Ekevu was roaming the rogue lands yet again, thinking about how much his life had changed since leaving home so long ago. Actually... it wasn't that long ago at all. Less than a month, he imagined. But... could so much really happen in that small amount of time? That girl... what was her name? Oh, Gods, he couldn't even remember it. All he did was think about her and he couldn't think of her name!He wasn't even sure why he thought about her so much- it wasn't like they had spent that much time together. It was that moment... that new, exciting moment between them that he just couldn't get out of his head. Never had he done anything like that before. Just... amazing.
Maybe if he met her again they could have another go.
He moved slowly, sitting himself underneath a dying tree. It wasn't a very hot day, but the recent wave must have been too much for the poor thing. Ekevu understood. He was feeling a little over-whelmed as well.
Tumai was having an interesting day. She had gone to bed with four puppies and woke up thinking she was alone. She had almost gotten up and left them, but was lucky to find a little pup curled up on her front paws. It instantly reminded her that her life had changed, and that there were more for her to worry about now than just herself. The stress was intense, though she was overwhelmed with love for the little things. She couldn’t wrap her head around all the changes.
She told them not to wander. Dear God, she could hardly remember where she left them when they did stay put, much less if they wandered away. They would be fine for a few moments while she ran to get some food for them. She knew the hunting area well, and her concern over larger predators was minimal. Which was good, because she doubted she could handle stressing about even the smallest things now.
Moving quickly through the lands, her pink eyes, which all of her young had inherited, spotted something she had not thought she would ever see again. Red fur, sitting under a tree. “It’s Ekevu!” she called, to him, as if he didn’t know his own name.
Blinking, he looked up, hearing his name. Where had it come from? Looking around, he finally found the creature who had been yelling for him, a smile spreading over his face almost instantly. "It's Tumai!" he gasped, leaping to his feet.
How had he remembered her name so easily once he saw her, when he had been struggling to remember it this whole time? Maybe she had magically abilities that restored a creature's memory when she came close. Or, more likely, her face sparked recognition in him and he was able to recall the name with ease. Either way, he was happy to see her.
Rushing forward, he bolted to get to her, grinning from ear to ear. "Hello!" he said happily, "it's nice to see you! How have you been? I didn't think I would see you again!"
Tumai wagged her tail. She didn’t have any bad feelings towards this wild dog, though she had told her puppies they would never see him. Maybe this was a good lie for them, because if he did want to meet them it would be happy! And if he didn’t, then she wouldn’t have to feel bad about them, because they would never know. She actually didn’t know Ekevu well enough to guess his actions.
“I’m fine!” she said, which was mostly true. She was healthy, at least. If not taxed and exhausted, but that was nothing to complain about in the middle of a happy reunion. “I’m fine, yes. I’ve four new mouths to feed, of course, but they’re not much trouble yet.”
She smiled, not realizing he was oblivious to the nature of pups. She assumed he would guess they were his, and from there decide if he wanted to see them or not. She nuzzled him affectionately in greeting, not too awkward near him. She still found herself attracted to him, which allowed her to be more relaxed and calm.
Ekevu tilted his head to one side. "Huh?" he asked, not sure what she was talking about. Had she gotten babies? How did that happen? Maybe she just had company staying at her den with her or something... he really couldn't guess. Certainly four mouths hadn't just opened up on her body... they had to belong to other animals. "Four new mouths? Where did they come from?"
He smiled, happy to see that she wasn't upset to see him. He couldn't exactly explain it, but he had felt that there was a chance she would hate him. Why, he didn't know. It was just this feeling that burned in his heart. Having her cuddle him, though, made him get rid of those feelings easily enough.
"I'm happy to see you well! Have you been doing a lot? It's been a while!"
‘Er…” she blinked at him. Did he really not know where puppies came from? Or maybe he had gotten a bad impression of her from their encounter, and thought that maybe she did such things with others. It seemed a reasonable conclusion, though she was almost offended, “well, they came from me… and you, Ekevu. They’re your puppies…”
She sighed, shaking her head and smiling back at him. She was happy to see him, too, though he confused her. Her head was beginning to hurt, but it was fine. “I just need to feed the puppies. I’m out here hunting for something small to take back to them. Maybe you could help me? They’ll still be asleep, but you could at least see them, if you wanted. I don’t know if you want them to know you.”
She looked nervous, frowning at the floor.
Ekevu sat down. He needed to sit down.
"My... puppies?" He was a daddy? But how had it happened? Was it... because of that night so long ago? That meant he had been away from home for more than a month... didn't it? Or maybe it didn't take that long. He was so confused, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. And not to mention more than a little bit sick. So he had become a father... and he didn't even know! How very strange indeed. Maybe that made him a bad dad...
Not knowing about your puppies.
"I do!" he said, "I mean... I'll help you if you need it... I want to see these puppies... I mean, it's not that I don't believe you. I just... I don't know. I didn't think that I could make puppies that... easily." He got up again, smiling at her. No need to panic, right? She wasn't going to force him to be a dad. Right?
"I... I don't know. I've never thought about being a father... maybe... I could just visit them?"
