The grey wolf gazed at her six newborn pups, a sudden, profound realization washing over her: nothing else mattered;not life or death, not heaven or earth.
Five of the pups were typical grey bundles of fur, from their short snouts to their tiny feet. But the sixth was a different story. It was the runt, barely half the size of its siblings, and as white as snow, making it stand out like a sore thumb. The mother wolf scrutinized the strange pup from head to toe, but there was no doubt it was her offspring.
With her six new mouths to feed, the mother wolf hunted larger prey like small foxes and rabbits. The pups couldn't eat solid meat yet, but she needed the extra food to produce enough milk. This went on for a few weeks until the pups were old enough to feast like the carnivores they were. When the mother returned from a hunt, the pups would lick their lips, and she would regurgitate the meat for them. After two months, all but the little white wolf were fully weaned. For some reason, the runt continued to breastfeed for a few more weeks.
When the pups turned two, their mother began teaching them to hunt. She taught them to track by scent, hide their own tracks, and the many other survival skills needed in the Endless Forest. Time passed, and the wolves became seasoned hunters, capable of living independently. Yet, they chose to stay with their loving mother, who never chased them away. The den became cramped, but the small family stayed together and were, by all accounts, happy.
With time, the pups grew as powerful as their mother, and the family became a pack. They hunted together, and their combined skills and strength allowed them to take down larger prey and expand their territory. Even with their newfound power, they didn't become arrogant. They knew that far stronger beasts roamed the forest, so they kept their territory a manageable size and avoided conflict.
Their happiness, however, was short-lived. A passing white tiger decided to claim their territory. In a forest where might makes right, conflict was rarely solved with words. A Level Two Nascent demonic beast, the tiger simply showed up at the wolf den one day and launched an unprovoked attack. The wolf pack was strong, but seven Level One Fearless demonic beasts were no match for a single opponent of this caliber.
The battle was hard and long, lasting the entire night. It was the night the happy wolf pack came to an end. When dawn broke, the white tiger retreated into the thick forest, leaving behind three members of the pack shredded to pieces, and the rest injured, with one on the brink of death.