Tiny Taru's Story

In the depths of what was once known as my home, a forest was lost. Buried in layer after and layer after of frozen rain, the trees were no longer there. The water was frozen into silence, leaves were chilled out of their vibrant colors, and even breath itself submitted to the stiff winter air. Among the death and decay of this normally plentiful forest, a blessing came to early, quickly becoming a curse.

Anxious whines filled the silence of a clearing, just an empty space among trees. An old male wolf, black in color but grey in age, paces by the entrance of a small den. The birthplace of his litter is quite, making the father stressed. Sunspot has yet to show any sign of a healthy litter, only the smell of her milk inviting the idea. A tired voice cuts through the thick curtain of uneasy whines, making its way to needy ears.

"Calm down, my love. Your name shall live on through your two pups," It is Sunspot, Centaurus' mate. A relief drifts through the cold winter air.

"Not just my own, but yours as well, Sunspot," Centaurus replies, "But how am I to know if they shall leave to see new spring?". The father whines again, trying to fit his large head through the small opening of his mate's den. "Just let me have one look, is all I ask, sweet Sunspot," he tries again, desperate to know if the litter she bore is truly strong.

"One look, that is all, for they need sleep and soon food, which I leave to you to get," Sunspot laughed softly, nudging the small male pup towards the entrance first. The male is fat, born with a hefty weight and a full coat of brown like his mother.

"He's gorgeous, absolutely taking after you, my dear," Centaurus beams, jumping in playful leaps around his dazed son. Before he can even sniff him gently, Sunspot's teeth grasp his fluffy pelt, pulling him into the den once again. "And the other?" the father eagerly asks, waiting for the second pup to be pushed out for viewing. A moment goes by, then another, as if the mom is having second thoughts.

"She may not make it, Centaurus, keep that in mind," Sunspot speaks harshly, precise in her words, before pushing the fragile female out into the open. A tiny, black female rolls out of the darkness of the den, her feet stuck beneath her clumsily. Whimpering under her father's gaze, the pup looks pathetic in comparison to her brother. Centaurus seems to debate in his mind, as if wondering to attach to the pup or not.

"She is quite the small being, isn't she Sunspot?" the father asks, only answered with silence. His noise brushes up against the small lump of black fur. Old eyes taking in the sight of his only daughter, Centaurus makes a decision. He would protect her, the pup that looked like him, no matter the cost. She was his only daughter, no matter how small.

"What shall we name them?" Sunspot spoke up from inside her warm den. Silence finally broken with her soft question, she spoke again, " I think the male should be Malik."

Centaurus nodded to himself, continuing to stare at the small black pup. "Then the girl will be Taru, Tiny Taru," the father spoke, giving his daughter a quick lick before she was pulled back into the warmth of the den. With that small lick, Taru earned a rightful protector, one she should have recieved the moment she was born.