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Pup without a name
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For the next few days I wouldn’t come from my den. Doom stood outside now, in concern I guessed, but I didn’t want to face someone so like Decker. It hurt too much…Where was Decker now? Would he want to see the little one?
With that thought it brought to my attention that my pup was still nameless as before. ‘Little one’ and ‘Pup’ was working for me so far, but not for long. He needed a name, and needed one soon. I wasn’t sure how long it had been since I had burrowed myself next to the pup, unwilling to come out, but the little bundle was getting hard to control.
His stubs of limbs had turned thicker with muscle as he crawled around the warm den. One morning when I had fallen into an exhausted sleep I woke to find him scrambling toward the entrance. My heart pounded me as I whined and pulled him back down. I licked the soft ridge of his spine and he mewed in annoyance, he hated baths. Oh but how I loved the pup without a name.
That same day, when my pup had tried to reach the world, my stomach plagued me with pains of hunger and I was forced to leave. I prayed Doom wasn’t there, I wasn’t ready, but his scent hung heavy around the front of my den. He’d been there for awhile…
“Deo?”
I twisted quick, ready to see Doom’s red pelt, but to my surprise it was Forage. I sighed and looked at the alpha’s feet; he had dropped a piece of meat.
“What wonderful timing”
I made a soft happy sound and walked closer, but I would not touch the meat without the alpha’s consent. I was not in his pack, but I had respect for ranks. I watched his eyes as my stomach rumbled, and Forage gave the nod I was waiting for.
My tail wagged furiously as I tore into the bloody chunk. Forage lay down slightly away and made sure he wasn’t to close to the den’s entrance. The spirits no nothing of a mother’s rage while protecting her young. I trusted him though and relaxed, finishing the meat and gnawed on the piece of bone that was within it. I looked up to Forage, his face contorted in concern.
“We all have been worried Deo. You wouldn’t come out, Doom is especially concerned”
I sighed and looked away; this was not something I really wanted to talk about and waited for noises of my pup to erupt from the hole. But they never did, I had to give him something.
“I just wanted to be with my pup…”
He shook his head, he didn’t believe me.
“That may be part, but Doom…?”
I sighed again and looked straight to Forage’s dark eyes.
“He reminds me of….of…of my pup’s father”
I was biting my tongue now, and slowly as I tried not to cry a sweet-salt taste filled my mouth, blood. Forage must have not expected such a reason, for he remained speechless for awhile then stood and nuzzled my side. My side that the horrible female tore into and absent mindedly I flinched, there were scars there, but they were long healed.
The alpha felt my flinch and moved up my neck and lay down, laying his head over me in comfort. I couldn’t hold everything in anymore, my throat felt tight as I twisted and buried my face into his fur and cried. He just sat, and let me. I‘d thank him for that later, I needed this.
After awhile I was exhausted again, but I surprisingly longed for Doom. Forage stayed with me for sometime longer to make sure I was ok. I assured him repeatedly I was and soon he left. Quickly after his departure Daisy showed with Doom followed, his fur was matted and his eyes sunken. Had I done this too him? But as soon as he spotted my light fur outside the den his tail wiggled side to side. I stood and lopped to him, nuzzling him affectionately. With the pup still silent I left Daisy to guard and went off with Doom.
Our foot falls where silent as he ran in front of me, his mouth had fallen and his tongue bounced out the side of his mouth. We didn’t have to say a word as we walked, for us, this was deep bonding. Doom slowed at some point and I quickly moved faster and trotted at his side for a few seconds, then took the lead. We did this for almost a half an hour as the sun sunk behind the trees.
After the moon took its place in the sky he again moved up past me, he slowed but I didn’t move. His head craned back to talk to me, the first words we had spoken since the birth.
“I want to take you somewhere”
I nodded, willing to go anywhere with him in that moment. So with our heads bouncing with our steps and our endurance kicking in we kept moving until I noticed the forest thinning. Doom came to an abrupt stop and looked back at me over his shoulder. He flicked his muzzle to the direction in front of us, gesturing that he wanted me to go see.
I looked forwards and noticed brush had become suddenly thick, but light flicked through them. I was intrigued and stepped past Doom and pushed my head through the thick clumps of brush and wood.
It was breathtaking, a small dirt beach stretched out into a large deep colored lake. The moon’s rays bounced of the rippling surface as life within stirred it. The air was thick with the smell of water and mud.
“Go on”
I heard Doom say behind me and I stepped the rest of the way onto the dirt. I longed to touch the water and I padded softly over too it. I could see my blonde fur in the reflection of the crystal surface, I felt like it wanted to pull me in. I took in a deep breath and stuck the end of my muzzle into the water.
I opened my mouth as the cool liquid rushed in between my teeth. I breathed through the sides of my muzzle and just let the water move in and out of my mouth. Suddenly I heard the sounds of splashing and I lifted my head quickly. I saw nothing and looked behind me to see if Doom was just playing with me. He wasn’t there.
I turned back to look out across the lake but I was met with two bright eyes and a blue glow. I stumbled back and almost yelped as I saw what the thing was. A blue, glowing, fox creature stood on the surface of the water. I fell back onto my haunches and stared, not sure what to do. It twisted its head to the side and peered at me; it lifted its paw and stepped closer.
“What do you want?!”
I spoke to it and it blinked its bright eyes and laughed softly, the sound didn’t seem to be coming directly from the fox, but from the water around it. Again it stepped closer but its mouth opened to speak.
“So he is among us now? What is his name?”
I scrunched up my muzzle when I realized the spirit talked of my pup, but it asked its name and I felt like whimpering.
“So it is nameless? That cannot be”
It seemed to hiss now as it looked up to the sky, twisting its head sideways.
“Oh what do we call this hero Fenris?”
There was a rumble of thunder in the distance.
“Really, Kody?”
The fox asked to the heavens.
“What is Kody?!”
I demanded as it seemed to be talking with the clouds that were threatening to cover the bright moon.
“His name my dear, Kody”
I growled as it spoke a name for my pup, again it giggled and the sound echoed around me. Slowly it seemed to dissolve, and then disappeared, the name it had spoken burned into my head as Doom stepped through the trees.
“What was that?”
I looked at him with blank eyes; wondering myself, what had that little spirit been. I coughed after realizing I had not been breathing. Doom’s face contorted as he looked at me with worry.
“It was nothing…This is beautiful”
I looked back to the water, searching for that little water fox to be standing on the surface again, but it wasn’t. Doom was grinning as his tail wagged. I was now obsessed with the need to return to my pup, we had been gone too long. But I stayed and nuzzled Doom like I had that night I’d given birth and I tucked my small body into the front of him. With my head under his muzzle, I closed my eyes and leaned against him, his strength keeping us both up. I wanted to say the name out loud, at first it seemed a silly name but as I thought more and more on it, it seemed to fit.
“Kody”
I whispered and Doom arched his head backwards to look down at me, I laughed at the way he looked. His fur all puffed up on the side and back, and tight below his muzzle.
“His name will be Kody”
He smiled and laid his head on top of mine again. We sat there for awhile longer, enjoying each other’s closeness. But soon we both, speaking no words, stood and wandered back to the den where daisy stood guard over my little Kody.
 DearCervid · Sat Nov 08, 2008 @ 02:47am · 0 Comments |
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