He understood well that his family might be disappointed in him for what he did this past winter and he was disappointed in himself, for sure. He knew that he shouldn't have done it, probably with either of them because he hadn't made any promises and he couldn't wrap his head or his heart around a decision, either way. This was something foreign to him, something unfamiliar and definitely out of his comfort zone. Emotions were something he used sparingly growing up. His family was close but other than them, he didn't have many friends. He met Calliel of Diveen and they were getting close. He'd even say he had a crush on her. But she wasn't into romance. She only wanted to be a brave warrior some day and to go on adventures. He did what he could to show his interest in her but apparently he wasn't very good at it because she avoided him most of the time before she disappeared. It was like they grew apart and she didn't seem to mind. He did. He found Tuari not long before he decided to leave Moladian for a little while. That little while turned into four years but in that time, he was by himself most of the time. He didn't have to socialize or worry about attachments or any crushes. It was just him and what he loves to do. Rid the world of evil, one wolf at a time. But now he had much bigger problems to worry about. Now he had two wolves who had given birth to his children and he had five more mouths to feed.

They were beautiful and perfect and they reminded him so much of himself and his siblings but he also saw bits of Talien and Tuari in them too. He was going to be hunting for both families and taking care of them while trying to spend as much time as possible with his children. He might even forget what sleep is but in the meantime, he would be the happiest wolf ever. He knew just with Tuari's kids that being a parent was exhausting but he was determined to enjoy each and every minute of it. He would look forward to the same with these two. He would only dread the moments when he would have to leave one family or another, only to look forward to the next family he was going to, but one way or another, he was going to make it work. He knew that Tuari and Talien deserved better and if he could somehow make himself be in two places at one time, he would in a heartbeat but as it were, some day he would be asked to make a decision and he was dreading that day because he didn't want those broken hearts on his conscious. His own was tearing with every day that he knew he was no better than any of the wandering casanovas in Moladian, the males who knock up females and then laugh while they raise his kids and he goes on with his wandering.

He didn't want to be that guy. He didn't want to be in love with two females, to drag them down with him while the children suffered from his neglect. He had nightmares about the worst case scenarios, about Tuari and Talien finding out about each other and hating him, turning from him and telling him he could never see the children again. He saw their crying faces in his sleep and every time he closed his eyes, he saw the children crying too. He was suffering internally from everything but he pasted on a smile every day for them because if nothing else, they were both his friends and he cared about both of them more than anything. When Zeltzin arrived in the den entrance, she didn't even look at him, moving right past him to go to Talien and Dexter felt her disappointment like a slap in the face. He flinched, his ears flattening and he averted his gaze, his head lowering as he listened to her speak to Talien. She offered Talien herbs and introduced herself before moving around her to survey the damge. She didn't look too worried so he was guessing that was a good thing. He stayed quiet, still feeling chastised even as his sister moved to check on the children. She nudged at them as she did with Tuari's children and then gave him just a little bit of a glance to tell him that she thought the boy was mute.

He scowled and looked again at his son. His only son, it would seem. He, too, had noticed the lack of cries from him as from his sister but he didn't think much of it till now. Irony had his brow rising as he, too, thought of how that would have been more expected with Tuari's litter than this one and yet, here they were. He listened as she reassured Talien that he could live a normal life. He continued to watch his son nurse while she spoke to Talien, one ear swiveling toward her as she mentioned names. Zeltzin seemed to push for names, it seemed. He recalled how she had put him on the spot with Tuari's litter yet somehow he had made it through it, with Tuari's help, of course. Now it seemed he would need the same with Talien but perhaps this time would be slightly easier since it was only two pups they had to name. He saw the wink but he couldn't bring himself to smirk as he usually would, still thinking of the way she had moved around him when she first came inside, like she was disgusted by him.

When she turned to him, he lifted a brow, ears pricking, only to see her moving her lips. He could read the message plain as day and he scowled but nodded his head subtly to let her know that he would meet with her. She deserved an explanation, even if it wouldn't make the situation any better. He had tried his best to rush to Talien when he knew that she needed him and it warmed his heart to see that smile on her face only for him when he entered the den. He was happy Talien had let him put her head on his paws. It seemed to calm her through the contractions until both pups were born. She shifted her own weight when all was done, seemingly pretty strong despite the pushing. She faired a lot better than Tuari, curiosity shining in her eyes as he called for a healer. When Zeltzin came, he could see the tension in Talien's form and he moved to her, trying to ease it by nuzzling her ear again. But she seemed to relax as Zeltzin moved around the den, telling her that she was honored to meet her. Dexter smiled fondly, liking that she was getting to meet all kinds of members of his family. When she tensed up for another contraction, he scowled, worry coming back to life in his eyes as he wondered if this was normal.

But she shifted as if getting herself comfortable and he felt himself relaxing. She didn't seem to be in much pain anymore so that was good, right? When Zeltzin offerd her herbs, she smelled at them and he smirked when he saw the look of disgust on her face. He leaned in to nudge her neck.

"Just swallow fast."

His eyes twinkled at her playfully. He watched as she did just that before telling Zeltzin a little about her mother. He tilted his head, memorizing this little tid bit about her own family. It didn't even occur to him till now that he had started telling her about his family but he'd never asked much about her own. He would have to change that. She chuckled and talked about the medicine tasting bad and then telling them how she didn't get sick a lot as a pup. He smiled as she looked at him.

"Let's not change that now, huh? Keep your strength up."

He hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Talien upon the news that their son was mute. The fear that laced her eyes when she looked at him drove icicles through his own heart and he felt his breath catch, even though he knew he wasn't afraid of raising a mute. No, it wasn't about his son. It was the look of fear in Talien's eyes and knowing that he couldn't do anything about it. Talien rose to her paws and he rushed to her, whimpering without thinking as he leaned against her.

"It's okay, you need to rest. Please, lie down."

He couldn't stand the thought of her getting hurt. Finally she reached out to nuzzle their son before wrapping her tail around them and he felt his heart about to burst with the amount of love he held for them, for all of them. Everything was just so messed up and jumbled but there were moments when he knew what he felt and he knew this must be love because he'd never felt anything like it. The problem was that he didn't just feel it around Talien. It was all just so messed up. Talien spoke softly and he knew she was trying to get past her shock and fear. She was so strong. He admired her for that, among many other things. Then she said that she wanted to name the daughter Lixue. He smiled, his eyes practically glowing. He nodded as she looked to him.

"That's a beautiful name. Lixue, it is. For the boy, I was thinking...Eztli. Are you okay with that?"

He smirked as she licked his nose, snorting and shaking his head before gently brushing his nose along her jaw in return of the affection.