Cody's POV
I was woken the next morning from the sun shining through the mesh window of the tent. I rolled over and opened my eyes to see Lilly and the kids still sound asleep. I smiled and gently kissed her forehead, making her purr in her sleep and smile. I carefully got up so I didn't wake them and opened the tent, stepping out and leaving it open for them.
I stretched out and yawned before walking over to get a fire going. I tossed some wood from a pile into the pit and lit it, the flames quickly building. I went over to the car and got a cooler down, pulling the eggs and some bacon out along with a frying pan from the back of the car. I took them back over to the fire and sat down next to it, starting to cook breakfast.
While I was cooking, Dakota stepped out of the tent and stretched out before smelling the food cooking. "Morning, Dad!" He said, smiling. I was too and said "Morning, son. Hungry?" He nodded and said "Kinda. Eggs, I take it?"
"Yep. It'll be done in about ten minutes or so." I said. He nodded and said "Sounds good! I'll be right back." He turned around and started to walk over to the woods when he stopped and said "Oh, Dad?"
I looked up at him and he said "I heard you two last night." I clearly blushed and he started laughing as he walked away. I sighed and said "Great...Lilly's gonna be pissed..."
"About what?" I heard her ask, scaring me. "Good god, Lilly! Must you do that!?" I asked, smiling. She giggled and said "Sometimes...So, what am I gonna be pissed about?"
"Dakota said he heard us talking last night..." I said, weakly smiling. She blushed a little too and said "Oh, crap...Well, he does know we love each other. And I'm sure he knows what a couple in love DO..."
"Yeah, true...I'm sure he understands." I said, kissing her cheek. She smiled and leaned against me a little while I cooked. About then, Dakota came back and blushed when he saw Lilly. "Uh...Hi, Mom..." He said, looking down at his paws as he sat down.
"Morning, honey!" She said, smiling at him. He didn't say anything, but just kept staring down at the ground. "So...You heard us last night, huh?" She asked. He chuckled a little and said "Yeah, I did...Sorry, guys..."
"No, it's fine. Besides, it's not like it's a huge secret, you know." She said. He nodded and looked up at us, saying "Yeah, you're right there. I just never expected you two to...discuss it while Lupa and I were nearby."
"It's okay. Someday, you'll have a wife and kids and they'll hear you both talking about the same thing." I said, chuckling. He blushed and said "Dad, really!?" Lilly laughed and said "Well, it's the truth!" He just sighed and rolled his eyes, laying down next to the fire.
I got up and walked over to the tent, stepping in and gently shaking Lupa awake. "Hey, Lupa...Breakfast time!" I said, smiling. She yawned and opened her eyes, looking up at me and smiled. "Morning, Daddy! I'll be out in a minute!" I nodded and stepped back out, walking back over and sitting next to Lilly. I divided the food up between us all and set a plate down for Lupa when she came out.
She did a few minutes later and sat down to eat while we all talked about how nice the park was or what we should do while we were there. About ten minutes later, we all finished eating, so I tossed the plates in the firepit.
"That was good, Dad!" Dakota said, smiling. I was too and said "Thanks! I know it's nothing special, but it's easy." Lilly leaned against me again and said "So, when are we leaving?"
"In a little bit. Let's wait for Eve, Kevin and Naomi to get here before we go." I said. She nodded and a few minutes later, Naomi came running over and tackled Lupa, making her scream. "Naomi! What're you doing!?" Lupa yelled, trying to push her off. Naomi giggled and said "Good try, but you lose!"
They kept playing for a little while until Eve and Kevin finally walked up. "Wow, she's fast! Left us about a half mile back there..." Eve said, smiling. Lilly giggled and said "Hey, she was excited!" They sat down next to the fire and I said "So, how'd you guys sleep?"
"Oh, just great! Best sleep in a while!" Eve said, giving a sly smile. Dakota noticed and said "Really? You guys, too?" They looked over at him and Kevin said "What do you mean?" He gestured to Lilly and I and Eve sighed, saying "Really, you two? I swear, you're like rabbits...Why would you do that with them around?"
"Mom, don't worry, we didn't. Just...discussed it while we THOUGHT they were asleep." Lilly said, blushing a little. Kevin smiled and said "Oh, really? Well, what was the verdict?" Eve gasped and said "Honey! That's kinda personal, don't you think!?"
