Gone Tomorrow

A crisp night breeze swept the ruff of Corinna's neck, the sensation cool and welcome. She had taken leave of her cubs once again, though this time she had strayed not farther than a few meters. All she had wanted was a breath of fresh air, having returned her young ones back into the den to sleep after a long day. Their introduction to the rest of the pack had gone quite well, and she was glad to see that the rest of the pack was as taken with them as she was. Of course, now that she had let them go out once, they would forever be pushing the boundary that had kept them confined for their first month of light. It was a necessary part of their upbringing (Corinna would go insane if she kept them confined forever), but with it brought a whole new set of fears and concerns. Green eyes staring into the dark, she looked into the shadows, just wondering what monsters lurked there to gobble up her curious and vulnerable cubs.

It was unfortunate that the mother could not be everywhere at once, to keep an eye on her newborns as well as the rest of the pack. That was what she felt the most out of touch with - the rest of the wolves who relied on her to keep them safe and guide them in the midst of trouble. She had no idea what their standing was with the Poison Path pack, but just thinking about her defenseless cubs snuggled up in the den behind her made Cori's hair stand on end. If they had thought her mad and raving before, they would find her downright lethal if they trespassed now that she had given birth. But nobody had mentioned it, so presumably everything had settled down. Naira's pregnancy would no doubt keep the Poison wolves where they belonged, just as it kept the River wolves close to home.

Slipping down onto her stomach, the she-wolf stretched her forepaws forward, digging her nails into the dirt in contentment. With a huff, she rolled over onto her side, belly exposed in the direction of the den. Though very much alert, Cori allowed herself a few moments of darkness and closed her eyes, simply enjoying this rare moment of solitude.

Gone Tomorrow

Had she been thinking about it, Corinna would have started counting how many minutes went by before one of her young ones tried to flee. The mother had seen the look of excitement and wonder on their faces as they had emerged into the world, the world they knew rapidly expanded. And while she had thought them to be asleep when she had left them, she knew far too well their habits to be surprised at the sudden sound of footfalls. Lifting her head off the ground, the she-wolf opened her eyes to the world, quickly coming to rest on the dark hole. Unable to see much of anything that lay within, Cori wondered which one of her cubs was going to be the makebate tonight.

The high pitched yowl gave Corinna her answer, and with a grin, she watched the only male of her second litter plunge into the darkness. He had not even begun to grow into himself yet, and she couldn't help but chuckle quietly at his progress. Hoisting herself up, the River leader padded silently after the young boy, her own stealth far superior to his. A quick sniff of the air told her that they were alone, minus his supposedly sleeping sisters inside the den, which meant that her guard was not as heightened as it was. Content to let him roam, she padded along off to his side, holding him in her gaze and ready to come to his defense, or steer him back, should he decide to go beyond the protective border of trees that separated the den site from the rest of the territory.

Gone Tomorrow

His mother's eyes never left him, watching his progress with a mixture of pride and fear. He stumbled several times, and always she was about to reach out and grab him, to ease his fall. But each time he managed to climb back to his overly large paws that he would one day grow into, and Corinna remained still. This was a learning moment for him, and she could not interfere, even as much as she wanted to.

That was, until he unexpectedly began to dart further into the trees, seemingly all excitement gone from him. Abandoning her position of stealth, Corinna tore after him, catching up with the cub after only a few yards. Lowering her head as she ran up on him, she caught him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him up, her worry that he would stray too far having rapidly become a realization. But the young cub was safe now, and hopefully soothed rather than frightened by the sudden appearance of his mother. Turning tail, Cori carried the cub back towards the den, setting him down on his rump near the entrance, though not back inside. Licking his forehead and ears, she nuzzled his head, offering her comfort. "You're safe, Tor. I never left you," she whispered, wanting to reassure him that whatever it was that had frightened him (for she hadn't scented anything) was not match for her presence there.

Gone Tomorrow

As soon as her jaws clasped tight around the loose skin of his neck, Torrel began to squirm violently. If he had not been frightened before, no doubt being hoisted into the air would have caught him off guard. But her son quickly realized who it was that had him and settled instantly. She caught the growls of complaint as her young son seemed to realize where they were headed, but as before, when her intentions became clear, he settled down. With her there, it seemed that his curiosity returned as well, and without much hesitation, he was soon back up on his feet. Chuckling, she watched him survey the darkness, wondering just how much he was able to see. He had only seen the world in the daylight, and truth was, Cori wasn't even sure if her son fully understood the concept of night and day. In the morning, he would see - both metaphorically and literally.

Keeping her head low, Corinna allowed her son to lick her chin, pleased at his contentment. Crooning in her throat, the older wolf wagged her tail, stirring the grass behind her. Falling down onto her stomach once more, green eyes met the blue ones of her cub. She knew they would eventually change, no doubt to match Indru's fiery ones, but for now, she would enjoy their beautiful and rare color. "Why couldn't you sleep, son?" She urged him after a moment. No doubt the morning would spark a whole new round of curiosity, and it would be all she could do to keep up with three cubs (who, just to make it harder on her, would go exploring in different directions). But staying up late would not help Torrel in his ambition to explore. The time would come when a few hours of sleep would be sufficient for him to survive the long day and longer night, but not yet.

Gone Tomorrow

Torrel's underdeveloped words caressed his mother's ears, and she couldn't help but grin. They would grow out of that relatively quickly, especially now that they could hear the rest of the pack speak and converse with one another. But for now, she would take advantage of the adorable, broken syllables. "Fine," she cooed back, grabbing one of his suspended tiny paws and very gently shaking it in her mouth. "No sleep." For now anyway. Releasing his little paw from her grip, Cori listened happily to his immature gargles and yips. Sparing a moment, she tore her eyes away from her son and checked up on the den, to see if either of his sisters had decided they too wanted to forgo sleep. But all remained quiet on that front, and satisfied that her small family was safe and secure, Corinna returned her attention to Torrel, who's mind had rapidly shifted places.

Batting at her face with his tiny paws, the mother picked up on his question, though the word was very convoluted in his puppy speak. "Daad," she cooed, trying to enunciate the word for him. Cori wasn't entirely sure where Indru was, but his dominating scent was not all that far off. Ever watchful, she was sure her mate was either patrolling or getting his own well-deserved rest. "Sleeping," her tone was teasing, and she lowered her head and tickled his stomach with her nose.

Finished with that, the she-wolf carefully maneuvered her forelegs from around Torrel, so that she could fall onto her back beside him. Looking up, she took in the clear patch of sky above their heads, only partly obscured by the tree branches above. Using her paw to point, she indicated the twinkling masses above them. "Stars." An explanation of what they were would come later, but for now, all he needed to know was the name. Besides, it was a whole other thing for him to turn his curiosity onto.