My foreleg folded beneath me as I crouched at the small, cavern stream. Cloud stood at my side, her weight leaning gently into my shoulder for support, and she reached her snout over the water. She gently lapped a few muzzle-fuls before she pulled away, sitting down and licking the stray droplets off her chops.

I gave her a second to settle, and her dreary eyes drifted around the cave. She ran her tongue over her teeth, and smacked her gums together as if her mouth were still dry. 

"Do you need any more water?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I'm fine, Drizzle." The words came out short and sharp.

"Okay." With a timid smile, I nuzzled her chin, but she only winced at the contact. Ever since she'd woken again, a grogginess tainted each of her words. Her ears drooped, and her lips were curled in a scowl.

Backing a couple steps, I gave her some space, and Cloud lay down on her belly. I sighed to myself and sat a couple strides away, while she buried her muzzle beneath her tail and hid her eyes behind its thick fur. A pained whine curled its tendrils around each of her slow breaths, and my eyes traced the reddened fur along her sides.

Now that some of the shock had worn away, the numbness replaced with an aching pain, she wasn't as good at hiding her frustrations.

I knew it was hard to suddenly become so dependent on someone else. She was reluctant to let me help her get water, hesitant to admit the amount of pain she was in. I wanted to help her, but I didn't want to overstep.

She wasn't making it easy. If I wasn't firm, she'd undoubtedly hurt herself more.

Cloud's ears perked at a noise from beyond the mouth of the cave. Moonlight poured in from its towering maw, and against the dark and sparkling horizon, I spotted a few wolf-shaped silhouettes. The pack had returned from the hunt.

Before I could stand, Cloud had risen to her paws.

"Wait, Cloud! Let me help."

She ignored me, her legs trembling beneath her weight as she rocked between her haunches and shoulders. I reached her side as she reached forward with a stubborn step. Her muzzle scrunched in pain when her foot made contact with the ground, and the paw gave way beneath her weight. She nearly tumbled forward, but I caught her with my neck before she hit the ground.

"Sit down!" I didn't mean to shout, but the frustration in my tone was hard to stifle. Muttering an apology, I lowered her front half back to the ground, and the lower half of her body slunk with it. "You need to wait for me."

Cloud let out a low growl. "I can walk on my own."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, not wanting to argue. There were things she just couldn't do right now, and she needed to understand that. I kept my muzzle shut anyway, choosing to distract myself with the arrival of food.

"I'll ask Mist if I can bring you something," I told her. "Stay here." I met her glowing eyes: irritated, exhausted. "Please."

Finally, they softened. She gave a slight nod, a defeated breath filling her lungs.

I nuzzled her again, and this time, she didn't completely frown. "I promise, it won't be long. You'll be back to normal in no time. For now, let me help you, like you've always helped me."

The corners of her lips perked just a little. "Okay."

I returned the smile, and I trotted back to our den. The pups were still sleeping inside. I'd thought it best not to wake them for our little detour outside. Now, their mother had returned, and they could once more be her problem. Each lay curled on top of another in the middle of the floor, a pup pile of warmth and a rich, sweet scent that was strangely pungent. I licked each pups' ears until they roused, blinking up at me sleepily.

"Come on," I whispered, "let's go see your mother!" Three pairs of eyes brightened, and the bigger pups stood and yawned. Toad looked around wide-eyed and confused as to why the cuddly walls of fur had dissipated from around her.

I took her scruff between my teeth and hoisted her from the ground. She didn't wriggle in my grasp, letting me carry her while I led the others from the den.

We stepped past a resting Cloud still by the stream, then outside into the moonlight where Mist and the rest of the pack had just deposited their prey. I approached with the pups and set Toad on the ground, and she bounded to her mother with several excited jumps. The rest of them surrounded her, a ring of whining, scrabbling paws that tugged at her fur and begged for attention. Dusk grinned and gave them each an affectionate muzzle before facing me with a thankful wag.

I sat down beside Mist, and she eyed me up and down. "Where's Cloud?"

Tipping my muzzle back toward the cave, I hoped the wolf in question was sticking true to her word and staying put. "Cloud isn't quite up for walking yet. I was wondering if we could just eat in our den."

Mist nodded, her smile faltering a little at the mention of Cloud's pain. "Of course," she replied, but her gaze quickly shifted to her pup. "Can you take care of that, Pine?"

"Sure!" Her pup lifted a few tawny pets from the pile before trotting towards the cave, all the while I bit my tongue to keep from interjecting.

I just hoped Pine would be stern enough to handle Cloud and her stubborn mood swings. But maybe a change of company wouldn't hurt things. I was sure she was getting tired of me.

A soft laugh drew my eyes back to Mist, instead of letting them follow the pup as she reached the cave. "She'll be fine, Drizzle," she said softly. "Besides, I need to talk to you about something."

