Black Thorn Downs half a heart

@Tokino looks like its time for another breeding thread!

March 3rd, sunrise, clear 16F/-9C

Minka had slunk from her den earlier than was typical for the mother, earlier than even the first rays of sunlight in fact. She had taken to sleeping in the birthing den where her first litter had been born, it comforted her that some piece of them remained. The onset of her heat had been undeniable, her temper was lost much easier and lashing out with snarls and nips wasn't uncommon. That ontop of the stress of Kova and Noble's continued absence was what had drove the Lagina woman to seek out the old den. She warned off the other members that dropped by during the night, not allowing even her mate to stay within eyesight of her resting place.

Then morning had risen and with it the onset of changes in both her mood and her physical body. It was as if a thousand ants danced upon her spine, causing her fur to bristle in waves and her tail to slash angrily at the spring air. It drove the tawny fae from her den and out into the cool dark air of early morning seeking the relief. Minka knew exactly what would calm the fire that burned in her gut but she tried to deny herself of seeking out Tokino.

The truth was she felt as if she didn't deserve it, she didn't deserve the privilege of becoming a mother again. Minka knew she had failed her children, how could she rightfully bring another litter into the world when she had failed so obviously the first time? She hadn't been able to protect Kova and Noble and now she wanted more pups? It was selfish and cruel to the unborn souls who hadn't even been created yet, they were still but a thought in her mind.

Minka knew having more children wouldn't bring her first borns back, and it definitely wouldn't replace them but still her heart ached for the feeling of her belly round with child. It craved the little nudges of paws in her womb, of small mouths puckered and suckling for her milk, it desired motherhood again. In the end the Downs leader couldn't deny herself anymore, the desire for children and for her mate was enough to drive the guilt from her mind, at least temporarily. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon as Minka set out in search of Tokino.

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

Tokino's hope on finding the pups had been renewed with the finding of Noble's old snow den. He was sure now that they were still alive and the urge to set out upon those northern lands struck the man hard. The only thing that kept him close to home was the arrival of Minka's new scent. The change in her hormones had changed her normally comforting smell into one that drove the man nuts. It was only because of this that Tokino stayed around home. He was too worried about another male having his way with Minka to leave her home alone so to speak.

The man's possessiveness of Minka was getting so bad now that Kino drove off any male who entered his line of sight. So anyone wanting to talk to him or Minka would have to be on their backs flagging their belly to even get a word in. The only males that paranoid Tokino really had to worry about were Bane, Lugh and Florence wherever they were, and the newer male Astraeus. The gray male only ever left Minka to eat or drink when his body was in dire need of it. Last night he had left Minka sleeping to get food and drink. However the male didn't get back to her before the woman had already awoken.

She had left the old birthing den to greet the early morning air. Though Kino knew not of this until he heard her call for him. Quickening his pace concerned of Minka's well being, Tokino made it back in minutes. His greedy ice blue orbs took in her form while his nose tested her scent. Happy with himself for getting to Minka before anyone else did, Kino's tail flagged upwards while waving slowly back and forth. He noted how Minka seemed a bit hesitant though. It was his duty and mission to calm those nerves of hers.

My precious Minka. What has you so glum plum? Kino stalks towards his mate before planting himself square up next to her. His gray head draped over her shoulders in a warm hug while the male rumbles his affections to her.

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

OHMYGOD GLUM PLUM

It didn't take long, it seemed as if her mate had been searching for her as well as he had been for the few days. Every time Minka turned around there was Tokino following her around with a hungry expression upon her maw. While it sent tingles down her spine now the mother knew as soon as her heat was over that it would cause a chuckle to escape her muzzle every time she thought of it. Even now amidst her doubts the sight of the silver male started her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She made no effort to hide her conflicting feelings, there was no point, the Lagina male knew her too well and would easily be able to tell.

