Nita*Ripetide*Kala

Nita came from the main pack lands and after such a rush of excitment and having three pups she was rather tired. She laid in the den beside Riptide who laid beside her. He was confused and afraid for he was blind. Kala was out side jumping about and waiting for Drac to catch up. Small yips and barks erupted from her small white muzzle.

Eytan*Thunderhead*Gavan*Astra

Gavan and Astra were napping in the den, having just got off a shift of watch. The scent of their mother approached, and two strangers. Imagine their surprise when Nita appeared with two tiny pups in tow.

Gavan leapt up to greet his mother, coming slowly to her side and nuzzling her, accepting the pups without a word. They were Ma's pups, so they were okay. End of story.

Astra, in her usual detached way, watched the trio enter, but her attention was captured almost instantly by little Riptide, who was so obviously confused and afraid. In a very un-Astra-like rush of sympathy, she rose and padded over to her mother and the little pup, her voice soft. Hello, Mother. Welcome, little brother of mine. I am Astra, your big sister. And she got down on his level, though not so close as to frighten him, giving him a chance to take in her smell and memorize it, to always recognize her as a friend.

Eytan soon arrived with Thunderhead, all smiles. Thunder ran to tackle his mother's ear, having a good old time til he spotted Gavan and Astra. Then he froze, released the ear, and darted behind his father, peeking out from behind his legs as Eytan soothed him.

Jessie & Drac

She followed behind the alphas, head level with her shoulders and tail swaying gently with her stride. Things seemed to be going great now; no humans, no wars, no nothing. Just pups, and plenty of them! As Nita entered the den with her pups, Jessie stopped outside and sat down.

Drac bounced over to the den straight away, eager to start playing with his new friends. But a sharp yip stopped him in his tracks, "No, no, darling. You stay out of the den." Jessie corrected him, much to his disappointement.

Drac's disappointment was quickly dissolved though, for there were some strangers here. Seeing they were friendly, he trotted right over to Astra first, tail wagging and ears laid back as he reached his muzzle up to give her lick on the chin. A little puppy submission, to help him assure himself with these new pack members.

Jessie watched her son's antics, making sure that he didn't overstep his bounds with anything. "That one is Drac. The other..." She glanced back to be sure that Fyre had followed, "..is Fyre."

Nita*RipTide*Kala

Nita shook her head as Thunderhead tipped at her ear inside the den. She smiled watching him run behind Eytan and her eyes slowly narrowed resting her head back on her paws. Her fluffy tail wrapped around the side of her body. Nita hadn't slept in some time and she was more tired then ever. She trusted her mate and Jesse to watch the pups while she rested for once.

RipeTide's eyes widened trying to focuse and see his sister, but he saw nothing. His growls faded and hears perked listening to her voice and breathing in her scents. He was still confused, but no longer so afriad. She carried his mother and father's scent for she was his older sister. His face was serious and Nita knew he would grow to be more aggressive, yet his sight would hold him back. He forced a slight smile to his sister then sat beside the den looking around at the others.

Kala bolted after Drac with small yips and barks. Her ears pulled back and then purked. Her thin white coat sleek and brushed to her skin as she ran. She slid into him unable to stop and whimpered. She scambled to her paws looking at him with bright amber eyes like her mother and then nipping at his ear. He was the smallest thing around other then Thunderhead and RipTide, only they didn't seem to want to play.

Drac

His attention span wasn't the best, and when Kala ran into him, it was plenty enough to distract him from his greetings with the adults. Giving a playful snarl, he spun around and gave a mock bite to her muzzle. All the while, he tail wagged furiously. Here was somebody that would be a better playmate than his overly-dominating brother.

Kanan

Since their visit to the Wolf Center, Kanan had taken it upon himself to do a bit of a perimiter patrol, just to be sure that no more two-leggers had crossed into their domain. Along his way, via means of scent, he came to learn that his alphas had a new litter. Being pup-minded himself at times, this came to him as wonderful news. He headed for the den straight away.

The white wolf, with a gray-masked face and the blue eyes of his mother, came running towards the den with his tail all awag. "Eytan, congratulations!" Kanan said, then glanced to the den. He would congratulate Nita too, when she came out of the den next.

Eytan*Thunderhead

Thunder watched everyone from behind his father's legs. He was not timid, exactly, but was a thoughtful fellow, and would not rush into anything. he was studying everyone. But when Kanan came right up to them, he pressed into his Da's legs, amazed. How big could a wolf be?

Eytan smiled at Kanan, remembering the male's love for pups. Thank you, my friend. It is a joy to have little ones in the terra again. I hope that the joy here is a sign of better things to come for our pack.

Nita*RipTide*Kala

Nita still laid in the den, walking out wasn't something she had in mind after many sleepless days. She laid there with RipTide right outside the den listening and growling to every sound her heard. Kala felt Drac's nip to her muzzle and she attempted to tackle him to the ground even though she was much smaller then him.

Kanan

It quickly came to Kanan that something was amiss with the little male at the den enterance, though he could not quite figure it out. Not wanting to upset his alphas by pointing out such things, he returned his attention to Eytan to speak, "I'm hoping so too. Pups are always a welcome treat for a pack; and two litters are even better." He added, looking to Drac and Fyre. Although the air was still warm and the days long, Kanan realized that summer was in its dying stages, and autumn would soon approach.

