 Used with permission |
© T. L. SevenMornings
She sat watching the snow filter into the den, the storm had not let up now for two full days.
The brothers, as usual, were fighting over a bone, a single bone out of a pile of many.
Their colors were starting to set now as their winter coats filled in. Lil One was now a fully soft cream color on her back and down between her eyes. She had a white strip down her throat, chest and tummy. Both front legs and left rear leg had white socks up to her knees. The tip of her cream colored tail was black.
The next eldest sister was showing much more reddish tones to her back and forehead. She also had white socks but only on her front legs, the tip of her tail also black.
The youngest of the sisters was changing most in her colors. She had gone from almost white to a dark grey and silver, no socks, no black tail tip, only one black patch over one of her eyes and a thin black strip down her back.
The two brothers were almost twins in color, both having the grey backs and tan sides, white tummies and black tips on their tails. The only noticable difference was that the younger brother had black tips on his ears too. That and the torn left ear his brother gave him this last summer.
The adults were sleeping around the den, except for the youngest auntie. She had dug the small hole in the entrance a few short minutes ago as she left to get some fresh air.
The little shewolf gazed at the drifting snow as it entered the den. The snow drifted through the hole, then would lift up in the warm air of the den then spiral down, most melting before they touched the floor of the cave.
The two brothers both dropped the bone at the same time as they locked each other in death grips. The eldest again grabbing hold of his brother's ear, the younger biting into the elder's lower lip. Front legs locked around each other and back legs kicking at each other.
Several of the adults looked up from their beds to stare at the brothers roling around the floor of the cave that they had made into their den. The alpha female, the mother of the pups, came out of the inner den where the pups had been born, and where she would rest alone still sometimes.
The two rolled right into her before they realized she was even there. She dropped down on her elbows, flattening both of her sons to the ground. Both gave a starled yelp as they were pulled from each other by the weight of their mother's force. Her jaws carefully nipping one pup's throat then the other's. Though she let up the pressure, standing in front of them, neither got off his back, carefully watching their mother, though not directly. She stared hard at both of them for a few moments. Both were extremely uncomfortable under her scrutiny. A low whimper came from the youngest brother as she continued to stare at them. She turned and and walked slowly to the entrance, slipping out into the snow.
The moment her mother's tail slipped out of the entry way, Lil One scampered up the snowy incline and pressed out into the snow as well. As soon as her back legs hit the outside, she began to slide down the snowy slope. Her eyes wide open as she lost her balance, falling back on her butt, her front legs frantically scrambling to get a grip in the snow.
She began to spin to her right, as her right front paw caught for a second, then she was watching where she had been, not where she was going. She watched as she past her mother sitting on a snow bank. Next she past her aunt. Both adults watched as she slid by them backwards. Her bottom hit a stone in the snow stopping her immediately only to flip her to her back, then rolling sideways down the snowy hill. Again she was able to dig a paw into the snow stopping her roll, and again she found herself sliding down the hill on her bottom. She squeezed her eyes closed as she saw what was ahead of her, her front legs again scrambling to catch hold to stop herself.
The little shewolf plunged into the snow bank with enough force that she completely disappeared for a moment. She popped out of the bank completely white except her little blue eyes and black and pink nose. She shook herself, snow loosening from her coat dropped around her.
The two adult shewolves sat on their haunches, wagging their tails, watching the little one pad back up the hill towards them. The aunt nuzzling her as she got close enough, her mother joined them licking the pup's nose and nuzzling about her making sure she was truly ok.
The little pup drew herself up then plopped heavily on her bottom. She didn't care much for that kind excitement. She didn't care much for not being in control. She sat pouting as her mother and aunt fussed about her, wagging their tails, it had obviously been much more fun to watch than to be the one doing the sliding.
The snow began to fall harder as the three made their way back up to the entrance. Lil One stopped, turned around squinting against the wind & snow in her face. She looked down the slope, following the trail she had left in the snow and finally down to the bank that had stopped her. She looked up to her mother and aunt who had stopped and turned to follow her gaze. They both seemed to be smiling at her, as they looked down on her pouty little face. Well, at least no one else had seen her.
Her mother stepped through the entry, then she looked up to her aunt, who pressed her muzzled to the pup's side urging her to go inside. Lil One stepped through into the warmth followed by her aunt.
The two brothers were fighting again, her sisters curled up together sleeping, and the adult, with the exception of her mother and aunt seemed to be dozing as well.
As her mother lay down, the little shewolf, walked up between her mother's legs and dropped heavily, snuggling against her tummy. Her mother curled around her, laying her head next to the Lil One's. The little shewolf's eyes closed slowly, blinking, fighting sleep.
It had been a short adventure for the little pup, but it had drained her none the less. She gave up the fight, falling asleep to her mother's deep breathing into her soft little ear.
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