The Betas of the Evergreen Clan,
Harrow and Flicker, are expecting their next litter of pups . . . one of
which, as prophesized by the Clan Elder, will be the one wolf chosen by their
Clan deity, Tikia, to lead the wolves to salvation. However, Harrow agreed to
give the chosen pup to Riko and Sherry, the Clan Alphas, who are unfortunate
because they are unable to bear pups of their own.
Moments
after the deal has been sealed, Flicker realizes that she is carrying more than
one pup within her . . .
Part TWO –
One Remained
Birth – the
beginning of a new life. Every creature, each different species in our world
has its own way of bringing their young into the world.
For our
kind, we are born in seclusion – our dams separate from the pack without
warning, only following their natural maternal instincts that seem to take
effect once the spirits choose to allow their litter to be born. Preparing for
birthing a litter can be quite risky and dangerous, especially since the time
between the initial contractions and the slipping out of the final pup are the
most crucial for any mother-to-be. After finding their den that they have
prepared for this very special moment, a mother suddenly becomes vulnerable and
helpless as she undergoes the most difficult task in their young lives: a long
and hard labor in the dark solitude of their den, only to emerge in the next
few weeks for self-nourishment and fresh air until the time comes to return to
her home with her litter in tow.
This is the
usual way my kind has its children. Of course, my birth was anything but usual
– it was unlike any other birth that has ever been, for destiny awaited me and
my brother.
- - - - - -
- -
The
midnight air was cool now, a total opposite of the blazing summer sun of the
daytime hours. From a small cavern against the mountains, a four-legged figure
with its round belly nearly stroking the rocks below the shadow-cloaked
creature’s paws carefully scurried down the four feet of rocky hill until it
reached the ground level. Once its feet were all on the forest ground, the
moonlight shone on its coat, it was revealed as a young she-wolf, her silver
wisps glowing amongst the rest of her brown coat. Her belly seemed to slow her
down once she reached the solid ground, but it didn’t stop her from leaving the
Evergreen territory.
“Harrow,”
she stopped for a brief moment to murmur a soft farewell that she knew he
couldn’t hear. A thin stream of tears fell down her cheeks. “They’ll be fine.
I’ll return to you in a moon’s time, I promise.”
A sudden
force shot through her body, causing her to buckle underneath, almost landing
hard on her pregnant belly; fortunately, her feet remained steadfast and
strong, allowing her to maintain her balance. She panted quickly, knowing that
the time of her delivery was nearing.
“Oh, I must
hurry,” Flicker groaned, still whispering to herself aloud. “I feel them
pressing against the door of life! Ohh!” Another groan slipped from her lips as
she faced the entrance of the woods at the border of her Clan’s land. “The den
isn’t far; I’m sure . . . ohh . . . I’m sure they can wait until then to . . .
ah . . . to be born . . .” While walking carefully into the coolness of the
shadowed forest, she continued to groan, feeling her litter pushing against her
cervix underneath the protection of her tail and hind legs.
After five
minutes of traversing through the grassy and dirt floor of the woods, she
stopped, lifting her nose into the air to sniff out her personal scent
surrounding the den that she had dug only days prior. Another groan signaled
another contraction, but a thin stream of clear fluid dripped from her
tail-end.
“The sac .
. . oh! It’s breaking!” Flicker whispered in a gasp as she took the final steps
to arrive at her destination. “Ah-ah-ahh . . .” Once inside the den, she
collapsed onto her side, her belly of pup heaving with each breath she took.
Her tail flicked away from her body, allowing her cervix to begin to stretch
open, becoming a gateway into life for the litter that Flicker had been
protecting for almost two moons now. The she-wolf groaned in agony as she
allowed her body to push, but this pain was not unfamiliar to Flicker: she had
birthed twice before, and each litter had always been the same.
Breathing
steadily, the laboring Flicker rested from the contraction, although her hind
legs burned in pain. With each push, more fluid slipped from her cervix as it
began to widen. A tiny, glossy skin could slightly be seen as Flicker began to
sit up, lifting her forelegs to allow the sac to slip from her and land into
the safety of the den floor. With another groan and a push, the sac, followed
by a flood of embryonic fluid and blood, entered the world of the Evergreen.
Immediately, Flicker moved her elegant brown head towards the bloody and wet
sac, licking the filmy skin away from the tiny pup that lay inside. Her teeth
gently clipped the umbilical cord that connected her to the new life and
quickly groomed the wet baby’s coat with a look of love and wonder, inspecting
what the Elder had prophesized.
The first
puppy was a stunning shade of brownish-red with a stretch of white on its chest
and the tips of its feet. Flicker smiled at the sound of the pup’s first
squeaky whimper of life, then quickly licked it some more.
“Oh, he’s a
beautiful child . . .” Flicker commented on the tiny pup. “So tiny, yet this
one holds the key to the future of our Clan when he becomes Alpha . . .” She
let out a sigh, watching the pup squirm to her belly and begin to suckle on the
pink teats that held warm milk for growth.
Moments
later, another contraction hit the she-wolf, causing her body to shutter and
shake at the force of the laboring push. Again her cervix stretched wide,
revealing another glossy sac of pup and more fluid as she struggled to deliver
the second pup while not disturbing the other one, who was still nursing on the
she-wolf’s belly.
“Uhh!” With
one last push, the second pup was born, surrounded by its birth sac and the
fluid it once grew in prior to being born. Again, Flicker broke the thin cord
of life and removed the wet skin of gloss from the newborn, showing its
brownish-red coat and white markings on its chest, paws and tiny nub of a tail.
She felt happy to have two beautiful children by her side as she licked them
together, nuzzling them with affection and love. Her contractions had ceased,
and the birth was over at last; Flicker let out a breath of relief as she
admired the results of her hard work.
