Many drachfen believe that their ancestors were wolves. These wolves are said to have lived in two large packs in a valley somewhere in the drachlae. They started to become dragons when one of them was blessed by the moon.

packs

In the valley were two large packs, known as the Pack of the Creek and the Pack of the Deep. The Pack of the Creek lived higher up the valley near a tributary of the main river, while the Pack of the Deep lived further down in a cooler area of forest.

The Pack of the Creek were the first pack to arrive in the valley. The stories say they gained sapience and began to invent complex language after encountering a strange artifact. When the Pack of the Deep arrived, they welcomed them and made room in the valley. The packs had minor friction with each other, but lived for the most part in peace.

pack culture

For much of the wolves' history, they practiced ancestor worship. When a wolf died, yar spirit went into the river to join the water cycle. Living wolves could commune with their ancestors using rivers, clouds, and rain. There were stories of an endless river, so wide that no wolf could ever see the far bank. This is where wolf spirits lived when they were not visiting the living.

Each pack had an alpha, as well as a beta and a gamma, yar second and third in command. The alpha had final say over all pack decisions, but the beta and gamma both had significant sway. New alphas were chosen either by old alphas, or by competition. Often, it was the beta or gamma who became the next alpha.

creation of the drachfen

One day, there was a certain wolf born in the Pack of the Creek. Initially, yow was like any other wolf, but as yow grew up, yar fur turned green and yow grew wings. Yow, the drachfen say, had been blessed by the moon. When a famine struck the valley, the wolf was able to fly over the hills to bring pack food for both packs.

No wolf was ever seen like yowm again, until many generations later. At this point, the packs had been living in the valley for dozens, maybe hundreds of generations and some of the young wolves began to grow very restless. Among this number were both of the alphas.

A generation prior, there had been a violent fight between the packs, and when yar old alpha died in the fight, the Alpha of the Creek had been thrust into power too young. Yar best friend had been born in the Pack of the Deep, but was separated from them as a pup and raised in the Pack of the Creek. Yow had returned to yar birth pack and become the alpha.

The Alpha of the Deep proposed to the Alpha of the Creek a unification of the packs, and a restructuring of the pack hierarchy. Many wolves were for this, but many others were opposed. Wolves who joined the alphas became known as the Pack of Dragon, while wolves who did not formed their own pack, and became known as the Pack of Truth.

While the Pack of Truth retained the old hierarchy, the Pack of Dragon did away with betas and gammas in favor of three alphas. Each alpha was elected by the pack members and oversaw a different part of pack life.

The wolves who had been Alpha of the Creek and Alpha of the Deep became two of the Pack of Dragon's three alphas. One of them had a pup who grew wings much like the moon-blessed wolf had. Yow became one of the Alphas of Dragon, but shortly thereafter the pack began to fall apart.

the drawing away

Many of the wolves in the valley were drawn away, but the alpha could not see by what. Yow began to wander on foot, following the river down toward its mouth.

One night on yar journey, yow saw the full moon's reflection in the river. In the reflection was the face of a wolf who looked very much like yowm. The wandering wolf stepped closer, and the moon seemed to speak to yowm. She beckoned for yowm to follow her, to continue down the river's path. Eventually after many days, yow came to the sea, and yar ancestors' spirits welcomed yowm. The moon spoke to yowm and told yowm to use yar wings and venture out into the world. She said that yar descendants would all bear beautiful wings like yars.

The drachfen say that the wanderer's descendants do bear beautiful wings.