I got a man to stick it out
#1
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A little bit of PP to say they're already doing some learning/teaching. And I put him in optime form. If you want anything changed just let me know! Big Grin
300+




The soon-to-be parents were snuggled cozily in their room. Savina's tail thudded lightly on the floor as Kansas pointed out words and phrases to her as he read aloud from one of his books. Her mind was finally beginning to grasp the basics of reading, but it had been a long haul. She hadn't ever learned to read in her native language, had no idea what those words would even look like. So learning it in her second tongue was a little difficult. But her mate was proving an excellent teacher and his patience with her was endless. She nuzzled her head against his chest and her eyes watched the page.



Her stomach was somewhat amazingly round now. On a more sturdily built wolfess her advance pregnancy might not have looked so extreme, but on her delicate form it was something to behold. Most days she didn't even leave the mansion now. The added weight took a lot of energy to carry around and she needed to reserve her strength. She had been busying herself a little in her old room on the main floor of the house. Her days of safely climbing the stairs were coming to an end and she didn't want to risk the pups wandering out of the room and falling down them. So she had been using some spare blankets to make a little den downstairs.



Savina had already taught Kansas a few Italian words. Such as "amore", "padre", "madre", and "cucciolo". But there was still much more she wanted to teach him. He wouldn't be fluent by the time the pups were born, but she wanted him to have a pretty good grasp on the basics of the language. Of course she would always be there if he needed a word or help. "Hmmm, what was that last word again?" The lady softly questioned. After he repeated it maybe she could tell him it's equivalent in her tongue.

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#2
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300+



A moment that Kansas didn't have a smile on his pale face was rare. The boy honestly thought he had never yet been this happy in his life. He felt more able to be a part of things (though he'd always be the one on the sidelines, more or less). To be a meaningful individual. And that was what he was becoming. He had a girl to love, and puppies on the way. His only hope was that he'd mean something to them, too. He was making a strong effort to ready himself for this — one of the ways, he thought, was by learning Italian. Having something unique like that to share with their children could keep them closer, maybe. Closer than his family had been, at the very least.



His arm wrapped gently around her shoulder with that hand gripping one side of the book he was reading to her, Kansas held his very pregnant mate close to him. He felt even more protective of her since she'd told him she was carrying his children; she was fragile, especially now that her pregnancy was so advanced. He'd been busying himself with taking care of her. Kansas was slightly worried that she was bored now that she couldn't really move around quite as much, so he tried to pay attention to her as much as possible. These "lessons" gave them something to do.



The snowy wolf gave his mate a soft, playful kiss on the cheek when she inquired about a word she was having trouble with. "It's 'together'... You're doing so well." She was learning much faster than he had. Of course, he'd been much younger, but he was still impressed by how quickly she was grasping the concepts of reading. He couldn't wait until they had little ones to read to. Together.

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#3
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300+



Usually Savina was the type of wolf who liked doing things for herself. No one had ever really babied her (aside from her mother) and she liked it that way. She was a big girl and was fully capable of taking care of herself. But with Kansas it was different. She didn't mind being vulnerable around him. There were no walls between them. They were both just stripped down to exactly what they were. She loved that. For the first time she didn't have cabin fever being cooped up. It was all for the good of their unborn children and she wanted Kansas to be able to feel he was doing his fair share. It was important to him and she would not deny him that. Besides, being able to just spend all her time with him and be a homebody was a nice change of pace. Her duties were not a concern so they could just be a couple.



Savina hummed contentedly as he gave her a kiss. "Ah yes. Together," she repeated as her eyes strayed over the word on the paper. "Mmmm, well you're a very good teacher." She inclined her head to lick his chin. "Together in Italian is insieme. It's funny. That first pack that I found was called that and they all just disappeared. Maybe they left insieme." Hadn't the man Guiseppe said that the pack was mostly comprised of family? She had always assumed that perhaps they had found a way back to Italy. But if that had been the case why had they not informed her? It was no matter though. She loved her life here.



