- -- Unity. Without it, an individual is limited to his own abilities; if he is inadequate in one diminutive detail, the odds are against him. Independence may give the illusion of freedom, but as soon as the initial thrill of it vanishes, one has a calamitous dilemma. Nobody can self-sustain adequately for the entire duration of their lives. The way of the wolf is to seek alliance and comradeship. The life of a honourable pack is one in which the survival of a single wolf would be proudly sacrificed for the well-being of the pack.
-- A pack is devastated when its members' faithfulness is no more. And with the fall of the pack, comes the fall of the wolves, preceding the eventual fall of the delicate balance of life. This is the sad truth for the Region of the Ravine, an immense wilderness untouched by humankind. Its native pack has been fragmented into loner families that are, too, slowly dying. Every night, faintly outlined against the eternally blank skies, a pair can be seen sitting on the edge of a ravine's cliff. They are a male and a female wolf, and the duo watches the starless sky with intense sorrow, until the morning.
-- If one was to advance upon them with the self-obsessed arrogance that the wolves of today possess, both would flee. But if the approaching wolf comes tentatively with the now rare traits of respect and diplomacy, they would be tolerated, and would be granted the ability to watch the nightly ritual without the pair leaving. They would witness the two as they stare up at the night, making futile attempts to somehow see even a single star in the lonely blackness.
-- They are the last ones here who remember the time when sunshine penetrated through layers of lush verdant foliage and moonlight cast its soft, tranquil glow across the fur and feathers of slumbering animals. Assorted wildlife scampered, swam, and flew within the once-flourishing forests and fields, which had sustained life so well that there were great abundances in the population of all species. They remember, most vividly, how the glittering surface of the ravine's river below was illuminated by countless stars during clear nights. Now the murky waters reflect nothing but the lifeless expanse above, as the stars have faded into oblivion.
-- Long ago, the wolves had ran through this flawless territory to patrol, uphold, and protect the vast masterpiece that countless generations of ancestors left behind; they would guard this spectacular inheritance with their lives. This was the golden age of the Keepers, a pack long since obliterated. Nothing could rival the unparalleled magnificence they had once seen. It is unfortunate that a calamitious plight was destined to fall upon this kind. The time of prosperity, honour, and peace is over for them, and has now been succeeded by mistrust, hatred, and loss.
-- These two belonged to this pack, the last of their kind, the ones prophesied to save them all. They had fallen due to one small mistake, falling short of the goal, failing to repair all that was broken. The Keepers' fate was in their paws, but they had let them down. In turn for their lifelong devotion and contributions, the other Keepers live on in the stars as a reward, the very same stars that disappeared from the sight of this place after its dilemmas and are out of reach forever. Unless, somehow, this post-apocalyptic place is restored.
-- Until then, they shall walk the earth, seeking the ones who will arise to truly bring the Region back to its former glory and carry out what they have failed to do. There will always be hope, despite the dismal circumstances -- but they have lost the chance to be that spark of restoration forever. Now all they can do, is find those individuals and mentor whoever those are to the best of his ability. Only if they succeed, then the stars will return, and the future will not be certain disaster for every living thing residing in this place. And the fate of the entire Region of the Ravine depends on this final hope.
