Blood Bound (mlm)

Chapter 1: Part 4

[The Greatest War & Current Pack Politics

By Carla Max of Pack Grey

Chapter 16: Old Pack Psi

At this point the three remaining major and several minor packs have coexisted in relative peace for 400 years after the end of the Greatest War. Most believe that all of Old Pack Psi are extinct but many of the pack are still alive, descendants of the Psi wolves who sought asylum at the fall of the pack. Importantly, the Psi bloodline lives on due to the Alpha Pairs' decision to self-exile with their children and closest blood relatives. Despite the descendants of the pack and pack's bloodline being scattered and well integrated in other packs, they stay in regular communication. Old Pack Psi functions as a sort of 'Shadow Pack', with no distinct territory to reside together in physicality but with the same sense of pack loyalty, hierarchy and connection as any other legitimate pack at the time.

However, trouble soon befalls the land again. The 9 years of the Greatest War come back to bite the packs of The Region, despite the length of time that has passed. During the war many advancements were made in terms of the science of weaponry. Particularly with biochemical weapons. 9 years of use and a further few decades of research into the class of weaponry brought unchecked dumping of chemical waste. This waste slowly poisoned the land and many years before dumping regulations were made, a theorised point of no return was reached. Scores of fauna and flora became increasingly difficult to farm, some went extinct. Fresh water sources were polluted beyond saving with the time's technology, making potable water a scarce resource. Hundreds of thousands across all packs, major and minor, in the greater geographical area where the war was fought perished due to starvation, disease and poisoning. Many more died in the resulting conflicts for safe resources. This period was named the Time of Disaster and lasted for 15 years.

Something of note during this time is that all known Psi descendants who survived the war did their utmost to help the packs that adopted them and even those that displaced them. The beginning of the Period of Reorganisation and Re-Establishment is the start of modern pack history. This 5 year time period saw many breaks and reformations of multiple packs and the start of the restoration of the land. In this time Psi wolves headed many of the projects that would reverse the damage made to The Region and and its wolves. 8 decades later, with the land restored and the Time of Disaster in the distant past, the major packs as known today were founded by the surviving descendants of the pack bloodlines. Alpha became Pack Atlas, Rho became Pack Riverside and Delta became Pack Destine.

As for the Psi bloodline, it would be another year before the descendant Alpha was voted to act as Alpha of his adoptive pack, formally minor Old Pack DC. For the first and last time in wolf-pack history, a Psi Alpha had been the only one to act so righteously that a vote made them Alpha of a legitimate pack. This Psi Alpha founded Ancient Pack Sylva. All descendant Psi wolves could finally return to one place and be together physically like their ancestors hoped to during the time of the Greatest War. Pack Sylva quickly rose to the level of major pack and coexisted with the others for 4 centuries, continuing their passivist ways.]

That's right the fourth Old Pack was Pack Psi and they became Pack Sylva. That's where I know Yerik's last name from. He's a descendant of the Psi bloodline. I think as I read, truly astonished and blindsided that my pack left all these details out. I really didn't think it could continue to get worse, but the next chapter proved me wrong.

[Chapter 17: Ancient Pack Sylva & the Sylva Bloodline

Pack Sylva only had peace and success for 4 centuries since its founding. In which time they saw great success in various ways. However, the Campaign of Mass Annexation would be a repeat of the Greatest War. In an attempt to cover for themselves and paranoid that Pack Sylva was bitter about the past, the three major packs conspired to take them over. To them it was life and death, when in reality it was the weight of guilt and shame. For the first time in pack history, the three major Packs Atlas, Riverside and Destine agreed with one another. They would each take over as many minor packs as possible then briefly coalesce to annex Pack Sylva. A descendent of an extended family member to the then Pack Atlas Beta, who self-exiled from Pack Atlas at the time of the annexation, was able to prove that the Campaign of Mass Annexation was the conception of Pack Atlas (see Annexure 106) due to his ancestors' conscience. Without it, this monumental detail may not have ever seen the light of day. Mass bloodshed returned to the land, hundreds of millions lost their lives, many minor packs who thought they had seen the worst during the Greatest War were wiped out and Pack Sylva was faced with punishment for their good deeds. Three years after the annexation began, Pack Sylva was, like its Major Old Pack ancestor, annexed and displaced. With the fall of Pack Sylva, the campaign ended and relative peace was brought back to the land.

