Morningside Cuesta how long have I been your fool?

@Khoe, if you have time. Let me know if I should change anything.

Day padded quietly toward his mate, the haunch of an aging buck swinging loosely from his jaws. He wasn't sure if she was asleep or just resting, or if she was pretending so that he'd go away and leave her alone. He couldn't seem to predict her moods with any accuracy, but what he did know was that she needed to eat.

Setting the proffered meal down at his paws, he gave a soft, tentative woof to get her attention. "Cutie? You hungry?" he asked, hoping she couldn't tell he was a bit nervous about his reception. It was hard to be around her lately, at times, but that didn't stop him from needing to care for her, no matter how overbearing she might sometimes find him.

In truth, rest had become foreign to Khoe. She would often find herself needing to take a moment in the shade, if only to take a break from the strain of late pregnancy, but this rarely lasted for longer than a moment, as even that temporary comfort couldn't last. Grayday, no matter how much Khoe adored him and his ways, had slowly been growing more and more irritating with each passing day. That being said, no matter how tired she grew of him, she could never pull herself away.

She perked her ears and lifted her head as he drew nearer to the entrance of the whelping den, before making an obviously failed attempt at climbing to her paws. Khoe's belly hung so low between her limbs that it felt impossible to do much of anything, especially when it wasn't urgent. But her mate was bringing her a gift out of generosity, and she would do her best to show him that she appreciated it. 

You have no idea, she laughed as she sniffed at the cut before her. Grayday seemed tense, though she brushed it off as nothing more than a case of cold feet. The only difference was that this time, he was too late to get out of it.

The male relaxed pretty quickly once he caught her cheerful mood. All at once, his whole body seemed to unwind, and he grinned freely at her as she accepted the meal, proud of himself for doing the right thing, this time. A tiny bit of tenseness remained, but that was fatherhood. He'd keep on worrying until the day he died, and then maybe worry even then, just to be sure.

"Are they kickin' around today?" he asked, trying to keep the hope out of his voice. He knew it couldn't be pleasant for Khoe, but he loved more than anything to feel the soft movements of life within her. A second, silent question went unasked: Can I feel?

Having been slightly put off by the strangling scent of the meat, Khoe chose to focus instead on Grayday. It put her at ease to see him soften, and she was able to fall onto her side in a most ungraceful manner.

A smile slowly grew across her maw as she listened to his innocent inquiry; in truth, they never stopped kicking. Sometimes they were soft flutters, but other times (most of the time) they were strong, forceful blows. Khoe took it as a sign that they would be born strong, so she tried her best to ignore the discomfort, but it was quickly becoming more difficult.

Come here, she whispered with a nod of her head. She looked down at her now bare belly and stretched her snout out to massage gently. Soon after, the first tiny paw made its way across the inside of her womb, waking the others and starting a frenzy.

Tail whipping in excitement, Day did as he was told. The first few feet were overtaken in quick strides, but he belly-crawled the rest of the way so that his excitement didn't get the better of him. With exceedingly careful movements, he stretched out his neck and laid his head on his mate's belly, keeping his weight off of her, but holding contact from chin to throat. Tiny paws and noses bumped against his neck and jaw, and the male let out a quiet whimper.

Please, just be gentle. Don't hurt your mama, he thought, even as he pressed a bit closer to revel in the sensation. These were his children, separated from him by a thin barrier of flesh. Safe and warm inside their mama, his mate. Day lifted head, eyes shining as he gazed down at the dark woman, her sweet face.

"You're incredible, you know that?" he asked her, dipping his head to smooth a lick over her navel. Another flutter of motion pushed up against his tongue.

There was an overwhelming sense of both joy and pain with the reaching of both Grayday and their whelps. It was as if they were attempting to touch between the skin that separated them, and though Khoe was glad they were equally excited to meet one another, she wished that they had some different way to show it. Tiny paws climbed up into her ribcage, gently kneading the organs around it. No, we're incredible. All of us. 

Khoe knew that she couldn't have done what she was doing without Grayday by her side and furthermore, there would be nothing to do without her children to keep her busy. I just wish they were here already, she laughed. She loved being pregnant as well as the ups and downs that came with it, but there was nothing that could ever stand against seeing them and caring for them without any frights or worries.

Song!

Grayday gave a rumble of agreement, too focused on his unborn pups to answer her statement with words. He opened his mouth as if to say something to the tiny creatures nudging against his jaws, but shot his mate a self-conscious glance before letting it snap shut.

He cleared his throat, not quite sure he could articulate the vulnerability he felt right then, if Khoe had asked after his suddenly unsteady look. No, he couldn't talk to them, like he'd wanted, but he would make sure they knew his voice.

"I know my days are heaven sent,
Lord know I know not where they went.
I shake my head and I wonder how
I'll ever get to heaven now - "

And the song went on, with little lulls as Day struggled to remember some of the lines. His voice rumbled out, strong and clear, but in his mind he listened to his father sing the same words, years and years before this day. And though the words themselves were sad, Day only remembered the wistful tone in which they'd been sung to him, and how sweet it'd felt to be protected and cherished and held against his father's chest.

