I was born in a cave along with my twin sister, Selva.We were both children born to a happy, loving pair of green lupes. At that time, it was us, dad, mom and my older sister Silva. I had a really happy childhood, full of sunshines and flowers, to be quite literate in that sense. For you see, my mother always wore this beautiful flower necklace tied on a leather rope around her neck. On the end of it was a deep red rose. I always used to play with it when I was little. The strange thing was, it never wilted. It never seemed to age. It never died, even in the coldest months of the year.I had this odd connection with the flower...and didn't really understand this until later. My sister helped care for me and my sister, watching us when mom and dad went out to hunt or get other food. I never liked meat...I don't know why, but food from the earth seems to me the best kind of food you can get. Plus, it saves energy, isn't a massacare of life, and all together a much better way to eat. But, let's not talk about that right now, we still have my life to get at.

Well, on e day while me and Selva were playing, were were about 5 months old by then, mother came back...alone. Silva asked her where our father was, and she said that he had been taken by a pack of rabid dogs that had overtaken them in the woods. Now, when she said this at first, I didn't really understand where my father had been exactly "taken." So, I hoped and waited for his return, not knowing that he was long dead. Niether mother nor Silva told me or Selva about my father's death. Probably should have...but it's too late for that now. Everynight, after we were finished playing, me and my sister waited up for father's return, though he never came to see us. Selva eventually decided to give up, leaving me alone on night watch((which my mother protested very much, but she was too much in grieveing and trying to keep us alive to really enforce the rule. I probably wouldn't have listened anyway...)).

During these little night watches, I began to understand a hidden power that was within me. It seemed that whenever I would sit, staring out at the moon, the stars, or over the horizon, hoping to see my father's figure; that I could manipulate certain flowers. It was quite an interesting perk at first. I didn't really understand how to do it yet, but it was fun making the petals of various little orchids or snapdragons open and close with just a wave of my paw, or spoken yip. Yet, the power was very limited, showing my age and inexperience with it. I still kept at it. The nights when I was bored trying to wait for father alone, I would sit and talk to the flowers. Yes...sounds odd...but the strange thing was: they could hear me. They even talked back to me. I learned then that I could speak to the earth.

My mother seemed really...distant after these first months when father died. on e night when I was waiting for him, she came out to me, interupting my practice of working with the flowers. She on ly smiled as I tried to hide my secret from her, placing her paw on my head lovingly. I tilted my head as she told me that she was proud of me, and that her brother had had the same power. I was named after him evidently...I giggled and smiled up to her. Oh how she loved my smile. She said it was the most beautiful, happy-go-lucky thing that she had ever seen. It also reminded her of father. She didn't like talking about him anymore, even though I, being a curious pup, wanted to alot. She merely told me that I should never stop smiling, to always keep the grin on my face and a skip in my heart. And even if my powers were a confusing, and sometimes scary, she wanted me to develop them more and get better at it. Which I did.

Months passed, and still no sign of my father. Though, another male had come instead...He was badly hurt, and a normal blue lupe back then when Silva first brought him in to the cave that we still lived in. The winter months were coming soon and Silva convienced mother to let the male stay with us, considering we were a small pack and needed a little more force with us. And that is how Kenny came to be with us. Me and Selva knew from the start that Silva had her eye on the brute. He was really nice though. He was just like an older brother to us....but never a father. No. No male, however kind or good, could have replaced our father.

Then came that day...the day that mother took me on Selva and I's first hunt. Oh how I rejected it...how I protested her pleadings, but I was forced to go. So we started out on the hunt, walking through the woods quietly: me, my sister, my mother, Silva and Kenny. All of us sneaking through the underbrush in different positions. I stayed near the back, walking next to Selva as she rammbled on about our first hunt. Man, she can be such a pain still.

Anyway, I got the eery feeling that we were being watched from the shadows. Then, I saw my mother's auds perk up, her body standing tall as her tail paused in mid flick. What could it be? Was it the same thing I had been sensing? I walked over to her, but she stopped me with a rough, forceful snort. I folded my ears back, searching the forest for signs of trouble. Suddenly, the sound of growling came all around us, catching us all off guard, except my mother, to what was coming next.

From the trees came the barking, nashing of teeth, and the furried eyes of about 5 hunting dogs. Their pointed noses, tails, and black, empty eyes stared at us deeply as they incircled us into a small group. Kenny, Silva and my mother were on the outside, protecting me and Selva lest the dogs should attack. Which they did. And they went straight for my mother.

