Combinations

Molly sighed softly as he finished cleaning her, blinking sleepily and painfully as her stomach rumbled. When he exited the den, she barely noticed, but when he returned, the smell of fresh food filled her nose and made her lift her head slowly. Her tail thumped slightly, showing her appreciation as she started to eat, finishing only moments later as he spoke. She sighed softly, licking her lips clean and resting her head on her paws. "I don't have much of a choice, Coven. The pack needs a healer, and I'm all it's got." She said softly, wishing that she had at least an apprentice to help her take care of all the injured wolves in the pack. It was too much work for her to do alone, but the pack needed her to do it. She closed her eyes, relaxing against the male's body as she let it warm her slowly. The pack was small, but thanks to the brawl between Chaos and Coven, she now had herself, Coven, Chaos, and Laek to care for. She wasn't sure how she'd do it, but she was determined not to let the pack down.

She knew she probably wouldn't make it through the winter this way, but she had to at least try. No one else in the pack knew enough about healing to be of any use to the sick and injured. Possibly Blitz, but he had far too many things to deal with to be stuck at the dens helping her with the care of the sick and injured. But even as she thought about it, she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open, and she slowly began to doze off, enjoying the warmth of the male's body as he kept her from freezing while the storm raged on outside. It would be a long, hard night for her, and although she had food inside of her, it was still difficult to tell if she would be in better or worse shape in the morning.

The fact that Molly was the only healer was what Coven was worried about. From two stands, that was bad: first, it could kill her off if her condition got too bad, and second, it could kill someone else off if she got to the point where she couldn't take care of them either. He had a suggestion that could potentially ease Molly's burden for a while, but the white wolf's weary reply told him that she was on the brink of sleep, finally. He'd finish this conversation up with her later, if she made it through this night well.

Sweeping away the bird remains with a paw, Coven lay his head on the ground and stared at the wall as he listened to Molly's breathing relax and the heavy pattering of the rain. Molly may have been exhausted, but Coven was wide awake, unfortunately, and feeling the malaise of boredom setting in. 'This is what happens when evil little minks try to pick a fight...' he thought to himself bitterly, unable to believe that he'd slept away most of the afternoon.

Molly remained curled up against Coven's warm body as she slept, regaining the energy that she had lost in the cold rain outside. She shivered slightly as a cold wind blew into the den, but relaxed as she curled up into a ball against him, his large form nearly twice the size of her small one. Oh how she wanted another healer or an apprentice to help her. She needed all the help she could get, especially with winter on it's way. She couldn't take care of the whole pack by herself! But for now she had to worry about herself, and if it hadn't been for Coven, she would likely have perished out in that puddle in the rain.

Chaos slept for a few hours, but was woken by an annoying rumbling in her stomach. She yawned, stretching and wincing as her wounds stung with the movement. But she wasn't one to be crippled by little pains, and she headed out into the rain, growling in annoyance of it's cold and wet drops as she made her way to the storage den.

Their hunt today had been unsuccessful, thanks to the torrential downpour, so Blitz was heading home, and he was almost positive that Khalessi and Fallon were right behind him. As he reached the dens, he check each that was meant to be occupied. First he stopped at Inferno's, and finding it empty, he moved on to Laek's. There he found the beta and injured wolf, and he nodded, ducking out and heading for Chaos's den. But there was no need, for his eyes caught her disappearing into the storage den, no doubt for a much needed snack. Next was Molly's den, which, to his dismay, was empty. He followed the muddied and wet paw prints to the signs of her fall, and looked up to see she had been moved into Coven's den. He entered slightly, relaxing as he spotted the white form curled up against the black male. He nodded his gratitude for Coven's care of the healer, and turned to head to his own den. He was soaked through, and though his muscles shown strong and powerful, he felt tired and weak, mostly needing rest. He entered his den, shaking himself to dry off a bit before laying down with a soft sigh and resting his head on his paws to sleep.

((Blitz (above)/Fallon/Khalessi continued from: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t53p15-pack-meeting-1#462 ))
Fallon wearily trailed behind Blitz back into their pack camp. There had been so much hope earlier for a good hunt, and it had been so needed. The failed attempt and the creeping worry was exhausting to the wolfess - and all that without even realizing that there were two more mouths to feed! Head low and tail hanging limp, the soaking wolf headed straight to the storage den. She walked in and jumped in surprise, a low, instinctive hiss escaping her throat when she found herself face to face with Chaos. Chaos in the dark so late at night, after what had already been such a horrible night, was such an unexpected shock that Fallon couldn't help but look too obviously on edge and unwelcoming in her greeting.

