History and Lore / The Briarwolf Pact

Long ago, a lone wolf sought shelter in the forest. He had run from the city, where wolves were kept for sport and treated cruelly. He alone escaped his masters, and with no pack, the wolf fled - for everyone knows all lone wolves die. The wolf ran for days, deep into the forest, until he couldn't run anymore, and collapsed near a tangle of thornbushes.

Exhausted, wounded and starving, the wolf thought he was dreaming when he saw a pair of eyes in the bramble, watching him. The wolf looked up and saw a firey red she-fox, carrying a pair of rabbits in her jaws. The she-fox kindly shared her food with the wolf. And so the wolf got stronger.

But Wolf was still injured, and could not hunt for himself. So Fox went to fetch the wisest in the forest, Deer. Deer arrived with her medicine bag, and treated Wolf's wounds with healing herbs. And so the wolf got stronger.

Slowly, Wolf learned to hunt again. After so long in the city, where his teeth and claws were the only thing that mattered, he began to learn how to be cunning from Fox, and how to be wise from Deer. And so, the wolf got stronger.

One day, Wolf, Fox and Deer went out hunting together, when they were stopped by a demon - The demon sneered at the sight of them, this mismatched group, and said to Wolf:

"Why do you hunt with fox and deer? They are your prey, not your pack!"

Wolf looked at his friends, standing beside him, unflinching and unafraid.

"I would never hunt them - they are my friends."

The demon smiled. "Then you are a poor hunter."

Suddenly, the demon attacked his friends. Deer was too slow to get away in time, and Fox was too small to repel the demon... but Wolf had grown strong. He pounced on the demon, using his wisdom to know where to strike, his cunning to expose those weaknesses, and his strength to deliver the final blow.

The demon slain, Wolf then knew he was a lone wolf no longer. He had a pack to fight for, a family to defend.

Wolf pledged his strength, Fox pledged her cunning, and Deer pledged her wisdom. Finally, all three pledged their loyalty - that they would help each other, always.

In this way, surrounded by Briarvines and under the eyes of the Great Wolf - The Briarwolf Pact was made.