Rebuilding

Molly frowned as Coven got up and walked away. Of course. But she only sighed softly, letting her head sink down to the ground as she felt the pups begin to suckle and cuddle against her. It wasn't like she could get up and follow him, so she remained where she was, accepting the male wolf for who he was. He was stressed, and there were a lot of things for him to do, so she decided that she'd let it go. This time.

For now she could just relax and try not to get mad. She was a mother now, she needed to focus on something other than herself. These pups. Ajax, Zeke, Zephyr, and Alaska. They were her main priority now, and if that meant she didn't get much time or attention with Coven, she had to deal with it. Hopefully he'd check back soon, because she'd be pretty thirsty in a bit.

Karbon could tell that Antero was expecting more, but he wasn't really interested in storytelling right now. Antero would have to ask again later if he really wanted to know. But for now, he followed the other male off into the trees, grateful that he didn't have to go alone. Plus, although he knew this area a little, he still wasn't sure about some parts of it. Hopefully the other male could show him around.

Plus, Coven wanted them to get along. They were doing pretty good at making nice, but Karbon still wasn't sure if he liked or trusted the other male. When he was asked another question, the black male shook his head. "None that I've liked much." He said softly, keeping his eyes on their surroundings and wondering when they'd decide to mark a border.

Karbon nodded as Antero spoke. It all made sense. Plus, who was he to argue with the older male? For now, he'd just follow Antero and do basically whatever he was told. He was the youngest wolf out here, and well, Coven could kill him without a second's hesitation, so for the time being, he'd put off getting any sort of position. He could worry about rank later. For now, his job was staying alive and keeping the pack safe. "I'll just follow you, then. We'll have to make sure that Coven's ideas of the borders are the same later." He said softly, waiting for Antero to get offended or argue with him or something. But for now, it made the most sense to him.

(sorry it's short and I'm not sure it makes any sense >.< )

It appeared that Antero and Karbon had been simply ambling along, as it did not take Coven long to catch up to them, and he hadn't been rushing. Hopefully they'd figured out a few things in the time they took, or at least perhaps they'd moved past the status of 'strangers'. Finally spotting them, it was obvious that Karbon was still quite subdued (which was not horrible at all), but the two males seemed to be getting along just fine. That was the task he'd assigned them, and they seemed to have actually made an effort at accomplishing it. And judging by the fact that they were no longer near the dens, it appeared they were coming up with other ways to keep busy. No complaints from Coven on that one.

"Hey, guys," the black male greeted them as he maneuvered down the rocky slope to come stand by Antero's side. "What have you two been up to?" he asked, looking at each of the wolves in turn before resuming a trotting pace. They all needed a solid understanding of this territory, and that was going to happen now. They had the day ahead of them, and the wolf knew that they'd be able to cover a large part of the mountains. If he wasn't hurting from the day before, and if he had put any food down within the last few days, it would have been reasonable for him and Antero to scout the entire range that day. That wasn't necessary anyway, though, as there was virtually no threat foreseeable from the western most part of the territory. They'd hit the east-side deep and fully establish their borders there today; the rest would come in chunks. While he already had a pretty good idea of where to set the borders, Coven was very interested to get Antero's opinions. With time and more experience, Karbon's opinions would be just as important.

Karbon found himself flinching involuntarily as Coven's voice broke through the silence that he and Antero had fallen into. As the older wolf - who Karbon considered to be their new alpha - approached and Antero addressed him, he lowered his posture respectfully, glancing up at Antero before looking back at Coven curiously. "Did Molly have her pups?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. He had never been a huge fan of puppies, but he had to admit, the new arrivals would help lighten the mood around here a bit more, hopefully. He wanted to ask questions, wondering if they'd name the pups, as well as when they'd be introduced to the newborns. But he kept his questions silent, taking the fact that Coven was away from his family as a sign that the alpha didn't want to deal with or think about the pups right now. It made the young male frown, but he kept his opinion to himself, fearing Coven's anger if he spoke up about it. That was only safe to do with Molly protecting him, which was rare, since the white female had been surprisingly copliant with her mate lately.