Resisting the urge to swallow or let my fur pickle in fear, I nodded and followed her to the edge of the clearing. We walked to the far side where the path began, and we could look out at the pine-needled horizon.

With hesitant paws, I took a seat beside Mist. She didn't draw her gaze from the sky, and the two of us embraced the silence for a long moment. "How is Cloud, by the way?" The calm thrum of her voice punctuated the cricketsong.

"She's doing okay, I guess." I wasn't really sure why she was asking me. She'd seen Cloud's injuries first-paw. "Still in a lot of pain, and it's hard for her to get around."

"Of course. But really, I meant how she's feeling." Mist let out a soft laugh. "She isn't as honest to me as she is to you, or even to herself. Cloud won't hardly admit there's something wrong, but you know her well enough to see past it."

I cocked my head. It was bold of her to assume that Cloud would tell me anything, though she had a point about the rest of it. There was an obvious change in Cloud, especially now as her ears stayed pinned, her tone stayed sharp, and pain-fueled her grumpiness. Even then, I'd grown to see the small changes, to distinguish her true feelings beneath the usual veil of fluffy, carefree joy.

"It's hard for her," I said after a moment. "To need help. To be cared for, instead of caring for someone else."

"I know." Mist's response was short and solemn, like she'd felt it herself. "And how are you feeling, Drizzle?"

Stifling my confused whine, I faced her. That same, nurturing nature sparkled in her eyes. I wasn't important, not right now. My physical health was for once on an uphill slope, and nothing else really mattered. Still, Mist's furrowed brows urged me on, searching my face for another truth. I, too, was hesitant to let go.

Clearing my throat, I let the answer bubble up inside. "I–I uh, I've been better," I stuttered. "A little on edge as of late."

Mist nodded. "Almost dying does that to a wolf."

At her sly smile, I let my muscles relax. Even being around her made me stiff and afraid––that I'd make a mistake or say something that made her think less of me. But Cloud's words wrapped me in a warm embrace. I was safe here. This was my family, and I owed them the truth. Just like Cloud had given me.

"It isn't just that..." I let my voice trail, and my eyes traced the path down the hill that led into the woods. "Ever since the hunt, I've just been scared." My stomach churned at the words, but at the same time, the imaginary owl or burden took flight from its place upon my shoulder. "I've felt like a failure. That I'll never live up to what the pack needs me to be. Especially now." I shifted my sight to the small pile of prey that sat in the clearing behind us. There'd be six starving bellies for it to feed tonight, and even more in only a few weeks when the pups were weaned. She was wrong if she thought the pressure of new mouths to feed hadn't gotten to me. Now, thoughts of us starving to death tainted the thoughts in the back of my mind.

"You're looking at the wrong thing." Mist used her muzzle to nudge my nose over just a hair.

Now, my eyes focused on the wolves beside it. Spruce was crouched before the wriggling bodies of fur, playfully batting at each pup with his paw and tickling them with his nose. A deep laugh formed in his chest. Playful, kind, and loving. The pups fought back with tumbling blows to his muzzle and nips at his fur. Dusk watched with approval, joy curling her lips.

"Does that look like a failure?"

I shook my head, and I couldn't help but smile.

"I need to ask you a question," Mist said. "Before I make any decisions, I need to make sure you'll be okay with some changes around here."

My ears perked. She needed my opinion?

"Yes, yours." Amusement edged her tone, and she swept the ground with her tail. "You're part of this pack, and anything I decide will affect us all. This one, mostly you."

I nodded her on. I'd grown more used to embracing the change. It would always be there––some for the worse, and some for the better. Like a young tree with roots growing deeper each day, I was ready for the winds.

"I need to make sure that you're okay with the extra responsibilities," she said. "With more mouths to feed and a wolf to nurse back to health, there'll be much more to do around here. Do you think you can handle a little pupsitting? And putting up with Cloud for a while longer? You seem to be doing a great job."

A warm feeling filled my chest. Those were two things I could certainly handle, and I was honored that Mist trusted me enough to care for them.

"Of course," I chimed. "I'll help wherever I can."

"Great." With a grin, Mist stood. "In that case, you'll likely be off hunting duty for a while. You'll be plenty busy with other things."

In the darkness, as she took a step toward the rest of the pack, I couldn't quite see all of the glimmer in her eyes. Nonetheless, the cool rain of relief washed down my back, and I found my steps to be even lighter. One day, hunting would be inevitable, but I didn't mind having something less to worry about, at least for a little while longer.

"And thank you."

I planted my paws in the ground, throwing my muzzle forward. I nearly ran into her, but I stopped myself just short of her rump. After halting so suddenly in her tracks, she turned and nuzzled my chin, something she'd never done before. Stunned into shock, I couldn't even ask why.

"You laid down your life for her. I could never thank you enough. Cloud is lucky to have you, Drizzle."

Without another word, she was off again, trotting toward the meal circle and leaving me beneath the soft glow of Luna and her children of stars.