Great Wolf Children Book one: New Beginnings

Chapter Six: Awan

**perkiins._ made the beautiful chapter art of Awan. Check out her Instagram for her other works https://www.instagram.com/perkiins._/ **

Raven woke to the sound of Fawna's shouting, she jumped to her paws as Fawna hurled herself over the slope and rushed to the den. "Is he okay? I found the healer!" she nudged Cypress from his sleep, "It's okay. I found him he'll help."
Raven stood out of the way as a tri-colored grey male pushed his way towards Cypress. "This is Awan." Fawna explained, "He'll help you." she looked at the healer desperately, "Right, Awan?"
Awan nodded and dropped the bundle of herbs in his mouth. Herbs spilled out around them and he immediately began plucking up some and ordering Cypress to eat them.
He was hesitant at first until Fawna practically started forcing them down his throat.
Raven stood out of the way and curiously watched the healer.
"So do you think you can heal him?" Raven asked and watched him as he started to apply herbs directly onto Cypress's wounds.
Awan nodded absently as he worked. Raven took a step forward to better see the herbs he has spread out.
"Don't touch them."
She jumped as Awan reappeared from the den. "I wasn't going too," she muttered in defense.
"Just..." Awan sputtered, "I need some room to work."
Raven scowled, "I want to see my father."
Awan shook his head, "You can see him when I'm done."
"Fine!"
She stomped away from the den and joined Fawna at the other side of the den site.
Fawna looked at Raven, "He's only doing his job, Raven. It's best you don't get in the way."
Raven sighed, "I guess." she looked at Fawna, "How are you, the journey must have been hard on your pups."
Fawna smiled, but it didn't seem genuine, "I'm fine."
"Sure..." Raven looked back to the den, "I'll have Awan look at you when he is finished with father."
Raven didn't remember falling asleep, but she woke up in her usual sleeping spot. It was very early in the morning, she could just make out Awan and Fawna's shadows. They were standing behind the den where Cypress still slept. "How far along are you?" Awan whispered hoarsely. "My guess is as good as your's," Fawna shrugged, keeping the same volume as their guest. "Yes, we should move Cypress from the den, you should stay in there. The pups will arrive soon."
"How soon?" Fawna asked.
"Within the next couple of days."
Raven could hear Fawna gasp, "Days!" she cried, forgetting to be quiet. Cypress hardly reacted to the noise, Awan reminded her to keep quiet nonetheless. "Right, sorry." She returned to her whisper, "I didn't think it would be so soon. I suppose I haven't been worrying much about myself or the pups. Cypress..." Awan cut her off. "I will stay with you until Cypress is well enough to help with the pups, Raven will help too, I assume. You'll be fine."
They murmured to each other for a while after, but they had dropped their voices to low for Raven to hear.
Once the sun had risen enough to cast its light across the hunting grounds, Raven stood from her warm bed and crept over to Cypress.
Fawna was already there. As small as she was, she was able to slip inside the den without waking Cypress. She looked up from grooming him and smiled at Raven. "Good morning." Raven yawned, the cold air turning her breath to mist.

