roll away your stone-- open; pups!

[smilies]

<sub>Though reprimanding, Rose's first words came as a relief to Raiden. Of course, he was still being scolded in a sense, but it was no where near what he imagined her reaction to be. It made sense, though. Justyn was obviously a very close friend of Rose's and had proved his loyalty to her on countless occasions. Maintaining the peace between the two of them was probably number one on her list of priorities. Even if it meant ignoring his tardiness during such a precious moment in their lives. He almost expected her next words to be directed solely towards him, probably portraying the disappointment and anger she felt towards her mate for missing the birth of their pups. But yet again, he surprised her, giving him the forgiveness he probably didn't deserve.

If it weren't for their current predicament, Raiden would have protested against Justyn's presence. He'd had his time with Rose, and now it was her mate's turn. He felt as if the male should accept that gracefully, and gladly give up his space. But he had no desires to add further stress to his mate or the newborn pups. So, he swept past Justyn, already casting him aside as unimportant. He nuzzled her gently, eyes closing for a brief moment as he basked in her scent and the comfort that she offered. Evey ounce of love he felt for her was portrayed in that one simple gesture.

He parted and moved next to her, plopping down onto the den floor, their sides brushing. He rested his head on her shoulders, eyes lowered to the bundles of fur that lay on the opposite side of her. He breathed a soft sigh, watching as they silently slept, oblivious to the amount of joy and love surrounding them. "They're perfect," he said, voice soft as the tip of his muzzle found her cheek, offering another brief nuzzle. "Have you chosen names for them?" he asked, his gaze eagerly wandering back to the newborns. He couldn't wait to see them grow, and develop personalities. He wandered which one would be more like Rose, and which one would be more similar to himself.

He realized suddenly that Justyn was still there, witnessing intimate moments that didn't belong to him. His eyes shifted to the male, who seemed much too close to the sleeping pups. There was a warning there, silent, but obvious. He had no wish to spend the next few moments with him - or the previous ones, for that matter. He was keeping quiet solely for the pups and Rose's sake. But his irritation towards his presence was steadily increasing.</sub>

ooc;// I wasn't sure if there was a posting order or not, so I just went. x3 If there is, let me know and I'll delete this! <3

[[Midnight]]

Justyn was delighted and rather nervous. Rose had opened the way for him to get to know Razanur and Saki a little more intimately. He was going to gently nose them a bit, get used to the scents; but Rose was getting ready to speak again. He lifted his enraptured gaze to hers and gave her his full attention. Whatever she asked, he would do.

Her request was not one that should have come as a surprise to him. Perhaps it was more surprising that she was finally opening up about Raiden's unusual absence at such an important time in everyone's lives. Justyn had been waiting for her to talk about it, but was not ready to bring it up on his own. Justyn could only imagine the state that she was in; he had not been fooled by her cool appearance.

He was more than ready to do some investigating for her, whether she had asked it of him or not. Now that he had her open permission, however, he'd feel less guilty. He was searching her eyes softly in the moment that Raiden appeared at the mouth of the den. Justyn heard the pawsteps, then breathed the scent, before he had turned his head to look at the intruder.

His heart was immediately settled at the sight of him.

Thank goodness, was the first thought to cross his mind. Raiden had finally arrived. Rose was safe again.

As Raiden met his gaze, Justyn was fully aware of the electricity to spark between the two of them. Instantly the pain of Raiden's absence was replaced with the awkward tension of Justyn intruding in their family reunion. He knew, though, that the shame was not with him, but fully on Raiden. He returned Raiden's glare with a similar one.

Justyn watched the interchange that passed between the couple. Raiden was clearly disturbed by the fact that Justyn had made it here first, but Rose wouldn't have any of it. She was probably with Justyn on this one; the younger male had himself taken time to hunt, in order for Raiden and Duke to have their time with Rose. He was clear of all charges.

He was more than glad to be excused from this predicament. Justyn was grateful that Raiden was okay, but he was still the fiery-tempered Beta, and was irked by the look that the ebony male was giving him now. He wanted nothing more than to rip his tail off and shove it down his throat, mostly for hurting Rose, even if accidently. Was Justyn the only one aware of how breakable Rose could be? She might act tought, but internally she was a malleable as grass. He knew his best friend better than that.

He snorted at Raiden's arrogance. Now the tables had turned, and it was Raiden's turn to be unfair. Glancing at Rose, he let a smile play across his face.

"You sure know how to bring the dead back to life," he said to her, referring to her request and the moment of Raiden appearance. And, perhaps, referring to his own debt to her. His muzzle pointed back towards the newborn duo, and not caring whether it would anger Raiden or not, Jutsyn pushed his nose to each pup in turn, giving them a tiny lick as well.

"See you around, pups," he rumbled. He then turned tail and fled to the entrance of the den, giving the family the family time they deserved. As the sunlight hit his face and he squinted, he realized the earlier feelings of euphoria had not faded.

[Paint]

Rose could understand Raiden's jealousy, but she was still thoroughly unimpressed by his behaviour. Of course she wanted time with him alone, but as she looked up apologetically at Justyn, she saw only understanding in the fiery male's eyes. Her expression softened. Justyn, normally the bull in the china shop, was being the adult here. Rose had absolutely no problem with his being close to their pups. She trusted him with her life.

"See you soon, Justyn," she smiled softly at him, dipping her head. She wanted to thank him for the meal as well, but felt as if she may be rubbing salt into Raiden's wounds. She knew better than to damage a male's pride like that. So she said it all in her expression, sharing Justyn's euphoria for the happy birth of the pups.

When her friend had gone, Rose fully paid attention to Raiden again. She could feel him near her, fur against fur, which made her heart settle as only he could. Rose had always needed Raiden to be close to her, both mentally and physically. But for a while she was silent, despite his question. She watched the pups and eventually turned her gaze upon him.

"I can understand your irritation at Justyn's presence here, but I want you to know I won't tolerate you being rude towards him. He is a very good friend of mine, and he will be a great part of these pups lives as well. I don't know what is coming our way but I am not willing to lose these pups again. So I am glad that they not only have you and I to protect them, but also my father and Justyn."

She fell silent again, dark eyes still trained on her mate. She was not going to 'tell him off'. Rose loved and adored Raiden, she felt as if she ceased to exist without him, but she also respected him. Which meant she would be entirely honest towards him.

"I'm also not willing to lose you again," her voice grew slightly quieter, her eyes never moving but her voice growing softer. She felt so small suddenly, although her voice remained eternally imperative. "So please. Don't do that again."

She finally turned away, sighing. She had said her bit. The white wolf closed her eyes and inhaled, fully welcoming the smell of her family all together around her.

"The bluish-grey one is Razanur, and the little white one is Saki. A boy and a girl," she felt as if she didn't need to say anything else. She smiled, and her expression and gentle tone of voice said it all. Pure contentment.