Fossil

Fossil guarding a cougar skull he dug up in the sand.

## About Fossil

### Biography

Fossil was born to Rowanberry and Obsidian of the Meadow Pack's Nightlit half inside the Bison Peak Cutoff den, Slough Creek. His littermates were Rhodes, Rook, Dust, Pandora, Aries and Sagebrush - but he mostly spent his time with Dust, despite their conflicting personalities. His brother tended to behave very independently, and his nature was that of a loner, constantly watching from the shadows and annoyedly whispering snarky remarks. He was very distrustful and cautious around those he didn't know personally - which was everyone except for Fossil. The way Fossil got him to warm up to the idea of being around others was by proposing the idea of pretending to be each other, as they looked physically identical, and the small dot of mischievousness in his heart shone through. The two adored trolling their packmates using nothing but their strong wills to make each other laugh. Aries would typically be the last to realize he had been playfully tricked due to his absolute airheadedness, which everyone would take advantage of in the absolute most entertaining ways, and thankfully, he didn't mind at all. Beside the occasional mischief, Fossil was passionate about digging, climbing tall rocks and scavenging for old skulls - and still enjoys doing so to this day. Rhodes and Rook would occasionally gossip to one another about these odd traits of his, but he didn't care. He just wanted to have fun. After spending some time at the den, Rook fell ill and Rowan stayed inside with him all the time, while everyone else stayed with Obsidian. Everyone bonded with her far more than ever before during that short period of time, but they were suddenly forced to leave the moment their suck packmate got better due to the flea infestation that had swiftly grown in the den. They embarked on a journey through the forest up northwest, and to southern First Meadow. Fossil vividly remembers the many bull elk herds that had gathered in the area, and the way his father protected him from one of the elk when the pack got a little too reckless in their travels. The journey continued over to the tall grasses and rocky cliffs of Little Butte, which everyone hated except for Fossil. His love for boulders and high-up places was immesurable even before this, so traveling to a place like Little Butte was amazing for him. He would run in circles through the early summer grass, and all over the boulders that formulated the hill. His younghood truly was a light-hearted one, free of care and worry. Food remained plentiful, he had as much space as he wanted to run amok, and his life was truly better than those of his distant cousins of the same age. The only thing he recognized was freedom - no restraints, no lectures, and no rules other than doing risky things like running away. Of course, he broke the rules quite often, due to having been used to being able to adventure and wander to his heart's content, but none of it every had notable consequences or impacts on his bright personality. He remained optimistic and curious about life's wonders, with a will to explore that never faded. The time he spent at the Traditional Skyfall rendezvous site seemed incredibly short, and he was chosen as the heir to the Nightlit Meadow Pack once he came of age.

After a long jog across the entire valley, Fossil arrived from Second Meadow - in which he had been exploring and foraging for skulls - to First Meadow - the area he had grown up in. It didn't take him particularly long to find his footing, and by using his sneaking capabilities and his lean yet strong build, he managed to dispatch two Groundsel elk calves without much difficulty. He took multiple kicks to the side, though, and it became difficult to get back up due to his minor injuries. Attemting to sleep it all off, he rested on top of one of the calves he had managed to kill, drifting into a state of subconsciousness. Yet as he closed his fluttering eyes, loud howling was heard somewhat nearby. *Were the other packs fighting again?* It was never really something that bothered him, but the overwhelmingly loud jeering flooded his ears, agitating him like an itch he couldn't get rid of. Pushing himself as much as he could, Fossil got up and headed toward the forest below Aspen Heights - one of the areas he heard howling from. Two Crevice Lake females stared straight into his eyes, surprised to see somebody came over. Fossil braced himself expecting a battle, but they just started *wagging their tails*. One of them - a pure, snow-white she-wolf that went by the name Pond - told him how her pack had been laying on the low lately, and that she only just found out the Oxbow Pack was overtaking Prospect Peak's territory, all the while Junction Butte was trying to fight and cut off a portion of the land for themselves. It was complete and utter chaos, and the two sisters desperately wanted to know more. Having been told tales about Crevice Lake's misdeeds before, Fossil sincerely hoped they truly had made a turn for the better as he accepted Pond's request to help her find out more about the others. Wagging her tail at her sister as a way of saying goodbye, she headed off towards Prospect Peak with the injured Fossil. On the way there, they decided to have some fun by digging in the sand, which is where they located a cougar skull. Surprisingly, Pond wasn't creeped out, which made them both happy to share their knowledge about things like bones and antlers, and they bonded rather quickly.