“Ah, at
last . . .” Flicker sighed softly, using her tail to protect her pups from the
cold summer night around them. “My children are by my side . . .” She closed
her eyes and grinned, nuzzling them as they drank from her breast. “and the
Great Tikia has entrusted me with this honor of birthing them into our world. One
of them destined to save us all . . . oh, may Tikia be praised!”
Her
happiness and joy made her completely oblivious of the approaching intruder
that was entering her den.
One of her
pups, the first-born, squeaked out a shrill howl, then quietly went back to its
whimpering. Flicker giggled at the pup, licking it as she gave it a name. “My
first-born child, Tikia . . . that is what I shall christen you, after the
spirit that gave you to me.” She looked at the other pup, observing its actions
as it also let a howl come from its tiny voice. “And you, Tikio . . . I shall
christen you, my child –”
Quickly, a
shadowed figure stole one of the pups from the safety of her teats, allowing it
to dangle from its mouth. Flicker gasped, but began to growl in anger as the dark
intruder made its way to the den’s exit.
“Give me
back my pup, you thief!” Flicker growled. “I’ll attack you if you resist my
orders!”
The dark
wolf laughed airily, sounding like someone the she-wolf knew. “Gee, Flicker.
I’m surprised you have forgotten our deal already!” The lupine clicked her
tongue a couple of times, shaking its head back and forth. “You know, Riko
won’t be pleased with your disobedience.” It laughed again, this time with more
fervor; it walked into the dim stream of light, allowing the new mother to
recognize the puppy thief.
“Oh! It’s
you!” Flicker gasped, tears beginning to form under her eyes. “Sherry . . . Oh,
I had forgotten all about that.” She lowered her head in shame as she allowed
the Alpha Female to take one of her newborns away. Flicker noticed the pup that
in Sherry’s jaws was her first-born child. “Oh, that one’s Tikia, the
first-born. Please . . .” she began to sniffle. “please take good care of him.”
Sherry’s
white nose sniffed around at the scent of the pup in her mouth, then quickly
turned back to the other pup, still safely nursing at its mother’s side. “I
can’t bring this pup to Riko, Flicker!” The dark-gray she-wolf snorted, placing
Tikia back by Flicker’s nipples and after sniffing the other pup, she grabbed
it with her jaws and walked to the den’s exit. “Your first-born is a she-wolf!
We asked for a male pup, not a female, you dolt!” She snorted. “Only a male pup
was mentioned in the prophecy, so your Tikia will destined for a life of
worthlessness, while this one,” Sherry lifted her mouth up, emphasizing the
second-born puppy in her jaws, “ah, he will be blessed with the strength to
rise to Alpha Male! He will save our Clan and our world once he grows stronger
and wiser with our teachings and training!” She laughed as she left the den and
the sobbing Beta Female.
“No!”
Flicker wept loudly. “My Tikio! Not my Tikio . . .” Her tears fell on her tiny
daughter’s coat as she lapped up her tears from Tikia’s fur. “My son . . . oh,
my son . . .”
As much as
she wished that the deal was never made, it was too late: Her newborn son was
gone, taken from her side minutes after being born, and her first-born
daughter, although blessed with the namesake of her ancestor, was destined for
a life of being forgotten . . . a life hidden in her younger brother’s shadow.
The hours
came, the days passed, the weeks flew by – neither Flicker nor her precious
Tikia had any idea on how young Tikio was doing, and they couldn’t leave the
den behind either. It was Clan ritual for newly-delivered mothers and their
children to stay inside their dam’s birthing den, at least until a moon has
passed and the she-wolf’s pups could walk on their own without assistance; this
gave Mother and Litter a chance to develop that most important bond that is
most crucial to newborn pups. However, the brown and white she-wolf knew that
Tikio was going to be the talk of the Evergreen Clan, especially since he was
now being raised by Riko and Sherry, who would only want to brag about their
adoptive son that was destined to bear the entire weight of the Clan on his
young shoulders.
“Mama?” A
now-seeing and walking Tikia asked her mother one day. “What is this smell that
I smell?” She lifted her nose in the air, quickly sniffing the air. “It’s
faint, but it smells familiar to me. What is it?”
Flicker,
curious about her three-week old daughter’s questions, also smelt the air. Her
eyes grew big once she recognized the scent.
Tikio! She
thought in fear. She’s smelt her brother’s scent . . . It must have been from
when he was first born. But . . . if I tell her the truth, oh . . . Flicker
closed her eyes, slightly shaking the thought of what could happen. Riko and
Sherry would not be happy about that . . . Flicker let out a sigh. I’ll tell
her when she’s old enough, but not now.
“It . . .
it must be from my dinner from a week ago,” Flicker lied. “I’m sure that was
whatever you smelled, Tikia.” She nuzzled her child gently after giving her a
lick with her tongue. “Now, it’s time for you to eat, then you can rest for a
while.”
“Okay,
Mama,” The red-brown pup returned the lick to her mother, giggling at the
response that she gave her. Flicker gently pushed her child towards her belly,
and Tikia quickly began to suckle a pink teat that was in front of her. As the
pup nursed, the brown she-wolf sighed.
Oh, my
beautiful daughter . . . She gazed at the nursing child on her belly with
worried eyes. My dear Tikia, I know you are meant for something more than
nothing. I’m sure if your brother could see you, he would say the same thing.She sighed again, almost gasping at her daughter’s tugging on one of her teats.Your father will help you grow stronger, my child. When you’re older, you’ll
learn how to hunt and prove that you are not worthless.
I’m sure
you’ll be just fine, Tikia . . . You have a destiny all your own.