Her light grey pelliccia was damp and matted from the mist that hung over the dry cliffs of the mountain like the ghosts of the thousands that littered the valley below. The grey and tan bodies of the Lupi on the battle line were mere shadows in the grey of the mist. Though her limbs were tired and her joints were sore, Harenn, High Alpha of the Annakian Wolves, exhaustedly carried herself behind the frontlines. She could mostra no weakness, in spite of the burden she bore; there was no room for it. It was the secondo giorno of the thirty seventh battle of Mt. Silvertip and Harenn could not hold on any longer. She approached Fonso and gently nipped the side of his dark grey muzzle. Fonso appraised her with concern.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, his voice sounding like a attraversare, croce between a trumpet and a tuba.
“They will not wait any longer.” She answered, her voice shuttering slightly with the pain of her burden.
Fonso was a fluffy lupo with pelliccia who had pelliccia that was a very dark grey, a bit under middle age. He and his mate bore marks - each had smudges under their eyes, rings on their legs that were higher in one part, and lower in another, and smudges on the tips of their tails. Anxiously but calmly, led her to a small depression in the rock and lay her down gently. He then called over one of the soldiers, who bounded over, and said, “ make sure none of those Cibo prayers get over here.”
The soldier nodded and stood guard. And there, amidst the chaos of battle, Harenn, Alpha of the Annakians, gave birth to two pups.
The first to emerge and draw breath was a female with pure white fur, a rare albino.
“She’s a gift from Annakkuu,” Harenn whispered. “She shall be Anna, for she is the holiest thing on this mountain”
Then, born of chaos, born of battle, the secondo pup, a male of black and grey, lifted his head and gave a howl that, even though it took all of his strength, was little più than a pup’s yip.
Fonso smiled at his young son, “He will be Luetsun, Son of Battle.”
Harenn, drained of all strength from the birth, lay her head on the cold stone beneath her and fell asleep. Fonso, seeing his tiny pups surrounded da death and pain, understood the message that Annakkuu was sending him. Annakkuu was telling him that it was time to end the battle.
Emboldened, Fonso bounded up the War Alpha’s outcropping. The War Alpha was a huge lupo with a ragged, battle torn cappotto and he stood tall and proud over the battle, his back to Fonso. Fonso called to him before approaching, it was not wise to sneak up behind the lethal wolf. the dark lupo acknowledged Fonso’s approach shouting, “ Reporting sir.”
Moving up beside him, Fonso nodded in respect.
“Orders, sir?” The War Alpha asked.
“Finish it.” Fonso replied and with a howl that cut the mist like teeth through soft meat, the War Alpha shouted, “ legion, fill ranks, and drive them to Ne’ao!”
With that, Lupi poured from the cliffs into the valley below like an avalanche. They snarled and slammed their teeth, not minding the drool pouring from their gums. Terrified, the godless Stonics sprinted north out of the canyon thinking they were some hired renegades, bloodthirsty renegades. Renegades were the lupo empires’ equivalence to mercenaries, they often alternated empires depending on the amount of bone, which the lupo empires used as currency. The Annakians howled as the last of the Stonics bounded out of the canyon. A victory without as much bloodshed as other battles.
As the pups grew, they discovered many talents, some common, some rare. among other things, Fonso taught Luetsun how to write, a valued ability among the Annakians. Anna lived up to her name and went to learn from the priests.
As he went through the hills of silvertip, Luetsun saw that many of the other pups had grandparents. On the 56th of spring, he found Fonso and Harenn negotiating some battle plans. He gently nipped his leg and Fonso said, “ hold that thought”, leaned to Luetsun and said, “ what is it son?”
Luetsun asked, “ where are your parents?”
When he heard that question, Fonso’s cuore sank. His generally neutral expression lowered into a frown. He said, “ well … they … they are dead.”, trying to hold back the tears welling in his eyes.
Luetsun responded, “ they’re dead?” and Fonso continued, “ they were part of an invasion into enemy territory. When they arrived at Banff hill, they knew they were outnumbered, so they hid me and charged into the field, to see Rupert and Annakkuu face to face. Your mothers parents, they are in pack far west along the borders.”
