My Gift to You [open]

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Aludra adored the view from the cavern and had frequented the location on a regular basis since she became a part of this family. Nearly all of her beautiful memories were linked back to this one specific place, or perhaps it just invited her to become even more optimistic than normal. The soothing crashes of the waves seemed to calm the wiggling pups within her; the water soothed the pups with its gentle lullaby. Every time it happened her heart swelled with love and joy, she could hardly believe that this was happening to her. She was really going to become a mother. Gently her ivory tail thumped itself against the smooth ground. This was where she wanted them to be born, right near the cascading pool of beauty. Their life would begin in the same place that hers did, metaphorically speaking. Aludra had not even been born upon Anikira; however, upon arrival her pure desire for knowledge had led her on several explorations. The femme knew of many herbs upon the continent and where to find them, it had been scary at times but she has overcome it. A light giggle parted ways with her muzzle, the thought of her gift to Toiro passing through her mind.

When the Arctic requested to join Airila she had presented the Alpha with a small bundle of plants that she believed would provide well for a pack. Although she was hopelessly shy, especially back then, she wanted to be viewed as useful. Memories collided together within her mind, none of them were terrible or horrific. Only a few frightening moments had even crossed her path in the past several months, but none of them showed their ugly face this morning. Nothing could plague her today, she was getting closer to meeting her children and was far too excited at the thought. The Alpha played repeatedly inside of her mind, from their gentle walks to the play time they shared within the snow. It all lead up to this! A gentle whine of excitement caught the gradually warming air. The shaman was typically so patient, but she wanted to see her babies now. It would be another beautiful moment to share with Toiro. Both of them had been increasingly busy lately, which was the only heartbreak. He had to know she was pregnant, but the femme longed to converse with him. To discuss names and their future and life in general. She longed to snuggle right up next to him and feel his heartbeat close to her.

Gently the femme forced herself to stand, her large belly making it much more difficult to maneuver. A few quiet paw steps echoed within the cavern before the air was silent. Emerald optics turned back to the place where she had been laying down. The fluffed bed she had made seemed perfect in her opinion, it would be safe and warm for the pups when they were born. Aludra knew that some of the tunnels would flood, so she chose the highest location she could find within the caverns, and one with two entry ways - just in case something ever happened. There was a sense of pride slowly swelling inside her chest, nothing had ever felt so perfect. Her tail swung so quickly that it forced her rump to wiggle in anticipation as well. Soon enough they would be born and then she knew the time would fly past her. Yet, she would adore every single second of it. Letting her gaze linger for only a moment longer, then the femme turned away and gently moved herself towards the vibrant morning rays.

The pink and orange beams dropped down from the heavens and spread their playful colors across her ivory pelt. The shaman seemed not to notice, she had lost herself deep within thought. Toiro would need to be directly told about the puppies, if only she could stumble upon him when he was not busy. She shifted her weight slightly, her legs were getting sore from the few pounds she had put on. Her delicate figure only made her pregnant belly seem larger than it was, but she was not embarrassed. Rather, the female simply stuck to herself more often now. It was Toiro's decision on how public he wished to make everything and she would trust his judgement wholeheartedly. Head cocked to the side and the female turned back towards the caverns as if she expected to see the pups there. All she wanted was for them to be born alive and healthy. It would break her delicate heart to know that as had caused damage to her own babies.

Despite her undying urges to stand, the ivory canine knew it would be wiser to sit or lay down. Her body was already beginning to feel worn down, standing would only make it worse. Carefully she seated herself to her rump, but it did not take long after that for her to lay gently upon her side. The slightly chilled sand felt lovely against her protective pelt, soon enough it would dissipate though. Spring and summer were going to be upon them before they knew it. Weather changes tended to sneak up on others ever so slowly. They always loved to surprise others upon this world. Eyes darted around quickly, half praying that she would see Toiro approaching in the distance. Alas, for now she was alone. Carefully the female lay her head down upon her paws. She hated feeling lazy, but there was little else she could so with her time at the moment. It would not be much longer until nearly all of her time was filled up by the pups.

[Toiro]

It seemed that Aludra had chosen to make the birthing den in one of the upper caves of the Issimor Caverns, very close to the last place he had seen his former friend, Keyara. As a result, the large male had been hesitant to even enter for a long while, but once he had built up the courage to finally step inside he had been pleasantly surprised to find that he no longer experienced such strong chills by being there. Of course, his long term fear that the sea would suddenly rise and drown him in the darkness still threatened his sanity, but at least the ghost of Keyara wasn’t haunting his every step with those dreadful memories he’d spent so long agonising over.

He supposed it was a sensible spot to choose from Aludra’s point of view, and he saw no reason to argue with his love’s decision, especially when she was so far into the pregnancy. Anyway, her lingering scent in the caves comforted him, quelling some of the fear – as long as she was with him, everything would turn out fine.

Yet the big male still felt a small sense of relief as he saw that he would not have to enter the caverns’ depths today. There she was, the pregnant shaman lying down on the sand. “Aludra… You look beautiful…” Toiro’s tail wagged contentedly as he closed the distance between them and embraced his she wolf in a gentle nuzzle. Fond memories of the day they had spent together in the mountain snow replayed in his mind – he was so glad that day had happened, not only for the immediate pleasure it had brought them, but for the beginning of the new lives who would soon be introduced to the world. He could hardly believe that they were going to have puppies; it seemed like such a miracle. The four year old had never known anyone who’d had pups (except for his own parents, of course), so he didn’t know what to expect. What would they be like? How many would there be? Would they take after their mother or their father?

He just hoped that their difference in size wouldn’t hurt her; he would be absolutely devastated if anything distressing happened to his love. Indeed, Toiro was determined that the birth would go as smoothly as possible, and he already knew that he would devote his life to the well-being of his mate and their sons and daughters.

