Kate's sleep had been troubled; she never realized how much she moved in her sleep now that she had a cracked rib. Dawn was approaching and even with limited sleep she hailed it in. Today there would be a lot of stuff to sort out with the pack. The hunting plan yesterday had failed, spectacularly though. She was so glad to be alive; she never thought that Tony, a grizzled old Alpha would even bother to save them from the caribou.
Kate deep down had a burning desire to know where Tony learned to do that, she didn't want to bother him though. Maybe her father would know; she shook off the idea and quietly as possible made way for the entrance of the cave.
Outside the world was a white blanket. There was no brown, gray, or green to be seen; and still the snow was falling lightly. She placed her paw in the stuff, it sank more than half way up her leg. Had she not been injured she would wake Humphrey, and go bound around playfully with him in it. It was also quite cold and she could feel the sting of cold in her eyes.
She stepped out all the way and pushed through the deep snow around the corner of the cave. She urinated, making sure to kick up the scent and spread it around, this kept intruders away. In Alpha school she was taught that rival wolves, wolverines, and even bears would try and scramble to find shelter after a sudden snowstorm if they hadn't found a place to hibernate in winter.
She glanced down at the neighboring dens, Humphrey would have to be tasked with waking Garth and Lilly. Kate needed them to help organize a plan for winter and how the pack is going to deal with a shortage in food.
She gave his head a shove with her pointed nose, "Humphrey wake up! wake up!" He cracked his eyelids and saw his mate standing above him. Before he could speak, "I need you to go and get Garth and Lilly up here for me, the snow is really deep and I'm in too much pain to walk that far hurry up!" Kate said nudging him again to get him moving. He got up and stretched and smiled at his mate, "how did you sleep?" Humphrey asked her, "it was okay but painful at times, I need you to go and wake up Garth and Lilly and have them come to our den for the meeting okay?" He nodded and left the cave.
Outside Humphrey had forgotten that it was snowing last night and at the sight of all of it he bounded out into it playfully. The sky was growing lighter as Humphrey bounded toward Garth and Lilly's den, he stopped short at the entrance, he could hear them. They were mating, Humphrey backed away quickly. What should he do now? Who knew how long they would be tied together, he moved on. How was he going to tell Kate that what, he'd walked in on Garth and Lilly mating? Thank God they hadn't seen him, he could not imagine how embarrassing it would be had someone walked in while he and Kate were mating.
Something moved in the corner of his eye, he looked in its direction. Tony had emerged from his den and was looking around. Humphrey approached him slowly, "hey Tony hows it going?" he asked tentatively. "Oh it's fine, back hurts well my whole body does for that matter, comes with age," he said. "Hey I wanted to thank you for saving our skins yesterday, where did you learn to do that? You know fending off the caribou?" Tony frowned at him, "couldn't tell ya even if I wanted to, something that they taught me in my pack growing up." "None of our wolves know how to do that, where did you come from?" "I was born in Alaska and was relocated here, I was a problem wolf in my adolescent years so they moved me here. Instantly I became the leader of the Eastern pack and stayed that way all the way up until now. Anything else you need to know kid?" he asked, Humphrey shook his head. "Good because I'm really sore and need my rest winter gets rougher on me each year, I think this will be my last winter." Tony said as he turned and went back into his den.
Humphrey headed back to his cave, he walked by Garth and Lilly's and could hear them, Lilly howled. As big as Garth is, Humphrey could not imagine how big his equipment must be, poor Lilly. When he got back to the cave Kate glared at him, "where are they?" "well um I walked in on them mating," Humphrey said. Kate's jaw dropped, "you what? Oh my gosh did they see you?" "Thankfully no!" Humphrey chuckled. Humphrey then told Kate about his talk with Tony and what he said about not making another winter. "It's sad Humphrey but we don't live forever, Tony has not exactly lived an easy life either, just look at him! All the battle scars on his body, his bad back its a wonder he's lived this long!" "He sure is an amazing wolf, I sure wish he'd show us how to do that kinda stuff." Kate changed the subject.
"Can you go check on Garth and Lilly again? I'm sure they are done by now its been over an hour." "Sure hon, be back soon!" He left and went once again plowing through the powdery snow. Garth and Lilly were done when he got there, reluctantly they came back to his cave with him, all the while explaining to him how tired they were. He knew how they felt but it was Kate's orders to have the meeting today. Eve and Winston were there when they got there.
"Humphrey if you want you can go have a day with your buddies, you need to go have some fun anyway," Kate told him. "Okay," he said. Yes! All this new snow on the ground was perfect for log boarding, he and his friends had not done it for so long! The four of them dragged a hollowed out log to the top of the mountain, they knew every obstacle of this course. Together the four of them pushed off and the log went careening down the mountain.
When he returned to the cave that night he was exhausted, they log boarded down the mountain 6 times. He found Kate eating some caribou when he entered. "We have to dramatically cut down our diets if we are going to have enough food for winter Humphrey," she said. "Also mom looked me over today and concluded that I am not pregnant, we're going to have to try again soon." "That's okay," he said. "Until my rib heals I know I'm not going to be up to mating." "That's fine baby, we aren't in a hurry." He joined her side and ate.
The winter was a rough one as Tony had predicted, they suffered a shortage and near complete loss of food. A few wolves died of starvation during the coldest months of January and February. Kate's broken rib mended slowly but soon she was back to her normal self again. When she was healed completely she and Humphrey mated 4 more times and on the fourth time she was in her season and got pregnant. The pups were expected to arrive at the end of March or early April. Garth and Lilly's pups were expected around the same time. Now that mating was done, all they had to do was wait.
