The Shock of Motherhood [Mothy]

[Juice]

The orange she wolf could only hear a roaring sound in her ears as well as her own panting as she enjoyed the cool feel of soil against her face. She was inside a deep den that had been dug at the base of one of the grove trees. The soil there was incredibly soft from the ash of the Great Fire that had occurred so many years ago, and was therefore easy to manipulate. Kivah had been able to dig her own den even though she was pregnant, and had had enough time to gather a small food store for when the pups came. Well the pups were now here and nursing eagerly at their mother's stomach but Kivah had not yet laid eyes upon them.

Getting pregnant in winter was not the best thing to happen to Kivah although it wasn't the worst either. The she wolf had not intended on conceiving any pups the night of her act with Luzaro but she was Alphess and knew that the she and the pups would be well looked after. In fact, in the few weeks prior to the birth she had been going over ideas on how to groom an heir to the throne. The she wolf had zero experience with pups but she knew they had a reputation for being impressionable so perhaps she could train one to do her bidding for her. However, the new mother wasn't thinking of that now as pain coursed dully through her body.

The pregnancy had been very hard on Kivah who was an older wolf with no previous litters. The wintery conditions paired with the fact that her pack had moved from their old territory into a new one had caused immense strain on the she wolf's body. Somewhere in her subconscious Kivah could sense the thought that some of her pups had died floating just out of reach for her to comprehend. Maybe that was why she still refused to open her dull, purple eyes and look upon her offspring. Finally she could deny her maternal instincts no longer and lifted her head, with some difficulty, to look at her babies.

Two tiny lumps of life were fervently suckling at their mother's teat, both females by the scent of them. One of the little pups was a combination of orange, purple, yellow and brown while the other was a solid purple color with only a few distinct markings here and there. Kivah licked the two clean of any afterbirth, making sure to completely bathe them in her scent. She then looked around and saw that she had birthed 3 other pups that hadn't made it. The she wolf was shocked to find she felt no remorse for the dead puppies in fact, she felt nothing at all. Exhausted, the she wolf used the remainder of her strength to howl out of the den's mouth and into the night to summon her mate.

@ttop

[Deleted]

The red wolf padded through his territory on sore paws. Being an alpha was a lot of work but it was definitely worth it as he was rewarded with a healthy, happy pack and land to call his own. Luzaro had just returned from a meeting on the border with the Alphess of Frigid Plague and he was eager to share the news of the interaction with his mate. Suddenly the male stopped in his tracks and swung his tattered ears forward to listen carefully. The den seemed eerily quiet and a shock of worry bolted through Luzaro's stomach. He rushed towards the entrance to the den.

Once inside Luzaro was relieved to see that Kivah was fine and then shocked to see two puppies nursing at her side. Then his green eyes swept over the dirt floor of the den and saw the ones who hadn't made it. He could have expected as much since he had bred with Kivah so late in the season but it didn't make the pain any less intestine. The new father took a moment to compose himself before walking up to the orange she wolf and nuzzling her affectionately. Before she could say anything, Luzaro walked over to the lifeless pups, took them in his mouth, and walked out of the den with them.

There was a beautiful cherry tree just a few paces away from Luzaro's den where he decided to bury the pups. Digging a hole quickly and efficiently, the red wolf dropped the pups into the ground as gently as he could before covering them up again. Luzaro decided he didn't have time to process all these feelings of sorrow right that second as he had two healthy pups and a mate to look after. He would have to grieve on his own time.

The red wolf took a deep breath and stepped back into the den before circling around his mate and lying down next to her. "Kivah..." he said softly, licking her orange cheek. "They are beautiful...are they both girls?" Luzaro looked down upon the purple and orange puppies that he could call his offspring. However, for being his offspring, they sure didn't look much like him. The brute could recognize the brown coloration on one of the pups as coming form his side of the family but that was about it. No matter, they were definitely his pups and he loved them unconditionally already. "Names my dear?" he whispered gently into Kivah's ear.