Cody: Hey, everybody! We promised a new chapter by now and here it is! The aftermath of Kayla passing, Alexis and Chase have a serious talk and then Lilly and I get an unexpected surprise at work!
Lilly: *giggling* Not that it was a bad surprise! We named this chapter "Discovery" because of what happened at the vet, but this is part one! There will be a part two in the next chapter! We got the idea from one of our friends and decided to go with it and frankly, we think it should turn out quite well!
Cody: We would give him a shout out here, but he doesn't have a FanFiction account. He does read the story however, so thanks, bud! Hope you all enjoy the chapter! We hope to have the next and last chapter for...well, quite a while up either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon. Again, enjoy the chapter, everyone!
*Lilly waves goodbye*
Late into the night, Cody and Lilly's bedroom door squeaked open a little, both of them snoring away as they slept. Eve and Kevin looked at each other, thinking the exact same thing before they nodded and went in. Eve walked up to the bed and put her paws up on it, quietly saying "Cody, Lilly, I need you two to wake up…."
They started to stir awake at the same time, Lilly opening her eyes a little to see her mother right next to her, giving her quite the surprise. Her eyes shot open and she quickly lifted her head off Cody's chest, asking "Mom? What're you doing in here this time of night?" Cody loudly yawned as Eve weakly smiled, saying "I'm sorry, guys….It's a big emergency!"
Cody looked over at her and saw the look of sadness on her face and he asked "What happened? What's wrong?" Eve looked back at Kevin and they both sighed before he said "Kayla….Didn't make it…." Lilly gasped and said "What!? She….died!?" Eve sadly nodded and then Lilly looked up at Cody, who sighed as well and said "Dammit….We all knew it was a possibility, but…."
"Could you come see if there's anything you could possibly do? I don't think there is, but maybe something….If anything, Naomi really needs comforting….She's so torn up right now." Eve said as she moved her paws off the bed. "Of course, Mom." Lilly said as she started to get up the same time as Cody moved the blanket off them both, giving Eve and Kevin a big shock!
"Woah! Not so fast!" Eve said as her and Kevin quickly turned around to avoid seeing them. As Lilly got up, Cody's manhood slipped out of her, something neither of them even thought about. Lilly blushed cherry red and quickly laid back down, saying "Ohmygod! Sorry…." Eve couldn't help but smile a bit and walked out with Kevin, saying "Come out when you're more decent…."
As they walked out, Lilly got back up off him, still blushing and she said "Well, that was embarrassing…." Cody smiled a little and said "Yeah, sorta forgot about what we did…." Lilly lightly giggled and hopped down off the bed, stretching out as Cody got up, going over to the closet and quickly dressing. When he was done, Lilly sighed and said "Well….Let's go see how they're doing." Cody nodded and they went out to the living room together to see Eve and Kevin laying on the floor again and Todd holding Naomi as she cried on his shoulder.
They went over to the couch and Lilly hopped up, sitting down beside her sister and starting to rub her back while Cody kneeled down beside where Kayla still was, lightly feeling her neck and chest, but didn't feel anything that brought hope. "Well?" Lilly asked, starting to tear up. Cody sighed and shook his head, saying "Just wasn't her time…."
"How about Kali and Alex? Do they seem okay to you?" Todd asked as he was trying to comfort Naomi. She wasn't crying as much as before, but was definitely torn up inside. Cody looked the other two pups over as well, checking them for anything out of the ordinary. After a few minutes, he smiled a little and said "They seem perfectly fine to me. Strong heartbeat, strong breathing….They've been nursing like they should. I'll promise they'll be okay."
Naomi lifted her head off Todd's shoulder, smiling at Cody a bit and said "Th-Thanks, Cody….I was so w-worried about them, too…." He smiled again and rubbed her neck a little, causing her to purr a bit as he said "It's alright, Naomi. Would you like it if I made her a burial spot outside?" Her and Todd both nodded and she said "That'd be nice, thank you."
A Few Hours Later
Cody made a nice spot under one of the trees in the backyard for Kayla, which brought some happiness to Naomi and Todd. Not much, but some. After he was done and they had buried her, they all retreated inside to try and get some more sleep, but nobody could no matter how hard they tried. It was almost 5AM now and the sun was just starting to come up over the mountain peaks, sunlight starting to shine in through the windows.
