"It's been a long two months," Kate complained as she slouched in the 巢穴, den, 书房 下一个 to her mother. "I still don't understand why Dad couldn't let me at least help with Humphrey's training. We just got married!"
"No slouching, dear," her mother said, pacing around her with an understanding smile on his muzzle. For all of her... Violent temper, and vicious inclination towards anyone who might harm the pack, Eve was someone who knew and understood what it meant to be young and in love. When Kate straightened again almost 由 reflex the smile grew. "That my girl. And 你 know why your father wouldn't let 你 go with them. It's hard enough to train someone to be an Alpha, but to have him distracted 由 you..." She shook her head as she sat in front of her daughter. "Imagine how disastrous a first hunt could be if he were to try 展示 off."
"And knowing him, he would," Kate sighed, knowing her mate well enough to know that he would have done just that. He had always done his best to 显示 off in front of her, and in most cases had only managed to amuse 或者 annoy her. She made a little face with a curl of her muzzle and flick of her ears. "It's still strange though. Humphrey the Alpha male? That's even stranger than 'Humphrey the lone wolf.'"
"Now now, dear. Your father seems to have every confidence in him, otherwise he never would have suggested it," she soothed, realize that it must have been the tenth time she had done so in the past month. "Besides, he had already shown the signs of being a good Alpha. Bravery, determination, never giving up on what he wants..." The last was added a bit smugly, something that caused Kate to roll her eyes slightly. "That and the fact that he will need the skills of a hunter if he is going to provide for 你 in the future. It is harder to hunt when your belly is full of pups."
"Mom!"
Laughing at the aghast embarrassment on her daughter's face, Eve stood up and circled around her. "What? 你 will be expected to.. Ah... Repopulate? Though expected is a strong word. If you're not ready for pups, there are other ways. Just flip him onto his back..." She leaned in close and whispered to her daughter for a moment, pulling back to watch the skin on the inside of her daughters ears turn a few different shades of 粉, 粉色 as her jaw dropped open. "And don't let go.. Until the howling starts."
Kate just stared at her mother with eyes that were wide, perfect circles.
-----------------------------------------------
Another month. Kate's mood had not improved in that time. It seemed like everyone except her was getting the news on Humphrey first. It seemed his progress was good, and he would be coming back any 日 now with her father. They had been out in the deep forest for three months, spring was on the way and Kate was... Itching. She managed to distract herself from her restlessness 由 keeping order in a newly formed and much larger pack. Organizing hunts and helping the hunters learn to work as a team rather than competing with each other while making sure that those with grudges from their days of fighting learned to get past them. She certainly couldn't say that they were the most fun days of her life, but they were anything but boring.
Her latest "adventure" had been to chew the ears of two omegas from the former eastern and western packs for starting a fight over who had the rights to a scrap of bone. A scrap of bone that was one of over a dozen left over from the 前一个 nights hunt, which lead her to believe that the two of them simply had some reason to dislike each other. Revoking their free time for the day, she sent them off on a patrol with one of the alphas to ease their tempers. It was becoming less and less common for this sort of problem to come up, which showed signs of good progress. The 狼 from both former packs were mingling in so deeply now that within a year, she was sure no one would know the difference anymore.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted 由 a crash along with laughter from the trees nearby, a sound that was quickly followed 由 a flurry of white 毛皮 dashing right into her path. Her sister came to a screeching halt in front of her, kicking up a good 云, 云计算 of dust in the process. Coughing a bit, Kate waved her paw in front of her muzzle to clear the air while squinting through it at Lilly. "What's the rush?"
"Oh, Kate. Hi!" the small Omega 说 too quickly, seeming a bit sheepish for a moment while glancing over her shoulder. "I was just..."
"I've got 你 now," came the low growl nearby, a moment before Garth emerged from the brush in a full hunters leap towards Lilly. He was halfway through the leap before he realized that she wasn't standing there alone, his eyes widening. "Oh...!"
"...Duck!" Lilly finished for him, grabbing Kate and yanking her to the ground so that the massive alpha went flying over their heads. They both winced when he flipped and ran into a tree, sliding down the length of the 树干 to end up looking at the two females upside down with his rear paws dangling near his head.