"Maybe read me the next sentence and I'll translate it for you?" This dual learning and teaching was very stimulating. Her body might be pretty stagnate but at least she was able to exercise her mind with her mate. They would do these things with their pups as well. It was good practice for the both of them.

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#4
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*randomly quotes from Tom Sawyer*



Kansas didn't in any way see Savina as incapacitated, or even as an invalid. She could still do as she pleased and be a part of whatever she desired, as long as the puppies were safe. He didn't wish for her to hold herself back. However, he was happy to see that she wanted to take this time to relax. She'd been so busy before her pregnancy. It wasn't just safer for the puppies; she deserved some time to rest, too. And Kansas certainly didn't mind having her all to himself, either.



After she'd given his chin a little kiss, he feigned a snarl, snapping his jaws playfully in front of her face. He grinned as she relayed the translation to him, raising his brows when she'd finished speaking. "Insieme. That is weird." An entire pack of wolves just disappeared? He'd never heard of something like that before. No matter - before his mind wandered further, he nodded softly and went back to the book in his lap. "'Life to him seemed hollow, and existence but a burden.' Oh. That one's going to be hard." He couldn't imagine what the translation would be.


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#5
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noice



It was true, she knew that she didn't have to be as laid back as she was being, but she wanted it that way. Not only was it nice to have a break from the endless duties of being a leader, but Savina knew all to well what could happen to a pregnancy. Even if someone tried to do everything right, as her sister had, it might not work out. They would be able to make it through a miscarriage if it happened, but she wanted to avoid it at all costs. The less she used up her energy the safer it would be in her mind. She wasn't about to complain at being able to waste the days away with her beloved either.



At his fake snarl and snap she returned it with a playful growl and showing her teeth. While for that moment her mouth might have looked fearsome her jeweled orbs told the truth of it. Yes, it was weird, but she didn't think about it often. Hadn't ever really since she had been accepted into Twilight Vale all those months ago. There was nothing she wanted to change about her life. Her ears twitched as she ran the sentence through her mind, picking out the right words. "La vita è sembrata a lui vuoto, e l'esistenza ma un carico." As when she had been teaching Apollo she was careful to enunciate every word and speak slowly so that he would catch all she said. Smiling brightly she looked back up at him. "Now you try!" It thrilled her so much teaching him her language. There were so few that knew it here which made it all the more special.

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#6
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Her feigned ferocity made him laugh, a soft but genuine sound that died down as she translated the words he'd just spoken. It was dawning on him how beautiful the language was, the words flowing with their unique music and rhythm. She spoke with such ease - he knew he'd never sound as good as she did. He liked to imagine Italy, and in his mind's eye it was beautiful. How could it not be, when it had been the home to such a beautiful girl and had a beautiful language?



"Eh..." Kansas laughed again, then cleared his throat and attempted. "La vita è... sembrata a lui vuo... vuoto, e l'eso...esistenza ma un carico." He ducked sheepishly, turning to smile at her. "That was hard. Ha, I wish I could speak like you. But I think I'm getting it." He kissed her muzzle quickly. "Why don't you try the next sentence?"

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#7
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While she had nothing against English, in fact she owed it a great deal for she would have been lost here without it, it would never compare to her native tongue. Her second language could be blunt and choppy, but Italian was like music to her ears. Flowing just like a spring stream. The only time she really spoke it anymore was when she and Ehno had private conversations. She really did miss using it. But maybe now that Kansas was learning she would have more of an opportunity again. Secretly someday she hoped that she could take him back to her land of birth. Not to stay forever, just a trip. To show him where she came from and the beauty of the place.



