The twins learned young how to stay out of their mother's way and follow orders. They were close, from their birth; they seemed to think and move in unison sometimes, always aware of each other's actions, able to finish each other's sentences. There were variations in personality, but these complemented each other nicely.

Mealstra was always the bolder of the pair. She was named Mealstra for her temperment, which was passionate and dynamic as a storm at sea, and she was generally the sister most likely to initiate a playfight. Her sister, Xajaline, was slightly quieter and slyer, more calculating and much more likely to stage a game of chase or hide-and-pounce-on-your-head.

Their childhood carried on without much difficulty or excitement until one night, when their mother came to them, holding back tears and looking angrier than they'd ever seen her. They crept from their hiding place, looking utterly confused as Estella urged them away from home.

"Mother, where's Daddy?" Xaja asked, tentatively.

Estella would not answer.

They travelled for many days, without explanation from their mother. They pieced it together for themselves, throughout the months that followed. The pack had been ambushed, and a slaughter had ensued; Crowe had been killed and Stella, realizing that there was little chance of holding the pack through the night, had fled. The pack was destroyed behind them. There was no way to go back.

None of the three ever talked about it.

The pups moved into a path of wood far from their homeland. It had recently been through a fire, and seemed largely deserted. They learned over time that it was the border between two warring packs, and despite its unfortunate placement, they stayed there, having no better place to be. Stella had no aversions to violence.

Not unlike their old pack, the pack whose borders they lived on was ambushed in the night. Stella rose up to battle the first wave of spies as best she could, holding them off until the warriors could arrive, hating to be witness to a massacre. The pups hid, and watched as their mother was slaughtered in battle. Then the enemy scooped up the pups, and took to the trees to steal them.

Everything was confused for a moment. There was a conflict, that neither pup could see. Then there was utter darkness.

When she woke up, Mealstra was in a small treehouse, in a bed with bandages over her head. Xaja was gone, and the next time she saw her, it would be on opposite ends of a battle field.

[Adolesence]

[Adulthood]