Ivan was still resting past noon in the fur nest they had built in the main room. The mass of his tiger form was wrapped around Matthew's form, cradling him gently and keeping him in comfortable warmth. Matthew was sleeping soundly or at least, he had been until a hungry polar bear cub wandered out of his room to nip and nudge at his mother until he woke up. "Okay, okay. I'm awake, stop nipping." The young man yawns, turning his head and blinking at the cub sleepily.
Jiro stared at him, turned his head to look at the door, and then turned back to look at his mother expectantly. Matthew smiled a little and reached out, patting the cub on the head before rolling over to face him. After being nipped again by the impatient cub again, he smiled in amusement and sat up, his smile quickly vanishing at the unexpected pain that shot up his spine. "Merde." He swears under his breath, frowning softly the pain as he got to his feet and moved to get clean clothes from their room.
The tiger watched him, lifting his head to follow the boy with his gaze. Ivan wondered how Matthew would feel about what happened last night. They were both in a different state. Though he remember most of it and how much he had made sure not to bite or hurt him during it all.
Matthew got dressed slowly, frowning softly and wishing he had access to some painkillers right now. On top of the other pain, his shoulders were stiff and ached, presumably from him being pinned down. His mind was a little fuzzy, but he remembered most of what had happened last night and his cheeks turned a light pink as he thought about it while getting dressed.
There was no doubt that he'd definitely been out of it last night; he couldn't even begin to describe how weird it had been to suddenly feel like he was drunk, even though he knew he hadn't had any alcohol. Though he supposed it wasn't impossible that he'd been drunk on something else ...Pheromones perhaps? I do remember thinking he smelled really good last night...
Once he was fully dressed, he walked back out into the main room to get his boots on, trying not to limp too much or frown. Jiro watched him eagerly and when he was ready, he walked over to the door before looking back at Ivan. "Jiro's hungry, I'm going to take him over to Irunya now." The large tiger gave a small nod in reply; he would most likely follow after the young man after getting them all something to eat.
Jiro scampered out the door eagerly the second it was open and Matthew groaned softly, calling for the cub to wait for him as he left the house, closing the door behind him.
)*(
As he walked, Matthew watched Jiro dash a few feet ahead eagerly, turn and run back when he realized his mother wasn't keeping up, and then repeat his actions several times. While they walked, with it being so cold out, he could easily feel his face heating up as his thoughts turned back to last night.
While he had been out of it, he'd enjoyed it a lot; even if they had done it more times than he'd really wanted to. And despite the pain he was in, he knew he didn't regret last night happening in the slightest.
As he and Jiro approached Irunya and Mogens' den, he could see Irunya whimpering and pacing out in front of her den as two wolves sat in front of the door not letting her by. Jiro also noticed this and returned to walk beside his mother as they approached her. "Irunya?" Matthew asks once they'd reached her, a puzzled look on his face. "What's going on?"
She yelps and whimpered at him sharply before turning back to the other two wolves. {T-they're not letting me inside t-to see my pups...}
"They won't let you in?" He guesses.
{M-Mogens thought that one of them might be sick a-and went to get a healer... A-and I'm worried because they won't let me in. T-they're o-only barely a moon old!} Had she been in moon form she would be shedding tears and as her distress grew so did her panic.
At her obvious distress, he reached out and put a hand on her head lightly. "Calm down, okay?" He then removed his hand and turned to the wolves blocking the door, taking step towards the door to see what would happen if he tried to get closer.
The two wolves didn't even look his way, but they did feel at unease due to Ivan's strong scent on him. Matthew walked forward but when Jiro tried to follow, he shook his head and told him stay there. The cub didn't look pleased but stayed put, watching as his mother walked forward and stopped directly in front of the two wolves guarding the door.
One of the wolves looked up at him, but the two still sat in front of the door. He looked down, watching them for their reaction as he cautiously reached out and pushed the door open a crack. "Excuse me, could I get through please?" He asks politely.
Both lifted their heads and growled threateningly as their fur began to rise. Matthew frowned down at them but pulled his hand back. "There's no need to growl at me, just let me in."
One stood up and bared their teeth and started to snap at him. {Leave! It is not your place to enter!}
He frowned more and crossed his arms. "If you won't let me in, at least let Irunya in."
Someone bit the back of Matthew's clothes and tugged him back quickly before he got bitten by the wolves guarding the door. {I wouldn't do that if I were you.}
"Hey!" Matthew nearly fell over at the unexpected tug but regained his balance and turned to see who'd pulled him back. It turned out to be Mogens letting go, and he then turned to his distraught mate before she lost it and attacked one of the guards.
