Nytehawk’s hooves slipped on the concrete when she turned the corner to enter through her front gate. “Hunter!” she excitedly yelled as she ran up the walkway.

Inside, Hunter’s ears perked at the sound of his name. “Nytehawk?” he questioned as he looked at Jerome. The golden Delphin nodded and Hunter jumped up. He reached the front door about the time Nytehawk forced it open. They looked at each other for half moment, Hunter taking the first five seconds or so to realize who she was, then he embraced her. “Thank God you’re back,” he whispered. Another full minute passed before he pulled back slightly and looked at her, smiling. “I love those wings.”

She smiled at him as Jerome entered the front room. “Good to see you home, Nytehawk,” the Guardian bowed. “But, where is Snowhawk? I figured she would get you free.”

Nytehawk pulled a little further away from Hunter. “She did, in a way. She just didn’t free herself.”

“How is she?” Legacy quietly asked as he entered the room.

“In all truths, not good,” Nytehawk replied. “She was no where near prepared for a child, and worrying about why you weren’t around didn’t help any.”

The younger Guardian dropped his head in defeat. “I’ve lost her...”

“I didn’t say that,” she snapped back.

“I’d figured she needed some time alone, but I guess I was wrong,” he continued.

“Legacy,” Nytehawk began, stepping toward him, “If Snowhawk wanted some time alone, she would take care of that herself. She was trained to hide. But in any case, days alone are not what she would have needed. Don’t forget that she’d lived most of her life with someone always nearby.” She received a slow nod of reply from Legacy.

*********

Some three weeks later, on a sunny, unseasonably warm afternoon, Snowhawk half-dozed in the gardens of the estate. Her Delphinic form rested on one of the garden’s benches, shaded by a large willow tree. During the periods between short naps, she would listen to the sounds of the gardens, never opening her eyes. She turned onto her side, then almost missed Adian’s silent padding as he passed, and he seemed to not notice her. “Good day, Adian,” she quietly said.

The younger brother jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. “Good day, Snowhawk. I thought you were asleep.”

“Not quite,” she replied, eyes still closed. “You’re not usually in the gardens at this time. Something wrong?”

He shook his head, then began to walk towards her. “No, I just needed to check something out.”

“Aah.”

Once he reached the bench, he sat down on the end nearest her head. “You know, you’ve got the idiot brother of mine quite worried. That idiot mate of yours as well.”

“They’re hardly idiots, Adian. You know that as well as me,” she smirked. “But yes, I know they’re worried.”

“And you?” the wolf asked, looking at her.

“Not at this time,” she responded, eyes still shut. “But possibly in the future, if my health declines too much.”

“Hopefully that won’t happen,” he almost whispered.

Snowhawk flicked an ear at his tone. She could also feel the warmth of his hand near her shoulder. Is it just my imagination or is Adian acting strange? she thought. She made a mental note of this, something to figure out later.

“Well, I shall let you rest now, Snowhawk,” he stated, somewhat clumsily, then stood and walked away.

Snowhawk was a little more than confused at this display. “Lupino are odd,” she mumbled, rolling onto her back again, then watching the sky. She had drifted to sleep by the time Adian returned. Again, he stopped, then sat down on the bench near her head. This time, he watched her sleep.

“Something wrong, brother?” Janus’ voice asked, bringing the younger Lupino’s head up from his gaze.

“Nothing at all,” Adian replied as his brother walked toward him.

“Really?” the older responded, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t get any ideas about my bird, Adian.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Janus,” he replied sarcastically.

Janus glared at him. “Pray that you don’t.”

Adian rolled his eyes and stood. “You’re paranoid, Janus.”

“And I have every right to be, especially with you around.”

“Right.” Adian just shook his head and walked away.

Once his brother was gone, Janus sat down where Adian had been a moment earlier to wait for Snowhawk to awake.

