Melina’s father was a traveller and spent his youth wandering the lands. Along the way, he met Melina’s mother who joined him on his travels. She began collecting herbs and delved into herbalism. She was incredibly smart and wise beyond her years.
The two temporarily settled down in a forested area of the mountains when Melina’s mother began to need a den. They had a litter of three pups together, a boy and two girls. The pack was small but familial and once their pups were old enough, they set out to continue wandering.
A year or so later, Melina’s mother was pregnant again, this time with a single pup; Melina. That winter was harsh and food was scarce. With only four wolves available to hunt, three of which were still young the pack barely scraped by. Melina herself almost did not make it. Even though she was young, that rough winter is seared into her mind, causing anxiety whenever the snow begins to fall.
Her parents were incredibly loving and kind. Her father was a little aloof, wandering further than the rest of the pack, sometimes disappearing for a day or two. Sometimes her siblings would go with him, but other times they all stayed with their mother, learning from her. She taught them what she could about herbalism, as it was her passion. She and Melina were very close, spurred on by their combined fear from the past winter's close call.
They were a peaceful pack, but travelling in the way they did was bound to make them a target. One morning as the pack strolled along the edge of a river, they heard howls. A rival pack stood on a ridge, watching. Melina’s parents tensed, taking the warning for what it was and ushering their children to move along. It was the wrong move.
The rival pack of sixteen wolves bore down on the tiny pack of six. Melina’s father pushed through to protect them as her mother and children ran. Her father tried to fight, but they all knew he wasn’t going to make it. The noises he made, the wails and howls will continue to haunt Melina forever.
But the pack wasn’t happy with just her father paying for their crimes. No, they continued to chase them down, running for miles over the mountainous region. Melina began to slow, being younger than her siblings she didn’t have the same stamina. The rival pack began to catch up, teeth snapping at her heels, a bite at her tail. Her mother encouraged her, almost pleading, but she could do nothing to help her daughter. Melina was grabbed and dragged into the group of wolves.
She was snapped at, bitten, dragged. Teeth, teeth, teeth everywhere. She whined and whimpered, praying that they would let her go, that she would live. But they continued. Blood was drawn and Melina simply lay there, pain radiating through her body.
And then they left; walked away howling and celebrating like they didn’t have a young wolf's blood in their mouths. Melina lay there shaking, her blood coating her in sickly red. After an unknown amount of time, she pulled herself up on unsteady legs and found an old cave. There she rested until she gained enough energy to find some food and herbs and then retreated back into her temporary home to repeat the whole process the next day.
Once Melina was healed enough, she headed out to try and find her family. She missed them all terribly, but especially her mother. They had a special bond, one created from the near miss of death. Melina searched and searched, day and night for months. But she never found them, only scents that had long gone stale.
It was during this search that she met Suren, her mate and fellow leader. He convinced her not to waste her life wandering like her father. To let herself have a life, have a family. Together, they created a safe and loving pack, similar to what Melina had in her original family.
She has not given up, though. She still explores, sometimes taking long trips away, searching for any sign of her lost family. Maybe someday she’ll meet her mother again.
Founded on 2025-05-16 by Melina, who named it after the wattle lined creek in which she met her mate Suren. Together they had two puppies and were soon joined by Morana and Kala.
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The young pack settled down in the coniferous forest, surviving their first winter together by the skin of their teeth. Morana and Kala both bred with Suren during the winter, causing tension in the pack. Morana gave birth to five pups.
