Cody: Well, whaddya know!? New chapter already!? Nice, isn't it? This is a REALLY special one, so we hope you all really enjoy it! We put a lot of thought, effort and time into it to make it as good as possible! You've been asking when this will happen, and here it is! Get ready for an emotion rollercoaster!
Lilly: *giggling* Well, maybe not QUITE that intense, but you get the picture. Nonetheless, it's an amazing chapter in our eyes! Now it's just up to you all to decide how you like it, so GET READING! *In an innocent voice* Bye, everyone!
Later on in the afternoon, Dakota, Crystal and Chase were out walking around their new neighborhood, taking in all the new sights and smells. The entire area was a lot larger than they originally though, but still not nearly as big as where they lived in town. One of the best parts they found was that since the houses there were up in the hills, it was only a short walk to a big cliff that overlooked the entire town and they knew it would be a perfect area for Moonlight Howls of their own. Dakota and Crystal even already made plans to come back in a couple nights just for that, so Chase decided that he and Alexis would as well sometime.
During the hour or so they were out, nobody had seemed to notice them, or even seemed to be outside. It wasn't until they were headed back toward home that they heard a door open and looked over at a house to their right to see a middle aged woman coming out and she immediately saw them. Her eyes went wide and she screamed "JACK, WOLVES!" They all looked at each other and Chase said "Oh, this ain't good…." No later than he'd said that, the door swung open again and a man came out this time, only with a shotgun in his hands. He cocked and aimed it at them, causing Crystal to scream and Dakota to jump in front of her.
"No, stop! Please!" Dakota yelled while Chase got in a defensive pose, baring his teeth a little. The man looked stunned that Dakota had talked to them, but quickly shook his head and lifted his gun back up. "SHE'S PREGNANT!" Chase yelled, scared for his mother more than himself, but that was just his personality. The man lowered his gun a little again and asked "Since when do wolves talk!?" Dakota stepped forward a little, unexpected by the man and he lifted his gun back up a little and Dakota said "We're not going to hurt anybody….We live here just up the road a ways. We just moved up here from the city."
"The city? What would wolves be doing living in the city?" The man asked, turning to see his wife slowly coming out. They all relaxed a little and Crystal moved from behind Dakota, saying "We've lived there for years now. I personally used to live in Glacier Park with my brother, but Dakota and I here got married, so my brother and I came to live here in the city with Dakota's family." The man and woman looked confused and he said "Wait, wait, wait, back up….What family are you talking about?" Dakota smiled a little and began explaining how everything happened the best he could, from Cody and Lilly meeting in Jasper, all the way to right now. By the time he was done, the man and woman were sitting on their brick fence wall next to the sidewalk, quite interested in his story.
"….And now I have a baby sister that is my Dad's blood daughter, as odd as it sounds. Something that shouldn't happen did, and they couldn't be more happy it did." Dakota said, smiling as he finished. The couple were both smiling as well and the lady said "Well, that's quite a history! I have to admit, the thought of a man and wolf together like that doesn't warm up to me, but….It is what it is, and that's love. And if I understood you correctly, this here is you two's son?"
They both nodded and Crystal said "Yep, this is our Chase! Our first born son. We also have a daughter back at home." The couple smiled more and she said "Well, it's rather nice to meet you all, actually! There's been a history of wolves wandering into our little neighborhood here and raising hell, so I apologize for how I reacted….If it'd be okay, we'd really like to meet the rest of your family someday!" Dakota chuckled and said "I don't see that as being a problem. I'll let my parents know and see what they say. I don't think we got your names, though…."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Chelsea and this is my husband Jack." She said, putting her arm around Jack's. Crystal giggled a bit and said "It's nice to meet you both! If you'll excuse us, we should be heading home. We said we'd only be gone an hour or so….And that was about two hours ago." Jack chuckled and said "Of course, of course….Have a nice day!" They nodded to them before walking off down the side of the street and the couple went back inside their home. "They were really nice, actually! You know, after the gun scare…." Crystal giggled, which made both the boys chuckle as well. "They really were! I know Mom and Dad would really like to meet them someday."
