So far, so good… with a fat cod as an appropriate peace offering to the bevy’s border patrols, (not too shabby either if she said so herself;
finally, Pepper was getting the hang of this whole fishing thing in this water-logged place), the otters let Pepper roam freely on their island. Now if only she could find…
“Liua… Liua!”
But, like always, the otter matriarch was nowhere to be found. The last time (moon cycles at this point) Pepper saw her was when the sleek golden otter was being courted by that wandering male. And Pepper’s side still smarted in phantom pain whenever she thought back on the territorial beast. If she ever had to see his face again, it would be far too soon.
Thank god Liua was there to show him what’s what.
But, now Pepper was back in the leader’s stomping grounds, and though she could smell her friend’s sea-laden scent, Pepper could see neither flank nor fur of her in the damp thickets. Oh, wait, that tuft of fur looked to be the right shade! Oh, wait no, that’s feather down, never mind. Hmm…
“
Pepper!”
The calico could feel the soul escape from her body as she startled. It was only after a frantic survey of her surroundings that she looked down to see a wet brown nose and pale whiskers peeping out of a nearly imperceptible gap in the thickets. Pepper willed her heart to slow, and bristled in annoyance. “
Liua! Are you
trying to send me to an early grave?”
“Heh,” the female grinned, just as she poked the rest of her head out to peer up at the she-cat. “Surely not before you meet my first litter as leader, Pep-Pep.”
Anger dissipating, Pepper’s ears perked. “Pups?”
Liua’s whiskers twitched in mirth. “Twins this time around.” Slowly, the golden otter retracted her head back into the shadow of the brambles, but stopped before her nose could disappear just to say in an exaggerated tone, “Come into my
lair.”
Pepper couldn’t stop a snort from escaping before following Liua’s scent into the thicket. “Hah, alright, alright.” As an afterthought, Pepper grabbed the scentless down into her maw before descending.
Though it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the change in light, Pepper immediately felt her heart melt at the sight of her friend curled around two pudgy forms. With a bit of a squeeze, she was able to pull her slim body into the warm little pocket, and the calico crawled up to the otter’s flank. Immediately, Liua shifted to mold herself around Pepper, and the she-cat barely reacted as Liua curled her flexible tail behind Pepper’s shoulders. Pepper subconsciously did the same as her slim tail wrapped around behind Liua.
A purr started up unbidden in Pepper’s chest. Curious, the little blind pups shifted towards the quickly warming newcomer.
The one closest to Pepper was nudged closer to her by the matriarch, and as gently as she could, Pepper gathered them up into her paws. Entranced, Pepper could only stare down at the bundle as Liua softly plucked the forgotten down from Pepper’s maw and transferred it to her nest.
“They’re gorgeous, Liua.” A rare chirp of happiness escaped the matriarch at Pepper’s comment.
Though Pepper was tempted to simply bask in the moment, a thought sprung to the front of her mind. “...
Sooo… where’s daddy?”
Almost like she was expecting the question, Liua chuckled. “Your guess is as good as mine. Honestly, if he was here I’d chase him off the island,” Pepper looked up curiously as Liua continued, “He’s not a native to these lands so I’m not responsible for him, and there’s no love lost between us, so I say good riddance. He wasn’t even here while I was expecting, so he doesn’t get to see them ‘til they’re old enough to hunt.”
Pepper frowned as she parsed Liua’s logic, but then tried to hide her bemusement unsuccessfully with a soft laugh. “It’s not like I was here either, Liua.”
Pepper wasn’t prepared for Liua’s soft nose touching her muzzle. The she-cat felt her skin heat. “Well, you’re not him, Pep.”
Well. Pepper didn’t know what to say to that. Flustered, she turned her attention to her friend’s puppies. “So ah, they look kinda big! Quarter-moon old?”
With tired, lidded (
knowing) eyes, Liua sank back into the bedding. “Only a day or so, actually. Probably got their size from their dad.”
The pup in her arms started to mouth at the calico’s fur, and distractedly Pepper thought about how she was thankful that her fur was clean. “Still. Strong! That’s ah, that’s good. Bet the bevy’s excited about that.”
Liua merely shrugged. “Maybe. No one on the isle has seen them yet so I wouldn’t be able to tell.”
Pepper could practically feel her brain grind to a halt at the implication of her presence within the leader’s den. Before anyone else, even within her own otter clan,
Pepper was the one Liua allowed near her vulnerable infants.
A soft nudge to her cheek snapped Peper out of her reverie. With a laugh, Liua murmured, “Relax! You need to stop overthinking everything. Just rest for a little bit, Pep.”
Pepper’s whiskers twitched before she sank her head down to lie parallel to Liua’s face. The pup in her arms welcomed the extra warmth as it settled down.
The quiet lulled Pepper into a doze, but she felt herself snap awake at Liua’s next yawning comment.
“When… when we wake up again, you can help me name them.”
Pepper squeezed her eyes shut as she withheld a groan. Liua would be the
death of her.
*for winner I ask that you not use the art since it's character specific! thank ya ;v; /*{948}