Soft loving concern expressed itself on the alpha’s face as he drew away from her body momentarily. “Is there anything I can do for you, love?” Surely she would tell him if she had even the slightest desire for anything; she must know that he would always be there for her, even though they hadn’t seen seen much of each other lately.



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The shaman knew it was time to begin resting more; however, she felt terribly useless when her own duties were hardly able to be performed. Logic explained the situation to her though, rest was vital in order to ensure that the pups were born healthy. At least Firefly was around to aid her when she needed it, the other femme was quite a blessing. Her mind was racing with all the overwhelming possibilities, it was exhilarating in a strange new way. Every day the time ticked closer to when she would finally see her babies, it was a moment that hardly seemed real. The ivory canine was living a life of sheer bliss, it still had a surreal sensation coursing throughout her veins. She was proud of her family and their lives together; a part of her felt proud of herself as well. Despite being abandoned by her birth family, she was now in a place where others cared for her.

Lately the shaman noticed her heightened sense of awareness. Each individual sound and the glimmer of every light seemed more noticeable. A slight chuckle escaped her muzzle, now she understood why the sense of panic had overwhelmed her when the loner appeared within the dens. Her body had been kicking into overdrive to prepare for the pups inside her, Mother Nature wanted her to protect them, keep them safe for as long as possible. Ears perked easily as they noticed movement from behind her, nostrils intaking the scent of her love and Alpha. Joyously she let out a soft whine as her emerald eyes swiveled back to gaze longingly upon him. A gentle smile caressed her lips, "My love, you are stunning as always." A flush began to warm her cheeks, certainly she still felt all giggly inside when he complimented her. No one had ever made her feel the way Toiro did.

She wondered if Toiro had any name ideas in mind, surely he did. The shaman did not mind allowing him to name the pups if he so chose. He was the Alpha after all and whatever he decided to call their pups she was likely to enjoy. Simply knowing that he liked a particular name would make it gain favor in the Arctic's mind. Perhaps it was silly and naive of her to think this way, but she could not help it. Aludra was head over heels for the brute. One of the pups wiggled about in her womb and slowly the femme shifted slightly to prevent any discomfort to herself or the others. Green orbs never lifted from the approaching male as she was far too thankful for his company. It had been too long since she had spent time with him or any of her closest friends in Airila. At least on nights when she felt particularly alone she could go on a walk across the gorgeous beach and talk to her children. Perhaps the others had witnessed this before and thought she was going crazy; alas, she did not mind at all.

Under no circumstance would she ever leave any of her children behind. She had been abandoned, considered weak by her family, or at least not valued enough to look for. And all because she was uncoordinated. Regardless of her children's strengths or weaknesses they would be loved and cherished. The shaman would encourage them to utilize their talents and perfect them. Another soft whine passed from her muzzle as she slowly rolled herself to her paws. Her legs quivered slightly as they accepted her greatly increased weight upon them. It was tiring to carry herself around all the time; yet, the female had not spoken a word of it. Their family was worth more than the slight struggles she physically dealt with. Her petite frame was simply not built for carrying this many puppies, but Aludra believed everything would be perfect. It had to be, she knew not what she would do otherwise.

A few light steps brought her near enough to Toiro to extend an affectionate nuzzle. "Your presence is all I crave," her voice remained smooth and melodic although there was a twinge of weariness to it. In a matter of a week at most the pups would likely be here, then she could begin recovering from the strain. Bubbles of excitement burst in her stomach as she buried her face against the Alpha's chest. Knowing that he was with her and the father to her children brought pure bliss to the Arctic female. Thoughts about the other members of Airila were distant for this moment; she cared little if they knew who would be the sire to the whelps. All that mattered was that she knew the truth as did the handsome canine before her.

[Toiro]

Toiro loved it when she called him ‘my love’; it sent little thrills racing through his heart. Their love was so amazing, he’d never experienced anything like what he felt for Aludra before, and nothing so long lasting. And the fact that he was the alpha of a closely-knit and stable pack secured their future together. They could spend the rest of their lives here in Shyia in peace if they wanted to.

But being the alpha did have its downsides too. He regretted how little time he’d spent with Aludra since the pups’ conception; at first he hadn’t even noticed the gradual increase in the size of her belly, and once it had become too apparent to mistake as anything else there hadn’t seemed to be sufficient time to properly talk about it. How could he have let border patrols and loner calls pull him away from this wonderful event? Well, he was here now, and he was determined to make up for his absence.

She nuzzled into his chest and he gently laid his head over her shoulder, returning the gesture. By now, all the pack must know that Toiro and the shaman were in love, and he was proud of that. Love wasn’t something that needed to be hidden, and he hoped that his pups would be able to walk with pride knowing that their parents had true feelings for each other. He was sure the pack would be supportive, and he had no problems with letting the wolves of Airila teach his children. He trusted them all; the older members most especially, but he was sure that once he had gotten to know the newest packmates he would find them to be reliable too. Trust, along with loyalty, were probably the most important values in a pack to Toiro’s mind, and he hoped to raise his children to have similar ideals. Kindness too was important, and respect – you could never forget those, no matter where you were on the social hierarchy.

As they stood on the sand together, Toiro noticed how large Aludra’s belly really was. Surely the pups couldn’t be far off now – if the small female grew much bigger than what she was now and he would fear for her safety. He hoped that the pregnancy wasn’t hurting her, or tiring her too much. The male did hold quite a lot of responsibility for her current state, and he would be devastated if he had caused her more pain than she could handle. It was really such a miracle though, to think that the four lives his mate was carrying had come into being as a result of his and her actions, and theirs alone. These pups were a symbol of their absolute love for each other; they truly were precious.



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