"Ow," he complained, seeming to decide it would be best not to 移动 for a moment. "Sorry Kate. I guess we got a little carried away."
Kate just shook her head with a grin and 更多 than a little envy when Lilly trotted over to her mate, nuzzling him to make sure he was alright. "I didn't know the eastern pack alphas knew how to fly," she quipped, sitting to watch as he was flipped back onto his feet.
"Obviously we were never taught how to land," he replied, and paused when Lilly giggled beside him. "What? What did I say?"
"You made a joke," she 说 with an adoring grin turned up to him. "You're a funny alpha."
He seemed to consider that for a minute, before he chuckled and leaned close to nuzzle her 毛皮 back up over her left eye. Kate wondered if he realized that she left her 毛皮 down on purpose now, just so he would do that. It was too sweet to watch when she all but swooned into him, making Kate wish just a little 更多 than Humphrey was...
"Aroooohoohoo!"
All three sets of ears perked at the joyful howl, all three knowing the only Omega that made his delight in life so obviously clear for everyone within a mile to hear. Kate's 心 did a little skip as she tried to locate the source, eyes darting this way and that as she turned herself in circles quickly. "Where..?"
"Heads up!" she heard from just over the rocks before a shadow and a whoosh of flying log was vaulted over their heads.
"Humphrey!" she called, half in delight, half in annoyance as he speed past them without seeming to notice her. "Humphrey!"
"Kate?" came his reply as he looked around while still in mid flight, spotting her with a look of obvious delight on his face. "Kate! There 你 are! I was..."
"Tree!" all three on the ground called, even though they all knew it was too late as they watched the log sled speed towards the thick 树干 of the 树 in it's path.
"What?" came his reply, a moment before he turned around and saw the 树 speeding in. "Oh, tree! Got it!"
Kate winced and cringed, waiting for the impact to come. A 秒 before the log slammed into the 树 Humphrey curled up and bore down with his hind legs, launching himself out of the sled towards another tree. This earned a cry of "Whoa!" from all three on the ground as he went airborne, seeming to land on sideways with all four paws firmly placed on the bark of his target 树 before he jumped towards the ground. A single, graceful flip later he landed neatly and started towards them as if nothing had happened.
"Hey hey, guys! Long time no see!" He paused when he saw all three of them watching him with their muzzles partly open in shock, and stopped to consider them. "What? Do I have something on my back?" He spun around once in a circle, as if trying to see what it might before he continued towards them. Continued towards Kate, really.
Kate sat, still stunned at what she had just seen him do, though it passed the moment he reached her and pressed his muzzle up under hers to help her attention focus again. A soft sigh left her when he push in, smiling at his softly whispered 'I missed you'. She buried her face into the thick 毛皮 around his neck for a moment to breath in his scent. "I missed you, too," she replied just as softly, then lifted her head to look down at him. "That was..."
"I know, I know," he agreed with something that she hadn't even said, his eyes laughing as he gave her his best serious look. "Totally 展示 off to my mate. Successfully, I might add. I should be ashamed."
"You should be," she agreed playfully, taking a step away to walk around him slowly. He wasn't... Much different. There was a slight increase in his mass, certainly nothing to compete with Garth 或者 her father though. There was a lot less awkwardness about him, even in the way he sat. His lanky body had 更多 muscle to it, and obviously his agility was much improved. He looked like an alpha, she realized, then smiled when she looked up at him and saw the goofy grin on his muzzle. No, not much different, thank the moon. She hadn't fallen in 爱情 with an Alpha. She had fallen in 爱情 with Humphrey.
"Do I pass inspection?" he asked, tipping his head slightly to the side as she came to rest in front of him again.
"Oh yeah, 你 pass. Excuse us, guys." she 说 to Lilly and Garth who were already inching towards making an exit themselves. "We have three months to catch up on."