Instead when her mate embraced her the sandy fae leaned into his touch, pressing her head into his neck. Nuzzling closer Minka enjoyed the warmth of having the male so close to her, listening to the sound of his heart beat in his chest. Closing her eyes she murmured, "Our pups are still gone, oh Tokino I have failed them as a mother." Suddenly she clenched her lids shut as she fought back her grief. Pressing her head closer into the silver fur Minka practically held her breath as she attempted to keep her cool.

To say she was confused about her feelings would be an understatement. As much as she felt so miserable and such a failure the closeness of Tokino was driving her body wild. The sound of his heart and the steady rise and fall of her chest caused her tail to twitch behind her sending her scent wafting through the clearing. The Lagina woman's body trembled as her emotions warred inside her, her mind fought with her body over what was the right decision.

click!

Yus, she's being a glum plum.

Tokino dipped his chin over his mates fur to inhale her enticing aroma. Keeping himself calm though, despite the situation at paw, Kino hummed softly as his mate spoke her worries to him. He relished the moments where they cuddled, but it always seemed as if serious topics would mar the otherwise comfortable pleasure of being by his woman. Passing his silver banner over her back to cover her up as much as he could without actually mounting the she wolf, the gray male grolwed low and comforting. Their findings on the last expedition north had quelled a lot of his worries over Noble and Kova. That wasn't to say that he didn't worry at all, but Kino could more confidently say that they were alive and not injured or ill.

They are okay Minka. Remember the scents the others found? Farther north? They are there someplace, alive and searching for us. It's just a matter of patrolling those northern territories now. We can focus our efforts there instead having patrols scattered throughout this land. He shoved his nose into her scruff and groomed at her loose skin and fur. Her heavenly smell spread across his chest, side, tail, chin, and cheeks as Kino preened the fine tawny lady.

He felt pity for her as Minka sat there confused and shaking. His heart gradually felt worse and worse the longer she stayed in that state. The Lagina wolf didn't like seeing her in pain. Ever since the first time he'd met her during a failed hunt where both had come away injured. Tokino felt horrible seeing Minka hurt. Wishing there was something else he could do, Kino suddenly decided to be a little more bold. He ran his jaws slowly down to the half way point of her back taunting and quite possibly torturing the woman with his movements. All the while he groomed silently while keeping an eye on her actions and reactions.

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Tokino didn't seem to be conflicted at all, while Minka literally shook from overwhelming conflicting emotions he seemed content to just groom her. The woman knew what his mind was preoccupied with, as all males were when the spring came. At first it caused her to stiffen beneath his touch, how could his be so willing given their situation but by the time he draped his banner on her back she had softened. At his words she nodded half-heartedly, "I know they're alive but they could still be in danger, I didn't protect them." Craning her neck so she could meet her mates eyes the golden orbs silently begged him to understand why she felt so conflicted. It was a mother's instincts to do everything she could to protect her children, no matter how old they grew.

Still, Tokino's touch felt heavenly and it worked wonders to calm her nerves. It wasn't long before she quakes stopped and her worries began to feel less pressing, they were still there but they didn't stop her from enjoying the moment. Sighing happily Minka leaned into his touch with a content growl, allowing his tongue and teeth to groom through her pelt. Letting him finish the woman turned so she faced the silver brute before her, tongue lapping at his chin and chest in a moment of submission. Typically they acted as equals as that was what the pair were, but the spring brought forth a new side of Minka that would quickly disappear with her heat. Once lives stirred in her belly once more the mother would become fiercely protective, but for now she would happily allow her mate full control.

click!

Tokino felt Minka slowly relax into his grooming session. His ears flicked at Minka's words, and all of the sudden he was reminded of his sister Marianna. She had said something very similar when he was helping her out with her litter. The gray male had learned back then that parents, or even a single parent, couldn't protect their young from everything. It was up to the children to learn as much as they could to survive. In Marianna's case though, the children hadn't learned much of anything as they were practically newborns when their life went into chaos.

