Stone - Founder of Pinewood | The story so far |
Stone is from a disbanded pack, her family was large but secluded at the base of a mountain. Her pack started to slowly disappear one by one as the chill of winter began to creep in, around her final months of adolescence. She remembered the wolves didn’t seem to worry or be afraid, just numbly accepting. She never understood what happened, she just found herself next to be wandering further and further away from her home territory.Â
This is where she met Alder, in the Deciduous forest. A yearling who had come to age and cast out by an aggressive alpha. When Stone explained what had happened to her family, Alder was shocked. He had heard rumors of a pack having a mysterious illness, wolves had been found at the borders of the forest with eyes glazed over, frozen and staring into nothing, completely unresponsive. They reportedly didn't smell like living wolves, but like carcasses left to rot.Â
These wolves would walk in circles, or in straight lines, not caring what was in front of them, they wouldn't react to pain.Â
Stone couldn't believe this could be her family he was talking about, she asked him to show her. He said these were only rumours, he'd never seen one himself.Â
Stone and Alder struggled with starting their pack for many months, they had found other wolves who were also looking for a new start, and joined them on their journey. The arrival of their first pups had started their new beginning. It was around this time when Stone was patrolling the new territory borders that she saw him, Ekli, a missing pack member from her original pack. Elated she approached him asking where on earth he had been all this time. His head turned and she stopped in her tracks.Â
Eklis mouth was grey, the fur around his face was matted to his skin held in place by blood and dirt, and his eyes, there was no one there. “Oh Ekli…what happened to you?”. He only whined, he tries to approach as he slowly sinks to the ground, Stone sinks with him, staying a safe distance.Â
With a dry raspy breath he slowly responds "It's.....blood.....blood.....infect....fected" He trails off panting from the effort.
She waited until she heard his last breath, he wouldn't die alone that night. Alder was right.Â
She returned to the pack shrouded in horror and full of questions. Is this what took her pack? Why wasn't she infected?
Alder had remembered his pack had seen humans near their border take pups about a year before these sick wolves started appearing…but they were never sure what happened to them or why they were there in the first place. Could Stone have been one of these pups? What did they do?
This deepened Stones confusion, and instilled fear in her for her pups. She would need something to keep her wolves from running into these humans and stop any future encounters with these sick wolves…if any still live.Â
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Stone had laid down these laws, and intended to pass them on to her future heirs to ensure this fate would never happen again:
-The lead wolf will be female
-The next lead wolf must be within the current lead wolfs bloodline
-The lead wolf may choose an heir from any generationÂ
-The lead wolf must have as many heirs as possibleÂ
-The lead wolf may only breed with their pairing, if this is the breeding male, that breeding male may not breed with other wolvesÂ
-Other pack members may form and breed to pairings and have pupsÂ
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These laws were prosperous for a while, and produced many pups for the pack, and to the alpha bloodline, however with some pairings adopting pups they found wandering, and other wolves joining the pack, numbers became high. With winter fast approaching, Stone became anxious.Â
Wolves who had come of age had naturally left the pack to start on their own, others to find new pastures, however some wolves were asked if they could find refuge elsewhere, as Stone and Alders own line was beginning to suffer, they wanted to ensure the survival of whatever stopped the sickness in Stones blood.Â
This came as a shock to some, an opportunity to others, and a heartbreak for Stone. She felt as if she had doomed her pack to her own families fate. After discussing with her trusted mate, it had been decided a new council must be created.
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After consulting her eldest daughter, Oakmask and her chosen heir, her grand daughter Adder, the wolves begin devising new laws that would help bring the pack to balance:
-The lead wolf must still be femaleÂ
-The lead wolf must still be an heir from the current lead wolf bloodlineÂ
-Wolves must be at least 5 years old before they can breed - if the breeding male dies and no eligible males are of this age, this is the ONLY exception
-The lead wolf can have a maximum of X2 litters
-The lead wolf may breed with their pairing, or breeding male if not related
-Other pack members are allowed to form + breed in pairings, and breed with the breeding male as long as they are not related, they can have X1 litter Â
-If genetic diversity within the pack is becoming limited, the pack may befriend wolves, no adopting (or buying)
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(After the 10th generation is born, you must pick 1 wolf to continue with. All other wolves must be retired)Â
After careful deliberation, all three wolves came to this final decision, now all that was left was to bring them to the pack. The pack was widely accepting, however there were a couple of voices that raised concerns over how small…and close this new “council” was. Oakmask shrank as the voices grew louder, however Adder was quick to diffuse and offer for others to join them in helping to make the final decision on these rules for the pack. This was a fantastic idea, Stone was less enthusiastic. However if this meant her pack was more comfortable with the new rules, she was happy.
