[Myoujou worries about her fallen life mate, hoping he will survive his injuries...]
Myoujou - morning star
Kagura - ancient Shinto music & dancing
Naraku - Hell/Hades
Shaki - miasma
Kouga - Yellow river (after a river in one of the countries over there, I forget which one)
Ookami - wolf
Sama - Lady; mistress; Lord; master
Aisu - Ice
Youkai - demon(s)
Hanyou - half-human; half-demon
Sankyaku - three legs
Berabera - non-stop talking
Myoujou ran her fingers through her mate's long black hair as she stared down at him with sad eyes. He had been unconscious for three weeks now, ever since he got into a battle with Kagura, getting wounded bad enough, then Naraku had nearly killed him with a heavy cloud of shaki. Everyone worked hard to get Kouga as far as they could so they could save his life, but now it was up to him & she could tell that he was barely making it. -My ookami prince, please save yourself,- she thought, taking his clawed hand in hers. -I need you...-
"Myoujou-sama," spoke a voice from behind her.
Myoujou turned her head to look at the Beta of the ookami youkai pack, Aisu, who stood above her, looking down. "What is it Aisu?" She asked, looking back down at her life mate.
"The pack members, & myself, were curious as to when you last attempting a mating with your mate," he said softly, a timid tone to his normally threatening voice.
"Almost two weeks before the attack; why the curiosity?" She asked, lowering her head to whimper as she listened to her mate's faint, struggling heartbeat.
"Myoujou-sama," Aisu started, his voice shaking slightly. "You're with pups. All of us can tell just by the air around you. Have you not noticed the scent of pup yourself?"
"No Aisu, I haven't," she said softly as she brushed the back of her hand across Kouga's cheek. "I haven't been paying to anything but my fallen mate." -Did you hear the news my love? We're going to have pups together if you make it through this,- she thought as tears welled up in her eyes.
Aisu stared in shock at the hanyou that was now crying, something she was not known for doing around anyone in the pack. The ookami did not know what to do, so he decided to do what he had seen Kouga do one time when comforting her when she first came to the pack. He got on his knees & wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. To his surprise, she didn't push him away; but instead turned into his arms & cried against his armor protected chest. "Myoujou, I've known Kouga since we were both pups from two different litters; he'll make it through this..." Aisu spoke softly.
"Aisu, you say I am with pups, correct?" He nodded & she sniffled, blushing slightly. "Can we go to another part of the cave so you can check how they are?"
"What do you mean?" He asked, unsure if she was asking what he thought she was.
"You know what I mean Aisu... I trust you to do it more than any other member in this pack... Aside from Kouga... Will you?"
Aisu nodded & the two rose from the ground, Myoujou giving Kouga one last look before they left the den part of the cave he was in. Myoujou followed Aisu to his own sleeping den where they went near the back of the cave. She removed the part of her fur coverings that were just wrappings & just stood still long enough for Aisu to get on his knees infront of her. He burried his nose into the spot where her legs joined together & inhaled deeply, not just the scent of the pups inside of her, but the scent she held herself. He knew this was his only chance to get to inhale the sweet scent of her sex; but he also smelled for what he was supposed to. He turned his head to the side & exhaled so not to get he scent of his breath on her & turned back, inhaling deeply once more; satisfied with what he smelled concerning the pups inside of her.
Myoujou looked down at him, her face crimson red since she didn't normally let anyone, not even Kouga, go anywhere near down there; even resorting to giving any wolf that sniffed near there a light, but stern tap on the nose. She cleared her throat & recovered herself as he stood; her stare rising with him. "Well, how are they? Could you tell how many?"
"The pups, from what I could smell, are healthy inside of you... I believe I smelled three."
"Thank you Aisu," Myoujou smiled softly before she kissed his cheek, knowing about his feelings for her, & made her way back to her mate. When she got back to where she left him, she found Sankyaku, Kouga's younger brother by a litter, sitting on his butt beside Kouga. "Sankyaku," she said softly.
The one-legged form turned to face her. "How is he?" He asked, watching her as she sat next to him.
"He's coming along slowly, but that's about it..." She answered. "You've been so brave through all of this... If you are not by his side when he does wake up I will be sure to let him know."
"Thank you Myoujou-sama," Sankyaku said with a small nod of his head. For some reason he & Myoujou always got along so well, despite the fact that he & the other members of the ookami youkai pack hardly got along because of a pain he had to carry with him since he was a pup of a few months.
Sankyaku only had one leg when he turned to his "human" form, but three legs when he was in his ookami form. Sankyaku had wondered too far away from his mother & father's den & soon found himself being carried away by a harpie; but was dropped when a warrior brought down the harpie. As a result, his leg was damaged badly & was soon removed, leaving him deformed for the rest of his life.
The members of the pack made fun of him for the deformity, but not Myoujou; although she'd been there long enough to be able to without feeling bad. He knew that if he had both legs, & all four in his ookami form then he would be able to take charge as the Alpha male of the pack; that was the way their father had wanted it anyway. Then he could have the kind-hearted Myoujou. The thought made him smile at her before he looked at his brother.
"Sankyaku, have you seen Berabera?"
"He said he would be here with some more medicinal herbs to try & heal Kouga, but that was yesterday."
"And he still hasn't come back?"
"He went to the village of a healing woman; the one he went to is at least a two-day journey... Who knows what he might run into on the way or how long it will take him to get back once he has the herbs..."
