To those waiting for TSHJ 2, it's going to be pushed back a little more. I know you think it's important, but I can only write two stories and publish them regularly. Besides, Wolf Stories Beta has been on hiatus for a while now and I really want to get to late winter in it.

Skaa:

I lay on my side to watch my week old hatchlings chirp and chase one another. The storm has devastated our territory, many brave raptors were lost due to the collapse of the jungle trees. Alpha has moved most of our numbers, yet so many remain in the destruction of our old home. We now reside in the plains, away from the obliterated area we use to claim.

Today is the first day that my beta duties can be ignored. For the past week I've been marking our new territory by scratching trees, and pissing on them to claim it. My mother allowed her male betas to do this job; I'm the only male beta. My sleep pattern is pretty fucked up as well.

I had to get up in the middle of the night just to go piss on a tree a mile from the heart of our territory. My hatchlings have learned to communicate properly, and began begging me to play. I'm too tired to play with my girls, and I have duties to attend to. Correction, had, had duties to attend to.

Nara has grown enough to where she wants to play with the other younglings. She particularly loves playing with a specific male. Hopefully it only will be a friendship. I can't bare the thought of any of my girls having a clutch. What am I going on about? They'll grow, as I have.

"Daddy, can I go play with Farada?" Nara chirps with an innocent smile, "We're wanting to play tag today."

I nod to my oldest daughter, chirp my goodbye to her, and close my eyes to catch up on my sleep. Do you know what it's like waking up to go mark your territory while you're in a deep sleep? I hope you wouldn't. It sucks the will to do anything from you.

"Dad!" Aiyana screeches, forcing me to open my eyes, "Malakai bit me!"

Damn, I was so close. Looking at my grey and green patterned daughter. She has her tail wrapped around her body, and slightly trembling. I release a deep breath and lift Malakai from her other sister, Astral. She whines and attempts to escape my jaw.

"Daddy, am I in trouble?" my yellow and grey striped daughter asks with innocence and bobbing her head to seem even more innocent.

"Yes, you are in trouble." I groan in pleasure as my neck pops from sleeping upside down on a rock, "You hurt your sister; now you have to stay here for a while."

"When's Mom coming back?!" all three of my hatchlings whine and snuggle against me, "We're hungry!"

Blue went hunting with the others to acquire skill if she ever was alone. She is also bringing down a meal with my brother, my mother, and fifteen other hunters. Hopefully not too much longer. We have over a hundred mouths to feed. And the young ones eat first, if they have teeth strong enough to pierce the hide.

"Who wants to hear a story?!" I ask loud enough to be heard over their chirping.

They fall silent and snuggle together to listen to whatever tale I have for them today. I've told them the story of the Neera, the Prophet, the Talon, and the Nomads. All are legends about our species surviving through the war and plagues. We have so few stories. Quick, make something up!

"Once, there was this rather handsome beta with a red stripe traveling down his sides." They gasp and then look at me.

"That's you, Daddy!" Astral chirps excitedly and motions for her siblings to look at my sides, "That's you! You're the beta!"

Chuckling at her surprise, I continue telling the story, "He was strong; brave; fearless, and quite the charmer."

"You're dead!" someone screeches and headbutts me with enough force to be considered a baby three-horn.

My first instinct is shriek like a coward. So much for fearless. Now that I think about it, I just shrieked like a hatchling, but not a weekling, more like a new hatched one. My girls hopefully panicked and hid.

"Auntie Niki!" my girls shrill and the deep laughter of said female vibrates the ground.

Shit! I haven't slept since I woke up, and I'm getting terrorized by her child/seed. Kid's a week and a half old, and he's already half my height.

"Uncle Skaa, you scream like a female." Niki's child laughs at my cowardice before being greeted with the gaze of four unhappy females, "Sorry. But It's true! He does!"

I roll to my feet and slink by the much taller Niki. She lowers herself to my height and our offspring run off to play. The crimson eye is staring right at me and all the joy behind it is evident.

"You do scream like a female." She smiles towards me, "Maiyun was right. Even in heat we're not that way."

"You told him to do that, didn't you?" I grumble, upset that I was humiliated in front of my hatchlings before realizing what she said, "I do not scream like a female! You scream like a female!"

The ground vibrates with her laughter again. I just said that she screams like a female, even though she is one. You're fucking stupid, Skaa. Of course she would. Today sucks.

I huff and turn away from her, but she whimpers in pain. My eyes immediately lock onto to her. Several red feathers stick out from her hide. She is asleep. Humans!

Lifting my head to call for the pack to defend themselves, I bark once and fall silent. Pain comes from my neck and side. Red feathers! No! My hatchlings have never dealt with humans! I must protect them with my life. I… must…

Fuck yeah! Mitch Lucker said it best, in Slaves to Substance.