Coven slept on and off for the last few hours, still well-rested enough from the afternoon to stay awake and still having enough healing to do that sleep wasn't so terribly hard to come by. Throughout these intervals of consciousness, Molly's shivering had become so disturbing to Coven - to the point where he honestly began to worry - that he had tried to wrap himself up around her as much as possible, putting his head over her shoulders when the worst spasms came. That was it - Molly would be hearing and accepting his idea tomorrow about taking on faux-apprentices. Blitz's entrance reminded Coven how much the alpha cared for the pack members (it hadn't been hard to discern that about Blitz from his attitude during the two wolves' first meeting), and surely he'd want Molly to get better, too. She was just too far gone right now to do anything but watch out for herself.

At Fallon's sudden appearance and hiss, Chaos lifted her head slowly. She didn't have the energy to deal with the young female right now, and she merely looked back down at the pile she was slowly fishing through. She finally decided on a rather large hare, taking it in her teeth and exiting the den into the rain once more, ignoring Fallon's presence as best as she could. She was in no shape to fight, and it was obvious Fallon was exhausted as well, so she decided it would be best to avoid conflict, this time. Her journey back to her den was slow and relaxed, almost as if it wasn't raining at all. She arrived, dropping the hare and shaking the water from her fur, and then she laid down to eat her meal. She finished it quickly, not bothering to groom herself before she fell asleep again, the mangled remains of the carcass beside her slumbering body.

Molly continued to tremble during the night, but each time Coven curled around her or rested his head over her, the shivers grew less intense than before. She huddled up against him unconsciously, desperately clingin to his warmth as she rain grew harder and lighting began to dance across the sky to a chorus of thunder that shook the den. If Molly had not been so exhausted, this rumble would have waken her, but she slept soundly, shivering and curling up tighter as the storm raged on outside.

Blitz woke not too long after he had fallen asleep, worried about his pack, namely Molly. She was in such terrible shape, and although Coven had been caring for her, he felt like he should be with her right now. But he wouldn't overwhelm her. Coven had things under control, and it seemed like there was little they could do at the moment to help her. But no matter how much he longed to sleep and not worry, he couldn't help but get up and head over to Coven's den, entering slowly. "How is she doing?" He asked, sitting down a few feet from the two wolves and looking over Molly's trembling form. "Is there a fever?"

The hunter warily moved to the side and let Chaos pass, a low warning growl still ringing in her throat. Chaos had been way too unpredictable before to be trusted, even in such a seemingly subdued state. Once the other female had left the den, Fallon took her pick out of the quickly declining pile of kill. 'It'll all be better tomorrow...' though Fallon to herself, tearing her worried eyes off of the food and exiting toward her own den farther off, still oblivious to the fact that there were new wolves about, thanks to the heavy rain. Moments after finishing her meal with tiered, mechanical bites, the she-wolf curled into a ball, her back against the wind and den entrance, and fell asleep.

Coven raised his head and looked up at Blitz before casting his eyes back down again at Molly's constantly quivering form. Choosing not to give the obvious answer to Blitz's first question, the black wolf touched his nose to the white she-wolf's ears, licking them a few times to see if that helped him detect anything out of the ordinary. Shaking his head a bit, the wolf responded, "If she has one, it isn't terrible yet. Her shivering's picked up in the last few hours, though...a fever could definitely be coming on." After a second's pondering over the little wolf's condition and realizing that he knew nothing about how to treat a fever, Coven asked, looking down once again at Molly, "Is there anyway to prevent this from getting worse? And if you're planning on sticking around," he continued, looking up again and flipping back his ears slightly, hoping he wasn't speaking too out of line already, "she could definitely benefit from you warming her up on the other side."

Blitz watched Coven carefully, nodding as he spoke. He knew a little bit about healing, but not nearly as much as the little female. But he silently thanked the spirits that he knew how to bring down and prevent a fever. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I know something that may keep her from getting a fever, if she doesn't already have one." He said, leaving the den and returning only moments later with some sort of plant that he had chewed into a syrup. He carefully set it down on a flat leaf, filling a curved stone with water and mixing the syrup into it slowly. "We need her to drink this." He said, knowing that the mixture tasted horrid and that the task would not be simple. He moved to her other side, keeping her still and warm as he woke her, carefully nudging her muzzle to get her to open it. "Molly, open your mouth please." He said softly, his voice soothing and calm, hoping that she would cooperate before she knew what was happening. When she opened her mouth, he quickly poured the mixture inside, closing his own jaws carefully around her muzzle to keep her from spitting it out until she swallowed.

