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Jena Abbyline Rork is the first daughter of Alpha Magnus Rork of the Oasis Pack.
"Abbyline! Take the pitcher and bring water to your father! He is in his office."
"Yes, mother!" The 9-year-old comes running. She takes the clay pitcher and runs off to fill it. She balances it on her head while heading back.
A couple of older boys (but not by much) run past, following what appears to be a brownish desert rat. In their hustle, one of them nudges the already encumbered Jena; just enough for her to lose her balance, the pitcher shattering to pieces on the hard rocky surface bellow her feet.
Water is scarce in the Southern Calla Region. Uncontaminated water that is. Few springs remain untainted, always contained deep within a pack's territory. The strongest warriors belong to those packs that have a water source at their disposal.
She freezes. Of course, her father just happened to be coming her way at that precise moment.
"Jena, come here!" He yells without even raising his voice.
"Yes, father but it's not my fault. Two boys were running and..."
"Jena honey, you are a big girl now. There is no punishment if you tell me what we say about water."
"Water is scarce. Water is life. Respect the water."
"Very good, honey! Can you now tell me what you could have done differently so the water didn't spill over?"
"Pay attention to my surroundings. Always be alert. Like a warrior. Like you, daddy!"
"That's my perfect little girl. I think if you were a little older and under warrior training, you would have easily dodged those boys even if you weren't paying attention. Would you like to become a warrior one day?"
"Oh, could I father? Would I really be allowed? I would really like that. I could be your right-hand man then. I mean woman." She grins widely at him.
"I see. Good to know! I'm sure you will make a fine warrior one day. Now what about that water, is there a third way in which the water stayed in the pitcher?"
"Yes, father. The third way is the one way to preserve the water neither you nor I thought about. There is always a third solution to a problem."
"Indeed. Pick up the shards, and be on your way. I'll see you and your mother at dinner. Love you, honey!"
"Love you too, daddy!"
The unfortunate poor souls that do not have a pure water source within their territory, cannot afford to trade for the fresh water can always use the dew, but the process is inefficient and time-consuming, not to mention the foul taste.
As if that wasn't enough, the dew has traces of the contaminants in it. A lot less than the oceans or open lakes, so it's drinkable, but take a wolf raised on dew and compare it to one with access to pure water, and the differences are undeniable. Size, speed, stamina, even things like the sense of smell and hearing are vastly different.
That is the Techno War's legacy - nothing electrical and no technology of any kind survives. Not that it matters anymore. Only the elders remember that time, and even then it is from stories they heard from their own elders when they were but pups.
Later, that day, Jena quietly stalks towards the dining room, trying to surprise her father, but as she closes, she can hear her parents arguing.
"She is a child, for God's sake! A girl even! You cannot be serious! Warrior training? Are you that desperate for an heir? We can try more, have a baby boy, and you can train him to be the next Alpha."
"It's been 9 years, love. Something is not working. Maybe I'm too old. I need to think of the future."
"What about her future? She needs to be a child first! I'll find you a second wife, young and fertile..." her voice trembles as she says that.
"NO! I will never touch another woman! You are my soul mate, love! I want nobody but you! We will keep trying, but I already asked her and she agreed. The pack needs this, we need this, and she needs this."
"But why not a future mate to become her Alpha, our pack's Alpha?"
"Do you know when he will appear? What kind of person he will be? Will you entrust our pack, our daughter's life and yours to an outsider? Cause I will not. She starts next week. I have work to do!" he says leaving the house in a hurry and slamming the door on the way out.
"Mommy? Is everything ok? Is daddy upset with me?"
"No, of course not, honey, he loves you very much!"
"Is he upset with you? Cause I will go and yell at him if he is!"
"My brave little princess! You father just wants to keep us safe. Sit down and eat. I heard you start warrior training on the first day of next month. Aren't you excited?"
"Ahhamhmh." She answers, mouth fool of food.
~~~
9 years pass, and although struggling in the beginning, enduring the looks of her peers and the mockery of the other she-wolves, Jena now eagerly awaits her graduation. In two months' time, she will be able to leave the pack territory, and start searching for her mate in the other packs.
Her intense physical training starting years before most boys join the warrior path triggered her first change years before it would normally happen. She has been with her wolf for 5 years now, a constant encouragement in the back of her mind, or her front when they felt like switching places.
Her progress has gotten her the respect of her peers. The only female warrior to ever qualify for a brawler role. The other few and far between girls that decide to actively protect their pack become medics, working in a support role or at most qualify as scouts.
The she-wolves in the pack no longer dare to say anything to or about her, but with the fear comes isolation.