7 Tails

Born

Zara looked as his mate and her swollen belly. May winced as the cubs in her belly as they squirmed and kicked. Zara called for Eshe ages ago, but she hasn't arrived yet. Zara and May were messagers and Eshe was the medic of the club. Eshe had requested all messagers that when one was about to give birth, the mother would be off duty for until her cubs are old enough to get apprenticed. Now Zara waits painstakingly until she arrives, and was getting worried for May. Finally Eshe bursts into the cave, mouth full of herbs. "What took you so long?" Zara cries out. 

"Sorry, I was herb gathering when you called for me. Where is May?" Eshe said. Zara flicked his ear and said, "At the back of the den." Eshe nods and quickly pads over to May. May sighs in relief when Eshe pads to her, then winces as her cubs kicked again. "They are coming. Hold still." Eshe says as she feels May's belly. 

May lays her head back and whimpers. Zara winced and tried not to run to May and let Eshe do what she had to. May yelps as she pushes the first cub out. It's a russet cub with her father's coloring but her mother's patterns. Zara warms the cub as another comes. This one was a replica of his grandmother, who would stop by later on after the cubs were born. The last cub was born, but had a weird aura and looked weird. 

She was a ocean blue cub with seven tails. She had the aura of something, natural and unsettling. Magic. Even Eshe was wary and warmed the second cub as May warmed the third cub. Even though the last cub had an unsettling aura, Zara felt proud. Proud of his three healthy cubs. The last cub yawned and moved around her head around to smell the other foxes in the cave. The other two cubs started crying and Zara and Eshe guided them to May's belly to feed. 

"Take care Zara, May." Eshe said as she left the cave. "We will." Zara walked to his mate and put his nose to her head. "How you feeling?" he asked. "Tired. And happy, but mostly tired." May responded. Zara smiled and wrapped himself around his mate. 

Wranger came into the cave and said, "Zara. Boss wants you." Zara sighed and got up to go. At the last moment, the last cub moved her small head to where her father was and tried to follow him, yelping the way over. Zara nudges the cub back to her mother and she grabs his snout with her little paws. May pulls her cub off her father and the cub cries. "Hurry up and get back. Your already missed." May chuckles to Zara. "I will, don't worry." At that Zara walked out of the cave and ran trotted to his boss's den. 

"Yes, Ghost?" Zara asked. "Do you remember the prophecy?" Ghost asks him. "Of course!" Zara says. "Then tell me it." Zara nods the recites the prophecy. "On the day of the full moon, a cub shall be born, a cub with a pelt the color of the sky. In her paws shall hold the fate of all." 

"Do you know what that means?" Zara shakes his head. Ghost growls then says, "Take me to your cubs." Zara nods and pads out of the den to his own den. Zara walks in to be greeted by sharp blue eyes and yelps coming from the back of the den. He pads in followed by Ghost. When Ghost sees the last cub of the litter, he freezes. 

The cub turns her piercing gaze to Ghost and yelps. She runs to her father and jumps on his snout. Zara looks at the cub then to Ghost. Ghost says,"I've seen all I need to. Congrats." Ghost says and pads out. May looks at Zara and says,"That was a little out of character, wasn't it?" Zara nods and sighs. The third cub yelped as she fell to the floor of the cave. 

Zara looks at the fallen cub and chuckles. "I'll name you Arie. Now will you go to sleep?" Arie looked at her father, yawns and goes to curl up at her father's tail. Zara smiled and picks up the cub. He lays the cub with the other two and curls around his mate. "I'm going to hate it when they have to leave." May said looking at the cubs. 

"Yeah, but if one of them is an apprentice of Eshe or Ghost then we'll see why they have to go." Zara replied his eyes full of sadness. Then they both fell asleep with the cubs.