Savina smiled encouragingly up at her mate as he did his best to repeat the sentence she had translated. He stumbled a few times, but that was to be expected. "Yes, it was hard, but you did wonderfully love. I'm very impressed." It was harder for adults to learn a new language. She had been taught English was she was still quite young. She intended to immerse their pups in both languages from the start. It was her turn to work her way through a sentence now. Staring at the little black marks on the page she tried to make sense of them in her mind. "T-Tom was a gli...glitter...glittering hero once m-more--the p...pet of the old, the en...vy of the y-young." She took a deep breath looking shyly up at his handsome face. "How was that?" The fey wondered if she'd ever be able to make the words soar from the page like he could.

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#8
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He had never thought about what it might feel like to leave your native tongue behind until now. Savina didn't get to speak it as often as she had at other times in her life. It made him wonder how she did feel about that, if she was ever lonely for her old ways. She obviously must miss Italy. It was just much deeper than that, he was realizing. And he was amazed by how well Savina had adapted to living here - not only that, she had also become a leader. He could never be so strong.



He smiled at her praise; he sensed that she really was impressed, and it felt good. As she looked back into the book, he rubbed her shoulder in case it might encourage her. He wanted her to be comfortable with him as she read, not too ashamed of her mistakes. When her eyes timidly sought his, perhaps hoping for approval, Kansas licked her nose and continued to smile. "That was great... You amaze me, Miss Savina." She could never know how remarkable she was in his eyes. After a few seconds of simply looking at her, Kansas asked a question he'd been curious about since they'd started teaching one another like this. "How... how'd you learn English?"

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#9
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Maybe fade to black in either your next post or mine?
300+




While there were things she missed about her home country, everything she had gained here more than made up for it. If leaving Italy and not getting to speak her native tongue as much was the price of being a leader of such a wonderful pack, having an amazing mate, and becoming a mother then it was a price that she happily paid. She did love the lands of Italy, but everything that had once held her heart there was gone. Ehno was here with her, her mother was dead, and only the gods knew where Ghita was. It wasn't a land that made a place home, it was the people in it. This place was her home now.



After he licked her nose she craned her neck to nuzzle him under the chin. The tip of her tail tapped against the floor. This is what she wanted. What she had always wanted. Not even in her fantasies has she been able to imagine it so perfectly. While he might have had his doubts about himself, at whether or not he was worthy, she never did for a second. She accepted him completely and wholly, faults and all. She loved him for everything he was and everything he wasn't. "You amaze me too."



It was only when he asked that she realized that she hadn't ever told him how she knew the language of this place. Looking back on it now even she was surprised she had had the opportunity. "I learned it when I was growing up, back in my birth pack. One of our members hadn't always lived in the pack, he had spent his life before coming there in the luperci port towns and he knew all sorts of interesting things. He asked my mother if he could teach us a new language and she consented. You know when I think back on it now, on how strict everyone was there, I'm surprised they let him teach us. Maybe the leaders didn't even know." She smiled brightly up at him. "Little did I know then how important those lessons would be. I'm beginning to think that everything happens for a reason. If it weren't for him we might not have been able to communicate," she said licking his cheek. "At least not with words."

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#10
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Kansas didn't expect that she had regrets about living here. Savina appeared to be so happy, as well she should: she was surrounded by wolves who loved and cherished her. It went much further than just him. He only hoped he was able to quell some of the homesickness she might have had. She didn't talk about it much, and he trusted that she was happy. But he wouldn't have been hurt if she ached for her birthplace every once and a while.



He looked into her eyes as she told her story, more than thrilled to hear it. When he'd first met her, all he'd wanted was to talk to her and get to know her. To learn everything he could about her. He'd always longed for that kind of closeness with someone. The way it had happened that she learned English did seem so perfect, pushing everything that had happened since into place. "Then... I'm glad they did let you learn... And I'm beginning to think that, too. Everything happening for a reason." He looked across the room at the wall, lost in thought. He set the book aside and learned back into the blankets that made up their bed. "Come here..." He just wanted her in his arms now. This was enough teaching for one day. Another special day with her.

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