Molly woke to Blitz's nudging and soon heard his soft voice telling her to open her mouth. She did so sleepily, that is, until she realized what was happening. The horrible mixture slid into her mouth, making her gag and try to spit it out almost immediatedly. However, she soon found that her muzzle was held closed by Blitz's jaws, preventing her from doing anything but swallowing the mixture. She did so, her ears pinned back and her tail curled between her legs as she felt it slide slowly down her throat, the taste still lingering horribly on her tongue. She had swallowed all of the mixture by the time Blitz released her, and she made a face at the after-tasted, watching Blitz get up and retieve some water for her. She lapped it up quickly, relieved that it washed away the awful taste of the mixture. But soon she found herself growing drowzy once more, and she lowered her head onto her paws, curling up once more, now between two incredibly warm bodies, and fell asleep quickly, her shivering almost altogether ceasing.

The black wolf watched curiously as Blitz created the mixture and gave it to Molly. It was unsurprising that she didn't take to the taste, as the smell itself had been bad as well. But it was somewhat of a relief to know that they were doing what they could to help her. Coven reminded himself to ask Blitz later what plant it was that he'd used to help with the fever, but right now he had something more important to talk about.

Once Molly was asleep, Coven said softly, "Her issue, we both know, is that she won't rest. She doesn't feel she has the time...so she really needs someone else to take care of the others while she's out of action. Can't another pack member learn the basic methods to care for Chaos and take over checking up on her? If things get worse for Chaos, then Molly can give more instructions, but if all the injured wolves' wounds are basic and stay that way, it makes sense that someone else could master the few skills necessary to take care of them. Do you think that would work, or help Molly?"

As Molly slept, Blitz listened to Coven's hushed words. It made sense, and he had considered it himself before. He couldn't take on the responsibility, since he wouldn't have the time to run the pack if he were healing it's members 24/7. He remained silent for a few moments, wondering about the dilema. Then he looked back over at Coven, sighing softly. "But who would take on that responsibility? Chaos would never go for it, Fallon and Khalessi are needed as hunters, Laek is injured and not even a pack member, I cannot run the pack, protect the lands, and hunt while caring for the sick and injured constantly. Inferno is already taking on more than he should have to...." He said, trailing off as he let the worries seep in. He could think of no alternative to Molly's situation. But Coven was right, she couldn't keep going on like this. He curled up around her a bit more as a cold wind ruffled his fur, his large body preventing it from hitting her's.

Molly was too tired to be woken by the voices above her, discussing her future and her condition. The syrup had helped her greatly, and now she no longer shivered and she seemed to be relaxed and peaceful for once. Her body remained curled up, wedged between the two males as she remained oblivious to their discussion and peacefully dreaming. Yes, she could now dream, and she clung to those dreams tightly, and it was becoming obvious that her hold on good health and life was growing stronger by the minute as well.

Blitz had a very good point, and Coven hadn't realized before just how small the pack was. Shrugging, he said, "I'll do it...I should be with Chaos most of the time anyway, I really don't think I'll need too much care myself, and if that Laek's injuries are not life-threatening, I'll check up on her whenever I can - at least in the morning and evening. Chaos's only threat is infection which shouldn't be so hard to ward off with the right tools, so it could be ok. What do you think?" While waiting for Blitz's response, and hoping this job would be as easy as he figured it'd be, the male couldn't help but relax a bit into Molly himself, as Blitz's large form really was doing a great job of blocking the wind and helping with the cold. If the pack were bigger, he could be this comfortable every night; it was something to look forward to.

Blitz was surprised when Coven offered to help Molly with the healing. "You know you'd probably be confined to the dens for a while. Most of the sick and injured need to stay here, and unfortunately I don't know if everyone else will stay healthy through the winter. But I'm hoping that they are all as strong as they look. Chaos seems to be doing fine, but you'll need to keep her in her den, which will definitely be a chore, especially since she doesn't particularly like you and is in fact your superior now. Which will make it doubly difficult. I'll try to speak to her before I go hunting tomorrow." He said, hoping that would help make Coven's care of the Head Warrior easier to deal with. He looked down at Molly, gently beginning to groom her with a soothing tongue, swiping over her forehead slowly as he checked for fever and shivering while keeping her calm and warm. It was a rather odd sight, such a large, powerful wolf soothing a sick wolf almost like a mother calming her frightened pup. But he didn't feel uncomfortable at all, and he continued his grooming, all the while thinking about the difficult winter that was coming their way faster than they could prepare for it.