As they chatted and continued their walk, two Prospect Peak wolves caught them off-guard, and a fight ensued before the 'intruders' could explain themselves. Every time either of them attempted to speak, they were snarled at and bitten. Pond's left paw was absolutely shredded during the struggle, and she barely got out the words to let the strangers know she and Fossil came in peace to watch what the Junction Butte and Oxbow packs would do. Doubtfully, one of the wolves threw her into the water, commanding to stay at the border or be killed. It was clear they had gone through something serious, and that they weren't to blame - but her leg and paw were majorly injured, which couldn't be let go of as easily. The pair stayed near the Peak's border for two days and nights, and were beginning to lose track of their initial task. Fossil was just about to leave when he saw three Junctioners anxiously walking straight into the territory. As they trotted through the dense grass and swam through the wide creek, they quietly talked about how scared they were, and how they wanted to leave. Their shaky whispers turned incoherent once they got too far, and Fossil stopped to theorize about what was going on. His guess was that they were being forced to fight due to their supposed loss of territory on Amethyst Mountain, but neither he nor Pond had the slightest clue as to why the Oxbow wolves were ***also*** being so aggressive. Their best guess was that they were just attempting to establish a territory for territory's sake. He tried not to think much about it, but the Junctioners and the fear painted on their faces were concerning, despite his pack's bad history with them. Nevertheless, he and Pond continued their journey and exploration of the valley once their self-imposed quest was over with.

As Fossil and his companion traveled back to First Meadow in search of skulls to collect, they began opening up to one another. He told Pond about his pack's history with hers, and everythinmg that had happened with the Wanderer Pack eleven years ago. He hoped that the Crevice Lake wolves had finally improved themselves and set sail towards new, more peaceful horizons. Pond thanked him for being honest about his thoughts on the matter, and confirmed that her family was indeed aiming to be more passive; it was just the Junction Butte and Oxbow wolves that were causing issues. *What happened with those she-wolves that walked to their demise? Was a higher power at fault yet again, and.. would the Prospect Peak wolves be okay?* Neither of them knew the answer, and so they decided to dig up more and more information on what was truly going on as time passed. With that goal in mind, they officially became mates and got to thinking about spring. It would be difficult to get to the bottom of the situation with winter slowly encroaching, let alone resolve everything. It was difficult, but they had to focus on food and territory and only continue their journey once they had their litter.

By the time early spring had arrived, Fossil and Pond had already marked a fairly large territory right next to their Daylit Meadow counterpart's residence. They bordered Prospect Peak and Junction Butte aswell, but around the time they began thinking about a nice den, the Oxbows had kicked Prospect Peak out in its entirety. Not one of their members was left - it was as if the Oxbow Pack had been there from the very start. Their disappearance was traceless, really, and all it did was get Fossil and Pond more pumped to find out the reason for all the recent chaos. They felt somewhat guilty for being so interested in it all, but they couldn't help themselves. Either way, they thought and theorized some more before eventually turning back to their original quest - deciding on what den to have their litter in.

### Strength

Although he doesn't have much stamina and overall endurance, Fossil is a very healthy wolf in spite of the injuries he commonly sustains while cliff-climbing. He's a very muscular yet lean specimen, allowing him to push through smaller crevices, but also perform well in battle.

