Heroicness

He was sincere with his words when he promised to never hurt her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She was about to apologize and explain, when he began to overflow with his past. Used to being beaten for speaking and not listening, she listened to every word.
"Wow.. That's.. Well.. Brutal. I'm sorry you had to see that. Parasites are nasty little buggers," She sighed, sincerity on her lips and dancing quietly in each word. She decided it was her turn.
"I was born in a pack that fought for amusement and to entertain the Alpha's. My parents hated my guts, because I refused to fight, so I attempted to find love elsewhere. That's where I met Farkas; the wolf that was dead in the woods. He was such a sweetheart at first, and took care of me. We left due to that fact I had been sentenced to death for refusing to fight. I wish I had let myself be killed," She sighed, closing her orbs in regret and frustration, "When we left, he beat me for disobeying. I disagreed to bear his pups, so he raped me and beat me until I was almost dead. We came here, he was murdered brutally. I don't even know by who. Now, I'm here. With my four, tiny little blessings. I wish they didn't have this lifestyle now though," She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and her sweet eyes opened wide, before she looked around. Had she really just told this Makato wolf everything that had turned her into who she is? Yes, she did. Whether she was going to regret it or not, it was done.

No wolf should have gone through what either of them had gone through. Seeing parasites, was nasty, especially if they made the brute kill Makato's family. There had been parasites in her pack many times, at first it was frightening, but it eventually became a second nature to see wolves run around and kill each other before dropping dead to the hard, cold earth floor. Often, most pack members wouldn't dare touch the wolf, terrified that they would still carry the deadly insects. As a pup, Mai watched the parasites fly away, usually after about a half hour or so, and she would take pride in burying the lifeless beast. Even though the wolf had went on a killing rage and had probably killed many others even without the little critters, she believed that everyone deserved to be buried, respected even once dead.



A chilly wind blew into the den, bringing the scent of rain to come and the fresh mountains. She inhaled the scent thoroughly, in through her nose, loving the smell of this place. Although it was never her home, the multi-colored femme felt very much at home here. She would probably stay here, just until her pups could travel, and then she would try to find another pack. A pack. She sighed. That would be nice, help to care for her little blessings, as Makato had called them. Mai smiled briefly at the thought. She would raise them well, and love them forever with all her heart. She would train them, she promised herself, that she would never let them live through what she had lived through with Farkas, or even her old pack. The home she would choose for them would be a nice place, somewhere where her pups would be safe from all harm, until they grew up. Of course, from then on, it would be their choice, and she would let them have it, the freedom she's never had, until now.



Move dens? Why? She sniffed the cold floor that held Makato's scent. Oh! It was his den she had brought him to! She blushed, deeply embarrassed with the thought that she had just made herself at home. She had to say though, the floor was.. Rocky and cold. And smelled like Makato. She sighed. She glanced at the red brute in front of her. What about her pups? How would he help her move them? Confusion swept her facade. Hopefully they would let her stay in a den, at least, until her pups could walk, even slowly, on their own. She shrugged.
"Sure, I guess. This is your den, so if you want me to leave, I can. Is there a hollowed out tree or something I can stay in?" She asked quietly, afraid of asking too much. She took a deep breath. He told her to ask for anything, even if she didn't really want to.



The dove felt movement beside her, and looked down at her pups. The runt, Ceaser, was squirming away from the other pups. She gave a quiet laugh and nudged him back in with the others. More images of tiny puppies running and playing all together, tackling each other and being a pest to her, filled her mind. She smiled. Then another picture, of them being a part of a pack with her, hunting strong as she found a mate she could and would live with forever more. The thoughts were new to her, a happy future. They were unfamiliar, as well. Slightly strange. She's never had happy thoughts before, but instead thoughts in fear of being beaten of killed. Even when she was pregnant with her pups, she only thought of how to avoid beatings and how to keep Farkas from killing her babies.



The maiden stared out behind Makato, observing just outside of the den. Just outside, the first thing she saw was melting snow. A lot of it. It was wet, slushy and icy in some spots. Beyond, she could see where the mountains rose higher up, and regarded the beauty, nearly breathless. She could see, far in the distance, the beautiful shades of pink, purple and orange all mixing together, shading and switching between colors beautifully, the red sun only half visible. It glinted off the top of the snow peak, and she couldn't help but oversee the portrait in awe. She stared at it for what seemed like forever, waiting for Makato.