Suddenly she found herself in the middle of a nightmare, and she whimpered softly, but the soothing tongue of the alpha calmed her, wiping away her terror and calming her into a more peaceful dream and restful sleep. She stretched out slightly between the males, unconsciously burying her face in Coven's side as Blitz groomed her, making him chuckle softly as she sprawled out between them, obviously enjoying their warmth and soft fur.

Coven couldn't help the look of reluctance and almost dread that crossed his face for a brief moment when Blitz mentioned 'confined', but he shook it off in another second, remembering that this job was necessary and it seemed no one else was in the position to do it. He had anticipated the possible issues with Chaos, though, so at least that wasn't additional bad news. Still committed, though still a bit uneasy about this role he would be taking, the wolf stated, "As long as you talk to Chaos, I will do it. I hope she gets better soon." He now had two reasons to wish for Molly's speedy recovery.

Like Blitz, Coven couldn't help but smile a little at Molly's reaction to her pampering, and then to the sight of the two white wolves, especially Blitz's care of the tiny female. After a moment of watching, the black wolf commented, "The pack is fortunate to have you as their leader. It's incredible you care so much." He really was astounded by Blitz's loving nature, which also meant that Coven had a hope of being forgiven sometime in the future for making such of mess during his arrival.

Blitz ceased his grooming and looked up curiously as Coven spoke. He hadn't expected such a compliment, so it took him by surprise and took a few moments for him to register the words. "I just do the best I can. The pack is my family, and I love them and care for them as much as possible. It's my duty and my choice. I couldn't have been given a better family, in my opinion." He said softly, returning to his grooming as Molly sighed softly and her paw lifted unconsciously as Blitz groomed her chest. He chuckled, finishing up and nosing her paw down as he rested his head on her side, only adding to the warmth she received. "Coven, I'm sorry that I was so horrible to you when you joined the pack, Coven. I jumped to conclusions and assumed that you had attacked Chaos, which in reality, was quite foolish because Chaos starts nearly every fight she has gotten into. I shouldn't have judged you so quickly, but I was really just more concerned about Chaos's survival and welfare because I knew she wouldn't give up until one of you was dead on the grass. I apologize, and I'm grateful that you decided to join our family." He said, sighing softly and keeping his head resting gently on Molly's side as he listened to her breathe.

Molly lifted her paw slowly as Blitz groomed her chest, resting it down once more as he nosed at it and chuckled. She leaned a bit more into Coven's side, her head now buried in his chest fur as Blitz rested his head on her side. Her breathing was still a bit shallow, but it was improving. She was still thin, but it was obvious she had gained a bit of weight since Inferno had brought her back to the dens. She was improving, which was a good sign, especially with the heavy storm and the cold winds pointing to the quickly approaching winter.

Coven nodded as Blitz talked about the pack being his family. It was obvious Blitz felt that way, and it was comforting to know that members of the pack were so taken care of. Even ones like Chaos. Blitz's nature was just kind and compassionate. Inferno had figured out long ago that this was the reason Silverlight had chosen Blitz to be leader.

Blitz's speech stunned the black wolf. At 'I'm sorry', the wolf's ears pricked forward as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. It took the length of the entire speech to get over the shock, but once he'd gotten a hold of himself and registered that the white wolf was serious, he smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I am sorry, too...It seems that Chaos and I, unfortunately, are similar in certain ways, such as tenacity." Coven wasn't ashamed of that fact, or of his numerous other faults (including, to quote Chaos, being a "smartass"), but it was sweet justice for Blitz to finally realize that he hadn't physically started that fight and hadn't intended on it. There had been other intentions in his journey into Blitz's territory, but fighting with a pack member had most certainly not been one of them.

Watching Molly's funny movements and smiling contentedly, Coven agreed, "I'm grateful I joined, too. I couldn't have chosen a better pack; I know, because I've tried them all." The wolf tilted his head down and gave the top of Molly's a few slow, gentle licks, noting how much better she was sounding already. This was yet another reason why packs were so wonderful.