Fortunately, like before, Alpha Pair Sylva ordered that surviving wolves move away while they self-exiled to neutral and unclaimed territory. Because of this decision many Psi/Sylva descendant wolves live amongst today's population and the Psi/Sylva pack lives on, albeit scattered. Unfortunately, the bloodline has been forever robbed of the chance to continue on as 14 years ago, current Alpha Pair Atlas Gregor and Phoebe Atlas, found and ordered slain Family Sylva. They resided in hiding for years after the campaign, 5 generations of the bloodline born, raised and buried in the same portion of neutral territory, until Pack Atlas discovered them and burned their home to the ground. A two-time great bloodline, was attacked for a third and tragic final time. No known wolf from the Family Sylva is left alive today, so there is no detailed account of what really happened the night their home was set alight. Due to Pack Atlas taking the land over, an investigation of the scorched territory was never held. Alpha Pair Gregor and Phoebe refused to comment on the matter any further than saying they set fire to the "long abandoned" cabin to cleanse the unclaimed territory before they claimed it for the natural wonder "The Falls". Despite Atlas' account, it was known and proved by multiple minor pack wolves trusted by the family, that Family Sylva had been residing there since the end of the annexation (see Annexure 107).]

I'm left completely mortified by what I've read. I and many of the Pack Atlas wolves grew up always believing that we were the most virtuous pack to exist, with ancestors similarly up-standing. But that was never true, at least not for the last 1000 years or so. We never even learned about the Campaign of Mass Annexation. I close the book and return it to its place on the shelf before getting back to the couch. I don't know what to think and all I feel is...shame. How can Yerik be so kind to me? How can he stand to look at me? I want to apologise all over again the second he comes back but that does nothing for him, even if I can convince him that I really am apologetic.

I'm glad when the door opens and Yerik returns because I can stop thinking about all I've learned in the two hours of his absence. "Hey, you're back. How's the perimeter?" I ask, standing to greet him. "All good, thankfully. Although, your pack is definitely looking for you. I wonder when they'll cross the line." He replies as he stretches. I hum softly, able to imagine how frantic my pack must be...how frantic my parents definitely are. But I can't find it in me to feel even a little bad about the worry I've caused. "Are you okay?" He asks, making me return to where I am in his living room. "Not really...I read that book you have on the Greatest War and, uh, I've learned a lot." I answer, not able to hold his gaze. He sighs softly and joins me on the couch as I sit back down. "Of all the books, it had to be that one." He says softly. "I'm guessing you read about Old Pack Psi and learned how I'm a Sylva?" He adds.

"Yea, I thought your family name sounded familiar when you introduced yourself. Reading made me realise that we didn't learn much about your pack history for a reason." I confirm. "It might not be a good idea but, do you want to hear what that book doesn't have?" He offers and I look to him, immediately aware of what he's offering to tell me. "I...I would love to know but I don't want to make you relive that." I reply, my voice feeling fragile in my throat.

"I live it everyday and never get to talk about it, maybe it'll be good for both of us?" He responds, looking at the floor shortly before looking back at me. After a moment of searching his eyes, I nod. "It was a couple hours after we all went to bed...my parents woke my younger brother and me up, shouting that we had to leave the house. It took me a couple minutes to realise that our home was burning. We ran downstairs, flames everywhere. The memory of how we got out is vague, but when we were out we were faced with ten of your pack's warriors. I remember my parents begging them to let my brother and me go, to have mercy because we were only a pup and juvenile." He starts.

"But one just said that they had orders to follow and weren't in a position to make such a decision. At that point, my parents communicated through our mind link and told us to shift then run. Before they could shift though, two warriors shot them each with wolfsbane laced arrows. It wasn't enough to kill them but it weakened them significantly. My brother and I were paralysed by fear, but when five wolves pounced on our vulnerable parents and ripped them to shreds right in front of us, we shifted and bolted. We were chased through the surrounding forest by the five remaining warriors, trying to stick together. But...he was...he was just a pup and as hard as he tried, my brother couldn't outrun the adults hunting us." He continues, my heart aching as he speaks.

"I heard him get caught, whining and barking then screaming for me and my parents before someone snapped his neck. I ran harder and faster even though my body was begging to rest. The warriors were hot on my tail but I ran into the territory of Pack Destine and since your parents hadn't told them of their plans, the warriors had to respect their territory. I took a moment to breathe and drink some water but I wasn't really any safer, so I took off again. My parents showed us unclaimed lands we could go to if we ever needed to and I hid out at one of them for about a week. Then I was found by a minor pack who was friendly with us, they took me in for some time but I couldn't stay. I didn't have the strength to assimilate and so I left and set up shop here. Every time warriors or other lone wolves came for me because my presence was threatening, I killed them. I don't know how but I survived long enough to build this place quickly and force their territory lines back to make more space for me." He finishes, his head in his hands as he relives his past.

I'm in tears, trembling with a mixture of anger towards my parents and sorrow over Yerik's story. Noticing me crying beside him, he places a comforting hand on my back. "Ah, f**k, I'm sorry...I shouldn't be the one crying." I exhale deeply, wiping my tears and sniffling. "It's alright, it just shows me how much you aren't like your pack." He gives me a reassuring smile, making my heart ache even more. How much humility is too much? Goddess, why would you let it be this way...?

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