The female's side was bulging with the weight of her pups. Her second pregnancy in her young life, but this one couldnt have made the female happier.
She was mothering Chocolate's pups.. and he was her true mate.. Her true love.

But her belly was paining, and she had decided that going out today was absolutely infathomable. She had told her Voila! to wait outside.. But truly she did not want to be alone.
"Chocolate..." She called.. Her voice almost on the urge of frantic.
She wasnt alone with her first litter..She prayed to the gods, that she wouldnt be alone now.
But truthfully she wasnt sure where Chocolate was at the moment.

"Chocolate.." She called once more.

~

Chocolate dashed into the den holding a dead rabbit in his jaws, damn him twice a fool for leaving her for even a second. Still his beloved mate did need to eat, but her frantic voice sent his heart racing.
"I'm here Shezaam!" He slipped into the den and set down the rabbit for her moving to curl around her back and lick her muzzle tenderly.
"I'll always be here, what do you need princess?"

~

She sighed a breath of relief as his voice ran in her ears. His voice was always enough to calm her, and she offered a smile that held every ounce of love that it could.

"Your children... They are making their way into the world. Tonight is the night.."
She whispered, her voice pained, but still strong.
"I just need you.."
His warmth against her back made her shiver with comfort, and then a pain rippled through her belly.

~

Chocolate tried to keep himself calm, it wouldn't do for him to panic not when she needed him now most. Still the thought of his pups finally coming into the world made him want to leap and run and howl the news to the world. He nosed her neck tenderly and licked her muzzle, he wished he could take all the pain away from her, but he knew she had to do this on her own.

"I love you Shezaam...so much more then life, or the air, or water...all those things I could surrender with ease, but you...I would never give up." He nuzzled her neck as the pain rippled through her.

~

She smiled, nodding to his words.
"And you have a mate that feels the same."
She replied,though her words were through tense jaws.

With one push, there was a squeaking pup that she quickly cleaned, and nudged to her belly.
A little male, that surprisingly, looked almost identical to her Voila! She smiled at Chocolate.
"It's a boy." She said, her voice happy, and then another pain took her belly.

~

"A boy!" His voice rushed out with excitement and he moved his head over to gaze at the pup tenderly. His nose twitched as he inhaled the scent of a fresh healthy pup, the male wriggled with a wild abandon that made Chocolate proud.

"Our son..." He whispered against Shezaam's neck lovingly, he was so proud. Now he wanted a daughter, his own little girl to love and raise. A part of him felt guilty, for Voila! had been just that, yet she was not his blood, and no matter how much he loved her she would never really be his.

~

Shezaam knew that Chocolate would desperately want a little girl.. And she felt guilty for making him accept Voila! when she was not his blood.. It pained her heart to see him so torn up when he remembered that she wasnt truly his.

But she pushed again, and this pup too, was quickly cleaned and nosed to her belly.
Not a girl..Not this time..
"Another little boy." She said cheerfully, looking at the pups red and orange dotted pelt.
"He's such a pretty color!" She exclaimed, proud of her sons already.

~

Chocolate grinned happily nuzzling Shezaam and bending to inspect his second son, they were large pups and healthy as could be. "There's no doubting they have their mothers perfect features."

He chuckled and lightly licked her muzzle trying to distract her from the next pain. He peered curiously hopefully, perhaps the next would be their little girl.

~

She pushed again, and was almost dissappointed that it was another boy. But she would love him all the same. She loved little boys.. It was Chocolate she ached for.
"Oh its a boy." She smiled, rather breathlessly.
"Look how very much like us both he looks, my darling." She said, beaming at her sons.
And then one last pain... but something felt wrong.

~

Another boy! And this one as strong and healthy as the last, and his mate was right their pups did look like a beautiful combination of both their traits. Three healthy sons, chocolate felt his heart swell with pride, yet he couldn't help but hold his breath in anticipation would this next be their girl?

He licked Shezaam's muzzle and frowned as he realizing she was having some issue. "Be calm my love, just push as you did with our sons, you'll be alright..." He moved to his feet and licked her muzzle tenderly.