"Should the caches be filled before winter? My father told me of two blizzards that came to the Valley in the past few years." He was lucky the winter wasn't too bad this last winter, but there was no telling how things would wind up in a few months. When there were young ones to feed and teach, it only made things that much harder.

Drac

He snapped at the air, letting his teeth clack together harmlessly. When she went to tackle him, Drac resisted at first, pushing back against her with his paws. Then, he tumbled backwards and let himself be pinned. Grinning and growling at the same time. he got all for paws underneath him and tried to kick Kala off.

Eytan*Thunderhead

Thunder finally seemed to make up his mind and came cautiously out from behind his father's legs, going almost on tiptoe to bat a little at his sister's hind end, watching carefully for her reaction.

Eytan nodded at Kanan's question, one eye carefully on Thunder as he went to play. His tone was soft and serious as he spoke. That would be an excellent idea. If this winter goes like the last, heaven forbid, it is better that we get prey now and let the winter snows seal it for later.

And smiling, he nodded his apologies to the male and wandered over to lay down beside his mate with a soft nuzzle, his voice a low murmur meant for the two of them alone. Why so agitated, my dear? He thought he knew why, but he hoped that talking about it might calm her.

Kanan

When ever someone was pleased with an idea of his, Kanan was quite extatic, though he hid his enthusiasm while Eytan replied. "When ever there is a hunt, I'll be happy to assist."

As Eytan headed for the den and his mate, Kanan settled himself down on his stomach, stretching one foreleg out in front of him while tucking the other against his side. Laying down, he realized, would hopefully make him more approachable by the smaller pups. He could remember when he was little; he always seemed to be the instigator of trouble. Getting lost, almost drowning, exploring human things... he had been quite the thorn in his parent's paws. Strangely enough, he had been the only sibling to survive the litter of four. And always, there was that desire to be a carefree pup.

Putting his muzzle down against his outstretched leg, Kanan watched the pups. He wanted to creep forward and invite them to play, but thought he'd let them come to him if they wished it. No need to frighten the alphas' pups after all. In any case, he'd be happy to keep an eye on them, and entertain them if neccesary.

Nita*RipTide*Kala

Nita slowely opened her eyes and looked up at her mate with a soft glancece. Her ears pulled back as her head rested upon her paws. "I'm tired after accomplishing so much in these past few days. Besides, I can't stop thinking about them. Ageni, Akecheta, and Maikoda," she explained softly.

Kala fell off of Drac as he kicked her stomach. Giggles bursted from her narrow jaws. She whipped her body around feeling the touch from Thunderhead. Her eyes seemed to glow as she lifted her paw and smacked him gently on his head.

Rip was still sitting in fustration, but of course that wouldn't do any good. He rose to his paws and very slowly started to make some distance between him and the others. He sniffed around and felt his way around. He stood in front of trees and walked around them. He sniffed them and felt the earth beneath his paws. His ears twitching to judge the distance he had made between him and the others. Looking into the sun, his eyes did not dialate, and the brightness wasn't there. He was wondering in pure darkness.

Fyre

Fyre was recluse from the group as well, though unlike RipTide, he had no good reason for being that way. His eyes were perfectly fine, and in fact, he was the largest pup here. It was his mood that got in the way, for it was quite sour at the moment. He wanted someone his own size to play with, and the only one close to it was Drac, but he was busy playing with the younger pups.

Finally, the youngster gave in as the thought of play became too enticing. However, instead of going to Drac and the others, Fyre wondered towards Rip. It was clear to the pup, even at his young age, that there was somethind different about this youngling. "Hey, I'm Fyre." He announced in a deep, gruff sort of tone, trying his best to sound tough and cool at the same time. Normally, he would have pounced on Rip rather than introduce himself. But again, he could sense that something wasn't quite right, and natural instincts bade him to keep his distance until he figured out what made Rip different.

RipTide

Rip continued to smell around and feel around using his sences. His ears flickered when he hear Frye's voice. He whipped his body around to face him with a blank and emotionless stare. Soft growls formed in the back of his throat and his small puppy paws clutching the earth. "Hello Fyre, I'm RipTide, or just Rip," he replied in a rough tone.

Eytan*Thunderhead

Eytan nodded as his mate spoke, having suspected that the new litter had reminded Nita of the death of so many other little ones. He sighed, and lay his head on her back, mouth up next to her ear so that he could murmur softly to her and she would hear perfectly. So much the war cost us, my dear. Would that I could take it all back and bring Miakoda and the rest back to us. I'd pay any price to bring our daughter back. And his eyes closed for a moment, trying to make sure his voice came out level and strong, for her sake. Astra says that Miakoda has a home in the stars now. You know how odd Astra always was about stars. She says that when one who is loved dies, they become a star to look down and watch over their loved ones until they too become a star. And he opened his eyes again, smile soft and a tad wistful. A pup's tale, to be sure, but... perhaps more comforting than believing that she is gone forever. I prefer to think that Miakoda is a star. He gave her a nuzzle and replaced his head on her back, knowing that she needed special comfort at the moment.

Thunder was a little startled when Kala turned in upon herself to bat his skull, but after he realized that she was being gentle he felt a little smile grow on his face. His tongue hung out in a silent laugh and he leapt for her, giving in to his silly side as he made to tackle her.