Molly now lay alone in the den with her newborn pups, curled up and encouraging the blind and deaf bundles to suckle against her belly as she let her mind wander. Her eyes stared at the entrance of the cave, wondering what the males were doing outside in their freedom while she remained inside with the pups. But she promised herself that no matter how much she wanted to get out, she wouldn't let herself resent them for it. As she let her mind wander over the birth and her eyes rest on each pup, she smiled, grooming them lovingly as they curled up together and began to fall asleep, one by one. Soon she was left laying there awake while they slept, her eyes resting on the light in the entrance as she let her mind wander off into aimless daydreams.

Both Antero and Karbon's questions meshed quite well, and Coven answered both, "Molly's had the pups - Ajax, Zeke, Zephyr, and Alaska. The female looks just like Molly." Normally, the male wouldn't have shared so much right now, but Karbon's obvious curiosity had him divulging more than he'd planned. Anything more than that would come later, though. There was no need really for the two males to meet the pups yet, and Coven actually was not a huge fan of that idea yet, not until the pups were older. There would be no need until then, and hopefully by that time the idea of other wolves near his pups would cause less apprehension. Or he'd be at the point where that extra stress would be more manageable. Right now, that wasn't happening yet.

The black male turned his attention to Antero and tiled his head, intrigued that the wolf had some idea of where their borders should be. He let Antero lead for a while to show them his ideas, while Coven explained his own for the others to voice their opinions on. They had come to a plateau from which the southern curve of the Norther Ridge could be seen looming sharply up against the sky not far away. "I think we should leave the Ridge alone and use it as a buffer between us and Silverlight. And the same with the Swamp. Few wolves venture across those areas anyway, and it'd leave us with a more manageable area to more actively patrol, near the middle of Silverlight." He paused and twitched an ear back, debating. "That leaves us with a pretty big area to claim, patrol, and defend...but it also lets us have those buffer-zones, and we'd have more luck hunting in a larger area...What do you two think?" This one was to both of them because, honestly, on this one, they both really could contribute. Coven wanted to hear Antero's ideas for the borders, and he wanted both of them to think hard about how much they thought they could handle. Right now, it was the three of them who'd be doing every single job that needed to be done - the more there was of the territory, the harder it would be...and things were possibly hard enough.

Coven cocked his head and listened with slight astonishment at Karbon's answer. He hadn't been considering the idea of sending the young wolf out on his own, instead the plan had been to partner him up with Antero if he was to go out patrolling. But the fact that Karbon had assumed and accepted - with excitement instead of fear - the much needed and potentially very dangerous role made it so Coven found no need to object. Karbon was a strong wolf already, and if he was ready to go out alone, the alpha wouldn't stop him from growing even more.

After listening to Antero's harmonious response, the black wolf gave a slow nod, his mind now wandering over a few other details. With such a small pack (essentially just three active wolves), Coven had decided that this pack couldn't be structured like Silverlight had, with ranks denoting specialized skills. He and these males would have to become competent at everything and would really have to work together. As Antero had said, after patrolling, the three of them would have to get together and hunt as well. Though it made him almost feel guilty that these two would have to be stretched so far and would have to work so hard, Coven was immensely grateful to already know that everyone here could take it. And he was relieved that Molly wouldn't have to.

Now that they had settled on the borders in their minds, mapping it with their feet wasn't much trouble. They'd get through it even if they had to finish tomorrow; this first time around, they'd explore and mark the borders together, just so everyone was on the same page. "Antero," the wolf began to implore, "you, Karbon, and I seriously need to be prepared to defend ourselves and this pack. Just living up here brings us greater danger of encountering cougars and bears...would you take responsibility for training Karbon as best you can as often as you can?" He glanced over at the younger wolf before returning his gaze to Antero, waiting for the answer. Yet another load to put on both of them, but it could be life-savingly beneficial to both of them, though especially the pup who was still so inexperienced.

