Swiftcurrent Creek pardesi

in the days following his and @Dawn's tryst, realization had settled slowly in the pit of his stomach. it might not have in any other season, but so soon after the debacle with vidya and rajendra. . .he was well aware of the perils of their respective fertility. if things went according to nature's plan, events would transpire quite quickly. children needed a foundation—

and two loners adrift in the mountains did not a good foundation make.

they made their way down from the crags, finding themselves near a swift-flowing stream he'd encountered once or twice before. adi was too close to the maplewood for comfort, but he didn't have a choice, now. by sowing his seed, he had sealed his fate. her fate. and now they must make some sacrifices.

a scent or two along the border was familiar to him, though he couldn't place any of them definitively. there would be time enough to figure all of that out. aditya howled, his call for an audience shivering over the valley, then cast a silent glance at dawn. right now, introductions must be made, and invitations hopefully handed out. . .

he supposed they could go elsewhere. but time moved more quickly than careful deliberation would allow.

The howl he heard from the borders pulled him from his family, reminding him of his duty as alpha. There was just no way he could assess the situation properly if Rosalie was anywhere near the strangers with her heat in full force, so he sternly requested that she stay near the den and with his mate while he investigated the summons. Kavik quickly trotted to the edge of the territory where the call seemed to have originated, slowing some when he saw the two unfamiliar wolves standing at the borders. He came to a stop in front of them, dipping his head stiffly to each of them. The children already had him on edge most of the time and now, Rosalie's heat only made his need to protect even stronger. It was hard not to just run the strangers off, but he stifled that irrational urge; they might need help of some kind, and later when his head was a little clearer, he knew he would feel bad if he turned them away without hearing them out first. 

I am Kavik, one of the alphas here, he started. What brings you to my borders? he asked, getting right to the point. There wasn't room for pleasantries while his family and the rest of the pack relied on him to keep them safe.

did she regret what she had done? their act who's implications she understood clearly, and would have accepted joyfully had conditions for the pair been vastly different. their animosity had faded to friendliness, and yet she found it difficult to determine exactly where they stood. where not lovers better to raise children? but her fathers first few litters had lacked a parent, or mated parents, or all of the above - and hadn't they turned out fine? her questions cluttered her mind, but above them all, she wondered if she was wasteful in her worry. until now, she considered herself the type not to do just that, but much had changed in the past few weeks alone. 

there comes a man, burly and certainly capable of being intimidating should he have set his mind to it. "I am Dawn, and this is Aditya. We're looking for a home." she's certain in her words, yet her gaze shifts for a moment to Aditya, offering him the chance to speak, silently wondering if they should mention the possibility - slim and far away as it seems - that they number more than two.

a dark man, unfamiliar to him, approached—and one of the familiar scents grew stronger still. someone he'd known before calamity on the island, but whom? he looked at dawn as she introduced them both, catching her glance, turning back to kavik.

we found ourselves in the season's embrace, several days ago, aditya said, putting it as delicately as he could. his mouth quivered slightly with nerves. it may not be just the two of us, standing here before you. there was no use not bringing it up; it would rear its head eventually, if true, and if false, well, there was nothing to worry about. better to disclose it now than later.

but, he added, dawn is an excellent hunter, and i am a scout and ambassador. we can bring strength and loyalty to your ranks, to bolster any. . .inconvenience we may create.

such as, oh, one or two extra mouths to feed.

The woman introduced them as Dawn and Aditya, and the alpha nodded his head in response. The man wasted no time informing Kavik of the couple's predicament, and being a new father himself, he sympathized with them. But, being a father was also what made him hesitate to just grant them entrance. The pack already had his own four children to support, not to mention Chusi looked close to popping. It made him more than a little nervous to add more of a drain on the pack's resources. 

The man spoke up again, informing him of the ways they could contribute, which helped, but he was still hesitant. Our numbers are lower than I would like, he started, gaze moving between the pair. If you can promise to assist me in recruiting some more wolves to help support the upcoming abundance of pups, then I will allow you to stay here and have your children in safety. He wanted to help them, but he also needed to make sure it wasn't at the expense of his own children or the children of his loyal packmate.

he put it glowingly, far better than her own blunt words may have. she nodded when he offered their skills to the man, gaze returning to Kavik, but smarted slightly at the word inconvenience. children were mysteries, annoying, sometimes, but certainly not that - though as the newest, unproven members of a pack, any potential offspring would be just that. still, she was certain that they - no, not that there was any certainty of them yet - would be the direct opposite of a weight on their ranks. 

he offered conditions, ones she was certain they could accept. "of course." she dipped her head. "thank you, Kavik." she didn't like conditions hanging over her head for long, and so resolved to do so as quickly as possible.

it was an easy enough request, and to ask it of them was more than fair. aditya nodded along with dawn. we will help you, he murmured. thank you. there was no more that needed to be said. their place here seemed secure enough—dawn and he were fine ambassadors; with luck, they would bolster the ranks of this pack and solidify a grand future for their children.

should they be born, anyway.

no time like the present, adi remarked, a half-smile tugging at his muzzle at the weak joke. with a dip of his muzzle toward dawn, he began to take his leave. i'll find you those recruits, he promised kavik, and then padded off, tail flagging submissive but eager behind him.