Back at home, things were going much different than their happy and exciting day. Naomi had been having stomach pains after breakfast and at first, they just figured she'd eaten a bit too much, but after she woke up from a brief nap, they were much worse. So much worse that any movement caused her bad pain, which made everybody worried to death, especially Eve and Todd. Cody called Donna back and asked her to hurry up here and she said she'd be there within the hour. It was just about 1PM now and almost as soon as the clock hit one, they heard a car quickly park in the gravel driveway and they immediately knew it was her.
Cody went over to the door and opened it to see her quickly coming up the walkway and she saw him at the door, asking "How's she doing right now?" Cody looked rather fearful and said "Not good….Her pains are getting worse…." Donna nodded and they quickly came inside, Cody closing the door while Donna went straight to Naomi, who was laying on the couch as comfortably as she could and she was constantly whining from the horrid pain. "Hey, Naomi….Tell me, where exactly does it hurt?" Donna asked, kneeling down next to the couch and looking her over. "M-My stomach….All over…." Naomi whined, her eyes closed tight with tears running down her cheeks.
"Okay, can you do me a favor and move your paw? I need to feel your tummy a little….I promise to try and not to make it hurt any worse, but I'm sorry if I do." Donna said, lightly running her hand over Noami's head. As slowly as she could as to not bring on excess pain, Naomi slowly moved her paw away from her stomach. Donna lightly ran her hand over the side and front of her stomach, definitely feeling movement inside her and she was extremely hot all over. "Eve, how long has she been pregnant?" Donna asked, very gently pressing on a few spots that regrettably caused a little more pain to jolt through Naomi.
"Almost six weeks. It'll be six in two days." Eve said, lightly running her paw up and down Naomi's neck to not only help her relax some, but also help herself relax since she more nervous than ever. Donna nodded and looked at Naomi, asking "Does the pain get worse with waves or is it just steady?" Naomi nodded and said "It gets worse every little bit, but dies down a little….Why?" Donna weakly smiled and looked between them all, saying "Her pups are coming….They're prematures." Eve's eyes shot wide open as she gasped, saying "N-No, they can't be….Premature's normally don't-" She was silenced by Kevin putting his paws on her mouth, gesturing down to Naomi and she looked scared out of her mind now.
"Th-They don't what?!" She nearly yelled and then loudly whined as a wave of pain hit. Donna put her hand on the side of Naomi's neck and started to soothingly rub her thumb on her cheek, quietly saying "Premature's don't survive most of the time…." Now Todd and Naomi shared the same look of fear and he asked "What's the chance they do?!" Donna looked up at him and said "Not very good….Maybe 40% at best. It all depends on if their bodies are strong enough yet, but I've seen some pups as early as four weeks survive and grow up strong and healthy." Naomi and Todd looked each other in the eyes, both of them thinking the same exact thing and didn't even have to say a single word until Naomi finally spoke.
"Our pups will survive." She confidently said, smiling at him a little and he returned it. "They will, I know it. You couldn't of had to go through all this for nothing…." He said just as confident, sharing a passionate kiss with her that made everyone smile. She looked back at Donna after they broke apart, asking "How long until they come?" Donna reached down to the bag she had with her next to the couch, saying "Not very long. I'm going to give you a shot that'll induce labor, so be ready. It could start anywhere in the next few minutes to a couple hours." Naomi nodded and Todd took her paw in his, lovingly licking her cheek as Donna got a shot from her bag.
"Are you ready?" Donna asked, wiping an alcohol wipe around just behind her stomach. Naomi nodded and smiled, saying "We're ready….Let's do this." Donna smiled more and nodded, taking the cap off the needle and quickly giving her the shot. Naomi seethed from the sting of the needle, but soon relaxed after Donna gave it to her and lightly pressed a cotton ball over the spot to stop any bleeding. "Alright, now we wait….Your water will break anytime." Donna said, getting up and sitting on the couch next to Naomi, who looked back up at Todd and smiled, saying "Get ready to become a father…." He chuckled and kissed her cheek, saying "Don't forget you're about to be a mother, too."
