Chapter 34: Pups of Satisfaction (written on October 20th, 2015)
"Hey. Are you okay?" Eve asked, sitting down next to me. I continued to face the den floor. In another room of the den, I heard Kate screaming in pain. I could smell and hear the doula next to her. Surprisingly, all of it fazed me. Normally, someone wound be happy for the birth of the pups, but in Kate's case it was nothing but pain that entered my mind, for these were not my pups to be proud of.
"I'm fine Eve."
"Why do you do this, Humphrey? You're ma—"
"We are not mates!" I yelled. "Not yet thanks to... him."
"Don't say that... What Matt said doesn't matter. You are going to be the father of those pups whether you like it or not! Do you really think that Northerner is gonna come back to take care of his pups or... say he's sorry? No! Do your duty, Humphrey. When fate speaks, you respond righteously! Answer this: is it worth giving those pups no father at all?" I came to a realization; the one Eve wanted me to come across.
I came into the room with Kate and the doula who was Claws which I just noticed now. I was surprised to see an Eastern at a Western pack healers' den.
"Long time, no see," she said, slightly smiling. Her attention quickly focused back on Kate as she was grunting in abdominal stress.
"How are you?" I asked politely.
"Good. Thanks for asking. In case you're wondering, I'm here because the pack healers' den at the East is being inspected by health officials appointed by Tony."
"Interesting."
"Kate here is doing okay. Her contractions are currently in play and it may any moment before the first pup appears."
"How many do you reckon is in her?"
"Um... I'm going to say at least five."
"My goodness..." I slapped my forehead.
"There could be more, possibly a runt or two. I'm not too sure. You can never be too sure when a she-wolf has a belly this big, one of the biggest I've ever seen in fact." This scared me. Five pups alone were hard enough to take of and provide attention. Imagine what a runt or two would do to me let alone them.
"Humphrey. May I speak to you?" asked Kate. I came to her side. Her back was on an incline on the floor. Her back legs spread out so the doula could do her job. According to the size of her belly, I didn't think Kate could actually see her own back legs. In a sense, it was kind of convenient for her.
"Yes, sweetie?" I laid my left front paw on top of her belly. She got up a bit and kissed me. We held together for a few minutes before decided to speak.
"I love you, honey."
"I love you too."
"I promise when this is all over, we will finally get married."
"Guys! Guys!" said Claws. "One of them is coming!" I came to where she was and saw it. Kate began grunting, pushing the first one out. When it came, I blushed in excitement. A type of excitement I have never felt before.
Moments later, a second one came, and then... that was it, not even kidding.
"Push Kate!" Claws ordered.
"I am!" she responded. Nothing came. A couple of minutes passed.
"We... We need help! She can't get the rest of them out!"
"No!" said Claws. "That is it. Kate, is your pain gone?"
"Well, um... yes," she answered. Claws nodded to me. I understood. It looks like Kate was actually gaining weight after all. The rest of her belly was fat. I sighed in relief. Thank goodness five or more pups were out of the equation.
"Can I have look at them?" Kate asked Claws.
"Certainly." She grabbed them with her muzzle by the scruff and carried them over to her. I came back to Kate's side.
"Oh, my... These pups are gorgeous."
"They sure are," I agreed. They really were.
"The white one," Claws informed, "is a girl, and the light grey one is a boy." The male pup's fur had the exact same color as the piece of fur that was at den 23. After that, I tried not to think about it. Right now, there was no place for it. The pups were what mattered.
Soon after, we hugged and even kissed them, Claws put them to Kate's teats where they could feed. Eve then returned with Winston who congratulated us both. He promised that we would get married tomorrow as soon as possible, but then Kate refused, saying there was no need for a grand wedding and that we should do it now real quick. We did. And for a time, I began to actually feel satisfied with life... which I thank my loving mate for.