It was about 8:30PM now and Cody and Dakota had gotten back about an hour ago from town. They had to go get some food for how long we'd be here, but Cody also picked up an air mattress as well. I don't blame him since sleeping on the dirt is nowhere near as comfortable as a bed. I know I'll enjoy a nice comfy sleep again!
Dakota was off with Crystal on a night walk, Mom and Kevin were in their den probably still cuddling and kissing, Lupa and Shadow were sitting by the lake a little ways away from our den, just talking for a while and all the kids were in Lupa and Shadow's den, having fun and playing around all night.
Cody and I were sitting by the water just outside our den, me sitting in between his legs and his arms wrapped around me. I felt really comfortable there with him, mostly because there was a cold breeze most of the night and he was really warm, but also because I just love being with him. We'd been there for a couple hours now, just watching the sun go down and the moon come up. I was beginning to feel kinda sleepy, but wanted to stay awake for when the Northern Lights he called them started.
"Hey, Lilly?" He suddenly quietly asked. I turned my head to look at him, saying "Yeah, babe?" He was smiling and said "Just being here with you is some of the most fun I can have with you..." I smiled too and softly purred, saying "Aw, Cody...That's sweet!" He kissed my cheek and nuzzled me, resting his head against mine. I cuddled closer to him and closed my eyes, still softly purring.
A stiff, much colder breeze washed over us all the sudden, making me violently shiver. "God, that was cold..." I said, the fur on my back sticking up. He chuckled and said "I'll be right back..." He let go of me and got up, going over to the car and opening the back. He pulled a blanket out and came back over to me, sitting back down how we were and wrapping it around us.
"Mmm...Thank you..." I said, snuggling down into it and against him. He kissed me again and said "You're welcome, love." I was feeling much warmer and more comfortable now that we had the blanket and closed my eyes again, starting to doze off. Before I did, we started to hear a faint howling off in the distance that I recognized as Dakota and Crystal's howl.
"Their howl is so beautiful..." I said, smiling. He nodded and said "Sure is! Still, doesn't compare to ours..." I giggled and said "As much as I agree, I don't really feel upto howling right now..."
"That's okay, we don't need to prove it tonight..." He said, nuzzling me again. I purred again and continued listening to them howling, loving every second of it. We heard footsteps behind us and looked back to see Mom and Kevin coming out to us.
"Heard them, too?" I asked, smiling. She nodded and said "Yeah, but they must be pretty far away to be that quiet, though." I shrugged and said "Might just be trying to keep it quieter..." She smiled and said "Yeah, possibly. So, what're you two doing?"
"Just enjoying the night..." Cody said, smiling too. Kevin chuckled and said "Looks like more then that..." I giggled and said "No, we're not doing anything like that. It's been getting cold, so he got the blanket from the car."
"Yeah, it has gotten pretty cool tonight..." Mom said as another breeze went by, making them both shiver this time. "Brrr! I think I'm going back inside!" Kevin said, kissing Mom's cheek and going back into their den. She giggled and rolled her eyes, saying "He never did like the cold..."
I smiled and said "Are you cold, Mom?" She shrugged and said "Kinda...I'm more used to it, I guess." I nudged the blanket open, saying "Come on, there's more then enough room." She giggled and said "Yeah, and get into you two's cuddling? I'll pass..."
"Mom, come on...We're only sitting here." I said, smiling at her. She looked at me and then Cody before finally saying "Well, okay...Thank you both." He smiled and said "Don't mention it..." She came over and he laid the blanket over her as well as she sat down next to him, saying "Ah, much warmer..."
I giggled and said "Told you...You can get closer, he won't bite, trust me." She giggled too and moved closer to Cody, nearly pressed against his side. He chuckled and said "Is everyone comfortable now?" We both nodded and Mom said "Yeah, this is nice, actually! Usually when it gets this cold, Kevin and I go inside to stay warm."
