Disclaimer: Don't own Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki, subbed or dubbed, characters included.

Rating: T (some hints of M at points)

A retelling of the movie, except in written form

"Waaaawwwwwaaaaa!"

One of many vocal cries Ame made- for such a quiet boy, he had a set of lungs.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh" Tyler breathed, trying to soothe his son, gently rocking him - truth be told though, he was a little off today, but that might've been the repeat of sleep deprivation that having a baby entailed. It didn't help that the neighbor complaints had re-emerged... at least with Yuki,they had been manageable, sorta spread-out, but Ame...

"Do he think he's hungry again?"

"No" Hana answered, ironing their clothes, a curious Yuki watching for the moment. "It hasn't been two hours yet... he probably needs to be burped; that schedule seems to be inconsistent for him."

"All right then" he breathed, gently cradling his son against his shoulder - still rocking a little, he began to pat his boy's back. As expected though, this took awhile, long enough for him to think a bit... he slowly settled on a thought he had recently: how throughout his life, he'd identified himself by his human name 'Tyler', but never as 'Balto'.

But after his near-death-experience, was that right?

"I am both, at the very least" he thought faintly, feeling heavier even at the 'thought' of what happened... but that was required; he needed to face it, if he was to move on (Hana would do no less). "Thus far the world knows me as one, but Hana, Yuki, and hopefully Ame soon, they know me as the other."

Just then, Ame burped a little, jolting him - Tyler quickly stopped his hand, then gently wiped Ame's mouth, the little boy trying to grasp his arm during this. His eyes were curious, yet Ame still didn't recognize him yet.

"You done, mama?"

"Almost, Yuki."

"Yah! Ahaha!" the little girl cheered, jumping up and down easily, dress flowing with her. "I wanna play soon!"

"Well, we do have time for it" Hana assured, smiling-

-to which he added onto. "We could even go to the park" he added gently, Ame squirming in his grip, "Not you know, close to the main areas, but more on the outskirts - a lot of wide open spaces, where we have plenty of room to run around like maniacs."

To say Yuki gasped, raced over, and hugged his legs would be an understatement. "We can!?" she asked with big eyes, completely joyful. "Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy! Can we, mama, daddy!? Can we!?"

Hana just laughed hard, with a big grin. "Why not?"

"Yaay!"

He just laughed too, ruffling his daughter's hair, who pretty much liked that too.

/

The park

In the distance, Hana could see other people, either with kids, lovers, or pets - still, the air was so peaceful, with only a gentle breeze flowing in the wind. Right now she sat on a bench, gently trying to breastfeed Ame, who couldn't stop squirming.

Just ahead of her though?

"Heheehaaaahaha!"

"I'm gonna get you!"

"Nuh-uh, daddy!"

"Still gotta try!"

Yuki was basically a speed demon, running across the meadow as fast as her legs could carry her, running in circles or suddenly turning around (whatever struck her fancy). Balto deliberately chased after her at a mild run, making grabs that intentionally missed and/or 'slipped', but they got Yuki giggling as she raced. The sight made Hana grin a little, wondering where did Yuki get all that energy from? She was almost inexhaustible, and she'd started to eat a lot too, unlike Ame thus far. Still, Ame seemed to give in, feeding from her- it felt weird, but she knew it would help him grow up to be a fine young man.

Half-wolf or otherwise.

Yuki's laughter got louder, making her look up- the little girl was barreling straight toward her, the biggest grin imaginable on her face. Then the little girl skidded to a halt in front of her legs, waved quickly, then proceeded to crawl underneath the bench! Hana just started to make a sound, before Balto stopped just in front of her, catching his breath briefly. "Part of the game" he whispered quickly, before he got down as well, moving under her legs. "Alright, where'd you go?"

His tone made her struggle not to giggle; he was being completely playful (plus she saw their daughter crawl out the side).

Yuki made a giggling motion, just silent, doing the 'quiet' gesture as she sneaked up on her daddy-

-it made her feel warm just to watch.