Blitz smiled as Coven spoke, enjoying the words that came out of his mouth. He sighed softly in contentment, closing his eyes as he relaxed with his head still resting on Molly's side gently. The storm was beginning to die down, and his ear twitched slightly as he could hear the sound of slower, further apart patters just outside of the entrance. Thank goodness. He lifted his head slowly, obviously tired from the sleepless night. He had no intention of leaving, but he rested his head gently on his paws, right next to Molly's ear and closed his eyes, deciding that it was time for him to get some much needed rest as well. A sick alpha was no use to a pack, and he needed his strength to hunt in a few hours. He yawned softly, careful not to wake Molly as he shifted to box her in between them when she rolled onto her side. He was soon asleep as well, hoping that Coven would do the same. The warrior would need his strength for tomorrow, it was going to be a long day.

Coven stayed awake for just a little while longer than Blitz, thinking about all that he'd gotten himself into today. It was quite a lot, but it was ending in a way he never could have expected. The wind was no longer biting at him, and though he was scraped up from the skirmish with Chaos and bruised from his little dip in the rapids, he was feeling better than he had in a long time...maybe even his life. Molly was still nuzzled into his chest, so he rolled to the side a bit, gently so as not to move her too much, and lay his head on the ground above the two other wolves'. Within a minute, he was sleeping deep and safe as he hadn't in so long.

Blitz woke early, as he always did, and slowly lifted his head as he yawned softly. Then he lookd down at the sleeping Pair of wolves beside him. They both looked so calm and peaceful, he couldn't bring himself to wake them quite yet. Instead he rose, stretching slowly and exiting the den to head straight to the storage den. It was close, and he reached it quickly, eating a hare and a small bird before carrying the rear of a large buck they had brought down earlier in the week to Coven's den for the sleeping wolves. They would both need the nourishment, and no doubt they were both hungry. He set them down near the sleeping pair, sitting down on the moist ground outside and soaking up the sun.

As usual, Inferno got up very soon after Blitz. He stretched and shook out his coat, paranoid about the possibility of still having moisture on him, and made his way out to the storage den, nodding to Blitz as he caught sight of the alpha. It was obvious that the hunt had not been successful, but today the weather was clear; Inferno hoped that the storm had been the only issue the hunters had encountered. Quickly finishing up a small meal, the wolf walked over to the alpha and sat next to him, relishing the warmth of the morning in comparison to the chill of last night. "When did you get in last night?" asked Inferno, tilting his head as he took in Blitz's tired face and glancing toward the dens of Khalessi and Fallon as if trying to see if they made it back as well.

((Laek continued from (with time lapse) here: https://incendio.rpg-board.net/t55p15-laek-s-last-trek#558 ))

Laek nodded as she saw Inferno inching towards the exit. "I think I just might. Like I said, it's been a long time." She rest her head on her paws and before she knew it she fell back into sleep, not knowing if Inferno left or not.

She didn't dream of much, but what she did dream of was something she hadn't seen in many moons. The old valley; the river rushing and the sun shining on a nice autumn day. She saw herself as a pup in the shadows, with her mother and brothers and sisters. The scene eventually faded into years later, the same area, the same river. But no wolves. It was dark and stormy and humans rowed their boats down the water. Humans with guns and wood and food. Laek let out a growl, but they seemed uninteresting, or maybe they just didn't hear it. She barked and ran at them but the last thing she saw was the barrel of a gun.

Laek shook awake and looked outside her small den. It had stopped raining, and it was early the next day. A small puddle had gathered at the entrance of her area. She rolled over onto her feet, testing out her ankle. It didn't hurt very much, so she ventured outside and the air was crisp. She stepped forward as her stomach growled, and she sniffed the air. She sensed the other wolves somewhere near, but she was mainly looking for the food source.

She brought herself to the other wolves and found Inferno and Blitz. She nodded in respect and then spoke, "Excuse me, but where is the storage den?"

Inferno rose to his feet as Laek approached, watching her leg curiously as she walked. He answered her question, pointing with his nose toward the storage den, but he stopped her before she could head off. "I know you are probably starving, but if Molly were awake she would tell you to at least take a quick break right for a bit...just to see if your leg starts swelling?" he trailed off in a question, looking over at Blitz for possible agreement. Though Laek's injuries didn't seem bad, Inferno figured it was best to be safe, though he was starting to see how Molly could have seen this caution as a bit eccentric.

