Ivy Leaves And Oak Trees

Hibernation

It was early in the morning when their mom woke them up, "Come on my little omegas! We have to go to the nest soon! Time for hibernation."

The three boys woke up with groans. They hadn't fallen asleep until late last night, all too excited about Jimin's gift. They stayed up for hours on end, till the sun rose, talking about what it felt like and how he changed after receiving it. Jimin answered all their questions with excitement.

"Do you think Namjoonie will be there to help with the omegas?" Jungkook asked, his hair sticking in all directions from sleep.

Taehyung sat up, eyes squinting as he smiled at his brother, "You're so pitiful Kookie."

Jungkook pouted before throwing a pillow at him, "Oh shut up!"

Jimin snorted, "Yeah Taehyung, you're not one to talk. I see you drooling over Hobi all the time."

Taehyung huffed, "Yeah but that's different. He's a beta who isn't the Pack Alpha's brother. He's," Taehyung sighed dreamily as he thought of the man, "Attainable."

Jungkook stood from his bed and started to get ready, Jimin following suit, "So what if Namjoon is out of my league in terms of hierarchy? Worse things have happened than a higher-up alpha being with a lower-level omega."

Jimin gathered the things he intended on bringing to the nest, blankets, pillows, candles, and other comfort items, "Taehyung, let Jungkook crush on Namjoon. There's no harm in it." Jimin looked to his youngest brother, "And Jungkookie, he may be a higher level alpha but that doesn't mean he's unattainable to you. I've seen how he looks at you. It's sweet."

Jungkook blushed as he gathered his thickest fur blanket, one passed down from their mother's father, the last alpha born to the moon line.

Taehyung finally got up and gathered his things as well. He looked to Jimin, "What are you bringing to the nest this year? I remember you brought some sewing stuff last year and helped the others with mending."

Jimin smiled as he remembered the fond times of last year's hibernation. The omegas didn't sleep all hours of every day so when they were awake, they would work on different tasks. One task that started maybe 15 years ago was bringing old ripped or worn-out clothes and blankets and mending them back together. It was a fun task to take part in, they would sit in a big circle and talk about everything and anything. The elder omegas would tell stories and the pups would listen eagerly. He remembered when Jungkook was still a pup the young boy would sit in their mother's lap as he listened closely, loving the way the elders told their stories.

Jimin shrugged, "I might help with mending again, but I also want to try to start making some blankets. I'm getting pretty good at knitting and if I can start making things maybe we can trade with other omegas for food."

Being such a small family of omegas without any alpha or beta providers came with its disadvantages. The biggest struggle they tended to face was during hibernation. The pack stored food year-round, most of it was plant-based due to its longer shelf life, and was easier to forage than to hunt. While hibernation was going on, they had to ration the food so it would last for three months. It was enough to live on, the moon line had been getting by on rations for just under a decade after their grandfather passed, but it was hard near the end. Meat would get scarce and only having nuts and berries for dinner wasn't always fun.

The lines that had alphas or betas in them had an advantage though. Their providers weren't in hibernation and so they could go hunting during the winter months and send it to their families. Most lines at least got rabbit or squirrel, but the moon line didn't have anyone hunting for them, so they were never able to get meat near the end of hibernation, one of the reasons the family was on the smaller side when it came to stature.