Darius only stared at the mother who sat next to him. She had a smile on her face, but her arms were already limp. The three babies were sleeping soundly along the valley created by her legs, the scent of breastmilk on their lips. At least she had fed them… keeping them asleep for the next eight hours.
It's just that… she had already bled out. It was as if her body was only gung ho on making sure they would survive their first few hours before giving in to the call of eternal sleep.
Perhaps it was also good enough that she would be leaving them in the company of someone who wouldn't leave them alone.
"…I don't know, Miss. I don't have anything…" Darius only watched the three sleeping as if their mother would still be there when they woke up. He then looked around, knowing that he should at least get them away from a dead body. "Dammit… what do I do?"
He got up from the floor and searched the warehouse for anything he could use to hold the babies for now. At the very least, he needed to bury the woman's body close by. Also, he needed to find a way to buy infant formula for these three.
If these three were humans, they would be better off sent to an orphanage. However, they were wolf pups that would transform uncontrollably as soon as their bodies were ready. They also needed someone to teach them the way of the world. Darius had to look for a new pack to accept these three.
He found a shallow box and gently transferred the babies before bringing the body outside as he looked for a spot for her. After taking care of her remains, he would have to take a trip around the city.
…
Running footsteps echoed along the streets, the owner occasionally splashing water from the puddles brought by the storm last night. Darius, with his remaining money, raced to the pharmacy to get infant formula for the wolf pups. When he looked it up earlier, he could feed them that even if they were just a few hours old. Moreover, he needed bottles and a triple stroller.
Darius still looked far from a homeless man, so the clerk sold him the items pretty easily. He was using up his remaining funds like water, but he had to invest in taking care of them. He had no idea when he would find the next pack that would accept those kids.
If he's unlucky, he could be taking care of them until they reached the age of maturity.
On his way back, he frowned while walking. Now that he chose to take care of them, he wondered what their mother would have named them. That's right, he needed names for the three treasures.
"…it's a surprise to see you with such an unlikely item."
Darius trembled at the sound of the female voice. However, it was not because he was scared of her; it was more about her finding out about the rogue pups. The former mate of the woman turned to her and glared. "I don't think you have any more business with me. What do you want, Audrey?"
That was the only time that Darius gave his attention to her. Audrey was standing steps away from him, blocking his path. She was donned in a black ensemble as if in mourning. However, it was indeed not an odd idea as some of their members had died recently. This thought stung Darius more than he thought it would.
"You talk like you haven't done anything wrong. The only reason why you're walking free right now is that we can't send you to a human jail." Audrey huffed and looked down at the triple stroller. "Don't tell me that a mistress of yours just gave birth to a litter. You even got your kids a good gift."
"This is already none of your business." Darius only walked ahead, finding a route to lose her without spending too much time away from the triplets. "Whatever I do now is none of your concern."
"You can only say that because no one is going for your head." She smiled as she walked in the opposite direction that he took. When she brushed shoulders with him, she stopped and continued talking: "Enjoy your free days, Darius Walker. Who knows when I can convince the Council to hunt you down for good? Criminals like you aren't allowed to live long."
Darius only looked down at the triple stroller before answering: "Then, I'll be waiting for it."
He took a long cut back to the warehouse and decided to keep the fire burning to warm the babies and even the water bottle that he needed to make their formula. He washed his hands before handling the items he got for them, fitting them in diapers and onesies of one solid color.
Seeing how behaved they were, he had a smile on his face. He then brought one to his face. "This one in green is the eldest. I'm really bad at giving names, so I'm sorry. I'm going to call you… Adrian. You should grow up faster than the rest, so you can take care of your siblings as well."
He fitted the baby in green in one of the baskets in the stroller. Then, he got the second one in a blue onesie. "Second one to come out. Yeah, I can tell which is which. I'll call you Dylan.
"This beautiful one is Megan." Darius chuckled as he worked on the only girl. "Your mom is a looker, so no doubt you'd be like her as well. Sigh… I don't even have a baby of my own, but I get to take care of three orphans. I can't even stay here in the city as well."
Darius reached out to caress the heads of the three babies in the triple stroller. "We'll have to leave the city, even if you guys are not even aware that your mom is already gone. I'm sorry that you have to land on someone like me. Don't worry, I'll find you guys a home as soon as I can…
"As soon as the moon would have me…"
The man then prepared to leave the warehouse to get to the train station. After packing everything where they should be, Darius took a short gaze at the grave of the mother. He didn't even know her name, but he was now taking her children with him to a place even he didn't know.
"We're leaving this place now. I hope you watch over them." Darius then pulled on the hoodie that he bought, pushing the stroller away. "Ask the wolf spirits to lead them away from harm."
He took steps along the asphalt streetside, pushing a triple stroller with three sleeping treasures. Under the foggy midday sun, Darius and the babies took the next train out of the city.