~

Oh what if this was her girl, and she lost her! Oh how could she forgive herself for killing Chocolates little girl! The thought brought tears to her eyes as she pushed.
Her horrors were being realized.. The pup was stuck..
She pushed again, and now she was terrified.
She had no idea how to.. how to birth a pup that was stuck.. How did she get it free? She began panicking.. Her breath began to rise, and she began to whine.
Finally, the baby slid free.. and instantly she was at its side, nosing it and cleaning it.
But her heart absolutely broke when the pup did not stir.
"No..." She gasped, wanting to run from this place right this moment and just die.
Tears slid down her eyes, and she broke down in sobs.
Her little girl.. Chocolate's little girl.
What had she done?

~

Chocolate frowned and nuzzled Shezaam worried for her as he felt her start to panic.
"Easy love, easy just push, it'll be okay...It'll be okay..." Yet even as he spoke the words he could sense they weren't true. When the pup slid free he breathed a sigh of relief until his nose twitched. The scent was not the same, not a healthy strong boy at all.

He saw Shezaam lean over the pup, yet her word was no one of joy. He gently nosed her muzzle away from the pup and felt his heart freeze in his chest. No! No it could not be! He leaned down and breathed over the tiny female his nose pressed against the small bright chest. The little pup lay still, her body as dark as her fathers, with one orange sunny mark splashed across her chest, tiny eyes were closed in eternal sleep.

Chocolate quickly picked the pup up and dashed out of the den, he just had to revive her that was all! She needed air! A shock to her system, something, anything, she would be alright! He glanced at Voila! "Go watch your mother!" His tone was harsh, cruel almost, not the way he had ever spoken to her before.

He rushed down to the stream and quickly set the still pup down splashing her with a pawful of water and leaning down to breath against her tiny muzzle.

~

Shezaam felt him push her muzzle aside, and it broke her heart when she felt his body go rigid. She sobbed, her body shaking with pain. Her little girl...
And then he was gone, grabbing the female pup and dashing out of the den.
Which further stressed Shezaam, and she quickly stopped sobbing, and shoved her paw over her muzzle. Closing her eyes tightly, she went off into her own little world for the moment.
She was not Shezaam right now.
She was a puppy..and she was running with her father..
She did not feel Voila! curl her smaller body against her mothers. She too, was sad, but she nuzzled deep into her mothers neckfluff, inhaling deeply for comfort.
She loved her mother..And her heart broke for her right now.

~

Chocolate struggled to breath life into the pup, to shake the small body awake, he thought he felt a tiny breath...but nothing. It was hopeless, and he was not a wolf for fanciful hopes. He moved to curl around the tiny dead female and pressed his muzzle against her.

Why? He had to wonder, why her when their boys were so large and healthy. Was this then his punishment for having done so many bad things in his life? Why then was Shezaam being punished too? Or perhaps he was not meant to be the father to her pups, the thought of Voila! sliced through him, Shezaams first lover had given her healthy pups all around, male and female. He tensed at the thought and slowly lifted himself to his paws. He scooped up the tiny female and carefully walked into the sparse forest. With care he dug a deep hole and carefully lined the bottom in grass. Slowly he moved the tiny female lowering her in, and with tender care he covered her in small stones and covered the hole once more. His paws packed down the earth and he searched for larger rocks placing them in careful formation atop.

He stood there a long moment trying to think of what to do now, he let out a heart wrenching howl. All the pain of the moment flooded his senses and for a long while after he felt drained. Slowly he picked himself up, he could do nothing for his dead daughter, now he had to live for his sons, and his mate. How could he face Shezaam after this failure? Never...never again would he put pups on her, he didn't deserve her and while he had been selfish enough to want her anyway, he would never do this again.

~

She heard his howl, and it broke her heart, and stirred her awake. She lifted her head, and remembered what had happened.. She had dozed off in her exhaustion and heartache.. But she knew she couldnt mourn.. Not with the sons she bore, strong and wiggling.

She would have more one day..She knew it. And though it wasnt truly that little female's time to live..she new that they would get lucky one day..
But Chocolate would take this hard, and she ached for him.