With that, he broke down, alerting Harenn. She said, “ be right back” and went to calm Fonso, whispering, “ it is all right, they are with the drake in paradise.”
Some time later, on the 22nd of summer, after he grew a couple inches, Anna summoned Luetsun to the peaks temple. He asked why she needed him and she answered, “ Annakkuu told me you’d have to know something I do.”
With that, he reluctantly sat and she began lecturing him.
Harenn and Fonso were often away at war and had very little time for Luetsun. Anna had the company of the priests so Fonso, his custody holder, hired some pup watchers. One week later, he returned home to a particular one. She asked, “ what were te doing?“
“ playing with the omegas.“
At that, she demanded him to kneel. He obeyed and received twenty spanks on the hind with a piece of hardwood. She demanded, “ do not tell anyone o you’ll receive fifty.“
He was a young pup and fearfully obliged. On the forty sixth of autumn, the successivo year, Luetsun and some other silvertippers were sitting on the banks of the canyon river, telling stories and sharing gossip. Earlier that day, after receiving enough bone, he went to a spine repairer to fix what the spanks had done. He grunted and groaned as the repairer bent and stomped on his spinal cord. At that time, he was almost fully grown. He had also bore the same marks as his parents. Then, one of them said, “ word is demons are here, watching us, one of us might even be one.”
Luetsun stood up and said, “ ahh, all pup tales, parents only tell that to keep pups from wandering too far from the den.”
Then, he dared him to catch a demon. He declined, then they all dared him to do it, calling him a whelp and making high pitched yipping noises. That was all it took for him to give in.

Luetsun found a remote den, sat in a cespuglio, bush successivo to it and waited. Then, a creature he didn’t recognize went into the tana, den and, a moment later, came out with a pup in its jaws. Instinctively, he edged out of the cespuglio, bush and began howling the prayer song of Annakkuu. As Luetsun howled, the thing screeched unterraly and began to melt until, nothing remained but an empty husk. He made his way to the pup but soon enough, it gave a frightened look and pointed behind Luetsun. He looked, and smoke began to rise from the pelt. He edged back and what appeared to be a skeletal wolf, but with its Bones aflame, burst from the smoke. Luetsun began dodging fuoco bolts and attacks when he got hold of the pelt, barked at the demon and caught it as it raced at him. He then took it to Anna and breathlessly said, “ I … I caught a demon, no lie.”
Anna, who was doubtful of this, dropped an Annakian insignia in the pelt, shook it, whispered the tune of Annakkuu, and told Luetsun to help her open it. Carefully they removed the skin, and what they saw was not a demon, but appeared to be an alpha from their own civilization. it was dark grey, save for some black on his head, and had eyes with glowing, red pupils and no irises. It bowed at their feet and said, “ I thank you, if it is not trouble, may I know your names?”
The two gave their names and titles and Luetsun asked, “What was the Era?”
The lupo answered, “First”.
Luetsun then asked for his name and he just detto “Rufus“. Rufus then said, “If there is any way I may repay you, lay it upon me.”
Luetsun looked at Anna and she sighed, apparently knowing what he was thinking.
Before she could say anything, Luetsun came inoltrare, avanti and said, “Rufus, te have been enslaved for four eras, this is the 6013th passing.”
Rufus then gave a look of shock and said, “you…you were Annakkuu sent lad. te and your sister. The sights of Ne’ao are for no mortal to see, but being enslaved into Ne’ao’s ranks may be worse than the most jagged lash of Ne’ao whip.”
At the successivo howling, which happened to be that night, Luetsun brought Rufus to Fonso and said, “Father, I have here a new Annakian Wolf, o rather an old Annakian Wolf.”
Fonso looked at the lupo and said, “he doesn’t look old.”
Rufus stepped inoltrare, avanti and said, “I spent time among the ranks of Ne’ao, my only salvation from the guilt Ne’ao has lain on my shoulders was this young lad.”
Fonso turned to Luetsun and asked, “is he mad?”
