14 comments/ 35488 views/ 9 favorites Niah By: sethskitten The pack was on the prowl tonight. Their howls echoed on the still night air and carried for miles on end. The cool crisp air burned their lungs as they flew with effortless ease, enjoying the caress of the night and the companionship that kept them together. There were seven in all. The Alpha pair, Rishad and Rose. Rishad was a huge white male that had earned his position the old fashioned way. He had earned it with respect for needing a strong paw to lead and yet with the ability to be fair and kind, or harsh and firm depending on what the situation called for. Rose, his beautiful mate, was sweet natured and gentle, but when challenged she had a fighting spirit that earned his respect and love the first moment he had seen her claws unleashed on an unsuspecting female who had deserved Rose's wrath. Her fur rippled nearly silver in the moonlight as she ran alongside her mate. The Beta Pair, Loki and Nai. Loki was Rishad's younger brother and quite a bit smaller than him as well, but no less powerful, he deferred to his brothers leadership willingly and gladly and with a healthy dose of respect. Unlike his brother his coat was coal black save for a single white stripe down the center of his nose, which occasionally earned him the nick name "Skunk". Nai was not originally from the pack itself. She was larger then Rose though still smaller then her mate. She was muscular and sleek and the color of rich honey ticked with fine black hairs, she was as beautiful as she was powerful. Next came Rom and Jace. Rom was the only son of Rishad and Rose. Like his father he was large, long lanky legs, muscular frame with rich black fur, and he moved with an easy grace and confidence that he gained from both his parents. Jace was stockier then his cousin and a little shorter, but no less fleet on his feet. His fur was a deep rust color. He had the light hearted personality of his father, Loki, and the quiet but deadly temperament of his mother, Nai. Pulling up the rear of the pack was Jade. She, like Rom and Jace, was young not yet an adult but not a puppy either. She was quiet and slender. As she ran to try and pull up between Jace and Rom her white fur gleamed brightly under the full light of the moon. Jade had come to the pack as a lost pup nearly a year ago. Hunters had slaughtered her parents. Loki and Nai had found her wandering the woods alone and half starved to death. Rishad and Rose came to a halt at the top of a rise almost simultaneously. They glanced at each other, then each lifted their heads back letting out a deep long howl. As each member reached the top of the rise they would join in, a beautiful song in a chorus of voices. As their song trailed off they would begin to move as one down theother side of the rise, fanning out as they moved towards home. Rose caught the scent first. She paused and a low growl escaped her muzzle as her lips curled back. The scent of blood and pain and wolf, wolf that was not of their own and clearly trespassing on their lands. Rishad paused as he caught the scent as well calling a halt to their progress. They instantly became cautious and spread out even more their bellies went low to the ground and they listed, noses lifted to catch the scents on the air to make sure it was not more then one. Rishad tested the air and for several moments he remained silent and watchful. He leaned close to his mate and said quietly, calmingly. " It is a lone female, a pregnant one at that, and if my senses are correct her pups are coming soon." She gave a slow nod. " Find her, let us know when you have, but be careful." The last of her words were directed to the younger of their members, not yet experienced in meeting strangers and possible dangers. Each member took a different rout using their noses to try and direct them. It was Rom who would find her. She lay curled in a whimpering ball between the roots of a large old oak tree. Her arms were wrapped around the huge swelling of her belly while blood trailed down her slender legs. The female was so tiny, and yet her belly seemed to dwarf her. The moment she heard him her head snapped around and she snarled curling herself even more protectively around her belly. " Go, Leave me be." she cried at him trying to wave him off with a shooing motion. His ears flickered as he watched her for a moment or two before tilting his broad black head back and howled. His song reaching out to his pack telling them he had found her. He then settled his dark green eyes upon her once more. She was pale, very pale. Her rich dark chocolate hair was a tangled mass down her back and around her tiny heart shaped face. He leaned forward and sniffed her carefully then wrinkled his nose as he smelled pack on her, an unfamiliar pack, but from the scents lingering on her skin she seemed to be the favorite of the males in the pack. He sneezed then sat back to wait for the rest of his own pack, His father arrived first then his mother. They both came forward sniffing and investigating her. She weakly tried to move away from them but soon gave up the effort too much in her weakened state. " What is your name." Rishad asked gruffly. She opened her mouth to answer? Protest? To shout at them to go away? They would never know because the moment she opened her mouth a scream ripped free and her body writhed in pain, she strained for a moment panting heavily and then suddenly her body went limp and her head fell back to the ground as she passed out. Rishad gave a low snarling curse. He was tempted to leave the stray girl here. But one look in his wife's eyes and he knew he could not. With a heavy sigh he shifted going from wolf to man, stark naked in the middle of November in a mountain clearing. Even in his human form he was an impressive man. Rich blonde hair that swirled to the nape of his neck, emerald green eyes dark and piercing set in a ruggedly handsome face. Tall muscular body that moved with a sleek grace and power that few could achieve. He shivered then picked the girl up with a low tisking sound at his mate. She merely chuffed at him softly and licked the back of his thigh before nudging him towards home. ******************* This is my very first submission. Please tell me what you think and let me know if you want to read more. Niah Ch. 02 The three younger wolves