The Wolf Chronicles

"''What is the promise of the wolf?

Never consort with humans.

Never kill a human unprovoked.

Never allow a mixed-blood wolf to live.''"

The Wolf Chronicles is a trilogy by Dorothy Hearst. So far the first two books, Promise of the Wolves and Secrets of the Wolves, have been released.

14,000 years ago, the promise mentioned above is what the wolves of the Wide Valley believe. Many thousands of years before their time, however, wolves and humans formed a bond with each other, and this changed them. The Ancients nearly killed both species, until the wolves made this promise.

Young wolf Kaala is a mixed-blood wolf, with her mother having taken a mate from outside the Valley. Her littermates are killed because of their birth, but her life is spared by a pair of Greatwolves - a large species of wolves that enforces the rules of the valley and punishes those who do not follow those rules.

Kaala's mother is banished from the Valley as punishment, and so Kaala must find her own way in the pack, growing up with the leaders' pups and trying to be accepted by the leaders. As she grows, she proves to be a strong, capable wolf, but they are uncertain about her because she was born with a crescent-moon-shaped mark on her chest, signifying that she is either very good or very bad luck.

Kaala does her best to be accepted by the pack, but as she learns about the humans, she feels drawn to them... With her adopted littermates Marra and Ázzuen, and a feisty raven named Tlitoo, Kaala begins to learn that perhaps wolves and humans being apart isn't the best way to go, and that perhaps the Greatwolves have some secrets of their own...

These novels provide examples of:

 * Arranged Marriage: TaLi's tribe leader and aunt/caretaker want her to marry DavRian, because he can bring more expensive gifts and because he does not believe that the tribes should listen to krianans and follow the old ways anymore, even though TaLi wants to marry BreLan.
 * Asskicking Equals Authority: The pack leaders are generally the best fighters of the pack, since they must be able to withstand direct challenges to their leadership (which are typically done by fighting). One big reason that the packs cannot defy the Greatwolves is because the Greatwolves are so much bigger and impossible for a normal wolf to defeat in battle.
 * Berserk Button: For Kaala, it's TaLi being threatened.
 * Big Badass Wolf: Any of the characters, but special mention goes to the Greatwolves, since they're almost twice as large as a regular wolf.
 * Didn't See That Coming: The climax of Promise of the Wolves turns around one of these: the characters were so focused on the coming battle between the wolves and the humans that nobody noticed
 * In retrospect, they should have:
 * Fictionary: The wolves' language.
 * I Was Named My Name: Played with. Kaala's name is wolf-speak for "Daughter of the Moon". Her human friend names her Silvermoon, and Kaala is surprised and pleased since it's so close.
 * Legacy Character: The ravens have a special raven called the Nejakilakin that is born whenever there is need, who can travel between life and death and can see the memories of others. Tlitoo is the current generation's Nejakilakin, but he doesn't like it when other ravens call him that by name - even "Neja" bothers him.
 * The Promise: Ancient wolf Indru made a promise that wolves would not come into contact with humans, but that they would still guide humans, in order to keep the Balance. As Kaala grows older and learns more about herself and the Greatwolves, this promise is called into question many times.
 * Ravens and Crows: Ravens and wolves commonly associate with each other to share news. Tlitoo is one of them that shares a close friendship with Kaala, as he too is marked with a crescent symbol and has an important destiny.
 * Settle for Sibling: Rissa was originally going to be mates with Hiiln, and the two would lead the pack. When Hiiln was banished, it was up to Ruuqo to lead, so Rissa became Ruuqo's mate instead. He'd always had strong feelings for her even before his brother left, and Rissa grew to love him as well.
 * Speaks Fluent Animal: NiaLi. It is mentioned that all krianans used to be able to speak to animals, but that ability has been lost, with NiaLi's daughter being the last.
 * Trickster Archetype: Ravens. When they're being especially mischevious, they tend to speak in haiku.