Bandit's Bedtime Stories

Births:
Litter sizes are usually 2 or 3 to a kit, however cases of 1 or 4 also occur.
As part of the birthing ceremony, the father will bring to the birthing room the family's "special item"
The mother shares this item with the other midwives, why it is significant, how it was found, how it has affected them, etc.
A sort of divining ritual is also carried out where various aspects of the woods are "read" to try and predict the nature of the newborn(s), these include:
The time of day (day, night, dawn, dusk) - determines the optimism of the children
The cycle of the trees (full, empty, blossoming, blazing) - determines the skills or trade of the children
The flow of the river (drying, overflowing, steady) - determines the influence or impact of the children
The first animal seen by any of the midwives (crow, squirrel, frog, fish, owl, deer, sparrow, eagle) - determines the personality of the children
The most anticipated part of this ceremony is the naming of the child, where everyone gathers around the "special item" to search for names
The mother always gets final say, obviously
Finally, each of the new children are presented with the "special item" and their reaction is gauged, this is usually considered indicative of how accurate the nature reading will be

[Children born of Famine]
Near the height of the famine ravaging the village, a minor miracle occurred.
Three new pups born to three separate kits were all born within the span of two seasons.
The first was Ham, born to Silver and Chops; an intelligent woman gunning for the mayor's seat and a humble potato and wheat farmer
The second was Bandit, born to Maraud and Heist; a seasoned ranger with exceptional knowledge of herbal remedies and a folk hero fighter
The third was Chai, born to Masala and Earl; a meticulous, quiet, and stern woman who guards the growing villages archives and the man filling the role of the mayor's secretary
The village, under much stress and fearing for their future, took this as a positive omen, that the village would heal, and that these children would do great things.
During the second season an ornate bracelet with three different gemstones; amethyst, topaz, and corundum was found dancing along the bottom of the river, and while this piece of jewelry was decided to be worn by the current acting mayor as a substitute for a crown, the children were nonetheless dubbed the “Gemstone Trio”
It would be another seven years before the next kit was born.