Balto: wolf pup Adventure
Tiny, white-socked paws scurried to the mouth of the large cave, its soft pads exposing themselves for sunlight's warmth. The owner of said paws, a tan-colored wolf pup, wagged his cream-tipped tail in excitement. Today was the day! Finally, he would meet the other clan members! He was just about to bound into the wide open spaces, when a familiar voice stopped him. "Atka! Don't go yet! Your brothers and sisters aren't ready!" At hearing his name called, Atka swiveled his head to look at his father. Kotak's grey eyes gleamed in what sunlight shone through the cave, and his dark red fur lightened a shade. However handsome the appearance, his eyes held reproach.
"Atka, did you hear me?" The youngest son nodded, quite disappointed with himself for not leaving when he had the chance. "Yes, Papa. I won't leave until you say so." Kotak smiled, knowing his son's intentions. The red wolf stooped down and nudged the tan pup with his nose. "A warrior should not accept defeat so easily, dear one," he said, referring to the pup's name. One of Atka's sisters, a stark white pup with piercing blue eyes, sat down by her father's large paws, almost blending with its color. He looked down at his daughter and examined her; yes, her mother had done a good job of cleaning their pups. "Aniu, would you please keep your brother company for me? I need to see your Mama."
He turned and walked over to where his mate lay cleaning their oldest son, Tier. He was the only one who exactly mirrored his father, though three other pups did favor. Their daughters, wouldn't you know it? A smile spread across his snow white muzzle as he overheard their conversation. "Tier, hold still!" said Aleu, her tan fur bristling with agitation. Her blue eyes that many of her pups inherited blazed with a determined fire. "You have to get clean if you want to meet the others!" But the red-furred son fought back with equal determination, squirming in his mother's paws. "Mama, there is no point in bathing if I'm just going to get dirty again! I'm your oldest! They know me already because I'm from a different litter!" It was true. He was at least two months older than his brothers and sisters. The insistence on saying he was part of a litter was a mystery to the alphas. There had been only one pup, so they chalked it up to wishful thinking.
Kotak took that excuse as a chance to intervene. "Be that as it may," he said, ignoring his sons surprise at his appearance. "You are my future beta when the time comes. And when your mother and I deem you ready, you will be alpha male as I am." Tier realized the implications of his father's words, plopping down on the stone floor. Aleu smiled her thanks to her beloved and took to grooming him. The stubborn pup made no move to stop it. "What?" He was being pronounced as heir to the clan? Dante, Aleu's clone, save for his red chest, pounced on his brother in celebration. Blue eyes shone with pride as he looked at his other brothers and sisters. "Alright, Tier! Mudball! You hear that? Big brother's going to be Alpha!" A rustle in the heap of sleeping pups. A dark brown pup poked his head out, glaring his amber eyes at his brother. "Stop calling me that! My name is Balto!"
Aleu laughed aloud at the name. Oh, if he only knew of the legacy behind it! Sure, the pup knew that he was named after his grandfather for his eyes, but had no clue that he was grandson to a hero. None of them did, actually. But when the pups were old enough to travel to Nome, they would be told. Atka and Aniu stared in surprise. Aniu was proud and happy for her brother, and thought he deserved it. After all, he was the eldest! Atka, however thought differently. When they were presented to the clan, would this proclamation steal their thunder? Don't be stupid Atka, the tan pup thought, blinking it away with his mother's eyes. It could be worse. Now, off to greet the world while Papa's distracted... A mischievous grin played on his long snout as he carefully padded outside into the forest of his ancestors.
Later that night...
"Eska, please stop that howling. It's disturbing your brothers and sisters." As the words left Aleu's mouth, deja vu overwhelmed her significantly. When she was a pup their age, her husky Mother had asked that of her. She shook her head. Oh how long ago that seemed... Her daughter's voice brought her to the present. "Sorry, mama. I just want to be out there in the wild!" The she-pup resembled her father in appearance, but was beginning to show signs of her grandmother, shown first in her long eyelashes. Eska looked over to where her brothers slept in a contorted heap, not wanting to join them. Over to the left was her sister, Aniu. The red pup joined the white one, and with the rythmic rise and fall of their chests, they looked like the sunrise on a snowy tundra.
Aleu watched her daughters for a moment, not noticing when her mate silently walked up. "What's wrong, Beloved?" he asked sweetly. His mate voiced her thoughts of how their daughters looked together, and he smiled at it's poeticism. "Just like your grandmother. Come lie with me, Beloved," he whispered as he turned to stretch in their corner. "Taku, I'm still sore from giving birth..." she winced as the words brought pain to her modesty, and her tail instinctively curled inward. Grey eyes blinked, taken aback at her misunderstanding. "Aleu I meant to sleep!"
Aleu blinked in turn, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, right..." she said, her body curling as she sidled up to the strong wolf. "I knew that." Taku smirked and slowly groomed her back as she laid down. "It's alright, love," he said soothingly. "It was a hard throw this time, wasn't it?" Aleu looked at her mate, still embarrassed, but nodded in agreement. Unbidden, tears began to flow and the normally stubborn she-wolf fought hard not to cry. He has no idea how hard it was... Mama should've been there... Her mate licked her tears away in concern and surprise, his throat aching. He nuzzled her so that she could cry in his fur without waking their children.
