Prologue
It was a dark, terrible night as the blackened, star-less sky roared at the earth, screaming at the forest below as lightning struck the ground like a blacksmith's hammer unto an anvil.
The trees barely stood their ground as they swayed in the wind, their roots almost torn from the very dirt they were stuck in,-
the animals scattered and fled, hiding in whatever den or burrows they could scramble to find,
and, as five strikes of lightning hit the ground in a mortifying harmony- a controlled chaos,- a thunderous symphony,
a flash of bright, almost blinding green light revealed itself in the middle of the forest, alongside the sounds of crackling electricity, and one small howl.
"Awoo...!"
It was a monster.
A chaotic thing, spawned by the forest itself.
And it took the form of a scruffy, tiny wolf cub with messy light grey fur- slightly darker patches of fur around the wolf's snout-, short, harmless black claws, tall pointed ears, and closed eyes.
The thunder, lightning, and darkness dissipated soon after the wolf's birth,
almost as if the forest itself was trying to care for it.
Now, the animals of the forest- birds, foxes, snakes and anything inbetween- slowly approached this seemingly timid cub, trying to determine what or who it is- none of which they could quite determine, but they knew one thing;
This wolf, in particular, was to be cared for. They were to protect it.
And that this wolf wasn't nearly as timid as they thought, it beginning to roll over, a small maple leaf falling onto it's head as it did so, doing it's best to jump and yell at the animals as they approached-
Taking care of it wouldn't be an easy task,
so the forest decided to help in more subtle ways.
As the wolf grew older, the animals would 'accidentally' drop their food near the wolf, who would loudly bark to scare them off, only becoming aware of their aid years later.
Trees would sway ever-so-slighty-closer to the wolf when it needed shelter during the rain,
and venomous beasts would make sure to keep any who tried to harm the wolf at bay.
Caring for the wolf only got easier as it got older,
when the wolf realized the forest's aid, at the age of 13.
The wolf even began talking to the forest, speaking with the trees and animals, for they would speak back;
and, sooner than later, the wolf had befriended many.
Then, the animals wouldn't need to drop their food- they would gift it, and in return, the wolf would give them whatever berries or gifts they could scavenge.
The forest didn't have to be subtle in it's aid anymore,
because the forest had befriended the child, and the child had befriended the forest.
On every birthday- when the wolf first spawned into the forest, on October 16th- the animals would gather in the very spot the wolf appeared,
just below a tall maple tree, where the animals would leave food, gifts, and wondrous things for the wolf to collect.
More specifically, when talking of the wondrous things, they were baseballs that flew into the forest.
At age 15, on their birthday, the wolf had open eyes, revealing amber-orange irises with yellow sclera, the darker patches of fur had grew lighter, and their eyebrows had become thicker and more fluffy, their claws had grew sharper and longer, they had a tooth gap, and one of their ears had gained a small scar- which they were very proud of, calling it a 'battle-wound'.
And, at age 15, on their birthday, as they sat under the maple tree, gnawing on a fallen tree branch, surrounded by various food and gifts, they were found.
"Huh...this place sure is pretty.." Tangle said to herself as she walked through the forest, approaching a maple tree, Whisper following behind her.
"Not as pretty as you, though." Whisper muttered, smiling as Tangle was blushing slightly and giggling.
"Aw, thanks." Tangle then started scanning the area,
"And you're sweeter than..."
She then spotted the maple tree.
"That maple tree!" She exclaimed happily, pointing towards the tree.
"Get it- because, y'know, maple syrup? It's sweet?"
Whisper chuckled slightly, finding the sentence heartwarming- if not a little silly.
Tangle smiled, proud of herself before being quickly surprised-
Over by the maple tree, there was a young wolf biting down on a tree branch, attempting to eat it as their teeth scraped against it.
"Hey, uh, kid- where are your parents?" Tangle asked, concerned as she walked over to the wolf, who grunted before turning to Tangle.
"My frucking what?" The wolf replied, messing up their words slightly due to the woodchips in their mouth.
Tangle looked even further concerned as Whisper walked over, asking the wolf,
"...Name?"
The wolf took a moment to reply.
But pointed at the tree they sat next to,
placing their palm against it as they spoke,
"Maple."
"...Maple, do you have parents?" Whisper continued, sitting next to Maple.
"Nuh-uh. I don't know what the fuck any of you are on about." Maple said, spitting out woodchips onto the grass.
Tangle immediately seemed saddened.
"Jeez, that's- kinda messed up. Hey, Whisp- do you think we should take them to Jewel, or? Tangle said, turning to Whisper.
Whisper nodded,
and now, months later,
after Maple refused to stay with Jewel,
Tangle and Whisper have a kid.