The different seasons had come and gone, Winter giving way to Spring. The sun shone high, its rays beaming down in the reflection of the lake. A pair of red foxes wandered around with the female snapping at her concerned mate in agitation, common with a close to whelping mother. Flashes of black, gold and gray spooked the foxes, causing them to yip in surprise and bolt. The sounds of arguing arose, followed by a snarl and a series of yelps.
"I swear if you two boys don't stop it, so help me, I will send you right back to the den and have Sakura deal with you. I just hope, for your sake, that she is not in a mood," a large black-furred male wolf growled, onyx eyes narrowed as they gazed at a pair of 2 year olds. Both young wolves, one with gray fur and the other with gold fur, flinched and pinned their ears back when their Alpha's and the gray wolf's mother's name was given.
"We're sorry Sasuke-ji! We will be good!" the young golden-furred male stuttered, turning to glare at his companion who snickered.
"Boruto. Don't worry about it. Papa won't do it because he doesn't want to cause Mama any stress. Especially now," the gray-furred male said, glancing at his Alpha father who studied him closely.
"Hn. You are right, Mamoru. But why do you say 'especially now'? There seems to be something about your mother that I don't know. Right?" Sasuke asked, looking at his son curiously. Mamoru, who now stood as tall as his father, turned his eyes to the older black wolf and smirked.
"Sorry Papa. I'm not telling. Ask Mama," Mamoru barked before loping away, Boruto at his hocks.
"Damn pup. He knows something. Oh well. I will find out soon enough. Best catch up to those brats before they scare away any prey," Sasuke huffed, loping after the 2 year olds.
Sasuke, now 5 winters, loped through his territory. Two years had passed, with little change in Pack dynamics. The members who had gone their separate ways two years before still visited often, be it to hunt, catch up or introduce their pups of that year to their old Alphas. The previous year the Pack tragically lost four of their oldest members. Kushina had been killed by rouge wolves, Minato losing his own life trying to protect his mate and Sasuke's territory. Their sons, Naruto and Kakashi, had discovered their bodies while on patrol a few days after their death. They still grieved to this day. Jiraiya had been shot by a poacher, Tsunade passing not long after due to depression at losing her mate and best friend.
The pack's pups where now 2 years old, all healthy and strong. Arashi was a little taller than his mother, Sakura, with heavy bones and a lean build. He was a loyal and loving wolf, affectionate with his mother and his mate, Rina. Mamoru had a tall yet stocky build. He is a good hunter and extremely protective of his mother and sisters. Sarada and Amara where built like Sakura, lighter boned and a lean yet strong frame. Amara was still as playful and friendly as when she was a small-pup, prone to pranking her pack-mates. Sarada was friendly yet aloof, only showing emotion when in the presence of her parents and Boruto.
The large black-furred male shook his head when he came up on Boruto, who had somehow managed to run into a sticker bush. Mamoru stood a wolf's-length away, his lips pulled back in a grin and his tail wagging in amusement. The gray-furred male glanced at his father, who had stopped to pull the golden-furred male out of the brush before turning to study the elk herd that had just appeared. Boruto huffed a "Thanks" before sitting next to Mamoru, who watched as his friend kept glancing in the direction of the Pack's den in concerned agitation.
Right when Sasuke was about to lope after a severely injured elk the sounds of howling caught his attention, making him freeze. The black-furred Alpha knew what it meant, having given that same message the past two Springs himself. Onyx eyes turned to Naruto's carbon copy who was whining and fidgeting anxiously, wanting desperately to race off in the direction of the den. Growling, Sasuke grabbed Boruto by the scruff and rolled him on his back in warning before flashing away, causing the young wolf to scramble to his paws and race after the older wolf, Mamoru at their hocks.
The three wolves raced into the den-site an hour later, with the younger males' jaws open with tongues lolling out and chests heaving as they struggled to breath. Sasuke stood beside them, not even winded from flashing quickly through the forest. Sakura was the first to greet them, whining excitedly while licking Sasuke's muzzle. Sasuke smiled softly and nipped his beloved mate, growling when he noticed Boruto approach the den. Sakura glared half-heartedly at Sasuke before trotting over to Boruto, giving the anxious male the go-ahead.
Keeping a wary eye on the older male Boruto cautiously approached the den, flopping down at the entrance. The sounds of whimpering and high-pitched squeals caught his attention, causing him to tilt his head curiously with pricked ears. He slowly crawled inside, stopping immediately at the low warning growl. Sky blue eyes widened at the sight before him. Sprawled on her side with eyes closed tiredly was Sarada. Her tail thumped the ground softly with an ear turned toward her belly, where 5 newborn pups nursed.
