Nayeli could hardly say she had been prepared for this, but here she was. She had survived giving birth, and since that day the Stormwright woman had been overcome with amazement at her offspring nearly every time she looked at them. Before their birth she had already felt she was going stir-crazy, irritated at the way exhaustion won out so quickly on even the shortest of jaunts. After they'd been born, though, she had found herself quite content to remain close by, her quick trips to the stream to drink or to the caches for food shadowed with worry. Her paws would speed her along as she returned to them each time, relief only coming when she laid eyes upon them again, safe and sound. She tried to assure herself that it was perfectly fine to take a walk, to get some air, that the den was well guarded by the other members of the pack. Motherhood had awoken new fears in her, fears that were difficult to quiet except when she was curled next to the forms of her children. They were so tiny, so helpless!

And yet every day they grew more, moved more, demanded to eat more... it was this last facet of motherhood that had lost it's luster the quickest. Gods, did her two children eat a lot! Her own recovery was sped along by the help of the pack – without them to fill the caches, she and the newest members of the pack might not have fared so well.

There was still so much she was unsure of, though – without knowledge to guide her, she relied upon her instinct alone. She knew that soon, the children ought to be introduced to the rest of their pack -their family. She didn't know when exactly the right time would come, but once the cubs had begun to open their eyes, to totter about the den shakily, she knew the moment had arrived.

It was still early in the morning when she rose, stepping carefully over the two little black balls of fur, and walked outside of the den. Glancing about, Nayeli found the immediate area to be empty – promptly she flopped onto the grass, rolling on her back for a self-indulgent moment, savoring it's rough caress on her pelt, the warmth of the sun. Then she rolled into a more dignified, sphinx-like position and let out a soft, beckoning whuff. Zera, Darah, it's beautiful out here this morning - come and see! she murmured, looking back into the shadows of the den. Though she doubted her words made much sense, the tone of her voice carried reassurance and invitation. Then she lifted her maw toward the cloud-dappled sky and let out a louder cry, calling out to the rest of the Bend. Time to meet the next generation of our pack!

Serach stood transfixed, his pale green eyes fixated on the smooth, silver scales of the fish. Ankle deep in water, Serach loomed over the silver fish that swam in the shallow waters of the creek. At his back was the large oak tree from which the pack took it's name. Ever since Nayeli had disappeared into the pack's den, his curiosity had kept him nearby. This was all so strange for him, and more than once he found himself questioning how his brother Fenru must have felt, waiting for Serach and Sceral to be brought into this world. That was different though, at least, that's what Serach felt in his heart every time he looked at the den entrance, hidden amidst the rocks. Fenru had known he was going to get siblings. I....I don't know what I'm getting, he thought with a pulse of anxiety in his heart.

Despite his internal turmoil over the whole affair, Serach could not keep himself away. He wanted to be there, if he was needed. In his mind, he had effectively been replaced by Nayeli's new children, but he did not want to become redundant to the pack. If I can be useful to them, maybe it won't be so bad, was his daily mantra of self-assurance. So he helped provide food to the new mother, delivering his catches to Triell. Despite his jealousy at losing his den, he knew better than to try and approach it now. So he lurked from afar, watching and waiting.

Nayeli's howl broke Serach's concentration, and with a start, he scattered the school of fish swimming around his paws. Despite his wet muzzle and legs, he had nothing to show for his attempts at fishing, and it seemed that he was out of time to try. Walking backwards out of the water, the youth shook himself before padding off towards the den. His nervousness grew with every step, but he forced himself to keep walking, closer and closer to where Nayeli waited.

His proximity meant he was the first to arrive, but he made no movements to crowd the family. Instead, he hung back, giving Nayeli and the two black pups at her feet plenty of room. Pale ears flattened against his head and his feet shuffled anxiously as he looked on. Had he and @Sceral been that small when Corinna had brought them out of the den? His own first meeting with the pack was a blur in his memory, save for the clashing of white on black, so he would wait until somebody told him what to do and how to properly behave at these sorts of things.

He heard it, he hesitated; The pups are out... For a moment he glanced towards the horizon, feeling a strong urge to sprint towards it as quickly as he could, far, far away from The Bend and Nayeli, and her children. Then he shook his head, and the shudder spread through his entire body, shaking out his fur and throwing off his fears like water after a swim; You can't do that to her, to THEM! So he took a deep breath and turned around, trotting swiftly through the trees, towards the den site. Even on legs stiff with anxiety, it did not take the ebony lad long to reach the clearing where the large oak tree loomed. He wavered for a second at the tree line, but then stepped out into the light, a brisk walk carrying him across the grass to where the pack was gathering. So far, only two of the packs, admittedly few, numbers had answered their alpha's call. Drestig smiled at the familiar frame of Serach, dutifully arrived to greet his new 'siblings' and he offered a small nod to Jessie before his full attention turned to Nayeli. The moment he saw her, his heart felt lighter, her happiness clear even through the tiredness in her eyes; how could he envy her this joy? And when his eyes fell on the two tiny figures, pressed up against her legs, all worries vanished. A broad, warm smile spread across his face as he came to a hold do distance away from them, and his fiery eyes twinkled. He lowered himself down slowly, laying on the grass with his head on outstretched paws. Eyes never straying from the black girl, half hidden behind her mother's leg, Drestig's smile thinned, to hide the bright, sharp teeth, and in a low voice, more gentle than anyone had ever heard from him, he greeted her: "Hello princess." Word count: 317 My mind is my own ”I'll say whatever I want to!”

Laying in the dapples of sunlight the trees cast upon the ground, Nayeli waited in patient expectation. Sure enough, first her daughter and then her son emerged from the den into the waiting world. Nayeli whined in more wordless encouragement, licking the muzzles of each of the pups as they reached her side. Pushing herself to her feet, she looked upon their reactions to all this new stimuli. Darrah, for his part, seemed almost unphased by it all, dutifully following along after Zera. Her daughter's reaction was far more volatile, but after a moment, Zera seemed to overcome her fear, and Nayeli gazed back at them both proudly. They were really not that far at all from the protective mouth of the den, but to them it must seem like quite the unprecedented exploration....

She stood over them, offering reassurance and protection, her eyes drawn to their surroundings. Serach's familiar form was the first to appear, and she gave the young male a warm grin. Jessie, the Swiftpaw, was next to arrive, her sleek form materializing at Serach's side a moment later. Nayeli turned to Jessie with another smile, feeling a bit reassured at their presence, despite her senses demanding to be on high alert. Drestig was the next to appear, and she was glad to see the dark male. He was another member of the pack that she had also begun to consider a trustworthy friend. And yet, among the two males who had arrived, she sensed a degree of anxiety. Serach seemed disquieted, hanging a there like a pale spectre. Then Drestig moved and broke the spell of silence, lowering his pose to offer a greeting to her daughter, and Nayeli tried to force herself to relax a bit as well. After all, this was family.

The next to arrive was Hotei. At his question, Nayeli's gaze fell back to the pups, and her jaws parted to draw a breath, but in the next instant, Triell's form appeared. Her gaze flicked up, features breaking into a smile instead. Nodding as he gave the answer, she gravitated slowly towards her mate's side, gently encouraging the pups across the small distance. As she reached the dark Tainn man, she stole a moment to graze her muzzle against his in with a happy lick, her tail swaying freely now. She wasn't sure what she ought to add, but as she looked back to Zera and Darrah she felt as if she ought to offer some sort of introduction for their children. Her silver gaze rose upwards once more to warmly meet those of the wolves who gathered around the den. Darrah and Zera, meet the rest of your family... the wolves of the Bend.