Phoenix Maplewood a lesson in love

Esaro nodded, understanding the rules that must be followed. He was glad to know more rules, he didn't ever want to accidentally break more of them. He still wondered about Reek's case but he decided to focus on a different question. "Do females have the urge too?" He asked. There were obvious signs of when a male was having those urges but females didn't have that sign so he actually wondered if they never had to deal with it.

The idea with being mates with someone was a bit vague for Esaro until now. If was all a choice which lead him to another question. "Does being mates mean the two wolves just want to have puppies?" He said as he turned to look at Grace once more. He did have the impression that being mates had something to do with being in love with each other. He did enjoy being with Luna, the idea of being mates had crossed. Funny that at the time he was thinking that love was all it took for puppies to suddenly appear but the idea kept changing.

Listening to their teachers words, something dawned on the little red yearling. She remembered, in her short travels, having met a pair of females who said they were mates. With Shreyas information so far, she now knew they couldn't have puppies. But did that mean mating was out of the question?
      "What about two females together, or two males? I know they can't have puppies, but do they still do.... sex?"

You've both hit upon the same important subject, she observed, and gave a nod of approval to the pair of them. It seemed their initial questions about the physical act of baby-making had been answered, and they were now moving on to what brought mummy and daddy together.

The subject of love and attraction. The natural purpose of having sex is to create puppies, but many couples also do it because they enjoy it — and, perhaps, because they're in love. To have puppies you need one male and one female, but anyone can fall in love or be attracted to each other. That's why you may see couples who are considered 'mates' but who are all-female or all-male. These couples can't have puppies by breeding with each other, no, she confirmed, and being mates doesn't mean you have to have puppies anyway. Love and sex may seem scary, she reassured them, but it's also a fascinating world to discover, and, if you're lucky, it can light up your life in a way you never expected.

He understood most all of what Shreya was saying but he was a bit surprise to hear that wolves did the act because they enjoyed it. What is confusing about that is that the purpose was to have puppies but then what did that mean that wolves did it only to enjoy it? Esaro focused on trying to find an answer which lead only to a question. "But aren't they just going to end up with more puppies if they have sex? Even if it's just to enjoy won't that just cause the female to have even more puppies?" He asked. Esaro did believe that females could get even more pregnant than they were if the act continued so what did it all really mean? Could it actually be controlled?

Still with all the Shreya said it made him want to discover all of it even more. But there were rules to follow so he had a good enough reason to hold back any attempt. Besides he didn't want to have puppies, he could barely take care of himself so he couldn't imagine being able to take care of pups too.

Grace smiled, tail wagging behind her. It was nice to know that some wolves did it for sheer pleasure or bonding, even if she couldnt understand how same-gender couples would do such things. It wasn't just a primal thing that she wouldnt like, that had one purpose only. The idea seemed a little appealing to her now, but she was still unsure about letting a male atop her. All her life that had meant pain, anger, and fear: not something she was likely to visit willingly. She decided to leave it at that, finding no more questions in her mind for the old female. At a growl of her stomach, she could not help but look over at the duck. Glancing around, slightly worried that she would be seen as rude (despite Shreya assuring her it wasnt), she took a chance. These were her packmates, surely they wouldn't harm her. She plucked out the feathers clump by clump, as Hope had taught her to do, but she realized she didnt yet have a permanent den to soften her nest with the smooth feathers. Instead she let the wind take them, tearing slowly and quietly into the bird while keeping her golden eyes darting in interest between Shreya and Esaro. Perhaps they wouldn't notice, and the three way conversation would continue as if she hadnt moved. Or, on another hand, maybe one would get upset for her interruption.