Matthew frowned and looked back and forth between the wolves at the door, and Irunya and Mogens for a few moments before walking back over to them, Jiro doing the same.
)*(
Mogens spent the next hour or so trying to keep Irunya calm but it was proving to be little use. She was beyond worried at this point. Normally no one else besides family got to see new born pups until the mother brought them out of the den for the first time. So having a healer come into the den to see them and having to kick the over-protective, first time mother out was a rare occurrence.
Matthew sighed and attempted to help calm Irunya as much as he could. He couldn't help but really hate the language barrier during the day though as he wondered why Irunya was being kept from pups who were definitely too young to be away from their mother this long. Jiro had been lying down and sulking by Matthew's side, waiting for Irunya to be calmer so he could nurse.
Ivan came walking up with his kill in his jaws not a moment later. He tilted his head in confusion at the healer's helpers in front of Mogens den.
{The healer's checking on one of the pups, they didn't look well this morning and weren't eating.} The father wolf supplied to his friend.
Jiro lifted his head up and was suddenly up and hurrying over to Ivan, nudging him and looking up at the meat hopefully. He'd only had it once before but it was definitely a food thing and he was hungry. Ivan blinked down at the cub. {Give me a moment and I'll tear you off some small pieces for you. I don't think your teeth are strong enough yet.}
Jiro sat down and looked up at him expectantly. {Hungry!}
Matthew smiled softly in amusement as he watched the exchange. Jiro was so eager for food after having been made to wait so many hours after he normally ate. Matthew was hungry as well but he was more patient and more focused on petting Irunya to try and keep her calm; though he didn't think he was helping her very much as she was still whining.
While Ivan tore off the smallest pieces he could to feed the cub, Jiro waited patiently until Ivan had given him some of the meat before eagerly starting to suck and nibble on it; though the cub grew bored not long after he'd eaten a little.
When the sun went down, Ivan was quick to change. "Matthew, I think you should know that Jiro said his first word." He hoped this would help lighten things up.
Matthew turned to look at the two of them in surprise. "Oh, really?"
He nodded with a smile. "Want to hear what it is?"
"Sure."
"Hungry." Ivan chuckled a bit.
Matthew chuckled a little as well. "Cute."
Ivan then looked to the wolves still guarding the door. "... How long have they been here?"
Mogens then decided to shift, knowing Matthew would want to know as well. "Since this morning."
Matthew looked up in surprise at this. "What?!" He knew they'd been there when he'd gotten there but he hadn't thought that they'd been there all day. He didn't look mad though, just like he couldn't believe it.
"Huh!? Why would they keep Irunya out for a whole day!? Your pups nurse often at this age, it's practically starving them." Ivan was in shock and anger.
"You think I don't know that?" Mogens growled lightly but stopped so he could keep his mate calm.
Ivan turned to growl at the two guards, whom flinched but did not moved. {I-it is not your place to interfere tiger. Nor anyone else, you know the rules.}
Matthew gave an annoyed groan. "Would at least one of you shift so I know what the heck you're saying?" He asks, standing up and turning to face them with a frown.
{Too bad for you outsider, you're not one of us so you shouldn't be here.} One growled. {I'd rather chase you out of the village than change in front of you whelp!}
"You watch your damn mouth, ingrate." Ivan hissed angrily. "I won't tolerate anyone speaking to my mate that way."
"I may not know what you're saying but I can tell when I'm being badmouthed." He says walking over probably closer than was safe and crossing his arms an annoyed look on his face. "If I could understand what you were saying I'd probably be more annoyed than I am now."
{Back off! Or I'll rip your throat out, freak!} They growled and bared their teeth. The other wolf was looking uneasy about all this.
{Y-you should calm down before you get in trouble.} They whispered to the other.
{Shut your yap! I ain't scared of him or the beast.} They snapped back at their partner.
Ivan didn't care what others called him, but his family was a different matter. Mogens spoke up before Ivan said anything. "That's enough! All of you. Matthew, just come and sit down. You better watch what you say. And Ivan, control your temper." He growled but remained calm and serious.
Matthew huffed and walked back a reasonable distance before turning back to look at the one that had bared their teeth at him. "If that was supposed to scare me, then it didn't work. Natalia was scarier the day I met her." He retorts with a sneer before walking back to the others, though he didn't look happy about it. He had originally been trying to ask them a question but they wouldn't shut up long enough for him to talk.