Naomi was still quite upset obviously, but she was starting to feel better, even more so when Kali and Alex nursed a little bit ago. Her and Todd were laying on the couch together again, resting her head on his shoulder and trying not to get sad again. Dakota and Crystal were both sitting out front on the porch in the cool morning air, trying to understand why something like that had to happen. Crystal just couldn't find any reason it should've, but Dakota reminded her of what Cody said, that it just wasn't her time.
Despite having a big impact on everybody, especially Naomi and Todd, Alexis and Chase seemed to be impacted more by it as well. Alexis started questioning whether or not she and Chase should try to have pups after all, which surprised him! Not even two days ago, she was set on becoming a mother soon and now all the sudden, she's having second thoughts about it.
"Chase, it's not that I don't want to, I really do! It's just….What if something happens? You know what Mom and Dad have said….Pups between siblings have a high chance of something being wrong with them. I can see how hurt Naomi and Todd are and I'm not sure if I'd be strong enough to go through something like that…." Alexis said, feeling overwhelmed with sadness.
Chase put his forelegs around and pulled her into a hug, holding her head against his shoulder and saying "I know you're scared, but we both agreed we'll try. I know what might happen and while it is scary to think of, they also said there's the chance they could be completely fine as well. Not as good of a chance, but….it's there." She sniffed and closed her eyes, asking "Do you think we could handle it?"
He smiled a little and nuzzled against her, saying "I do. Personally, I'd rather take the somewhat small chance of them being completely fine over not even trying and then wondering what could've happened."
She let out a soft sigh and lifted her head off his shoulder, looking up at him and asking "What if they're not fine?" He lightly pressed his nose against hers, making her softly purr before he said "They'd be our pups….Our blood. Just because they're different doesn't mean we won't love them." She smiled a little bit and said "You're right….It's better to do it and know instead of never trying and always wondering. If you're still sure about it, then….we'll do it."
"I'll never change my mind on it, I promise you that." He chuckled as he passionately kissed her. She purred again and returned it, her tail starting to wag as they made out. After a few moments, he pulled back and saw the look in her eyes, making him smile as he said "I take it you're okay with the idea again?" She stifled a giggle and nodded, saying "I'll always have my worries, but yes, I am."
Right about then, there was a small knock on their door, getting their attention. "Come on in!" Alexis said with a smile. The door opened and Crystal stuck her head in, asking "You guys okay in here?" They both nodded and Chase said "Yep, we're good. How's Naomi doing out there?" Crystal shrugged as she came into the room, saying "Looks like she's doing a little better. I can't imagine what she's feeling inside, though…." Alexis weakly smiled and said "I don't think any of us could…."
"Good point. So, what've you two been doing?" Crystal asked, sitting down beside their bed. Alexis and Chase looked at each other and Alexis said "We were just talking. I was starting to rethink having pups, but he was able to talk some sense into me. I was just scared from what happened with Kayla…." Crystal smiled a little and asked "Made you second guess it, huh? It's alright, I had a feeling it probably would."
"How come you didn't say anything then?" Chase asked, smiling at her. Crystal giggled a little and said "Because I knew you two would be able to sort it out. It's you two's choice on what to do and I didn't want your father and I to get in the way of that." They both nodded and then Alexis said "Thanks, Mom….Do you and Dad think that pups are a good idea for us?"
Crystal smiled again and leaned over, nuzzling her as she said "We do, but like you two, we've got our concerns as well. Doesn't mean that should stop you, just something to remember." Alexis smiled too and nodded, saying "We will. Are Grandma and Grandpa going to work today?" Crystal nodded and said "Yep, they are, but he called his parents and asked them to come up for a little while today this afternoon."
"Oh, okay! Be nice to see them again!" Chase said with a smile and the girls giggled before Alexis said "Yeah, no kidding! I think I'm gonna try and get some rest, okay? I'm still pretty tired…." Crystal smiled and said "Alright, honey, you do that. All of us are tired…." Alexis nodded and shifted around in their bed to get comfortable against Chase, asking "Could you wake me up in a few hours?" He smiled as well and said "Sure, I will. You go to sleep…."
