"Move aside." Violet pushed through the wolves to the front with a quick glance at Rascal.

He rolled his eyes. They were out on a hunt. Tyrant, Rascal, Thunder, Melody, and Violet, who absolutely insisted on coming along. And no one was looking forward to hunting with her.

They found a young buck wandering through the forest alone. And Violet was certain she could make the kill by herself.

Melody snorted, trying to hold back a laugh. Thunder groaned and Tyrant looked very unsure about this.

Rascal kept silent, although irritation seeped to the surface. He couldn't believe how arrogant Violet could be. She wasn't skilled, nor coordinated enough, to participate in any form of a hunt.

Tyrant stepped in between Violet and her ambition. "Why don't you let us handle this?"

The she-wolf scowled. "I can do this!"

"Actually no, you can't. Leave this to the more...experienced ones."

"But I-"

"Enough said. You haven't even practiced hunting techniques. What makes you think you're better at hunting than any of us?" He asked with a gesture to the other wolves.

Violet looked at him indignantly. "Well, my mother says-"

"And that seems to be the problem," Tyrant pointed out. "Your mother tells you how great and wonderful you are at something even though you have zero experience with it." He narrowed his amber eyes. "And I'm the alpha of this Pack; you will listen to me." He turned around before Violet could retaliate.

Rascal smirked at Tyrant's comment. Violet opened her mouth to say something snarky but clamped her muzzle shut and muttered angrily to herself.

"Here's the plan," Tyrant started. "Rascal and Melody will chase the buck this way. Thunder and I will lay in wait. Ready?"

His Packmates instantly nodded.

"Great. Into position."

Melody gave Rascal a tiny nod. The black wolf followed the female until they looped around, undetected and settled in position.

They waited until Thunder and Tyrant had slipped into their hiding places. Once all was ready, Melody leaped out first and snapped her jaws at the buck's heels.

It squealed, terrified, and veered away from Tyrant and Thunder in the opposite direction.

Rascal sprang out and followed suit, his paws digging into the earth as he pushed forward. He got close enough to jump up and grab hold of its tail. The buck bleated and spun around, knocking Melody aside in another attempt to break free from Rascal.

He dug his teeth in the soft deer fur. The muscles in his jaws were aching to be released from the tension.

Before he knew what was happening, Thunder and Tyrant came out of hiding and tackled the deer as it tumbled past. Tyrant held on to a shoulder. Thunder grabbed a leg and together, they slowly but surely made the deer come to a halt.

Melody caught up and sunk her fangs in the throat. The buck gave a feeble cry and sunk to its knees. Melody released her grip.

In a few heartbeats, the deer was dead. His eyes glazed over.

"Excellent work." A voice praised from above.

The hunting wolves looked to see Magnus sitting on a hill. He eyed Tyrant and his little group before padding down to meet them.

"Thank you." Tyrant dipped his head.

"Although," Magnus commented. "It would've been more efficient if you had another wolf to help." He added with a side glanced at Violet.

Tyrant's polite demeanor faded quickly. "She isn't ready to help on these hunts. And now that it's Winter, we need our most experienced wolves to hunt and stock prey. We don't have time to let rookies swoop in and mess things up."

Violet grumbled and flattened her ears.

Magnus studied Tyrant in distaste. "Shouldn't you train the young ones?"

Tyrant's gaze hardened. "I decide who trains who. And you four aren't even members of this Pack. It's not my job to train another Pack's wolves."

Magnus's blue eyes flicked in annoyance. "Heather was part of this Pack."

"Was," Tyrant emphasized. "She chose to leave. And if I want to accept her back into the Pack, I will. But she has betrayed us before, and I have no desire to let a disloyal wolf back in my Pack."

Magnus looked defeated. He gave Rascal a dirty glare before whipping around to stalk off with Violet at his side.

Tyrant turned to Thunder and Melody. "Could you two take the buck to camp? I'd like to have a word with Rascal."

Oh no, did I do something?

Melody and Thunder nodded respectfully. They picked up the buck and began hauling it to camp.

Once they were out of sight, Tyrant gestured to Rascal. "Come."

Rascal followed his grandfather. Thoughts raced through his mind like shooting stars. Has he done something he wasn't supposed to? Is he in trouble?

A path weaved through trees, the shadows engulfing the wolves in a dark envelope.

They padded into a beautiful clearing that took Rascal's breath away.

A stone hollow with a blue-gray color to it. In the center was a silver pool of crystalline water shimmering beautiful rippling lights against the rocks in little wave effects. The moon shone down on it perfectly, casting brilliant white flickers of light.

Rascal's jaw was agape with astonishment. He's never seen this wonderful place before. He glanced at Tyrant.

"This is just....." He couldn't find the words.

"I know," Tyrant sat down and admired the scenery. "I wanted our talk to be calming."

Rascal's anxiety suddenly picked back up. "A-am I in trouble?"

Tyrant's amber eyes widened. "Of course not! I just wanted to talk." He paused and considered his next words carefully. "A father to a father to be."

Rascal relaxed, yet remained anxious. He was extremely nervous about becoming a father. He was putting on a brave face for Misty's sake. She didn't have to worry any more than she had to.

Tyrant was wise, he's been there done that. He could give Rascal reassuring advice for his parenthood. Perhaps it would help to learn from Tyrant's past mistakes.

The old wolf took a deep breath. He gazed into the swirling clear water ahead of him.

"I...I've never spoken about..." He steadied his shaking voice. "My...former mate..."

Rascal's ears pricked at the mention of Tyrant's mate. The red wolf has never said a word about his relationship.

