[for Duo] I remember the Wolves in the timber

[forged_hero]

Of course it was night, Moist thought reflectively. It always happened at night. His granddad had had a theory about that; something about how there was a part of all dogs that remembered being wolves and the wolves had a special relationship with the moon. Tonight, the moon was full. It was Hogswatch Eve and there was snow on the ground.

Comments

[self_named]

There was so much wrong with the situation Duo awoke to. First off, he was alone in bed. This meant, second off, he was fucking freezing, because Duo's inner furnace had been busted since the malnutrition set in when he was ten and had never kick started again, so he needed others to leech warmth from and Moist was his designate target.

Third, there were weird noises outside. He dragged himself from bed and found the warmest things he could to burrow into, most of which were Moist's, and pulled on his space boots and stepped out of the warm cabin with its lowburning embers in the corner (genius addition, thank you Island) and into the-

"Fucking cold," he hissed. "Sheezus, awe, man it- Hey," he said, voice rumbly and husky with sleep as he clomped with his odd grace down the steps and crouched with similarly effortless ease next to Moist and Arnold.

"What's- oh holy shit, are those puppies?"

[forged_hero]

Moist looked up at him, grinning in face of the cold.

"I'm just out here to avoid your iceblox feet," Moist said, laughing a little at the strange grace, even in boots that weighed more than the rest of Moist's winter wardrobe put together. He carefully made room, and Arnold huffed in impatience, sniffing the towel with obvious, doggy concern. "You see, the drift is actually warmer."

But then he nodded under the porch, where it was just possible to see Annagovia and four squiggling bodies that were, for the best of words, gooey. Not quite cute yet. The worst was yet to come, after all the puppies were born, and what Moist had seen all the dogs do after giving birth. It would be a waste of nutrients not to, he told himself, but it had put him off stew and marinara sauce for quite a long time.

"Four," he confirmed, letting Duo crowd against him. "And this one, too. If he comes round."

[self_named]

"If?" Duo said quietly, voice already concerned, snaking and arm into squeeze his hand over the bridge of Annagovia's muzzle for a moment before withdrawing it. He bent his head so his bangs were brushing Moist's skin, looking down.

"What- why if? Is there something wrong? Can you tell what's wrong?"

[forged_hero]

Moist shrugged ineloquently. "It's been a long time since I've done this, mind," he said, "But...there's always a runt. Five already and more on the way, I think. So, there was always was going to be a runt."

He peaked at the shiny black nose in the bundle. "I don't thing the zwerg believes his lungs work quite yet." He gently blew a breath at Duo's bangs. "He just needs some convincing, that's all."

He looked solemnly at Annagovia. "It's about all we can do."

[self_named]

The wolf regarded him with a relatively quiet expression, given her usual ones. But she had a lot of babies on her and was going through some physical stress, and so, Duo figured at least, that was probably as good as she had to give at the moment.

He swallowed, looking from her back down to the puppy.

"So, you just rub its tummy?" he asked, observing Moist's motions, then reaching out two fingers from underneath an oversized coat sleeve and rubbing their pads on the tiny canine's round and pretty naked stomach. The touch wasn't furtive, but everything else about Duo, in that moment, was.

[forged_hero]

"Hundreds of years of dog-breeding basically...comes down to that, yes," Moist said, grinning a little, just with his eyes. "Just rub his belly. Here," he said, handing over the bundle carefully, changing the place where Duo was putting pressure on the pup's stomach just slightly. Arnold scooted forward on his belly and stuck his head just beneath the porch, making a low, keening sound, lightly biting Annagovia's neck.

"That's it," he said, nodding. Under the porch, it seemed, another pup had joined its siblings, and the wolf moved it with her teeth and gave it a weary lick.

[self_named]

"I- um," Duo said quietly, accepting the bundle, though. He frowned in concentration, rubbing firmly but gently where Moist had shown him, murmuring, "c'mon, zwerg. Hey, c'mon. I know it's cold and that sucks but c'mon, you've got a familythat wants to meet you..."

