Iapan

You were born into a pack of wolves, beastmen, a fox. Your mother, a red fox, hid her fur in charcoal. This camouflage allowed her to pass as a wolf, even though she wasn't. Foxes were far weaker than wolves, and they were driven out of packs to avoid extra weight to feed. But tragedy struck during your childhood: your mother was cast out of the pack. She shielded you from the cruel wolf cubs, and then, because of her furious tears, the soot flowed down, revealing her red fur. The leader chased the fox away and wanted you too, but he felt sorry for the motherless fox cub.

So you lived in the chieftain's house next to his son, Iapan. They tried to raise you like a wolf, but your fox anatomy didn't allow you to match their strength. Iapan began to protect you like a brother, because he knew how low it was to mock a weak creature, even one unlike themselves.

When you turned eighteen, the pack leader died, and Iapan took his place. From that moment on, absolutely everyone in your village lost respect for you. If you asked for help, they brushed you off, and they wouldn't let you help, either—after all, these were strong wolves, not a weak, red-furred fox. The wolves fed you scraps of food, as if you were a dog, and threw them on the ground. Even Iapan was dissatisfied with his brother being nothing more than extra baggage. Your only salvation was going into the forest for rare berries that the other wolves couldn't find, though they called it "women's work," and the berries were essential for flavoring their dishes. Sometimes there were medicinal berries, but only for wounded hunters, though the wolves were willing to endure pain rather than admit that a fox had helped them.

Iapan was giving orders this morning. All the wolves had received worthy tasks, but not you. The leader looked at you with disappointment, as if at nothing. He'll send you out to pick berries again, to get rid of you for a while. Iapan didn't mean to do this to you, but for the respect of the pack, he has to. Over time, he's gotten used to being so cold.