"Oh baby," he choked softly, suddenly wishing he'd been more sensitive to her before. "I had no idea it hurt so bad. The damage from Atka's breech... Aleu..." He rested his chin between her ears. "I'm so sorry." That was all he could say. He let his mate cry some more, searching his mind for answers. There has to be something I can do. Taku filled his lungs and pulled away so that he could look her in her beautiful blue eyes. "Tell you what. Why not go into the mountains and talk with Aniu? She can help you get better."
Aleu swallowed hard from the throb in her throat and blinked. "I suppose I could... But what about the pups?" The tan wolf looked at her children, forced to look back at her mate by his soft muzzle against hers, grazing her cheek fur slowly. It would be a few days before they saw each other. "Make the most of the time you have. Don't worry," he whispered. "They'll be fine. My grandfather taught me well." He rubbed her further, going to dark brown ear. "I promise you that no harm will come to them."
His mate returned the affection for a minute, and he felt her smile in his chest. She laid down, head on his paws, snuggling her body closer to him. "Thank you, Taku," she whispered between a content sigh. Taku's smile widened, and he laid his neck over hers. They atched their pups sleep for a while, quietly giggling when one of their sons frolicked in a dream. "They'll be great hunters one day," their father mused.
Aleu nodded beneath him, yawning. "Yep. Papa would be so proud." Her mate crawled over and laid on her back to keep her warm. "I imagine that he is, Beloved." White paws placed themselves over tan, and Aleu nuzzled him briefly before she laid her pretty little head down on his front leg. He let his head drop gently so that it was next to hers. Even as he fell into sleep the red wolf's smile never left his face. "Man, I'm going to miss her...
As Aleu ripped at a caribou leg, Taku found that he couldn't look away. She would be gone four days, six if Aniu wanted her to rest. As he had reminded himself the night before, he made the most of the time he had with her. The other wolves would not return from the hunt for another hour. The red wolf glanced around their territory just to be sure, then crawled underneath her legs and pawed at them. His mate looked down at him, laughing. "Taku, what are you doing?"
"Snuggling you."
"Why, Swifty? I'll only be gone for less than a week."
Taku paused, unsure if he wanted to be so exposed by voicing his thoughts. "I don't really know just where to start..." he pondered. Aleu sat down hard on his belly, making him wince at the pressure. She would get the answers one way or another. Quite casually as to annoy him, she bent down to finish her breakfast. Beneath her, Taku blew out air. "Okay, you win, you win! I just needed to be with you before you left!" Blood, dripping from her teeth, Aleu turned her head and smirked at him. "See? That wasn't so hard." Satisfied, she lifted her seat off him and him a piece of meat. Grey eyes rolled in annoyance, but he was too hungry to refuse the food.
They ate in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Even their tails were entwined. After a while they finished and cleaned up in a nearby creek. Aleu looked up across it from taking a drink, already singling out the route she would take to her grandmother's mountain. A sunny hill could be seen though the creek's brush, and she decided to take that one. Next to her, the red wolf watched her uneasily. He didn't want her to leave. Like a frightened puppy, he rushed and nuzzled her slowly, trying to get her to do the same. She did, but only after shhe laughed. "Taku, what is with you? I love the attention and all, but it's a bit sudden. I've told you I won't be gone that long." The red wolf smiled apologetically. "I don't know. You're just the best thing thats's ever happened to me. I love you so much that I don't want to see you go. I'm being selfish, but thats's the truth."
With that statement she understood. She returned his nuzzle for a long while. Then, painfully so, she pulled away. "Bye, Swifty," she said with a lick on his face. Taku laughed at the irony. "All last night I told you not to worry, and here I am acting like one of our pups." Aleu touched his nose with hers, and he enjoyed every moment. "Just like when we first declared ourselves as mates," he said as the memory passed his grey eyes. To Aleu, though, they were silver; she winked at him. "The sooner I leave, the sooner I get back." Before the alpha male knew it, she had pulled away again and started up the hill. I need to hear your voice... Out of pure love for her he threw his head up in a long howl, the deep song echoing through the land they ruled. He ended it and looked hopefully towards the grassy hill.
Her blue eyes reflected the sunlight, a playful feel shooting joy to his heart. Would you sing to me? Taku thought as he watched her still form. Oh please would you sing to me? Finally, she did, her beautiful howl riding the wind to his waiting ears. Excited to hear a response Taku howled again, hopping from paw to paw in his pup-like joy. Aleu laughed at the sight of her proud and mature mate acting the fool. But love makes happy fools of us all. No shame in that, she thought, and howled again, long and gracefully. As she opened her eyes, she realized that with the sun up above her it was high noon. She looked back at her giddy mate, and howled again just to humor him. He returned it happily, grinning fron ear to ear as the sound faded into the wind. His tail wagged nonstop even after she had long dissapeared over that hill.