If Duo looked extremely freaked out, it was because he'd never held a single life in his hands before. It had been the fate of a planet, which was a totally different thing.

[forged_hero]

Moist smiled, watching him, the obvious concern and the over-sized sleeves. You almost died saving this whole place, remember, he wants to say. But maybe, a puppy on Hogswatch Eve was even more awesome than that.

"Hey," he said, turning his head from watching Annagovia shift in discomfort. He gave the bundle a closer look, more suprised than anything else. Six was a big litter, and it looked like there was at least one left, coming. He hadn't really expected it to work.

"Hey, look," he said, brushing his fingers down the puppy's tiny ribs, and felt the pup take a small, shallow breath.

[self_named]

"Ah-!" Duo gave a slight start and then beamed, grinning broadly, letting out a huff of a relieved and excited laugh.

"All right, way to go, zwergy," he said, patting the puppy's tummy. After a moment, he looked up, totally clueless.

"...Do I keep doing this now?"

[forged_hero]

For the first time, the puppy (Zwerg, Moist thought, grinning. It fit.) made a soft, whining sound, trying to lift its head.

"No, it's fine," Moist said, smiling stupidly in spite of himself. Arnold boldly stuck his muzzle in the towel, snuffing the tiny puppy. The little noises had aroused Annagovia's interest again, and she cocked her head, watching Duo with a keenness that was probably always going to unsettle Moist. Not tonight. In the snow, he shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, a Hogswatch miracle," he said, and kissed Duo's cheek impulsively. "You saved his life."

[self_named]

"You saved his life, I just helped," Duo said, leaning into the touch of Moist's mouth. He curled down and lifted the towel wrapped bundle off his lap and under the porch so Annagovia could lick the pup to her satisfaction.

"They're so... well, not cute yet, but they will be soon, I bet?" he said, grinning at Moist over his shoulder, bumping Arnold slightly with his hip in a gesture that somehow conveyed 'good dog'.

[forged_hero]

"She'll get them cleaned up," Moist said, counting the puppies one last time. Seven. Seven all together, all of them mewling and stepping on each other and trying to get their first meal, eyes all closed. "The cuteness will follow after that."

He reached under the porch, gently dislodging some of Zwerg's siblings, and set him up to get a good meal, his first. He watched them for a moment, Annagovia looking absolutely exhausted, puppies crawling over her, getting closer for warmth. Not at all unlike Duo in the middle of the night.

"Happy Hogswatch," Moist said, pressing his lips softly against Duo's bangs.

[self_named]

"Merry Christmas," Duo murmured back, and brushed the bridge of his nose against Moist's jaw. "So... we should bring 'em into the house right?" He asked, leaning against the older man, watching the pile of puppies and their parents.

"I mean, we shouldn't just... leave 'em under the porch. Or are we supposed to?"

[forged_hero]

"I tried to get her to come in before it started," Moist said, darkly, giving the wolf a withereing look. "But, wolves have been doing this in caves and dens for ever and ever. It's even pretty warm in there."

He coughed. "And...anyway. She's going to want at that afterbirth, once she's not so drained. Best that she doesn't do that in the house. You can't really get the smell out of fabric."

[self_named]

".......ew," Duo said, sitting quietly while he let that sink in. He absently ran his hand over Arnold's back, looking up at Moist.

"Okay. So we hang out until she's......... done and then we pick up th puppies and the paterfamilias, here, and drag 'em inside?"

[forged_hero]

Moist glanced at the wolf, chewing his bottom lip. He's been on the receiving end of more than one postnatal mothers. He had a scar on his thigh to prove it.

"What do you think, Arnold? Can you convince her to bring herself and the brood indoors and out of the cold?"

"Years of tradition is no reason to stay in the the cold when one has perfect access to a warm fire, you know," he pointed out to the wolf. "There might even be boar flank in it for you, mamma."