Adder

Adder in First Meadow, accepting her role as the Daylit Meadow's hope.

## About Adder

### Biography

**Adder** was born to Ione and **Legacy** of the Meadow Pack alongside four sisters and a brother. **Soleil** was the sister that she hung out with most of the time due to all their similarities, while Wisteria was the one she was never close to. The other three were called **Mulberry**, **Ixia,** and **Hyacinth**, all of whom Adder and Soleil would often playfully tease just because they found their shyness and overall reactions funny. The littermates were all born in the Grassy Creekside den - a sandy burrow amid some short grass, just south of McBride Lake. From the day Adder found out about the nearby body of water, she strongly desired to leap into it and swim around. South of the den, there was another water source, namely the Slough Creek. It rippled and rushed throughout the day, connecting the First Meadow to the Second Meadow. The creek was Adder's undeniable favorite place to be, and although she could resist running away to McBride Lake, she couldn't fight the urge to sneak off to the rushing water. Every time she and her littermates exited the den, she would pretend to get lost and jump into the water, splashing it everywhere just because of how fun she found it. On the first night she and the other pups were allowed to sleep outside the den, she was about to head for the creek when she suddenly heard Mulberry complain about feeling sick. Adder herself didn't care that much, but Ione instantly jumped to questioning her about how severe it was, and if she ate anything funny. She ended up staying behind just to watch and see as the situation unfolded, mainly out of curiosity. It surprised her to see their mother badly stressed out, and when she asked her father about it because she wanted at least some kind of explanation, he said that Ione's sister had passed away from sickness. Adder suddenly understood the situation more, but she still wasn't taking it seriously enough to keep her from sneaking out to the creek. She did her usual routine of jumping into the water excitedly and watching as it slowly moved her downstream, before eventually coming back drenched. She forgot that she couldn't dry off as quickly as it was night, so she accepted her fate of being lectured when she returned. It was clear that Ione was still agitated about Mulberry, so when she saw that Adder had gone swimming she made sure to keep her warm and check that she was still in normal health. Mulberry's sickness thankfully went away after a day or two, at which point the pack decided to move dens just in case the source of the illness was still there. However, it seemed that the disease was in the air itself - Ixia and Hyacinth contracted it on the journey. This was beginning to get confusing for everyone, and they settled on the den that was closest to them the very moment they saw that the two siblings were unwell. Seeing how easily Mulberry got over it, Adder still didn't feel too worried about it and just focused on teaching Soleil to swim so they could play around in the lake together. In the end, Adder was right - they did get over it, although Ixia's sense of smell deteriorated a lot. That was the most concerning part of it all, for Soleil at least.

The pack didn't end up spending a lot more time at the lake, much to Adder's dismay. She didn't know what it was about the water that drew her in, but when Ione and Legacy announced that they were moving again, she spent as much time as she possibly could nagging and begging them to stay longer. She was having so much fun there, swimming around, she didn't want to leave. However, when she found out it was for the sake of visiting the summer rendezvous site, she felt happy since it meant she could go sightseeing during the journey. They didn't go too far, but she still had fun simply looking around and taking in the view. Upon arrival, it happened yet again - this time, it was Soleil and Wisteria who fell ill. At this point, Adder was getting worried - Wisteria's condition very quickly went downhill. Beneath her fur, extreme rashes could be seen, constantly itchy and red. The more rashes she had on her body, the more lethargic she got, and the two conditions seemingly corresponded. Then, Adder realized something. Soleil had a lot less of the red markings on her, and her skin seemed less agitated overall. Additionally, she herself didn't get sick at all, not even slightly. It must have been because she would always go swimming, and the water helped prevent rashes from appearing, leaving her skin cool and hydrated. The same went for Soleil, who had gone into the lake several times before catching the odd condition. All Wisteria needed to do was spend some time in the water - it probably wasn't able to be considered a fool-proof cure, but it helped, and that was what mattered. After Ione brought her into the water, making sure she stayed soaked for at least some time, she began feeling slightly less irritated, and her energy levels slowly began rising again. They repeated the process several times across a day and a half, and although it didn't instantly cure the inner symptoms, she could move more normally, eventually healing altogether. Adder, despite her usual airheadedness, proved that she was able to think deeper than surface level and think of things even the pack's adults couldn't. She didn't consider her deed to have been that special or noteworthy - she just wanted to help her sister out, and also make sure their mother didn't lose anyone else to some sickness. Nevertheless, she was honored for her logic, and when the time of the heir-picking ceremony came, both she and Wisteria were chosen to be the Meadow Pack's successors. Adder's will and eager nature, alongside her ability to work under pressure when everyone least expected it, was ideal, but so was Wisteria's perseverance and determination to keep fighting. The pack would be split into two segments, each to their heir. Adder would lead one of the pack's segments - the Daylit Meadow - whilst her sister would lead the other - the Nightlit Meadow. They accepted, quickly grasping the idea of the concept.