Donna looked over at Cody sitting in the chair at the other end of the couch, holding and whispering playfully to his daughter. She smiled and got up, going over to him and looking down at Serenity in his arms, making little playful sounding cries as Cody tickled her stomach a little. "She's beautiful, Cody….Has she opened her eyes yet?" Donna asked, leaning on the chair. He smiled too and shook his head, saying "Not yet that we've seen. I'd have to guess she will within the week." Donna nodded and just stared in awe at Serenity, amazed something so perfect could exist! "Could I….hold her?" Donna asked, trying not to get emotional.
Cody chuckled and said "Of course you can. I've been waiting for you to ask, actually." Donna stifled a giggle as she held out her arms and Cody very gently laid Serenity in them, causing her to cry a little, but quickly quieted down when Donna cradled her. "Hello, you beautiful little girl! You are just the most precious thing I've ever seen…." Donna giggled, tapping Serenity's nose with her finger, which caused her to sneeze. Everyone giggled and chuckled a little hearing that and Donna said "Oh, goodness! Didn't like that, did you?" She lightly rubbed her hand over Serenity's stomach, causing her to giggle and let out her little playful cries.
"Did Cody tell you what we'd been talking about lately?" Lilly asked, smiling up at Donna and she looked down at her, saying "No, not that I recall…." Cody chuckled and got up, putting his arm around Donna's shoulders and saying "Lilly and I decided we want you to be Serenity's god-mother…." Donna's eyes went wide and she slowly looked at Cody, stammering "Y-You want me to….Are you serious!?" Cody chuckled and nodded, saying "There's no better choice than you. You're like all of our second mother, after all….It seems only right that you're her god-mother." Donna's eyes were welling up and she smiled, shakily saying "I would be absolutely HONORED! Thank you both SO much!" Cody hugged her the best he could as he said "The honor would be ours, Donna."
She held back crying the best she could, but couldn't stop a couple tears from rolling down her cheek as she looked back down at Serenity in her arms, bringing her up and kissing her forehead. Lilly had tears in her eyes as well, but wiped them away before she started to cry, too. Donna handed Serenity back to Cody, who happily took her back and she wiped her eyes, saying "I'm sorry, I just need a moment…." He chuckled and nodded understandingly, seeing how swept with emotion she was. She stood there next to the chair, holding her breath and trying her absolute best not to break down crying in happiness.
"I-I just don't know what to say…." She said, wiping her eyes again. Lilly giggled a little and said "You don't need to say anything at all. I think we all know what you really want to say." Everybody nodded and Donna let out a half giggle, half cry as she said "Good, because if I say it, I'm gonna cry like a baby!" Cody chuckled more as he sat back down in the chair, cradling his daughter against his chest and she started to look tired, soon falling asleep in his arms. It took a few minutes for Donna to regain her composure, but finally did and she sat back down on the couch, saying "Sorry for getting so emotional….That was just so unexpected!"
"Oh, I can imagine! Not every day you become someone's god mother, especially to a human-wolf hybrid pup!" Eve giggled, causing Donna to as well and she nodded in agreement. She looked down at Naomi laying on the couch, asking "How's the pain, honey? Still pretty bad?" Naomi nodded and said "It's let up some, but still hurts real bad." Donna nodded again and right about then, the front door opened again, getting everyone's attention and they looked to see Crystal, Chase and Dakota all coming in. They smiled and Crystal said "Hi, Donna! I thought that was your car out there!"
"Hey, guys! Out for a walk?" Donna asked, smiling back at them. Dakota nodded and said "Yep, out looking around a little bit. Oh, we also met some of our neighbors!" Lilly smiled at them and said "Well, we'd love to hear about it, but we've got something a little more important going on…." They came over to see Naomi on the couch, a bit of a smile on her face, but they could see she was in bad pain. "What's going on?" Crystal asked, getting worried. Naomi lightly giggled and said "Our pups are coming early…." Their eyes went wide and Crystal said "Ohmygosh! Like, now!?"
