Her den had changed a little since taking on Rhyme’s brother as her house mate. She felt better knowing the sickly wolf was nearby. She could ensure he ate, was warm over winter, and answer any question he might have. She was in no way constrictive to his life, encouraging him if he wanted to go for a walk or meet members of the pack. Her den now had one entrance, but branched into two shortly after. One branch went sideways, one went deeper into the hill. She set herself in the sideways den, which allowed her to feel she was between him and any dangers that might seek him. Her section of the den looked much as she had started, with shelves in the walls holding her knicknacks, and a rug in an indent in the floor beneath them She had supplied Epitaph with rugs as well, and dug out the den, but otherwise left him to arrange it as he pleased. She would find herself now surveying the den with a critical, and slightly watery eye. Her den wasn’t good enough, her section of it was going to need to be larger, she needed rugs, a lot more rugs. She needed to insulate the den, she needed to set up a small barrier around the entrance that little paws couldn’t leap over. The cold weather made the earth hard, but that wasn’t why she sniffed as she began to furiously dig into it, her belly wobbling and shaking as she moved. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready for this. What was she going to do? "Talk" "Listen" Think

THEY’RE TRYIN’ TO KEEP HEAVENS GATES OPEN LATE FOR ME Tattered auds captured the sounds of sniffling, rousing the male from his light slumber. He'd never been a heavy sleeper, it would be a detriment to his life as a slave. Thus, he was quick to lift his head from his paws and peer about. Silence. Then, again. Only one other wolf would be this close to him, and that was Shaye. Ignoring the screaming pain in his stiff knee, he hauled himself to his paws. He could stretch later, when he was more certain that all was well. Head low between narrow shoulders, the male peeked from around the corner of his den, acidic gaze seeking out the source of the sound. His new not-master was digging furiously at the frozen earth, holding back a quite obvious breakdown. "Miss Shaye?" he called softly, voice barely louder than a whisper at the best of times. Concern knitted his brows as he stepped further into the den, sidling up as close to her warm body as he dared. Why was she upset? Had he done something wrong? Over time, he had noticed her belly growing. He was well aware of the birds and the bees, but he was similarly used to pups being a common occurrence- especially for slaves. "It helps to lay down first," he offered. Maybe the hard packed, frozen earth was the source of her ire. "body heat warms the dirt." He peered through dark lashes at the woman, concern plain upon his face. Anxiety thrummed through his limbs, causing the faintest of trembling. "speech"

She was so overwhelmed, and chipping away at the hard earth was slow, frustrating work. She was already considering how much she needed to do, including carting away the unwanted earth, and it just upset her more. Her back arched, her belly kept wobbling, and the feeling of being completely, and absolutely overwhelmed just wouldn’t go away. She hadn’t meant to disturb him, and if she had been a little more in her right mind, she would have realised this would do exactly that. She had just been caught up in the idea of getting everything prepared, overwhelmed with the idea of having pups, and caring for them in winter, and doing it as a single parent. But he called out to her softly as he approached, the damage of disturbing him already done. He hovered just away from her, concern in his stance and voice as he looked at her. He was already trying to find a solution, suggesting she could lie on the dirt to warm it first. She sniffed “Oh, Epitaph, i’m not ready to be a mother.” she blinked away watery eyes, crying to laugh as she shook her head at herself. “I guess this must be the harmonies, i’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” she promised him. She still had her work cut out for her, integrating Epitaph into pack life as a full member, and not a slave. "Talk" "Listen" Think

THEY’RE TRYIN’ TO KEEP HEAVENS GATES OPEN LATE FOR ME Evidently, his not-master was quite lost in her thoughts. It took a moment for her to turn to him and speak. There was a mania in her eyes that indicated worry and distress, when she cast her gaze his way. “Oh, Epitaph, i’m not ready to be a mother.” she whimpered, eyes glassy with tears. Oh. His chest clenched tight, instinct bidding him reach out and comfort her. Thus, he did. A creature of simple, physical intimacy, he sought to lean against her broad left flank and press his cheek to her left shoulder. "It will be alright, Miss Shaye." he promised in his soft rasp. Her laugh lacked any mirth, and instead he was distinctly aware of her ire. “I guess this must be the hormones, i’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” she added quietly. He huffed discouragement, shifting his weight back onto his own paws. He dared not sit down, lest he struggle to get back up again. He let his gaze shift about the den, assessing it. He'd taken care of a few pups, in between masters. Loaned out to those in need, until they could find a use for him. The frail man knew how to care for them, and what they required. Mostly. "I can help, Miss Shaye." he assured her, bobbing his head softly. "Use river stones to build a step at the entrance, then cover it with mud." he offered, glancing from the incline that led to the outside world and to the woman. "Faster." he added, taking one awkward step towards the entrance. With a task at hand to help his not-master, he felt more comfortable. Confident, even. A few smooth stones would prevent any youngsters scraping themselves up on hard edges, while still acting as a barrier between them and the world beyond. A serious look was cast in the direction of his not-master. "I will help you care for these children." he said. "speech"

Epitaph moved to lean against her. There was a great kindness to him, despite what he had suffered and what had been done to him. He wasn’t that much shorter than her she realised, as he pressed his left flank against her, cheek to her shoulder. It just seemed that way, from his submissive posture, and the injury to his leg that left him hobbled. She wished she could fix that, but such a thing was beyond her, beyond any healer. He took his weight back off her, and she found herself looking towards him again. The dark, scarred man was looking about the den, eyes surprisingly assessing as he took it all in. He would promise his help, which surprised her. Here he was, volunteering for something. She took it as a good sign. He would then suggest a means to build a barrier near the entrance, with an idea she had never heard of before. It was a good suggestion, and she found it in her to smile at him, her tag wagging a little behind her. “Epitaph, thank you.” she whispered, knowing his offer was genuine. It seemed that no matter how harsh life had been for him, it had never taken away his kindness. "Talk" "Listen" Think

THEY’RE TRYIN’ TO KEEP HEAVENS GATES OPEN LATE FOR ME Seeing his not-master smile when he looked at her eased the tightness in his chest. He was helping. Another quick look about the den, assessing it for more weaknesses that a pup might exploit. They were good at that. “Epitaph, thank you.” she said softly. He glanced over at her, and hummed wordlessly in acknowledgement. It was not an attempt to be dismissive, but the male didn't believe he needed the thanks. He was simply doing his job, after all. Being a good little slave, useful to his not-master. "You need higher shelves. Soft things should go on lower ones, so that when pups mess around there, they learn that things will fall on them without getting hurt." he added, inclining his head towards the shelves where Shaye kept all of her trinkets. His throat was getting sore from talking, but he wanted so badly to be of use to his not-master. His leg was beginning to get intensely painful under the strain of movement. He opted to ignore it until it became unbearable, for the sake of helping Shaye in her time of need. He knew it would be rare that she needed his aid- she was stronger than he was, beyond a shadow of a doubt. "A bowl with some moss to hold water will help after they are born, so you don't have to leave to drink, and you can keep clean." he rasped, dragging his aching leg as opposed to using it. That way his knee hurt less. It took a bit longer than usual to reach the space where Shaye slept. He let himself lean against her shoulder again, reassuring her while also reducing the weight he was putting upon his leg. It was going to take some time to dig the hollow out to be wider, and it would be more easy to accomplish later in the day. He would rather wait and see how she was feeling about his suggestions, before he continued to speak. He didn't want to be a nuisance.