Darkness engulfed the forest, and although it was cloudless, no moon shone that night. Instead, the sky was lit with a different kind of light. Tonight, the sky was lit with dazzling streaks of purple, green, and blue; the Aurora Borealis. Below, a fire suddenly flickered into existence, earning small, startled gasps from the young wolves surrounding it. A hushed silence came over them as a deep, earthy brown brute stepped into the fire's light, a deep green gem and a eagle feather resting on his chest from a grass string. For a moment, no one spoke, and the young wolves quivered with barely controlled excitement. Then, the white brute began to speak, his deep voice ringing clearly out into the silent forest. "Long ago," he began, glancing meaningfully at each individual wolf around him, "the first of animals were placed upon this Earth. There were those who ate the plants, such as the rabbits, the deer, and the elk. And then, there were those who ate them, such as the foxes, the bears, and of course, the wolf. Now, in those days, chaos ravaged the lands. Not only did predator hunt prey, but the predators also hunted amongst themselves, and brother turned on brother. There were even those who hunted not out of need, but instead, for sport. The spirits became angry with this behaviour, and sent a drought to the lands to express their anger." Now, the brute paused for a moment, and the young wolves eagerly leaned in, silently urging him to continue. The brute lowered his head and voice, staring the young wolves right in the eye. "A month after the drought had been sent, on a night just like tonight, a fight broke out amongst the wolves.They were all hungry, thirsty, and weak, and each seemed to blame the others for their problems. Then, in the midst of the fighting, one wolf came forward and suddenly called 'Stop!' Confused, the wolves did stop, and looked around to find who had called to them. A grey brute stood upon a rock, staring at the wolves around him. This wolf's name, was Amoux. 'Stop!' he called once again, softer, and watched as all the wolves there turned to him. 'This fighting must end! We are destroying ourselves!' Amoux cried, looking at the wolves gathered there. "We spend all our time fighting our own brothers and sisters, and have angered the spirits!' The wolves remained silent as they reflected on what he had said, and waited for him to go on. "This is not how it's supposed to be,' Amoux continued with a shake of his head, before taking a step forward. 'Join me, and we will create a pack. One that we can live in harmony together in, and in which we can work together to survive.' Some of the wolves scorned Amoux, and walked away. A few, though, stayed, and together, they created a pack in which they did indeed live in harmony in. Impressed by Amoux, the spirits presented a gift to him. It was a necklace, that had a silver gem and an eagle feather hanging from it. 'The eagle feather represents your leadership as alpha,' the spirits told him. 'An owl feather represents the betas, two black stones with silver fleck represents the oracle, a stone represents the guards, a tooth represents the fighters, a leaf represents the healers, and a claw represents the hunters.' 'Thank you for these gifts,' Amoux replied. 'But, may I ask, what are the purpose of the gems?' The spirits paused and gave a smile before answering. 'Those are our true gifts to you, dear one. Those are much more than stones. They possess the power of magic. Just as each wolf specializes in a certain area, so will the gems. Each one will be capable of performing certain things, all depending on it's owner.' Astonished, Amoux thanked them for their kindness, and watched as they began to leave. One spirit paused for a moment though, and looked back to Amoux. 'Oh, and each gem has a name. No one will tell you, but you'll easily be able to tell on your own. However,' he warned, 'tell only those you trust and care about most your gem's name, for if another knows, they'll be able to command your power, and you yourself. As well, your powers will only work if you are wearing the gem.' Amoux thanked the spirit for his advice and watched as he raced back to where the northern lights still danced. Years went by, and the pack learned how to use their powers, and continued to live in harmony. And although Amoux died centuries ago, the pack he built still thrives today, with the same values and traditions that it had before. And so, once a pup has reached six moons of age, on a night when there is no moon and the lights of our ancestors dance in the sky, they too are given a gem and item to determine there rank." The brown brute paused now, watching the pups around him squirm in delight, they eyes wide with excitement. Their eyes widened even larger as two wolves stepped out of the gloom to sit on either side of him. On the wolf to his right, a leaf hung from his necklace, and the wolf on the left had two black stones flecked with silver hanging from theirs. "Tonight," the brown brute said nobly, the firelight dancing in the depths of his green eyes, "you will truly become a wolf of the Vanished Moon Pack."