"Anytime soon, yes. She's not in labor yet, but I gave her a shot to induce it. It's been about fifteen minutes now, so any moment…." Donna said and within seconds after she said that, Naomi gasped in pain, clutching her stomach again as she said "Donna, it's time!" Cody quickly got up and laid Serenity at Lilly's chest before going down to the bathroom and getting a couple clean towels. He brought them out and gave them to Donna and she laid one out next to Naomi's rear just in time for her water to break. She smiled a little and said "Well, it really is time! All you boys may wanna leave the room….It's not gonna be pretty in here…."
Alexis, Chase, Dakota, Crystal, Kevin and Cody, who picked Serenity back up, all went down to he and Lilly's bedroom, going in and closing the door just as they started to hear Naomi's screams from contractions. "She's gonna be okay, right!?" Kevin asked, obviously in a panic. Cody nodded and said "She's a strong woman, of course she'll be okay. Just have faith in her." Kevin nodded and laid down, her ears perked for the smallest sounds coming from the living room. Problem is, they weren't small, but quite loud and ear piercing screams. Todd could only gasp in pain as his mate squeezed down with every bit of her strength on his paw with her own with each contraction.
"Okay, Naomi, I need you to listen close now. They're going to start coming fast, so when I tell you, I need you to push as soon as I say. You're doing good so far and it won't be long until this is all over and done." Donna said, lightly stroking Naomi's head. She nodded and then Donna said "Alright, good. Just be ready and when I say, take a really deep breath and push." Naomi looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes, saying "Mom, tell me everything's going to be okay!?"
Eve smiled with tears in her own eyes as well, lovingly stroking her daughter's head as she said "Everything's going to be fine, trust me….Nothing's going to happen, I promise." Naomi nodded and laid her head back down, looking over at Lilly sitting just a few inches away and she said "I can't tell you how happy I am for you right now, Naomi! I know this is something you've both wanted for so long and now it's really happening! Probably not how you'd hoped, but nonetheless…."
Naomi weakly smiled and said "Definitely not how I wanted….Sure you wanna stick around for this?" Lilly giggled and said "Of course I do, sis! I've gotta be at least one of us to give you moral support, after all. Besides, you would've done the same for me if you could've, right?" Naomi giggled a bit as well and said "Of course I would've! Thank you, Lilly!" Lilly smiled more and leaned forward, licking her cheek as she said "Don't worry about it. Just worry about getting those pups out now…." Naomi nodded and closed her eyes, waiting for the painful moment that would soon come and signal it was time to push.
About two minutes later, a wave of pain shot through Naomi's body, making her loudly whine and Donna said "Alright, this is the moment! Push, Naomi!" She took a deep breath and pushed as hard as she could, feeling a pup moving through and eventually out of her body. She let go of her breath as she felt Donna gently pick up and wrap the first newborn pup in a towel before she said "You're got yourself a little boy here….Congratulations, Todd!" Naomi looked up to see tears of happiness and pride in his eyes, dripping down onto her neck as he struggled to hold his cool. It made her smile, but that was soon cut short by another wave of pain.
Donna didn't even need to tell her to push since she already was, the second pup soon coming into the world and quickly being wrapped in another towel. "Aaaand….It's a little girl!" Donna said with a giggle, laying her next to her brother still wrapped as well. Naomi let out a short cry of happiness, about to ask if she was done when yet ANOTHER wave hit her and once again, another pup was soon born into the world. "Wow, another girl!" Donna said, doing the same for her as the other two. "I think you're done, Naomi….You did absolutely wonderful!" Donna said, stroking her head. Naomi started to cry again, saying "Thank you SO much! I don't know if I could've done it without you!"
