#fallen pine

Fallen Pine is Sun Shower and Crowley’s oldest pup, his younger siblings being several years younger than him. He for a time was considered by Abaise for her successor, until Cracking Ice was born. Despite this, Fallen Pine holds no grudge, glad he wasn’t responsible for the pack, but does assist Cracking Ice when she needs it.

Of course, so was the rest of the pack. Fallen Pine had the advantage of the entire pack willing to defend him, as he was Abaise and Kotsim’s first great-grandpup.

Sun Shower still remembered how excited her mother, Anpa, had been to meet her grandpup, but it had been nothing compared to her own mother.

Abaise had doted on the little pup since the moment he was born, often bringing Sun Shower and Fallen Pine the best pieces of prey the hunters brought back. They still had a leg bone from a bull elk tucked in the corner, gnaw marks from the two of them, as well as Crowley, Sun Shower’s mate, and Fallen Pine’s father.

Sun Shower wagged her tail slightly as said he-wolf walked over to where Fallen Pine was wrestling with a stick, Crowley nudging his son, until he turned his attention to his father, and lunged at him with what was probably supposed to be a fierce growl.

Sun Shower just chuckled softly, standing up and walking over, Crowley rolling onto his back as Fallen Pine crawled on top of him as she did.

“Careful, Fallen Pine, you don’t want to rough up your father too much.”, Sun Shower said with a soft chuckle, earning a huge grin from the pup.

“I won’t, Momma! Just showing him who’s boss!”, he yipped, wagging his tail.

Crowley chuckled slightly, and rolled over onto his side, Fallen Pine tumbling off onto the ground with an indignant squeak.

“If you were showing me who’s boss, I’d be much more unable to move.”, Crowley teased his son, wagging his tail slightly, earning a growl from the little pup. 

Sun Shower just chuckled, walking over and laying down with her paws resting between Crowley’s, Fallen Pine in the middle of the loop made by their paws and tails.

He walked over and curled up next to his mother, Sun Shower smiling and leaning down and washing one of his ears, the fur having been a little dusty and out of place, her tail wagging, smacking against the ground as it did.

While she’d had three pups, Fallen Pine was the only one who had survived, her other two having passed not long after they were born. She knew it was more than likely to result of the lean winter they had had, food having been scarce to find, and even harder to catch, more often than not her mother, aunts and uncles coming back emptypawed. 

Her mother Anpa had tried her hardest to keep Sun Shower well fed, but Abaise had strict rules for who got food first in winter, and while Sun Shower was family, she knew she had broken Abaise’s rule of she-wolves not being pregnant during winter, though she hadn't meant for it to happen. 

Even still, she’d been a bit down the list of wolves that were fed first, and as such hadn't had the best or the most food, some days going hungry with most of the pack. 

She knew that was one reason Abaise was so doting on Fallen Pine, as she knew she felt bad about the loss of her other two pups, even though they obviously didn't know if they would have survived even if Sun Shower had ate first everyday. 

Sun Shower just sighed, shaking herself out of her thoughts. Crowley had laid his head down on their paws, now that Fallen Pine was more interested in gnawing on a stick he’d found near Sun Shower’s leg.