{Just because you're the son of the Alpha doesn't give you the title to order me around, little shit.} The one growled at Mogens. But then the door to the den started to open and the two were quick to get out of the way. Irunya was quick to her feet in hopes she could go back to her pups. An older woman stepped out with three pups in her arms, maybe more it was hard to tell.
"W-what are you doing with my pups?" Irunya asked running towards her before Mogens could do anything.
"Be calm, I'm taking them away." She said calmly and backed away so Irunya was out of reach. One of her assistants shifted to gently hold Irunya back.
"H-how do you expect me to be calm with that?! Give me back my pups!" She was enraged and filled with fear. Why was she taking her offspring!?
"Would you mind at least explaining yourself! You've kept my mate sitting out here all day without so much of a word of what was happening!" Mogens was also truly worried about what could have possibly happened to their pups.
"I think you owe them an explanation at least." Matthew spoke up as he walked over to them. "Even if they are sick, that's no excuse from keeping her from her pups all day. Especially when they need to be fed every so often." His expression and voice were both calm and even but he felt rather appalled that Irunya had been kept from her pups all day without explanation.
The healer gave Matthew a dirty look before turning to the couple. "Some of your pups are struck with an illness I haven't seen before. One has it very bad I'm afraid. The reason it took me so long is because I was trying to see if there was a way I could come up with a cure. When I found I could not figure it out on sight alone, I began to look over all the pups to see if others were showing signs."
"And?" Mogens asked since Irunya was in too much shock to speak at the moment. Though, he was not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"I'll be giving them a quick death, it's the best I can do for them now-"
"No! Give me back my pups you bitch!" Irunya howled and lunged at her with her teeth and claws. The one who was supposed to be holding her back was now overwhelmed with the task and needed aid from two others. Irunya just kept cursing, threatening to kill the female and struggled with the small group.
"Y-you can't be serious! W-what if it's just something that will pass over in time?" Mogens was in shock, how could this have happened? He should have just kept his mouth shut and it wouldn't have come to this.
Matthew couldn't keep his jaw from dropping or his eyes from widening as he heard the healer's words. Though he quickly moved out of the way of Irunya's lunge, a few moments later he carefully walked up to the healer. "Um, excuse me. But... could I take a look at them please...?" He asks tentatively, unsure how she'd react to him asking. "If it's not something you've seen before, it might be something I'm familiar with." He wasn't an expert on wolves by any means but there was a slight possibility that the pups may have caught something from himself or Jiro. It wasn't likely but if the healer had never seen it before it could be possible that he had.
"No. That bear of yours could have been the sole problem of this illness. You would only make it worse for them and I'd keep the bear away from Irunya if you want the last of her pups to survive." She glared at him slightly.
Matthew glared right back and took a step closer to her. "I know that it's likely that this my fault, but I also know that I know more about sicknesses that bears and moonchildren get than any of you do. So if they did get something from either of us, I might actually know what it is and how to treat it!" He growls out in annoyance. He usually wouldn't ever act aggressive towards someone who could kill him if they wanted to, but he absolutely refused to let her kill Irunya's pups if there was even a one percent chance that he knew what was wrong with them. "I'm trying to help if you'd just let me, instead of insisting that the only cure for something that you don't know about is to kill some of her pups!"
Truthfully, the fact that these were Irunya's pups wasn't his main issue. Even back in his own world, one of his biggest pet peeves was when anyone suggested that they kill an animal in their care when it could possibly be saved. Everything deserved a chance to live and get better; there was no excuse for killing anyone or anything when there was even a tiny chance that they could get better.
"I can't-"
"Let him try!" Mogens shouted and cut her off. "What's it to you anyway? In your mind, they're doomed already."
"As first time parents it is common for you to overreact, so I have to forgive you for your outbursts and immaturity on the matter. But that does not-"
"Give Matthew a chance, the cub did come with him. For all you know he could be right." Ivan looked at her seriously but calmly.
Matthew pressed his lips together in a thin line and took a breath to compose himself slightly. "Let me try, please." He asks through clenched teeth, holding a hand out for one of the pups with a serious look on his face.
"..." She did not like this idea at all, but she handed the boy one of the wiggling pups.
Mogens sighed in slight relief and went to calm Irunya down before she started to kill someone.
Matthew held the pup in one hand while examining it, a look of concentration on his face while he did so. A few minutes passed before he reached out and took one of the other pups from the healer, comparing it to the one he had already been holding.