Crystal smiled more to herself and got up, walking over to the door and going out as she said "See you two after while. I think your father and I are gonna go out for a little while later." They both nodded and Chase said "Okay, Mom. See you guys later!" Crystal pulled the door closed as she went out, going back out to the living room and over to where Dakota was laying on the floor.
He smiled at her as she came out, asking "So, what're they up to down there?" She smiled again and laid down beside him, saying "Not much, really. Alexis was starting to reconsider pups, but they talked about it for a little while. She decided to try and go to sleep again when I came back out." He slowly nodded and said "So, they worked everything out, I take it?"
"Yep, they're all good." Crystal said, looking up at Naomi and Todd together on the couch. She looked to be asleep now, her head resting on his shoulder and he was rubbing his cheek against her neck, making her lightly purr in her sleep. She smiled a little and asked "Naomi finally went to sleep?" He nodded and said "Finally. He's been trying to get her to sleep for a while now."
Todd must've heard them because they saw him smile a little as he quietly said "She really needs the sleep….I've never seen her so upset before." Eve lifted her head off her paws and smiled a bit as well, saying "None of us have, but nobody can blame her either. To be honest, I'm rather surprised she wasn't upset more than she was."
Right about then, Cody and Lilly's bedroom door opened and they came out to the living room, Cody saying "Well, about time for us to go now. You guys gonna be okay for a few hours until my parents get here?" They all nodded and Eve said "We'll be fine, don't worry. Gonna take Serenity with you today?" She was curled up asleep between Eve and Kevin, squeakily purring away.
"Of course we are. She gets a lot of attention there…." Lilly giggled as Cody went over and gently picked her up. Eve giggled as well and said "Oh, I'm sure! You guys have enjoy the day, then. We'll see you this evening." Cody nodded and said "Same here. See you all later!" Dakota smiled and said "Bye, guys!" Lilly giggled again and kissed his cheek, making him sigh and she said "Bye, honey!"
With that, Cody opened the front door and let Lilly go out first before closing it and they walked over to the car. He opened the passenger door so she could get in, laying Serenity down on the seat beside her after she got in. He closed it and went around the other side, getting in as well and starting it. "Hey, babe?" Lilly suddenly asked as they backed out of the driveway.
"What's up, love?" He asked with a smile as they drove off. She smiled too and said "I was thinking….When we get to the vet, could you call David and ask if Garth would mind coming in today? We should ask if he'd like to come up and see Todd after work." Cody smiled more and said "I can do that. Think he'd want to?" Lilly nodded and said "I think so! I also think Todd would be really surprised to see him again!"
They kept driving for about a half hour until they finally got to the vet, soon pulling into the parking lot. Serenity had started nursing a few minutes before they arrived and she still was when they pulled in, making Lilly giggle. "Okay, little girl….I know you're hungry, but you gotta stop for a few minutes." Of course, that didn't work, so Cody said "Here, I'll take her….She won't be too happy, though." He reached over and gently picked Serenity up, causing her to whimper a little as she was pulled from her mother.
"Ow, ow, ow! Easy, honey…." Lilly giggled as Serenity tried to stay latched on as Cody picked her up. Cody chuckled and said "Knew that would happen…." Lilly rolled her eyes and pulled the door handle, opening the door and hopping out as Cody got out as well. They closed the door and he locked the car before they headed inside to see Donna sweeping the waiting room floor.
She looked up at them coming in the door and smiled, saying "Hey, you two! Little early today…." Cody nodded and said "Yeah, traffic was light. When did you get here?" Donna looked over at the clock and said "Eh, about a half hour ago. How're you guys doing?" Lilly smiled a little and said "We've been good. Serenity got her eating time interrupted, though…."
Donna giggled a bit and said "Aw, poor girl….I take it she was nursing when you got here?" Lilly nodded and said "Yep, and definitely didn't like being stopped." Donna nodded as well and said "I don't blame her. Might wanna let her finish, though. Your milk's dripping there…." Lilly looked down underneath her and sure enough, she was leaking some milk onto the floor.
