The History of Wolf Hill

[pigeoncore]

Long ago, there was only one pack on Wolf Hill, led by Petal, a fair and just young wolf. He believed in equal treatment, and that working together was the best path to survival.
The wolves of Wolf Hill lived in peace and harmony. Prey was plentiful, and there was no conflict. Treeflake Pack was united. But one day a nefarious wolf said that Treeflake should be separated. That constant war was the best way to keep prey numbers stable.
His name was Crystal Shadow. He killed many wolves in his endless hunger for seperation. And after many moons, he won. Wolf Hill was split into Tree Pack and Snowflake Pack, and Treeflake was no more.
Crystal Shadow took over Tree Pack and banished Snowflake Pack to the winterlands, where they had to fight desperately for survival.
Now that Crystal Shadow had divided Wolf Hill, the days were long and dark. He decided that only he would get the finest prey, and all the others would have to live on his scraps.
The wolves of Tree Pack were very dissatisfied with their new alpha. They decided that it was time for a revolution. Again. They gathered a select few wolves and ambushed Crystal Shadow in his cave at night. He barely fought, which should have been a warning, but they were pretty oblivious and didn’t think to consider this.
The rebels brought Crystal Shadow to a small, hidden cave on the beach. They interrogated him for seven days and seven nights, and learned absolutely nothing.
On the eighth day, Crystal shadow flipped out and attacked them. Not a single rebel survived. Crystal Shadow returned to Tree Pack completely unscathed.
But the rebels had prepared for this.
They had partnered with a wolf from Snowflake Pack as well, who thought he could take Crystal Shadow down.
He was defeated instantly. The second revolution was over.

For many years after, the wolves of Wolf Hill lived in chaos and disharmony. As more pups were born, the older wolves died off, the true story of Wolf Hill dying with them. It was many years before Crystal Shadow himself died, and all the wolves of Tree Pack gathered around his deathbed.
Petal watched him carefully, seeing his chest rise and fall with ragged breaths.
“We were mates once.” he said to no one in particular. The wolves looked at him in mixed horror and awe, murmuring.
“We loved each other once.”
“He said he was splitting the packs to protect me. I don’t know what was going on in that beautiful head. I was stupid to love him, I know. But I couldn’t control it.”
In his last moments, Crystal Shadow raised his head and whispered, “I love you too, Petal.”
And he fell back to the ground, dead.
The wolves of Tree Pack were unsure what to do in his absence. When Petal died a few days later, he instructed the oldest wolves in the pack to keep Crystal Shadow a secret.
“We have a fragile life now. If we all know the truth, the reason why Tree Pack and Snowflake Pack even exist, what is left of Wolf Hill will crumble. A war may come.”
“The same in Snowflake Pack?” His beta asked.
“Of course. Their territory, prey count; they are inferior to us.”
“How can you say that?” The beta breathed.
“We cannot let them know. There will be no contact between the two packs. Crystal Shadow will only be known to the alphas and elders of each pack. No one else. If they tell, they die.”
The beta considered all this. “Are you sure, Petal?”
“I am as sure as I loved Crystal Shadow.”
This was not reassuring in any way. But the beta followed Petal’s rules and the tale of Crystal Shadow was not told to the pups. Wolf Hill was kept a secret, and it was passed down for over a hundred years.
All this time, the ghost of Crystal Shadow watched and waited, his fury growing him to mammoth proportions. He knew someone would summon him one day; and when they did, he would tell them all the history of Wolf Hill.