"I hope it is soon... I miss Kouga terribly & he is laying right there..."
"Agreed..."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Sankyaku was sitting by his brother's side when the ookami youkai groaned softly, his eyelids fluttering slightly. He panicked & before he could think, he found himself running from the den room in his ookami form to get the other pack members that had helped in his healing to come to his side.
The groaning coming from the ookami fell on the deaf ears of the female laying a few inches to his other side. Myoujou had finally given in to the sleep that her body was lacking from staying awake almost the entire time of her mate being knocked out from his injuries that had healed during his time of unconsciouness. She had been out for the entire previous day & was still in a deep sleep as her body made up for the lack of sleep she had forced upon herself.
The few pack members that had helped dress & check on Kouga's wounds came into the den to see their Alpha male slowly sitting up, holding the side of his head. He looked at the pack members that stood at the entrance of the den. "Wh-What am I doing back at the caves?" he asked, blinking his eyes that were hazed over slightly from the deep sleep he had been in for a while now.
"Kouga, you were brought back here after your battle with Kagura.. You've been out for a full month brother," Sankyaku answered after he turned back to his "human" form, leaning on Aisu so he could stand.
"A full month?" Kouga asked, blinking some more to clear his eyes of the haze; the blinking working very well. "How badly was I injured?"
"No one thought you would make it through... Not even sister Myoujou," Aisu said, looking from Kouga to the woman that still lay unconscious.
Kouga looked over at his life mate & was worried by her dead appearance of pale skin & her bones showing through her skin; he sniffed the air in her direction & growled.
"Kouga, what's wrong?" Aisu asked, tilting his head slightly. When Kouga focused the angry glare on him, he panicked. "Why do you look at me like that brother?!"
"You bastard," Kouga growled as he rose his feet, nearly falling over since his legs were not yet used to standing. "You had your way with my Myoujou & now she's with your pups!" His eyes glowed red as he bared his fangs at the pack member who now trembled in his spot.
"Kouga, no!" Aisu yelped, his eyes widening from his fear of the strong ookami youkai. "She found out the other day from myself that she was with pups; your pups Kouga, not mine!"
"Then why do I smell you on her?" He asked, giving his comrade a chance to explain himself before he meaninglessly slaughtered a pack member.
"She was in too weak of a state to even smell the pups growing inside of her, so when I told her that she was with your pups she asked me to check on them to see if I could find anything wrong with them. That is the only reason you smell me on her."
Kouga's eyes went back to their normal blue color & he looked at his sleeping life mate. "The pups are mine?" He asked Aisu, though he looked at his life mate, slowly making his way over to her as he tried to get used to walking away.
"Yes Kouga, they are... There are three; although I'm sure you could already tell," Aisu said, bowing his head as his leader dropped to his knees before he groaned while laying next to the woman who held his heart in her hands. "She has been passed out since yesterday when she finally gave in to the sleep her body so desperately needed. She has barely slept the entire time, wanting to be awake when you finally came to."
Kouga frowned, listening to her slow heartbeat. "Has she eaten or drank anything?"
"Yes Kouga," Sankyaku answered. "She would not leave your side so we brought her food from hunts & water from the falls at the entrance of the caves."
"Thank you, all of you," he said as he wrapped an arm around his life mate's waist, pulling her close to him. "Leave us be. I want to be alone with her." He listened to the footsteps leave the den & sniffed to make sure no one was in there with him before he leaned in, kissing her softly.
-Those lips,- Myoujou thought as she awoke but kept her eyes closed. -They belong to Kouga, but... He's unconscious from his injuries...- Myoujou opened her eyes to see Kouga leaning against her, kissing her softly, proving to her that she was not imagining things. She closed her eyes & returned the kiss, deepening it, joyed that her life mate was awake once more. She moaned as he broke the passionate kiss to kiss a trail down her neck, licking over it once he had kissed down to her collar bone. "Kouga, I missed your soft lips," she whispered.
"I'm sorry I made you worry so much, my dear Myoujou," he said as he rubbed his nose against her nose then his cheek against her cheek. "I'm glad to see that you stayed by my side through the ordeal."
"I'm just glad to see you awake," she said before she moaned as he sucked softly on the hollow of her throat. "How long have you been awake?"
He pulled his head back slightly. "No more than a few minutes. Some of the pack has already been in to check on me & they let me know what has been going on with you," he said before he continued his sucking on the hollow of her throat, placing his hand gently on her stomach where his pups stayed safe.
Myoujou moaned softly as his hand slid down further, under her fur wrappings where he gently stroked her sex, making her tremble slightly. "Should you be doing things that could risk us getting worked up Kouga?" She asked, leaning her head back so he could have easier access to her neck & wouldn't have to hurt his neck, angling it the way he was to be able to suck & nip on her throat; the nips a small sign of affection.
He stopped & looked at her as she brought her head back up so her eyes could meet his. He smiled & placed his hand on the side of her face, gazing into her eyes. "Myoujou, I have no plans to mate with you & risk hurting our pups," he said, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "If the pups are born, they will be the first successful birth in the past two years of our pack's history. I would not want to risk their lives just for my own pleasure."
Myoujou smiled & scooted down some, resting her head against his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat as she sighed softly. "Kouga, you make living worth while... Can we please go back to our bedding though? I want us to use our bedding again; even if just to cuddle with each other." Her ookami prince nodded & she rose to her feet, helping him to his, & helped him walk to their bedding.