White Fire

Chapter Five: New Beginnings

One Year Later…….

The masculine male’s ruffled pelt blew amongst the strong winds that thrusted throughout the forest, leaves floating gracefully towards the green blades of grass. He wakes and lazily gets up on all fours, he kicks his hinds, shaking off shreds of grass that clung to his fur in his sleep. He stretches, taking a deep breath, inhaling the cool morning air. Behind him, Kasai exits the cave, also just waking after a long night of rest. “So, Okami, What are our plans today?” The male laughs under his breath in amusement. The sounds of a newborn pup yelping from inside the den hits his large, fluffed up ears making them twitch. Flicking his tail elegantly, he turns to maneuver towards his female. She shifts her weight as he gets closer and brushes her body against his. “How are you feeling Beautiful?” he asks her as he nuzzles the side of her face. She closes her eyes and smiles softly as she returns the affection. “I am doing well I suppose” she replied with a tired tone. The two walk together in tandem towards the mouth of the cave to their newborn daughter. When they enter the cave, Kasai moves quietly to her bedding and lays down, pulling her tiny infant pup into a motherly embrace. Okami moves behind them and lays down, positioning himself to cuddle up with his mate and young. As they lay together, Kasai looks happily at her tiny new family and falls into a trance of past memories.

Just a year before, She ran along the winding path through the tall pines and thick oaks. Racing away from the pain and loss, Her father's last words echoing in her head bringing about a headache. The death of her father just three years after the death of her mother struck her harshly, leaving behind an emptiness that felt like her own heart had been torn from her chest. As she sped through the Shadow Woods, tears began to fall. Miles away in the opposite direction, the howls and confusion of her pack can be heard as they try to find their beloved but broken Female Alpha. She races up through the trees until she comes to a break in the treeline. She slows to a walk as she looks around at her surroundings, smelling the air as she continues to press forward. In front of her is a large field of wildflowers and tall blades of grass with large rocks and bushes sprinkled throughout. As she gets closer to the center of the field in the middle of the forest, she finds a beautiful and clear spring fed by a stream of fresh cold water that comes down from the mountains. She approaches the spring cautiously and goes to lap up some water to quench the thirst she developed from the long run. She's never seen this place before so she knows she is very far from the place she once called home. The wind russells through the trees, dipping down to swoop through the grass and flowers and pushes through her long flowing pelt. She finally begins to feel some emotional relief.

An enormous male wolf climbs to the top of a rock that sits inches away from the spring edge where Kasai drinks. His fur was a dirty greyish white tone and had reddened tips to his ears and tail. His paws stained reddish brown with the old blood from battles with others and scars all over his large muscular body. He settles on the top, laying down and crosses his front paws over top each other, watching the strange female. As Kasai drinks, her nose catches the scent of a newcomer. It’s a smell very unfamiliar to her. She looks around, guarded and alert, to find the creature the scent is coming from. She walked slowly past the rock as the large male wolf leapt off and landed with a thud on the ground behind her. He chuckles, causing Kasai to startle and spin around fast. When she sees the male wolf she begins to growl and back away as he advances towards her. Her fur standing on end, her teeth clenched together as she growls. She flinches slightly when the male speaks. “Don’t worry, I won't hurt you. I don't hurt females.” she cautiously watches the male as he inches closer towards her. “Are you lost, Beautiful? Because you don’t look like you from around these parts or any parts I’ve traveled through…” He pauses to see if she’ll speak, but she doesn’t.

The strange male got close enough to Kasai that she could hear a faint wheeze in his breathing ‘possibly from an injury he sustained in a fight in the past ’ she thought to herself as she watched him walk next to her. She finally replies to the strange wolf. “You’re right. I’m not from around here. I am sort of lost but that was sort of my plan.” He raises his brow at her remark and chuckles again. “So you are running from something…” she thinks for a moment then answers. “Not really running from something. More like running towards something” She slowly lets her guard down when the feeling of safety rises the longer she talks to him. “What would you be running towards out here?” she hesitates then comes back with her reply “Freedom” He smiles as the single word slips from her lips. “So what’s your name Beautiful?” She smiles for once at the male repeatedly calling her beautiful, making her feel better than she had in a long time. “Kasai. And yours?” His stormy grey and blue eyes narrow as he looks right into her eyes and smiles wider. “Flame huh? I assume you got the name due to your flaming red coat you’ve got there?” She nods as he continues. “The name’s Okami, meaning Wolf, however, with a Japanese name such as Kasai, I assume you already knew that.” he chuckled again as she nods in agreement. “So, where is your pack, Okami?” He shakes his head “I don’t have one. I haven’t had one since I was younger. I’ve been a loner for some years now.” She looks at him with sadness in her eyes and he catches the look then he continues “Don’t worry and don’t feel sorry for me either, I chose to live this way. I live the freedom and being left alone without being controlled or governed by others younger than me or the same age” She nods to his words again. He turns to walk away, pausing to nod to her, extending an invitation for her to join him. She begins to walk with him accepting his invitation. The two are walking out of the field towards a cave in the distance, talking and laughing like best friends. Kasai happily walks next to him. Their bodies close enough she could feel his body heat radiating off of him like a roaring fire. She smiles and enjoys his company. She felt free and complete finally during the time she spent with him. “You are as amazing as you are beautiful” he compliments her making her smile bigger as she nods happily. They reach the cave and he motions to her to go ahead in, then follows her inside.