I learned a long time ago that you can't prepare a child for everything that the world will throw at them. Unfortunately that's the way things are... He mumbled darkly now beginning to catch Minka's bad mood despite the fact that she had just relaxed herself.

He wanted to tell Minka about them now... His elder sisters and what odds they had faced. However the gray wolf wasn't sure that now was the time for that. Sighing softly missing his old family, Tokino took his head off of Minka's back and looked at her with icy blue eyes full of warmth.

I think you and my sisters would have gotten along greatly. Ironically, Narime's mother Marianna probably would have been best friends with you. He tore his gaze from Minka and looked out into the fields that they called home. Hopefully spring would make the place look beautiful once again. Mari would have liked this place with all its packs. She would have ran all over the place... Ohh why'd she have to be so stupid with that white male? What did it get her? A whole litter of dead puppies  as well as her own death... The males eyes had closed as he silently brooded over lost family. He hoped to whatever god or gods that there might be that his children were safe. Not knowing about them was the worst kind of torture.

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

Minka's ears flicked to his words, her own dark thoughts on the subject not voiced. She knew she couldn't prepare them for everything, but she should have prepared them for this.This was winter, it storms swallowed pups whole just like it had done to hers and she had done nothing to help them. Yes they were alive, or at least they had been recently but that didn't mean they were safe, that didn't mean they weren't starving or in danger or being hunted. It was hard to ignore her sinking thoughts but she tried to press through them, she knew now wasn't really the time. It wasn't seductive or romantic to be depressed and moping, in fact it was the exact opposite.

Glancing up to meet the warmth in her lover's blue eyes Minka couldn't help but smile, he had always been so proud of his heritage. Maybe not where Narimé was concerned or how she had turned out but of his ancestors and his siblings. Still, she knew little of them, in fact her pups probably knew more than she and talking about them always put her mate in a good mood so she saw no harm in asking. Leaning once more against Tokino's chest she listened to the steady thud of his heart beat for a moment before murmuring, "You've never told me much about your sisters, what were they like?" The fae settled in for she knew this could possibly be a long tale, but she was more than happy to intently listen from start to finish, this was his story.

click!

Tokino looked to Minka as she asked about his sisters. In truth, Kino assumed that most male wolves would hate their lives if all of their siblings were female. Him however, he took it upon himself to act like their protector, even if he was the youngest out of the bunch. His eldest sisters would even joke about him acting all rough and tough when he was younger, and then they would purposely dominate him just to show who was protecting who. It was all fun and games though. Until his sisters started leaving the pack to live their own lives.

Well firstly, don't be uh.. confused by their names.. I know my name is strange too, but its kind of a tradition of my family. Normally we try to name our pups after lost family members to recognize them. However the Lagina's kinda do this thing where we will specially name a pup and try to make it unique. He gave her a wry smile. There had been many names in his family that were odd and downright strange. Dukinra for instance had been a strange sounding one, but in reality the name had boiled down to three words "duck-in-rain" just messing with the words a little to make a name.

I was the youngest and last born of my parents. I was also the only male pup they had. I think you can imagine the shenanigans my sisters and I got into; especially since I was always trying to be a macho man around them when I was young. Tokino chuffed amused at a distant memory of him trying to prank Darkwind with a dead crow. That had been right before she had decided to leave the pack.

His blue eyes turned to Minka and took her loving yet thoughtful face in. He reached to her crown and licked it once before attempting to cuddle again. His breathing was calm but his heart seemed to race at their closeness.

Darkwind was the first born. She was black as night and had the darkest blue eyes you would have ever seen. Even darker than Kova's... Darkwind had been the most level headed of the bunch of us. He paused wondering for a moment if he would ever see his sons blue gaze again. She was the first to leave when I was still a pup. I can't remember her face anymore, and I have no clue if she did well out in the world... Tokino shifted then sitting down and flipping his tail over his paws. His front right leg was placed over Minka's back attempting to scratch her. Then he withdrew his paw and placed it back in front of himself.