Kate deep down had a burning desire to know where Tony learned to do that, she didn't want to bother him though. Maybe her father would know; she shook off the idea and quietly as possible made way for the entrance of the cave.
Outside the world was a white blanket. There was no brown, gray, or green to be seen; and still the snow was falling lightly. She placed her paw in the stuff, it sank more than half way up her leg. Had she not been injured she would wake Humphrey, and go bound around playfully with him in it. It was also quite cold and she could feel the sting of cold in her eyes.
She stepped out all the way and pushed through the deep snow around the corner of the cave. She urinated, making sure to kick up the scent and spread it around, this kept intruders away. In Alpha school she was taught that rival wolves, wolverines, and even bears would try and scramble to find shelter after a sudden snowstorm if they hadn't found a place to hibernate in winter.
She glanced down at the neighboring dens, Humphrey would have to be tasked with waking Garth and Lilly. Kate needed them to help organize a plan for winter and how the pack is going to deal with a shortage in food.
She gave his head a shove with her pointed nose, "Humphrey wake up! wake up!" He cracked his eyelids and saw his mate standing above him. Before he could speak, "I need you to go and get Garth and Lilly up here for me, the snow is really deep and I'm in too much pain to walk that far hurry up!" Kate said nudging him again to get him moving. He got up and stretched and smiled at his mate, "how did you sleep?" Humphrey asked her, "it was okay but painful at times, I need you to go and wake up Garth and Lilly and have them come to our den for the meeting okay?" He nodded and left the cave.
Outside Humphrey had forgotten that it was snowing last night and at the sight of all of it he bounded out into it playfully. The sky was growing lighter as Humphrey bounded toward Garth and Lilly's den, he stopped short at the entrance, he could hear them. They were mating, Humphrey backed away quickly. What should he do now? Who knew how long they would be tied together, he moved on. How was he going to tell Kate that what, he'd walked in on Garth and Lilly mating? Thank God they hadn't seen him, he could not imagine how embarrassing it would be had someone walked in while he and Kate were mating.
Something moved in the corner of his eye, he looked in its direction. Tony had emerged from his den and was looking around. Humphrey approached him slowly, "hey Tony hows it going?" he asked tentatively. "Oh it's fine, back hurts well my whole body does for that matter, comes with age," he said. "Hey I wanted to thank you for saving our skins yesterday, where did you learn to do that? You know fending off the caribou?" Tony frowned at him, "couldn't tell ya even if I wanted to, something that they taught me in my pack growing up." "None of our wolves know how to do that, where did you come from?" "I was born in Alaska and was relocated here, I was a problem wolf in my adolescent years so they moved me here. Instantly I became the leader of the Eastern pack and stayed that way all the way up until now. Anything else you need to know kid?" he asked, Humphrey shook his head. "Good because I'm really sore and need my rest winter gets rougher on me each year, I think this will be my last winter." Tony said as he turned and went back into his den.
Humphrey headed back to his cave, he walked by Garth and Lilly's and could hear them, Lilly howled. As big as Garth is, Humphrey could not imagine how big his equipment must be, poor Lilly. When he got back to the cave Kate glared at him, "where are they?" "well um I walked in on them mating," Humphrey said. Kate's jaw dropped, "you what? Oh my gosh did they see you?" "Thankfully no!" Humphrey chuckled. Humphrey then told Kate about his talk with Tony and what he said about not making another winter. "It's sad Humphrey but we don't live forever, Tony has not exactly lived an easy life either, just look at him! All the battle scars on his body, his bad back its a wonder he's lived this long!" "He sure is an amazing wolf, I sure wish he'd show us how to do that kinda stuff." Kate changed the subject.
"Can you go check on Garth and Lilly again? I'm sure they are done by now its been over an hour." "Sure hon, be back soon!" He left and went once again plowing through the powdery snow. Garth and Lilly were done when he got there, reluctantly they came back to his cave with him, all the while explaining to him how tired they were. He knew how they felt but it was Kate's orders to have the meeting today. Eve and Winston were there when they got there.
"Humphrey if you want you can go have a day with your buddies, you need to go have some fun anyway," Kate told him. "Okay," he said. Yes! All this new snow on the ground was perfect for log boarding, he and his friends had not done it for so long! The four of them dragged a hollowed out log to the top of the mountain, they knew every obstacle of this course. Together the four of them pushed off and the log went careening down the mountain.
When he returned to the cave that night he was exhausted, they log boarded down the mountain 6 times. He found Kate eating some caribou when he entered. "We have to dramatically cut down our diets if we are going to have enough food for winter Humphrey," she said. "Also mom looked me over today and concluded that I am not pregnant, we're going to have to try again soon." "That's okay," he said. "Until my rib heals I know I'm not going to be up to mating." "That's fine baby, we aren't in a hurry." He joined her side and ate.
The winter was a rough one as Tony had predicted, they suffered a shortage and near complete loss of food. A few wolves died of starvation during the coldest months of January and February. Kate's broken rib mended slowly but soon she was back to her normal self again. When she was healed completely she and Humphrey mated 4 more times and on the fourth time she was in her season and got pregnant. The pups were expected to arrive at the end of March or early April. Garth and Lilly's pups were expected around the same time. Now that mating was done, all they had to do was wait.
