Stone Circle tell her I love her

@Valette and the pups! @Steph, @Ezra, and @Clary!

Since the pup’s birth, Zeke had been a bit absent. He had wanted to be some great father, but sudden worries had kept him away. Worries about what sort of impact he’s have on them. What if it turned out he was terrible at fatherhood? What if they ended up sad, or got hurt or just messed up? He wasn’t really sure what he was afraid would happen, he just wanted to stay clear of whatever it was. He’d also stayed away so that he could focus on protecting the pack, for he felt that was the best way to keep them all safe, including his kids.

He hadn’t done a great job, with the disappearance of Mawk and Illecebra’s pup. Yet another reason Zeke didn’t feel worthy to be with his kids. Not to mention he didn’t even know if Val wanted him to be with them, she hadn’t seemed too keen on him knowing them yet. But today, something in his mind clicked. He realized that by staying away from them, his fears of being a bad father were coming true. To be a good father and to maybe be with Valette as well he had to take the risk.

He finished his noon patrol then moved confidently towards Val’s den. Surely his pups would be there, and he would maybe get to see them, and spend some quality time with them. Maybe he’d be able to tell them that he was their father. He stopped a few lengths away from the den and barked a greeting, calling for Val to come out. He hoped she would be glad to see him, but he feared that she’d send him away. Once again, he was taking a risk.

Valette was already out in front of the den. She rarely got all the three children contained inside of the den unless it was bedtime. Sometimes she even let them sleep outside as she deemed the territory safe enough. The only reason she ushered them inside for bedtime was that it was getting colder outside. She was lounging while she let the pups play. It was nice to see them explore, though they were probably fed up with the area around the den.

Valette lifted her head when she heard someone approach. She instantly recognized the footsteps. Zeke. Valette pushed herself into a sitting position, ears pricked up and expression curious. Zeke had been in the background these last few months. She often wondered if he even liked the children as he never really came to greet them. Valette found that he had much to be proud of. They were wonderful young wolves. She wanted to be mad at him for not even showing interest before, but Valette was smart enough to know that Zeke always had been more closed off about his feelings. Often those feelings weren't the ones she thought them to be.

"Zeke," she greeted him kindly. She knew that being mad at him wasn't going to have any purpose. It would be nice for her children, especially Ezra, that they had a father figure at least. She looked over her children for a moment. They met most of the pack, though Ezekiel hadn't even shown his face when she summoned the pack to greet them. There was a bit of hurt in her eyes as she thought about it. It made her realize that Zeke might not even be here to meet the pups. Valette cleared her throat. "Is something wrong?," she asked then, thinking that there was something at the borders that needed her attention.

Clary tussled against the ground, wrestling with a branch she'd dragged back from the edge of the forest near their den a few days before. Soft growls seeped from around her hold. The scrape of the bark felt good against her teeth, and she gnawed the already scored wood with unabashed vigour.

Above the tickle of her laughing grunts, a bark sounded, and she froze mid gnaw. Her ears perked and swivelled, and her whole body twisted right round with them. She settled her murky bluish gaze on the other side of the densite.

Mama, and a stranger.

"Oh!" She leapt to her paws, stick and all its allure forgotten, and Clary rushed to cover the ground between herself and the newcomer with a rapid wag of her entire rump and a loud declaration of her most favourite word, "Hi!"

Only as the word slipped out did she realize mama had been talking, and she tucked her head against her chest with a giggle and a coy smile up at them both. "Oh. Oops."

Ezra wasn't stupid. He knew who this man was.

No, wait, no he didn't. The boy peers at the large, burly man before them and shakes his head. Wrong person. It was just a stranger, someone he didn't care about nor for. However, he joins his sister in the sentiment of slight confusion, but he isn't timid about it. "Heck are you?" He had taken comfort in the angry release of the implied meaning of 'heck', a word he had just managed to pick up somewhere along the way. Furrowed brows stare down the much older male, unfazed in the presence of a much more physically apt being who could likely take him over just by giving him a quick shove of the paw. He doesn't really consider that, no. And he likely will ever have to be concerned about that as he grows.

Valette stood and trotted towards Ezekiel, she didn’t look displeased to see him which was a good start. Two of the three pups followed closely behind, both of them grey furred like him. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw them, and feel hurt at what he had missed. He was distracted by his kids, so he barely heard Val’s question, and it took a moment for him to reply. Still looking down at them with a happy look in his sky blue eyes, he shook his head, Oh no nothing’s wrong I just... He said, looking up at Val now, I wanted to meet my- the babies. I should’ve come earlier, I’m sorry I haven’t.

