Finley had been wrapped around her son, now about a month old he was beginning to sprout stark white fur around his face and the mousy brown was lightening. It reminded her of the father that had abandoned them, but she was trying not to spend much time focusing on that. Camden might be an ass, but now she had little Ryder, and that was what she needed to focus on. She had been bathing him despite his squeals of protest, and humming to him softly a lullaby that she remembered from her youth.

There were still days she missed her twin sister and her birth pack, and mourned that Ryder would grow up alone without a sibling. But, she couldn’t go back now. The child was too small to travel and they were forging a new life for themselves and eventually things would get better.

When Chan came to the mouth of the den she was distracted with her activity and at first only hummed in response. Then she heard a tiny cry. An unmistakable cry. Finley’s head whipped around, eyes searching for the owner of such a little voice. Her gaze narrowed in on the child at the man’s paws and she gasped, ”Chan…what did you do?” She knew he was prone to taking in strays, she was one of them, but this… this was drastic.

Watching the way that Chan avoided her gaze and his ears fell flat caused further curiosity, and the mother’s own eyes dropped down to the child. Curled up, so innocently against the forearm of a stranger after being brought here under such terrible circumstances. Suddenly green eyes flicked upwards in panic, shock clear on her face, ”Alone!?” How could such a thing happen? She could only assume there was a horrific reason that a mother wouldn’t come back to her son.

Shifting forward on her forearms, displacing Ryder slightly and causing him to squeal, she grabbed the child gently in her jaws. Falling back into place she carefully settled him against her stomach, and was pleased that he latched on ferociously at the first chance and began to nurse. Looking down at the two boys by her side she felt some sense of peace, before looking warily back to the man at the entrance.

Fear gripped her for a moment, ”Flair isn’t…is she going to take him?” It wasn’t that she necessarily wanted to keep him herself, but she was worried she would get attached, and worse that Ryder would.

The long silence caused a cold freeze across the Lennox’s woman’s heart, she was so sure that Chan was going to say that Flair might take him, or worse that she definitely would. As the man stared into the den towards where the orphan suckled, she stared right back, fear clear in her eyes. She was almost pleading, a whine barely audible slipping from her muzzle as she waited for him to say something. She was a couple seconds away from emotionally shouting that if Flair wanted him she should take him now when Chan finally spoke.

All the air rushed from her lungs in a short but audible woosh. She looked back down at the mousy boy, who was eating with fervor and she kissed his head, causing a momentarily cry in protest at being disturbed. Realizing that Chan was already walking away she called out, ”Chan!” Then much to the displeasure of the boys she slipped out of the den, as gracefully as she could manage given she was still swollen from her recent pregnancy.

She wasn't sure why she had done so, and after he paused she just looked at him for a minute before saying softly, ”I am so sorry.” She didn’t know exactly what had happened with Flair, only that it had been violent and both parents-to-be had seemed like shells of themselves ever since. Part of her was glad her son - er, sons - wouldn’t be fighting for resources, but most of her was just sad something so terrible had happened to those she was quickly making friendships with.

The mother felt overwhelming guilt when she saw that Chan physically flinched away from the sound of her voice. She didn’t like the look in his eyes, far away, distant, maybe even cold, but mostly just shut down. She wished desperately that she had just stayed in the den with the boys and used this time to wonder about how everything was turning out the way that it was.

There was silence, and then he said that they were lucky to have her? Confusion crossed her features for a second, she felt like she had been nothing but a burden since she had arrived and now this is what he was saying? She wanted to argue that he was wrong, but recognized this would be a wholly inappropriate response. Instead she shook her head slightly, ”I think that I am the lucky one, that you found me out there bleeding from my chin, pregnant and alone.” She didn’t want to keep saying the wrong thing, but she needed to say something else.

Furrowing her brow for a second she just spit it out, ”You might not want to hear it right now. But, you’re a very good wolf Chan. One of the best wolves I’ve actually ever met, and all of us here owe you a debt of gratitude for everything you do.” She wasn’t expecting a response, and would allow him to walk away if he so chose, but she needed to say it.

The new mother had said everything that she felt she needed to say, and she knew that Chan did not want to hang around to chat. The last few weeks had been hard enough, and she was aware how twisted this whole situation was. To have his own children ripped away, find an orphan and watch it grow up alongside her own son when his own couldn’t. Finley could not even begin to imagine the strength this took, but she would do whatever it took to give the boys a good life.

So, she nodded in acknowledgement that he would come back to check on them soon, and she returned to the boys. How strange, to have multiple cubs in her den. Yet, it all felt right somehow, and despite the circumstances that led to this her heart was full and her family was complete.