"It's been a long night." Willa breathed tiredly. "Wolves! Make preparations for bed!" She called loudly to her pack, an echo of howls responding happily as everyone began to scurry around.
"Oh! Would it be alright if I examined your sleeping pods? I would like to see how they compare to our alien ones!" A-spen excitedly asked.
Wyatt and Wynter snickered amongst themselves before slipping past to give the two some alone time.
Willa glared after them but then turned to A-spen with slight confusion. "Do you mean our rooms? We have those for when we want or need to be alone but normally we sleep in the dogpile." She explained, turning a bit shy as she continued. "But if you want, you can join the pile tonight to see what it's like? Ya know, and get some cuddling in?"
A-spen's eyes widened with excitement as they gasped. "I know that one! An exchange of body heat for warmth!" They exclaimed. Willa smiled fondly as she slid her hand from their shoulder down their arm.
"There's a little more emotion to it than that." Willa said, soft smile refusing to leave her lips. "Come on, I'll show you."
~*~
A-spen was hesitant but followed the way Wyatt, Wynter, and the other wolves climbed into the giant, soft fur bed. Their head laying on someone's knee.
"I am very sorry!" A-spen apologized with a jump.
The wolf let out a big yawn. "No worries."
Then, they realized they had someone's arm smooshed underneath them. "Oh! Let me get off of your arm!" But the wolf-girl smiled sleepily.
"It's fine. The pressure helps me sleep better." She assured, laying her head back down.
Another wolf climbed in sideways and curled up with their head on A-spen's foot! "I can move if that is uncomfortable!" They offered, but the wolf nuzzled into their ankle already dozing off.
They looked around the pile of sleepy wolves, one big tangle of limbs and bodies but it was oddly comforting. Glancing back to Wyatt and Wynter like before, to make sure they were doing this right, the wolf-girl had her head on his stomach while also snuggling his forearm with her cheek. Wyatt met their eyes and gave an assuring nod.
Willa was suddenly behind them and wrapped her arm around A-spen's waist, resting her cheek against theirs. "Just relax and enjoy the cuddles." She whispered affectionately.
A-spen wasn't sure what to think but did as they were told, laying their head back onthe knee from before. Willa's arm tightened slightly around their waist, the little flutters returned to A-spen's stomach. It felt strange to sleep in such a messy, jumbled, uncoordinated group like this but it also made them feel safe.
They slowly brought their hand up to lace fingers with the wolf spooning with them. Willa smiled, snuggling closer then planting a gentle kiss on the alien's cheek. She wanted to laugh when A-spen jumped in surprise but decided not to embarrass them too much since they buried their burning face to hide.
A-spen wasn't completely sure about sleeping in this 'dogpile' all the time, but they were sure that 'cuddles' were one of their new favorite things. As soon as they returned to Mothership, they would demonstrate cuddling with the other aliens so they could all enjoy it as much as A-spen did.