The sounds of arguing and growling echoed through the trees, quickly followed by an angry snarl and a high-pitched squeal of pain. Eren glanced over his shoulder and shook his head, watching as Jean and Reiner were being scolded by not only Mikasa but Levi as well. The enormous brown-furred male pulled his lips back in a grin, trotting over to flop down a couple wolf-lengths away from Petra. The ginger-furred female wagged her tail when she saw Eren before turning her attention back to Annie and Krista, with whom she was talking to before spotting Eren. Armin and Bertoldt were currently away from the den site, doing a patrol of the territory and searching for prey. Annie, who would normal join them on patrol, was asked to stay behind by the unusually over-protective Armin.
"Hey! Suicidal Maniac! Make them stop! Please!" the large grey and white-furred Jean whined, yelping loudly when Mikasa chomped down on his muzzle to scold him for calling her mate by that name. Not even a wolf-length away Levi had the much larger Reiner flipped on his back, lying partially in the stream and a sticker bush.
Eren barked a laugh, causing Mikasa to look over with her eyes shining. She loped over and reared up, wrapping her front legs around Eren's neck in a hug. Eren smiled softly, nudging his Beloved. Levi, Mikasa's older brother, swatted both scolded males and trotted away while growling about 'Shitty disrespectful pups'. Krista whimpered in concern and raced over to Reiner, brushing against his large frame and licking his muzzle. The huge golden-furred male pulled his lips back in a grin, placing a large paw on her back gently. Jean let out a huff and trotted over to tease his sister about her crush on the Alpha's brother, causing an annoyed and embarrassed Annie to leap to her paws and pushed him to the ground.
Three weeks had passed since Levi, Petra and Krista joined Eren's pack, much to Mikasa's delight at being reunited with her older brother. Petra and her younger sister fit right in, as they were very respectful and friendly. Levi, on the other hand, took some time to get used to being around the pack. The older Wolf/German Shepherd hybrid tended to be aloof with the others, except for his mate. He also would be quick to snap if the other males, except for Armin, got on his nerves.
In the beginning Reiner and Jean would make bets on who would be the first to get Levi to react. Needless to say, the brothers had their tails beaten on more than one occasion. Levi had attacked Eren only once, when he had accidently slammed into the older male and sent him rolling into the mud after it had rained. Fortunately for the large brown-furred male, Mikasa had just happened to return from a patrol with the other females when she spotted her dear mate being tossed around by her smaller and older brother. The normally stoic Levi had been deeply surprised and shocked when he was grabbed by the scruff and thrown to the ground, lifting his head to see the bared fangs and narrowed dark gray eyes of his little sister. After that Levi did not lay a paw on Eren.
Jean rolled to his belly and jumped to his paws, keeping a wary eye on the older black and white-furred Wolf/German Shepherd Hybrid. He glanced at his larger golden-furred brother, who was playing Tug of War with Krista. He let out a snicker when Reiner accidently slammed into the passing Levi, who quickly retaliated and rolled the big male to the ground. Annie, who had stood to stretch out her sore muscles, rolled her eyes before letting out a low whine. The normally calm light gold female was getting a little upset and anxious, as her sweet-tempered and loving companion Armin had yet to return. A soft bark from Petra caught the male hybrid's attention, making him trot over with a half-smile and bump his head against hers affectionately.
"My Dearest, there is something I need to tell you. Do you think we can slip away for a little? I don't want the rest of the pack to hear until later," a soft voice asked, making Eren flick an ear and look down and his Beloved with concerned green eyes.
"I don't see a problem with that. I need some time away from those hooligans as it is. Hey, Levi. Can you keep an eye on everyone and make sure they don't do anything stupid?" Eren replied to Mikasa before asking Levi's help.
"Go ahead brat. Have fun. Just not too much," Levi barked before turning to glare at Reiner, who was getting a little too friendly with Petra's little sister.
Mikasa trotted into the trees, her mate at her side. Bright green eyes studied the beautiful black and red-furred female, who glided gracefully beside him. Over the past couple weeks Eren had noticed a few things that were off about Mikasa. She had become more tired than usual, taking multiple naps throughout the day. She started eating more, pushing the larger males and the other females away and snarling at them if they got too close or tried to snatch her food. What was real unusual was that Mikasa had taken to wandering off every few days, returning hours later smelling of something real familiar to Eren.
