A Little Down Time

[silver]

Everything was quite now. The dust that fighting paws had stirred up had long settled back into their place. It seemed as if every alliance that had been formed to battle against the Naves had been disbanded as if they were created only for the soul purpose of the Naves defeat. Once that purpose was filled, everything fell back apart and everyone went their separate ways. Even some in Exodus’ pack had decided to up and leave. Had they been killed in the battle or just decided to run? What kind of leader was he if he wasn’t even able to keep tabs on his pack members? Who was left? Denali (however far she may occasionally wander), Flea, Akela, Mikko? That was it, wasn’t it? Those were the only ones who had been with him through thick and thin. It was like Exodus’ harem of females, and it didn’t help that one of them had already given birth to his children. As this crossed the massive beast’s mind, the black wolf sighed lightly and gave a small smile. His children, they were his children! Chuckling, the brute rolled onto his back the sand from the mines clinging to his fur. Staring up at the ceiling, Exodus studied the wall.

It was a finely chiseled ceiling he had to admit. It was sturdy, high, and Exodus did not have to worry about it crumbling down on him in his sleep. Those annoying little pieces that fell while he traversed the rest of the mine, however, would be his undoing. Every time one of them hit his pelt, Exodus’ eye gave a rather unsightly twitch. Perhaps he should consider moving his dens to some place in the woods. That would be nice. It would be near food and a water source and would not have little pieces of falling rock every other step. Rolling back onto his stomach and giving a snort, the dust before his nose rose into the air. Closing his silver optics, Exodus soon fell into a light sleep. He was getting his much needed sleep lately, something he was unable to do in previous times. Things were becoming too quite now, however.

A couple of hours later, Exodus woke to the sounds of small, shuffling paws approaching his Alpha Quarters. Opening an eye and watching a small pup pace toward him, Exodus smiled and lifted his head and body so that he came to a rest in a sphinx like position. “Róvanfaer, my son,” he said in a fatherly tone. “Is it just you? Where is everyone else?” The young brute came to a halt just before his pop and stared up at him with round, blue eyes as was normal for a pup. Róvanfaer didn’t answer his father but pouted and scowled. It was a characteristic that he showed often. Exodus could tell that his son would be a more serious brute, much like himself. Lowering his head and nuzzling his son, the young pup soon fell asleep in his daddy’s paws. Exodus beamed down at his son and gently licked the pup’s forehead. He could never describe the feelings that welled up inside him every time he glanced at his children. It was a warm feeling, prideful, and joyous. They were his. He had finally accomplished something that had once caused him his past mate and pack. But now, he was here in Anikira. Exodus was now the proud mate of Denali, that beautiful, messed up femme, and had three rambunctious pups. He had his Little Flea and little Akela. He even had the ever faithful Mikko.

Right now, Exodus felt very complete. The pack may not be up to the standards that most normal packs were, but he didn’t care really. The Alpha had them and they had their Alpha. Speaking of Alphas, Exodus pondered over the residing members of the pack. Mikko has been with me from the start. It’s high time I gave her a rank she is worthy of. I will need to speak with her more upon matter more, before I make a final decision. Now to Flea. She is no longer the young pup I found in the woods. She has grown to be a stunning young femme. Maybe I will promote her to Hunter if she can show that she can provide for the pack. Akela should remain a Subordinate for a little longer, although she, too, is becoming of age.

Down from below came a pup’s yawn. Róvanfaer’s nap was over. Looking up at his daddy, tail covering his nose, the young brute gave a soft woof. Exodus leaned down and licked his son’s head again and smiled. “Have you been practicing on your howl? It is important for wolves to know how to howl.” Róvanfaer took a moment to comprehend his father’s words, but the moment he did, the little brute leapt to his too large paws. He was eager to show to his father that he had indeed been practicing. With a furiously wagging tail, Róvanfaer threw back his head and gave a shrill cry that echoed deep into the caverns. Hearing this echo, Rovan squeaked and raced to his father’s chest for protection. Staring around, he couldn’t help but wonder what that strange noise was. Throwing his own head back to give a hearty laugh, Exodus again beamed down at his pride and joy. It was nice to have more pups in the pack, although some more members would help as well.