Yalua and Keema were born a year after Darkwind. Their coats greatly resembled Yuka's, but their eyes were teal and aqua colored. Yalua was rather sickly though. She lived almost till she was a year old then died of her sickness. I don't know much about her cause the parents didn't like to talk about her much. However,  Keema was a quiet but kind she wolf. I used to like bullying her to be honest. I regret doing so now, but she would always stick by mother and was always so meek... Then Marianna was born the year after them. A fine coat of pure silver she had, and eyes very much like Kova's. Out of all of my sisters she was the firecracker. She and I used to get into sooo much trouble after I was born. Usually the trouble was from us exploring places we weren't supposed to go... Or trying to hunt things we obviously couldn't. The last comment made Tokino chuckle. He sorely missed Marianna. She had been his favorite sister out of the bunch, and the one who he could relate to the best.

I turned a year and my mother and father, Yakova and Flower, tried again for pups. They wound up having three still borns that year. I remember mother crying for weeks after that, and the both of them began talking about stepping down from leadership. I didn't know how old they were even back then... Tokino's face was solemn once more. It was normal to lose one's parents at some point in your life. However you never stop thinking about them.

Marianna turned two then up and decided to leave. I went after her to see what trouble she was getting into. Welll... Short story of that is that she found a mate, they bred, he abandoned her in her time of need while she had a whole big litter of pups, I helped her with said pups, many of them died, she chased me off, I visited my home pack a few times in between keeping an eye on her, and then one day she was killed by the very pack her mate had come from. They did take in her last pup though, and you know that pup now as Narimé. I don't know a whole lot after that, and as far as I know now my last remaining sister Keema is still with Mountain Rose pack. The story had gotten very dark rather quickly, and at this particular moment Tokino didn't really want that to make their moods any worse. Quickly he pushed against Minka and hugged her.

Why are we talking about such things right now of all times? Aren't you.. well... Uncomfortable? He raised his brow at this wondering if Minka would catch his meaning. Kino was certainly uncomfortable now, both mentally and physically and he wanted to fix that. However there was only one thing that could be fixable right now, and it was that physical discomfort.

Like a mystery without a clue

Minka & Tokino

There is no me if I cannot have you

(This post was last modified: Mar 17, 2015, 07:10 PM by Tokino. Edit Reason: added stuff )

Tokino's smile wasn't lost on the woman, it was an expression he reserved for his more humorous moments and in return she raised her eyebrows. Intrigued the tawny ears flicked forward in full attention, but so she could hear properly but also to show her mate the respect he deserved. As his story began a smile spread across Minka's maw, seeing the way the Lagina man lost himself in the happy memories caused her intense joy. Licking his chin in amusement at the mental image him as a pup trying to boss his sister around, truthfully it didn't sound that different from how Kova himself acted. Minka herself had been much meeker as a child, growing into her confidence and pride only after she had hit adulthood, her son's bold confidence and brash attitude now made much more sense.

Accepting his hug Minka felt her muzzle press once more into her mate's chest, "If we have another daughter what if we named her Marianna? In honour of your sister." The words were half smothered by the grey fur surrounding her muzzle but she knew that she had said it loud enough for him to hear. Pulling back gently she looked upwards, golden eyes searching his face for a reaction, would it make him proud or just miss his family more?

Suddenly she chuckled, shoving her muzzle against her mate's chin playfully at his next words a smile on her maw. Standing up now the woman flicked her tail teasingly against her mate's nose as she began to walk away from him. Once she had moved a few paces she glanced over her shoulder, "I suppose I have made you wait long enough, come my dear, our future awaits." Smilingly slyly once more she waited until Tokino had moved closer before she pounced away from him, ready to play a game of catch and chase until they reached a more private den.

EXIT MINKA

click!