— eternity
#1
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It was time. Tayui did not know how she knew, but realized soon enough that such knowledge was irrelevant. She had not expected this so soon -- no, she thought she still had a few days, maybe even a week? Pause, inhale, exhale, breathe. No. Not a week; that was too generous, too long, too far away. You could not touch it, could not see it in the distance. A week was the continent across the sea, not the gently rolling hills that led to the edges of the land.



She had found her den soon enough, as she had not dared venture too far from the reserve. And then, before she knew it, it was over. She smiled at the four puppies that grinned back at her, four little heads, four little bodies, and sixteen little paws. She said nothing to them, knowing they would not hear it, and instead spoke to them in her head, welcoming them to the world. It would be just over a week before they could see or hear, but that would not stop her from addressing them. One puppy attempted to wobble over to her, but tripped, falling on one of his siblings. She smiled, thinking of the books she had read on the Roman Empire, of their Emperors and people. He would be Claudius, the unsuspecting Emperor who swept into power from behind a curtain, limping and stuttering. The one he fell on would be Attila, her brave warrior from beyond the safety of the Roman Empire. There were two girls, one whose colouring seemed to mimic her own, a stripe of fur down her back and a mix of cinnamons and browns. She would be Noir, her mixed princess, a melody of greys and browns, cinnamons and cocoa's. And the last would be Ocèane, her name a mix of Greek and Latin heritage, of the Green Okeanus, son of Uranus and Gaia, the personified ocean, the encircling body of water. She would be the water that surrounded these lands, the girl with the soul of the sea. At last, Tayui smiled, content.

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#2
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She sat a little ways away from the den, looking apprehensively toward it. Puppies. Ember was worried about Tayui, about how she was doing, but her large friend hadn't called out for help. She didn't want to intrude, either. Surely the mother could smell her outside, and she would call to Ember when everything was finished. To tell the truth she didn't know what to do or where to go, other than to stay right where she was. Ember had a separate den from Tayui now, but that didn't mean that she did not consider the old leader's den to be home to her as well.

There was something about puppies that she just didn't like. Maybe it was their helplessness, their vunerability. Their blind faith in things. She guessed that they wouldn't be too bad, though, not this young. It was when they got three or four months old that everything started.

The adult cocked her ears forward, listening. What was going on in there?



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#3
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She could hear someone shuffling in the distance, a few steps away from the entrance of her den. She wondered if it was someone from the pack, or just a small animal scurrying about. She strained her ears, trying to determine if the sounds made were from a smaller- or larger-sized animal. A gentle breeze carried the scent of the creature closer, and Tayui realized it should have been obvious who it was from the start. Ember, of course. She would have thought either Ember, Dawali or Pilot would be lurking nearby if they knew she was to have puppies (if a little early, at that!)



She tried to lean over, but found her movements restricted. Instead, she called out for the girl, trying not to shout too loudly for whatever reason. "Ember, is that you?" She asked, trying to listen for an answer. "You can come in if you'd like," she added.


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#4
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She hadn't really noticed if anyone else was up and about. She was very focused on what was going on inside the den, listening for whatever sounds might give her a clue about how Tayui was doing. Ember didn't like to brood over things, and wasn't a big worrier...but she was a little bit worried. She hadn't heard anything yet.

Just when she was considering coming closer she heard the voice, and her tail began a slow wag. She was alright. She came to the mouth of the den, looking down. "Are you sure there's enough room for me? How many are there?" There had been before, when she had come in during earlier days...but she wasn't sure how much room puppies took up.

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#5
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Tayui laughed quietly at Ember's words, trying not to disrupt the puppies with the movement. She shook her head slightly, wondering for a moment, if there was any room. Her den was a decent size, but not necessarily big enough for two full grown wolves and four small ones. "We can try. You can sit in the entrance if need be, but I think we can manage."


All of her books and wordy possessions were safely tucked away in a small hole off to the side, wrapped in a number of layers of fur, leaves, and other materials to make sure moisture did not ruin them. The den was bedded with bits and pieces of fur, an old blanket, and a few scarves she'd found in Halifax to make it softer. It was too cold to scavenge for anything she might otherwise use, and had resorted to finding old human objects instead. "I'm sure they'd like to meet you, in any case," she added, not knowing if the puppies would recognize Ember later as the one who visited them on their birth.