About two hours had gone by when Mikasa slowed to a stop, letting out a content sigh and burying her muzzle into Eren's thick fur. The large male flicked an ear and glanced around, green eyes going wide as he recognized where his mate had brought him. Nothing in the clearing had changed. It looked exactly like he remembered as a small-pup. Eren lowered his muzzle and nudged Mikasa, who lifted her head with a serene smile on her face.
"M…Mikasa, is this where you have been disappearing to?" Eren stuttered, watching as his Beloved nodded her head and licked his chin.
"Yes, my Dearest. I brought you here because I have something to tell you. I have tried for weeks but couldn't get the strength to, so I wanted to bring you here. Eren, the reason why I came here was because I wanted to make sure the area was safe and so that I can get it prepared by the next moon," Mikasa said softly, turning her head and the fur of her cheeks flushing red.
"What do you mean? A..are you saying that?" Eren woofed, ears pricked and eyes wide when Mikasa turned to look at him with her dark gray eyes shining softly and at peace.
"Yes Darling. I am carrying our pups. In a moon's time I want to whelp them here in this den, the place where you were born and brought me to when we were small," Mikasa replied softly, flicking an ear. Eren pulled his lips back in a big grin, licking her muzzle and gently nuzzle her bulging belly.
"Thank you, my Love. I am looking forward to seeing our pups," Eren barked happily, tail wagging like crazy. Mikasa laughed and nibbled his ear.
Eren placed his head on her back, pulling Mikasa to his thick-furred chest in a hug. Once he let go the large Alpha raced to the old den-site's look out and lifted his muzzle to the sky, a deep howl rising from his chest and carrying on the wind. About a minute later a chorus of excited yips and howls were heard, carrying on the message that pups were soon to be born into the pack. Mikasa shook her head and rolled her eyes, tail wagging good naturedly. She froze suddenly, her sharp ears picking up the sound of paw steps approaching. Mikasa pulled her lips back and growled a warning.
"Easy does it. We don't mean any harm. We are just searching for a few wolves we know that have been gone awhile. We followed their scents here," a deep calm voice said, coming from a large gold and white male that had walked into the clearing.
"Can you tell us the names of these wolves you are searching for? Or what they look like," Eren asked, suddenly appearing in front of Mikasa protectively. The large male cocked his head, eyes widening slightly as he took in Eren's appearance.
"Oh Wow! This pup looks just like Grisha, don't you think so Erwin?" an extremely excitable female voice yipped, making Eren jump when a red and white face suddenly appeared in front of his.
"Yes, my dear Hanji, he does. Eren is Grisha's son after all. I remember seeing you a few times when you were little. I am truly sorry about what happened to your parents," Erwin said, keeping an eye on two younger wolves behind him.
"Excuse me. How do you know my father?" Eren asked, letting out a low growl.
"Shitty pup. Erwin knows your father because they are littermates. I'm sure you have been curious as to why no pack has attempted to attack you and your brother when you were pups. It's because Erwin's pack has kept a watchful eye on you, out of respect to your late father. I had just recently found out that my sister was still alive and living with you because we spotted you two moons ago while out on patrol," a stoic voice replied, causing Mikasa to whine happily when her brother trotted into the den-site and stopped beside her.
"Levi! There you are! Is little ginger with you too?" an older male barked, letting out a yawn. The male yelped in pain when his jaws clamped down on his tongue, making it bleed.
"Did you have to bring these morons with you? Yes, I'm talking about you Oluo. Petra isn't gonna be happy with you. Eld, try and make sure Connie, Sasha and Shitty Four Eyes don't cause any trouble. Ugh, this pack is gonna turn stupid," Levi huffed, turning to trot back to where he left the pack.