"Oh, I'm sure you could've….Let's get these little ones cleaned up and get them nursing." Donna said, picking up one of the girls and very gently cleaning all the birth fluids off her while Naomi and Todd did the same for the other two pups. They all soon finished and set them at Naomi's now much smaller stomach, getting them to taste her milk. Much to everyone's relief and happiness, they all three started to nurse and Donna said "Congratulations, you two! I know it was scary, but it looks like they're all going to do just fine…." Naomi smiled at her again and said "Again, thank you so much!" Donna simply nodded to her and got up, going down to the bedroom and telling the others they could come out now. Kevin was the first there, immediately making sure his daughter was okay.
"Hi, Daddy…." Naomi tiredly said as he nuzzled her. "Hi, my baby girl….How're they doing?" He asked, feeling so relieved. "They're doing great so far! All three of them." Todd said, happy tears in his eyes still. Kevin smiled and said "I'm so proud of you, honey! And you, Todd! I couldn't of asked for anyone better for my little girl than yourself…." Todd smiled proudly and wiped his eyes, saying "Thanks, Dad! You have no idea what that means to me!" Kevin chuckled a little before hopping back up on the couch next to Eve, nuzzling her as he did. Naomi looked back up at Todd and smiled again, saying "We still need to name them…."
"I've got one in mind already for this little girl…." He said, leaning down and nosing the light brown and grey girl in the middle. "….Kali, a short version of Kalispell. Named for where she was born." Naomi smiled more and nodded, saying "That sounds absolutely perfect! How about….Alexander, for the boy? Or Alex for short." The boy was a near double of Todd, the only difference was that he had Naomi and Eve's light brown on his ears. Todd nodded and said "I love it! Now, how about the other little girl?" She looked almost just like her grandmother, but had a little bit of the darker grey on her belly like Todd. After a few moments of though, they both said at the same time "Kayla…."
They smiled at each other again and Naomi asked "How'd you know I was thinking that?" He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, saying "I didn't, to be honest." She giggled a little and said "Then Kayla it is….God, I love you!" He leaned down and passionately kissed her, saying "I love you too, Naomi…." Everybody in the room smiled at the emotional scene, Lilly and Alexis even shedding some tears. When they finally broke apart, Naomi laid her head down on the couch, saying "I think I need some rest now….I'm absolutely exhausted…." Cody reached over and got a pillow off the couch, bringing it over and saying "Lift your head up a little…."
Naomi did so and he laid the pillow down, which she then rested her head on with a happy sigh, saying "Thank you, that's much better!" He smiled and nodded to her before going over to the chair and sitting down again. Lilly went over as well and hopped up, laying across his lap as Donna came over with Serenity and handed her to Cody. "Thanks, Donna!" He said, smiling at her as he once again cradled his daughter. She looked back at Naomi just about asleep, the pups still suckling from her and she said "I'm so glad I was able to be here for all this, but I think it's about time I head back to work." They all nodded and Naomi opened her eyes, saying "Thank you again, Donna! I'm glad you could be here, too."
After everybody said their goodbyes and hugged, Donna soon left, driving off back to town. Naomi seemed to have fallen asleep now, so everyone laid down to relax and not disturb her. Eve and Kevin curled up on the couch together by her, Dakota and Crystal on the soft rug on the floor and Alexis and Chase just beside their parents. Todd, however, simply couldn't lay down and relax….He was too excited and emotional to be able to sit still despite how much he wanted to. Eve giggled and whispered to him that he would wake her back up if he didn't quit moving around so much, but he just couldn't stay still long enough to relax.
Cody thought for a few moments before taking his phone out of his pocket, turning on the Bluetooth and connecting it to the stereo in the corner of the living room. He scrolled through the music library until he found the song he was looking for, pressing play and turning the volume down to a quite melody. Todd heard the music playing and slowly smiled, quietly singing along to it and seeing Naomi smile in her sleep. He sang along, not just because he liked the song, but also because he knew she could hear him and it was 100% exactly like how he wanted to express himself to her right now.
Every time our eyes meet
This feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take
Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark
Your hair all around me
Baby you surround me
You touch every place in my heart
Oh it feels like the first time every time
I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you