"Think it might snow tonight?" I asked, curious. She shrugged and said "It's possible. If it does, we won't be able to see the Northern Lights that well through the clouds, I don't think." Cody smiled and said "Sometimes they form under the clouds, but even if they don't, it still looks amazing!"
Dakota's POV
Crystal and I were walking for an hour or so when we stopped for a break. She happened to see the moon coming up and I immediately saw that look on her face when she really wants to howl. We spent at least ten minutes howling before we stopped from a cold gust going by. She was cuddled up against my side to try and stay warm, but she was still shivering.
"Th-Think we should he-head back soon?" She asked, her teeth chattering. I smiled and said "Probably pretty soon. I know you're cold..." She nodded and laid her head against my side, pushing her nose into my neck fur. "My nose is cold..." She said, giggling a little. I chuckled and nuzzled her, saying "Well, whenever you want to, we'll head back. I was hoping the lights would've started by now."
"Yeah, me too. Then again, your Grandma did say they didn't last night until around midnight." She said. I shrugged and said "I thought we might get lucky tonight..." She giggled and said "Well, we might see them later tonight, so it's okay." I smiled at her before looking back up at the sky, anxious to see the lights.
"Babe, can I ask you something?" She suddenly asked, getting my attention. I looked back at her and said "Of course, anything! What's up?" She nervously smiled and said "Well, you know how Alexis is in heat now..."
"Uh huh..." I said, wondering where she was going. "I was thinking...When we get back home, why don't we help her find a mate? I know what she's going through and she is a little over two now. I'm actually really surprised she hasn't mentioned a mate before!" She said.
I thought about it for a moment and said "Well, what were you thinking on that?" She shrugged and said "I don't know...Hey, what about the vet!? They've always got pictures of wolves that people have back home. Maybe one of them could be wanting a mate as well?"
I smiled a little and said "I kinda like this idea! I'll talk to Dad about it and see if he could do anything for her. Of course, we need to make sure it's what she wants, too." She nodded and said "I know, so we'll ask her tonight. She's back at Lupa and Shadow's den with Chase, Aatu and Fable right now."
"Okay, love, we'll ask her. Just remember, it was all your idea..." I said, chuckling. She giggled and said "I know, I know...I hope she won't think we're trying to get rid of her..." I laughed a bit and said "I don't think she will..."
Half An Hour Later
"You wanna do what!?" Alexis yelled, blushing like crazy. She was shocked to say the least from our idea. "You're a young, beautiful girl, Alexis...You're at that part of your life when you need to find your mate." Crystal said, smiling. She looked at me and Crystal a few times before saying "What if I don't WANT a mate!?"
"Then you don't want one, that's it. Is that how you feel?" I asked. She sat back and said "Uh, yeah! I don't need a mate just to be happy." Crystal looked at me before asking "But, what about if you want pups someday?"
"Mom, let me ask you something...How old were you when you got pregnant?" Alexis asked. Crystal thought for a moment and said "Around eight or nine months. Why?" Alexis smiled a little and said "And now I'm over two years old. Doesn't that make it seem like I DON'T want pups?"
"Now, honey, think about it...Having kids is the greatest thing that can happen in your life, someone to care for, to love with all your heart, to protect...Who wouldn't want that?" Crystal asked. Alexis simply got up and started walking away, saying "We're done here..."
When she was out of sight, Crystal looked at me and said "Do you think she really meant that?" I sighed and said "It seems so...Maybe she's just one that doesn't need all that to be happy...Which I don't understand."
"Me either...That's not my little girl! Don't you remember back when she was only a couple months old and those little puppies came by the apartment complex?" She asked. I thought back to that day, or actually week in this case.
Flashback
Alexis and Chase were two and a half months old, both of them growing pretty fast. Crystal, them and I were all sitting outside in the warm summer sun, just enjoying the nice day. Alexis and Chase were running around on the grass, playing and chasing each other. Crystal and I just sat there watching them, amused.
