Kaina

Cool morning light split the reddening and yellowing leaves of the aspens that gave the territory its name, and found the new alphess down by the stream. The coloring of her coat hardly suited the autumn that was slipping across the valley; in summer, with the thick tree coverage, the silvery gray of her fur gave her the benefit of blending with shadows to cast unseen, and in the winter, the pure white it lightened to enabled her to close her eyes and disappear into a snowbank, but the brightly-colored foliage displays now made her slowly-bleaching coat stand out against the grayed land like a sore thumb. She seemed unconcerned with it, however - as she bent to drink her fill from the cool waters, she was turning the past three months over in her mind. Only a quarter of a year ago, she'd stood by this bank, in almost exactly the same spot, and locked eyes with a male nearly twice her own size. He'd been intimidating then, even when the rain had split the sky and drenched both of them to their skins, and the thunder and lightning that had ensued-

Never in her wildest dreams would she have believed it would have led her here. The summer had been long and brutal, not only for the heat but for the attacks of the Haunters and the deaths of so many. And yet, out of so much death, tiny twinges in the region of her belly told her that life was about to conquer; it was not yet late in her pregnancy, yet the smallness of her petite frame, combined with the size of her mate, whose shoulder she could barely brush with her ears, standing beside him, meant that already she could feel the little ones moving within her, and the pouch of her belly was already distinctly round and heavy. It gave her a curious waddle when she moved, but the sensation of life inside her produced a joy that easily made up for any discomfort, and again she mused how far she'd come in three months - from a lone, wandering wolf, to alpha of a pack and soon to be mother. The thought made her smile, and shift her weight a little so that she could turn and direct her steps toward a small patch of sun that fell down through a gap in the tree cover; it was chill out now, but early enough in autumn that patches like this still provided a cozy place to curl up, if one chose to.

Starscream

The grizzled fur of the pack's alpha male did not change hue with the seasons as Kaina's did. It did, however, respond to the cooler days by becoming thicker as the winter layer grew in, adding additional bulk to his already impressively large frame. There was also a new luster to it, a noticeable sheen that reflected Starscream's improved health and vigor as the stress of the summer faded away with the falling of autumn's leaves. The Haunters had been decimated, a potential alliance had been secured by Namir, and best of all... Star now had a new mate, and one who was just as fond of grooming and physical contact as he was. After so many years being deprived of these simple things by Nachi, that social void in his life had been filled, and the results shown not only in the splendor of his regal coat, but the softening of his short-tempered attitude.

The long-legged male traveled now with the fleetness and deft paws that came naturally to his kind, though the crunch of fallen leaves would inevitably announce his approach to Kaina's sensitive ears. His path followed that of his mate's, easily tracking her scent towards the burbling stream that was so familiar to them both. A soft whine of greeting was emitted once he spotted her through the colorful leaves, and his high-held tail swayed a few times from side to side. "'njoying th' sun?" A meaty deer scapula between the alpha's jaws was to blame for his muffled speech. He dropped the offering on the sunny patch of leaves in front of Kaina, where the heavily pregnant alphess had chosen to settle down to bask in the warmth. Starscream sat down beside her, being mindful not to lean too heavily against her or the belly that had swelled so dramatically with new life.

Kaina

It took a little longer than usual to cross the distance to her chosen sunning spot, simply because she was still learning how to move her legs and place her paws around the girth of her belly. It was one reason why she hadn't strayed from the terra much lately, since learning of her delicate condition; she was too small to be of much protection for herself, were she caught unawares by someone who meant to do her harm, and in her current state was not fast enough to escape should she be threatened. Within the bounds of their lands though, she was safe - safe enough to venture to the stream without escort, and await the arrival of her love. Despite the chill, the density of the small boulder meant that it held heat well, and thus was warm and soothing when she reclined her frame upon it, soon flopping over from belly to side simply for the comfort of the alternate position. By the time Starscream reached her a few minutes, later, her eyes were closed in bliss, but she wasn't asleep, as the active twitching of her ears proved. She'd heard his approach, and not only that, but the way her eyes failed to open to account for the identity of the person proved she had caught his scent as well, and had immediately disregarded any concern that might have been aroused in her. This was her mate, and he was undoubtedly returning to enjoy her company... yes, her nose also told her that he was coming with an offering of a meal, and so he arrived to the sound of a thumping tail, and the caress of her muzzle over his lower neck and chest when he seated himself beside her, a wordless thanks for the attentive gesture. "I must enjoy it while I have opportunity," she answered him, resting her head sideways against his body without opening her eyes. "With a crisp morning like this one, winter will be upon us before we know it. And with little ones to come, I'd best be well rested, if I'm to keep with them." Her tone was light, indicative of a simple enjoyment of the casual banter and the feel of him beside her, and after a few moments of that bliss she did finally lift the lids of her eyes so that she could see the meat her mate had brought her, and the offering made her smile. He'd brought her a choice piece of the kill, and she paused to give his muzzle a couple of licks for a more intimate thanks before she began to delicately clean the meat from the bone. Between bites, she went on, "All too soon, we'll crave the summer heat- oh here! Feel!" Excitedly interrupting her own statement, she set aside her meal briefly so that she could reach up and use the end of her muzzle to direct his down toward her belly, where a tiny paw was bulging out against her side, causing a mild discomfort and a powerful wonder.