Karbon's ears flicked backwards as he was called a pup, but he kept his mouth shut, knowing that to argue that he wasn't a kid would be pointless. They both thought of him as an inexperienced puppy, and they were only partially wrong. He sat there and listened to them talk, looking over at Coven curiously as the alpha asked Antero to train him. Great. That would be soooo much fun. But he kept quiet, glancing over at the other male to see how he would react to the alpha asking him to train him. He knew there was nothing he could do to change Coven's mind, and even he had to admit that he could use the training. Hopefully Antero wouldn't be too disgusted by the idea. Hopefully.

Molly sighed softly, staring blankly at the entrance of her den as the pups slept quietly against her stomach. She had been cooped up in this den for too long now, and she had assumed that her mate had gone off to find Karbon and Antero to talk about the pack matters. She was glad he was taking this all so seriously, that her pups would be safe and that she would be protected as well, but she desperately missed Coven. What little time they had spent together had been nice, but it had been far too short. She wanted, hell, needed more time with him, but he was always gone. Her ears flattened to the side sadly as she thought about her mate, and then she sighed softly, resting her head on her paws and closing her eyes.

The relief was clear on Coven's face as Antero accepted. Antero taking on that responsibility would do so much to help the pack, by helping Karbon and by strengthening the communication between the pack members. Both Karbon and Antero were at least resigned to the idea, if not quite understanding of the importance, and that would make this a lot easier.

There really wasn't much else to go over at the moment. Coven was really just grateful that things had been going so smoothly with these two males. He'd fretted over dealing with different aspects in each, but any issues that might come up now didn't seem so daunting. So the rest of the patrol went by rather quietly, and Coven led the wolves home. "Molly's chosen a new den up there," the male informed them with a nod up the cliffs, "But I think she chose it for seclusion, and down here has more options for dens anyway. You both can rest for the night, find your permanent dens, whatever, get some dinner. We'll set up a hunting system tomorrow..." He looked up at the caves spattering the mountainside and tried to figure out where a storage den would best be placed...no, he said they'd leave that for tomorrow. Tonight would be individual hunting again - or in pairs, if Antero and Karbon decided to go for that today - but they'd work on a stock pile soon enough.

Leaving the two, Coven padded over the rocks, down into a shallow little valley, and out of sight to hunt for himself and Molly. It was a lot cooler now, though there were probably a few hours left until the sun set, and nabbing a squirrel and a cottontail was no difficult task, though the lack of meals the past few days and the long patrol over the mountains today had the black wolf's paws shaking slightly with fatigue and hunger. He was never so glad to climb up to where Molly had hidden herself as he was this evening, mouth full of food and knowing that his mate was going to be ok.

He set down the hare for the female at the entrance of the den and called her gently, asking permission to come in, still feeling somewhat wary about engaging her with the pups around.

It had been a long, boring day, and the pups, surprisingly, had fuss little. She had slept on and off, but after a while she had resigned to staring at the entrance of the den and waiting for Coven to return. The pups suckled now and then, biting down on her teats and making her growl every once in a while because of the discomfort, and they tussled and squeaked a lot, driving her crazy with their little noises. But no matter how annoyed she got with them, it was obvious that she adored the little bundles of life that huddled against her.

The day dragged on and on as she laid there, getting up every once in a while to stretch, and she had even left the den for a few moments to get a drink in a pool that had gathered nearby. But she had only been gone for minutes, and when she had returned, all four pups had been huddled against each other, thankfully. But then again, there were several times when little Ajax had led his siblings on little adventures for the entrance of the den, causing Molly to growl and nudge them back into the safety of her belly. Alaska, however, hardly left her mother's side. It was as if she were glued to the white adult, her tiny white form huddled close and fighting to eat as her brothers pushed her away. It worried Molly, especially since the little female was so small. She knew the world that Alaska would have to live in. She knew the dangers for a pup so small. And honestly, it frightened her to see her daughter so helpless. She frowned, carefully nosing Alaska away from her wrestling brothers and between her front paws for safety.

