a giant shape! It was Mother. Mother was super amazing after all. There was also a lighter shape, but the smells told him it wasn’t safe, so he didn’t go closer. He had seeing now, the smells called it so.

Another week passed by. The shapes he saw got more distinct, and the urge to check out the lighter shape grew within him. There was also another change. It was a very weird sensation. At first, he didn’t understand, but the smells told him it was hearing, and it was a good thing. The smells also told him it was okay now to check the brighter shape, so he excitedly hobbled towards it. It got lighter and lighter, then it was so bright! And so many smells! He got scared and ran back to his Mother, litter-brother and litter-sisters. It was safe and dark.

He was afraid, but he was also excited. He wanted to go see and smell again the many things outside. Mother got up and went outside, and this time he followed. With Mother around, it had to be safe. The outside was still so bright with so many smells, but he wasn’t so scared anymore. He could see other giant shapes that came closer, smelling him, greeting him. They were his big-sisters and big-brothers. He yipped excitedly, he was happy to see, and smell, and hear them. His litter-siblings came out too, they were all thoroughly checked out, and greeted as well by the others.

Suddenly, there was an overpowering smell, and he froze. He was very scared. This smell was vast and strong, he felt very weak and small compared to it. He saw another shape, it was a huge giant, almost twice as big as Mother! He wanted to go back to the dark safety, but he did not dare to move. He shook and whimpered as the huge giant came closer, and the overpowering smells got stronger, pushing at him. His litter-brother and litter-sisters were frozen as well. They didn’t dare to move.

As the huge giant got closer, among the many overpowering smells, there was a smell that told him this huge giant was Father! He was still scared, but he was also excited. Father was super-strong and super-awesome! He wanted to be as awesome as Father. He still didn’t dare to move, as Father licked his ears, licked his eyes, then he did something very weird.

Father’s shape turned vague, and gave off smells he didn’t understand. Then Father bit through his head. It felt weird, but it didn’t hurt. Father bit inside him, and left something behind. He shook intensely, he was confused. Father left behind a smell inside him, it wasn’t like the wrong-smell but it wasn’t his smell.

Father did the same to his litter-brother and litter-sisters as well. After Father was done, Father howled. His Mother howled, his big-sisters and big-brothers howled. The smell Father left behind inside him resonated with them. It hurt, he whimpered, but it hurt more. The unceasing howling didn’t stop, it crawled and wriggled inside him too, and at last, it reached the smell Father left behind.

His shaking stopped. He froze. The pain stopped as he understood. His sight became clear, his hearing became clear, he could even smell better, and his mind was clearer and sharper. He felt connected. They were all connected, they were a family. He could feel them now, they were happy and excited. Mother was delighted, Father was proud.

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He also knew many new things now. They were Storm Wolves, and Father was a Ghost-Storm Wolf. When Storm Wolves grew strong enough, they could become many different kinds of Storm Wolves. Like Ice-Storm Wolves, Fire-Storm Wolves, Dust-Storm Wolves, Lightning-Storm Wolves, and an endless different other kinds. Ghost-Storm wolves were rather rare, but by far not the rarest. However, it was difficult, and many Storm Wolves died when trying to evolve. Father being a Ghost-Storm Wolf was even more amazing than he first thought. He decided. When he grew up, he was going to become a Ghost-Storm Wolf too, like Father, because Father was super-amazing!

He learnt that everyone had names. Why have names when everyone had their smell? But he was told that having a name made you stronger. He wanted to get stronger, so he asked his Father for a name, but Father told him that everyone had to find their own name inside of themselves. Their name could change, but it was rare. Father’s name was Grey Soul. Mother was Rain. The big-sister that always came when Mother was away was Breeze. Then there was Gust and Gale his big-brothers. There was also Yellow Ears, Blue Tail and Dark Legs. Yellow Ears and Blue tail were his big-sisters and Dark Legs was his big-brother. They were all family.

They all looked similar, but a little different. They all had four legs, a tail, and gray fur. But Rain somehow looked more elegant and gentle, while Gust and Gale’s fur had darker streaks and they looked wilder. Breeze looked just like Mother, but with a bit lighter fur. Yellow Ears had spiky yellowish fur on her ears, Blue Tail had a longer tail that gradually turned light blueish towards the tip, and Dark Legs was the fastest runner with black fur on his legs.

Grey Soul looked the most different. Not only was he much bigger, there was a misty, majestic feeling about him, like he wasn’t completely solid, and a whitish-gray smoke hang around him.

Grey Soul looked at his pups. Since he connected their souls to the family and deepened their bond, he could feel their awe and excitement. This connection would have developed naturally, but it was good for the pups’ growth to have it earlier, so he helped it along. He hoped they would grow up healthy. He was going to do his best to protect them, but it was a cruel world, and he might be killed any day. So it was better for the pups to grow up as fast as possible.

One of the pups caught his eye. He felt the pup’s awe and excitement, same as the other ones, but this one had immense ambition as well. This pup looked quite different as well, he had dark fur like the night, but his legs, belly, tail and head gradually turned silver. It was a very interesting coloration, the pup could probably evolve into a rare kind of Storm Wolf.

As Grey Soul was looking at his pups, he could feel their growing sense of awe towards him. The soul connection helped them understand, and comprehend more, how could these little pups not be awed? Grey Soul chuckled to himself, this was only his ordinary form after all. What would they think if they saw his battle form?

The pups’ awe made Grey Soul feel a bit mischievous, and wanting to show off. He crouched, then leaped into the air as high as he could. As he was soaring up, his form shimmered as he changed. His form became translucent, the wispy smoke around him grew, and long trails of it whipped around him. But the biggest change was the power, and pressure he exuded. A storm was gathering around him, and he ran in the air as if it was solid ground, free, wild and unbridled. Hazy wolf shapes started gathering as faint howls could be heard. The winds intensified, the hazy wolf shapes turned more distinct, the howls louder, the world turning gray-white. It was a majestic, and ghastly sight.

Grey Soul felt pure joy, and as he was about to howl and unleash more of his power, he froze. Everything froze, and became deathly still. If he could sweat, he would have started now, because he realized the pups fell unconscious, and he felt a boundless prickly displeasure coming from his life-mate, Rain. He knew he got carried away again, and it was too much for the pups. Delicate things pups were, this was why he waited until now to meet them after all. He only now remembered Rain telling him to stick to his ordinary form and not change, because the pups wouldn’t be able to handle being around his battle form.

But who could blame Grey Soul, this proud father wanting to show off to his pups? Even if it was understandable, Grey Soul knew he needed a better excuse to get out of his predicament. Rain was going to chew him up. Even if she was much weaker, never underestimate an angry mother. And anyway, it wasn’t like Grey Soul could ever resist his life-mate. This wasn’t the first time they had pups, and he got carried away…

Grey Soul swallowed, and frantically looked around, trying to find a way out. He was high up in the air, so he could see far away. The next moment, he spotted something, and he grew deadly serious. Luckily, it was still far, but it was coming this way. Well, he had his way out now, but he wished he didn’t. He took a glance at his family. Rain’s anger was replaced by worry and questioning as she felt him get serious. He sent back reassurance and confidence, but Rain could feel his worry underneath it all. Grey Soul left in silence, like a ghost. The noisy show he put on was for his pups after all, this was serious. He planned to circle around the Abomination, to at least try and lure it away if he couldn’t kill it.