"Come on, I know you're under here-"

"Here!"

Taking a flying leap, Yuki landed on his back - 'luckily' for Balto, he'd expected that, so he didn't hit his head as he crawled back out. "Sneaky one, aren't you?" he asked, his smile a little cheeky, before he grabbed Yuki and hung her upside for a few seconds (Yuki squealing with raucous happy laughter the entire time). Hana couldn't help but laugh too, grinning big at her daughter's joy, including Yuki's big smile after Balto put her down. Just then though, a butterfly floated by, getting the little girl's attention... and with her age's typical attention span, caused her to chase after it, giggling.

"Don't go too far, Yuki!" she called.

"I won't, mommy! Haha!"

Balto slowly sat down beside her, glancing at what she was doing, then quickly looking away- she giggled a little at his tiny burst of embarrassment.

"Don't worry; Ame will finish soon" Hana assured; for whatever reason, that was just how it was. She certainly wasn't used to two-hour-at-a-time sleep deprivation either though, but she wasn't gonna let it stop her; she got through it with Yuki, and she'll get through it with Ame.

"It's just so nice, so peaceful, and Yuki's laughter completes it" her lover whispered, closing his eyes as he leaned back... and slowly let out a long, long breath, slumping a little.

It made her feel better to see that; he'd gone through a lot in a short time, but he was beginning to heal - even when she watched Yuki's progress (trying to do little cartwheels now), Hana was glad to have him beside her. Especially now after what happened, and her sudden nightmare about what if- she shook her head, breathing a little faster - no, don't dwell on that; no matter how real it seemed, this was even more real.

"Hana?"

"Hmm?"

Slowly, still leaning back, Balto's hand covered her own - his grip was tense, but his emotions remained the same. "Have you read my little booklet yet?" he whispered, tilting his head toward her.

"I- I wasn't sure if it was okay with you" Hana admitted, with a little smile. "But it is?"

"Yeah" he breathed, gentle. "What it's about will be clear, the moment you start reading - though, if you don't wanna know everything that will happen, you can avoid reading certain sections. You know, if you want."

She stroked his fingers, "You make it sound so mysterious" she teased, but genuinely curious. "Is that all?"

"No" Balto breathed, his lip curving a little more. "However, the other things would be so much easier to explain, once you've read it. Would take a third of the time."

"You're lazy- hehehe" she teased, before laughing, "No, I can't even say that with a straight face-!"

He just chuckled, covering her hand with both of his.

After a few seconds, Hana returned the gesture, while baby Ame tried to crawl over her leg + toward Balto (who obliged Ame by picking him up, while she adjusted her shirt to cover herself). "But, the other things you have to say, are they serious?" she wondered in a gentle tone, so as not to discourage Ame.

Her lover was pre-occupied with entertaining Ame, but he slowly nodded without looking.

"Well then, looks like I have a booklet to read" Hana thought, before she waved Yuki back over; starting to get far without noticing.

/

That night

Tyler gently tucked in Yuki, who was sleeping peacefully, having a little smile the entire time - Ame was also tucked in, just opposite Yuki, having been put down about an hour ago. He spent another moment watching them, before he realized he'd thought of himself as 'Tyler' again, subconsciously anyway-

"Balto" he thought slowly, tapping his knee a little.

Mmm... well, it wouldn't exactly change overnight, mentally... plus 'everyone' here in the city (save his family) knew him as Tyler, legally, and he'd become used to that for years.

Another few moments were spent thinking like this, until the sound of a chair against the kitchen floor jolted him. He looked behind him, seeing Hana slowly approach, eyes on their children - gently, she sat down beside him, wrapping her arm around his. That brought back his little smile, and he slowly rubbed her arm with his free hand, causing her to lean against his shoulder. Even as they watched, Yuki cuddled her blanket very tightly, while Ame's head lolled in place a little. Then without a word, Hana handed him his little booklet, which he took easily.

"So?" he whispered softly.

"Mmh" Hana breathed back, with the same tone, "I only had enough time to start reading a little, but I think that was enough. I can't believe they can start changing at only one-year-old."

