Equiss, Darsie, & Havana

Having taken refuge in a room on the second floor, Equiss pawed at some matty blankets, building up a little 'nest' of sorts in one corner. And it was there that she gave birth to four new lives.

Carefully and gently, she cleaned each of her four daughters and nuzzled them close to her belly. In the height of winter, temperatures were fridged, and she was keen to keep her whelps warm and safe from the elements.

Patch, Stormchaser & Ebony

Patch had waited for each pup, his heart thundering in his chest. He paced the room's door, wanting to give Equiss pace. When he heard soft whimpers, he stopped, happiness rippling in his blood. "Equiss?" Patch whispered into the dark room, his tail wagging.

Storm and Ebony cuddled next to their mother and siblings.

Equiss, Darsie, Havana, & Hydras

Her lean muzzle lifted at the sound of her mate's voice, "Patch, come see your daughters." She replied softly, tail thrumming briefly against the ground before she shifted a little and settled her weary head down.

Standing at the far end of the hallway, Hydras watched on as Patch peered into the room. She could pretty well guess that her neice had whelped, considering how merrily the male's tail was wagging. Quietly, she padded towards the door, but sat down a few feet before she reached it. She would wait and give the new parents their time before entered.

Lyckos

Ascending the stairs, the large hybrid brushed against his mate, a small smile on his face. "Hydras, we really must talk. Everything's getting out of hand. We need to set things straight, and get the Lurkers back under control."

He had, of course, noticed Patch's pacing and merriment. The news of Equiss' pregnancy had reached his ears, and he realised she must have just birthed her young. Memories of his own offspring's birth visited him briefly, but he soon pushed them aside.

"First however," he whispered, seating himself next to Hydras, "I guess we should meet the newest additions to our pack."

Patch, Stormchaser & Ebony

Patch entered to room, looking at the small bundle of four pups. He felt near-to-tears, but held them back. He noticed Lyckos and Hydras outside, and smiled. "Come in, come and see them." Patch's voice quivered with excitement.

Equiss, Darsie, Havana, & Hydras

Hydras leaned her head closer to Lyckos, while fixing her gaze on Patch still, her voice hushed and thoughtful, "You're right. In light of recent events... there is much to talk about." To temper the heavy burden of such things though, the alphess couldn't help but offer a vague smile when Patch invited them both in.

The new mother stood up, arching her back in a stretch, before sitting down. "Four little girls." She murmured proudly, looking first to her mate, and then to her leaders. Equiss was rightly worn out, or she herself would have been in tears of joy right now. As it was, she gingerly stepped over her pups and gave her mate a loving nuzzle.

Hydras slowly sauntered towards the little whelps, nose twitching curiously while a smile tugged more at her muzzle. "Congratulations."

Patch

Patch nuzzled Equiss back, a emotion he hadn't felt ever rushed threw him. Pride. Patch turned to Hydras, looking at Lurker Queen with a smile. "They'll be some of the strongest warriors for the Lurkers." He said proudly, a smile wide on his muzzle. They were all strong, and would serve the Lurkers proudly. I hope... Somewhere in Patch's mind whispered. Dear God, don't let them betray us like Suenga, Arget and mother have....

Lyckos

Sharing the heavy burden that himself and his mate were laden with, Lyckos' smile was also half-hearted. He followed Hydras into the room, smiling at Equiss and Patch, before looking over their brood. A grin spread over his face, as he was reminded of his own feelings when he had seen his own offspring for the first time.

He kept his distance from the pups, to give the parents their rightful space. Patch's comment bought a smile to his face. "They will be, Patch. I'm sure of it."

Equiss, Darsie, Havana, & Hydras

The doberman mix was touched by pride as well, unable to hold back a deep smile of gratitude for her mate and her leaders. But when Darsie began to squeak and fuss, the mother quickly settled herself down around the pups, nudging them to the warmth of her belly once more.

To Patch's comment, Hydras nodded and allowed a look of warmth to enter her usually steely, harsh gaze. New pups always seemed to do that to her, no matter how grave other situations were at the time. But her joy, unfortunately, had to be short-lived at the moment. As Lyckos has pointed out earlier, they needed to have a serious talk. "We'll leave you two to your daughters now." Then she turned away from the happy family, padding quietly out of the room and heading down the hallway. The alphess paused briefly before entering another room, where she sat and waited for Lyckos.

Lyckos

When Equiss returned to her brood, Lyckos pulled his gaze away from the four pups. Hydras excused them, and he followed his mate out of the room, smiling briefly at Patch and Equiss.

As Hydras sat down, Lyckos entered the room, his expression now clouded by worry. "We're breaking apart, Hydras. The pack's dwindling low in numbers, and the betrayal of Aurinka and the others is a bad sign," he commented, as he sat himself opposite his mate, "I just turned away another Haunter defector - I didn't want our efforts to be thrown back in our face like they were with Aurinka. We can't risk it now, especially with new pups."

He paused, sighing heavily.

"What are we going to do?"

Hydras

Her ears perked up at this news as she nodded gravely to his words, "It's perhaps a good idea to be wary of outsiders during this time." The queen assented, letting the ideas that had been playing in her head come to light now, "No defectors from the Haunters or any enemy packs allowed, reguardless of age." Her eyes shifted towards the door a moment before looking to her mate, "We should have the allies gather for a group hunt. It would provide a good opportunity at reaffirming our bonds with them, and spreading the warning of defectors."

Lyckos

Lyckos listened to his mate, nodding his head at her idea. "Yes, that's a good idea. A hunt will also do us some good, and bring our own pack closer together." Standing quickly, Lyckos barked out to Palima, the african hawk eagle that travelled with his brother.

"Palima, fly to Shimmer Valley, and ask the alphess of the pack if she could bring her pack here. Tell her we are holding a group hunt."

The bird nodded, before spreading her large wings, and heading for Shimmer Valley.

Hydras

A ghost of a smile graced her tri-toned muzzle at his approval. If they were going to stick together and brace the hardships to come, they needed their to know they had the support of their allies. Like Lykocs, Hydras gave a quick bark to summon the falcons.

Black Feather and Gray Feather were first to respond, settling down on the floor in front of the two leads.

"Black Feather, summon the Lost Valley Lurkers, and then Silver Glades. Gray, summon the Sedge Creek and see if you can get the Ancient Guardians to come as well." They had been allies in the past, and now that her nephew was running the group, Hydras was sure they would oblige.