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Description
The wind was blowing gently through the willow’s branches sending the delicate curtain of leaves swaying before Vega’s nose. The sound of small pups fidgeting in their sleep beside her, full from their meal. She craned her neck around and surveyed the mixed litter of orange and white to tan pups. Caring for a family of three by herself most of the time was a strain on the longmaned female. They pups were thankfully healthy and hardy like the male she had coupled with over two seasons ago.

She wasn’t always alone. The sire of her pups came and went with puppy like enthusiasm, dropping off food when he caught it and interesting objects when he couldn’t find any food. Always he was in the company of another male. He should have settled down with Vega but had instead chosen to run in a two toko bachelor pack instead. But he kept the small patch of territory located in the Superior Mountains safe. While he was no great hunter he was a dogged fighter.

Vega got to her paws and stepped through the veil of willow branches and out into the open of the meadow. The wind that had sent the willow into motion was rippling across the emerald green mountain grass. Vega’s mane began to sway in the spring breeze as well. She felt a surge of energy inside of her. Not an urge to hunt, or to protect. She wanted to run.

The longmane female took off across the field at full speed. Her legs had gone unused during her time as mother to three. She had satisfied her hunger with squirrels and groundhogs in the area that hardly required her to break above a lope. This was really running. Using every muscle in her body she vaulted herself across the wide space, tearing up grass and kicking up dirt in her wake.

The birds sang loudly in the longer grass. A pair of pheasants went airborne when the tokota passed too close to them. Vega stumbled and landed in soft grass. Instead of getting back up she began to roll in the fresh smelling grass. She panted loudly as she wiggled back and forth. Eventually she caught her breath and the panting evened out. She rolled off her back and onto her belly.

Her blue eyes trailed upward and scanned the sky. It was beautiful. The clouds looked like the cottony puff of a rabbit’s tail trailing across the never ending blue. She turned her head and watched some clouds catch on the snowcapped mountain tops in the distance. Beyond those mountains was a dangerous world for a tokota such as herself and for her puppies. This springtime nursery wouldn’t support them forever. Come winter they’d need to move on.

She closed her mouth and turned her attention to the sounds around her. The birds were still singing in the tree tops that surrounded the field. The wind continued to comb over the land, whistling when it past her ears. She heard the sound of the pheasants returning to their grassy nests, no worse for wear despite the scare. If she really strained she could hear something moving under the protective shade of the willow which had to be her babies, starting to wake up from their nap.

She stayed in place a little longer. Soaking in the sunshine and listening to any sign that her one time mate might be in the area with some fatty food to help keep her milk flowing for her small puppies. The cries from under the willow began to intensify. They were awake and wanted to know where she was. Maybe they were hungry again. They always seemed hungry.

Vega got to her paws and began to pad towards her den. Her long creamy mane and tail trailed in the grass picking up some of the remaining dew from that morning. It reminded her that she was thirsty herself. She pushed her head through the willow whips and began to wag her tail at the sight of her puppies. The orange and white male, nearly identical to his sire in every way was struggling to his small feet and crawling towards her. His fat tummy was dragging on the soft bedding his mother had lined the nest with. His sisters were content to huddle together till they caught Vega’s scent. The tan and white long mane began to white. The rust colored female under her started only when she began.

Vega touched each one with her nose, licking their fur where it had become ruffled. She pushed the females closer towards the trunk and then went back for the male. She had to pick him up in her jaws and move him. He didn’t complain till he was set down and she pulled away. They were all desperate for her attention. In any other circumstance she would have given it but she needed water. The puppies had to wait.

She backed out of the den and trotted off for the woods. She let her ears guide her. The babble of a stream led her to the cold rushing water of a shallow brook. The water was so clear she could see the individual rocks that composed the stream bed as well as the silver fish that stood out starkly against the red and brown rocks but matched the flicking, glittering water breaking around larger rocks well.

She looked up the stream and caught a deer crossing. It didn’t notice her since the wind had stilled but it was a good sign. She would have to start hunting to feed her pups meat soon. A good supply of meat would be a god sent. But beyond the deer was a larger river that the brook was fed by. All the water found its origins in the snowmelt at the higher elevations. She bent down and drank her fill of the crisp mountain water. She playfully snapped a one of the minnows that cared swim too close to her muzzle. The little fish escaped unharmed and the female tokota turned back towards her meadow.

