Wolves of the Beyond: Cougar Wolf

Cougar Snows

        Maya was exhausted. Three months had passed, and her milk was already gone. She wanted to raise this pup properly, but she hadn't even come up with a name for this pup. Soon she would need a name, but all she could think about is how much milk she seemed to need, and now she was forced to give this pup meat early. The pup had grown somewhat sleek and her fur seemed to have a lustrous red shine to it.

        Basil and Plumb loved to play with her, and both were always working to gain her attention. No name was given to her, though, and all they did to get her attention was say 'hey' left and right. Maya had warned them that if they kept calling her by that, she was going to think that that was her name. Plumb's eyes had seemed to ask the question that Basil voiced: "Then what is her name?"

        Maya felt so unsure, and she even admitted it. She wanted to give her a wolfish name, but despite her knowledge, she didn't know any except the clan leaders. To name one after a clan leader just didn't seem right to her. Nor would it to the wolves, of this she was sure.

        Gorge, who was the father of Basil and Plumb, was a grizzled old cougar. He'd lost his left eye in a battle with another male cougar to win her over for the moment. Such was the way for cougar mothers, they mated, then they left the male in hopes to protect the cubs from the violence a male could show. She would mate with several other males after that, and then she would bear the cubs. She had only chosen to mate once, as oddly as it was for a female to do before finding a birthing den.

        A blizzard raged outside, and the warmth of Maya's body seemed like the only thing the pup wanted right now. She had been born in the rain, and she had been found when i was out searching for Basil, she had been found beneath the boulder, which was a clever...what do they call it? Tummfraw?Yes, that was it!

        She was contemplating on the name for a good while. Maybe she would ask her cubs. But they were sound asleep, as was the little pup. Plumb began to yawn and awoke. "Mom," she said, "What's wrong?"

        "Nothing, dear, nothing...Just trying to figure out a name for the she-pup, that's all."

        "Well, I was dreaming of something," she yawned again. "Something about warm, sunny meadows, and bright beautiful flowers. Tall, and wonderous. And then, something dark took it all away. I thought something might be wrong, or going to go wrong, so maybe you had a problem?"

        Does she have what the owls call starsight? Maya couldn't be sure. "No problem, dear, just try to sleep, okay?"

        "Alright." With another yawn, Plumb fell asleep.

        Something dark? Maya wondered. Oh roloc, what could that mean? If my daughter has starsight, at least I will be warned. For now....A russet wolf, with a black triangle on her back right leg, one that seems to point straight to her deformation....

        Maya had drifted off to sleep that night. The sight of the cubs and the pup sleeping rubbed off on her. That night she had dreamed of when she'd gone looking for Basil. Ever since the pup came into Basil's life, he seemed to be more obedient with things. He seemed almost reflective about everything. Maya wondered if the young pup didn't have an effect of some sort on Basil. Maybe the young pup had talks with him that made him much more reflective on the littlest of things.

        I think I shall call her...Turlalann. "Tur" meant 'Ocean' in the cougar language, and "alann," meant 'Eyes'. The russet wolf's eyes were like a watery green, that held hints of blue. Indeed, her eyes seemed to be filled with the ocean. Beautiful and amazing. But "lann" alone could also mean 'frail storm'

        So Turalann became her name. She was found in a storm, and her eyes held the ocean in them.

        Later that night, Turalann and the other three were told to stay inside the den. Maya was going hunting. Being up in the mountains, it was beginning to snow. While the cubs fell asleep, Turalann, as she was now nicknamed Tann, began to step outside. This was the very first time she had ever disobeyed Maya. The snows came heavy and Tann found it a joy to just play in the snow. She had seen the white world when looking out, but now she had a chance to experience it. She thought of it as the Cougar Snows. Soft, powdery, and cool against her fur. Every once in a while she might eat the snow.

        She lost track of time and meant to get in before Maya came back, but was caught anyway. This earned her a swat that sent her small body flying back into the cave from that huge paw. Tann yelped in surprise. That was one of the last times she went out without permission.