Desmon & Pups

The hybrid limped towards the familiar Barn, tail and head held low. "You all know the drill. Stay in the Barn, and don't mess with the Lady's animals." He said, before flopping down near the front door of the barn.

Maladay, Kensai, and Caraway bounded happily into the barn and instantly began to climb all over the stacked bales of hay.

Argolis paced around near the entrance, growling and muttering under his breath about not being able to fight yet.

Lerna devoted herself to helping make sure the pups didn't wander out and get into any trouble.

Pistol, Dianthia, Kambode Jr., Narsinia, Oake, and Karma took interest in a game of 'follow the leader'. With Kamode Jr. leading, the group of youngsters began to tour the Barn while mimicking whatever their 'leader' did.

Aurinka; Kahvi; Susi

Aurinka followed Des and sat down next to him, keeping her eyes on the pups. She feared that she would never be a good mother. But now that she had pups of her own, she was a bit more confident. "Risen is a fool. I can't believe she's my half-sister. There really is no reason she wants the leader of the Aspen Grove dead, except for her wounded pride." She snorted, still letting off steam.

Kahvi and Susi joined in the game of follow the leader, stopping to look at the horses every now and then. "Look at that!" Kahvi shouted, staring up at a horse. "It's like a big...a big...I don't know what it's like!"

Desmon & Pups

Desmon sighed and drapped his head down, "She is a cruel creature. She is like my father - too much ego." Of course, Ankh wasn't quite as bad as Risen, but he did have a terrible grudge against his brother Aidan. "I hope that this fighting will end soon."

Kambode Jr. stopped and looked up at the horse. Grinning, he lifted his head and pranced his front paws, "It's a big horse like Nass! And this is what they do!" He explained, continuing to prance his front paws like he'd seen Nass do before.

All the other pups started to prance their paws, immitating their 'leader'.

Aurinka; Pups

Aurinka let her head rest on the ground. "I'll do all I can to stop her. But I'm afraid I'd have to kill her, and I'm not so strong." She sighed, looking up at Desmon. She had a lot on her mind. Thoughts were crowding her. After a long, uneasy pause, she spoke up again. "Des..." She said, almost choking on her words. "I-I love you." There. It was out. Now he knew how much she really liked him.

Kahvi and Susi watched Kambode Jr. and pranced as he did. "I bet my mommy has seen a horse before! She said she even saw some giant dragons that live in the water! And a big gray thing with a horn! And a giant cat! She lived in a big den made of stone!" Kahvi exclaimed. "She said that her dad was a huge wolf and her mother was a little tiny coyote!"

Desmon & Pups

"I will always be here for you, Aurinka. You won't have to do anything alone, if you don't want too." Desmon promised, forcing a smile. His ears perked up then, as she said his name and the clear hesitance in it. For a moment he was worried, but when she spoke again... the forced smile was nothing but sincere and bright. "Aurinka..." He pressed his muzzle close to her's, giving her a nuzzle, "..I love you more than anything."

Kambode laughed loudly, puffing his chest out as he continued to prance, "You've got quite the imagination, Kahvi! But everyone know that dragons aren't real, duh! And only deer have horns, and they are brown and tan, not gray!" Kambode stopped prancing abruptly, and the rest of them stopped as well. Now he waved his tail like a cat, slowly from side to side.

Aurinka; Pups

Aurinka nuzzled Desmon back, smiling softly. This was the happiest she had been since she had left the Haunters. Sometimes she wished that she could have converted her mother as well. But she knew that Tahti was stubborn and would never leave her home. The coywolf looked at her pups, still smiling. "I hope I can raise my children as well as my mother raised me." She said, eventually dropping the smile. Tahti was a Haunter, but she was a good mother.

Kahvi shook his head. "No! It's true! She said it's called a rhi...rhimosamus! It had one big horn and one little horn. And the dragons were real, but they didn't breathe fire. They were big and lived in the water! And they had big mouths and sharp teeth!" He barked. Susi nodded, wagging her tail. "It's true! You can go ask her now!"

Desmon & Pups

Desmon, too, felt happier than he had in a long time. After watching his cousins die, and losing two of his siblings, it was hard to remain cheery and upbeat. But now, it seemed that he had room to be joyful again, "I know you can, Aurinka. We both can." He added, fully intent on helping raise the pups like they were his own.

Kambode Jr. stopped and snorted, "Rhimosumus? No way, you totally made that up!" Around him, the other pups scrunched up their faces into a scowl, like Kambode was doing. "Prove it! Lets go talk to her!"

Aurinka; Pups

Aurinka smiled at Desmon. "It's good to have someone like you here." She said softly, wagging her tail.

