Born the first child in a litter of four, Shylock spent the better part of her childhood refusing to give into her mother's demands that she learn something for learning's sake. She wanted to know why above all else. Sometimes the answers were satisfactory and sometimes they were not; either way, she learned everything she could from mother, father, siblings, and packmates. As the eldest child to the pair, she gained rank quickly as she aged, letting her younger brothers squabble for hierarchy obviously beneath her. She was born the eldest and maintained that strength throughout their childhood.