His company was not something she would mind. Not ever. The multi-colored femme smiled and shook her head, telling the orange rogue she didn't mind. Her caramel eyes surveyed the landscape again, her orbs soft and relaxed. The shades of pink, purple, and orange were slowly changing, the small portion of the crimson colored sun disappearing behind the mountains, over the horizon. The pink was becoming darker, becoming a dark purple, the lighter purple from earlier becoming more of a navy, the orange becoming a deep pink. It was a process, purple becoming the dark navy blue of the sky, pink replacing the missing purple, orange replacing the pink that had moved on. It was a pattern. Mausi loved patterns, they always repeated the same thing, and in a sense, it was comforting. That's the way it should always be, on and on.



There was the offer again, offering her the sweet, sweet offer of food, and to her, it seemed, of a chance. A chance at life. Although this time, instead of turning it down, she took up the offer.
"Yes please, if you wouldn't mind," The sweet dove answered quietly, hoping not to appear too.. Pushy. She smiled at the thought, a true, happy smile. She shifted her weight again. She knew she should try to stand, and she would, but she would wait a moment, her mind lost in another dimension. She pictured herself and her pups, again, running around as they tackled each other and played together, pouncing on butterflies. In the background of this vision, she could see Farkas' dead corps, hanging and flinging around. The dove flinched back in fear. She could hear two whimpers beside her, and nuzzled her pups, her eyes wide with fear.



No longer able to sit still, the mother rose to her four mitts carefully, swaying slightly. She realised she was hungry; starving in fact. She shook her dome clear and looked at Makato.
"Sit tight, doll, and watch over my babies, please? I'll be right back," She purred lightly, her sweet tone back. She needed to go for a quick walk, at least to stretch out her legs. With quick strides, she felt scared, leaving her blessings in with Makato, but ignored the feeling. She quickly snatched some moss and some leaves, along with some feathers that were on the ground, struggling to carry them all back to Makato's den. She nodded to Makato on her way in, and placed them in the back corner of his den. She gently moved each pup to the new nest, placing them closer to the wall so that the wind would be blocked.



Once settled in again, she looked up at Makato for his next question. Her old territory? She had lived in a big ravine that dug straight into the earth, if she remembered correctly. It was full of dark tunnels and other stuff. She would often carry the corpses up to the top where she would bury them in the forest above, where all they prey was. The gentle dove licked each pup on the head twice, and began to answer Makato,
"I used to live in a ravine - a big gash into the earth - with many tunnels and spots for dens and to hide. Not far above we had a forest where our prey always was," She explained, before curling around her pups and cleaning each one.

When Mai had returned, Makato was sitting there, guarding her pups, just as she had asked. A smile lit her visage, and she nodded to him and thanks. At least he was trust worthy, she decided finally. Her decision. Her final decision. She curled around her pups, wondering what Farkas would have done with her. Killed her? Killed her pups? Left her to suffer? She had no clue.



When she had accepted his offer on food, he had questioned what kind of food she would like. Really, right now, it didn't matter. She could eat a worm and she wouldn't care. Given the offer to choose, Mai decided it was time to get used to being cared for and having a friend.
"Umm.. Snow hare will do," she purred in her sweet tone, her ecstaticness blaring beneath her tricolored coat. She nuzzled her pups, before replying to her next question.
"We'll see..."

Makato bounded out of the den, allowing the dainty femme to reposition herself quickly. She moved slowly and with caution, careful not to flatten a pup. A short lived giggle croaked from her throat at the thought. She gave a nudge and a kiss to each of her gifts, her blessings, and smiled an easy smile. Just as she finished repositioning herself, Makato padded back in at an increased pace. Barely five feet away from her, all she could do was hold back from snatching a hare. She was ravage, famished. As soon as he dropped the hares, she stretched forward, snatching the fattest hare. At a time like this, it didn't matter.
"Thanks," she managed the chuff through mouth fulls.



After finishing every last bit of the hare, her stomach was contently filled. Her eyelids began to droop closed, and a tiny yawn snapped her maw open. Her pups were whining, and she shifted her frail bod to her pups, allowing them access to her stomach. They suckled eagerly, drinking as much as they could take before they dozed into a peaceful sleep. Mai yawned again.