"Well, that's the earliest I think" he assured, gently taking her hand, fingers intertwining. "Whether it is or not isn't certain. At first though, it'll be unconsciously, like when they get cranky... I certainly know I did, once anyway. It's vague, but one moment I was on two feet, and the next I was on all four paws."

"And then they'll be changing at will before long?"

"Yeah, they'll learn how by feeling it out. Telling them when they can't though - that's no different than telling your average toddler what they can't do; just gotta lay down the law."

Hana slowly hummed, rubbing her head against his shoulder briefly. "And I imagine like a human toddler, they'll be insistent about it while we do so?"

"Yeah" Ty- Balto answered, kissing Hana's forehead. "Regular wolves' pups explore the moment they can walk, and only once their parents bring them back home, repeatedly, do they then learn not to wander. It's the same principle here, except we've been fortunate about that-"

"-yeah, since we don't usually let them out of the house, at least out of our grasps anyway" Hana whispered back, caressing his cheek now. "I worry about that though; is that healthy for them?"

"Only if they feel cooped-up, then it's not" he quickly assured, "You'll be able to tell when that begins, easily."

"Good. But what are you getting at, Balto?"

He was silent for a stretch... "Just that, we may need to get ready, Hana" he reluctantly breathed, more quiet now.

"Huh?"

"Consider our situation" Tyler continued, holding her hands tightly, looking straight at her. "Ame almost never stops crying once he starts up, and we live in an apartment where loudness carries easily. It was fine enough with Yuki, but people are starting to complain again... if this keeps up for months or more, how long until someone snaps?"

Hana slowly breathed out, her eyes starting to shine - it pained him to say all this, but she needed to know.

"And once our kids start to change, their wolf instincts will come out with it" Tyler whispered, glancing down. "That will include howling - people may mistake them for pets, but this place doesn't allow them. Everyone here will know that..."

Her grip tightened.

"And immunizations-" he breathed quietly, looking up again. "Hana, my parents never gave me any, for the same reasons we don't; it's too risky, because Yuki and Ame could change too easily, or they might react badly because they're part-wolf. My parents avoided this because they lived under the radar, but here... eventually they're going to call, and then pay visits."

Hana's breathing became a little heavier, before she lifted her gaze - her eyes were wet, yet the worry had it's basis in determination.

"What do we do, Balto?" she asked, holding up their hands. "How do we protect them, our family?

"In the city?" he whispered, briefly closing his eyes. "I'm not sure we can."

She gasped-

"If we're forced to, the only options would be to get a house..."

That lead to silence between them - they didn't have that kind of money right now, savings included. In a 'few' years, maybe the smallest of permanent residence homes in the city, but...

"O-Or?" Hana whispered.

"Or-" he breathed, looking straight at her again. "After we endure things here, as long as possible... we find a home in the country, Hana. Before that, subtly preparing everything, to be ready at any time, just in case."

She could only stare at him, not that he blamed her in the slightest.

Time went on, doing their best across the months, even a year - Hana had decided to quit college, because she felt she'd be fine without the full 4-year experience. She'd also quit her job, partly because of Ame's constant breastfeeding in the beginning, but mostly her not wanting to be away from them... at the same time, Balto assured he made enough at this job, to support them well enough without losses (give-or-take some tight budgeting).

One morning, among many:

"Food now."

"It's almost done, Yuki" Hana breathed gently, Ame sleeping in the carrier she wore while cooking. "Just be patient."

"Food now!"

"Look I'm sorry, but-"

"Food now!"

"Yuki" she warned, tone harder-

-she heard the little girl jolt, before Yuki promptly ran - when Hana turned though, she jolted; Yuki had changed! Her skin color was a little darker due to brown fur, and wolf ears popped out of her hair, with a little tail even. Even as she watched, Yuki moving over to sit in the corner, at least before she ran off to the other side of the room (knocking over the wastebasket). Jolting again, not wanting her to bother Balto, she called over to Yuki: "Alright, forget patient" she said, "You can have one biscuit."

