// Rise of Juniper

[dimi.]

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This is a novel I am writing about my wolf Juniper, who is the founder of my pack
within the species Wolves of Direwood. I will be updating this as frequently as possible, and if
you are interested in your Wolf being potentially featured, please DM me. Thank you.

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[dimi.]

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The sun had retreated beneath the horizon to rest for the evening, the sky darkening to a dark navy blue, bright white stars shining off the surface. The moon appeared to be closer to the surface than normal, the white light radiating off the moon providing a relaxing white luminescent that dimly lit the forest. Little activity was present, prey and predator falling victim to the desirable slumber that washed over them once the sun set. In the core of the forest, however, several wolves were stirring, wandering around the camp aimlessly, while some were howling to the moon in apparent delight. Several wolves were crowding around the entrance of a den, gazing in eagerly.

Inside the den, laying on her flank on a bed comprised of leaves, solidified mud, and a variety of feathers plucked from birds in the region, was a gray she-wolf. She had soft blue eyes, the moon light peering through the den reflecting off of them as they glinted warily. Her head was propped against a rock close to her stomach, her eyes lingering on the new life at her stomach. A small newborn wolf lay at her stomach, her head buried against the soft fur of the mother's stomach, the pup's muzzle parted just slightly, slowly suckling milk from the mother wolf.

Just behind the mother on the bed, a darker gray wolf with vibrant violet eyes sat on his haunches, gazing at the pup and mother lovingly. His head was tilted down respectively, his tongue lapping the mother's ear encouragingly. The two of them made eye contact briefly, whispering affectionate words to one another as their eyes wandered to the pup. The pup was just born, and while she could not hear or see at this age, her muscles were tensing, the bundle of joy already displaying immense energy as her paws prodded at the mother's stomach. The father let out a soft growl of amusement, resting his chin atop the mother wolf's. The silence was broken by a question that most wolves of the pack had.

"What will we name her, love?" The father wolf asked, his violet eyes returning to the pup, who seemed to be sucking up all the milk from the mother wolf in a jiffy. The mother wolf gently moved her head away from beneath the father's, her eyes lingering on the pup. Her ears were pricked forward, her nose twitching, taking in the scent of the newborn. She then smiled in delight, returning her gaze to the father.

"I think Juniper will fit her nicely." With the statement of the pup's name, cheers erupted at the entrance of the den, the wolves eagerly howling the new pup's name. The two parents looked at each other lovingly, giving each other one more affectionate nuzzle before the father lay beside the mother, his head propped her shoulder protectively, their eyes lingering on the pup for a moment longer before the two slowly dozed off, the crowd at the entrance of the den slowly flooding away.
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[dimi.]

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The sky was a light blue, only a few scattered clouds present in the sky. The clouds weren't dense, instead looking like small flurries of fog dancing across the sky. The lack of clouds resulted in the beams radiating off the sun to burn brighter than normal, the light hitting the ground immensely bright, the sun almost appearing white from the lack of clouds surrounded it. The sun stood out against the blue sky, despite only being a fraction of it's size. The wolves, however, stayed in a dense forest, the leaves of the trees above shielding them from the merciless light. Some beams of light still shone through, however, and a few of the wolves laid out in the clearings, soaking the sun into their pelts. Some were slumbering beneath the sunlight, others were staring off into space without a care in the world. The nursery, however, was stirring with activity, a variety of howls and cheers heard from within from several pups. In the past month alone, the nursery had become far more crowded, the latest pup among the ones in the den. Nearly a month had passed since Juniper, the newest pup of the Pack of Sanguine Skies was born.

She had only gained the ability to hear just last week, and ever since then, she has been yipped at, and she has yipped with all the other pups. On this particular day, however, she lingered in the corner of the den, her back pressed against the cool cavern wall as she gazed at the other pups, who appeared to be mesmerized by a large tuft of fur, which was bouncing back and forth between the pups as they batted at it with swift speed. Her vibrant blue eyes swayed back and forth, locked on the tuft of fur. Her head cocked to the side in curiosity, her nose twitching in the direction of the tuft of fur. She quietly whispered to herself a question. "Who's tuft of fur is that?" None of the pups acknowledged her question, but she was sitting far enough away, so she wasn't particularly surprised nor worried. The question had been towards herself, after all. Her eyes then lit up when she heard faint, but heavy footsteps at the entrance of the den. The pups ceased their playing with the tuft of fur, obediently sitting on their haunches. Juniper noticed that her behavior might stick out if she was sitting alone, so before the wolf that was obviously beyond the den entered, she leaped to her haunches and darted over to the other pups, flinging herself toward onto her haunches quickly, nose in the air as she acted confident.

The pups around her giggled softly at the gesture, gently bumping shoulders with the frantic Juniper. The shoulder bumping then ceased when the wolf entered the den. The wolf was large, his skin covered by a thick dark brown pelt. His eyes, which were a vibrant and daunting yellow, examined the pups head to toe, examining their posture. He leaned in real close to one pup, and growled, the pup letting out a pitiful yip before the wolf broke out in laughter. "You kiddos are really getting used to the routine. Come on, it's time to eat." The dark brown wolf turned, walking forward to guide the other pups out. Juniper watched the other pups rise, waiting until they were gone before grabbing the tuft of fur in her mouth, her eyes crossing as she looked at it beneath her jaw. Her eyes lit up when she saw the color of the fur. The fur was a deep brown, light reflecting off the surface to give it a sleek look. She then made a realization, her eyes widening. Wait, this fur is his! He needs it back!