Atka crawled out of the wolf pile, relieved to have elbow room. His stomach growled at him, and the tan pup looked for something to eat. He stretched, popped his neck and padded happily over to the remains of his father's kill. The caribou had been eaten for the most part, but there was still plenty for him. He eyed a chunk hungrily and snatched it off the bone, but it wasn't tearing off. He pulled harder, shaking his head this way and that for it's freedom. He heard a few snaps of tendons breaking loose, then finally the biggest one. Gravity betrayed him them, the lack of resistance making the small pup tumble backwards into his sisters. They awoke with a start, looking at their brother in surprise. Fearing that his food would be stolen, the tan pup chewed his meat quicker than a bird's flight and swallowed, despite the ache it gave him. Eska recovered quicker than he expected, pinning him to the hard stone floor. "Hey, runt! How ya doin' this mornin'!" It's wierd how she looks like dad. Atka blinked as he collected himself. "I'm good, how about you?" Eska shrugged her shoulders. "Hungry, but other than that I'm fine." As if on cue, she smelled the caribou meat. "Food!" She leaped over to the leg and dove headfirst into into it. Her brother was right behind her, dissapearing inside. From within the skin he could hear the high-pitched barks of his other siblings brothers and sister, their black outlines following. It didn't matter to him though. He had all the meat he could want, so he helped himself. No wonder crossed the Great Water for this! Ohh, it's so good! He ate bite after bite, following where the pieces dangled from the bone. A huge slab of meat lay all alone by the femur, and he dove at it, only to headbutt another "hunter." Atka shook his head to exile his stars, and saw a certain pair of golden eyes. "Mudball! What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you that. You never eat first." said Balto, pointedly biting the meat in front of him. Somehow, the blood on his muzzle made his fur darker, giving him a crazed look. The all-brown cub chewed patiently, then, eyeing his brother warily, he dragged the rest of the slab out of the leg. Atka walked out after him, covered in blood. His brothers and sisters ignored him, too busy eating to notice. He felt eyes staring at him, and looked to see Balto and Eska doing just that, the slab at their paws. The tan pup made his way to the brown and red sister and brother, sitting adjacent from them. "If you guys stare ay me like that, something's up. What is it?" His siblings looked at each other, than back at him. " You're covered in blood. Mama's gonna pitch a hissy fit." Tier walked over, glancing around. "Yeah, where is she anyway?" The three pups ground their teeth to keep from being rude. Did it have to be the Mama's Boy who noticed everything? From atop the leg Dante could be heard guffawing behind the fur in his mouth. Eska glared at his red-eared brother, smiling as they drooped in surrendur. However, Tier's siblings caught on to what he was saying. Pretty soon all six were asking questions and coming up witht their own theories. Most of them, not surprisingly, were that she had gone out on the hunt with the rest of the clan. But that didn't make sense, because eventually they return. But Aleu had not. They sat down to calm themselves, hoping an answer would come.
"It's alright, pups. Your mother will return."
The pups whipped their heads to the cave's mouth, a smile forming on their muzzles. "Papa!" they screamed in unison, running to him and nuzzling his legs. Taku lowered his head in the middle of the circle his children had formed around him, just receiving their love. His eyes closed as he felt the innocence of it all. "Come now, my little ones, back inside for a moment." Very gently he bumped a few of his pups with his nose to usher them into their hime's privacy. Not that his pack had not been told of their alpha's absence, he just thought that it was best if they heard it from him. With a glance around the room he counted heads, then laid down to set them at ease. The more casual I appear, the better they take the news. A grin spread across his face as his pups elected to sit as close to him as possible, some even climbed atop him.
Aniu was the first to speak, her voice quivering for the first time in her very short life. "Where's Mama?" Her brothers and sister leaned forward for what their father had to say. "Your mother is a little sick, so she went to your grandmother's to get better." Her namesake stepped forward, looking up at him with honest icey blue eyes. "I don't understand, father... Why doesn't Grandma just come here to take care of Mama?" Her father rested his head on his paws so that he was eye-level with her. "Because, Aniu, your Grandma is a guardian of other clans too. She is very busy. Even though she loves her family very much, she gets caught up with work and wolves have to come to her." His snow-white daughter nodded in understanding and went back to her spot. Balto and Atka looked up at him, a confused look on their faces. "If Mom is sick like you said, why is she walking all the way to Grandma's? Won't she get worse that way?" The alpha shook his head. "No, it's not that type of sickness, son. And your mother can take good care of herself until she reaches the mountains." He had spoken to Balto, not noticing his other son's appearance until a short glance when he turned his head the other way. He looked back and rose to his feet in concern, circling his son to check for injuries. "Atka, are you hurt? Did you wrestle with Dante again?" The tan pup scowled at the comment, seeing Dante smirk by his father's paw. "No, I just ate alot today." Taku searched his son's eyes should he try to hide the truth, then finally exhaled in relief. "Well, whatever the case, you still need cleaning up." With that, he picked his son up by the scruff and made his way to the creek.