He was completely focused on his task, likely intruding on the healer's personal space as he stepped closer to her in order to inspected the pups she was holding closely. The blond muttered to himself in French as he compared what was wrong with each pup and mentally went through a list of possible illnesses that they could get just by being around Jiro and himself.
After many long and tense minutes of concentration, his observations clicked together. "Oh." He exclaims softly, a look of recognition and mild surprise appearing on his face. "I believe I know what the issue here is but I need to compare them with the other pups to be completely certain." He says politely, now looking up at the healer. "I'd like take these pups into the den and compare them with the others now if you'll allow me to do so."
"You think you do, do you?" The healer said in disbelief.
"I am almost certain I do." Matthew replies seriously. "I just need to compare them to their siblings to be positive."
"And what of this illness spreading to the others? Keeping the sick with the healthy will do them no good."
"If I'm correct, it's not an illness that will spread to the others." He then arched an eyebrow at her. "Now are you going to let me compare all of these pups to the others or not? And if not, I'm going in anyway to compare the ones I'm holding to the others."
She turned away from him in annoyance and handed the pups back to Irunya, whom happily took them back, then hugged them protectively and growled at the healer as she walked away towards Matthew.
Matthew watched the exchanged quietly and smiled slightly when Irunya walked over. "If you'll let me in to see the others, I can confirm my thoughts on what's wrong and let you know."
"Thank you..." She whispered in his ear before taking the last two pups from Matthew and hurrying into her den.
Matthew let her take her pups but followed closely after her, following her into the room with her pups in it and crouching down, looking the other pups over but not picking any of them up.
He waited until she'd shifted into her wolf form and was nursing her hungry pups before he sat back on his heels and smiled at her. "They'll be just fine. These ones," He pointed out the ones the healer had been trying to take away. "Just need extra attention and care, and Jiro needs to stop nursing because these pups need the nutrients more than he does."
When she tilted her head, he reached out and pets her gently. "I'll explain it more in depth later, for now just relax and take care of your pup." He smiled softly and stood up, excusing himself before going back outside and motioning for Mogens to go on inside.
)*(
After Mogens had gone inside, Ivan places a hand on Matthew's shoulder and smiled down at him. "You did a great thing Matthew, I'm proud of you."
Matthew smiled back and shrugged a little. "I just couldn't stand by and let them die if I could do anything about it." He says modestly.
"I'm glad to hear that. Now let's get you your food ready." Ivan bent down and picked up the meat.
Matthew's stomach growled a moment later and he giggled a bit. "Good idea."
A couple hours later after he'd eaten and played with Jiro for a while he wanted to see how Irunya was doing. Ivan decided to join him as well. He hoped that she would be more stable now.
Matthew knocked on the door lightly before coming inside, Jiro following close behind him. Both Mogens and Irunya were in their room, but the door was open. Matthew walked over and knocked on that door lightly before peeking inside, the couple was in wolf form curled up around the litter. "Hey, how are you two doing now?"
Mogens lifted his head to greet them, though Ivan remained in the doorway. Matthew smiled a bit and came inside, crouching down nearby. "Are you two feeling better now?" He asks with a tilt of his head.
Mogens proceeded to softly lick his mate's head. {She'll be fine, still shaken up from it all.}
"I'm glad I was able to help." He says with a soft smile. "I wasn't sure if I could do much but I had to give it a try."
Mogens wagged his tail a little as he looked up at him. {I am very grateful for that Matthew and I hope you will have no troubles with your pups when they're born.}
Matthew smiled and pets both their heads affectionately for a moment before standing up and grabbing Jiro. "We'll let you two rest now." He says with a soft smile, giving a little wave and leaving them to rest after their long tiring day.
Jiro squeaked a bit in protest as Matthew started walking away. Why wasn't he getting milk now? Hadn't he been patient and waited all day for it? {Hungry!}
Matthew hushed him gently. "I know you're still hungry but you can't have any more of her milk, okay? It's really too early to wean you off it still but we can't help it; her pups need it more. We'll need to find some other way to get you plenty of proteins and vitamins." He says, talking to the cub as he left the den. "Maybe fish or something."
"Mogens sounds very happy thanks to you Matthew." Ivan smiled softly as they walked back into the main room. Matthew smiled and looked up, nodding in agreement.
"Would you two like to join me on patrol?" He asked.
"Sure."
"Do you have the harness on you or is it back at the den?"
Matthew checked in his pockets. "Um... here it is." He says, pulling it out of one of the pockets.