With that, she stood and walked past him. Pausing for a moment to pass her tail over his muzzle and under his nose in a 'come hither' way that had his teeth 展示 in a smitten smile that turned almost dreamy as he followed after her. She knew it was 更多 than just his missing her that had that effect on him. It was spring, after all. The itch that had been tormenting her for the past few days had nothing to do with fleas, and her scent was no doubt affecting him just as much as his was affecting her. Once they were alone, she turned around to meet his gaze. Feeling a bit shy, she struggled to find the words to say what she meant.
"Humphrey," she began, noting that he realized she had something serious to say 由 the way he say apart from her and watching her face intently. "I was worried when I learned that 你 were going to Alpha school. I mean... I fell in 爱情 with who 你 always have been. A fun loving Omega. I was afraid that it would change you, once 你 realized the responsibilities of leading a pack. I know that sounds silly now, because I always used to.. I don't know..."
"Remind me that I didn't know what responsibility was?" he provided, making her head dip a bit and her ears fold back in shame. She glanced up when his paw came up under her muzzle to lift it again. "Hey, don't worry about that. It was true, at the time. But even taking responsibility doesn't mean I've changed all that much. Remember? 'I know Humphrey the fun loving Omega. Not Humphrey the Lone wolf,'" he did in a sad, intentionally feminine mimic of her voice that made her ogle him for a moment before he laughed. "And I was a fun loving lone wolf, for... All of five minutes. But that's not what I'm trying to say. I still want to have fun. I'll still have fun. I'll just be... Humphrey the fun loving Alpha now. What do 你 think?"
Shaking her head to toss her head 毛皮 around a bit, she drew herself up a bit. She had almost missed what he had been saying, 迷失 in a moment of just watching him as he talked. The itch was becoming an ache, and she growled at him softly. Instinct quickly enough seemed to let him know that the growl was not angry, and playful blue eyes darkened a bit as he watched her come closer to him. "I think for tonight," she replied as she rubbed her body down the length of his slowly, making certain that every last inch of them was touching before she continued. "I'm going to take my mother's advise."
"And what was you're mother's adv... Ack!" was all he managed before she turned to pounce on him, her eyes all but glowing when she pinned him on his back and leaned down over him.
She kept him pinned under her for a good long while. And made sure that she didn't let go until the howling started.
"No slouching, dear," her mother said, pacing around her with an understanding smile on his muzzle. For all of her... Violent temper, and vicious inclination towards anyone who might harm the pack, Eve was someone who knew and understood what it meant to be young and in love. When Kate straightened again almost 由 reflex the smile grew. "That my girl. And 你 know why your father wouldn't let 你 go with them. It's hard enough to train someone to be an Alpha, but to have him distracted 由 you..." She shook her head as she sat in front of her daughter. "Imagine how disastrous a first hunt could be if he were to try 展示 off."
"And knowing him, he would," Kate sighed, knowing her mate well enough to know that he would have done just that. He had always done his best to 显示 off in front of her, and in most cases had only managed to amuse 或者 annoy her. She made a little face with a curl of her muzzle and flick of her ears. "It's still strange though. Humphrey the Alpha male? That's even stranger than 'Humphrey the lone wolf.'"
"Now now, dear. Your father seems to have every confidence in him, otherwise he never would have suggested it," she soothed, realize that it must have been the tenth time she had done so in the past month. "Besides, he had already shown the signs of being a good Alpha. Bravery, determination, never giving up on what he wants..." The last was added a bit smugly, something that caused Kate to roll her eyes slightly. "That and the fact that he will need the skills of a hunter if he is going to provide for 你 in the future. It is harder to hunt when your belly is full of pups."
"Mom!"
Laughing at the aghast embarrassment on her daughter's face, Eve stood up and circled around her. "What? 你 will be expected to.. Ah... Repopulate? Though expected is a strong word. If you're not ready for pups, there are other ways. Just flip him onto his back..." She leaned in close and whispered to her daughter for a moment, pulling back to watch the skin on the inside of her daughters ears turn a few different shades of 粉, 粉色 as her jaw dropped open. "And don't let go.. Until the howling starts."
Kate just stared at her mother with eyes that were wide, perfect circles.