Starscream

Starscream had been a primary encourager when it came to Kaina staying within the boundaries of their territory, especially after what had happened to his previous mate. In'Alak, Crow, and Keap were kept busy with patrols, and he had taken the pack on more frequent border markings of late. When not leading these activities, he was rarely outside of barking range of his mate, and more often than not, could be found traveling at her side, grooming her fur, or resting with his head draped affectionately over her neck. For all the lack of intimacy and social bonding that Nachi had given him, Kaina was reaping the benefits now, as Starscream doted after her night and day. The offering of meat was just one more of these shows of affection, and as he set it down before Kaina and settled next to her, the lingering scent of Cortinarri would tell who had gotten the other blade of prime meat.

"Another week. That's what we have before the cold sets in, if the birds are to be trusted." Star was leaning into her nuzzle, and running the side of his own muzzle against her cheek in shared affection. He settled down onto his chest after that, easing himself down with a broad yawn and a roll of his tongue that perfectly accentuated how blissful and at peace he felt at this moment. "The herds were big going into the winter, we shouldn't have trouble keep up with the food. Sentalia and Starwhisper will be ready to join us in hunts soon, too. We'll have plenty of fangs to bring down prey while you and the pups rest." These things had obviously been on the alpha's mind, and he had dutifully plotted out how to cover all the bases. Food, security, pack unity... everything was going well for once, ensuring the pups a promising start in life, and a bright future for the Aspen Grove. Excitement was building too, as it always tended to in a pack anticipating a birth, and the soon to be father couldn't stop his tail from thumping anew when Kaina directed his muzzle down to her belly. The end of his wet nose pressed against the fur, and his eyes widened at the force that pushed back at it. His tail slowed and his ears drew together, standing tall and alert, "...I feel it."

Kaina

"They've grown so fast," she murmured, her smile fond for both her mate and his near-yearling pups, at the thought that they'd soon be ready to aid the adults in supplying the pack with food. She'd been careful, in interacting with his older pup - the ones that weren't hers, but were from either his joining with Tayzeka, or the even older ones that belonged to Nachi. She'd done her best to make it clear that she was not trying to replace their mothers or try to separate them from them, and yet she'd also been welcoming toward them, and seemed to take an innocent enjoyment of watching them grow and change, as with young Sentalia and Starwhisper. Treating them as if they were pups of her own, while respecting that they had a bond with there mother that she could not sever - and would not for anything in the world try to - she'd learned that each of his offspring had a little of their father in them, to certain degrees... and that made her love each of them, no matter how open or closed they had been to getting to know her better. He'd settled himself comfortably beside her now, and she smiled at the wonderment that lit his eyes when she directed his muzzle down to her belly, to feel the touch of the little one, separated from him only by skin and fur. The touch of Star's nose was a little ticklish, and she giggled lightly to indicate it, but the radiance of her smile was all for that astonished enjoyment he was experiencing at the mere sensation of feeling the pups within her. "Say hello to your father, little one," she whispered, and after giving him a few moments to enjoy it, Kaina adjusted her position and rolled a little to her stomach, leaning against him in a more upright position, her front paws tucked contentedly beneath her chest. "This has been a strange year for me, Starscream... full of so many things unexpected. But I think this is one of my favorites." One side of her head scrubbed affectionately up his shoulder, so that she could settle her chin cradled against his chest. He smelled of Cortinarri... and her. For once in his life, he carried the scents of no female other than his mother and his mate, and the thought made her smile. Beneath that was his own unique scent, something vaguely spicy and musky that was all his own, and it made her sigh happily, pressing her nose into the grizzled fur for a few moments before she dropped her head and extended her neck, permitting her to lay her head down across his forelegs. "So... how is your mother?" This was a fairly common question between them, these days. Cortinarri was a tough girl - she'd had to be, with as many times as she'd been in and out of power in her life - but the female and her old friend Liseli were getting old, and with it, a certain bit of frailty was certainly expected. It was a sign of care for both her mate and the pack, that she queried after his mother - and of course, Cortinarri was the grandmother of Kaina's soon-to-be pups; she wanted her to be around and well enough to enjoy her grandchildren.