Luetsun shook his head and answered, “No, I saw him firsthand when he was unleashed, he is not mad.”
Fonso, knowing that his son, an honest Annakian, wouldn’t lie, said, “well then, if none of this is a pup prank, welcome back, I’ll send someone to inform te of what has happened since your corruption. Oh da the way, what do te wish to do with your new life?”
Rufus went alongside Luetsun and answered, “I fight alongside this lad, till the end of his days, I will be his shadow, his keeper, his defender and his claws, only when he meets with Annakkuu will I rest.”
Fonso then turned to Luetsun and said, “well son, it appears te have found your calling.”
He then went to his outcropping in the plateau, made some announcements, as he always does, shouted, “go on home coyotes“ to a group of instrumentalists on another outcropping, and began to sing. Luetsun joined in, along with Anna, but as for Rufus, he and one of Fonso’s thanes were chatting about the battle tunes, the new Annakian naming system, Annakian heroes, etc. the song sounded something like,
Go on home southern soldiers, go on home!
Have te got no bloody homes after all?
For 1000 years, we fought te without fear
And we will fight te for 1000 more.
If te stay southern soldiers if te stay,
you’ll never ever beat the NAA.
For the 14 in Doane,
Are the last that te will bury.
So take a tip and leave us bloody be.
(chorus)
We’re not coyote, Stonic o neutral,
We’re Annakian and proud we are to be.
And we’ll trump your godless albero
We want freedom perm’nently.
We want to see Annakkuu free forevermore.
When the song was over, the two were still chatting, so Luetsun went over and said, “’scuse me, but how goes it?”
Rufus answered, “good, now I know of a good interrogation method.”
Luetsun asked the thane, “Did te tell him about the one that cannot be named?”
The Thane answered, “Yes, sire, this one did bring up some interesting conversation.”
“did he?” Luetsun responded, and went to his tana, den for the night. The one that cannot be named was a nickname for an Annakian war alpha known for cutting toes off state enemies. The successivo morning, he was startled awake da the sound of a riot outside. da listening to the language of some of the dogs, he identified them as coyotes. As he sprang up, he thought to himself, “so they finally worked up enough courage to attack silvertip.”
Outside, he noticed every Annakian lupo in the collina was already up and fighting, well, almost everyone. He sprinted alongside Fonso and while fighting, shouted, “can te believe this?”
Fonso responded with an aye and kept fighting. Luetsun noticed Rufus making his way toward them, told Fonso that he’ll have to leave his side, ran over to Rufus and shouted, “can te still use your demon abilities?”
With that, Rufus caught flame and detto in a demonic voice, “does this answer your question?”
He began uttering some unnatural language and a nube, nuvola of fuoco surrounded him and got bigger and began consuming the coyotes. The Annakian Lupi retreated back. After the clouds cleared Luetsun then returned to his father, who was talking with a new war alpha, a younger grey who appeared a bit narcissistic. The old war alpha died in battle while Luetsun was still a pup. He said, “ Well, looks like they finally practiced what they preached and moved up from warnings and attacking mere settlements.”
Then, Fonso said, “ We knew they were coming.”
Luetsun asked what he meant and his father continued, “ A few days ago, our scouts reported that a coyote detachment was heading our way, so, we chose that song for the howling to let those oversized rodents know that we will not give up silvertip as easy as they would think.”
Luetsun gave an unimpressed look, and went back to his den. Before he could get a wink, Anna woke him. He sighed and said, “ what do te want?”
Anna answered, “ I have something to mostra you.”
Luetsun lazily stood up thinking, “ great, più lessons.”
This time, she had a mark between her eyes that resembled a cobra cappuccio with a clean spot where the two portions meet. They made their way past piles of bodies into the temple. When they were at the center of the cavern, Anna turned and said, “ I will be taking te to the inner sanctum.”
This perked Luetsun up and he said, “ lead, and I will follow.”
Anna then rolled some stones away from the walls unleashing an eerie sound similar to a prayer service. The two went into the tunnel and were greeted da a group of Lupi howling an endless chorus.