The Eclipse

"Pups come along now we're already late." Fury Storm huffed. Ash ran over tripping over his own paws before standing back up and running forward again. Storm ran after him growling. "GIVE ME BACK MY FEATHER ASH! GRANDMA TALL TONGUE GAVE IT TO ME!" She howled.

Fury Storm shook his head softly before turning back watching as his last pup emerged from the woods her white fur dirtied with mud turning it an almost dusty brown. Snow said nothing as she walked after her siblings and Fury Storm followed after her as Black Foot joined him.

"I'm worried for her." Fury Storm said. Black Foot turned to him curiosity in her eyes. "What do you speak of Fury Storm?" She asked. Fury Storm pointed his nose at Snow as she cleaned herself off in a nearby creek.

"She's fine Fury Storm." Black Foot said. Fury Storm huffed as he looked at his mate. "She doesn't act like her brothers and sisters, she's too quiet. Like a winter day, I worry for her ability to howl." He barked.

"She'll make a great hunter in the winter months, really she'll be fine." Black Foot said. The two decided to drop the subject as they arrived at the lowest point in the valley. Towering mountains gave way to the forests and tundra a large ravine the grasslands of the Star territory and forests of the Moon territory on one side the seemingly endless deserts and canyons of the Sun territory on the other.

Priest Sparrow Song stood on his perch watching as families arrived more young pups running around but sticking close to their parents. Fury Storm was glad to see they weren't the last of the families  to arrive. Fury Storm looked at Snow and noticed the nettles Tall Tongue had tucked into her shoulder fur was gone and he looked around quickly for something to replace it.

Luckily the blueberry brambles were in bloom and Fury Storm snatched a blossom and wrapped one for-paw around his daughter and pulled her close.

"Dad!" Snow yipped. Fury Storm tucked the blueberry blossom behind her ear quickly grooming her fur a little bit to help hold the flower and leaves in place. "Decorations are ways to show we are healthy. That's why we display feathers and leaves proudly in our fur." He said.

Fury Storm nabbed some actually blueberries with some leaves and tucked it into Snow's shoulder fur near her neck. Snow grumbled but held still as he tucked more leaves near the base of her tail and Black Foot adjusted the feathers tucked into Storm's shoulder fur a bundle of acorns tucked behind Ash's ear.

A howling starts and all the pups jump and freeze as the parents stand tall. Soon strange wolves start to emerge from the tall grass of the plains, their legs long and thin and all of them looked very lean but not unhealthy, they were much larger then the small and nimble Moon wolves.

"It's about time you arrive Hornet Eye. The moon and the sun will meet soon." Priest Sparrow Song huffed as he hopped off his rock.

Priest Hornet Eye of the Star territory trotted forward one eye a milky color reminding Snow of the pearly snow topping the mountains they lived in and Snow silently tucked herself between her father's legs.

"Well if we star wolves are known for more then being fast on our feet it's for being able to close the distance in little time." Priest Hornet Eye huffed. The two priests met in the middle and touched their noses together before sitting down.

More howling started and soon wolves began to appear on the other side of the ravine, large and well built many of their coats a golden and brown hue.

"Starting the party without me boys?" A young she-wolf huffed as she jumped clearing the ravine with ease.

"Actually we were waiting on you Cactus Tail." Priest Sparrow Song huffed.

Priestess Cactus Tail held her head high as she walked over the rest of the sun wolves leaping across the ravine to join the rest Snow realizing they all carried pups on their backs that they let off once they were on the other side. The Star wolf pups also emerging alongside their parents looking just as spindly as their parents.

Once all the priest were sat together they each nodded before turning to their wolves. Priest Sparrow Song standing tall to address the Moon wolves. "This valley has always been split into three, each territory standing with a different part of the sky and while we may look different we're all the same. Which is why every three years when the sun and moon meet in the sky to help keep the peace a wolf from one of each territory is picked to be bond for life with a wolf from one of the other territories." He huffed.

"Dad..." Snow whimpered. Fury Storm leaned down and gently licked her head. "It's okay, it doesn't mean you will have to leave until you're old enough to." He whispered.

Priest Sparrow Song turned and nodded his head and the elder star gazer of the moon territory walked forward, her fur grey fur almost white with age a weasel skull on each shoulder bound with ivy leaves and vines. "Marrow Light you may begin picking a pup to present." He said.

Marrow Light began to walk down the line of parents before stopping at one set and nodding, the parents nudged their two pups forward and after staring for what felt like ages Marrow Light leaned down and nudged the black pup. They walked together soon meeting the Star stargazer who lead forward a little brown pup with a cattail tucked behind her ear.

The black pup with a red feather tucked into his shoulder fur stared at her as the two were nudged forward. The two just stared at each other for a minute before the black pup growled softly the brown pup running to hide behind the stargazer.