"Easy, Sarada. It's just me," Boruto said softly when the smaller black-furred female's eyes shot open with her ears pinned to her neck and a loud snarl escaping her throat. The haze that covered her eyes slowly disappeared and Sarada lowered her lips, whining an apology.
"Hello, Darling. I'm glad you are back," Sarada woofed softly, tired from the long labor and aching from the powerful contractions that had racked her body since the sun rose. She placed her head back on the ground, letting out a content sigh.
"You did well, my love. I am proud of you. I am sorry that I couldn't be here to comfort you while you were in pain. But your father thought it best that I not be here. I guess he didn't want my anxiety to cause any complications," Boruto replied, remembering how the Alpha had practically dragged him by the scruff (struggling and howling like a scolded pup) into the forest while his mate and the Alpha's daughter put all her energy into delivering the litter. Boruto sighed, moving closer and licking Sarada between the ears affectionately.
The young golden-furred wolf studied the newborn pups with bright blue eyes, tail wagging happily. He let out a soft laugh when one of the pups wriggled on top of a littermate, only to end up on its back with a squeal of protest. He gently nosed the pup to its belly before licking each pup lovingly. The litter consisted of 4 females and 1 male. Two of the females were a reddish-gold color. The third female had a black head with a dark silver body. The last female was a snow white color with a Cherry Blossom colored diamond shape on her forehead. The male was jet black, just like his mother and grandfather.
"What should their names be?" Boruto asked, placing his head on his paws as he watched the newborns adoringly.
"The white female with the diamond will be Saki. The reddish-gold females are Asuna and Sora. The black and silver female is Hana. The little boy that looks like Papa is Raiju (Thunder Beast)," Sarada said, carefully standing to go outside. The pups whimpered, protesting the loss of their mother's warmth before eventually falling asleep in a pile with milk-filled bellies.
"Saki and Hana. For our mothers?" Boruto asked as he backed out of the den, followed by Sarada. The new mother dipped her head, smiling softly.
As soon as the new parents emerged from the den they were greeted by the sight of the pack playing and racing around. A bark caught Sarada's attention, making her turn to see her beautiful and graceful mother trot over. Sakura nuzzled her daughter affectionately, placing a white paw on her back and licking her face. Sarada whined like a pup, nipping her mother's chin. A low growl followed by a surprised yelp made the mother and daughter turn to see Sasuke sitting on a whimpering Boruto with his lips pulled back in a smirk.
"Teme! Stop picking on Boruto! You have been torturing the poor boy ever since you found out that he got Sarada pregnant! I don't see you doing that with Shinha, who has been following Amara around since she came back," Naruto barked, flicking an ear and wagging his tail in amusement.
"Like you have the right to talk, Dobe. This pup is just like you. As for Shinha, I don't have to worry about anything. I'm glad that at least one of your pups took after Hinata. However, I bet the liver of the next elk that Hinata is pregnant," Sasuke said, opening his powerful jaws in a yawn before turning his head to lick the fur on his shoulder. The older male ignored the struggling of the young wolf that he was sitting on.
"Well, I bet its heart that Sakura-chan is pregnant again! She's been more aggressive than usual. Plus she has gotten fat," Naruto grinned, sky blue eyes widening once he realized what he had said. He slowly turned his head, coming muzzle to muzzle with narrowed green eyes and a flash of fangs. The golden-furred Beta yelped and ran, crying out with fangs dug into his tail. Sasuke smirked and stood to let Boruto up, knowing that the pup's father was about to get a beating.
"Oh now he's done it," Kakashi said, sitting next to the lounging Itachi. Rin lay beside her friend, with a sleeping Obito next to her with his muzzle buried into the soft fur of her pup-filled belly. The pair was expecting their first litter.
"That idiot will never learn. I remember when Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were little. Naruto would say something insulting on accident. I can't remember how many times that I would either come back from a hunt or patrol to find he getting his rear beaten by Sakura because of it," Itachi said, letting out an amused huff and shaking his head.
The pack watched as their goofy Beta raced around the clearing with his tail tucked to his belly and his ears pinned to his neck, trying to out-run the enraged Cherry Blossom-furred Alpha. Howls of laughter and barks of "Get that idiot!" made Sakura increase her speed. Noticing Sakura gaining on him Naruto let out a terrified scream, yelling "I'm Sorry! I'm Sorry!" to try and deter her pursuit. Wanting to join in and make things easier for his mother, Mamoru and his friend Shinha jumped in front of the Beta, making him trip and tumble head over tail before falling into the lake with a loud SPLASH!