Kevin chuckled and said "I'm only joking, Eve...I don't really need to know. So, what's the plan for today?" I smiled and "If you guys wouldn't mind keeping an eye on the kids, Lilly and I need to run up the road for a water bowl. They're going out for a little while with a couple wolves they met yesterday. We'll be back by noon, I promise."
"Yeah, no problem! I'm sure Naomi wants to make up lost playing time as well." Eve said, smiling. About then, Dakota got up and went over to join Naomi and Lupa and started wrestling with them. After a half hour or so, I looked at my watch and it was almost 9AM.
"Woah, we gotta go if we're gonna be back by noon!" I said. Lilly nodded and said "Okay. Sorry to leave you guys, but I don't want Cody going back by himself after what happened yesterday." Eve nodded and said "It's alright, we understand. We'll see you guys soon!"
"Thanks, guys! Dakota, Lupa, come here for a second!" I said, getting their attention. "Yeah, Dad?" They asked as they came over. "Mom and I gotta go now, so Eve and Kevin are in charge. Don't irritate them, okay?" I asked, smiling. They nodded and Lilly and I hugged them and she said "Okay, you two. We'll be back soon, we promise!" After we let them go, we went over to the car and got in, driving off.
Dakota's POV
"So, what do you guys wanna do for a while?" I asked Lupa and Naomi. Lupa shrugged and said "I don't know...How about we play hide-and-seek?" Naomi nodded and said "Sounds good to me!"
"Okay, come on! We should play in the woods so we can hide better." Lupa said and we ran off to the trees. "So, who starts?" I asked. "Well, since it was my idea, you two pick a number between one and ten. Closest one starts." Lupa said. Naomi and I nodded and she said "Three."
"Eight." I said. Lupa nodded and said "Dakota was closest. Number was seven. Now, count to thirty while we hide!" I nodded and turned around to count while they ran off. After getting to thirty, I turned back around, but didn't see them anywhere. I looked down to see their paw-prints in the dirt and started following them, keeping an eye out for anything odd.
After a few minutes of walking, their tracks disappered. "Huh...Must've covered them." I said to myself. I started sniffing the air to try to get one of their scents, but got another one instead. It was definately wolf, but was kinda sweet and fragrant. I started following for a while until I found myself by the lake.
I looked around, but didn't see anyone nearby and the scent was gone. I shrugged it off and turned around, starting to walk back up the hill when I heard someone behind me say "Dakota?"
I spun around to see Crystal walking up to me. "Oh, hey! Didn't expect to see you here." I said, smiling. She was too and said "Me either! What brings you down here?"
"I'm actually looking for my sister and aunt. We're playing a game, but I think I lost them somewhere...Haven't seen them, have you?" I asked. She shook her head and said "No, I haven't seen anyone around here for the last couple hours."
"Well, damn...So, what're you doing here, too?" I asked. "Oh, me? I was just uh...just taking a bath." She quickly said, seeming nervous and jumpy. I looked at her side and said "Well, you didn't get it all then. There's a lot of dirt on your side there." She looked and said "Oh, I guess I missed some. I'll take care of it. Are you guys still coming with us later?"
"Yeah, of course!" I said, smiling. She was too and said "Great! So, we'll see you around noon, right?" I nodded and said "Yep, sounds good!" She giggled a little and I started to smell that scent again, but noticed it was coming from her.
She saw me smelling the air and said "What's wrong?" I shrugged and said "I don't know...It's just that scent. It seems to be coming from you. Smells like you ran into a berry bush or something."
"Oh, that? I have no idea either..." She said, blushing a little. I smiled and said "Well, whatever it is, it sure does smell good!" She blushed much more and said "Well, uh...Th-Thanks! I've gotta run now and take care of a...little problem real quick."
"Oh, okay. Well, it was good to see you again!" I said. She nodded and said "You too! Bye, Dakota!" She quickly turned around and ran off, leaving me to wonder if I said something wrong. "No, she would've told me if I did...Right?" I asked myself. I sat there a few more minutes until I decided to go back upto the campsite.
I walked back up the hill a few minutes until I got there and saw Naomi and Lupa sitting by the firepit, but Grandma and Kevin were gone. I walked over to the them and Lupa said "Well, there you are! We thought you'd gotten lost!"