Yuki came running like an overeager dog, right to her feet, where she snatched the biscuit out of her hand easily - but when Yuki stood up, she was human again, with a little grin.

Hana could only breathe out, but ended it with a little smile - cranky or not, Yuki's wolf form was so cute, just like her. She glanced back at the sleeping Ame, suspended by the carrier, even as Yuki munched her biscuit- just then, Balto came into the kitchen too.

"By the sound of it, something happened" he breathed, getting a glass of water.

"Our cranky daughter just changed into a wolf" she said gently, hearing his little hum, before he started drinking anyway. "Just as you predicated."

"I was off by months though" he noted, but shrugging, making her giggle.

"Cra-ke?" Yuki breathed below them, confused; that made them both smile.

...

Another day, at dinner:

Humming slightly to himself, Tyler looked all over the map details - this was the community, with many small houses along the perimeter, and lots of wide-open spaces. Even as he looked at this though, Yuki ate her bowl of 'mush' (hehe, joking) by hand at the table, even knocking the bowl over, though he was too focused to register that part at all.

"Mmh. Oh, daddy? You eat too?"

"I will soon, don't worry" he assured his daughter, though still without looking. "Mommy's cooking it though, so I got time."

From the kitchen came a little laugh: "You got that right" Hana called, making him smile, before he glanced up at her gasp. "Yuki! You shouldn't overturn your bowl like that!"

"I-I sorry..."

"*a little sigh* Well, it's not broken or anything, but you will have to be more careful. And only use the spoon next time, okay?"

"But-"

"Listen to her, Yuki" Balto answered, drawing the little girl's attention. "She knows what's best; I listen to her after all."

Despite the little look + smile Hana gave him, that slowly made Yuki give in: "O-k" she breathed, before looking at her stained hands. "But this fun!"

"I know, but still" he continued easily; internally though, he saw where their little girl was coming from. Even as an adult, it was kinda fun to eat with no rules, and he didn't think anyone could disagree - just had to follow the rules anyway, for politeness.

Still being a year-and-a-half old, that went right over Yuki's head, and she made a face, sulking. "It fun" she stated, a little stubborn.

Hana just giggled though, sharing a look with him.

"You still gotta eat it the way we tell you too" Tyler breathed, leaning toward his daughter, who noticed this. "That's good."

Yuki jolted, surprised. "Good?"

"Yes."

"Mmh..." their daughter breathed, struggling to think, apparently.

Hana touched his shoulder briefly, before she bent down in front of Yuki, wiping the remaining food off her chin; their daughter squirmed in the process, which made him smile a little.

/

And of course, little incidents happened all the time - once, while Hana had been cooking, Yuki had curiously tried to reach the top of the table (pulling on it's cloth in the process). It was only just in time that Tyler grabbed the bottle that nearly fell on Yuki, though luckily she didn't hurt herself... "Yuki" he breathed, relieved, but not sure whether he was supposed to tell her off for climbing or just wear her out. Another moment happened while he'd been working: Yuki, again out of curiosity, had secretly started to climb the dresser while Hana was ironing. This nearly resulting in it falling on both of them, while Hana made a narrow save, and he'd been quite shocked upon hearing it.

Close-call moments like that tended to be a sore spot for him...

Yet still, he had his children seated at one point, right in front of him - Yuki was curious, and while Ame recognized him + his sister now, he wouldn't get what was going on (just react to it).

"But that's okay" Tyler thought, "In time."

"Yuki, have you noticed anything?" he asked out loud, gentle. "Like you might run on two feet, then suddenly you're on all fours? Or you get cute little ears in your hair?"