-----------------------------------------------
Another month. Kate's mood had not improved in that time. It seemed like everyone except her was getting the news on Humphrey first. It seemed his progress was good, and he would be coming back any 日 now with her father. They had been out in the deep forest for three months, spring was on the way and Kate was... Itching. She managed to distract herself from her restlessness 由 keeping order in a newly formed and much larger pack. Organizing hunts and helping the hunters learn to work as a team rather than competing with each other while making sure that those with grudges from their days of fighting learned to get past them. She certainly couldn't say that they were the most fun days of her life, but they were anything but boring.
Her latest "adventure" had been to chew the ears of two omegas from the former eastern and western packs for starting a fight over who had the rights to a scrap of bone. A scrap of bone that was one of over a dozen left over from the 前一个 nights hunt, which lead her to believe that the two of them simply had some reason to dislike each other. Revoking their free time for the day, she sent them off on a patrol with one of the alphas to ease their tempers. It was becoming less and less common for this sort of problem to come up, which showed signs of good progress. The 狼 from both former packs were mingling in so deeply now that within a year, she was sure no one would know the difference anymore.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted 由 a crash along with laughter from the trees nearby, a sound that was quickly followed 由 a flurry of white 毛皮 dashing right into her path. Her sister came to a screeching halt in front of her, kicking up a good 云, 云计算 of dust in the process. Coughing a bit, Kate waved her paw in front of her muzzle to clear the air while squinting through it at Lilly. "What's the rush?"
"Oh, Kate. Hi!" the small Omega 说 too quickly, seeming a bit sheepish for a moment while glancing over her shoulder. "I was just..."
"I've got 你 now," came the low growl nearby, a moment before Garth emerged from the brush in a full hunters leap towards Lilly. He was halfway through the leap before he realized that she wasn't standing there alone, his eyes widening. "Oh...!"
"...Duck!" Lilly finished for him, grabbing Kate and yanking her to the ground so that the massive alpha went flying over their heads. They both winced when he flipped and ran into a tree, sliding down the length of the 树干 to end up looking at the two females upside down with his rear paws dangling near his head.
"Ow," he complained, seeming to decide it would be best not to 移动 for a moment. "Sorry Kate. I guess we got a little carried away."
Kate just shook her head with a grin and 更多 than a little envy when Lilly trotted over to her mate, nuzzling him to make sure he was alright. "I didn't know the eastern pack alphas knew how to fly," she quipped, sitting to watch as he was flipped back onto his feet.
"Obviously we were never taught how to land," he replied, and paused when Lilly giggled beside him. "What? What did I say?"
"You made a joke," she 说 with an adoring grin turned up to him. "You're a funny alpha."
He seemed to consider that for a minute, before he chuckled and leaned close to nuzzle her 毛皮 back up over her left eye. Kate wondered if he realized that she left her 毛皮 down on purpose now, just so he would do that. It was too sweet to watch when she all but swooned into him, making Kate wish just a little 更多 than Humphrey was...
"Aroooohoohoo!"
All three sets of ears perked at the joyful howl, all three knowing the only Omega that made his delight in life so obviously clear for everyone within a mile to hear. Kate's 心 did a little skip as she tried to locate the source, eyes darting this way and that as she turned herself in circles quickly. "Where..?"
"Heads up!" she heard from just over the rocks before a shadow and a whoosh of flying log was vaulted over their heads.
"Humphrey!" she called, half in delight, half in annoyance as he speed past them without seeming to notice her. "Humphrey!"
"Kate?" came his reply as he looked around while still in mid flight, spotting her with a look of obvious delight on his face. "Kate! There 你 are! I was..."
"Tree!" all three on the ground called, even though they all knew it was too late as they watched the log sled speed towards the thick 树干 of the 树 in it's path.
"What?" came his reply, a moment before he turned around and saw the 树 speeding in. "Oh, tree! Got it!"
Kate winced and cringed, waiting for the impact to come. A 秒 before the log slammed into the 树 Humphrey curled up and bore down with his hind legs, launching himself out of the sled towards another tree. This earned a cry of "Whoa!" from all three on the ground as he went airborne, seeming to land on sideways with all four paws firmly placed on the bark of his target 树 before he jumped towards the ground. A single, graceful flip later he landed neatly and started towards them as if nothing had happened.