To her surprise her pups had managed to squirm out of cover and were slowly exploring the area immediately outside of their den. She sat and watched them. Admiring the process of a tokota discovering its world for the first time. The sisters had split up with the tan and white longmane veering towards her brother. The orange and white male was getting the hang of his short legs and wobbling at maximum puppy speed for the grass. Once he hit the green he promptly fell over and began to attack the blades of grass that had dared tickle his muzzle. The white and tan female pup ended up beside him but her attack was on the puppy fluff coating her brother’s back. The third pup had started to walk on the grass she seemed very unsure of how safe it all was but she continued to move forward anyway.

Vega got up and let the puppies know they weren’t alone any longer. Her presence was enough to inspire them to adventure more boldly than before. The adventurous female found a bug that she tried to trap under her paw only to find she had to be much quicker and far more coordinated to catch it. The orange and white male had spat out a mouth full of grass in favor of attacking his sister. The tan and white female squeaked in pain as his play got too rough.

Vega separated the feuding puppies, carrying the male away and settling down with him further into the grass. She dropped him between her forelegs and allowed him to wander within a safe distance from her. Without his sister to bite he was back to trying his mouth out on rocks and twigs in the grass. Vega rested her head on her paws and watch proudly as the litter displayed their strength and healthiness.

She supposed she would have been better off with a pack. A long female wasn’t optimal for rearing pups. She was thinner than she should be even though it was spring… But some aspects of being a solo female was pleasant. She got to enjoy the spring day untainted by a bossy packmate. The day didn’t supply her with company however. Things would have been greatly improved upon if her mate would arrive even just for the afternoon.

Vega began to drift as her puppies played around her. The warm sunshine warmed her all the way to her bones. As much as she loved the snugness of the den this was better. Her pups would one day learn the pleasantness of sleeping in the wide open in a world they’d one day rule as the top predators of the north…

She didn’t realize she had slept so long till she felt a presence nearby. It was a familiar one but her instincts told her all the same to be alert. She lifted her head and pinpointed the problem immediately. Her mate was not hard to spot. Orange and white and very large for a male that didn’t have a pack. Beside him was a longmane male that looked very much like her. She wasn’t friends with the male but she wondered in the capacity she was able to if they shared a sire which would account for his similar coloring.

In the soft light of dusk she could make out the shape of a deer in the orange and white male’s jaws. She got to her paws and eagerly approached. The food was dropped at her paws and the male walked off to investigate the puppies that he had yet to meet. The other longmane eventually followed after.

Vega chewed on her deer carcass and watched the puppies flee from their father only to be quickly out paced by the adult and gently lifted into the air and brought to a spot that the male seemed determined to keep them in for viewing purposes. He acted so much like a puppy… The longmane didn’t try to help. Maybe assuming his help would be unwanted or simply because he had no interest in pups he knew didn’t belong to him.

Either way Vega didn’t worry. Her earlier feeling about being glad to be free of a pack structure faded somewhat in the light of the company of others of her kind. Watching her family romp in the meadow and play with tokos they had only just met struck a chord with Vega. This was the way things were meant to be.

Tokotas under a big expansive sky with only tree and wind and water around them. The birds sang and the winds blowing off the big mountain swept through the valley. The night began to get too cool for comfort.

Vega collected her pups, exhausted from all the playing and exploring, and deposited them in the den. They were hungry so she had to stay and feed them. The males on the other side of the willow curtain walked around for a bit before they cleared out, leaving the meadow empty once more. Later they howled to let her know they were still on the fringes of the territory. Keeping it safe for her continued use.

Vega lay on her side listening to the night play its age old symphony. Cricket song that reminded her of her mate, the hoot of an owl that sounded lonely, and the ever present wind blowing through the trees. It carried the scent of the wild, all the food there was to eat and places there were to explore, and the promise that the sun would rise tomorrow and it would all still be there when she woke up.

The puppies stirred in their sleep, dreaming no doubt of that day and all the things that would do that would bring them one step closer to being strong and wise like their mother. And kings and queens of the wilderness just as she was.