*********

As much as she would have liked to, Snowhawk couldn’t sleep. Her mind kept nagging at her and making her wonder why Adian was acting so oddly. After all, he was not supposed to be the nice one. Adian, she thought, is supposed to be the horny bastard that doesn’t care about his “toys.”

When Janus saw Snowhawk partially open her eyes, he reached down and gently stroked her jaw line. “Something on your mind, love?”

“Not really,” she quietly replied. “Just thinking about everything and nothing, as usual.”

“Of course,” he smiled. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better, but I could be a hell of a lot worse. Back is hurting from laying around, but I’m too exhausted to move much.”

“Need anything?” he asked, moving his hand to gently stroke her hair.

“I probably need to go inside and lay down on a nice, soft bed or couch. But I like being out here.”

“I could have one of those brought out to you, if you wished.”

“No,” she began, lightly shaking her head, “it’s ok. I’m probably just going to go back to sleep.”

“Alright, love,” he said, still stroking her hair. “I’ll stick around for a bit and check on you as much as I can, but please, call if you need me.” She gave him a small nod, then drifted back to sleep.

Several hours later, she awoke to Janus again sitting near her, a pillow under her head, and a blanket covering her. She smiled softly at him, her eyes still half closed. “How late is it?”

“About the time when most are going to bed,” he replied with a small smile.

“Hmm, baby is taking more and more out of me. But it shouldn’t be much longer until he’s due.”

“‘He?’”

“At this point, a guess, but I should know for certain in a couple weeks.” She paused, her expression subtly changing. “Like the other two.”

Janus returned to stroking her face and mane at that point. Her previous owner had used her as a brood mare. She had been through many pregnancies, but none quite like this, he thought. To his knowledge, she had only carried two foals to term before, both of them male, but after a few hours, they had been taken from her and she never saw them again. Within a few days, she would have been tossed back into the breeding program. Part of the reason this is such a problem for her now. He gave a quiet sigh, then asked after a few moments, “Would you ever want to know them?”

“Someday, perhaps.” She paused for another moment of silence, then looked up at Janus. “The older is named Jesse, the younger is Cody. I was allowed that much, so I gave them the names of a couple of the males of the compound. House slaves, to be exact. They helped me through all my pregnancies.”

“We both lived lives without any real love for a long time. To live like that is... unpleasant at best. Never knowing or remembering your parents.” He sighed, then looked into her eyes. “When you’re ready to find your boys, I’ll help you.”

“Thank you,” she smiled. There were several more minutes of silence between them before Snowhawk finally asked, “So, just what was Adian doing out here earlier?”

Janus shrugged. “Not a clue. Though it’d be safe to bet to say he was planning something.”

“Do you think he would try anything?” she questioned.

“Catching the prey while it’s weak?” Janus nodded. “Be careful around him. He gets enough ideas on his own. Though if he values his life and his ability to even have sex, he’ll not touch you.”

*********

Adian sighed as he watched his brother and Snowhawk over the monitor. He had seen someone sneaking around the estate over the past couple of months, apparently stalking Snowhawk. Security cameras made keeping up with her easier, and they proved useful at other times as well. At first, the watcher was not a concern, then Adian caught him sitting near her one night as she slept. He could not catch a good glimpse of the man, other than long, dark silvery-gray hair, but did succeed in chasing him away. After that incident, he installed the cameras. Neither Janus or Snowhawk knew about the watcher.

The younger brother again sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had no rational explanation for wanting to keep her safe, especially considering she was unattainable. He finally decided that it was to keep Janus happy, for if Janus was happy, then he kept his nose out of his fur. “Actually,” he said aloud, “that doesn’t explain a damn thing. Why should I protect her for his sake?” He paused, then continued to talk to no one but himself. “At almost seven months pregnant, she’s very vulnerable. Maybe I’m trying to change her view of me, but to what since she doesn’t have a bad view of me? I wish I could figure this out.”

He sighed a third time, then leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk and his chin in his hands, to watch her sleeping form. “Who knows? Maybe things will change in the future.”