WC: 456

In the past several weeks, Kiara and Tharin had gone from complete strangers to close friends. Whenever Tharin was around, the young became completely relaxed and returned to her usual puppy-like demeanor. Every moment they spent together was a blessing for her. She was able to simply enjoy herself and to forget the responsibilities that had been placed on her small shoulders.

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the game had started. The hulking male momentarily lowered into a play bow before he shot off towards the stream. The muscles in Kiara's powerful body coiled before they propelled her forward like a tightly wound spring. Her large paws flew across the ground, her jaws parted to allow her rosy tongue to hang loose. The arctic female had a serious size disadvantage, but she knew the terrain and practically soured through the forest. Soon the scent of water and filled her nostrils and invigorated her. Kiara slowed down as she reached the stream, her lithe body moved easily to her command. The alabaster female's shoulder still bothered her, but it was a slight pain that the young mother easily ignored.

The stream's wet body tickled Kiara's paws as she entered the river, water flew everywhere as her paws landed heavily on the stream bed. Sapphire eyes watched as startled fish darted away from the predator. Her tail wagged gaily in the air and she turned her sparkling vision towards Tharin. The snowy female loved the water. She loved how it wrapped around her body and caressed her fur. Most of all, she loved the rich delicacies that lakes and streams offered.

Hunger teased the young mother's belly and she turned her attention back to the stream. The stream ran low and quick, rapids foamed at certain locations while other's had deep pools. Kiara headed towards the nearest pool and jumped in. Water flew everywhere and the fish scrambled to escape. Some went down stream while others headed for the tiny rapids farther upstream. Kiara lunged after them, her paws scraping against the rocks as she quickly moved out of the deeper pools.

The arctic wolf chased after the fish, her eye on the largest individual. She chased her prey back and forth along the stream bed, each time heading farther upstream where the water was more shallow. It didn't take long for the fish to slow down enough for Kiara to wrap her jaws around its tail. The fish flopped and squirmed, trying to escape the wolf's jaws. Slowly, the female made her way back to shore, her prize gripped expertly in her jaws. Once safely ashore and away from the riverbanks, Kiara dropped the fish and smiled. The fish wasn't as big as a salmon, but it was a start.

WC: 346

The fishing expedition took Kiara back in her memories, back in time and to a far off place where the valley of her birth resided. The broad river and expansive lake that nested between the two mountains was an excellent spot for fishing, and it was there that she had learned all of her skills. She had learned how to fish in both shallow and deep water. Although she preferred shallow water fishing in a river, Kiara excelled at many different styles of fishing. Her fondest memories were by the stream and Kiara had naturally grown attached to the water. As she moved through the river, she could almost feel her old family by her side.

Once the young mother had claimed her prize, she moved to the shores to enjoy the rich delicacy. Her jaws eagerly dug into the meat and she watched with glee as Tharin attempted to copy her fishing strategies. It didn't take long for the giant male to grab a fish of his own and he dropped it next to Kiara with puppy-like pride. His tail wagged behind him, spraying water around. Kiara's own fluffy tail bounced on the rocks behind her and she smiled approvingly at Tharin.

Again, Tharin dove into the water and the alabaster female watched as he chased after the fish unsuccessfully. She quickly finished off her own fish, left the remaining bones on the shore, and dove back into the water. Kiara ran upstream along the banks, following Tharin and his startled fish. Just as his head dove into the water, she jumped into the stream and expertly snapped up on the fish Tharin had missed. The two both grabbed their fish and deposited them into the pile. "Stay upstream, I'll drive them too you."

Kiara went off, her focus on the deep pools which housed plenty of large fish. She splashed into the pools and snapped at the fleeing fish. A small school swam upstream and the young mother followed them. She snapped at their tails and made an effort to splash as much as possible. Water flew everywhere and her coat had completely soaked through. The cool water felt wonderful against her skin and soothed her shoulder and tasted even better.

WC: 265

Wordlessly, the much larger male took Kiara's direction and moved farther upstream. It was an interesting role switch. Kiara was normally the submissive one of the pair and had easily accepted the role. However, with her greater experience in the area of fishing, she had temporarily taken on the more dominant position. The young mother made a mental note to herself to make a show of her submission after they had gotten plenty of fish.

Tharin waited patiently as she drove the fish towards him and their tactics were quick to pay off. Any fish that Tharin didn't catch, Kaira chased and deposited on shore with their growing pile. The arctic female repeated the process several times until they had enough fish to satisfy both wolves. Drenched, tired, and hungry Kiara returned to shore. She stepped aside to allow Tharin the first go at the fish. With a great shake of her body, she managed to get rid of a decent amount of water from her soft coat. The rest of her coat would air dry in the spring sun.

Sapphire eyes scanned the horizon as she listened closely to see if there was any signs of danger. They pair were well within earshot of the den and would know immediately if the puppies were in danger. Even so, Kiara couldn't help but worry. She was their mother, their guardian and protector. In a way, it was her job to worry needlessly. Kiara turned her gaze to Tharin to see if it was her turn to eat. Her tail wagged hopefully and she smiled at the silver giant.