"Thank you boys. That was more fun than I've had in a long time. Oh and by the way, Darling. Both Hinata and I are pregnant and due to whelp any day. So the heart and liver go to us," Sakura laughed, trotting up to Sasuke and licking his chin before flopping on her side next to him to sleep. Hearing what his Beloved had said, Sasuke collapsed next to her in a daze. Naruto, who was making his way out of the lake, heard what Sakura had said and fainted, rolling back into the water. Their packmates laughed at the antics of their Alpha and Beta.
"You already knew. Didn't you, boy?" Sasuke grumbled, lifting his head to look at his smiling gray-furred son.
"Mama only told me, Sarada, Amara and Arashi. She said that she wanted you to figure it out without any help. Even though we are excited to have little siblings we didn't want to tell you. Sorry Papa," Mamoru grinned sheepishly, flopping down next to his parents and pressing against his sleeping mother.
"That's so like her. Sneaky bitch," Sasuke growled, onyx eyes soft as he gazed down lovingly at his beautiful mate.
"Papa, I wish that I could stay out here longer. But I need to go back in the den," Sarada woofed softly, lowering her head to nuzzle her father.
"Go to your pups, my sweet little girl. Sleep well," Sasuke said, taking his daughter's muzzle gently in his jaws to reassure her. He smiled softly as his jet black daughter disappeared into the den.
Naruto, having finally gotten out of the lake, flopped down next to his mate and lay his muzzle on her paws. His tail wagged in his sleep, dreaming of his lovely Hinata and of playing with the pups that she will soon whelp. Boruto lay sprawled at the den entrance, ears picking up the sounds of sleepy whimpers and his tail thumping the ground happily. The rest of the pack had long since fallen asleep, tired from play and the excitement that arises with the birth of new pups.
Sasuke gazed around one last time before placing his head on Sakura's shoulder and curling around her protectively. He could still barely believe that five years had come and gone. In those years he had been reunited with his Beloved Sakura, mating with her and being blessed with two beautiful litters of pups (their third litter being due any day). They shared the joys and sorrows that came with being parents. They had been charged with many obstacles and had plowed right through them with ease. Their unconditional love for each other and the love of the pack kept everyone together. And now a new chapter was upon them. Sasuke and Sakura's lives were being fulfilled to completion with their new roles of "Grandparent" being added to their title as Alphas. Sasuke and Sakura wouldn't have it any other way and they wouldn't change their lives for the world.
It happened when the full moon hit the top of the night sky. Sakura slowly opened her emerald green eyes, having sensed something. She lifted her gaze, before her stood the shadowy figures of four wolves that she thought she would never see again. A male with red fur and brown eyes stood next to a white female with blue eyes. Beside them stood two black wolves, a large male and a smaller female. The Cherry Blossom-furred female carefully her head, as to not wake the sleeping Sasuke.
"Sakura. We are sorry to have died too soon and have left you at such a young age. Not a day has passed that we haven't thought of you. Over the years we have watched you grow from a shy adorable small-pup into a powerful Alpha and a beautiful loving mother. Your father and I will always love you and be with you in spirit. We couldn't be more proud of you than we are," the white-furred female said, lowering her muzzle and touching her daughter's cheek. Her mate smiled softly.
"My darling Sakura. Thank you for taking such good care of my boys. Sasu-chan wasn't the same playful pup after you disappeared when you were small. But then you returned, giving us so many beautiful grand-pups, and we saw him turn back to the same loving pup that I remember giving birth to. So I want to thank you for loving him and making him and Itachi happy again. So please, tell Sasuke and Itachi that we love them and will always be with them, even though they can't see us anymore. My lovely Saku-chan, we will always be with you as you have always been like a daughter to us since you and Sasu-chan were babies. We love you. Farewell," the black-furred female said, licking Sakura's muzzle lovingly.
"I will give them your final message. I will forever love and miss you. Mama, Papa, Fugaku, Mikoto. Farewell," Sakura replied, her emerald green eyes blurred as tears flowed down her cheeks. The four wolves smiled softly. They lifted their muzzles to the night and let out a chorus of ghostly howls, their shadowy bodies fading away in the wind as their howls echoed before also fading into nothingness.