"Alright, follow us. Just, please try not to be too annoying. Also I want you to be careful around Mikasa. She is carrying my pups and I don't want her to get hurt," Eren asked, looking at the wolf who turned out to be his uncle. Erwin nodded and trotted forward, being quickly followed by his own pack. Eren glanced at Mikasa and let out a stressed huff, causing his mate to laugh which made him smile. They trotted after the others, who were following Levi.
Erwin is a 6 year old male, standing 30 inches at the shoulder and weighing 125 lbs. He has gold fur with two white paws and collar marking. His eyes are a medium blue color. He is loyal, protective, friendly, strong and laid-back. He is Eren's uncle and a father figure to Hanji's daughter, Sasha.
Hanji is a 4 year old female, standing 28 inches at the shoulder and weighing 90 lbs. She has red fur with white markings around her eyes that look like glasses, three white paws and a white chest that extends past her belly. She has brown eyes. She is excitable, EXTREMELY energetic, friendly, and loves to annoy Levi. She is the mother of Sasha, the product of a forced breeding between Hanji and the Alpha male from her old pack.
Sasha is a 2 year old female, standing 24 inches at the shoulder and weighing 70 lbs. She has reddish-brown fur with white paws, collar, belly and tail tip. She has medium brown eyes. Like her mother, Hanji, Sasha is very playful, loyal and energetic. She is also shy at times and tends to steal food from her pack-mates, which usually gets her into a lot of trouble.
Oluo is a 6 year old male, standing 30 inches at the shoulder and weighing 125 lbs. He has light brown fur with brown eyes. His one ear is half-pricked and the other is flopped, as they were never able to stand up straight since he was little. He is friendly yet obnoxious, is rarely taken seriously and tries to act like Levi, which greatly agitates Petra. He is also quite clumsy, tending to bite his tongue when he yawns or trips. He is Connie's uncle.
Connie is a 2 year old male, standing 25 inches at the shoulder and weighing 75 lbs. He has dark gray fur and gold eyes. He is very goofy, friendly, mischievous, loyal and tends to lose focus. He also greatly adores Sasha, whom he has known since they were small-pups. He is Oluo's nephew.
Eld is a 4 year old male, standing 32 inches at the shoulder and weighing 130 lbs. He has gold fur with a white chest and shoulders, his eyes a light brown. He is blunt yet sympathetic, loyal and loves to tease Oluo and Petra.
When Eren, dragging a bison carcass, and Mikasa entered the pack clearing at the time the moon rose, they were greeted with chaos. Armin had placed himself in front of Annie, trying to calm her while scolding Jean and Reiner for harassing their sister. Erwin was flopped on his side napping, tolerating the fact that he was being climbed and tugged on by his "daughter" Sasha and Connie. Bertoldt was fast asleep under a bush, snoring loudly. Krista had trotted over to Reiner, playfully bumped her hindquarters against his muzzle and raced off. The large male grinned and raced after her, skidding to a stop and flinching when he spotted Levi. Hanji, Eld and Oluo were mercilessly teasing Petra, whose face shown beet red under her normal ginger-colored fur. Needless to say that Levi wasn't gonna tolerate such behavior, viciously attacking the three wolves and causing to run while still howling out embarrassing things to the pair.
Having seen enough Eren dropped the carcass with a thud, causing the pack to stop immediately. Mikasa let out a warning growl, lips pulled back and hackles raised. Immediately understanding the pack relaxed, tearing into the kill after Eren made sure that his Beloved had eaten her fill. Feeling drunk with meat bellies the pack stumbled to their usual places, the newcomers finding spots that they liked. Erwin lay on his belly, squished between Hanji, Sasha and Connie. Jean and Bertoldt flopped down next to each other. Oluo lay on his back with his legs propped on a growling Eld's back. Armin was curled around Annie, lying on their comfortable thick moss-covered boulder. Krista lay with her head on Reiner's large paws and his blocky head nestled gently on her back. Levi lay next to Petra, who was sprawled on her side with her head on Levi's paws and his head placed on her side. Eren curled protectively around his beautiful and strong pregnant Mikasa, a large paw draped around her back and gently pressing her bulging belly feeling the movements and kicks of his unborn pups.
By the end of the following moon things were going to change, bringing slight trouble to some and great joy to all of the pack.