"She...well...." Tyrant sadly laughed. "Ember was her name. It suited her, she was a wolf full of spirit and wonder. And...." He hesitated before going on. "She was.....beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I have loved her since we've known each other as pups. When we came to the age we would be trained, I left flowers at her den. Daisies were her favorite. I fell for her hard. I thought she was perfect."

Rascal listened to Tyrant's story. He couldn't believe this old regretful wolf was once in love with a pretty she-wolf.

"As we grew older, we became closer. When we were teens we always met up in the woods, where no one could bother us. On summer nights we would lay out in the meadow and watch the star constellations. As the years rolled by, we decided to become mates. A year after our decision was when Ember found out she was expecting Copper." Tyrant's eyes darkened with sorrow. "I thought I had everything I could ever want. But after Ember gave birth to Copper, something inside her changed. I never knew what because she never told me. Four days after your father was born, I woke up and Ember was gone. She never told me why, she never said goodbye. So I took matters into my own paws and raised Copper alone. He reminded me very much of Ember, and that's something I've always loved about him. But when I killed him, I cut off my final link to Ember." He looked at Rascal with sorrow. "I've never stopped loving Ember. No matter what she'd done or where she is. I'm deeply hurt by her, and that's the reason I decided to never take another mate."

Rascal sat in silence after the story was over. He never knew what Tyrant had gone through to raise Copper by himself. He couldn't believe she would just go without a proper explanation.

"I see one trait of Ember's in you." Tyrant tilted his head to look at Rascal. "She had dark green eyes. Much like yours."

Rascal couldn't believe he had one of his grandmother's features. He felt strange, all of a sudden. Ember was never mentioned before, and it felt weird to have another family member. One that he would never meet.

"I'm sorry, Tyrant," Rascal whispered, staring at the water. "I really don't know what to say."

"Don't feel sorry for me. I lived it. You shouldn't feel like you need to apologize to me for something that wasn't even your fault."

Rascal nodded. His worries and fears made him swiftly change the subject.

"I'm so nervous. What if I'm not the father Misty expects me to be? What if my pups don't like me? What would I do if something happened to them?" Rascal asked with a shaky voice.

Tyrant patted his grandson on the back. "I know it seems scary and exciting all at once. Believe me, I felt the exact same way. But worrying about it all the time won't change anything. When they're born, you'll know just what to do. That fatherly instinct will kick in, and Misty's motherly side will come out." He smiled warmly. "I'll be here if you ever need advice or someone to talk to. You and Misty will do just fine."

Rascal felt this weight lift off his shoulders. He certainly felt a lot more confident than before. Tyrant's reassurance and comfort helped. He was glad he could trust Tyrant.

"Your father would be so proud. He and Maple will be with you every step of the way. Misty will always love you and be happy with you. And you can always ask me about anything."

Rascal smiled and gazed back into the water. "Thanks, Tyrant."

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*

The evening stars gleamed on the wolves. Rascal and Tyrant padded into camp and parted ways.

Rascal poked his head in the healer's den. Misty was sitting up on her pelt. She smiled at Rascal but stopped and gasped.

Rascal was at her side instantly. "What's wrong?"

It was a moment before Misty replied. "Just pains in my stomach. Blossom said they're normal. My body's adjusting to the pups in me."

Rascal sighed and slumped to a sitting position. "How many do you think there are?"

Misty shrugged. "Blossom should be able to tell in a few weeks. They need to grow a bit more."

Rascal nodded and glanced out in the clearing. Violet was complaining to Heather about not getting to hunt. The male rolled his eyes and watched Heather stomp in Tyrant's den furiously.

"Pouting, huh?" Misty asked, craning her neck and peering at her angry mother.

"Yep," Rascal snorted. "Tyrant wouldn't let Violet help on the hunt because she hasn't even been trained to hunt."

Misty gave a dry laugh. "Pathetic."

"Tell me about it," Rascal muttered and scratched an itch behind his ear. He looked down at his mate's swelling belly. "Need anything? Water? Another pelt?"

Misty yawned and shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm good."

"You sure?" Rascal asked. "I can always run out and get anything you may need."

"Actually," Misty mused. "I could use something."

Rascal's ears perked up, glad to help out his mate in any way. "Sure, what?"

Misty smiled and looked at Rascal lovingly. "You."

He could feel his heart melt. A warm feeling surrounded his body. Misty was glowing. She was amazing.

"You're perfect, Misty." Rascal rubbed his cheek to hers. "The best mate I could ever ask for. Strong, brave, intelligent, and perfect. In every way."

Misty's eyes gleamed, then widened. "The pups are awake."

Rascal tenderly placed a paw over Misty's stomach. He could feel his offspring bouncing around, wide awake. He couldn't describe all the emotions running through his veins.

"Quite energetic, aren't we?" Rascal bent down, his muzzle close to his unborn pups so they could hear them. "You guys will be the best of the best. We love you so much. Can't wait to meet you."

Misty watched with a loving gaze. Her eyes were tender, as she watched her mate interact with their pups to be.

Rascal continued to whisper softly to them, his voice soothing them to sleep. Misty rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes. Rascal cuddled up beside her, imagining all the fun times to come with his building family.

Word Count: 2,077

This was a touchy-feely chapter to write! I think it was very cute how Rascal talked to his pups!

And Tyrant's story about Ember is so sad! : (

Fun Story Fact: Jumper and Misty were going to be mates instead of Rascal and Misty. Jumper's death was still final, and at the beginning of this book, Misty would've found out she was going to have Jumper's pups. But Jumper is more of that supportive friend that's always there for you.

Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
15thSoccerGirl