## Personality

As expected of one named Fossil, this guy really likes digging in the dusty, sandy dunes, and he adores high-up rocky areas. He’s super curious, adventurous and rather playful, usually seen with his physically identical brother Dust. The two enjoy pretending to be one another to trick their packmates just because they think it’s funny. Other than the occasional mischievousness, Fossil explores and runs around a lot, usually by himself because nobody is as secure around cliffs and mountains as he is. He's an adreanaline-seeker after all, - he always does risky things. He also enjoys collecting things like bones, skulls and antlers, a trait that creeps others out to say the least. In his heart, a wish to wander freely forever burns. Nevertheless, he believes that staying optimistic is what truly aids him in his adventures.

* **LIFETIME CHALLENGE:** *CAVE DWELLER* - Den only in rocky cave dens.

* **SIDE CHALLENGE:** *BONE COLLECTOR* - Bring every type of skull to the densite. When moving, bring the skulls with you.

Even as Fossil grew and matured, his personality stayed almost the exact same, with a newfound passion for helping others out whenever they were in more dire circumstances. He turned into a true little helper, assisting whoever he could because of his truly empathetic, kind nature. When it comes to himself however, he doesn't really care about things like social status and prestige, but tends to focus on his goals of more importancy and emotional value... which usually ends up with him doing everything except for the chores that actually need to be done.

* **MATE CHALLENGE:** *PEACE BRINGER* - Help a dispersal wolf by going on certain quests for them, before actually choosing them as a permanent mate.
	+ *SCOUT* - Being a Crevice Lake wolf, Pond doesn't know much about the conflicts between Junction Butte, Prospect Peak and Oxbow. Head into Prospect Peak territory and stay there for 2 full days.

## Appearance

Fossil possesses a stunningly dark, charcoal-coloured coat, with sleek strips of rosegold and silver peppered throughout his fur. A very subtle nose flare is present, slightly tinting the top of his muzzle with a stripe that stretches to his forehead, and then shifts to the sides of his head, slowly fading after reaching his cheek ruff. His back has lots of the previously mentioned silvery streaks, which he playfully calls shooting stars. The dark colours on his legs look the same as on the rest of his body, but build-wise, they're very storky and lean, yet surprisingly muscular. His eyes show off a dark amber coloration than he inherited from his father Rowan, and they're able to reel anyone in due to their unusual radiance. Unlike most wolves, Fossil doesn't have any torn ears, snaggle teeth or a bent tail - he's very symetrical.

## Litters

### First litter with Pond - Age 3

Fossil and Pond managed to limp all the way back to their desired densite - Halfgorge, a den that hadn't been used ever before in the Meadow Pack's history due to the tall rocks around it. These two, on the other hand, recklessly adored tall cliffs and boulders, soon making the burrow beneath the boulders their densite. They had four pups - all she-wolves.

Light is an angelic, steel blue she-wolf with a pale white underside and eyebrows, resembling her uncle Rhodes. However, her fur started to turn more black as time passed, and nobody really knows why.

Dune looks similar to her mother, with a light red and brown coat that faded to white as time passed.

Storm is the only pure-black wolf in the entire litter, and possesses a dark, almost purplish black pelt.

Paint has an exceedingly rare fur colour, that being pale gray, which had never been seen in the Meadow Pack before.

## Gallery

Fossil proudly showing off a cougar skull he dug up!Fossil struggling to lift up a moose skull.Fossil gazing down upon First Meadow from Litle Butte in an uncharacteristically solemn manner.Fossil carrying a bull elk skull he found in the snow-veiled forest.Him guarding an old bison skull.
## Trivia

* I'm unsure what it is about him, but I can't help but absolutely adore Fossil, most likely due to his fun personality, but also because of how pretty he is. Love this guy.
	+ Fossil is also very well known in WolfQuest's multiplayer servers, and I often host servers while playing as him because, again, he's simply that irresistible for some reason.
		- We love you, Fossil*!* <3