[mikko]

It had been too long since she had set foot in these lands and she missed Acerbus and the Salen pack greatly and she was starting to wonder why she'd even been away for so long, despite what the Knaves had done to this land it was still far more beautiful then the land she had come from, and although she missed the beautiful desserts and her dear brother Misi and her old mate she knew she was happier here then she'd ever been there. She had spent the recent weeks after the fight between the Knaves visiting her brother and seeing how he was doing; she had been so pleased to discover that she was an aunt and that her brother had managed after a few attempts to father his own fine bunch of healthy pups. She had naturally been a bit jealous of him but her happiness for him and his situation had overruled these feelings and upon her return to Anikira she had wished him luck in his life as a parents and promised to someday visit again. As for her old mate she had seen and heard nothing from him but that was probably for the best, the last time they'd seen each other had been after her pups had died and she had left him too hurt by what had happened and she imagined that he wouldn't have been too pleased to see her after all she had done to him.

But even if she had no mate and no pups of her own at least she had Akela; she was very fond of the young pup and when she had heard what had happened to the poor thing she had decided to care for her as if she were her own. She could only imagine what the young pup must have thought when she had disappeared and she only hoped that the young wolf would forgive her. Akela was much too young to be exploring the world alone and she was certain that Exodus would have probably looked after the young pup during her absence. Exodus was a kind wolf and he had a good soul and if she were to be honest she'd probably say that her feelings for him were beyond that of admiration and respect. She cared for the black brute and couldn't wait to see him again after being away from him for so long.

Heading towards the den area she picked up on a few new scents and figured that during her absence Salen had gained some new members. Her tail wagging from side to side as she picked up Exodus' scent she bounded towards the den announcing her presence with a loud and joy filled bark. Approaching the den she heard the howl of what seemed to be a young wolf and her head turned to one side in confusion. The sound had come from a wolf younger then Akela, she could tell that much... could it be that Exodus had adopted some more pups? "Exodus what have you been up to in my absence?" Her voice was soft and warm as she approached her alpha and she stepped carefully as she got closer to him, unsure as to whether or not he would be pleased to see her. "I've missed you greatly."

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[akela]

Akela was now a year old and was growing up well thanks to being within the Salen pack and had grown into a rather beautiful young wolf. However there was still a lot she needed to learn and still struggled with 'normal' things like hunting and fending for herself but she knew that with the help of the pack she'd soon learn these things and be able to do things for herself. She was a bit upset that Mikko had gone away but Exodus and Denali had been so good to her and she was happy that they had their own family now. She did occasionally feel like she was being pushed to one side and ignored but she tried to remind herself that the pups were defenceless and that they needed their parents full attention... besides she wasn't a pup anymore and was starting to become an adult so she had to start leaving her past behind and needed to learn to be more independent.

She had been out for most of the day searching for game for Exodus and Denali's pups. They had been helping her recently with hunting and she was trying to find some small game that she could find to bring back for the young ones. It somehow felt right to be helping the pack look after the pups; after all that was what her nurse had done and even if her own puphood hadn't been good and she had suffered lots it didn't mean they had to as well; she wanted to keep them safe from harm and help give them the life she should have had, and she would do that in any way that she could. That didn't mean that she still wasn't determined to find the rest of her siblings if they were alive; it just meant that for now she was going to work on becoming a proper wolf.

