Love Will Take You Places

The Start

It's been a moon since I got my warrior name, and I still can't get what that buck said to me out of my head...what will I lose? I have to leave, really soon; I'm scared of what might happen. Me and PawStep are meeting with MoonLight and SkyCloud tonight, and we'll talk to them about when we can leave. I sit up and quickly clean my fur, trying to forget all of my worries. I prod PawStep with my foot trying to wake her up. She doesn't wake up, so it looks like I have to do this the hard way. I slowly lean down and lick the inside of her ear, she bolts right up and before she can yelp or say anything I cover her mouth with my paw. Whenever she calls down—after realizing it was me—I move my paw from her mouth and whisper, "We have to meet with MoonLight and SkyCloud to talk about when we are going to leave." She nods slowly and then cleans her fur quick and untidy.

* * * * * *

Me and PawStep we're sitting beside the river waiting for the other two to show up. As we are waiting we start cleaning each other's fur so that way we don't look as though we've been asleep for a moon. When they show up me and PawStep has already finished cleaning ourselves and we were laying downing and dozing. I sniffed the air and when I opened my eyes I saw MoonLight and SkyCloud looking at us and snickering. I prodded PawStep, jumped it the river, and swam over. When I reached the other side I walked over to the other two and as I shook my fur out I made sure was much water as possible sprayed them. When I sat down beside Moon I looked at him and giggled when he growled about his now wet fur. I touched my nose to his cheek. Whenever PawStep sat down we sat in silence for a moment. Of course I had to be the one to break the silence, "So when do we plan on leaving, we have to have a time so we can be prepared," I said just loud enough for everyone to hear. "I think we should leave the night of the half moon gathering," he paused and when nobody said anything he began to explain, "We could convince our leaders that our head, stomach, paw, etc; hurts too much to make the trip to the gathering. Whenever almost all of our packs are gone we can sneak out and meet up right here and leave." All of us nodded approvingly at him. "What if our leaders makes one of us go?" PawStep asked. "Then we'll have to make an excuse to leave the sight of everyone else," he explained. Whenever nobody else had an questions we parted our ways. I stopped before jumping in the river and turned around and stared into Moon's eyes. I ran up to him and touched his nose. "I need to speak to you privately just tell SkyCloud that you've 'gotta go,' please this is really urgent," I half mumbled half whimpered. He stared at me for a second and then nodded and chased after SkyCloud. I ran quickly and jumped into the river. I swam across and stopped beside PawStep panting, "Sorry I just had to say goodbye before we went back home, but anyway you can go on ahead without me, 'I gotta go'." She nodded and started padding away. I crept up to a bush and slithered underneath it waiting to see MoonLight's fur. I could feel the wriggling inside of my stomach and it made my news feel even scarier. Whenever he approached the other edge of the river I jumped in and swam over. "What is it?!" he asked anxiously. I stared into his eyes and mumbled super quietly, "I'm going to be having pups....y-your pups," the last words got caught in my throat. He tilted his head, "What? You need to speak up." I looked at my paws as I tore at the grass. I took a deep breath looked up and said just loudly enough for him to hear, "I'm going to having your pups—I'm not sure when, bu I know it'll be after the gathering. Nobody else knows, you can't visibly tell yet......p-please don't be mad.... ." He stared at me in astonishment then looked down at my stomach, then something that surprised me was I could see love in his eyes, love for me, for our future pups, and for our long future together. I touched my forehead to his and whispered, "It'll be the first of many litters, but for right we must keep it secret—even from SkyCloud and PawStep—promise?" I asked. He looked up and nodded. I licked his ear and started heading back to my camp.

* * * * * *

It almost time for the half moon gathering and me and PawStep needed to make excuses for not being able to go. Mine however wouldn't necessarily be a lie. I'm going to tell him I was having stomach pains, which I am it's just not in the way he's expecting. I clumsily stumble over to my fathers den and call out to make sure he's in there, when I hear a grunt I know I can go in. "Yes, what is it NightSky?" he asked me as I sat down. "I don't feel well enough to go to the gathering, I'm having stomach pains, it's not bad enough to need herbs but I still don't think I could make the trip," I say as weakly as I could—to give off the impression of being in pain.  He nods understandingly and tells me that I don't have to go, I thank him and head to the warriors den. I see PawStep start walking out and I pad up to her. "What excuse are you going to make?" I ask her quietly. "I'm going to go out into the woods and get a thorn in my paw on the way to the gathering so I can get sent back," she whispers. I ask her in astonishment, "You're going to hurt yourself just to go on this trip?" "A thorn doesn't hurt that bad, but it for sure couldn't last the whole way there and back," she replied calmly. I nod and start padding towards then den again.

* * * * * *

I feel a paw prod me in the side. I look up to see PawStep looking at me. "It's time to go, I just got back," she growled softly. I stood up and we started heading towards the river, I didn't even bother to clean my fur. As me and PawStep are making our way around the big oak PawStep stops me for a second and looks at me. I tilt my head questioningly, "Before we meet the other two," she hesitated for a second, "I think you should know that me and SkyCloud have become mates over these past few moons.......a-and I want you to know that I'm sorry, I'll probably hold us back," she mumbled the last part. "Why are you apologizing? How would you hold us back?" I ask. She looked at me with scraps of fear, joy, and sorrow in her eyes then said, "Me and SkyCloud are having pups and only he knows—well except for now you— that's why I'd probably hold us back... ." I looked at her in surprise. I yelped cheerfully, "Me and MoonLight are having pups, too! We'll be mothers together!" I rubbed my muzzle against hers. "W-What if something goes wrong?! What if the pups die, o-or if they are disabled?!" she whimpered. "We can't worry about that right now, all we need to think about is that we are bringing new beautiful life into the world," I mumbled, "Now we need to get going or we'll be late." She nodded, I could feel some of the worries she had lifting off her shoulders as though something lifted a rock off of her. When we crossed the river we met the other two and MoonLight and SkyCloud announce that they told each other about the pups, and then we tell them that we also told each other. As we start walking to the edge of their territory MoonLight pads super close to me and I can feel his fur bristling in fear and joy; I instantly knew what was wrong. "You act like I'm the first wolf to ever have pups," I growl softly. He looks at me anxiously and calmly barks, "But, you're the first wolf to have my pups." I leaned my head on his shoulder as we crossed the sent markers of the end of his territory.