Description
The wind was blowing gently through the willow’s branches sending the delicate curtain of leaves swaying before Vega’s nose. The sound of small pups fidgeting in their sleep beside her, full from their meal. She craned her neck around and surveyed the mixed litter of orange and white to tan pups. Caring for a family of three by herself most of the time was a strain on the longmaned female. They pups were thankfully healthy and hardy like the male she had coupled with over two seasons ago.

She wasn’t always alone. The sire of her pups came and went with puppy like enthusiasm, dropping off food when he caught it and interesting objects when he couldn’t find any food. Always he was in the company of another male. He should have settled down with Vega but had instead chosen to run in a two toko bachelor pack instead. But he kept the small patch of territory located in the Superior Mountains safe. While he was no great hunter he was a dogged fighter.

Vega got to her paws and stepped through the veil of willow branches and out into the open of the meadow. The wind that had sent the willow into motion was rippling across the emerald green mountain grass. Vega’s mane began to sway in the spring breeze as well. She felt a surge of energy inside of her. Not an urge to hunt, or to protect. She wanted to run.

The longmane female took off across the field at full speed. Her legs had gone unused during her time as mother to three. She had satisfied her hunger with squirrels and groundhogs in the area that hardly required her to break above a lope. This was really running. Using every muscle in her body she vaulted herself across the wide space, tearing up grass and kicking up dirt in her wake.

The birds sang loudly in the longer grass. A pair of pheasants went airborne when the tokota passed too close to them. Vega stumbled and landed in soft grass. Instead of getting back up she began to roll in the fresh smelling grass. She panted loudly as she wiggled back and forth. Eventually she caught her breath and the panting evened out. She rolled off her back and onto her belly.

Her blue eyes trailed upward and scanned the sky. It was beautiful. The clouds looked like the cottony puff of a rabbit’s tail trailing across the never ending blue. She turned her head and watched some clouds catch on the snowcapped mountain tops in the distance. Beyond those mountains was a dangerous world for a tokota such as herself and for her puppies. This springtime nursery wouldn’t support them forever. Come winter they’d need to move on.

She closed her mouth and turned her attention to the sounds around her. The birds were still singing in the tree tops that surrounded the field. The wind continued to comb over the land, whistling when it past her ears. She heard the sound of the pheasants returning to their grassy nests, no worse for wear despite the scare. If she really strained she could hear something moving under the protective shade of the willow which had to be her babies, starting to wake up from their nap.

She stayed in place a little longer. Soaking in the sunshine and listening to any sign that her one time mate might be in the area with some fatty food to help keep her milk flowing for her small puppies. The cries from under the willow began to intensify. They were awake and wanted to know where she was. Maybe they were hungry again. They always seemed hungry.

Vega got to her paws and began to pad towards her den. Her long creamy mane and tail trailed in the grass picking up some of the remaining dew from that morning. It reminded her that she was thirsty herself. She pushed her head through the willow whips and began to wag her tail at the sight of her puppies. The orange and white male, nearly identical to his sire in every way was struggling to his small feet and crawling towards her. His fat tummy was dragging on the soft bedding his mother had lined the nest with. His sisters were content to huddle together till they caught Vega’s scent. The tan and white long mane began to white. The rust colored female under her started only when she began.

Vega touched each one with her nose, licking their fur where it had become ruffled. She pushed the females closer towards the trunk and then went back for the male. She had to pick him up in her jaws and move him. He didn’t complain till he was set down and she pulled away. They were all desperate for her attention. In any other circumstance she would have given it but she needed water. The puppies had to wait.

She backed out of the den and trotted off for the woods. She let her ears guide her. The babble of a stream led her to the cold rushing water of a shallow brook. The water was so clear she could see the individual rocks that composed the stream bed as well as the silver fish that stood out starkly against the red and brown rocks but matched the flicking, glittering water breaking around larger rocks well.

She looked up the stream and caught a deer crossing. It didn’t notice her since the wind had stilled but it was a good sign. She would have to start hunting to feed her pups meat soon. A good supply of meat would be a god sent. But beyond the deer was a larger river that the brook was fed by. All the water found its origins in the snowmelt at the higher elevations. She bent down and drank her fill of the crisp mountain water. She playfully snapped a one of the minnows that cared swim too close to her muzzle. The little fish escaped unharmed and the female tokota turned back towards her meadow.