Juniper ran after the large wolf, leaping forward to land beside him before tossing the tuft of fur onto his side. "The other pups stole your fur!" Juniper yelled frantically, crouched close to the ground as her pupils dilated out of fear. The wolf turned to Juniper in confusion, peering at the loose tuft of fur on his shoulder. He then turned back to Juniper and let out a hearty laugh, pulling Juniper close as the other pups walked out past them, heading to the feast of prey at the center of camp. "Juju, dear, you worry too much." He said with another soft laugh as her ears pricked backwards in embarrassment. Juju was a nickname given to her by her mother, as yelling "Juniper!" whenever her pup got into trouble had become a bit tedious to address the ornery pup with.

Juniper slowly wriggled her way out of the embrace, glancing at the other pups who seemed to be just as amused as the older wolf, blood pumping to her face as her entire body began to heat up out of sheer embarrassment. She turned her head in the direction of the older wolf, shamefully bowing her head in embarrassment, her muzzle parting as she mumbled something, her tone seeming genuine. "I'm sorry, sir." The adult wolf smiled again as he shook his head at Juniper's embarrassment.

"You're just a pup, Juju. There's no need to say sorry for anything like that. And you don't need to call me sir, call me Maximus, or Max if you prefer." Max said softly, his vibrant yellow eyes gazing down upon the small white pup before him. Juniper awkwardly nodded, quietly muttering his name beneath her breath, nodding to herself as she memorized the name. With that, she quickly sauntered to the back of the group, leaping into her position in the formation as they pressed on towards the prey in the center of camp. After a moment more of walking, the pups reached the prey pile, followed by the elder and retired wolves. The sun burning down upon the various pieces of dead prey caused the air to have a musty smell, dried blood present on the ground beneath the prey. Juniper cringed, her nose wrinkling at the stench. Her tongue, however, stuck out as she stared at a deer, longing to sink her starving fangs into the flank of the deer. Maximus glanced around the others, making sure no apprentices or other wolves had sneaked in before instructing them to eat. He merely stood back, monitoring the chaos as the pups flew forward.

Juniper began to tear at the meat of the dear, chewing it carefully to make sure she didn't choke. While she was over a month old and her teeth had grown in for the most part, she was still adjusting to the sharp canines present in her mouth, and was wary when eating tough meat such as deer. The taste in her mouth was satisfying, her eyes lighting up as her hunger being satisfied bestowed a new energy in her. Once she was satisfied, she swallowed the piece in her mouth before leaping back, glancing around for her parents. Maximus gazed down at the lost pup for a moment, then laughed. "Juju, Kyovii and Artemis are in the warriors den." Juniper looked up at Maximus and smiled, silently thanking him for sparing her of being flustered in front of the others once more, eagerly making her way towards the warriors den.

When she reached the entrance, she put her nose to the air and tried to mimic the howl of an adult wolf, her howl still high pitched and slightly strained, but it was growing by the day. Her parents, Kyovii and Artemis, lay at the back of the den, smiling as their pup entered the den. "Juniper, dear, how was your prey?" Her mother started, ushering her over with a loving and soft flick of her tail backwards. Juniper sped over, sliding across the slick cavern ground until she bumped into her father's front leg, a loud laugh escaping her.

"It was tasty, I tried deer today." With the comment, Juniper's tongue flopped out, grazing along the lining of her soft lips, a faint crimson tint present on beneath her muzzle from sinking her muzzle too deep into the deer's flank. She then laughed again, bounding right and left in front of her parents eagerly. She then squeaked quietly when her father's tail gently tapped her spine, guiding her to lay down on her stomach on the cold cavern floor, a loving smile crossing his muzzle.

"Love, you are a bit wild today. Calm it down." Kyovii said with a quiet laugh, seeming incapable of resisting his daughter's energetic movements and attitude. Juniper quickly nodded, taking in a sharp breath to calm herself down. She then glanced in the direction of Artemis, who was warily glancing at the entrance of the den. Juniper rolled over onto her side, peering over at the den entrance, only to see nothing was there. She rolled back over, curiously questioning why her mother was looking in that diretion. Her mother seemed to notice this movement, and spoke quietly.

"I was just looking out there, dear. Your father and I are a bit tired, so we're going to take a nap before the border patrol today. Go play with the other pups for right now, okay?" Juniper nodded, burying her head against her mother's flank for a moment before leaping to her paws, happily bounding over to her father. She gazed up at Kyovii, looking at him as if she were expecting something. The wolf then laughed, leaning down so they touched noses.

"Stay safe, love." Kyovii called out as Juniper quickly sped out of the den. Juniper flicked her tail in the direction of Kyovii as she ran out, acknowledging his command with a fury of laughter. Kyovii turned towards Artemis and sighed softly. "She moves very fast, almost as fast as she's growing. It feels like she was just born still." Kyovii said as he looked at Artemis lovingly, her unamused frown turning into a smile as she buried her face against Kyovii's shoulder.

"She'll be okay. Just get some sleep." Kyovii nodded, making his way behind Artemis. He laid on his side, allowing Artemis to huddle close to his chest before curling inward slightly, her tail protectively over her flank. His head rested atop hers, and soon they fell into a slumber, everything outside the den worrying them seeming to leave in an instant.
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[Ranger of the North]

Such a cute puppo