"Not a match." Marrow Light huffed. The Star stargazer let the brown pup run back to her mother with a nod of her head and the Sun stargazer walked forward a golden pup at his side. The black pup stood tall and growled the golden pup stared for a bit before flicker her ears back and growling back. When the black pup leaped Marrow Light shoved her nose between them and nudged the black pup back to his parents.

"You need to be nicer Eclipse, good relations is important." The pup's mother scolded. Eclipse just landed down between her feet a scowl on his face. Snow wondered why he was so angry but watched as Marrow Light chose another pup to bring forward.

This pup was light grey and white and had some pine needles tucked into his shoulder fur. He met with a light brown pup from the Sun and a grey pup from the Star. Both times he shied away from them when they attempted to approach.

"Not a match." Marrow Light huffed. The pup was allowed to run back to his parents and his mother gently licked his fur.

"It's okay Spruce, you don't need to be so afraid." The she-wolf muttered.

Marrow Light walked down the line and soon was stopping n front of Fury Storm and Black Foot. Snow, Storm, and Ash were nudged forward and while her brother and sister held themselves low to the ground Snow just stared up at Marrow Light as calm as snowy forest.

Marrow Light leaned down and nudged Snow and she wordlessly followed as she was brought forward the Sun stargazer walking forward with a pup. His coat was a fiery red/orange with a black stripe running down his back his green eyes blinking at her a strange flower tucked between his shoulders.

Snow stared at him as he approached her wagging his tail, he almost shoved his nose into hers and Snow put one paw on his snout and pushed his head down his tail still wagging as he looked at her. Snow just rolled her eyes softly at this reminded a little too much of her own brother's antics.

"It's a match." Marrow Light declared. Snow whipped around to stare at her before looking back at the fiery pup who looked just as shocked.

"It's decided then, Snow of the Hunter's Mark family and Fire of the Stream's edge family are pair bond." Priest Sparrow Song barked.

Snow stared at Fire who honestly looked just as unsure of her as she was of him. Snow wondered softly if this pair bond would actually work out. As the moon covered the sun the wolves mingled and celebrated as the eclipse was a time of rekindling old friendships and making new ones allowing wolves of all the territories to bond together.

Snow huffed laying her head on the ground Fire laying next to her as apparently as pair bonded they were supposed to spend this time together getting to know each other.

"...do you like scaled fruit?" Fire asked. Snow looked at him. "...I don't know what that is." She said. Fire got to his black paws and looked around before looking at her. "Pink or yellow?" He asked. Snow blinked at him. "...What?" He asked.

"It's a simple question, pink or yellow?" Fire asked. Snow frowned still not sure what the question was even supposed to mean. "...uh... pink I guess..." She said. Fire ran over the ravine and, hopped down into it.

Snow frowned and walked over peeking down to see Fire carefully picking his way around stone edges towards a large prickly that was growing along the walls of the ravine. "Be careful! Do you know how far down the bottom is?!" She snapped as one of Fire's paws dislodged a stone and sent it tumbling to the floor of the ravine.

"Relax, I'm a Sun wolf! We're built to climb cliffs and ravines." Fire called up. Soon enough he had approached the prickly and began nudging it's long arms to the side and soon was grabbing something and pulling it. In Fire's mouth was some kind of fruit it's skin pink with some green leaves spiking off it making it look almost like it was scaled.

Fire hopped his way back up and Snow grabbed his scruff when he was at the edge and pulled him back on solid ground.  Fire got to his feet and wagged his tail as he dropped the fruit in front of Snow. She stared and nudged it with her paw as Fire sat down.

"I can show you how to open it if you want." Fire offered. Snow huffed as she batted it towards him. "Be my guest." She said. Fire took the fruit and began to pull off the green bits, then he grabbed some of the skin in his teeth and pulled, it gave way with a loud RIIP and revealed white flesh speckled with black.

"What are those black things?" Snow asked poking it.

"Those are the seeds. They won't hurt you." Fire said. Snow narrowed her eyes at him but after a minute she leaned down and bit off a small piece of flesh. A strange but pleasant taste washed over her tongue, it wasn't quite like the juicy blueberries or tart raspberries but similar all the same.

Snow didn't even realize she had finished the fruit until she was licking the skin free of the scraps of flesh. Snow looked around and ran over to the blueberry brambles Fire following just behind. Snow eyed the brambles and bunched up her legs and leaped managing to snap off a branch full of berries and landed on her feet.

Fire blinked and pried off one of the berries and it burst in his mouth almost right away which seemed to startle him. Snow snorted her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter as she set the branch down. "You got to be gentle with them." She said. Snow plucked the berries with practiced ease Fire picking them up off the ground and chewing them.

It was obvious he was not used to how juicy the berries were and Snow couldn't help but chuckle as the fur around his mouth was stained purple with the juice.  Soon enough Black Foot woofed and Snow ran over to join her family although she did look back and watch as Fire ran over to his own mother.

The two looked at each other for a moment as Fire climbed onto his mother's back and Snow walked back into the bushes. She wonder then if a separation for a while would effect their pair bond.