I chuckled and said "No, I didn't. Ran into Crystal down by the lake." Naomi smiled and said "Who's this "Crystal" you're talking about? Girlfriend?" I blushed and said "No! I mean...I don't know. We're just kinda friends I guess right now."
"Hey, I'm only joking around...How'd you end up by the lake, though?" She asked. I shrugged and said "I was looking for you two, then caught her scent in the air. I followed it down to the lake and we were talking for a bit."
"Oh, okay. So, are they still coming by later?" Lupa asked. I nodded and said "She said they were. After we talked, she said she had to take care of a problem and ran off."
"Kinda odd. You can ask her about it later." Lupa said. I smiled and said "I might. Where did Grandma and Kevin go?" Naomi shrugged and said "They were laying her talking and just suddenly got up and walked off into the woods. Didn't say a thing, just walked off."
Lupa and I looked at each other and couldn't stop from laughing as hard as we could. Naomi was confused and said "What's so funny!?" I stopped laughing long enough to say "Think about it...They just walk off without telling you where they're going. What do you think they're probably gonna do?"
She thought a moment and said "Oh, you're just sick!" Lupa was still laughing and said "Yeah, but he's probably right, you know!" Naomi sighed and said "Probably, but I don't really care, honestly. They do that enough at night..."
"You mean, you hear them?" Lupa asked. Naomi nodded and said "Yeah, but I hardly notice anymore. They know and try to be quiet, but sometime Mom can get a little loud." Lupa giggled and said "Well, I'm sure they don't mean to do that."
"Oh, I know. I mean, Mom's talked to me all about that kinda thing already. I know what it is and why they do it, so it doesn't bother me any." She said. I nodded and then she said "Well, I'm gonna take a little nap until Cody and Lilly get back. Do you mind waking me then?"
"Sure, no problem! I think I will, too..." I said, yawning. Lupa did too and we all laid down by the firepit, curling up and quickly falling asleep. I dreamed that Lupa, Crystal, Shadow and I were all down by the lake, but Crystal wanted to walk with just me for a little bit. We were talking, but I couldn't tell what was said.
It was going good until I was woken back up. I yawned and opened my eyes to see Grandma Eve standing next to me. "Hey, sleepyhead! Your Mom and Dad are back!" I instantly got up and turned around to see them getting out of the car. Lupa was awake already and we both ran over to them, immediately hugging them.
"Hey, buddy!" Dad said as I hugged him while Lupa hugged Mom. "Hi, Dad!" I said, smiling. We all let go of each other and he said "How was it while we were gone?"
"It was great! We were playing hide-and-seek, but Dakota kinda blew it..." Naomi said, smiling. Dad looked down at me and said "Oh, and why's that?" I smiled and said "Could I talk to you about that in private?"
"Sure, let me put some water in the bowl for you guys real quick." He said, taking it over to a water faucet and filling it. He brought it back over and set it down, saying "Alright, there we go. Come on, let's go over by the car." I nodded and followed him over and we sat down on the other side of it.
"So, what's the problem?" He asked, smiling. I shrugged and said "I don't know if it's a problem of not...While we were playing, I happened to come across Crystal down by the lake." He nodded and said "Okay, and? What happened?"
"Well, I found her by a kinda sweet smell that I followed. We talked for a few minutes until I mentioned it to her, how I thought it was a nice smelling scent. I saw her blush and she said she had to run off to take care of some little problem." I said.
He chuckled and said "Alright...I'm gonna tell you something that's probably gonna shock you, just so you know." I nodded and he said "That scent you smelled, how it was sweet...That was probably the scent of her heat."
"Heat? What's that?" I asked, confused. He smiled and said "Heat is something that happens a few times a year for all female wolves. They come into it when they're body is ready to have kids, if you know what I'm getting at here."
My eyes went wide and I said "When they're ready...Do you mean...sex?" He chuckled and said "Yep, exactly!"
"But...I...Crystal...What!?" I yelled, stammering. He laughed and said "What do you mean "what"? You know what I mean."
"But, Dad! Hang on, I need a minute..." I said and started to faint, collapsing onto the ground and blacking out.
Lilly's POV
Cody and Dakota were over by the car talking while I was sitting next to Mom and Kevin and Naomi and Lupa were playing around. I saw Cody stand up next to the car and walk back over toward us, carrying Dakota, who looked to be asleep.