He was genuinely sorry that he hadn’t come earlier; what kind of baby hating monster Val must’ve thought him to be. But he wasn’t gonna be that anymore, from now on he would never neglect his children. As long as Val allowed him near, he wouldn’t ever desert them. The one grey girl looked very happy, excited to see him, the boy (who was humongous), not so excited. He asked Zeke who he was, and Zeke replied, glancing to Valette before he did. I’m Ezekiel, uh, just wanted to meet you guys. He didn’t dare say anything further, it was Val’s information to share if she chose.

Valette watched how Clary seemed friendly in her greeting. Ezra not so much. Valette winced very softly. But then again, their greeting to a 'stranger' was only natural. Ezekiel had been a stranger to them. He hadn't even bothered to come see them. Not even when the others were invited. Valette shot him a glance when he said that he should have come earlier. How was she going to explain now that he was there father and he hadn't even come to see them!? He even admitted that he should have come earlier.

Valette cleared her throat. Ezekiel was lucky that she was so forgiving. Plus, she did this for the pups. She didn't want them to think they weren't important. They were very important. "Ezekiel is our pack's protector. He will be out by the border watching for mean wolves or intruders. He is very strong and keeps us safe," she spoke. "That that is why he was busy," she spoke. Then the mother paused and glanced at her children. She swallowed and then glanced at Zeke. "He is also your father," she stated. "Like I am your mama, he is your papa."

She wasn't sure if she was explaining this right to them. Valette stood behind the pups so they couldn't see her expression but she was looking at Ezekiel with a glance 'I-saved-your-ass'. "Even though he was really busy protecting us, he was eager to meet you guys. Right, Zeke?," she stated and looked at him. She wasn't going to let her babies think they were forgotten.

"Here she comes to wreck the daaaaaay!"

Steph was slow to exit the den. Ever since her near miss with the creature who tried to make her a meal, she had stuck close to the den, only going out when someone she trusted was nearby. She even stopped running off to look for @Murdock, but instead began calling for him. It was a great way to practice her howls, and she had gotten okay at them, even if they did sound puppy-like.

Her mother and siblings were surrounding a male, and Steph slowly made her way over, coming in at the middle of the conversation. But, she was quick to pick up certain words, and she shot a confusing look to Valette. Moo is papa, she said confidently. Murdock had been such an important figure in her life that she automatically thought of him as her father. Looking to the gray male in front of her, she couldn't even remember him being around very much. She had never played with him, never spoke to him, and he had certainly not saved her life. No, he was definitely not Dad. He not save me, she added, not realizing how her words would affect the stranger.

Clary wrinkled her nose at her brother's blunt entrance and leaned over to bump his shoulder with her own. "Ezra!" Her voice chimed with her usual laughter. She didn't understand why he had to make himself sound so grumpy. Things were so much more fun when you laughed and smiled, especially when others laughed and smiled with you. And Clary hadn't missed the bright shine in the stranger's eyes that did enough to tell her he wanted to be happy now, too.

The girl rushed forward to meet the stranger full on and wove her small body between his legs. "Eeezee." She tried to repeat, until she heard mama's voice and fell quiet - the only one, really, who could draw such a long silence from her. Clary paused at the man's hind-leg and drew a good sniff, while her brain worked through the new information mama gave them about the stranger. Their protector! Her eyes widened and she peered out and around from her position beneath him to try and get a glimpse of the big wolf's face.

Mama said something else - something Clary at first didn't completely understand. Their father. Her mind had no concept for this, and it took both mama's comparison and Steph's denial for her to grasp what this meant.

And when she did - Oh! She danced her way back in the direction of her siblings.

Steph made a good point. She had listened, enthralled, to the recount of Murdock's heroics, but Clary trusted mama's words. The pale girl flopped herself between Ezekiel's front legs and raised her thoughts quickly after her sister voiced hers. "Maybe, when Mu-dock save you, Eezee was protec - prote - pro - "  oooh! She stomped her paw " - makin' sure no more monster come to take us, too." That made sense. Murdock had saved Steph, but mama said Ezekiel was strong and their protector. She and Ezra had been safe - so maybe, Ezekiel had been saving them while Murdock was saving Steph. And the idea thrilled her, for as much as she liked Murdock, she didn't have the same relationship Steph seemed to have with him - and if having a papa meant having someone like Steph had Murdock, then she wanted someone like this, too.

Ezra remains silent, unable to reach a verdict on the whole situation. Names and introductions were being thrown around, a particularly fond one from a man who his mother called his 'father'. Zeke. What the heck kind of name was that? "Ezeekel... eekle.... eckle... zeckle..." The boy attempts at pronouncing the name, murmuring to himself while his family squabbles of the legitimacy of this large man being his dad. Ezra doesn't really care himself, after all, he doesn't see why one needs a father in the first place. Mother had always brought them what they needed, and he figures he has done well surviving without the man while he was absent from their lives. "Protec?" The boy returns to the conversation with a furrowed brow, questioning what that new vocabulary word meant. He looks from Clary to his mother, slightly demanding an explanation to something he was clearly being left out of.