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New Steps
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I lay on my side with a daze feeling, it had been a long while since that little fox showed itself and named her pup. The name defiantly fit the little tyke whose eyes were now open. One was a light grey like her own but the other, grey for the most part, was speckled with a light aqua blue. His voice, though he was young, was strong and showed that it would be come even fiercer with age.
Kody was hard to care for, he was still too young to go into the world and he only received glimpses of the outside. That never sated his curiosity and if not for Doom practically living outside of the den, he’d have been in serious danger.
This morning, lying there, I felt a gnawing on my hind leg and knew it was Kody.
“Boy would you stop?”
He growled and suddenly a sharp ripple made my leg twitch, the pain wasn’t anything my body could handle but it was a sign. Kody’s teeth were getting sharper and bigger.
“C’mon Mum, can I please go out today, Dooms out there!”
The child had an odd way with words, not the way he arranged them, but the way he spoke. His accent was one I’d never heard and there was no clue to how he got it. But it was silly, yet distinguished and I hoped it would stay with him for the duration of his life. There were definite things within the pup’s spirit that could be why he was to be a hero.
There was that biting on my leg again as he began to pull, his mouth and leg muscles not strong enough to truly hurt, but it was annoying. I laughed to myself and kicked my leg softly and he tumbled away from me, laughing as well.
I sat up and he bounced towards me, biting the loose fur on my face I licked his.
“Alright…We’ll go, but you got to promise me something?”
His mouth was still full of my fur as he looked at me and tried to talk.
“Whaaad Muooom?”
I laughed again and looked down at my Kody.
“You wait till everyone come. End of story”
I stood and Kody tried to stay attached to my face but he fell from me and landed gently on the den’s floor. Only Doom had seen Kody, and that was because the little sneak slipped out. But today would be his revealing to the rest of the pack.
Huffing I looked back once more, it was hard to do, that meant my pup was growing up. But that was life and that’s how it went. The brightness of the sun blinded me for a moment but my eyes quickly adjusted to the change. I saw Doom lying under a tree where the woods started. I barked and he picked up his head and stood soon after. He walked out from the shade of the tree to the sun and his red coat glistened. My tail wagged as he got closer. We nuzzled and I looked up at him, he still formally wasn’t my mate, but my heart told me it was going to happen.
“I want to show him to everyone”
I spoke gently; this was to be a big step for a pup’s life, meeting other wolves. Hopefully all of them would be happy to see Kody but one wolf worried me. The alpha female, my history with them hasn’t been too great, but I hoped with her own belly growing with babies she’d understand the bond between mother and child.
“Its time”
He nuzzled me again and slipped into the den, at first that would’ve sent me into a tizzy, but Doom was like a father to Kody now. He probably went down to talk to the little one and I smiled, raising my head to the skies and I howled, it started high and dropped off. Once I let the air silence my first, I repeated the howl then let my head fall with the howl.
One howl returned, Forage. Another that was sweeter, that was Daisy. Others joined in that I recognized from the pack, but my ears were tuned to the one return howl that worried me. There it was, deep and empty, the alpha female was coming. I sighed and looked back to my den and shivered with nervousness.
Forage would be there, he wouldn’t let anything happen…would he? I stared off into space as I waited for the others to come. The gamma, Tor, was the first to come even though his return didn’t reach my ears. He sat next to me as the waiting continued. Savage, Bark and Fell soon showed, followed by Daisy and then the two alphas.
The female’s eyes seemed harsh, yet weak; her stuffed belly seemed to be a real burden. Mine hadn’t been as bad seeing it was just a single pup, and I almost felt bad for her. Everyone sat and looked at me, the two alpha’s closest to me, and I turned and went into the den with Doom.
“You ready buttercup?”
Kody growled at the silly nickname I had begun to call him and Doom laughed. Doom bent over and nudged the little one with his red muzzle to get him to go to me. Kody had his ears pulled back, so Doom had told him what was to happen. Though his little body shook he stood proud and walked to me. Good, another sign of a leader. I licked his small face and again he growled. I turned and walked to the entrance, quickly glancing to see if my pup was behind me. He was, and was trailed by Doom, my tail wagged as I stepped back out into the bright sun.
Side stepping I sat and watched Kody appeared from the darkness, he stumbled slightly from the sudden change in light. His eyes were used to the dark and he squinted against the sun. I smiled as Doom pushed his rump to get him further out so others could see him.
Forage’s tail was wagging, so was Daisy’s, but all the others smiled then looked to their alpha female. All wanted to know if she’d approve or not, and my heart sped with worry as she glared down at my young.
My back legs wound like a spring as I watched her, if she moved to my child she’d not have a throat anymore. Doom too seemed on guard as he sat in front of the den’s entrance, watching Kody with a keen eye.
“What is his name?”
It was the femme who talked her voice heavy with exhaustion her eyes seemed to go soft as she stared at the pup.
“Kody”
Her tail wagged as I answered her question that was all I needed, everyone was accepting my boy and I whined happily and went to Kody and Doom. The other pack members followed as the female was the first to reach us and nuzzled Kody. She was going to be a good mother to her own and I smiled.
Kody wasn’t too sure of what was happening but as others crowded around him, prodding him with their noses he laughed and his tail wagged. Even later, once everyone’s excitement lessened he romped with Bark, who was a young mud colored wolf. But soon enough his low energy reserves dwindled and Kody came to me and nuzzled my legs. He curled around my paw and fell asleep; I smiled lovingly down to him and looked to the rest of the wolves around me.
“I think its time to call it a day”
I laughed softly and picked up my pup by the scruff of his neck, carrying him inside I set the sleeping bundle on the ground. I licked his body, and then turned, Doom was standing in the entrance and I smiled again. I moved to the red male, he was becoming a great male to be with and a good father to my Kody. I needed him with me…
“Stay here tonight, with us?”
 DearCervid · Sat Nov 08, 2008 @ 04:35am · 0 Comments |
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