Contrary to her expectations, Adder wasn't accompanied to Amethyst Mountain by her newfound *other half* due to the abilities and prowess she had developed so that she wouldn't have to rely on others. With an annoyed sigh, she remembered what Wisteria was like in puphood - a quiet loner type who would always keep to herself, no matter what others said to her. *Perhaps, this was to be expected after all.* She decided to take it slow for a while, hunting elk and larger prey so she could feast and be full for several days. In the meanwhile, she would walk around the mountain range, collecting human traces and visiting natural landmarks, just for the sake of taking their beauty in. One day, while she was walking through The Burn - the forest that had been scarred by fire before the Meadow Pack even got its name - she met a Hayden male who went by the name **Pyrrhic**. He used to be called ***Mockingbird***, but after a great battle went down in his homeland of Pelican Valley, he lost his entire family. He came out on top as the sole survivor; everyone else was lost in the mindless slaughter, hence the name *Pyrrhic*. It was a *pyrrhic* victory - one without a benefit in the end.

The two bonded remarkably quickly, successfully hunting the mountain range's newly arrived pronghorn. They found it interesting how the species hadn't been seen in Yellowstone for a long time but returned the moment they came to the mountain. It was either luck or the pursuit of shelter, similar to the way Pyrhhic had left his old home territories in search of someplace *safe*. Whatever it was, the pair spent some more time collecting fun relics and visiting places with nice views, bonding and getting to know one another better. They eventually decided to settle and become mates, as they realized they had a lot in common; quick thinking and eagerness were their most prominent traits, and they were super similar because of it. With some encouragement from one another, they decided to go back to Slough Creek and see what Wisteria was up to, as they needed to make a deal on how marking territory was going to work.

Upon arrival, Adder and Pyrrhic were surprised to see that almost nothing had changed, with only one-third of the territory Ione had marked being well-marked. The rest was practically unclaimed, and when they decided to go look for WIsteria, they realized she was deliberately avoiding them. They then decided to go find Adder's parents, and they were in the very center of the valley, around Adder's birthplace. They decided to ask Ione what was going on, and she gave them a quick explanation of why the Nightlit Meadow wasn't getting anything done. Wisteria was *afraid*. She confessed to having a vision about everyone close to her dying and her not being able to do anything about it, so she decided to stay in the corner of the territory she felt the most isolated in. Upon being pressed for more, she fell quiet per Wisteria fashion. This only brought up more questions for Adder, and for her parents too; *what is it that she saw in the vision?* Disappointedly sighing, the Daylit Meadow heiress said she would take over the rest of the territory and at least try to create a buffer around her counterpart's residence. She would stay as close to her as possible in case the vision ended up being true, just so she could come in and help if she sensed she was in danger. With that, Adder booped her mother's nose as a farewell and set off to make sure territory markers were as strong as possible.

As Adder continued roaming around the valley of Slough Creek, she couldn't shake the thought of something bad *actually happening* to her sister. The vision may have come from the *Starlit themselves* instead of just being some manifestation of her fears. She trusted Wisteria not to lie, especially with something of this magnitude, and so she decided to make a circle of territory markers around Wisteria's corner. Days turned into weeks as Adder trodded through the snowfall and made sure to keep every inch of the Meadow Pack's territory reinforced, and she would occasionally even take the land of other packs. Prospect Peak was slowly pushed past the Second Meadow, alongside the Junction Butte Pack that had been focusing on their loss on Amethyst Mountain so they couldn't react to Adder in time. She made sure to strengthen absolutely everything she could, and even as spring approached, she was still thinking about what she could do to help Wisteria. ... The dusk before she had her litter, the sun sank into the abyss of the night sky for the final time, and she couldn't help but climb up onto Little Butte. She could get a closer look at the stars from there and decided that if Wisteria would isolate herself from everyone else and avoid their attempts at helping her, she would have to look for a different solution. But then, as she took a deep breath in, the sun's last remaining ray of light materialized into a familiar figure. Bubbling, spinning, and whirling, it took the form of a wolf - one that she had never seen before but assumed was one of her ancestors. She had never had a special connection with the Starlit, so the fact both she and her sister got a vision was funny. The unfamiliar wolf, on the other hand, thought otherwise, remaining serious as they finally opened their mouth and spoke.