She could vaguely imagine what was going on in the young ones' heads right now, fantasies or fears of love and breeding. Shreya smiled reassuringly at Grace as she succumbed to her appetite and tucked into Esaro's edible gift, then returned her eyes to the gift-giver. Yes, if two mature wolves, one male and one female, have sex, it may result in puppies. It's more likely in the spring, which is why you may notice more mateships happening at this time of year. But tell you what, she continued, now regarding them both. How best to have or avoid puppies is a whole extra subject — best not worry about it until it's relevant to you, or it might overcomplicate things. But I'll always be around to answer questions when the time comes, alright?

Esaro question wasn't answered but based on what Shreya said maybe it would be better to ask when the problem actually comes up. Although most details still remain a mystery, surely one day he would make the discovery. When, where, and with who stayed unknown so he could just tell himself he wasn't close to being ready for that sort of stuff. He would be better off practicing and learning more about everything so he could be more useful to the pack. The lesson hear did answer some important questions so it was good enough that he really didn't need to worry about it anymore. All he really had to do was stay in control, puppies were definitely not something he would be ready for.

He looked at Grace who starting to eat and gave a little smile. "Enjoy." He wasn't at all bothered by it. His attention went back to Shreya since he began to wonder what was next. "So we should come to you if we want to have puppies right?" He said without thinking much on his choice of words. He was simply speaking for Grace and himself separately. He was thinking if either of them had a desire to have puppies then that wolf should talk with Shreya first, just in case.

With her pack mates urging, Grace dug into the duck in earnest. Birds, in general, were her favorite kind of prey, from eggs to the adults. She listened to the conversation, adding in her own quiet comment before going back to eating.
      "We have to go to Saena too, you know. But I'll probably think of other questions by the time I'M ready for that."
She smiled, tail wagging behind her. She found she Rather liked the elderly she wolf, and would likely come to her with most of her problems.

She couldn't help but chuckle at Esaro's choice of words, and smiled at Grace too. Shreya was really not a cuddle grandmotherly type, but she was fond of these too just as she was of Spring. It was good to see the scarred girl get more comfortable in their presence. Saena for permission, and me for advice if you'd like, she confirmed. Being a bluntly honest wolf, Shreya was tempted to ask the pair if they had an interest in each other, but it wasn't politeness that held her back — it was her desire to end the class on a thoroughly non-awkward note.

The lesson felt like it was over so Esaro got up. "Thank you for teaching us all of this. I think I would have gotten into trouble If I didn't." He said a bit awkwardly. He likely wouldn't have done the act but he would have been going around making sure he wasn't making anyone magically pregnant. Since there was much more to it he could guess everyone was safe from that. He would need to make sure some random male doesn't go crazy but surely the females won't let such thing happen.

He turned towards Grace. "Well I'm not ready for that sort of thing either, I still need to practice and get better." He said, meaning he wanted to learn more about herbs, hunting, and fighting. He couldn't imagine when he will really be ready for sex. Apparently it's just a want and it doesn't seem like it was important so there really no point. Esaro turned aiming to leave. "I'll be going now, I can't wait for your next Lesson Shreya." Then towards Grace. "See you around Grace." He said giving her a smile before heading out to either search for plants or something huntable.

Grace was finishing off the last bits of meat when Esaro got up. Her anxiety spiked a bit, and she pushed herself to her own paws as well though she had no idea what was going on till he spoke. Suppose it was time to go then? With just a flick of her ear, the yearling smiled and nodded to Esaro at his goodbye.
     "Thank you for the duck Esaro.
She then turned and dipped her head respectfully to Shreya.
         "Yes, thank you for the lesson Shreya. It's nice to be less confused in life, less to worry about. Is it okay if I come to you for other questions I think up about something?"
The elder was clearly wise, and Grace wanted to learn as much as she could. After giving time for Shreya's response, the yearling smiled and bid her goodbye, sure she would be seeing her again soon.

ty for the thread, both! ^__^

Call on me any time, she said genuinely to the pair. It had been quite the informative event, and Shreya wagered they had a thousand questions still floating in their heads... but they'd answer quite a few of those questions with life experience alone.

Alright kids, she ended it there, and hung around while the young 'uns departed. You have yourselves a good day.