Another First Breath (Pack Members)

A day of exploring the area around the lake had tired Yiska; he had returned to the den which he and Placid had expanded themselves, and was lying comfortably in the nest when he was suddenly jolted awake by his mate's voice. He sprung to his paws, heart pummeling the inside of his chest. This was it. It seemed like so long ago and yet no time at all since the pups had been conceived. He was not prepared, but he knew he was ready.

Reluctantly Yiska left Placid to her own devices while she delivered. He wanted desperately to be with her when his babies entered the wide world, took their first breaths, voiced their first squeals. But he had confidence in Placid. She had been through this before while he had not. He trusted that she could do this right without his help. He tried to calm himself. He took deep breaths and looked at the clear blue sky. He looked at the blossoming trees edging the lake. He looked at the blooming wildflowers dotting the meadow. He looked at the gentle ripples on the surface of the water. He was so grateful that this sight would be the pups' first in a few weeks' time. The peacefulness of the place soothed him greatly, but still he paced near the den, anxious.

It seemed like an age before Placid emerged from the den. His heart skipped a beat before he recognized the expression of contentedness in her features. He followed her eagerly into the den, searching for the scent and sounds of his first offspring. He could detect little of their individual scents over the metallic smell of blood, and the den was dim so he could make out no more than a mass of gently wiggling bodies, but their voices were clear to him. Each pup had a different sound and he knew that he would immediately recognize even a faint whimper muttered by any of them. "Seven," he breathed. Such a large number, and all healthy. They would be a handful indeed. How would they possibly be able to keep track of them all? How would they keep them out of trouble? Yiska sighed, both immensely content and slightly worried. He would have to be constantly on his toes once they were old enough to leave the den, but he and Placid would cross that bridge together when they came to it. "They're beautiful. Thank you so much, Placid." He looked away from the pups only to touch his nose to his mate's head, then laid down on the other side of the babies, across from Placid, protectively.

Once Yiska laid down the cluster of tiny bodies seemed to expand toward his warmth. Soon he had a couple of puppies sleeping against his side, fussing quietly while they slept. He tried to pay attention while Placid pointed each one out by name, but he could still hardly see them, and they looked mostly alike, grayish-brown that was common of all young pups. Their fur would change when they grew older, and Yiska was sure he would be able to tell them apart then, but for now he would have to rely on Placid's motherly instincts to keep him aware of who was whom.

The alpha listened patiently as his mate worried about Makato. He was a little worried too. He knew the beta had been upset when Placid had taken Yiska for a mate, and now an even bigger event had happened that Makato might take as another wedge between himself and the alphess. Not normally the jealous type, Yiska was surprised to find that he was kind of happy about this whole situation. With the feelings Makato had had, and maybe still had, for Placid, more distance between him and Placid would not displease him. But that didn't mean that he was insensitive to his mate's plight. He rested his chin on her forehead to comfort her. "Don't fret, my dear," he said. "I will tell Makato everything for you."

The brown wolf's heart softened still further as the look of anxiety passed from Placid's face, to be replaced by one of relief and relaxation. He licked the top of her head, then laid his head on his paws as she did, watching the new pups while she dozed off, clearly exhausted from the day's events. After a few minutes he nudged the pups that had come close to him, back toward their mother, stood, and exited the den. The sun had set and the stars were just beginning to show through the dim shroud of dusk in the sky. The air was pleasantly cool and fresh after the warmth of the den. He took deep breaths while he grounded himself. His old life was far behind him. He had thought he had given it up for the life of a wanderer when he left his natal pack. Then he had joined Placid's pack and left that behind as well. Then he had taken her for a mate. Each of these choices had left him thinking that he could never return to his previous lifestyle, but now Yiska realized that this, the birth of his pups, was the one ultimate event that would cut him off from the rest of the world completely for years to come. The alpha could not leave now to return to any of his previous lives any more than he could go back into that den and end all the lives sleeping peacefully inside it. He had finally reached the true point of no return. And he was glad.

Yiska turned his thoughts back to Makato and the promise he had made Placid. Resolutely he would bear whatever wrath the beta had to give him in his mate's place. He trotted as far from the den as he was willing to go while his family slept, vulnerable, so that he would not wake them, and howled for Makato. Then he returned to the mouth of the den to wait and listened to the whispering of the trees and the singing of the frogs.

Waking up from her light doze, Placid gave a yawn. She had been having a wonderful dream. She was unsure of what, but it sent happy shivers down to ivory femme's spine. She looked across at where Yiska had been laying, shocked when her eyes had adjusted to the dark to see he wasn't there. Suddenly, she smelt Makato. Makato? Fear replaced the confusion. Yiska had agreed to tell Makato, and had now summoned him. Her harks strained to hear his voice, but all she heard was Makato's voice, congratulating him. Placid's facade became relieve. She smiled. Of course Makato would be kind about it. "Makato? You can come see them," she said, her voice hoarse from her nap. She looked down at her pups, smiling and giving each a quick lick and repositioning them. Hopefully Yiska would be okay with that.

Walk, "Talk", 'think'

Yiska was patient while waiting for Makato to arrive. He was not worried that, if the beta flew off the handle and went on a rampage or something, he couldn't take him on. Plus he was sure that Placid would come to help him if she heard fighting. Yiska was confident that his family was in no danger. However, knowing the feelings that Makato used to have, and perhaps still had, for Placid, Yiska was not so confident that Makato's reaction would be a good one. That wolf was a valuable member of the pack. If he did go crazy Yiska would have no choice but to expel him from the pack, and of course he didn't want to do that. The alpha was willing to take the risk, though.

After a while he heard Makato emerging from the forest and turned around. He seemed uneasy at first but soon relaxed. Yiska stood and smiled as the beta came closer and was about to speak whem Makato beat him to it with sincerity shining in his eyes. Immediately all doubts the alpha had about whether or not Makato would respect his and Placid's relationship and not try to make a move on his mate, disappeared, and it was a relief for Yiska to not have to worry about it. His smile widened. "Yes, I'm very proud," he said. "There are seven." Placid's voice echoed from within the den, inviting Makato in, and Yiska stepped back to allow him entry while he stood guard outside, basking in the harmony of the pack and the perfection this moment held.