*"Guardian of the Daylit Meadow, your counterpart's vision holds a mere fragment of the truth."* Instantly, Adder stopped smiling and focused on taking in every last word they said to her. *"The threads of fate are tangled in mysterious ways, and the path ahead is uncertain. The Moon hanging in the sky is not enough for it to be seen - the Sun has to shine its light on it."* With that, the figure dissolved into pure light and then disappeared altogether. Adder smiled to herself once more, but this time it was because she felt satisfied. Satisfied that she knew exactly what she needed to do; she had to offer emotional support to Wisteria, not just physical. She had tried to ask her what was going on, though she would always be ignored and avoided. Now, she needed to *make sure* she knew she *wasn't alone,* and she needed to support her sister's emotions no matter how difficult it was - *she just needed to break through*.

As much as Adder wanted to find her sister immediately, she needed to have her litter first. She chose the traditional Meadow Pack den of Skyview, mainly because it was near Little Butte, and she was far too tired to walk further, but also because she wanted to stay near Wisteria's territory. That night, the snow that covered the earth melted, and a litter of seven was born - three she-wolves, and four males. **Lupin**, the eldest, was rather timid and cautious. **Seashell**, on the other hand, was a charming, quick-thinking she-wolf. **Eden**'s coat stuck out among the others because of its sheer beauty, and he was fully aware of that. They were the first three to leave the den, instantly curious about their surroundings. After them, **Mist**, Finch, **Creek** and **Kimora** slowly made their way out. Yet, of course, mere hours after they first left their sandy burrow, Seashell got sick and they had to travel someplace that didn't have the possibility of being infected. Adder and Pyrrhic had no issue moving to another den, it was just the process of it all - the pups couldn't walk properly yet.

### Strength

Adder is, like most Meadow Pack wolves, very physically powerful with a very strong bite - like an actual snake. She also has a large amount of stamina and prowess, able to land many blows of damage as long as she doesn't take a beating. Despite this, and despite being the only one in her litter who never contracted any form of illness, she isn't very healthy as an adult.

## Personality

A very sly, sneaky, and rambunctious little adventurer, Adder was very curious about her surroundings and wished to hunt everything that moved back when she was young. She enjoyed traveling around and liked to see as many sights as possible, diving into any body of water she could just for the childish sense of joy and fun. For this reason, she was known to wander away from the den now and then. She did whatever she wanted to, whenever she wanted to. Overall, she was known to be the main troublemaker of litter, and the rest of her pack could never catch a break. Ironically, she was the only one in her litter to have never gotten sick. Not like she cared, though - she was more worried about her packmates than herself. Wisteria's near-death experience seemed to be just the right thing to get Adder's airhead working, and it turned her into a surprisingly rational wolf, doing her best to help others in need.

As an adult, Adder turned out to be somewhat territorial and rather defensive of her packmates. She still loves sightseeing, walking around, and exploring, and she still acts very playful towards her mate and pups.

* LIFETIME CHALLENGE: **SIGHTSEER** - Bring your pups to at least three separate den sites and two separate rendezvous sites. Your starting den does not count, and you must stay at each den/site for at least 24 hours.

## Appearance

As a young pup, Adder had a very light brown coat, and nobody knows why it turned out almost completely white. Adder is a nearly fully white wolf with some silver markings on her torso and back and bluish-gray tints on her face and tail. The tips and tufts of her ears are accented in a matte black shade, complimenting the rest of her fur perfectly. Her legs, paws, neck, and everything else is simply snow-white. She looks almost the same as her far-back ancestor Snowy. Aside from this, though, Adder is a very furry, fluffy, and thick-coated wolf, with a very long tail and slim, elongated legs. She has a radio collar around her ruffly neck, and her eyes are a dandelion green shade.

## Litters

### First and only litter - Pyrrhic - Age 3

Adder's first (and *so far*, only) litter was born in none other than Skyview. However, she and her litter of seven pups - three she-wolves, and four males, would soon travel to McBride Cliffside due to her love of water. Then, they would go to the nearby Grassy Bank, and finally Antler Meadow - quickly finishing her self-imposed quest to visit at least three dens.