The final council members were accepted in, and a den was created for them to meet in.
The new pack rules may be difficult to follow, especially with so many pups on the way, for many this may be their only litter now.Â
Crow and Eagle are expecting their last litter. As Eagle is an Elder now and may pass soon.Â
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08/07/2025
Stone is heartbroken, Kefir and Seer now live with the Sajo pack, and Bloodmoon will soon find another pack to take him in. She is slowly losing her will and her mind as her newly weened pups are being handed over to strangers.
Alder comforts her the best he can, even in his own agony he knows this decision is the right one. Pinewood has so many pups and not enough food, despite the hunters doing everything they can to feed the mouths waiting at home.
It was the council that agreed on the new law:
- All pups must be considered if the pack cannot handle the load. Alpha pups must be equally chosen to part with if Pinewood cannot care for them
Stone reluctantly agreed, she wanted her pack and their pups safe, and if that meant having to sacrifice some of her own, then so be it. But this decision is now proving so, so difficult for her.
This can never happen again, not to her and Alder, and not to her wolves.
Alder and Stone will never have more pups from this moment on.
Bloodmoon was taken into the Astral veil coven but died very shortly after Stone and Alder left him. They are further grief stricken.
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10/07/2025
Shadow and Stream decided that it was time to move on from the Pinewood. Their pups had grown and moved on, and it was time for them to do the same, Stream wanted to have more pups, and Shadow itched to lead a family of his own. With the amount of wolves in the Pinewood suffocating the pack, and the rules they were asked to follow, there was no way that would happen anytime soon. They decided to let Shadow's family know one at a time.
Stone and Alder were obviously the ones who took the news the hardest, their eldest son was leaving to start anew. They huddled close together as they watched him disappear into the tree line with his mate, never to be seen again.
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10/07/2025
Flames and Bass were forced from Sand, and we're given to another pack, she fought tooth and claw to keep those pups. She is angry beyond comprehension, and her protective instincts are in overdrive. She feels betrayed and COMPLETELY taken advantage of. As soon as her other pups are well enough, she will leave the pack.
River is equally as frightened, these are her pups too after all... This pairing will go down together to protect their pups.
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~*Something is stirring*~
10/07/2025
The pack is beginning to fall apart. Pups being forced from their mother's, wolves leaving left and right, others planning their escape. What is happening?
Stone has lost control, the council has disbanded and the pack is not as unified as it once was... There are still so many pups, and young wolves here, what is the best course of action now? Alder approaches Stone gently, she is spiralling.
"Stone." She looks up at him.
"This isn't working anymore, the Pinewood should disband". She couldn't accept that. She wouldn't accept that, all of this was to stop the sickness, they had to stop the sickness.
"We can't Alder, the sickness could come back and-" "Stone, the sickness is gone, it has been for a long time." She flinched, she had never seen Alder like this before.
"But Ekli said it's in the blood, it's infected"
"Ekli must have been the last one, Willow and I have scouted every area we can 50 times, and haven't seen another yet" Alder moved closer to Stone and sat down. "It's one thing taking pups to nearby packs and asking them to shelter them...but forcing them?" Stones ears lay flat against her head, she never wanted this. "It's one thing to have to ask for shelter...but another for the council to just take them Stone". Stone lay her head down in agreement.
"You're right, disband the Pinewood. My heart breaks to say it, I can't believe I failed them" Stone buries her head into her paws in grief, the pain is overwhelming. Alder lays by the side to comfort her "It's alright, we can find a way to get through this."
The reckoning begins
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11/07/2025
The pack gathers and decides their fate together, Sand stands at the helm of a new pack, called the Wheat grass pack. Eagle, Crow and Honeysap decide to take their pups and head to the River side, for a quieter life and upbringing for their young.
The Pinewood is smaller now, but that doesn't mean that these new groups aren't allowed to visit. The wolves agreed to stay in contact and help each other when they can, but not at the cost of their own. This was the best way to ensure the survival of all the wolves, and ensuring ALL pups are kept.
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