Catching the scent of a rabbit she quickly followed the scent and spotted the rabbit's ears poking out of the undergrowth, darting forward she began to chase the game eventually catching up with it and giving it a lethal bite to the neck. Although she was hungry and tempted to eat the game herself she wanted to ensure that the pups were fed first. Game like this she found easy to catch; it was the bigger game like deer that she struggled with but hopefully once the pack members began to return [assuming of course that they did] she was sure she'd be able to pick it up. Picking up the game she began to head towards the den where Exodus and the pups were. As she walked she winced slightly as the wound on her leg became stiff. During the fight with the Knaves she'd been asked to stay behind for her own safety but the desire to seek justice for what had happened to her family had made her blind to the orders given, but despite the injuries she'd gained she'd done what she'd set out to do and although she hadn't really killed the wolf who'd destroyed her life she had watched him die and that was good enough for her.

She finally reached the den hearing the sound of young Róvanfaer howling, after spending so much time with the pups she had started to recognise their individual tones and voices and was impressed by the howl that the young brute had produced. Picking up the pace she quickly entered into the den, shocked to see that Mikko had returned and confused at ho to act. Part of her wanted to bound up to the femme and nuzzle into her but there was another part which wanted to snap at her for being away for so long. Deciding it was best to ignore both decisions and concentrate on the pups she walked up to Exodus and placed the rabbit before him. "I thought it would be good to bring some food back for the pups," Giving a quick glance to Mikko she turned her attention to Róvanfaer and smiled at the young wolf. "That howl was very good, your have quite a strong and beautiful voice there."

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[silver]

Before she appeared in the cavern, Exodus had caught her scent on the stagnant air. Peering up at the opening, the charcoal Alpha gazed at Mikko while rising to his paws. Silver eyes opened wider in surprise. “My, my. Could it really be?” He asked with a small chuckle. “I had thought you up and left, Mikko, you were gone so long.” The surprise and excitement were evident in the large brute’s voice. After all this time, that shadow of doubt had edged into the Alpha’s mind. How foolish he had been to think such things. Mikko was one of the most loyalist members of the pack! Smiling at the femme, he chuckled deeply at her words. “As I have missed you. It warms me to have you back.” Exodus did not know of Mikko’s feelings for him. He never had. At the time of meeting her, Exodus had been far too focused on his Alpha matters to take time and find someone to stand by him once more. Even after that, it would take a lot to warm his scorned heart. The memory of his unfaithful mate had left a deep scar.

“A great deal has happened in your absence, Mikko. A great deal indeed.” The Alpha took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. Weariness passed over his countenance as the words echoed in the quarters. Typically, Exodus was not keen on others entering his own Alpha Quarters, but for this time, he could make a small exception. “There will be time to inform you later, but for now, you should rest. No doubt you are tired from your journey. Perhaps once you have rested, the pack can gather for a hunt. That would be nice. It would do me some good.” He said with a smile that was fading.

Little Akela had then entered the quarters. Exodus’ silver optics turned toward her and the small smile came back just a little. “Why thank you Akela. You are making a fine Huntress. Rabbits can be tricky devils. Perhaps with a little more practice you can earn your rank in this pack.” The black Alpha nodded proudly. So fast they grew up. It seemed only recently that the she wolf had come to him as a young pup needing a pack and its protection. Now, she was almost old enough to be out on her own to find another pack. Exodus hoped she would stay with him. He would miss her dearly if she decided to leave, as it was with his Little Flea.

Glancing down at Róvanfaer, Exodus licked his son’s head lovingly and sat where he stood. Róvanfaer, who had little dealings with meat yet, eyed the rabbit before him and approached with great caution. His vivid green eyes were filled with curiosity. Gently, he pawed at the meat before pulling back ready for the thing to attack. When nothing came, Rovan trotted forward slowly once more to sniff. Deeming it safe to test, he opened his small muzzle to attempt to rip off a piece. He was still too young, though, so Exodus had to dip his head down to tear off a piece small enough for him to chow down on. The pups were nearing the end of their milking diet. It was time to start introducing meat in more. The typically gruff male smiled without restriction down at his son proudly. He was so proud, so proud.