But as she started to lovingly groom the little girl, she heard Coven's voice at the entrance, asking permission to come in. She smiled, wagging her tail lightly and looking over at the entrance. "It's alright, Coven." She said softly, her voice still laced with exhaustion, but much calmer than before. She was still worried about Alaska, but she did her best to mask the fear for her daughter as she called out to her mate. The smell of food floated into the den as Coven did, making her smile and look up at him hopefully. Sure enough, he was carrying food in his jaws, and it made her lick her chops hungrily. She hadn't been able to hunt for herself, and hell, they both knew that even if she had gotten the chance, she would have failed miserably. So she was grateful that her mate had provided her with a meal. She had missed him, though, and she ignored the food long enough to lick his chin gratefully and smile at him, obviously glad that he was back.

Coven picked up the two carcasses and squeezed into the den as soon as Molly answered. He was so glad to see that she missed him as much as he'd missed her, and his tail wagged with gladness. Their argument earlier was pushed aside, withering next to the joy of getting to lay down with Molly again. The male dropped the food and pawed the rabbit closer to Molly before settling himself down with his back against the entrance, pups between him and his mate. Though curious about the little Alaska nestled oddly between Molly's paws, Coven made no comment, his mouth quickly becoming busied with devouring the squirrel. It had been too long that he'd let the stress negate his appetite, and he'd definitely be going out hunting again later, though this small meal hopefully would be enough to calm his shaking.

Licking his lips, the wolf laid his head on his paws in fatigue and watched Molly and the pups for a moment, taking in his family with more open eyes. "How're you guys doing?" he asked, glancing from Molly to the pups, then focusing up on Molly. "You alright?" She had to be exhausted, but more than that, she had been unhappy with him earlier, probably about more things than he realized, he knew, and now he was ready to hear about it if she needed to talk again.

Molly licked his cheek as he laid down next to her and the pups, carefully picking Alaska up and placing her between them before pulling the rabbit between her paws and eating it rather quickly. She had been quite hungry, and with the pups suckling constantly, she needed to keep up her strength as well as to eat frequently to keep her milk nourished enough for the little bundles that huddled against her. When she finished, she pushed the remains aside and licked herself clean, looking up at Coven as he spoke. As he asked how they were all doing, she looked down at the pups, using her nose to push Zeke away from where he was crushing his sister in an attempt to get to Zephyr and making her cry.

She sighed softly as Ajax mimicked his brother's movements, until finally she picked up the little white female and placed her between her front paws once more, gently grooming her until her fearful squealing ceased. When Coven asked how she was doing, her ears flattened and she looked up at him for only a moment before slowly letting her head sink down to where it rested on one of her paws, with Alaska curled up against her cheek. "I'm worried, Coven." She said softly, nuzzling the little female before sighing again. "She's so small...." She continued, frowning as Alaska began to squeak softly and carefully picked her up and guided her to a teat, using her nose to separate her from her brothers, who were now wrestling with each other and growling playfully.

The little female latched onto her mother, making Molly flinch slightly, and then began to suckle eagerly, that is, until Zephry landed on her and made her start squealing again. Molly's eyes closed and her ears pinned back in frustration and exhaustion as she took a deep breath, obviously calming herself before using her nose to separate the pups once more. She had been repeating this procedure all day, and the fact that she hadn't gotten incredibly angry yet was quite impressive. But it was obvious that she was beginning to lose it, and as Ajax began to growl and pounce on her tail, she snapped and growled at him, rolling him over with her nose and resting her tail where he couldn't reach it. It had been a long day, and by the energy that the pups obviously had, it was clear that it wasn't over yet. Not even close.