"Oops, sorry! You're right, better let her finish." Lilly said, quickly going back to the bed behind the desk and laying down. Cody came back as well and laid Serenity down with her and she immediately latched back on, greedily nursing from her mother. "How's Naomi and Todd's pups doing?" Donna suddenly asked, leaning against the desk. Lilly's ears laid back and she sighed, saying "Kayla didn't make it…."
Donna took a moment before letting out a sigh and nodding, saying "I was afraid one of them wouldn't….Any idea why?" Cody shrugged as he sat down in the chair and said "She just wasn't strong enough. Kali and Alex are doing just fine, though. I promised Naomi that they'd be perfectly okay." Donna nodded again and said "That's good. Were they upset?"
"Yeah….Naomi was pretty torn up this morning. Todd said he woke up around midnight or so and realized what happened. I feel so bad for them…." Lilly said, wiping her eyes before tears started to run down her cheeks. Donna weakly smiled and said "It's alright, honey. Some things just aren't meant to happen. Nothing any of us could've done, I'm sure…." Lilly nodded and said "Probably not, but still….It just sucks!"
Cody leaned down and kissed her forehead, saying "I know they'll be okay. Naomi's a strong girl, no doubt." Lilly smiled a little and said "Yeah….Anyway, let's think of happy things today!" Cody chuckled and said "Good idea….Anybody coming in today, Donna?" She nodded and said "There's an appointment for a checkup in about twenty minutes and then another just after that. The lady that made the appointment said that her dog has bruising on the left side of his chest from a fight."
Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, the door chime beeped as it opened and a couple walked in with what looked like a wolf-dog mix. Cody smiled at them and said "Hi there! Are you here for an appointment?" The girl nodded and said "Yep, one year checkup." Cody nodded as well and said "Great! If you don't mind filling out these couple papers real quick, we'll get it done pretty quickly." He handed the man a clipboard with some papers on it and they went over to the chairs, sitting down and starting to fill them out. They unclipped the leash from their dog and he started sniffing the air before getting up and walking toward the desk.
"Marlowe, where're you going?" The lady asked, smiling as she watched him sniff around. He went to the side of the desk and looked back to see Lilly curled up in her bed and staring right at him. Cody turned around to see she looked like she was about to get protective and rolled his chair over to her as she whispered "Cody, get him away from here…." Right as she said that, the lady came over to get him when she saw Lilly as well.
"Oh, wow! That's a beautiful dog!" She said, smiling at her. Lilly lifted her head and looked up at Cody, who smiled and mouthed "Don't worry" to her before he said "Thanks, this is Lilly. She's a gray wolf from Jasper." The lady nodded and said "I had a feeling she was. How'd she end up here?"
"I was up camping in Jasper with my parents a couple years ago and I found her when she was just a pup. Her pack had been attacked and she lost her father so after we found her mother, I kinda adopted her." Cody said, reaching down and rubbing Lilly's neck and causing her to purr a little. The lady reached down and patted her dog's side, saying "Marlowe here is a gray wolf and husky mix. From what we were told, a female husky stumbled into a wolf pack near Glacier Park and got mated. Park rangers found her and brought her into town before anyone knew she was pregnant. At first, they thought she might've been rabid until her stomach started to grow."
"Oh, wow! What happened to her?" Cody asked, rather interested as was Lilly. "She was returned to her owners, but gave birth nine weeks later. The pups were put up for adoption and we happened to get one of them." The lady said, smiling as she looked down at Marlowe, who was focused quite intently on Lilly. "He seems to be pretty interested in her…." She said, almost giggling a little.
"Actually happens a lot here." Cody chuckled and right about then, Marlowe started to get closer to Lilly and she bared her teeth to him, growling a little and making him stop in his tracks. "Lilly, it's alright….You're fine." Cody said, rubbing her neck again. "Marlowe, come here, quit bothering her." The lady said, pulling on his collar. He turned around and went back around the desk, glancing back at Lilly as he did.
"Sorry about that. He doesn't normally try and get that close to other dogs unless he knows them already." The lady said, smiling as she looked back at him sit down by her husband. "It's all alright, don't worry. Lilly's just kinda protective of her area back here." The lady nodded and said "I understand, don't worry. How old is she?"