They snarled and snapped at her, trying to get to her throat to kill her. Another pair went for Silva, figureing that she was weakest of the barriar that lead to me and my sister. Kenny growled and lundged at on e of them, ripping at his neck as he closed his teeth around it, but not killing it. That seemed his speciality...I never understood why he always acted that way about things, but he seemed a little distant and other-wordly when it came to fighting. on e of the dogs was now down, twitching uncontroably. Another came upon Kenny, getting on his back and digging his fangs into his neck. Meanwhile, Silva was trying to fight off the pair that was at her, though not succedding.

I watched in horror as on e of them go his fangs into her left paw, the other taking her by her slender maw. She yelped loudly, trying to get them off, blood coming from her wounds inflicted by them. I growled deeply at this, going away from my sister and trying to get at them. But I was too young still...only about a year old at this point. My mother stepped infront of me, tellling me to stay back with my sister. I still had to protect her. My eyes were wide as I saw the look on my mother's scarred face. She was very hurt.

Kenny came from his battle with the other dog and knocked on e of the dogs off of Silva, bringing it to the ground and putting all of his weight on it. With this distraction, on e of the dog's saw it's chance to get at my mother, tackling her to the ground a few feet away and digging it's talons into her flank. She called out in pain, struggling to get up, but she was loosing too much blood.

The horrid sound of more baying filled our ears. More dogs were coming....there was no way that we could defend ourseleves against this many. That is when...my mother told us to leave her. She instructed us to go, to save ourseleves from these stupid dogs. I tried to talk against her, but the dogs were getting to close.
Go!
she ordered, and we weren't on es to disagree at this point. Kenny, taking Silva on his back, fled with a look of sorrow on his face, knowing no other way; Selva close behind him as she was weaping from fear and confusion. But, I didn't leave her. I went to my mother's side, tears streaming down my cheeks as I looked to her tired form. I wasn't going to leave her now.

The sound got louder. I could hear the dogs crashing though the trees. I could almost see their sharp teeth in my mind. I closed my eyes, curling myself to my mother, but she pushed me away, using what little energy she had left to push up on her huanches. She smiled sweetly to me, her golden eyes holding a look of a watery, odd happiness in them. She then bent her neck down, the beautiful leather necklace with the rose on it that she always had on, slid down her and on to the ground. She picked it up gently in her teeth, lifting her head and placing it around my own neck. Then, she said something that I will never forget.
Forest...take this necklace. Please, never get rid of your love or your smile. Your smile brings so much happiness to those around you. Happiness is the most wonderful thing that there is. Never let anyone be sad when they are around you.

And with that, she left this world and went up to the big forest in the sky...I saw her die right before my young eyes. With a loud howl, I ran off with incrediable speed, faster then I had ever run before. It was like I was connecting with the earth. I closed my eyes, dodgeing everything that would have gotten in my way....or did it move for me? I felt an odd power growing within me. I opened my eyes sharply, seeing the necklace glowing a bright green color, floating in mid air. I stopped in my tracks, skidding to a halt and kicking up a dust flurry as vines started to crawl about my legs. I just stood there, breathlessly watching as my tail and legs were now covered in spiny thorns from the vines. The tannish of my fur was now away, the on ly thing left was my deep green fur. What was going on? What was this?

I perked my auds up, hearing whispers all about me. Voices? From the trees? They were speaking to me again! They were...comforting me. All of a sudden, flowers grew all around me of different types, different shades, everything that you could imagine. The necklace still glowed brightly as it hovered near me. The power. The power that I had shown when I was little was being amlified by this necklace! Now I understood: I had the power to control plants fully now, with help from the necklace.

Slowly, the glow of the necklace faded, bringing me out of shock, dimming the voices some as I panted lightly. Then, the thought hit me. My family! They must be worried about where I was. I sprinted off on ce more, feeling on e with the earth as my fur started to change back to it's normal colors, the vines falling away from my appendages. I quickly found home, relieved that the rest of my family made it and were ok. Mostly.

I told them of all that had happened to me. What mother said, the necklace, the light. I even told them about my odd powers...I had on ly told mother of it before this. They were all quite confused and surprised by this. It seemed that none of my other siblings had that power, though Silva did have the rose pattern on her leg. Yet, the excitement soon faded as I remembered what had just happened. Mother was dead. She was most likely being eaten right this moment. I broke down on the ground crying my eyes out, the pain and loneliness that I had suffered all the time I had waited for father came out. I didn't even care that my family saw it.

Then, I remembered what mother had said. She said she didn't want to see me sad ever again. I sniffled, getting up off the ground finally and looked up to Kenny, who was trying to comfort me, a saddened expression on his face. My twin near Silva looking equeally as upset. I then looked up to the sky and smiled, nodding as and thought came to mind.
Alright mother...I"ll do it for you. I"ll do my best to make others happy...