35
The Wolfing was topside, running with the wind.
It felt so alive, so damned huge and invincible.
The snows had been hard and the winter had changed the entire landscape so it resembled some movie set for Siberia or something, a tree poking out, the river cutting a swathe as it had not yet frozen over.
The Wolfling heard a bird call in the distance and slowed the rhythm to listen, interested it turned and began to head that way.
Not a bird.
A cat?
It slid down the embankment, those huge feet leaving indents in the snow, such deep drifts of snow. The Wolfling skidded to a halt at the bottom and listened again.
There.
The huge bulk moved towards a copse of trees, senses tingling as it neared and the cry came again.
The Wolfling moved with inhuman speed, the unnatural grace of it's heritage as it not only ran but seemingly flew across the snow where the baby lay cold and naked, little limbs pumping as it railed against the world.
Hope woke.
She lay in her bed panting, realising with horror that she had to go to the loo and she rushed from the bed for the bathroom area, banging into her baby brother.
"Sissy" he whispered, "I wet me bed."
"That dream again?" she asked and he nodded morosely, still not telling her what he had dreampt that had woken him every night for the last week.
"I had one too" she admitted, "Second night in a row. A baby."
"Out in the snow" he finished for her, his eyes dark, almost black in the dim light of the bathroom.
She stared at him for a few moments and sighed.
"Well, shit."
.
.
.
.
.
Ianto turned as his children entered and he canted his head, a crying baby slowly winding down in his arms.
Jack moved in the bed to let them both in, looking over at Ianto with surprise as he watched the children clamber in and he frowned, Ianto moving back to the bed where he handed the now calm baby back to her dam.
"What's happening pups?" he asked softly as he slid in to cuddle his daughter and Dean kissed his baby sister.
"Bad dreams Tadda" Hope said with large eyes, "Bad dreams about the poor cold baby."
"In the snow" Ianto whispered, his frown deepening and he looked over at his son who was nodding.
A noise in the doorway had them turning to see Frank looking for his bed mate, his frown deep as he had been annoyed to wake alone in a damp bed and Ianto smiled as he lifted the covers to let the wee weevil in.
Jack looked over at Ianto and frowned, "What is it? You are all dreaming the same? Babe?"
"I need to see Owen" Ianto said softly, "This has been happening for more than a week. I thought yesterday I could hear it while actually awake up there. I have been wondering and I really am not too sure."
"Are you telling me you are in pup?" Jack suddenly sat up.
"I don't know. I mean, I always felt it with these ones but it's…maybe it's too soon, or it's one that has already slipped and it's saying goodbye" Ianto whispered, "I have not felt one stick, I wasn't trying for one."
"A miscarriage?" Jack asked.
Ianto shrugged, "Maybe. I don't know. I was going to see Owen tomorrow anyway."
"Well, today now" Jack said strongly, "You will go, right?"
"Yes" Ianto promised as the babies settled to sleep, finally calmed.
.
.
..
Owen stood and showed the screen to Ianto and he looked at the small spark, barely even there.
"Crazy" Ianto said softly, "Not even fourteen weeks is it"
"No, you have only just fallen in mate" Owen nodded, "Maybe ten? Shit, like…it's passing through and deciding if it wants to stay."
Ianto suddenly sat upright with horror, "Shit. I was supposed to take a long run today, Sean went instead."
Owen considered and then turned to call to Tosh, "Hon. Call Sean back, tell him there might be danger out there today."
Tosh made a noise of agreement and called it on, the sound of the large Cat re-entering the cave system heard as Ianto hastened towards the motor pool.
Sean stepped down from the track of the Cat with wide eyes and a pale face, "Shit. I got that call and turned back, we were moving along the ridge when an avalanche happened. Jesus, it took the entire embankment down to the water. The river is raging. If I hadn't stopped to listen to Tosh I might have been washed away."
"And if I had been with you I would have been running ahead along the riverbank" Ianto agreed, smiling as his hands went to his stomach, his pup not even fully formed yet strong enough to warn of danger. It had just saved them both.
This one was going to be something special.
It already had the bond locked in.
Proven as Jack slammed in with his eyes wide followed by the hysterical kids, "Ianto?"
Ianto's beaming smile told Jack all he needed to know and he laughed as he did a happy dance.
Little Rose bounced about in her Daddy's chest and rolled her eyes.
Gods, it's just another baby not even a doggie or something cool.