"IS THERE NO SUCH THING AS LOYALTY ANYMORE?"

I scream the words into my den, my paws striking out against the dirt as I frantically try to expand an already HUGE den. Really I just needed to scratch something before I hunted down Aranck and tore the balls off his seductive figure. I could smell the wench all over him from the night before, although I had been too deep into sleep to even notice it. This was like the same damn situation with Carnifex, I thought, although my heart squeezed at the memory of my dark beast. I had loved him in a way I had not known was possible.

For one, I was fairly certain I didn't love Aranck. I felt affection for him and a deep degree of possessiveness, thus causing my furious rage against the den wall. My ears pressed back so far that they ached at the base and I flashed my thin canines at the dirt. Finally I huffed, satisfied with the pile of dirt now strewn around then ambled out of the den. "Where are you, you bastard?" He had never promised me fidelity. Hell, this had never been a part of the deal at all. But I was whelping his damned urchins and I would be DAMNED if he left me to take care of them.

No, Aranck was in it for the long haul now. He had no choice. He had expressed displeasure at my state to which I had told him in a syrupy sweet voice that these things happen when wolves do the tango. What did he expect? I was young still and fertile and had forgotten all about eating the leaves I had once eaten to prevent such an occurrence.

It is as I stand there with sharp eyes scouring the plains of Diveen that the first sign of my impending labor begins. It is a sharp pain that draws the breath from me. I pace back and forth then, head low and tail stiff. If any wolves draw near they are warned away with a vicious growl and a slamming of my paws. That asshole better show up for this.

It is this way for a while and I began to pant. My tongue lolls out of my mouth as my eyes water, the pain increasing and increasing to a point that I sit down then stand up, unable to find any respite. I see him then, in the distance, and give a sharp bark that breaks off into a whine. It would be a lie to say I wasn't scared. I was small, almost too small, and it would be an easy thing to die from whelping.

"It is about.... time..." I pant, knowing he can hear me as he draws closer, and then I collapse before the den. I don't want to whelp inside so I don't have to clean up the after effects, nor do I want dirt covering me and the pups. It had been a while but I could feel it now, the contractions that swell deep within me, and I push, whining and panting and growling. I snap at his paws anytime he draws near, my instincts up, and it is with relief that the first one pops out.


I don't even bother looking because it seems right after her the boy is intent on popping out. I grunt and yelp in pain as he follows, my body sore, and I lay there, tired. It was relatively easy I guess as a birth goes but I always take things to the next level. It is his nearness that spurs me to sit up quickly, protectively grabbing them and drawing them closer to clean and nurse. The boy... he is tiny. So very small. I glance up at Aranck, keen eyes watching him for any signs of aggression. "You can name them," I say grouchily, although it is a deliberate ploy that I use. If he names them then he will be instinctively more attached or at least worried about their welfare.

Except I smell her then and I growl suddenly, snapping out at him. "How dare you show up here without a bath. You smell of that... whore!" The words are a hiss, my anger showing clearly.