We suddenly started to hear little yips coming from the bushes to our left. We got up and went over to investigate, stunned by what we saw. In one of the bushes were two little husky puppies, just barely getting their eyes open. Their mother was nowhere in sight and Crystal said "Oh my god, they're so cute!"
"Sure are! Wonder what they're doing here all by themselves..." I said, curious. We noticed Alexis coming over to us, curious as to what we were doing. "Mommy, Daddy, what's going on?" She asked as she got close.
"Honey, look!" Crystal said, smiling. Alexis looked at them and gasped, saying "Are those puppies!?" We both nodded and I said "Yep, just like you two were!" She smiled and said "Wow, really!? What're they doing here?"
"We have no idea, honey...Could you go up and get Grandpa for us?" She asked Alexis, who quickly nodded and ran off up to the apartment. Crystal and I picked them up and carried them over to the benches just outside the doors, laying down in the shade with them. They started crawling all over Crystal, making her giggle.
"Boy, they're energetic, aren't they!?" She asked, smiling. I was too and said "Yeah, they are! Looks like they think you're their mother..." She giggled again and one of them suddenly started to try nursing off her, making us both laugh. "No, baby, I'm not your Mommy...Where is she anyway?" Crystal asked.
About then, Alexis and Dad came out to see us with them. "Well, what's this?" He asked, kneeling down to them. Alexis sat in front of them, her tail wagging and said "Puppies!" I smiled and said "We found them over in the bush there..."
"No mother?" Dad asked, picking one up and looking at it. Crystal and I shrugged and said "No where that we saw. Didn't look like they'd been there long at all, either." He nodded and said "It's possible they wandered away from home...Couldn't have gone too far, though."
We took them up to the apartment to take care of them, Alexis virtually unable to take her eyes off them. She just wanted to be with them all the time, which Crystal and I understood and let her. She really seemed to like them! Dad took some pictures of them and put up flyers at the vet and around town, letting everyone know they were lost.
Three days later, he got a call that shattered Alexis' heart. Their owners called to claim them, saying their mother had gotten hit by a car a few days ago. When they came to get them, Alexis didn't want to let them go as she'd gotten really attached to them.
She was crying and trying everything to let us keep them, but we did what was right and returned them to their home. Alexis wouldn't come out of the bedroom or even look at any of us for almost a week for what we did, but she just didn't understand...Or so we thought.
End of Flashback
"Oh, no...That was it...She wanted to be their new mother and we ripped that away from her..." Crystal said, tears in her eyes. I sadly nodded and said "Yeah, we did...That's why she doesn't want to have pups. She's afraid she'll lose them, too..."
"God...I...I'm gonna go talk to her for a bit..." Crystal said, walking off to find Alexis. I weakly smiled as she walked off and I started back to Mom and Dad's den, hoping she'd be able to talk to Alexis.
Crystal's POV
I was following Alexis' scent to try and find her so I could talk to her. I followed her scent all the way to the other side of the lake where I started to hear her crying in the distance. I slowed down and crept up to where she was to hear what was wrong, but she never said anything, just cried.
"Alexis?" I softly asked, getting her attention. She looked at me with tears flowing down her face and her eyes red, saying "Wh-What now, Mom!?" I sadly smiled and walked up to her, embracing her in a hug and nuzzling her as I said "I know what's wrong..."
"H-How could you p-possibly know!? Have you ever had the one thing you've loved like nothing else just RIPPED from you!? Ever had your heart shredded apart by your OWN family!?" She bawled, making me start to cry. I fought it back and said "No, but I understand how you feel, I really do! I know you really loved those little pups and we disappointed you-"
"No, you didn't disappoint me...You ripped my heart up and threw it back in my face..." She said, the anger in her voice rising. I let go of her and said "But, honey, you have to understand...Those were not your pups. They had a mother and a family of their own already."
