Tambora

The pack that Erebus and their family was born into was no safe haven for the different. It was filled to the brim with homicidal, cruel people with no regards for others. The bosses were the worst out of the bunch. Ismena and Lydia, both the epitome of evil and believed to be that last thing one saw before death. The mates ruled with an iron fist, one that you needed to keep control over a pack of psychopaths.

Those types of wolves were the entitled. Erebus's family were the slaves, the servants to the violent. Erebus's mother was a servant to the craftier of the two women, Ismena. Their mother went into heat, and attracted their father. Dear old dad was one of the evil ones, he owned their aunt and cousins. Their mother knew that, but it wasn't like she could refuse a master, could she? So she had their father's pups against her will.

When the bosses founded out about that, they were enraged. Sure, they owned slaves, but that believed that they were better than sleeping with them. Lydia, the more deranged of the pair, killed their father and tortured their mother until finally drowning her. Erebus was too young to know about any of that.

Ismena took in one of their siblings, and Lydia took in the other. They gave their new commander Erebus. Since the new commander took their father's old position, he got their father's slaves. Among them, their cousin and only friend Artemisia. She was a year older than them, so treated them like she was their older sister. Erebus loved Artemisia (or Sia to them). She meant more to them than their other family ever did.

Whenever they made a mistake, Sia was there to protect them. She took the abuse so Erebus didn't have to. And when she told them she was going to escape, they went with her. Both of them have had seen and felt enough for a lifetime. They were just lucky enough not to get caught.

They made a successful escape. Ran far enough away to never get caught up in the clutches of Lydia or Ismena again. Artemisia took care of the young Erebus, and as the days wore on, they found it easier to push the past behind them. It only took up their puphood, so of course they don't remember the bad stuff as well as Sia. She lived through it longer, and suffered more. Erebus didn't pick up on that.

They traveled the great outdoors for seasons, living only to survive. Sia found Erebus more and more insufferable as they got older; their hopes weren't dampened by the old pack. She would always yell at her cousin, who seemed to easily forget about the past. She couldn't move on from everything those murderers had done to her. Artemisia approached the young and easygoing trickster and told them that she was going her separate way; that she couldn't stand to see them so happy, even after everything they had gone through.

It made Erebus angry, not at their cousin and blood, but at themself. Why couldn't they be more depressed about the past? It boggled them more than they would ever admit in the present. They decided that it was easier for them to put it behind them since they lived through much less than even their own siblings. Sia was always there to take the bulk of it for them. And now she wasn't, because she couldn't see them happy. It was impossible for her to muster up the feeling herself.

That's when they turned their anger on Artemisia. On the world, for ever doing this to them. They became snarky and closed off. Erebus became a pro at mischief, since that's one of the things that drove away their only family. They promised, over their own dead body, that they'll be happier than Sia could ever hope to be. Maybe that was because of false hate, or the last shred of love they had for her. They would never know, since they'll never see Sia ever again.

That brings them to Dawn, after some more seasons alone. They had time to think about who they'll be without the only person that ever cared enough about them to take abuse for them. They will never care about someone anymore than Artemisia, they knew that. So, why bother caring at all? They didn't even get the chance to care for their parents or siblings. And the only time the world does give them somebody to love, they run away.

Not caring at all is better than caring and losing.