Two moons later. . .
May 15th, 2012
Although it was late spring, it was somewhat chilly that morning. The pups' eyes and ears were open. They could see the world now and hear the strange noises of life. It wouldn't be long before Stormfast would have to hunt for meat. Mother's milk didn't last forever.
They were all in the den, in the left tunnel. So far, the only words the pups spoke were "milk," "no," and "more."
"Milk! Milk!" They all cried. Terra stood up.
"No. Y'all already had some twice." Henry was the only one that wasn't in their little brigade. Stormfast noticed this. The black pup was quietly sitting at the end of the tunnel. It was quiet and dark down there, but a wolf's senses were keen, even in complete darkness. Stormfast didn't want him to be alone, so he walked over to him and sat down next to him. The pup looked at his father in dismay. His father felt shy, even though it was his own son. The question was still in his mind.
Does he like me? he thought. Then suddenly, Terra cried out.
"Storm, please help me!" The pups were jumping all over the place.
"Milk!" Martini shouted.
"No," Stormfast replied.
"No, no!" they mimicked. Then Stormfast's tone changed.
"Alright! Everybody sit!" he ordered. All the pups got quiet and sat together. "You all have to stop being silly, and leave your mother alone! No milk until tomorrow." He turned his head to see Henry, who was still sitting quietly, watching the whole scene. "Henry here is the only one behaving; he's behaving much better than y'all."
"As for punishment," Terra added, "y'all have to take a nap in the other tunnel." The four pups went to the other tunnel. "*sigh* This is exhausting," moaned Terra.
"Well, that's the price we get," said Stormfast. He was right. Terra wanted pups, so they could make their pack stronger, but there was a toll. Until the point when they could be on their own, the parents had to care for them and protect them. And when the time does come, their pups will know what to do.
Stormfast was a pack chieftain just like he predicted he would be when he was a Beta. One of a pack chieftain's many jobs was to assign ranks. There were three official ranks in wolf society: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Each rank classified wolves differently. Alpha and Omega were the main ranks and were assigned by personality while Beta just meant Alpha-in-training. The pups would have to be assigned as either an Alpha or Omega once they're old enough. Traditionally, once ranked as an Omega, they have that rank for the rest of their lives. Once ranked as a Beta, they train and train until they're about a year old, at which point they are officially ranked as Alphas and would traditionally be Alphas for the rest of their lives. Stormfast would have to open his own Alpha School and Omega School. The oldest male of Stormfast's litter would have to be ranked as a future Alpha, particularly as the heir to the pack chieftainship. But that was far in the future. Now was the present, the gift.
Henry came out of the shadows. He sat next to his father.
"I think he likes you," said Terra. Stormfast looked at him.
Maybe, he thought, he is different from the rest. Maybe that was a good thing. Stormfast wanted something good. Destiny River was still on his mind. Just then, Henry started to speak.
"Sto... Sto..." Stormfast tried to make out what he was trying to say. "Fa... st..." He realized it was his name.
"Come on. Come on, little Henry."
"Storm. Stormf... fa... fas... st."
"Yes!" he said with excitement. His son learned his name.
"Stormfast! Stormfast!" the pup yelled. Henry started barking very loudly while running in circles. Then he stopped and stared at Terra, who was lying down. "Milk!" he howled.
"No!" yelled Stormfast and Terra.