Coven took a while to respond vocally, watching in silence and contemplating what to do. His immediate reaction was much different than Molly's, and the reason he hesitated in speaking was because he knew she wouldn't like what he had to say. He wasn't even sure if this was actual the right way to go...it was how he'd been raised and lived and survived in a world of war with stronger, tougher wolves than he...but still, he'd never been small, others had died, what if Molly knew better because she was more closely linked with these pups? This was only the second time Coven'd had time with them.

Well, he was going to let Molly make the judgement call...after his most pressing question. "You don't worry she'll die?" For that one, Coven wouldn't know what to do. "If it's not that, though...I think she'll be fine." Flipping his ears back half-way, the male ventured cautiously, looking now at the pups, each individually, "I don't think you need to coddle her as much as you do - as long as she gets enough to eat, she should at least get the chance to stand up for herself a bit. I know they're so young and small, but even she can do it. One day she'll have to anyway...give her the chance to figure it out a bit now, just a little before you rescue her. I think it'll give you a little more time to relax yourself, just supervising instead of needing to interfere constantly..." He was speaking to Molly though still watching the pups tumble over each other, well, the boys at least. Alaska was safely huddled in her mother's paws, completely detached from her siblings and the growing experience they were having.

Molly frowned, instantly seeing the look on Coven's face that told her she wasn't going to like what he had to say. And well, she didn't. But he was right, which made her sigh and let her head fall to her paws in defeat. There was no point arguing with him over it. As if to emphasize his point, Alaska crawled over her mother's paw and approached her brothers, biting down on Ajax's tail and making him squeal and tackle her to the ground until she was crying obnoxiously. This only made Molly growl, and her ears flicked backwards in annoyance at the screaming and her eyes closed as the pounding headache she had already developed only worsened. It honestly surprised her how few mothers actually ate their children.

After a little while, Alaska quieted down a bit, only to curl up against her mother and fall asleep quickly. That is, until Zeke got bored and pounced on her, making her yelp as he shoved her into their mother's side, making her open her eyes and sigh in annoyance. No, Molly, you can't kill them. They're your pups. She told herself, her ears flat to her skull as she laid there, doing all she could not to bite the little monsters. She had actually surprised herself by the fact that she hadn't gotten up and left them alone with Coven yet. She wanted to, but she knew that he wouldn't know what to do with them. Why couldn't they just fall asleep!!?? Their mother was exhausted, her head was pounding, and all she wanted was a little bit of peace and quiet. Was that too much to ask?

Coven and Molly were both exhausted, but the black wolf knew he was somehow in better condition to deal with this right now. With a yawn, he lifted his head, stretched out, and nudged Molly's cheek. "Why don't you go get a drink or something, maybe rest in the den we were using the other day. I've got this." Even though he was blinking slowly, hardly able to keep his eyes open, Coven gave his mate an almost sly smile before gently nudging her again. Unlike Molly, Coven could tune out a lot of noise - even, without shame, the cries of the pups as they tackled each other - and would be able to sleep through this active relapse the pups were having while Molly took a break elsewhere, got out of the den. When he was a pup, if someone bit him too hard, he quit playing until they were nicer about it; these pups would learn it, too, and end up teaching each other. Hopefully in a few days, the shrieking would go down as they learned to be more gentle. Until then, Coven's plan was to block the den entrance with his body (the entrance was small enough and he was big enough that this would work perfectly) and let the pups play it out and fall asleep. Then he could turn them over to Molly. Their mother couldn't be gone long, of course, as the pups had to eat, but a small break had to be somewhat beneficial in reviving her spirits and patience. Coven's almost apathy would be what spared him.

Molly looked up as Coven spoke, her ears perked up in surprise at his words. Well, that was the last thing she had expected him to say. But even as he said it, she frowned, looking down at the pups warily. It surprised her that he wanted to be near them, let alone babysit while she took a break. It was strange to her, but she had to admit, she needed a break from the little monsters. However, the thought of wandering around alone didn't really sound too great to her, maybe she'd run into Antero or Karbon, though. So she slowly got to her feet, nuzzling Coven gratefully, and then exited the den slowly. When she got outside, she stretched, taking a deep breath and enjoying the fresh air as she stood there, letting her body relax slightly.