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#6
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"Hehe, okay." She squeezed in, being careful not to elbow Tayui or hurt any of the little puppies. They would probably be really fragile...she'd have to be very very careful around them. "Maybe when they get a little bigger and can come out, we can dig the den out some more." She suggested. "I have a few friends that could come and help us, too"

"They're so tiny"She said, watching the little ones. "Do they have names?"

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#7
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"That," Tayui stated, pausing for a moment, "is a very good idea." She had not given much thought to the prospect of these puppies growing up, the thought that they would grow up and, well, age. It was a foreign concept, and she almost expected them to remain puppies for forever. It was too soon for her to think of them older, but too naive to never realize it. She chuckled quietly, wondering if Ember realized her suggestion had spurred such rumination.



They're so tiny, came Ember's voice as she gazed at Tayui's four children. Tayui smiled quietly, nodding slowly. Indeed they were. "Yes. I gave it some thought, and finally decided on them once I saw them," she replied, silently adding, saw them here, before me, to herself. "The grey and brown one, with the spots, he's Claudius. The other boy is Attila. The girl with the black-tipped ears is Noir," she stated, smiling quietly to herself, amused at her own humour, "and this one right here... is Ocèane." Never could she deny her French-Québécois heritage reflected in her two girls' names.

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#8
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Ember had actually been thinking about changing her own name to something different...but she didn't know what she would choose. Maybe she would just change the second part of it, to her mother's last name. She hadn't seen Phoenix ever since the fire, and didn't believe the note that he had supposedly sent back to her. If he could have sent a note, then he could have come back to her. And she had a real home here--she wasn't going to go find him. Ember secretly believed that her mother had written those notes to give them some kind of hope.

She was close enough to the pups that she could see each one of them next to Tayui, and identify them. Each one had its own peculiar scent, too, and that would help to distinguish them. "Those are great names. And with all of us here in Aniwaya...they'll grow up in a great pack. Or...tribe."She was glad that her suggestion about the den had been accepted. Ember was regaining her strength now, right at the perfect time. Tayui probably wouldn't be able to leave the pups for a while, so she could hunt and bring her food. Just like the white wolf had done for her when she had been unable to hunt for herself.

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#9
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Tayui nodded, chuckling quietly, glad to get a second opinion of sorts on her children's names. Although she didn't think she would change them (not for anyone but them), it just felt right telling Ember, knowing that the girl now knew their names. She wasn't sure why, but she hoped Ember and her puppies would get to know each other better as the days passed. Although she had Dawali and Pilot, she would need to rely on Ember for a number of things, as she had no mate to speak of (but extremely valuable friends). Perhaps that was better than having a mate; perhaps not. Regardless, her current situation dictated that she was without a mate, and would be raising these children with her friends and the tribe. Dawali had made it quite clear that this was generally frowned upon in the tribe, but she would find a way. There was always a way, and she would not have her children grow up scorned or disliked because of her choices. She would protect them.



"Yes, I do hope so. Aniwaya is peaceful, like Shadowed Sun, but in a different way. It holds the silence that lived only beneath the thickest undergrowth in Shadowed Sun and Jaded Shadows. I think I -- we -- will be happy here." She nodded quietly to herself, as if affirming the thought with a physical action to make it all the more real. She began to ask Ember if she would be able to help her, but ended up shaking her head, knowing Ember would do what she could for Tayui and her puppies. Ember had a kind soul, despite the trouble she had gone through. Everything would be alright.



With this in mind, she leaned down to greet her puppies, knowing they could not see her, but smiled nonetheless. She licked each one of them clean, moving one closer to her and laying her head on her paws. With her children nestled at her side, Ember within arms reach, and Pilot, Dawali and Ayegali only a howl away, she knew she would be safe.

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#10
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I must be dreaming or we're onto something
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ooc: I love bringing back my dead tammitables Big Grin


I must be dreaming or pinch me to waking
     

She was liking Aniwaya so far. The lands seemed peaceful, something that, compared to the places that she had lived in before, was a Godsend. She didn't think that Dawali would get involved in any confrontations without a just cause, or start any wars with the coyotes. She sometimes wondered about what might have happened if she'd stayed in Dahlia de Mai. She probably would have given in to Firefly eventually and gone farther and farther down in rank as her sister climbed. Here, she could be herself. Even if not everybody liked it all the time. She didn't have to live in anyone's shadow, either.

Aniwaya was a good place for puppies...definitely. Things would be fine. Ember nodded, putting her head down next to the little ones. Tayui was probably tired, and she was too. "I'll...be happy too" She mumbled, her eyes slowly slipping closed.



Table by Tammi!

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