The First Cycle
Chapter 1: The Talk
Balto dreaded this moment from minute one, and now that it was here, he could feel his stomach beginning to ball up in anxious knots. Though he knew not when it would come, as it varied amongst females, he knew that such a time was imminent, and, while he had previously told himself that he could handle it, he was now beginning to have his doubts.
The first symptoms arose while they slept, for something strange disturbed her in the middle of the night, and this time it wasn't her father's fitful sleep, but whatever it was she had never experienced anything like it before. Her teats and nipples were sore, she noticed an odd smell which seemed to be emitting from her, and, though she would not avow such a fact openly, her vagina had begun to swell. She was scared, for she knew that whatever it was that was happening to her it could not be good, but she did not want to discuss such embarrassing matters with her papa, so she kept it to herself. She would just have to grit her teeth and bear the symptoms until they passed, if they ever did, and if such a day came where she could no longer keep it to herself, she would tell her papa and just hope that he could help her.
The following morning found Aleu to have finally drifted back to sleep as one can in times of affliction, but she slept poorly, tossing and turning restlessly all night as her sore underside refused to allow her to maintain a position of comfort for more than about five minutes, and she was physically incapable of sleeping on her back no matter how hard she tried, so her toil with the pain was unavoidable.
As usual, Boris was the first to rouse and began his day as he usually did by tidying up the trawler. He took his mop and bucket out onto the deck, then went to fetch water, leaving the mop behind as it would act as nothing but dead weight. It was about this time that Aleu could sleep no longer, and allowed her eyes to peel themselves slowly open to greet the morning. She felt miserable and crabby due to her lack of sleep the previous night and henceforth came into consciousness with the company of a bitter sigh which she pressed slowly through slightly parted lips.
She tossed onto her stomach from her sides with a groan then pressed herself starkly onto her haunches where she remained for a matter of about three minutes before nature beckoned her into the woods. She did not want to leave, for she feared what would happen to her if she were to stray too far from the boat if something odd were to happen which would prevent her from being able to come home, but she had to because she would not tend to such matters while on board, so she decided to agree on a compromise. Slowly, so as to not wake her father, she rose to her feet and began to make her way across the trawler's deck to the rail and once there she made her descent by means of the board which led down to the snow.
This whole predicament weighed on her mind heavily as she sniffed around the base of the trawler for a place to relieve herself, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Was she sick? Did she have worms? Was her condition natural? Was it deadly? Was it contagious?
She pushed such matters aside for the moment, but could not rid her mind of them completely, for they locked themselves into her subconscious and would only continue to torment her as the day wore on. Maybe she did need help after all.
Balto was not surprised to wake up and find Aleu already gone, for she was awake before him nearly every day of the week, so he knew that he had nothing to worry about. He yawned as he stretched his body out then sat up on his haunches, taking a brief look around the wheelhouse before he rose to his paws to greet the morning. He stepped out onto the deck of the boat as he did every morning and took in a deep whiff of the air, for he always found it to be quite rejuvenating, but on this morning as the crisp breeze entered his nostrils, it was accompanied by a scent that he knew all too well- heat.
"Oh crap," he muttered under his breath, for he knew that somewhere nearby there was a horny female who was probably out looking for a little bit of trouble, and if he was to be discovered up here, he just may become the victim of a very enjoyable rape, and he did not want that.
He also knew that he had to keep himself in constant check so long as the scent lingered around him, for already he could feel instinct begin to take control of his genitalia, and he did not want to do something that he would regret later, such as hunting this female down and driving her face into the ground and listening to her scream with pleasure while he ripped her pussy-
"No, don't think about it," he reminded himself, "you're married, and you have children. No more fantasizing."
He turned away and decided to go back into the cabin where he hoped to maybe be able to take his mind off of the scent, but he knew it was there already so he could not ignore it, for it drove its way slowly into his brain, threatening to corrupt his every thought with the want for sex with its intoxicating aroma. It was almost enough to drive him mad, but he knew that he had to be strong and not break under the temptation. Little did he know, though, just how close the temptation truly lied.
Aleu was not sure how she should approach her father about her ailments, for she was both embarrassed and ashamed by what symptoms were attacking her body, but more than that, she was afraid of what he might say. Would he listen to her, or would he simply laugh it off and tell her to stop being such a baby?