It was a nice evening, and as it slowly began to grow dark, she made her way down to the pool at the base of the waterfall, slowly lowering her head to drink. The water was cold and smooth, making her shiver slightly as it poured down her throat and settled in her stomach. But it tasted good, so she drank a bit more before making her way towards the trees. As she walked, the scent of all three males was clear all over the place. This made her smile and relax a bit more, grateful that they had done a good job of ensuring that no one entered the area without knowing that there were three powerful males ready to protect it.

It made her feel safe, even as she walked through the forest alone as it grew darker. She had spent enough time out here, though, to know her way around, and after a short walk through the forest, she headed back towards the dens, slowly making her way up to where Coven was laying with the pups. She had told herself she was going to stay out longer, that she was going to enjoy the time away from the pups, but the whole time she was gone she felt a panic, a worry that wouldn't leave her alone until she saw the pups again, safe and sound. So she made her way towards the den, pausing at the entrance to sniff around it and make sure that no unwanted visitors were near, before entering and stepping over her mate to lay down against his side, letting the pups scramble their way to her belly to suckle.

She didn't say anything as she laid there, hoping that he wouldn't get up and leave as she leaned against him, her head slowly lowering to rest on his paws. She wished that they had pup sitters in the pack, someone that could watch the pups while she and Coven enjoyed some time alone, but with only them, Karbon, and Antero, it didn't look like she'd get any quality time with her mate until the pups were old enough to take care of themselves. For now, this was all they were going to get, and as the pups suckled eagerly, Molly's eyes closed, a soft, high-pitched yawn escaping her muzzle as she relaxed against Coven, praying that he wouldn't leave her. Not yet.

Coven had fallen into a light doze once Molly left. His ears twitched every so often to monitor the pups, or when they cried out on their own, but though they were rough-housing and scrambling all over the small den, everything was ok, with Zephyr even curling up next to him, worn out to sleep until his mother returned. The other three never quit moving for one second, but Coven let them be, growling as a warning once or twice when Ajax decided to lead an onslaught against his father's ears; the pups forgot themselves once or twice after that, but remembered for the most part that ears weren't for eating. They even began to apply that to each other...somewhat.

Either the wolf lost track of time, or Molly hadn't stayed out as long as he had expected, as it was a surprise when the white wolf crawled over him and into the den. He nuzzled his nose into Molly's white fur without ever raising his head as she lay down next to him. Zephyr had left Coven's side in a wild greeting as his mother and milk entered the den. "Wake me up before it gets dark?" murmured the wolf sleepily, his voice husky from having been practically asleep. He couldn't help it - sleep came in less than a minute, though he needed to wake up and go hunt again before it got too dark. Then, if Molly wanted it, Coven would be back for the night.

Molly smiled as she felt her mate's nose bury itself into her fur, and as he mumbled about waking him up, she licked his paw gently and nodded. "Alright." She said softly, keeping herself awake for the time being as the pups suckled greedily at her belly and Coven slept behind her. It was quiet and peaceful in here for once, and it took all of the white female's self-control to stay awake. But soon it was growing a bit dimmer in the den, and she gently prodded Coven with her nose, licking his muzzle and nudging him to wake him. "Coven, love, it's going to be dark soon." She said softly, shifting her weight a bit so he could get up and not worry about disturbing the pups that had curled up together against her belly.

She knew that he wanted to go hunting again, and she was grateful for it, but she hoped he wouldn't be gone too long. But after she woke him, she slowly lowered her head back to her paws, curling around the pups so that she'd wake if they scrambled over her paws to get out, and then closed her eyes, falling asleep almost immediately. She was exhausted, and though it was a light sleep, she was resting peacefully. At least for the time being. She needed the rest, and it was more than welcome as the pups too, slept against her. Coven would go hunt and be back soon, and then they would spend the night sleeping as a family, hopefully without any unwanted squealing interruptions from the pups. Hopefully.