There was nothing Khoe could do but to smile as her eyes traced the smooth movements of her mate and the children they shared. A small flicker of concern crossed her face with Grayday's glance, though she chose to urge him in silence, rather than with words. She sat and listened to the song, allowing her head to fall gently to the ground and for her eyes to whisper shut while he bellowed the words into the darkness of the den. At one point or another, Khoe found herself so entranced that she could barely help but to hum along as best as she could, despite not knowing what would come next and barely remembering what had just gone by.

I'll be pretty disappointed, she began once she figured he was nearing the end, if this doesn't become a part of our nightly routine. It was to be taken as a joke with a mutual understanding of just how serious she was; it was important to Khoe that Grayday was as much in the lives of their pups as he could be. It was why she had chosen him to sire her litter in the first place; she wanted someone kind and compassionate, yet who could also serve as a protector, and there was no one who would've done a better job than Day.

Day gave a throaty chuckle. "I don't mind singin' to you," he said, lifting himself away from his mate's belly and settling again at her side. The male gave her cheek a firm lick before laying his head on his paws, eyes fluttering shut, since there wasn't much for him to see, anyway.

"My dad used to sing to us," he revealed, a sad smile flickering across his face. "My mama used to holler at him - said he sang like a dying crow. But she loved it. We all did." 

Those had been simpler times. Sometimes, Day wondered if he'd ever achieve the kind of domestic bliss he'd enjoyed with his mother and father. Was it possible that such things were passed him, unreachable beyond childhood? Perhaps his parents had experienced the same troubles as he, and had simply hidden them from his young eyes. He wished he could've done the same for Dawn, so that she would be able to look back when she was grown, and remember what it was like to be loved by a perfect father.

Khoe giggled and moved away coyly as Grayday made his way onto her paws. That sounds wonderful, she cooed gently, kneading the fur atop his head with her snout. I had many mothers, but none of them ever seemed genuine. It was my father who I depended on the most; he was my best friend. When times were at their lowest and it seemed like nothing else could go wrong, Khoe always had her father there by her side. Just thinking of his unconditional love brought a smile to her face and a flutter to her chest.

I want them to know what that's like, she sighed, I want them to have real love.

Day watched her as she spoke, a tender look in his eyes. He wasn't sure he could claim his father - or anyone but Adeline, really - as his best friend, but the man had certainly been important to him. To this day, Mud was the model of a Good Man that Grayday strived to measure up to. To this day, when faced by a dilemna, he always wondered - what would my father have done?

And he thought about his son and daughter, whose hearts had been twisted up just the same as his own. If Amber had stayed, would they still be thick as thieves? The question never stopped plaguing him.

"I want that, too," he admitted, his voice cracking.

He swore to himself that he'd sing to these kids, and while he'd still teach them how to be as fiery as Dawn, he'd teach them when to be soft, too. He'd teach them that broken bridges could be mended, instead of burnt. He'd tell them early, and often, to never let the sun go down on their anger - to love more, love deeper, and love anyway.

He thought of a red girl with green eyes, disappering into the sunrise.

"I want it so bad it hurts."

The silence brewed high with clouds of steam so heavy she thought that she might suffocate beneath them. Once she'd had time to think about it later, Khoe probably would have realized that this was a gas bubble, or a pup playing footsies with her gut. Don't be like that, she teased, her voice so soft one would've had to have strained to even make a guess.

It touched her to see Grayday so vulnerable and open; here he was, her protector and guide, tearing up in the dark. She let her snout rest on his head so that she could draw in a breath of his scent, his presence, his essence. In that moment, Khoe longed to know who he was beneath it all more than anything else.

You know if you get all mushy that I'm only a few steps behind, and I gaurantee you don't wanna see that. There was nothing more pitiful than when she allowed her emotions to get the better of her, especially now that they'd been mixed so perfectly with her hormonal cocktail of a mind. And with even Grayday falling under the influence of the pure love that surrounded them, no one could be safe from the waterworks.

Day gave a soft sigh, and a moment later, realized that it'd been one of contentment. His heart still ached when he thought about his warring children, but here in the den, surrounded by the scent of family, nestled so close to his pregnant mate - he found that he did not long for much. For Adeline, and for reconciliation, but those things were only far-off dreams. What he had with Akuti was real. He didn't have to wait for anything except the birth of his children.

The words were on the tip of his tongue. I love you. But he didn't say it, because there were days he still woke up with her on his mind, and because he'd loved Amber, too, and where was she? Grayday pushed such thoughts out of his mind, grinning as he began to sing once more.

"Sometimes it seems as though
the very best of what a man can know
is the grace of a woman..."

Maybe he couldn't say it yet, but he'd try his hardest to show her.