Julooke emerged from the den, well after the sun had peaked over the horizon. She had been sleeping quite a bit lately, and her belly was beginning to show the telltale signs of her pregnancy. Her teats were swollen, but at least her nausea had resided and her appetite was up. It was midday, not usually her prime hunting time, but her growling stomach demanded she get something. She set out into the forest, hoping to find a nice fresh meal for her unborn babies. She wasn't as focused on her task as she normally was, instead simply roaming around quickly, her eyes and ears perked for anything she might stumble upon. A squeak had her stopping in her tracks, trying to located where the sound came from. Another one, and she had the direction pinpointed.
Slowly, she moved toward a small group of rabbits, pausing when she seen one looking around. A couple of babies were running around while Mom stood watch over them. She was diligent in their protection, but Julooke was determined to make one of them a snack. When Mom finally put her head down to chew on some grass, Julooke made a bolt for the closest baby, and it froze a fraction of a second before taking off with its sibling, running around in a frantic rush to find their burrow. It turned sharply, and Julooke tried to do the same, but she wasn't expecting her body to refused the sharp turn due to the added weight of her babies and her taunt belly. Her usually light steps were heavier and she couldn't maneuver the way she usually would. Mid-turn, her back legs slipped out from under her, causing her to slid across the ground a few feet before coming to a rest. She got up quickly, but the rabbits were long gone. She hadn't even seen where the hole was that they must have slipped into it.
With an irritated growl, she sat back on her haunches. If she couldn't catch a baby rabbit, how was she going to lead the next hunt? The thought brought her head jerking up. She wouldn't be able to! The thought made her sad and even more irritable. She huffed her displeasure, stood and stalked grumpily to the lake, her ears pinned back on her head and her gait stiff with aggravation. It wasn't like Julooke to be angry- must be hormones from the pregnancy, not that she realized it. She approached the edge of the water, lowering her head to drink some water. It was cool against her throat, quenching her thirst. Sitting back on her haunches, she debated going to the cache to get a meal. She was usually the one filling it, not taking from it. Lost in her thoughts, she sat there, looking out over the water.
Ever since receiving the news from Julooke that she was pregnant with their children, Verrine had been lost somewhere in the clouds. Such unexpected and wondrous news had been a balm on the anger that had festered within him since her attack, particularly since no one had been successful in tracking down her assailant yet. He felt as if he walked around with a blissful smile on his face more often than not, and even when Julooke was in a foul, vicious mood (which happened sometimes and was normal in pregnant females, according to Thistle), he couldn't seem to be bothered by it because she was carrying his children. He simply couldn't believe he was going to be a father. He barely felt qualified to even be an adult sometimes, and yet here he was, preparing to be to a handful of new lives what his own father had been to him: a steady, unwavering pillar of guidance, safety, and love.
As he wandered through the sunlit woods on this particularly peaceful morning, idly looking for signs of small game he could catch for Julooke, he found himself thinking that he needed to have a sit-down with Ragnar sometime and get some perspective on fatherhood. Verrine wasn't sure he was ready for what was coming, but he had no choice. He had to be. Ragnar sometimes reminded Verrine of his own father, Leviathan, and for that, Verrine had come to respect -- and, in some ways, love -- the gruff Nordic wolf a great deal. It made sense, then, that Ragnar be the one to help Verrine embrace parenthood when that exciting day finally came.
Suddenly, on a soft whisp of the breeze came the scent of his beloved, and his ears perked up as a smile involuntarily crossed his face. Turning to follow the scent, he tracked her for a short distance until he found her sitting on the bank of the lake, her stark white coat contrasting vibrantly against the darker green and blue backdrop of the scenery around her. For the millionth time, he was struck by how beautiful she was -- particularly with her swollen midsection. He wagged his tail as he approached her, noticing that droplets of clear water clung to her dainty chin and glinted in the sun like diamonds. "Hello, my gorgeous girl," he said to her with warmth in his voice and love in his eyes, drawing close to give her a kiss on the cheek before sitting down beside her. He noticed she looked a little tired and irritated. "You feelin' okay today?"