Kahvi growled. "I'm not lying! And I'll just get my mom to prove it!" He shot back. Really, he wanted to cry. But he would remain strong. He turned around and yelled to his mother "The other pups don't believe in rhimosamuses and river dragons! They think I'm lying!" He cried out. Aurinka walked to her son and looked down at him. "You know it's real, and I know it's real. You know it's real even before you've seen it. You can't see the wind, but you know it's there because it blows the leaves and people tell you that it's there. When you believe in something you can't see, that's called faith. It can be a very good thing." She said to comfort her frustrated pup. She then lifted her head and looked at the other pups. "What Kahvi told you wasn't a lie. There were giant alligators and caimans in a lake near our temple. There were huge rhinoceroses, bigger than the biggest wolf, with horns on their faces. And there were cheetahs and tigers. They were cats, but they were much bigger than the ones you see around the farm." She explained, her eyes widening as she spoke.

Desmon & Pups

Everything seemed so perfect now. If only they didn't have to worry about war anymore... Desmon pushed aside the fear of battle as he tried to think of better things. When Aurinka stood up, Des followed suite.

Kambode frowed more, not liking to be proved wrong, "But I want to see what they look like!" He complained, stamping a paw on the ground like a frustrated horse.

Desmon spoke up next, "Kam, this is what the Water Dragon did to me..." He nodded to his lacerated shoulder and legs, where the blood was dried and caked into his fur, though it still hurt very much. "Sometime we can take you all to see the alligators at the marsh, but for now, you will have to entertain yourselves with your imagination."

Kambode snorted but didn't say anything else. The wounds his older cousin carried made him wince inside, but he wouldn't show that 'weakness' to anyone else. "That's lame."

By now, the rest of the pups had gathered around to hear what Aurinka was saying. "How big are the cats? And why do they have so many different names?" Maladay piped up curiously.

Aurinka; Pups

"The cats are almost as big as a horse! Some of them have stripes, and others have spots." Aurinka continued enthusiastically. "The cheetah was fast; faster than any animal I have ever seen. The tigers were very strong and very stealthy. Onetime there was even a giraffe. She was as tall as a house and has a long neck and long legs. She was our enemy at the time, and she came to save her friend. Her friend was a secretary bird. Her name was Penny. The Shadow Haunters were holding her hostage. She was tall and had long legs. She had a sharp beak, too."

Bloodlust & Avara

Bloodlust was last, quit a slowpoke. "I'm sorry, Aurinka. I heard some rumor about Risen and Hydras meeting." Bloodlust stated. Plopping down in the hay.

Avara stayed by her mothers side, not wandering far. Momma's girl. Heh. Avara looked at Aurinka as she told about the animals. "Mommie, what is the animal with the big manes? They look like cheetahs." Avara questioned.

Aurinka

Aurinka looked at Bloodlust, her hopes sinking. Why would the Haunter alpha and the Lurker alpha have a meeting? It sounded like danger to her. She watched Bloodlust sorrowfully for a moment, before looking back at the pups. "That's a lion. They're a kind of cat, and they're much bigger than cheetahs. They're very strong, too." She explained, wagging her tail a bit.

Desmon & Pups

Des looked to Bloodlust, feeling a sense of uneasiness wash over him. Why would his aunt and Risen be speaking to one another?

Narsinia inched forward, eye wide with wonder, "Tell us about the Water Dragons, Aurinka! I want to hear about them!" She yipped.

Karma wagged her tail excitedly, "Yeah, tell us about the Dragons! And more about Penny!" The pit-hybrid begged. It didn't take long before every pup - including Kambode Jr - were totally enthrawled with the information Aurinka was giving them.

Aurinka

Aurinka looked down at the pups, smiling. "The water dragons came from the marsh one day. One escaped from a zoo, and met the other at the marsh, then they both came to our temple. They were huge and could kill anything that stepped into the water." She said in a low, quiet voice to add drama. "Penny was a spy from a deer herd. She was a smart creature, always pointing out the weaknesses of others and using them to her advantage. My sister and her friend helped protect the bird, along with one of the water dragons who had been at the zoo with her. One day, a rescue party came for Penny and took her back. I haven't heard from her since. But she should be easy to recognize. The cheetah broke her legs and now they're crooked and she always walks with a limp."

Bloodlust & Avara

"Lion..." Avara tested the name. "What about the black cat! What is that? Is it a black cheetah...or lion...?"

Bloodlust yawned, laughing lightly at the pups. "That, Avara, is the Black Panther."

Desmon & Pups

Oake perked up at the talk of cats, "Can we see the cats? And the water dragons? And the rhimosmo- rhima- the horned thingy?" He asked, tail wagging and eyes begging.

Karma joined with her brother in the begging, followed quickly by Caraway, "Oh, yeah, yeah! Can we see them? Please?!?"

"No one is to go anywhere near the Ruins. Understood?" Desmon's voice, usually so soft and gentle, carried a strong and authorative tone that made most of the pups stop their begging at once. "Later, maybe we can check out the Breve Ridges and see what cats we can find." The hybrid offered, relenting with the harsh tone and slipping back into his usual one.

Avara

"Awh." Avara sighed, she wanted to see the ruins. Where her father was supposed to live.