"Then let's go." He walked to the door and held it open for the boy. Matthew nodded and smiled, walking outside with Jiro following after, now sulking unhappily at not getting milk.
"I'll get you some bones for you when we get back Jiro." Ivan knew that the cub's teeth probably wouldn't be strong enough for him to crush it and eat. But the insides of the bone would be soft enough. He patted the cub's head before shifting.
Matthew helped Ivan get the harness on before getting on, holding onto the harness with one arm and Jiro with the other. Ivan started in a jog to get out of the village, once out he ran a little faster but made sure it wasn't too hard for Matthew to hold on.
Ivan ran for most of the patrol, walking when he needed a break. Matthew just enjoyed the ride, liking the breeze. The tiger also decided that on the way back he would stop at the hot springs. It had been a few weeks since the bear attack; he doubted that the bear was still around. Upon reaching the spot, Ivan stopped to let them off. It would be the first time Jiro was with them. Had the cub been swimming before, he wondered.
Matthew got off, Jiro in his arms, looking over the steaming waters in slight concern. Polar bears were naturally good swimmers so hopefully the cub wouldn't have too hard of a time.
Ivan tried to wiggle out of the harness without tearing it apart before Matthew went over and helped him take it off, returning it in his pocket for now. Ivan nodded to him in thanks before running out and jumping into the hot spring.
Matthew giggled and jumped back before he was splashed, he set Jiro down and stripped down to the nightgown layer and hopped in as well, resurfacing and turning back to Jiro. The cub walked to the water's edge and sniffed at it curiously, and then he sat down and batted at the water a little with his paw, watching how it rippled.
Matthew smiled a bit, watching Jiro closely and Ivan came up to the cub. {Come on, get on my back. I'll carry you around.}
Jiro tilted his head for a moment before going over and climbing onto the tiger's back curiously, interested in the wet stuff they were in. Ivan then paddled around in the water. He personally really liked swimming, almost as much as wrestling. Jiro watched curiously as he rode around on Ivan's back. Matthew smiled and swam around, watching the two of them contently.
Ivan let himself sink into the water more so Jiro was up to his elbows in the hot water. Jiro squeaked in surprise and bat at the water, splashing his feet in it a little. {It's alright Jiro, it won't hurt you.} Both of them chuckled at the little bear, Matthew watching as Jiro slowly got used to it and started playing with the water a bit more.
Jiro played and splashed about in the water for a while, enjoying hitting the water and watching the ripples from it. He played about in it for a while and watched Matthew swim for a moment before hopping into the water and imitating how Ivan had been swimming earlier.
Matthew's eyes had widened in surprise when Jiro hopped in but relaxed a moment later when the cub resurfaced and seemed to be doing okay with paddling around in the water. Well, polar bears were great swimmers, but Matthew still kept a close eye on Jiro, unsure how long the young cub would be okay in the warm waters.
Ivan shifted; his fur was wet anyway so his clothes would be soaked too, and relaxed in the waters. "He's a fast learner."
"He is. His kinds are also good swimmers to begin with so he should be fine. I just hope the warm water doesn't affect him too much. He's built for freezing waters, not warm ones." He says, watching Jiro with a look that practically screamed "worried mother".
Ivan laughed. "He'll be fine, temperature of the water doesn't affect how one learns to swim. He may just be a little surprised when he gets into colder waters. Jiro has a thick pelt so stop worrying Matthew."
"I'm not worried about him learning to swim. I'm worried about him getting overheated." Matthew pouted a little.
"Then we get out a little earlier. It's no big deal." He smiled and closed his eyes.
"Okay." He floated near Ivan, relaxing but keeping his eyes open to watch the swimming cub.
"... So how are you feeling?"
"Hm?" Matthew turned to look at Ivan for a moment. "Pretty relaxed, why?" He asks, tilting his head curiously.
"I'm relieved to hear that. I was deeply worried that I had hurt you..."
"Hm? Oh," He smiled a bit and swam closer to give him a reassuring nuzzle. "Nah, I'm fine." He says, eyes moving away to check up on Jiro.
Ivan opened his eyes and returned the nuzzle. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't be in heat for too much longer." He says softly.
"It's fine." Matthew murmurs back with a soft smile while Jiro swam over to them and nuzzled them both happily.
Ivan chuckled and picked up the cub. "I think... I could be happy with just adopting other offspring."
"Oh?" Matthew floated closer and nuzzled Jiro back making a pleased sound come from the baby animal. Ivan nodded and then handed the cub to his mother.