**Lupin** is a warm, dark brown male with a smaller build than most. Always alone, Lupin is rather shy and timid in comparison to his littermates. Most of the time he plays by himself, digging up little bones and sticks for entertainment. Whenever someone tries to play with him, he gets scared and growls at them, and he only realizes what he’s done after they leave. He was surprisingly one of the fastest-growing pups in his litter, and he matured almost as quickly as Eden and Mist. He can be spotted walking around and exploring while muttering to himself, and when he realizes you see him, he turns into a stuttering, nervous mess. Aside from that, he's a wuss in general, easily scared by loud noises and sudden movement; it's super easy to startle him.

* LIFETIME CHALLENGE: **TIMID** – Use only submissive/frightened emotes (airplane ears, frightened snarl, roll, avert gaze, T3.5, T4, and sub tail wag).

**Seashell** used to be a dark, murky brown she-wolf, but she grew up to have a surprisingly gorgeous coat and eyes, able to persuade anyone onto her side. From a young age, she has had a vivid imagination and inquisitive personality, always wishing to find out more about the world. Her memory is oddly good, remembering even the puniest details of the least important events. She learned to read what others were thinking about purely through their body language and tone, and when paired with her impertinent nature, nothing could get past her. She's an eloquent speaker, with manners of almost cautious politeness, as she doesn't wish to reveal anything about herself so she can keep her mysterious persona.

* LIFETIME CHALLENGE: **DENKEEPER** - Visit every den before making a choice.

**Eden** is a stunning gray wolf with white eyebrows. Seemingly always by himself, Eden prefers being alone so he can think about life and daydream as he stares at something beyond the horizon. He's smart, calm, and collected, so he takes certain things less seriously than his siblings, giving off an unsettling mysterious aura that nobody can seem to read, even Seashell. He seems strangely unbothered by everything, but he probably just hasn't snapped back into reality from his thoughts yet. On rarer occasions, he’s known to initiate play with his littermates, but it usually ends in disaster after he randomly gets ticked off and starts snarling.

* LIFETIME CHALLENGE: ???

**Mist** is a large, fit and muscular, gray-and-white female that resembles her mother in multiple other ways. Just like her mother, Mist is a very curious and adventurous wolf. She's very rational, and the only one who bothers trying to talk to Eden due to her undying will of steel. She's highly energetic and quite a wanderer. Being one of the smartest pups in the litter, Mist is obedient unless she senses something is off, in which case she'll follow her gut. Just like Finch, she's eerily independent, and she's also very strong, both physically and emotionally. She’s a natural leader, and she boldly charges head-on into problems to protect the rest of the pack.

* LIFETIME CHALLENGE: **FEARLESS** – Never back out of a fight, no matter what.

Finch is a black wolf with white patches across his chin, ears, and underbelly. He's a naturally independent - yet still playful - little trooper. When he got deathly sick as his parents were far away settling territory disputes, he didn't tell anyone. He just wasn't bothered enough to tell the others - he felt they wouldn't help out much anyway. Even without receiving any form of attention, his parents came home to find out he survived the otherwise horrid illness with 40% of his health by remembering an herb mix his parents had taught him about some time prior. Despite hiding his weaknesses, he's very social and enjoys the company of others. He's surprisingly very hyper and has lots of energy to spend playing. He gets distracted from what he’s doing easily, and his thoughts can be all over the place. His signature move is annoying someone until he gets their attention, and then *dashing* away.

* LIFETIME CHALLENGE: **AFFECTIONATE** – Never let pack affinity drop below 65%.

## Gallery

Adder loafing in a patch of her favorite flowers, ignoring the annoyance of her pups.Adder scares a fox half to death while carrying an elk rib in her mouth.Adder embraces her role as the Daylit Meadow's hope. <3(1) Adder taking down a bull elk in broad daylight!(2) Adder emerging victorious over the bull.
## Trivia

* It was so horribly, insanely difficult for me to pick between Adder and her amazing littermates, all of whom had unique personalities and experiences. What swayed me over to her side was the opportunity to have a wolf with the sight-seer lifetime challenge and just her adventurous and adrenaline-seeking lifestyle in general.
	+ Her lifetime challenge was meant to be True Wanderer, which meant she would have to wander denless, but it ended up being saved for an even better opportunity.
* Adder's coat turning from brown to pure white was no surprise - I predicted it after looking at the official WolfQuest Wiki's pup coat section.