Welcome to Gaia! ::

Never leaving her sight for more than an hour or so at a time, Akui comes trotting into view quickly. Held held high, tail up and waving, sporting, quite proudly, a very large fish between his jaws. His fur looked extra shiney and a bit poofy from still being a bit damp, evidence of his fishing trip.

His eyes lit up upon seeing his mate, and he quickly dashed over to her, dropping the fish at her paws. "Hungry?"

Akui sat down beside her as she ate, nuzzling lovingly at her fur. "Eat well for them. I want a litter full of fat happy puppies, I do." He chuckled to himself happily, relaxing in the warm sun.

"No hunting for you now, love. Just relax and let Noke and I take care of you. You will be back to your beautiful active self soon enough. Once you've regained your strength, and the puppies are old enough, we should move to new land, don't you think? Maybe I should sent Noke scouting for some land.

"Speaking of Noke, she has said she met another wold willing to join us, help with you and the puppies. I'm anxious to meet her!"

Akui gave her a reassuring nuzzle. "I have not met many other males, honestly. And those I have are already members of other packs." He nipped playfully at her ear. "Do not worry, my love. I have chosen you out of all the other females absolutely begging to be my mate." He winked, knowing Nyx knew that he met Noke when she was but a little pup.

"We will not stay from this territory until the pups are strong enough to hold their own for the travel. Don't worry, Nyx. No harm will come to you or our puppies. I will die protecting you before letting one of the nasty two legs come anywhere close to family. We will find a great land, maybe on the other side of river. Secluded, away from any two legs. I promise."

Having eaten before brining Nyx back her food, his full belly, the warm sun, and the feel of his precious mate beside him, Akui looked back over to the den. "Come," he said, rolling over. "Let's sleep alittle together in here a while. Then I will go back out and patrol."

He headed into the den, scratching around a bit and lying down with Nyx in the den, took a long, comforting sleep.

*It was one of the longest afternoons that Nyx could remember. The contractions had started early that morning and Nyx had retreated into her den, snarling furiously if anyone, even Akui, inside the entrance. She had known it was time, and wasn't going to let anything get in the way of this moment or endanger her or the new cubs. It was a long haul, but finally, first one, then two, and finally three quietly whimpering cubs emerged, and she quickly nipped away the umbilical cords and watched proudly as they took their first breaths of air. Rolling over on her side in exhaustion and happiness, she licked them dry and let them find her teats as they began to nurse, seeming just as exhausted as she after the long hours of labor.*

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((ooohhh nooooos crying - I had just written so much.... and then I hit something onthe keyboard that made it go back ...))

*Nyx looked down with pride at the three fuzzy and squirming bundles by her side. Only a few days ago they had been hardly the size of her forepaw, and now, a few days later, with stomachs full of warm milk, and their fuzzy undercoats begining to grow in, they were becoming more and more recognizable as the infant wolves that they were. THe last few days had been exhausting for Nyx - she ha never known that even after the pregnancy that being a mother would be so taxing, having to keep constant watch over the infants that could not care for themselves, trying to make sure that when they were hungry that they all could find a teat, that they did not wander too far from her side, and kept warm. In retrospect, she was glad that this, her first litter, was relatively small. The chances that they would all make it and have enough food and not tire her to death was much stronger. Nyx idly wondered how other first-time mother wolves could handle a larger litter.
She smiled gently as the little black female who was begining to show red and blue markings in her undercoat upturned herself again, and gently nosed her right again after watching her squirm for a few moments before giving a tired mewling whine in defeat. For such young pups, they certainly were active..... and Nyx could imagine all of them making fine packmates one day...

She heard a whinng by the den entrance, and the smell of blood, rabbit, and Akui reached her. Her stomach growled at the thought of food - she felt that she had been almost constantly hungry producing food for the younglings.... And Akui.... her ears rested against the back of her head cautiously.... the pups were larger now, and her instinctive protective temper had settled some since the birth. Carefully she nuzzled the cubs to a small grouping and crawled to the entrance to see him.

First sniffing approvingly at the rabbit, she looked back up at Akui, her tail thumping - half in apology and half in her happiness that he had been a good mate, watching over her and bringing her food... and giving her these pups...

Slowly, her anxiousness settled into a smile and she licked at his muzzle.

Your puppies are beautiful, Akui... two wonderful girls and a handsome boy. .... I suppose you should like to meet them...?

(( do you guys mind if Noke comes in? ))

Akui's eyes lit up and his ears perked as she announced their puppies. Tail wagging in excitedment, Akui gave her a very affectionate nuzzle and crawled into the den.

He let the scent of his three new children engulf his nostrils. His chest swelled with pride as he saw them- three tiny, squirming, softly whining little puppies. It was amazing- they were so tiny, and so beautiful.

He carefull went to them, sniffed everyone over from head to toe, his tail never stopping. He wanted to know them all by scent from a mile away. These were HIS children. HIS family.

Two beautiful baby girls and a gorgeous son. "My son..." he whispered, as is his low grumble would make the statement seem more real.

"Nyx... they are the most beautiful things I have ever seen..."