WC: 320

The young mother diligently stood guard as Tharin shook himself off and began eating. Her expression was serious and her senses alert for anything that could signal danger. She had claimed the immediate area around the den as her own, but one wolf was not enough to keep others at bay. Kiara's maternal instincts always aggravated her mind and screamed at her whenever she went off with Tharin or by herself. She wanted more than anything to simply stay with her young puppies and protect them. However, with no pack to help her she had only Tharin to rely on and even he couldn't proved her small family with enough food.

After a while the giant male stepped back and gave Kiara permission to eat. She let out a thankful whine while her tail wagged happy and low. The arctic female ran over to Tharin quickly to give him a few licks before she dug into the fish. She ate greedily and quickly finished the rest of the pile. The succulent taste filled her mouth and made her whine happily. Fish was by far her favorite food, although come the end of salmon season she would be sick of it. However, the taste was once again fresh and new and just as wonderful as she remembered it from the previous fall.

When Kiara was done she licked her chops and left the pile of bones. The young mother moved closer to Tharin and gently nuzzled his shoulder. Content with the world Kaira sat down and smiled. "That was a wonderful meal. So, how have you been Tharin? Adjusting well to the luperci pack?" Unlike Kiara, Tharin had not so readily accepted the luperci and he often seemed awkward with their ways. Even the uninfected female was still very awkward around the luperci, although not as much as she once was. It took time to get used to their world.

WC: 314

Every day, her pups were getting bigger and stronger. Their short words and simple sentences met with applause and appreciation. They had become rowdy and playful. It wasn't long before Kaira would be able to move them. Normally, after two months of seclusion, she would have moved them to a rendezvous site where they would have been introduce to the pack. Unfortunately, the pack they were born into was abolished and Kaira was uncertain of their future. She couldn't continue to raise them on her own, but would they be accepted into New Dawn? Would they even like New Dawn?

As Kaira ate, she glanced up at Tharin and wondered about him. He had been so helpful to her and she had never questioned his motives. He simply became a part of her life, a fact that seemed irreplaceable to the tiny family. The young mother knew that her puppies had accepted him, but would they accept the rest of his pack? Perhaps they already had? Tharin often came over smelling like New Dawn, although there were times when he left smelling strongly of Kiara, and she of him. They had never done anything intimate, just simply played and hunted together as if they were pack. There were times when Kiara watched his receding form and desperately wished that they were pack.

"I actually think it's really interesting to watch them change. The luperci of my mother's stories were mostly terrible creatures..." Kaira trailed off, the reality that she would soon join her ranks sinking in again. She had refrained from telling Tharin about Amy infecting her, although she had admitted that the dog attacked her with a knife again. Kiara pushed the memory out of her mind and continued to talk. "The luperci seem to have a strange obsession with humans and their ways. I heard that it's even worse beyond the sea."

WC: ?

Full and happy, the arctic female wanted to do nothing more than to drift into a relaxing nap. She settled down onto the soft grass and tucked one paw underneath her chest. The others she spread out to the side as she laid down on her side. Her fluffy tail thumped against the ground lazily before it settled down and became still. Kiara let one ear rotate as the other one was trained on Tharin. The giant male spoke of his complete surprise to the existence of luperci. Perhaps that was why he was having so much trouble. Kiara's pack had lived in the southern most recesses of the arctic where whispers of the shifters could be heard. The young mother could only imagine how much differently her encounter with the luperci could have gone if she too had been unaware of their existence.

"Become human?" She asked questioningly as she attempted to finish his statement. There had always been a sneaking suspicion in her mind that the luperci wanted in some ways to become human. The shifters idolized the human artifacts and lived in their houses with the doors that Kiara hated so much. Frankly, she couldn't see why any wolf would want to become human. They died after all, so mimicking a failed species was a ridiculous notion in her mind. On top of that, her father's stories of humans always made them seem evil and undesirable. They were like the monster of her childhood and the abandoned and run down buildings in her arctic home were like ghosts and marred the beautiful land.

"I don't think I will ever be able to understand the luperci ways. I can only imagine how Lucia and Kohaku will react to the shifters. I haven't told them about the luperci yet because I am afraid they are too young to understand." The alabaster wolf shook her head and looked towards her den. Although she could not see it, she knew it wasn't far off and inside her puppies were waiting for her to return.

WC: 456

A shiver rode down Tharin's back as Kiara stated a terrible truth. There were some luperci who idolized the humans and Kiara suspected that they wanted to be humans. It was an idea that horrified and sickened both of the uninfected wolves. The snowy female recognized that there were many shifters who didn't desire to become human, but they weren't all of the canines. Kiara's thoughts traveled briefly to Inferni as she remembered her dear friend Vesper. Vesper, who was once bound to a single form, never showed any interest in becoming human. Even in her two-legged form, she continued to be a true coywolf.

Both of the adults minds strayed towards the puppies. What would the future hold for Kohaku and Lucia? Would they desire to become luperci or reject the idea like Kiara and Tharin? Would they hate her for not giving birth to them as a luperci, or praise her for her determination to remain unshifted even if she had failed? "I'm sure they will. After all, they are like me and are fighters." The young mother's tone was half joking half serious.

At long last, Kaira stood. The need to be with her pups and protect them overshadowed her desire to rest and relax with Tharin. The subordinate wolf slowly rubbed her head under the larger male's chin and whined. When the parted Kaira dipped her head. "Until next time?"