Matthew took Jiro and rested his head on Ivan's shoulder. While Ivan was surprised by the action, he still smiled softly and just enjoyed the moment.
)*(
About two weeks later Matthew wandered over to Irunya's to see how the pups were doing just after sunset, Jiro following close behind. Since Jiro had stopped drinking the milk, hopefully, the pups would be all well now. He knocked on the door and went inside. "Irunya?"
"I'm in the main room Matthew."
Matthew went into the main room with Jiro following behind him. "How are you?" He asks with a smile.
"A bit tired but good. How are you?"
"I'm good. How are the pups?"
"Doing better." She smiled weakly. "It's been rather scary since the healer was here..."
He walked over and sat down next to her and gave her a reassuring smile. "They'll be just fine. They have an excellent mother taking care of them after all."
Her smile grew for a moment before it dropped. "Sometimes... I'm not so sure."
"How come?" Matthew tilted his head with a confused and concerned look.
Irunya laughed a little. "I-I don't know... I just feel like it some days."
"Well I think you're a great mother." He says sincerely, leaning forward and giving her a reassuring hug.
She blinked a little in surprise and nuzzled him. "Thank you Matthew."
Matthew smiled and accepted the nuzzle before leaning back. "You're welcome."
"So how has Jiro been managing without milk?"
"Pretty well actually." He says with a smile. "He was sulking at first but now I think he's gotten used to the meat."
"That's good to hear, I was worried that it would have been too sudden for him to handle."
"So was I, but I think he's handled it pretty well."
"That's good. He should start growing pretty fast soon." She smiled.
Matthew smiled back. "I know. Soon I won't be able to carry him around." He says, petting the cub.
She started giggling. "That is true and maybe he'll learn how to change by the time he's ninety-six moon's old."
Matthew chuckled softly; trying to do the math in his head as to how old one would be at that many months. "Maybe."
"He will be a handsome man when he grows up won't he?" She smiled as she petted the cub's head. Jiro nuzzled her hand and Matthew smiled, nodding in agreement with her.
Mogens burst through the front door suddenly; he looked like a mess and was panting. "M-Mogens!?"
Matthew started in surprise, turning to look at Mogens. "Is something wrong?" He asks in alarm.
"M-Matthew, oh thank the goddess your here. Ivan was worried where you had gone. But stay here, it's safest." He breathed out in relief.
"W-what's going on?"
"The bear from last time, he's near the village."
"How did it get so close?" Matthew's eyes widened in alarm.
"My father is saying it followed Ivan back from patrol."
"Ah, I see." He says with a frown. "Well, I'll stay here until it's safe to come out then."
He nodded. "Both of you stay here." Then Mogens ran back out, slamming the door shut, but Irunya seemed to be frozen with fear.
Matthew put a hand on her shoulder lightly. "Irunya?"
She jumped. "Y-yes...?"
"Why don't we go wait in the room your pups are in?" He suggests gently, speaking in a calm tone. "So you can stay with them while we wait for Ivan and the others to get rid of the bear." He says, standing up and offering a hand to help her up as well.
She nodded and took the hand. "Y-yes that sounds like a good idea..."
He helped her up and gently ushered her and Jiro into the room, closing the door behind them.
)*(
It felt like hours had past as Irunya listened to the howls of wolves fighting. She tried to keep her mind off things and give her young a bath. Matthew sat by the door of the room, petting Jiro and listening to the fighting worriedly.
When it did stop, she didn't stop worrying and strained her ears to listen for anything. What had happened? Did they kill the bear or had it run off? Was everyone okay? Was Mogens or Ivan all right?
Matthew waited a few minutes before standing up. "I'm not leaving the den. I just want to take a peek outside the front door to see if I can figure out what happened." He says calmly looking back at Irunya. "Stay here, okay?"
"N-no, I'm coming too!" She stood up as well.
Matthew shook his head. "No. Stay here please. I'll be right back." The female wolf stubbornly shook her head and Matthew sighed in defeat. "Fine." He sighs, opening the door to that room and walking over to the front door.
She followed him out of the room and kept her ears perked to listen for any signs. Matthew opened it up enough to peek out of it and see what was going on.
A few wolves ran by and a faint shouting could be heard; it had to be close by. Irunya though, suddenly gasped and threw the door open. She tripped a little as she ran out. "No, this can't be happening!"
"Wait!" Matthew reached out and caught her before she fell, keeping a hand on her arm. "Irunya, where are you going? What's going on?"
"To where the bear is! Something has happened to Natalia and Ivan is in trouble!" She pulled from his hold and kept running.