But then again... as far as she knew, he was probably the most obsessive, most over-protective father on the planet, so as soon as she told him that something was wrong, he would likely leap immediately into action; though, hopefully his so called leap would not be too drastic, for she did not wish to cause any undue alarm.
She sighed as she stared up the plank which led up to the rail of the boat and hesitated for a moment, still trying to find the courage to push forward, but uncertainty still held her to the spot like chains.
"Vell good morning, Aleu," a voice greeted warmly behind her.
However, having been taken completely off guard by the sudden greeting, she yelped and nearly jumped out of her fur as she whirled to face the one who had snuck up on her.
"Hey, calm down, kiddo," Boris said, "is only me."
Aleu panted, for her heart still raced from the sudden start, but once she recognized the one who had addressed her, she attempted to regain her composure.
"Oh, it's you," she said, flustered, "how are you?"
"A lot better than you, apparently," he replied, placing the mop bucket on the ground beside him, "is something on mind?"
"No," she lied, "everything is alright."
Boris lifted an eyebrow.
"You're not trying to pull fast v'one on uncle, are you?" he asked incredulously.
A strange urge came over her for a moment, like a fleeting thought, but after a moment such a thought died, however, for whatever reason it may have been, while it was there, she could not help but find her uncle extremely attractive. She knew not what it meant or why it had occurred, but she cared not to labor over the subject, so she brushed it aside and feigned an innocent smile.
"Oh, Uncle Boris, why must you always worry so much?" she began, "you know I could never lie to you."
Boris didn't buy it for a minute because he had helped to raise her since she was a pup and he knew all of her tricks, but he brushed it off as teenage nonsense and shrugged.
"I know," he replied and picked up the bucket so as to carry it on board, but Aleu stopped him.
"Here, let me get that for you," she offered.
"Oh no," Boris argued, "I can handle it. G-"
"I insist," Aleu persisted, refusing to take no for an answer, then took the handle of the pail into her jaws.
Boris had no other choice at this point than to release his grip, so he digressed and removed his wing from the handle.
"Thank you," he thanked.
Aleu only nodded, splashing a bit of the water out next to her paws, then turned and began to carefully carry the bucket of water up the ramp, then once she crested over the rail, she set it down and turned to Boris who followed directly behind her.
"Thank you, kiddo," he thanked again.
"No problem," she replied then turned and walked away to search for her papa.
Balto stirred restlessly inside of the cabin, trying everything in his power to block the scent from his nostrils and from his mind. He tried making himself sneeze so as to agitate his nasal cavity and thus obstruct the scent from his nostrils, turning his thoughts over and over as he attempted to solve riddles he had heard previously, and even fell into humming a song as a means of attempting to find refuge from the scent, but no matter what he did, it would not go away. It was maddening, knowing that an easy source of fun was so near by and that he could not take advantage of it, for his instinct told him to seek the female and ram her into the ground, but his mind and his love for his family forbade him from entertaining his desires, and the battle between his instinct and chivalry was almost enough to rip his brain in two.
"Hey, Papa," he suddenly heard his daughter greet, which caused him to lift all of his attention to her.
"Oh hey, A-"
His voice became choked inside of his throat as his eyes settled upon his daughter, for he was suddenly blasted in the nose by a humongous whiff of heat and it was at this moment that he realized where the scent was coming from. Automatically his body began to shake, he began to pant and a thin layer of perspiration began to seep down his brow.
Aleu took immediate notice to this and cocked her head.
"Papa, are you alright?" she asked him, concerned, "you don't look so well."
"Um... I... yeah, I'm fine," Balto stammered then gulped.
"No please not now," he cried in his mind, "why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be now?"
"Papa, you're a terrible liar," Aleu accused and took a step toward him, "something is-"
"No, no, no, no, please," Balto begged desperately, distancing himself, "don't come any closer."
Aleu withdrew quickly, taking immediate offense to what he had said.
"Papa, you're acting really weird," she seethed, flicking her tail back and forth in agitation, "and to think I thought that there was something wrong with me."
Little did she know, though, that with each flick of her tail, she wafted more and more of her tempting scent directly into his face.
Balto was now on the verge of panic, for he did not know how much more of this he would be able to take, and so far the only thing preventing him from caving into the want was the fact that this was his baby girl, his own flesh and blood, but with each moment that passed in her presence, the urge became stronger.
"Um I... uh..." he sputtered, casting desperate glances around him as he sought for a way out.