Yuki laughed, before she 'shook her head' repeatedly, then she changed right then and there- almost instantly too. "Like this, daddy?" she asked, cheerful yet still curious - at her side, Ame's own curiosity won out and he tried to grab her ears, but fell down a little, drawing Yuki's attention. However, his son got back up on hands and knees, shaking his head too... then the boy changed, to his shock. Ame just blinked, still not sure what was going on, while Yuki hummed a little, obviously glad her brother had changed too like her. It wasn't long before she sniffed at her brother's new scent, curious about it and such, while Ame just reacted as per usual-

"But, Ame's barely even six months old yet" Tyler thought, nonplussed, blinking several times. "I... I-I guess I was way off then..."

Though, he'd basically made that up in the first place, so-

"Daddy?"

He brought himself back, looking at Yuki: "Yes, sweetie?"

"Can you do this too?" she asked, curious, tail wagging. "Can mama?"

Balto slowly breathed out, but smiled a little. "No, mommy can't change like you two do" he whispered, gentle, "That's just how she is. But me-"

Yuki gasped, absolutely fascinated when he changed right in front of her, Ame included in that - however, when he finished, she giggled happily. "So cool!" she cheered, "But you slow!"

"Hehehe, well I'm older; it's not so easy for me to change fast anymore" he answered, slowly bending flat against the floor, getting level with them.

"You are dif- diffe- mmh!"

"Yes, I look different from you and your brother, Yuki" Tyler whispered gently, watching as Ame crawled over, sniffing at his fur curiously. "I'm a big wolf, while you're smaller ones."

...

Cleaning up the accumulated stains in the bathtub wasn't Hana's favorite activity, but it needed to be done - they were always so hard to wash off, especially these 'grease' stains. Running a little water helped, and she made sure to keep to a thin trickle, making sure not to waste it. When done, she wiped her forehead of sweat, then hummed as she gradually packed up all the things, right into the bucket. Standing up, Hana carried her things outside the bathroom, turning to put them away before she turned and-

"Ahh!" she freaked 'a little'.

-the entire living room had been torn up - Wolf-Yuki stood in the middle, while Wolf-Ame was on the sidelines looking at his sister.

"You gotta be kidding me..."

Yuki just yawned big, eyes bleary, slowly changing Hana's emotions a little... but still, working the bathroom, combined with the schedule + lack of sleep, meant she was a little low on energy right now.

The front door opened just then, Balto walking inside, after he locked the door behind him. "Hey" he breathed, starting to say more before he jolted, staring at the living room's state. "Wha- what happened!?"

"Ask your daughter over there" Hana slowly answered.

Balto just breathed out, looking at Yuki, who was currently trying to take a nap without a care in the world. "Well, this is just-" he answered, before jolting, turning toward her. "Hey, since when is she 'only' my daughter?"

She managed to crack a smile, before looking at the living room. "Sorry" she whispered, steeling herself, "But well, I should get started."

Before she took more than a step, Balto held her arm gently, stopping her - he rubbed her arm a bit with his other hand, head tilted.

"It's okay, Hana" he breathed, determined. "I'll clean this up best I can, and keep an eye on Ame... after you put Yuki to bed, get some rest yourself; you can tell Yuki off tomorrow."

"But I should help you-"

"No arguments" he said, but with a little smile. "I know you can do it, yet you've earned some rest."

Seeing that he meant it, Hana slowly kissed him- Balto easily returned it, lingering for five seconds before they actually did their jobs.

/

Tyler still couldn't get over Yuki getting sick, via eating through the inside of a silica packet - first they just came home, and there she was, vomiting small bits and chunks. Hana had gotten to her first, while he quickly picked up the packet, his heart pounding as he fought not to panic! Still, he managed to advise Hana that they couldn't take her to either a hospital or a vet center; not if Yuki was gonna change. So while she watched over Yuki, he ran outside to find the nearest payphone, sending texts to Hana about everything he heard as quickly as possible. To his extreme relief, silica wasn't toxic... just irritating to the digestive system, but they were lucky it had avoided her respiratory tract completely.

The moment he got home, Hana had basically tackled him, shaking out of sheer relief as he did - though, then a curious-if-confused Yuki gently tugged their legs at some point, saying she wanted a snack. Whatever sounds they made in response probably said everything about their feelings, but the important thing was that their little girl was okay.

