Last Battle (X-Men Fanfiction)

Never Experienced This Much Pain

A few heartbeats later I felt that the first pup was ready. I turned my head and grasped a stick that Thruster kept for wolves to bite on when he were cleaning their wounds. It would work fine for me so I didn't screech and call more attention to myself.

I took the stick tightly in my jaws and when I felt a contraction come I pushed as hard as I could. A small furry body fell onto a blanket I had placed to catch the pups. I turned my head and nipped their sac so that they could breath. I began to lick the fur the wrong way to warm up the pup. Relief washed over me when the pup let out a wail.

I placed the pup at my underbelly. However I felt another contraction and I knew this brith was far from over. I pushed heavily and another pup fell onto the blanket. I turned my head and nipped the sac. The pup immediately let out a wail without me having to touch it. I rumbled in amusement knowing that this pup was a fighter from the ver beginning.

Before I could drag the pup to my underbelly I felt another contraction. I sunk my teeth down on the stick until it broke. This was the most painful pup so far. It took a while but eventually the pup fell and I let out a sigh of relief. I spat out the stick before I nipped the pup's sac and set it gingerly against my underbelly.

It was a few minutes later before I felt one more contraction. I gasped since I thought that it was over. However that wasn't Starbound's plan for me. I grasped the stick and it snapped in my jaws and the two halves fell at my paws. I sunk my claws into the ground before my eyes flickered around madly. The pup fell onto the ground and I nipped it's sac but I was too tired to try and groom it.

My head fell back against the ground harshly and my tongue lolled from my mouth. However my job wasn't done yet. I curled my tail a bit and urged my pups toward my underbelly. They whimpered a bit and their tiny paws churned against my aching underbelly. I groaned in pain but my heart seemed to swell with a new affection like I had for Poultice, Keen, Echo, and Feldspar.

I let out a sigh as I clicked a button and the door unlocked. To my surprised Thruster was sitting at the entrance with Logan and the Professor as well. I wasn't sure how long they had been there but I was very thankful to see them. I lifted my head and tried to make myself look as presentable as possible.

Thruster bolted to his paws and so did Logan but they were a bit fearful at venturing into the den without my permission. "You can come in," I murmured lowly. "They don't bite, at least not yet."

Thruster strode forward and sniffed the air, detecting the milk scent. My pups were suckling and I was a bit embarrassed at Logan seeing me nursing but I suppose it could have been worse. I am not going to saw how though.

"These are my pups," I murmured as I leaned forward and flicked my tail tip. Thruster looked behind my back and to the four pups that squirmed at my stomach, begging for milk. "Our pups."

Logan leaned forward and looked at them. "They're so small," he pointed out as he longed to touch them but he didn't.

"They'll grow," assured the Professor as he wheeled forward to look at the pups. He smiled and I rumbled in love.

"What are they," asked Poultice as he appeared at the entrance, leaning forward a bit.

"You can come in," I told him and he strode in, weaving next to Logan to get a good look at the pups.

"They're beautiful," he breathed as he looked at them. "What are they?"

I raised a paw and gingerly touched a dark brown pup white white chest and underbelly. "This is a tom." I then moved to a dark gray pup with black flecks. "She-wolf." I shuffled my paw to tuck back in a black and red pup that was trying to climb away from it's littermates. "Tom." I turned to the smallest light gray and white underbelly and paws. "She-wolf."

"Two she-wolves and two toms," murmured Thruster with gleaming eyes. "What should we name them?"

I thought for a heartbeat. "What do you think," I asked Poultice, Logan, and the Pofessor, wondering if they would want to make any suggestions.

"It's up to you," pointed out Poultice as he looked at his paws. "I like forest names though like mine and Mirage, Keen, Echo, and Feldspar."

"Those are great names," I barked before I turned to the light gray pup with white hints. The white were a bit yellowish so I knew that her white would probably turn all yellow like a herb I knew. "How about Thyme for her?"

"I love it," rumbled Thruster as he licked my cheek. I rumbled before I turned to our daughter. "Thyme is a great name."

Thruster then turned to the dark brown pup and licked it gently. "How about Reed," he suggested as his tail wagged.

"Reed," I breathed while Poultice nodded in agreement. "Reed is a great name."

I looked to the dark gray pup with black flecks. "How about Murk," grumbled Logan as he looked to me. "I think that if er Tony was here that might be a name he would pick."

I bit my lip. I liked the name Murk but not that Tony would probably have picked it out. I would just say that Logan picked it out. I forced a nod and tried not to growl. "Murk is a great name," I murmured as I licked my daughter. "They's just one left."

"Could I name him," asked the Professor as I heard pain crackle in his voice.

"Of course," Thruster barked before I nodded vigorously. I allowed him close to the pup and he looked down on the black wolf with russet underbelly and a strip of red fur that hung over his eyes.

"I know how much Ivory meant to you," I murmured, low enough for just the Professor to hear. I knew he didn't like to talk about my mother very much so I didn't press it. "It would be my honor if you wanted to name the pup after her or something that reminds him of her."

He smiled a bit and I rumbled. He looked down on the pup for what seemed like an eternity before he sat back. "Could we name him Avery?"

"Avery," I echoed as I looked at Thruster. That name sounded a lot like Ivory and I knew that it would mean a lot to the Professor if we kept that name. "It's perfect."

I beamed brightly as I looked at my pups. Murk, Reed, Thyme, and Avery. I loved all of their names and I loved all of the pups the most. I lifted my head and saw Poultice slumping a bit. I knew that he probably felt I didn't care about him anymore but that was not true. He would always be my first pup but I had to make sure he knew that.

"Poultice," I breathed as I lifted my head a bit. "Do you want to see them?"

He gulped and strode forward, shaking a bit. Logan leaned forward behind him and looked at the beautiful pups. He looked at the pups before he looked at me and I licked his cheek.

"You know I still love you, don't you," I asked him as my eyes lit in affection.

He shuffled backwards and scowled. "I'm not your son," he argued darkly. "I don't have any family left. They're all gone."

"No they aren't," argued the Professor and when Poultice look up I saw tears beginning to show in his eyes. "You have family here."

"They aren't blood," pointed out Poultice as he wrinkled his nose a bit.

A growl rolled in Thruster's throat. "A family is who you love, not just who you were born to," he explained as he leaned forward and licked Poultice's cheek. "And I love you. You will always be my first son even if you weren't born to us. We still love you and I'd never trade you for anything."

Poultice looked up and I nodded in agreement. "Same here. I love you and it is my father your mother, father, and especially your brother is dead. However you will always be apart of my family." I looked to Logan and the Professor. "Logan and the Professor are in my family as well so they are in yours."

"So you don't wish you could get rid of me," inquired Poultice as he flicked his tail tip in curiosity.

"Of course not," I rumbled as I drew Poultice close and licked his cheek. "You are my son and I don't care what anyone else says."