"Hello, Raven. Awan went out to get a few more herbs. He is preparing for the birth of the pups." her eyes gleamed with excitement, but she could smell the fear coming off her.
"That's great, Fawna. I'll go out hunting, you both need the calories." she licked Cypress and touched noses with Fawna before leaving.
She galloped down the dew-covered slope and bounded straight towards the hare warrens.
She picked up her pace as a bush appeared in her path, she felt too impatient to go around it so she planned on jumping over it.
She leaped over it and as she got high enough to see over the hedge, she saw what was behind it. It was too late to back out. Her front paws collided full force into something soft and boney.
A high-pitched scream was crushed out of Awan as Raven tumbled over him.
Raven untangled herself from the thickets and held back her laughter. "Awan?" she chuckled, "was that you or do you have a little sister I don't know about."
Awan's head appeared as he sat up in the tall grass. "Do you always go blindly leaping over bushes?"
Raven smiled, amused at the frustration on the male's face. "Sorry. I was going a bit too fast, I'm just excited. Fawna told me about the pups. Do you think they'll be born today?"
Awan huffed, "You squished my herbs." Awan muttered, "And the Alfafa is missing!" He snuffed the ground anxiously.
"Is this it?" Raven held in a laugh as she swept the grass towards him.
He growled in frustration, "Yes, it is."
Raven bowed her head apologetically, "I'll get out of your way, I need to go hunt. I'll be sure to save some for you."
Raven turned and continued on her way to the hare warrens.
She made it to the high ground along the creek where the hares burrowed, she could see them climbing in and out as they brought bedding into the nests. She crouched down an crept towards the opening of one of the burrows and waited for one to come out.
She shifted on her paws as she watched a twitchy little nose stick out, and soon the whole head followed. Once the hare was completely out of the den she dug her paws into the ground and propelled forwards. She caught the hare and killed it swiftly.
She repeated this until she had caught four hares, each a decent size. She struggled to carry each one as she dragged them along by their legs.
Awan was already at the den when she arrived, he was straightening out his herbs and dividing them among Fawna and Cypress.
"I'm back," Raven announced as she dropped the pile of jack and jills.
Cypress groggily lifted his muzzle from the dirt, smiled, and weakly managed to speak, "Hares? Good. I was in the mood for something gamey."
"Good." Raven dropped the largest of the catches between his paws, "Glad you have an appetite."
Awan added a pile of herbs on top of the kill, "Eat these too."
Cypress wrinkled his nose at the mix of purple grass and white flowers. "What is all this anyway? I'm not an elk, I've had enough of these herbs."



Awan sighed, "Its alfalfa and feverfew. I believe those coyotes had a parasite and they passed it onto you with a bite. The alfalfa will help you get strong again and the feverfew will cure you of the..er..intruder."
Cypress chewed the herbs disdainfully while Awan turned to Fawna.
Fawna looked up at Awan as he placed her share of herbs in front of her.
"What are you giving me?" she asked, interested in the plants before her.
"This purple grass is alfalfa, Cypress got that. The feverfew, he also got. And the raspberry leaves, you'll continue eating those until your pups are weaned. Raspberry leaves help with milk production and encourage a healthy pregnancy. Don't have the berries though, the bush was picked clean by a bear."
Cypress and Fawna finished their herbs then started on the hares. Raven and Awan left them alone and ate on the other side of the hillock.
"These are very nice hares, a good catch." Awan complimented as he chewed away.
"Thank you." Raven answered back politely, "We've always had a decent population in our territory. Father...I mean erm...my father, Cypress, likes to keep them protected so they can multiply."
Awan nodded admiration, "Prey management is important. I've seen for myself what overhunting and ignorance can do to a pack."
Raven turned back to her hare, tempted to probe him about his past. But she didn't have to, he spoke again.
"My birth pack lived far into the mountains, we had plenty of game. The elk would travel up there sometimes, there were pika and rams. We used to even go to a stream and catch trout that swam up there to spawn." He paused to eat another bite more continuing, "The alpha decided one day to herd the Bighorns into a pass between the stream and the pack's den site. It was fine for a while, but the sheep ate all the plants around the stream and ruined the bottom soil. The trout never came back. Then the sheep ran out of food and the water was so muddy it was making them sick. The pack drank that water too, a few wolves died from poisoning. The sheep died off, the pika's burrows got flooded, and the elk didn't come up the mountain anymore. Awan pushed aside his hollowed-out hare carcass and sighed, "The pack banished the alpha and chose a new one, they left but a few of us were still poisoned from the water. I stayed with them, but I couldn't save them."
"I'm sorry Awan." Raven pushed her unfinished hare next to Awan's.
"I'm okay. I prefer it this way to be honest. I help when I can, but I don't get attached to anyone."
Raven frowned and stood, "I'll clean up the hares."
Raven plucked up Awan's and her own leftovers and padded over to Fawna and Cypress.
"Are you two done?" she asked.
They both nodded and thanked her as she carried away the pelts and bones.
She walked to the midden, downwind from the den site, and dropped the scraps into a freshly dug hole. She kicked leaves over the top, then hurried back to the den.