And now-

"I wanna walk."

"Yuki-"

"I wanna walk!"

"-you just got over being sick, baby."

Balto slowly breathed out, looking up from his detailed plans about the countryside; not something you'd hear every day from regular children, but wolves were the ancestors of dogs, and generally they needed their exercise. Now he was starting to get worried too; this meant Yuki was starting to feel cooped up here, and unless they regularly took her out, then bad things.

"I wanna walk!"

"Okay then" he called quickly, surprising Yuki (and Hana). "Want me to take you?" he continued, catching Hana's eyes ("We'll be fine" he mouthed to her).

Yuki brightened completely, jumping up and down on all four paws. "Oh yes arf arf arf arf!" she cheered.

"But tuck in the ears, Yuki."

Their little girl stopped jumping, curiously pawing at her ears before she shook her head, changing back easily. "Like this?"

"Perfect" Tyler assured, standing up.

"Hehehe!" Yuki cheered, changing again without knowing it-

"-your ears are showing again" Hana gently chided, even as he pulled out his coat + Yuki's.

"Oh" Yuki breathed, shaking her head again to change back. "Ready!" she called, but bouncing on her heels with a big grin. "And can't wait!"

No, he didn't think so, hehe.

...

Humming to herself slightly, Hana enjoyed the light breeze, Ame and Yuki there with her (attached to the baby carrier) while Balto was at work. Despite this not quite counting as another walk, Yuki seemed satisfied with the arrangement, as her curiosity pretty much abounded at the world around them. Ame was getting heavier too... but though he could walk now, he was still so shy and quiet, unlike his sister. Even after he grew though, his crying didn't stop sometimes - it was helped by the earplugs Balto had gotten, which they alternated wearing on designated sleep nights (now that Ame no longer needed to breastfeed), trying to share the sleep deprivation. He insisted; she had done a lot already and he wanted to help share, especially since he felt she deserved the sleep more.

That, and the last traces of Balto's stress vanishing, certainly made her feel better. Though she thought he might be up to something - a few times, he'd been out for reasons that he wouldn't say. At first Hana thought he might be hunting again, but he claimed that he'd sworn it off - well, in the city anyway, he'd slowly amended after the 'outburst'; he actually wasn't sure about the subject right now (and she believed him).

Still, she wondered what he was doing...

Behind her, Yuki adjusted a little - Hana looked back, and with a sound, quickly pulled Yuki's hood back up-

-didn't want those ears showing at a wrong moment.

But then Hana noticed the others in the park today - a number of kids playing, their mothers nearby, talking and laughing together. It made her feel strange to see this, but she knew why she couldn't join in, and kept walking onward after a moment before she could be tempted.

A little while later, after they'd inspected + sniffed some flowers, Yuki was holding her hand as she walked alongside her. A passerby with a dog soon came close: "Good afternoon, miss" he breathed, nodding to her. "Cute kids."

"Hear that?" she said gently to Ame and Yuki, "He thinks you're cute-"

"Woah! Woah boy!"

*bark! bark!*

Yuki reacted instinctively before Hana could stop her; the two-and-a-half-year-old got on all fours, and went 'Grr' right in the dog's face. Her gasp was too well hidden in the dog's whimper, hiding behind the man's feet while she quickly picked Yuki right up.

"I'm sorry!" she breathed quickly, a little panicked. "I'm so sorry!"

Quickly, Hana ran home as fast as she could - her haste drew attention for that reason, but still she worried they still might see Yuki's ears and her fur! Only when she made it home, close the door and lock it did she slump against the wall, completely relieved and panting a little. The squirming of her two children brought her out of it, and she quickly put Yuki down, the little girl confused and worried about her. Not wanting to worry her too much, Hana slowly touched Yuki's shoulder, trying for a little sincere smile.

It seemed to work, at least a little.

Hinting at the troubles they'll receive behind-the-scenes fairly soon... but this time, having our Wolfman's experience to help out through the montage of moments, and to prepare much earlier than in the movie.