"So!? I doubt they could've cared for them like I would've!" She cried. I lovingly nuzzled her and said "I don't doubt that at all, but just think of it this way...If we would've kept them and let you become their mother, how do you think those people would've felt? Just like you did, am I right?"
She sniffed and sat there for a few seconds before saying "I get that, but..." I smiled a little and said "You did the right thing letting them take them back and you should feel good about yourself for it. And just because you didn't get your own pups to take care of then, doesn't mean you should keep yourself from experienceing that joy and love again with your OWN pups!"
She smiled a little too and said "Okay, Mom, you're right...I was being selfish, wasn't I?" I softly giggled and said "Kind of a mix of selfishness and motherly instincts..." Her ears perked up and she said "Motherly instincts? What do you mean?"
"You didn't want anybody to take what you were convinced were your pups, and you put up a fight before letting them go. That's pretty close to what a real mother would do. Just look at Grandma Lilly when Lupa decided to live here with Shadow...She begged and begged her to stay, telling her how much harder it was to live here then in the city, trying everything she could to convince her to stay, but ultimately, she let her go. And that day, you let your pups go..." I said, smiling at her.
She sniffed again and wiped her nose, saying "Okay, I get it. So, say I've changed my mind about the whole, probably over-rated "mate and pups" thing..." I giggled and said "Then I would say I'm happy and proud of you, not letting a bad experience get in the way of what you want."
She hugged me and said "Thanks, Mom! I guess I really needed to get all that out..." I nuzzled her and said "I guess you did...What do you say we go back to the den for some sleep? You look tired after all that crying..." She smiled and said "I'm not that tired...Besides, what about the lights?"
"There's probably still a couple hours until then...Let's still go back, though. I'm freezing cold out here!" I said, making her giggle. "Okay, I won't argue with you there! I am, too!" She said as we started walking back.
About halfway back, I felt a snowflake land on my nose, which made me smile since I loved watching it snow. It started to come down more and more as we made our way back and after a little bit longer, I heard Alexis giggle and said "Got a perfect name..."
"What's that, honey?" I asked, smiling. "Snow...My first girl is gonna be Snow..." I smiled more and nuzzle her, saying "That's a beautiful name, honey...Especially if she's half as beautiful as you..." She blushed a little and said "Mom..." I giggled and heard her whisper "Thank you..."
Cody's POV
Lilly and I were still sitting out by the water when the snow started to fall. Eve had went inside with Kevin when it started and they were laying by the den entrance to watch it. I wrapped the blanket around Lilly more to make sure she was warm, but she didn't even seem to notice. She was staring up at the sky and snow coming down, letting it fall onto her. She seemed to be in heaven, so I just sat there with her, gently stroking her chest fur.
I suddenly had an idea and pulled my phone out of my pocket, going to my music library and flipping through songs until I found the one I was looking for, "Hey, Pretty Girl" By Kip Moore. I started playing it, watching a smile form on Lilly's face when she heard it. "You always know exactly what I want to hear..." She purred, nuzzling me. I kissed her forehead and rested my head against her neck as she laid hers against mine.
I saw Crystal coming to the den out of the corner of my eyes and she saw us sitting there, smiling at us. She walked into our den and I heard her ask Dakota "Did you see your Mom and Dad?" I smiled to myself and looked over at Eve and Kevin to see she had tears in her eyes. Kevin noticed too and quietly said "What's wrong?"
She sniffed and said "Nothing...I feel exactly like Lilly does right now..." He nuzzled her and they began kissing, soon getting up and going to into the darkness of their den. "Cody?" Lilly quietly asked. I lifted my head to see tears in her eyes as well and she said "I love you so much...More then ever right now..."
"I love you too, Lilly..." I said, passionately kissing her. She returned it and we sat there making out in the snowfall, savoring every moment of the night.
Wow...That part with Crystal and Alexis made me almost cry myself as I was typing it! Did the entire chapter in about three hours. For some reason, a bunch of love songs came on Pandora, which seemed to influence this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!