I Was A Pup And You Were A Princess, All Those Years Ago

Nako rolled his shoulders and gave a shake of his pelt as he stared down at the dead tree upon the hill. It had been where he grew up, a place overlooking the barn over six years ago. The den past the tree was overgrown with scrub brush and clearly had remained untouched for some time, a fact that a memory of snow and chasing his step sister resurfaced wasn't coincidental at to what made him remember such a time. It had been snowing then, much like it was right now. Now older eyes viewed the fallen trees and the strange symbols carved upon the gnarled and curling bark. They all matched the scar Nako bore on his shoulder. Did the trees die quietly due to the mark? Were beetles to blame as the insects browned the leaves all the way until they reached the stump? A wind storm?

A paw stamped down on the snow  as the male headed down hill. The wind drifted through the tree tops as he headed down to the barn. It took a few minutes and if anything the wolf rambled a bit through the territory in an attempt to remember. He knew that his family had come back to live here four or five years ago right before a pack decided to claim it for itself. But Nako didn't find much else from the partially collapsed barn or the growing agriculture. The tractor was full there, and that meant... Nako lessened his pace and wracked his memory. Graves of Seracia's fallen were nearby. An inkling of reverence overcame the males steps. Riv, and Gerhardts mate. Had there been others? Nako's brow furrowed. A moment spent recalling his time in the pack before remembering that there was at least two pups in the earth as well. There could be more around but Bane had spoken little of the pack that has cast them out. Tahlia, bless her old soul, had taken him and his siblings out of the pack to join their father as rogues and that had been that.

Nako's paw's splayed out over the snow as he journeyed towards the sun and the last major feature of the territory he needed to check. It came out past the trees, a vast field of ice and memories of fish. Seracia's bountiful lake. Nako's ears stood fixed forward as he reclined heavily as if struck by a blow. How many remembered this? How many remembered the forgotten kingdom that once could rival all packs? Warriors, healers, princes, kings. A kidnapper and a father. All of his childhood surrounded him, and for the moment Nako was the only one who remembered it all with a shaky breath as his eyes glazed over and tried to envision the splendor of youth and a time where the pack of Seracia once stood. Forgotten.