He laid him down inside the tent and I said "What happened?" He chuckled and said "Come here..." I got up and followed him back over beside the car. We sat down and he said "Dakota fainted while we were talking."
"Fainted? Why, is he sick?" I asked, worried. He smiled and said "No, not sick. Just nervous, I think." I was confused and said "Nervous? Why would he be nervous?"
"From what he told me, it seems Crystal is in heat right now. I told him what that means and what could happen...And he fainted." He said, chuckling. I giggled and said "Really? Wow...And I thought all guys are thrilled when something like that happens..."
"Like I said, he's probably just nervous. Has Lupa come into heat yet?" He asked. "Not that I've noticed...Lupa, come here, honey!" She yelled over to Lupa, who came running over to us. "Yeah, Mom?" She asked.
"Have you been feeling any different the last few days?" She asked. Lupa shook her head and said "No, not really...Actually, this morning I was feeling kinda warm. Mostly around my stomach and...well, you know. Down there..."
"Let me feel your belly..." Lilly said, putting a paw to Lupa's stomach. After a few seconds, Lilly sighed and said "Well, guess what...You're in heat." Lupa's eyes went wide and she said "Wait, what!? Now!? But, we were going with Shadow and Crystal later!"
Cody and I looked at each other and he said "You guys still can, as long as you're careful around him. Who knows how he might react to you being in heat. Just keep an eye on him and if he starts to get aggressive or anything, just RUN straight back here, okay?"
She nodded and said "Okay, Daddy." I smiled a little and said "Alright, honey. Just remember, he WILL pick up on the scent you put out right now. Even I can smell it...Remember to tell him no, okay?"
"Got it, Mom. What about Dakota?" She asked. Cody smiled and said "I already talked to him about it. He fainted because of that..."
"Because of...ME being in heat?" She asked. I giggled and said "No, not you, honey. Crystal is, too." Lupa smiled and said "Oh! Must've been kinda a shock to him, huh?" Cody laughed and said "Seems so! From how it sounds, he really likes her and she seems to him."
After a couple more minutes, we all got up and went back over to the firepit and Lupa went back to playing with Naomi. About then, Dakota woke back up and stumbled out of the tent, looking groggy.
"Hey, son. How're you feeling?" Cody asked, smiling. Dakota looked at him and just blushed before turning his head away. Cody got back up and walked over to him, saying "Come on, let's talk a little more." They went off a little bit into the woods for privacy while I laid down by the fire, watching Naomi and Lupa.
Cody's POV
"Dad, I'm scared...What if Crystal wants to have se-...mate?" Dakota asked, blushing heavily. I started rubbing his back and said "Dakota, it's really nothing to be scared about. It's all perfectly natural. It's not just if SHE wants to, you know...You both want to if you're going to do it."
"Okay, but say we do, not that I'm saying we will...What would happen if she gets pregnant?" He asked, his ears back. I smiled and said "Then you'll be a father. All be it, a little soon...But, I know you'd be a good one."
"You really think so?" He asked, smiling a little. I nodded and said "Of course I do." He smiled more and said "But, how could I raise them since we live do far away?"
"I tell you what...I'll talk to your mother about this a little tonight, but if you two fall in love and DO end up mating, we'll see how she'd feel about coming to live with us." I said. His ears perked up and he said "Really, Dad!?"
"Yes, really. Just how much do you like her already?" I asked, chuckling. He nervously laughed and said "Well, even though we don't really know each other, I do kinda like her. More then just kinda, actually...I have this little feeling that she's a really sweet girl."
"Then when you guys are out later, ask if she'd like to walk with just you for a little while and really get to know her. Find out in your heart if she's someone you could really love." I said. He smiled and said "Okay, I will! Thanks, Dad!"
I hugged him and said "You're welcome, Dakota. Now, how about we get back over with everyone else and relax for a bit? Still about an hour until they'll be here." He nodded and we walked back to the campsite a few minutes away, his tail wagging the entire time.
Wow, yet another new chapter! Sounds like Dakota and Lupa have an interesting day ahead of them! Wonder if maybe they'll fall in love with Crystal and Shadow...That would be pretty cool for them all, but are Lilly and Cody ready to be grandparents already? Who knows what might come in the next couple chapters...Remember to review after you've read!
