The Stone of Agony

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Since immemorial times, the stone giant at the middle of the Forests has watched over wolves; its single, baleful eye serving to keep away intruders. By centuries, it is said, the stone giant had kept wolves greatest enemy and threat to survival, Man, at bay. Never had the two-legged monster dared to intrude inside the Region, but one day... things changed.

Most adult wolves can still remember, the day when everything started to fall apart. It was a bright morning, it is said, and both the alpha's and the Beta's sons were found playing at the base of the giant. The Subordinate who was supposed to guard them lied a couple feet away, asleep, while the young wolves played. It was impossible to imagine the pain and suffering such an innocent scene would bring... but nature moves in unforseen ways.

In their game, the two yearlings cornered eachother against some fallen trees, then one of the pups leaped at the other, trying to pin him down. The attacked pup moved, though, and the attacking pup crashed against the fallen trees... then it was as if the evil spirits had been needing just that little help to finally accomplish their goal... one of the fallen trees slid down the hill where it had fallen, and with a soundless crash it hit the giant's base.

The earth shook, and a loud rumble could be heard coming from the dark monument, before it would simply break in half. The giant maintained the exact same shape it held before of the incident, except for a couple ornaments that were knocked clean off the giant because of the blow, and most importantly, a huge crack that ran right through the statue's baleful eye.

What had happened? The young ones weren't completely sure... but if one thing they knew it was that they now were in big, big trouble. And they couldn't imagine how big...

They were unable of hiding the accident to their parents, and despite of his declarations of how it was an unintentional incident, the punishments for both of them were severe. Pack reunions were held, and the elders agreed on that the giant lost its magical proprieties after being broken. Not wanting to jump on conclusions, the Alpha decided to give a little time to the matter... yet there was no time to give to the matter.

A human was spotted by one of the scouts quickly after, and immediately, the wolves understood they had to act. Another meeting was held that night, and the topic to discuss this time was how to soothe the raging spirits of the monolith. The shamans agreed on that the only way to calm them was to hold a sacrifice; "but a cow or a deer will not suffice," they spoke, "it has to be one of they who angered the spirits in first place." Not wanting his son to suffer any damage, the Alpha was quick to decide who would be sacrificed; the Beta's son.

The Alpha spoke with him and told him it would be for the good of the pack. He told him that if this was not done, many more lives were going to be lost thanks to the human menace; he told him that when time came he would be allowed to have another pup. Yet the Beta didn't agree to have his son sacrificed in some sort of stupid ritual, and he dared to openly challenge the Alpha.

The two wolves fought, and many more interfered. In a blink's time the pack found itself separated in two sides; those that were with the Beta, and those that remained loyal to the Alpha. The battle wasn't evenly matched, however, as more wolves seemed to agree with the Alpha than with the Beta, and despite of that he fought with all his might at the side of his followers, the Beta was quickly killed.

Seeing themselves outnumbered and outpowered, the Beta's followers had no choice but to retreat. Yet they swore they would return.

Once that things had settled down after the fight, the Alpha decided that it was time to get on with the sacrifices... yet he was quickly stricken by the news of that the Beta's pup was missing. The traitors had certainly brought him with them in their escape. Pausing one second to curse the turncoats, the Alpha found himself with no other choice then to sacrifice his own pup with the intention of calming the enraged spirits... yet it was his own son. He couldn't do it.

The exact date of the sacrifice wasn't given, and while time passed when the Alpha was found walking from one side to the other of his den, wolves were being gunned down, every single new day that passed brought with it new deaths. Then not wanting to wait until the Alpha made up his mind, since half the pack would have been dead by then, there was another revolt; this time leaded by the alphess herself. The Alpha was killed in this one revolt, and taking over power, the Alphess decided she would sacrifice her own son in order to soothe the spirits...

But right then several hunters broke into the den. Extremely weakened in numbers and health, the packmembers scrambled like rats; hiding by several days, scattered all across the forest.

When everything seemed calm once more, the remaining members of the decimated pack started to reunite around the broken monument. One by one they were appearing, a missing space meaning a lost life; and once that they were all there (all who had survived that is), they discovered with horror how the Alpha's son was missing. Being nowhere to be seen, the little coward would have surely routed; too coward like to face his destiny, too coward like to give his life for his own people.

Because of the stress and tensions, the remaining packmembers blamed all of this on the alphess, and despite of her speeches of how the humans were the ones that had brought misery with them in first place, the wolves banded together and exiled their leader, who was rumored to have lost her mind quickly after; The Curse of the Stone many called it.

The thing is, after the stone giant was broken, all disgrace fell over the wolves of the Valley. Ever since then, the wolves of the once mighty pack knew nothing but pain and suffering. It is true the pack managed to pull itself together, but the deaths continued, and more than once it was close to disappear.

Time passed, generations lived and died, and the story went degenerating, appearing ragged and missing pieces; and the new descendants started to blame the mournful losses on the huge, black stone. Quickly they got to lose the immense respect they held for the giant, and eventually they got to call it

"The stone of Agony"