"Somewhere about….two years old?" Cody said, looking down at Lilly to see her smile a little and her tail wag. "She's definitely not very old, that's for sure! Could I….pet her?" She asked with a smile, getting Lilly's attention. Cody chuckled and said "I think she'd probably let you…." She smiled again and got closer, kneeling down beside Lilly and laying her hand on her side. Lilly looked worried and Cody knew why; Serenity was asleep against her stomach and covered by her tail.
The lady started gently stroking Lilly's fur, causing her to quietly purr a little and she said "Her coat's nice and soft! I take it you brush her out every so often?" Cody nodded and said "Sometimes after I give her a bath." She nodded and moved her hand up toward Lilly's head, feeling and examining her ears. "Beautiful pink on the inside and no signs of anything wrong….You must really take care of her!" She said, smiling at up Cody.
He chuckled and nodded, saying "Yeah, she's my special girl….You seem to be really interested in wolves." The lady nodded and said "I study and work with them at wildlife preserves across the state. I've always found wolves fascinating, which is actually how we found Marlowe."
"Ever heard a wolf talk?" Cody asked with a chuckle, knowing she'd find it amusing. Sure enough, she giggled a little and said "No, can't say I have, but that'd definitely be something to see!" Lilly looked up at Cody with a small smile and he didn't even need to ask what she was thinking because he already knew. "Would you want to see that?" Cody asked as he smiled, too.
"Like I said, it'd definitely be something to see." The lady said as she stroked Lilly's head. Cody looked back down at her and nodded, as did she and then Cody said "Well, you're about to." Before she could say anything, Lilly said "Still wanna see it happen?" Her eyes shot wide open and she jumped back a little, completely stunned to see a wolf talk! "Wait, what!? Did she-"
"Yep, I can and I did. Surprised?" Lilly asked with a giggle. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, the lady kneeled back down and said "I don't believe it….This isn't some kind of party trick, is it?" Both Cody and Lilly shook their head and Cody said "No, no tricks here. Believe me, I was just as shocked as you were the first time she said something."
"Wow….That's the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" The lady said with a smile, stroking Lilly's side again. Right then, they all heard Serenity whimper a little under Lilly's tail, making her and Cody nervous. The lady looked down and smiled more, saying "Aww….Do you have pups?" Lilly nervously nodded and she asked "Would it be okay if I see them?"
"I-I don't…." Lilly stammered until Cody put his hand on her shoulder and asked "Can you handle more surprise today?" The lady nodded and said "How many are there left?" Cody chuckled a little and said "Only one….Lilly, it's alright, trust me." She looked up at him and after a moment of worry, she hesitantly nodded and looked back at the lady, saying "Just please don't hurt her…."
"I promise I won't do anything you're not okay with." The lady said, softly smiling at her. Lilly smiled a little too and nodded, taking a breath and slowly moving her tail off of Serenity. The lady gasped when she saw her and Cody said "This here is Serenity, the most unusual little girl you'll ever see."
"Sh-She's….so…." The lady stammered, trying to believe her eyes. "We know, so different. She's part wolf and part….um…." Cody said, trying to think of what to say without freaking her out, but to his surprise, she calmly said "Part human. I've only heard stories….rumors….hell, myths that it was possible." About then, Serenity let out a small yawn before lifting her head and opening her eyes, looking up to see a strange person above her.
"Not a lot of people know about her. In fact, only a very few do….If you're wondering where she got her human half from, it was-" Lilly said when the lady suddenly said "From him, which means that you two are….mates, right?" They both hesitantly nodded and Cody said "Right. When I said I adopted Lilly, it was really more like I fell in love with her…."
Lilly couldn't help but smile a little and then the lady said "No, it's alright, I understand! I'm not against your kind of relationship, to be honest. I don't see any reason to be. How did it happen, though? I mean….How did SHE happen?" Lilly smiled more and said "A few months ago, we had a kind of date night and….well, I'm sure you know what happened at that point. Even though we've done that many times before, it was only after that time that I conceived. She's about two to three weeks old now."
"So, it was something that neither of you thought would happen?" The lady asked, smiling at them as she gently stroked Serenity's head, causing her to squeakily purr a little. Both Lilly and Cody nodded and he said "Never even came to mind at the time. But since it did, we've never been happier to cause something to happen that really shouldn't."