I woke up with a start to the pups nuzzling and licking my face. And someone was play-mauling my tail. I managed to get out "Huhhhhh? Whaaaaa?" before I sat up, shaking my head to clear the sleep from it. Sitting in front of me were Stinky and Claudette, both grinning at me smugly and wagging their tails. I felt one final tug on mine, then Runt scurried over to sit next to his brother and sister, looking equally smug. They looked at each other, still grinning, then did a paw-bump together, with Stinky saying "That went exactly as I said it would, didn't it, sibs?"

Claudette shook her head, rolled her amber eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "As I said it would, you mean, Stinky... It was my idea."

Stinky stood up and squared his shoulders, giving his Alpha sister "the Look," but due to him not being an adult, it was more comical than intimidating. "And as future leader of the pack, it is my job to incorporate the ideas of others to the pack's best advantage."

Claudette stood, too, and was almost nose to nose with Stinky. Her hackles were starting to rise. "I'm getting kinda tired of this, Stinky..."

Before things could get any more heated, Runt shouldered his way in between them, looking back and forth between the two. "And as an Omega, it's my job to see that fights don't break out over things like this. Let's just step things down a notch, please." He gave them his most charming grin, but the others could sense how serious he was about his duty as an Omega. They both stepped back, muttering "Sorry..."

I'd been ready to step in any time, but decided to let them handle it themselves. They need to learn. After all, I'm not always going to be there to break things up. And unless things are kept calm and mellow, they could seriously hurt each other when they get a little bigger.

"Good job, Omega!" I held out a paw to Runt for a paw-bump, which he did, his tail wagging happily.

His grin widened as he said "Thanks, Dad! I learned that from you. Well... And from Aunt Lilly. And Uncle Salty, Uncle Shakey, Uncle Mooch, Aunt Candy, Aunt Sweets, Aunt Reba, Aunt Janice..."

I held up a paw for him to stop. "Okay, Runt, okay, I get it..." I shook my head, chuckling, "It takes a whole pack to raise pups."

"Now," I looked at all three pups in turn, "Who wants some breakfast?" Claudette and Stinky perked up their ears, wagged their tails, and smiled. Runt nodded eagerly, still grinning. "Okay, then..." I looked around the den for where Kate had buried the last of the leftover caribou from the last hunt.

Stinky was by my side almost instantly and looked up at me, an eyebrow raised. "Do you need some assistance locating the food, Dad?"

It was kind of embarrassing to admit, but yeah, I did need his help. "Uhhhh... Yeah, Stinky. Do your thing, son."

"Of course," He raised his head, sniffing, then turned a complete circle, getting a lock on where the scent was strongest, then headed over to a spot completely the opposite of the place I thought I'd remembered the food being in. "Right here," he pointed with his nose to a slightly darker patch of dirt, "Do you want to retrieve it, or shall I?"

I walked over to where he was pointing. "Uhhh... Better let me, okay? Don't want any arguments about shares. One near-fight is enough for now..."

"Unnecessary, Dad. I will be fair in dividing the food." Claudette gave a snort of disgust and opened her mouth, seeming to want to protest. "But..." Stinky added quickly, backing away, "A wise precaution, given the current situation." Claudette closed her mouth and nodded, satisfied.

I went to work digging, and soon enough, had the last piece of caribou meat in my jaws, ready to split up. It was then I realized how small the chunk was. Not enough for a full breakfast for the pups and me. I shrugged to myself, thinking "Oh, well... The pups have to come first." I bit the meat into three equal pieces, then put one in front of each of them. They all started eating, but then Runt stopped, seeming to realize I wasn't joining them. "Dad? Aren't you going to have breakfast, too?" He gave me a worried look. By this time the other two had stopped and were looking up at me.

I smiled at them, wagging my tail reassuringly. "It's okay, pups. I'll grab something a little later on. Go ahead and eat your breakfast. All of it. You need it for the day ahead." My stomach chose then to give a rumble, letting me know it wasn't happy to have to wait.

All three pups looked at each other, nodded, then went back to eating. But, instead of finishing, they each left a few bites, pushing what they had left towards me. Stinky spoke up "You need your strength, too, Dad. This should get you by until you find something more substantial. Besides, we've all eaten enough for now." Runt let out a burp, as if to emphasize the point, then grinned.

I backed away from the food, shaking my head. "Oh, no, pups. No, no, no, no, no... You need that more than I do."

Stinky stood and squared his shoulders, looking every inch the mini-Alpha. "We must insist, Dad. We are not leaving this den until you eat." He sat, and the others did, too. Stinky and Claudette had the stern look of Alphas having given an order, and Runt the pleading look of an Omega just wanting you to co-operate.

I sighed, knowing there was no more point in arguing with them. "Okay, pups, okay... I'll eat." I settled down with what they'd left me, then looked at them and smiled, wagging my tail. "And thank you." I ate slowly to show my appreciation.