To her surprise her pups had managed to squirm out of cover and were slowly exploring the area immediately outside of their den. She sat and watched them. Admiring the process of a tokota discovering its world for the first time. The sisters had split up with the tan and white longmane veering towards her brother. The orange and white male was getting the hang of his short legs and wobbling at maximum puppy speed for the grass. Once he hit the green he promptly fell over and began to attack the blades of grass that had dared tickle his muzzle. The white and tan female pup ended up beside him but her attack was on the puppy fluff coating her brother’s back. The third pup had started to walk on the grass she seemed very unsure of how safe it all was but she continued to move forward anyway.

Vega got up and let the puppies know they weren’t alone any longer. Her presence was enough to inspire them to adventure more boldly than before. The adventurous female found a bug that she tried to trap under her paw only to find she had to be much quicker and far more coordinated to catch it. The orange and white male had spat out a mouth full of grass in favor of attacking his sister. The tan and white female squeaked in pain as his play got too rough.

Vega separated the feuding puppies, carrying the male away and settling down with him further into the grass. She dropped him between her forelegs and allowed him to wander within a safe distance from her. Without his sister to bite he was back to trying his mouth out on rocks and twigs in the grass. Vega rested her head on her paws and watch proudly as the litter displayed their strength and healthiness.

She supposed she would have been better off with a pack. A long female wasn’t optimal for rearing pups. She was thinner than she should be even though it was spring… But some aspects of being a solo female was pleasant. She got to enjoy the spring day untainted by a bossy packmate. The day didn’t supply her with company however. Things would have been greatly improved upon if her mate would arrive even just for the afternoon.

Vega began to drift as her puppies played around her. The warm sunshine warmed her all the way to her bones. As much as she loved the snugness of the den this was better. Her pups would one day learn the pleasantness of sleeping in the wide open in a world they’d one day rule as the top predators of the north…

She didn’t realize she had slept so long till she felt a presence nearby. It was a familiar one but her instincts told her all the same to be alert. She lifted her head and pinpointed the problem immediately. Her mate was not hard to spot. Orange and white and very large for a male that didn’t have a pack. Beside him was a longmane male that looked very much like her. She wasn’t friends with the male but she wondered in the capacity she was able to if they shared a sire which would account for his similar coloring.

In the soft light of dusk she could make out the shape of a deer in the orange and white male’s jaws. She got to her paws and eagerly approached. The food was dropped at her paws and the male walked off to investigate the puppies that he had yet to meet. The other longmane eventually followed after.

Vega chewed on her deer carcass and watched the puppies flee from their father only to be quickly out paced by the adult and gently lifted into the air and brought to a spot that the male seemed determined to keep them in for viewing purposes. He acted so much like a puppy… The longmane didn’t try to help. Maybe assuming his help would be unwanted or simply because he had no interest in pups he knew didn’t belong to him.

Either way Vega didn’t worry. Her earlier feeling about being glad to be free of a pack structure faded somewhat in the light of the company of others of her kind. Watching her family romp in the meadow and play with tokos they had only just met struck a chord with Vega. This was the way things were meant to be.

Tokotas under a big expansive sky with only tree and wind and water around them. The birds sang and the winds blowing off the big mountain swept through the valley. The night began to get too cool for comfort.

Vega collected her pups, exhausted from all the playing and exploring, and deposited them in the den. They were hungry so she had to stay and feed them. The males on the other side of the willow curtain walked around for a bit before they cleared out, leaving the meadow empty once more. Later they howled to let her know they were still on the fringes of the territory. Keeping it safe for her continued use.

Vega lay on her side listening to the night play its age old symphony. Cricket song that reminded her of her mate, the hoot of an owl that sounded lonely, and the ever present wind blowing through the trees. It carried the scent of the wild, all the food there was to eat and places there were to explore, and the promise that the sun would rise tomorrow and it would all still be there when she woke up.

The puppies stirred in their sleep, dreaming no doubt of that day and all the things that would do that would bring them one step closer to being strong and wise like their mother. And kings and queens of the wilderness just as she was.