Months later, Kasai rolls over to face Okami in the fur bedding and paws gently at him. He opens his eyes and leans in to nuzzle her. Drawing her closer to him with his monstrous paws and he begins to lick her face. She groans in pleasure at his touch as she rolls to her opposite side away from him, opening herself up for him. He entangles himself with her in the throws of passion. His large paw runs down her spine and eases it around her to cup the swollen belly. While gently embracing his mate’s enlarged stomach, he carefully caresses her and licks the side of her face as she softly moans blissfully. After nearly an hour of ecstasy, Kasai lays on her back as Okami rubs his paw over her belly. Smiling as he stares in awe at it, he opens his mouth and speaks softly “The pup will be here soon, What should we name him or her?” She giggles “How’s Nova for a girl? Or Bash for a boy?” He nods, pleased with her choices. She closes her eyes as he continues to rub her belly. The tiny unborn pup shifts inside. Okami smiles again as he feels his unborn baby move around under his paw. As Kasai drifts off to sleep, Okami stands, leaning down to gently nuzzle her cheek without disturbing her, then turning to exit the cave, letting her rest.

Hours later, Okami is laying on the edge of the ledge that rests out front of his cave, looking pridefully out over his domain. His ears begin to twitch as the sound of groans and whines come from deep inside the cave. “It’s time!” he thinks to himself as he raises himself up to sit facing the mouth of the cave. He doesn’t move to go see what is going on, knowing that his mate would rather be left alone to do this peace. He still sits alert in case she needs him. After some time, his ears perk up at the sound of a tiny pup squealing. He raises to all fours and rushes inside the cave to his mate and newborn. As he gets closer, his eyes fall on a tiny red fuzz ball with white paws and a white tip tail suckling on Kasai’s teat as she cleans the newborn. When Kasai sees the curious new father hovering over them, she smiles and speaks in a hushed tone. “Say hello to Nova, Daddy.” He chuckles and leans down to nuzzle his new infant gently. She squeals softly as she yawns and stretches, placing her tiny paw on his nose. Kasai giggles at the sight as it reminds her of an ant on a pomegranate. She watches her mate with her baby and smiles warmly and lets out a soft sigh in admiration. She thinks to herself about how pleased she is with her life with Okami. Kasai smiled at her memories that lead to this point as she returns to the present time.

Okami drags the freshly killed deer carcass he caught during his three day long hunting trip, up to the opening of the cave to feed his little family. Kasai exits the cave and races towards her beloved mate, excited to see him. He catches her and wraps his front legs around her letting out a deep laugh seeing her after a few days being absent. “My Beautiful, I missed you so much!” He licks her muzzle and smiles wide. “How is our little Princess?” She smiles and informs him of her excellent health and her rapid growth. “.... And she’s also starting to show signs of being as strong willed and brave as her father.” He chuckles as he turns to prepare the carcass for their week worth of meals. As he begins to pull apart and tear the furry hide from the carcass, Kasai sits down next to him, deep in thought. Okami senses something is amiss with his mate and stops what he is doing to turn to her. “What’s wrong my Beautiful?” He inquires at her thoughts. She hesitates before answering him. “Well…..” She pauses “.... I was thinking about home. I’ve been thinking about my home everyday in your absence. Every time I look at Nova, I think about her life. She needs to grow up where there are pups her age, Where she has more family than just you and I. If something were to happen to us, she would be left here alone with no one to raise her or look after her. I want to take her home where she can be safe and have much more than she has now.” He sets the meat in his paw down and turns completely towards her, moving in closer and placing his paws on top of hers. “And what are you trying to tell me?” He waits for a reply, but when she takes too long to answer as she searches for how to speak her mind, he continues to speak. “Are you thinking about leaving me? Taking my daughter away with you so you can return to that life you told me about?” She starts crying at his words, shaking her head. “No! My handsome mate, I want you to go with me. Be a part of the pack with me and Nova. Why would you ever think I would leave you? Or have the audacity to take her away from her father?” He grumbles angrly. “You know how I feel about being in a pack! Why in the hell do you think I would leave my great life here to go be a part of a group of controlled wolves ruled by an entitled leader?” She refuses to answer. She stands without saying anymore, still crying, she turns and walks back to the den, disappearing inside out of Okami’s view.

After some time thinking about her words as he finishes up preparing his kill to eat, He realizes he was too harsh and needs to make things right. He stands, grabbing the deer hide with the meat piled on top in his teeth and drags it into the den to the stockpile. He moves towards the pool at the mouth of his den and washes the blood from his fur before returning to his bedding where his angry mate is laying down with his sleeping newborn. He lays behind her and reaches for her, gently pulling her in close to him as he tries to be apologetic to her. He whispers in her ear so he doesnt wake the sleeping pup. “I’m truly sorry my beautiful. I wasn't thinking and reacted unfavorably. Can you forgive me?” Kasai scuffs angrily without responding. He returns to what he was trying to say “I will go home with you. I don’t think I will receive a warm welcome because of being a complete stranger to everyone you know, but I will go with you and our daughter if that's what makes you happy.” She turns towards him and looks him in the eyes and smiles at his sincere words and whispers as she caresses his face. Kasai turns back to Nova and carefully moves her to a smaller sized bedding nearby without waking her, then turns back to Okami. Wrapping her legs around his body. He excitedly entangles himself with her in a lock of passion and enters her devotedly, making love to his beautiful mate like it was the very first time.

A few days later as the sun reaches the middle of the sky, signaling that it was mid-day, Kasai exits the cave carrying a sling made of deer skin wrapped around her neck and hanging in front of her chest with Nova sleeping soundly inside, stopping to wait for Okami to accompany them. Okami takes one last look around his den, his long time home, as if to say goodbye without saying anything out loud. He stoops down and picks up a deer skin sack filled with food and supplies for their journey, then turns away to leave with his mate. Side by side, Kasai and Okami start across the large field towards the forest in the direction of Kasai’s home. “Don’t worry Handsome, Everything will be fine. With us all together, Everything is beautiful and perfect.” He half smiles at her as they begin their long journey together.