bound forward as they reached the large cabin that was their communal home. They pushed the door open leaving room for Rishad to slip through with his tiny burden. Rose pushed past them snagging a robe off the hook by the door and disappeared into the first bedroom. There she shifted and waited for them to enter. This room was her son's room but it was closest. Rishad stepped inside and eyed his petit little blonde wife as she stood by the bed. He grinned at her until his burden moaned. He gently put the small woman on the bed. She tossed her head back and forth and gave a cry of pain but did not wake. Rose frowned as she went to work on taking the girl's clothes off While Rose and Rishad were working on the girl in Rom's room the rest of the pack had gone to various rooms to shift as well each gathering in the living room. Rose poked her head out. " I need boiled water, fresh cloths, and a bowl of cold water, she has broken out in a fever." She gave them a worried frown. Rom went for the bowl of cold water and a few fresh towels bringing them to his mother while Nai set to work on getting the hot water ready. For the next several hours the house was filled with cries of pain and a flurry of motion as they all fought to save this strange young woman and her pups. Finally there was silence, and a since of sadness. The young woman lay on the bed, her breathing shallow, but her color was better. She had a line down the center of her belly where they had had to pull the babies from her. There had been two of them, a dark little boy and a little girl who had been far too small. They had fought to save the little girl but it had been no use. Rose took the little boy wrapped in warm blankets from the room crooning softly at the little one. The rest of them filed out of the room leaving just Rom and his father. "Stay with her, make sure she does not stop breathing, let us know if she wakes." Rishad spoke quietly as he looked from the young woman to his son. The girl looked to be about 18 years of age perhaps a little older. She was so young and from the look and smell of her she had not had an easy life thus far. When Rom gave a nod of agreement Rishad turned and left the two alone. Once the room was empty of everyone but the two of them Rom pulled a chair up next to the bed and gently took the girl's hand. If she had been able to shift she would have healed much faster. But as it was she still had not woken up. He reached up and brushed some of her hair from her face. She really was a beautiful creature. She had delicate soft features that spoke of her youth, and despite the fact that he knew she was not, she looked fresh an innocent. That thought made him frown. What sort of pack had she come from that they would treat her this way, there was no doubt that she was used and abused even before she had managed to get away to have her pups. When he noticed her begin to shiver he pulled the blankets up and over her adding an extra one then slipped into the bed next to her gently cradling her against him to help keep her warm. He watched her anxiously only relaxing once she had stopped shivering. She snuggled into his warmth after a while and he could not help but smile. He nuzzled his face against her for a moment then began to relax. Before long he had slipped into slumber. ****************** From the doorway of Rom's room Rose watched them. She held the girl's son cradled in her arms intent on letting the pup see his mother. She gave her own son a worried look as she watched them. With a shake of her head she returned to the living room where the pack had settled around the fireplace. Jade was sprawled across the couch. Blonde hair fanned out over the arm of it, slender shapely form draped in a robe with a gown underneath it. Bright blue eyes peered under blonde lashes as she watched Rose return with the baby still in hand. That made her frown a little bit, she felt the urge to rise and go see what Rose had seen, but sheer will kept her from doing so. Jace was laying on the thick rug in front of the fireplace. Red hair mussed as it always was making it seem he had just gotten up out of bed. He wore a pair of breeches and a robe knowing full well if he came out without his shirt on his mother would yell at him for it. Jace was 21, a year younger then Rom, two years older then Jade. He watched Jade's face when Rose reappeared with the baby and gave a small huff. `"He will never choose you, Jade, you know that."` his voice sounded in her head causing bright blues to lock with dark browns . She glared then looked away refusing to respond. Nai and Loki sat together on another couch. Loki's muscular arms were wrapped around his wife and he was half asleep. Nai on the other hand was fully awake, her gold and black hair falling in rich waves over her shoulders. Soft brown eyes met those of her Alphess. " She is still sleeping then?" Rose smiled, " Yes she is still sleeping." She did not reveal that Rom was curled in beside her, or that it worried her that he might become attached. It also worried her that the girl's pack would come looking for her. She knew Rishad would not let her go without a fight, not after how she looked when they found her. " Alright everyone I think its time to settle down and get some sleep. We will take the baby with us for the night." this came from Rishad who had just stepped out of the kitchen. That said he guided Rose down the hall to their room with a wave to the pack, who eventually dispersed each going to their own rooms. On her way down the hall Jade paused beside Rom's door and peered through the crack in the door. A low growl slipped past her lips before she could catch it as she spotted Rom curled around the considerably smaller stray female. Her eyes flashed with anger and hurt that she had no right to be feeling. She jumped as Jace brushed by her grabbing her arm to almost literally drag her down the hall to her own room. "Do not cause trouble Jade. " He hissed in her ear. She glared at him and jerked her arm free, nearly slamming the door closed in his face once she slipped inside her room. He stared at the closed door, he shook his head then turned to the door across the hall from hers and went inside closing the door quietly. ************************ I am sorry this took so long to get a second Chapter out. But here it is I hope you like it.