As Inferno spoke, Fallon groaned and rolled over onto her side, trying to go back to sleep. She had sleep lightly the entire night, and even the soft voices of Inferno and Blitz and Blitz's dragging food around had been enough to wake her. Fighting to stay asleep wasn't working, so with a grouchy huff, the female got slowly to her feet and trudged out of the den. Once her bleary eyes caught sight of the strange wolf, her foul mood lifted immediately and was replaced by utter excitement. Another new wolf to meet! Grinning and suddenly feeling much lighter on her feet, Fallon bounded (a little stiffly at first) over to the trio.

"Hello, there!" she chortled, wagging her tail and sniffing at Laek. "I'm Fallon. Who are you?"

Laek looked in the direction that Inferno pointed to and almost turned before he stopped her. She thought for a moment and looked down at her paw. To her, it seemed just fine. Just another accidental injury, she knew it'd be fine. But she sat back anyways, releasing pressure off the paw to satisfy Inferno. It was good to know he was looking out for her health, even though she was new and not really part of the pack.

Before she could say anything, another wolf appeared in the scene. She seemed happy as she bounded over, and introduced herself quickly. Her name was Fallon.

"Hello! Name's Laek!" She said in as happy a tone. She then turned to Inferno, "Also I think the paw will be fine." She gave a small shrug, or as much of a shrug that wolves could do.

Blitz smiled as Inferno joined him, but he didn't look over. Instead he closed his eyes, shrugging slightly. "I'm not sure. It was raining very hard and I'm afraid I was more concerned with Molly than the time." He said softly, glancing back at Coven's den where the white wolf still slept. He was glad she was resting, but there was work to be done. She needed to tell Coven how to change Chaos's dressings, as well as at least look at Laek's paw. But for now he let her rest, knowing that they were lucky that she was alive, let alone slowly regaining her health.

Molly remained sleeping, even through soothe talking and bustle outside of the den. She nuzzled into Coven's fur, hiding her face and curling up as she clung to her dreams, dreading the fast approaching wakefulness that loomed ominously overhead. But it was still early, she didn't HAVE to get up yet, right?

(sorry it's short. I'm on my phone.)

Fallon smiled, still wagging her tail excitedly. Whatever Laek was telling Inferno - something about her paw? - didn't seem to concern Laek much, so Fallon didn't really worry about that now, either. What was on her mind was her own rumbling stomach. "Have you had breakfast yet, Laek? We can head over to the storage den and grab something to eat real quick before we've gotta get going with everything else," said the she-wolf, already beginning to move toward the storage den, crab-walking a bit so she could still talk to the other female and move at the same time.

Inside the den, Coven had been so deeply asleep that only one thing could have awoken him: food. Blitz's choice of breakfast was big enough to send a strong scent into the den, which in turn sent a few sharp pangs into Coven's stomach. Normally, the black wolf would not be waking up this early, but never had food been so close and tempting!

With a low groan, the male lifted his head stretched out a foreleg. He was much more sore than he'd expected to be. The battering yesterday by the water and Chaos apparently took more out of him than he had realized, and it was making him regret some of his decisions yesterday while also keeping him down for a lot longer than normal. Moving wouldn't be so bad, but getting to the point of moving was a bit rougher for him at the moment.

Laek looked back to the excited Fallon who then asked her about food. Laek shook her head as she spoke, "No, I haven't. I would love to grab something!" She could see that Fallon was already moving, so after glancing back at the others, she went and caught up to the other wolf in a sort of gallop.

As they neared the storage den, the scent carried into Laek's nose, making her hungrier than her stomach had led her to be. As the pair walked to the den, Laek glanced at Fallon. The other female looked very similar to Laek, except that Laek's fur was slightly coarser, and lighter than that of Fallon's.

As another moment passed, they arrived at the den. Laek was about to step forward before she realized she wasn't really part of the pack. She wasn't completely sure what she could take, and what she couldn't take. She looked at Fallon and inquired, "What can I take?"

Blitz had no intention of moving quite yet, so he remained sitting by his den, surveying the den area and observing the pack. They seemed happy and content, which made him smile, but at the same time, he remained worried for the sick and injured, hoping they would recover soon so that the pack would be at their full strength soon. Right now his worries were on Molly, but he knew the little female was strong, and with Coven's help, she would recover quickly. At least he hoped so.

Molly slept peacefully, even as Coven woke and stretched. Not even the aroma of the prey woke her. She was no longer shivering, and she cuddled up against Coven's side, trying to make up for the lack of warmth when Blitz had left. Her head was buried in his chest fur, resting gently on his paws as her body remained pressed and nuzzled gently into his. It was obvious that she was sleeping will, and that she was slowly regaining her strength, although she needed to eat as well.