He wanted so badly to cave, but how could he possibly consider deflowering his own daughter? It just wasn't going to happen. He wouldn't allow it.
"Aleu, please stay here," he instructed quickly, "I have to go."
Aleu took a step toward him, but again he retreated.
"But, Papa, I-"
"Your uncle Boris will look after you," Balto cut in, "but I really have to go.
With all the strength he had, he moved quickly past her then sprinted out onto the deck.
"Papa, wait!" Aleu called, frightened, but he did not stop.
With one bound Balto leapt from the rail down to the snow and continued on, moving rapidly toward the town.
Balto panted deeply as he ran, muttering over and over under his breath "why now?" until without proper announcement, he barged into his mate's shed.
There was a scream and a scramble, followed shortly thereafter by a crash as Jenna fell against the wall, then after a moment, she rose to face her husband.
"Don't do that to me again," she yelled, panting, "you nearly gave me a heart attack."
"I'm sorry," Balto replied quickly and rushed to help her up, "but I had to find a place to hide."
Jenna righted herself on her paws and cocked her head.
"Hide?" she asked, perturbed, "from what? What did you do now?"
"Nothing," he answered a mere second after her lips ceased to move, "but you've gotta believe me when I tell you that if I go home, bad things are going to happen."
Jenna's eyes flickered about the room almost imperceptibly then returned their focus to her husband.
"Balto what are you talking about?" she asked him, "you're speaking nonsense. What could possibly-"
"Aleu has gone into her first cycle," he interrupted.
Jenna's eyes widened.
"You mean..."
Balto nodded quickly.
"Yes," he replied, speaking a mile a minute, "andIknowthatsheisourdaughter,butyouknowhowharditisforamaletocontrolhimselfaroundafemaleinheat,andyouknowhowcrazysomefemalesget,soIdidtheonlythingIcoulddoandgotoutofthereasquicklyasIcould."
"Balto, slow down," Jenna said, "I couldn't understand a word you just said."
Balto took in a few deep breaths as an attempt to calm himself down, then opened up his mouth to speak again, but she cut him off.
"It doesn't matter anyway," she stated, "how far along is she?"
"As far as I can tell this was her first day," he replied, far more calm now.
Jenna nodded.
"Then she is not receptive yet," she deduced, "and probably won't be for a couple more days, but that won't stop a roving male who may find her. She cannot stay at the boat by herself."
"Well I can't go back there," Balto argued, desperately, "don't think down on me for this, but it took everything I had to get away from her today, can't you go?"
"I can't devote every minute of my day to keeping an eye on her," Jenna replied, "I have a little girl to look after, and besides, they lock me in at night now since I became pregnant, remember?."
Balto sighed and scrambled desperately for another solution.
"Well... can't she come here?" he asked, then immediately regretted even suggesting it.
"Balto you know as well as I do just how terrible an idea that is," Jenna reminded, "she is in heat, first of all, so every male in this town will flock to this place like flies to a horse's ass, and when it is discovered that we are harboring a wolf, what do you think will happen then?"
Balto cursed softly under his breath and lowered his head.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" he asked her desperately, "you can't be there, and I certainly can't be there, so who else is there to keep an eye on her?"
Jenna thought for a moment then answered, though clearly she did not dwell too long on her response before she allowed it to slop from her mouth.
"What about Boris, Muk, and Luk?" she offered, "they shouldn't be affected by it."
"Boris can't fight off a horny male," Balto argued, "and Muk and Luk would probably run away, and besides, she probably doesn't even know what it is going on right now. Somebody needs to tell her, but it can't be me."
Jenna nodded, understanding completely, though the topic still struck her as awkward, but she brushed such feelings aside and spoke.
"Then I guess that leaves me," she stated, almost hesitantly, "I'll go talk to her and straighten things out. I'll be back later."
Balto nodded, deeply relieved that he would not have to go back.
"Okay," he replied, "just make sure to answer any questions she may have."
Jenna nodded.
"I will," she answered and nuzzled his neck, then without another word, she pulled away and took her leave.
Aleu was frightened, sad, and confused at the same time, for she just could not understand what would make her Papa behave in such an odd manner. It almost seemed as though he was repulsed by her for some reason, but what she did not understand was: why? Did it have to do with the way she smelled? Was that what drove him off? It seemed unlikely, though, because he had told her before that he would love her no matter what, and the way he acted was far too extreme for unpleasant smells. Besides, the way he behaved almost made her believe that he was afraid of her, but what reason would he have to be scared of his own daughter? She did not look any different than she had in the past, or behaved in a different manner, so she could see no real reason as to why he would be so disturbed by her presence.