She held no blame on him, and no blame on herself. The female was not supposed to survive..and with the pulling of the suckling pups on her belly, she was being reminded that there was still life to be lived.

~

Chocolate slipped back into the den, his eyes refused to focus on Voila for the moment, she was a painful reminder of his failure. He slipped back to curl up against Shezaams back quietly. No words were needed, they both suffered and chocolate did not want to add his own pain to his mate's, she needed him to be strong.

~

Voila quickly stood up with his arrival, and his energy was dark.. She backed away, and left the cave without a word. She was nervous right now.. Her parents were acting so strange.

But Shezaam felt him lay against her, and kept her gaze focused on her three boys. She did not look at him, nor did she react to his touch. She was simply in her own world, staring at the three wiggling bodies.
She hardly noticed CHocolate there at all as she stared.
They were so beautiful, and healthy, and yet her daughter, she had failed on.. How could Chocolate ever love her after that?

~

Chocolate lightly nuzzled his mate and licked her muzzle. "Shezaam?" He murmured uncertainly, she looked so far away from him, as if the light had been sucked out of her eyes. "Shezaam!?" He repeated his tone a bit harsher with concern.

~

She snapped out of it, her dream like fantasy torn as she was forced back into reality with a shout of her name.
She jolted a bit, and blinked, as if she was disoriented.
"Oh Chocolate.. You scared me.." She said, her voice soft, hardly there at all. She seemed to be mourning in a bit of denial.. That female had never existed..She would not mourn something that did not exist.

~

"You scared me princess..." He lightly nuzzled her once more and relaxed as he gazed down at his sons, three healthy sons. He forced a smile, but it did not quite manage to reach his eyes. He loved his boys and he always would. "What should we name them?"

~

She had not taken to thinking of names yet, and as she looked at the pups, she looked surprised, as if she had forgotten that they would need to name them.
She just didn't feel quite alive at the moment.. She was very much inside her head.
"I like the name Tada!.. I think it fits with Voila!."
Voila!... How she wanted her daughters kind words right now, but she didnt want her around right now.. As conflicting as that sounded.
She shivered a bit.
"What, names have you been considering?"

~

Tada!? He almost bit his tongue, yet if it made his mate happy he would name the pups whatever she desired. "Tada! then...I was thinking Skor, it's dignified, and Cadbury, also a noble name." He nodded and looked at his sons thoughtfully.

~

She felt him tense at that name, and instantly her heart panged, she looked at him, feeling slightly scorned in her very emotional state.
"Its a name that would be passed down in my family... It doesnt mean.."
But she didnt explain, she sighed, and mustered the best smile she could, "Those are gorgeous names." She said, really approving of htem. But her voice cracked, and tears fell down her cheeks once more.


~

"Shezaam..." He frowned and licked her cheeks lovingly. "Don't be upset my princess, please..." Chocolate nuzzled her and pressed closer trying to console her.

~

She stopped crying, breathing in deeply and sniffling a bit.
"I'm okay.." She said, looking at the pups, and lowering her nose to them.
She licked them all, giving them each the love that they deserved. She was proud to have her boys, she was a proud mother.. But this had made her feel horridly pained, and she couldnt quite rid herself of the feeling.

~

Chocolate frowned and nosed her lightly before leaning with her over their sons and nuzzling them lovingly. "Your not okay love, but...you will be..." He sighed softly wishing he could do something to fix things faster, yet only time would heal this wound, if it ever healed at all.

~

Shezaam smiled a bit, happy to have an understanding mate. Because she knew she wasnt okay, and the fact that he would say she wasnt okay...he saw her pain. "I hope so.. Right now, we must both be strong.. We have boys, who will need their parents to be the best they can be.."
She nodded a bit, and her heart did beat once for the beat of love, and not pain. She had three beautiful little boys! And they were all going to be strong and brave like her father and mate.
"I am happy though."

~

"As am I, I have you and our sons." He relaxed once more and nuzzled his mate. They would survive loss as so many had before them and live to sustain the precious lives that had been brought into their keeping.