"Hey hey, guys! Long time no see!" He paused when he saw all three of them watching him with their muzzles partly open in shock, and stopped to consider them. "What? Do I have something on my back?" He spun around once in a circle, as if trying to see what it might before he continued towards them. Continued towards Kate, really.
Kate sat, still stunned at what she had just seen him do, though it passed the moment he reached her and pressed his muzzle up under hers to help her attention focus again. A soft sigh left her when he push in, smiling at his softly whispered 'I missed you'. She buried her face into the thick 毛皮 around his neck for a moment to breath in his scent. "I missed you, too," she replied just as softly, then lifted her head to look down at him. "That was..."
"I know, I know," he agreed with something that she hadn't even said, his eyes laughing as he gave her his best serious look. "Totally 展示 off to my mate. Successfully, I might add. I should be ashamed."
"You should be," she agreed playfully, taking a step away to walk around him slowly. He wasn't... Much different. There was a slight increase in his mass, certainly nothing to compete with Garth 或者 her father though. There was a lot less awkwardness about him, even in the way he sat. His lanky body had 更多 muscle to it, and obviously his agility was much improved. He looked like an alpha, she realized, then smiled when she looked up at him and saw the goofy grin on his muzzle. No, not much different, thank the moon. She hadn't fallen in 爱情 with an Alpha. She had fallen in 爱情 with Humphrey.
"Do I pass inspection?" he asked, tipping his head slightly to the side as she came to rest in front of him again.
"Oh yeah, 你 pass. Excuse us, guys." she 说 to Lilly and Garth who were already inching towards making an exit themselves. "We have three months to catch up on."
With that, she stood and walked past him. Pausing for a moment to pass her tail over his muzzle and under his nose in a 'come hither' way that had his teeth 展示 in a smitten smile that turned almost dreamy as he followed after her. She knew it was 更多 than just his missing her that had that effect on him. It was spring, after all. The itch that had been tormenting her for the past few days had nothing to do with fleas, and her scent was no doubt affecting him just as much as his was affecting her. Once they were alone, she turned around to meet his gaze. Feeling a bit shy, she struggled to find the words to say what she meant.
"Humphrey," she began, noting that he realized she had something serious to say 由 the way he say apart from her and watching her face intently. "I was worried when I learned that 你 were going to Alpha school. I mean... I fell in 爱情 with who 你 always have been. A fun loving Omega. I was afraid that it would change you, once 你 realized the responsibilities of leading a pack. I know that sounds silly now, because I always used to.. I don't know..."
"Remind me that I didn't know what responsibility was?" he provided, making her head dip a bit and her ears fold back in shame. She glanced up when his paw came up under her muzzle to lift it again. "Hey, don't worry about that. It was true, at the time. But even taking responsibility doesn't mean I've changed all that much. Remember? 'I know Humphrey the fun loving Omega. Not Humphrey the Lone wolf,'" he did in a sad, intentionally feminine mimic of her voice that made her ogle him for a moment before he laughed. "And I was a fun loving lone wolf, for... All of five minutes. But that's not what I'm trying to say. I still want to have fun. I'll still have fun. I'll just be... Humphrey the fun loving Alpha now. What do 你 think?"
Shaking her head to toss her head 毛皮 around a bit, she drew herself up a bit. She had almost missed what he had been saying, 迷失 in a moment of just watching him as he talked. The itch was becoming an ache, and she growled at him softly. Instinct quickly enough seemed to let him know that the growl was not angry, and playful blue eyes darkened a bit as he watched her come closer to him. "I think for tonight," she replied as she rubbed her body down the length of his slowly, making certain that every last inch of them was touching before she continued. "I'm going to take my mother's advise."
"And what was you're mother's adv... Ack!" was all he managed before she turned to pounce on him, her eyes all but glowing when she pinned him on his back and leaned down over him.
She kept him pinned under her for a good long while. And made sure that she didn't let go until the howling started.