And what made this matter worse? Now all she had to help her through her ailments was Boris, and he did little to nothing to ease her pain, so she pretty well suffered alone.
She sighed, lying alone in the cabin on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling, wishing that she could get some answers from somebody, but what did she honestly expect? For her entire life she had questions that nobody seemed able or willing to answer, so why would now be any different?
She released a bitter sigh and draped the back of her paw over her eyes, but was startled when she heard somebody clear their throat.
She jumped slightly and lifted her head, lowering her paw, but when her eyes fell upon her mother, she relaxed.
"Oh, it's you," she said, relieved, "you scared the crap out of me."
This induced a chuckle from Jenna.
"Sorry," she apologized as she stepped into the cabin.
"No worries," Aleu replied, rolling starkly to her paws, "what brings you here?"
Jenna felt a tiny pit begin to form in the base of her stomach, for conversations such as these always made her severely uncomfortable, but she found the courage to press on.
"Your dad came by today," she began.
"And was he freaking out on you like he did around me?" Aleu asked bitterly, still hurt by his behavior, "I swear I am beginning to think that he hates me."
Jenna sighed.
"Aleu, baby, listen," she began again, "your father did not act like that because he hates you, but because of what is happening to you."
Aleu averted her eyes for a moment then returned her gaze.
Swollen teats," Jenna continued in her silence, "swollen... you know, odd smell?"
"Wait, how do you know what's wrong with me?" she pressed apprehensively, "Did you have it before? Is it serious?"
"Aleu, it's nothing," Jenna assured, "all you are experiencing is your first heat cycle."
"My what?" she asked confused.
"Your heat cycle," Jenna replied, "it means that you are becoming an adult." She paused for a moment then muttered softly under her breath "Among other things."
Aleu heard and cocked her head.
"Other things?" she asked, "like what? And what does me becoming an adult have anything to do with the way Papa acted?"
Jenna sighed, steadily losing her courage to answer her, but she knew that her daughter needed to know so she lifted her eyes.
"Aleu, your heat cycle signifies that you are becoming an adult, but it is also the time which indicates that a female is ready for... you know..."
"What?" Aleu asked concerned, "ready for what?"
"Ready for breeding," Jenna answered.
"Huh?" Aleu asked astonished, and slightly nauseated, "I'm not ready for that yet!"
"That may be so for now," Jenna began, "but to any male at all, even family, you become an immediate attraction, which is to say, in laymen's terms, they will all find the urge to breed with you irresistible, and in most instances, if the heat lasts long enough, so will you."
Aleu was blown away by what she was hearing.
"So... what you're saying is that Papa acted like that because he wanted to breed with me?" she asked, a hint of disgust in her tone.
"It can't be helped," Jenna replied, "so please don't blame him."
Aleu sighed, still trying to grasp what she was being told.
"So... what now? I mean what am I gonna do?" she asked, "do I look for a male to breed with?"
"Aleu no," Jenna replied sternly, "you must resist the temptation and you must keep yourself hidden from any male at all because he will only want one thing and he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants."
Aleu was beginning to grow frightened and displayed such unrest by lowering her tail slightly so as to shelter herself.
"You mean..."
Jenna nodded.
"But... what will I do?" Aleu asked desperately, "I don't know how to fight."
"Your father and I are working on it," Jenna replied, "but for now you must remain here and if trouble comes I want you to run. Come find me and your Papa. We will take care of it."
"But, Mama, I'm scared," Aleu whined, "please, you can't leave me alone again."
Jenna sighed.
"I know," she replied, "but for now you're gonna have to be strong until your father and I can come up with a solution."
She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it upon realizing that no matter what she would be on her own, and replied only with a dejected nod.
"That's my girl," Jenna said with a smile, attempting to brighten her daughter's spirits, "just hide out until one of us comes back."
She lifted her head and nodded softly.
"Yes ma'am."
Jenna stepped forward and hugged her then pulled away.
"I love you, baby, we'll be back later today," she said then turned and took her leave.
She knew that Aleu was probably still bursting with questions, but she had given her enough information to figure out most of it, so right now all she could do was hope that her words had sunk in and pray that everything would go smoothly from here on out.