promise me you wont grow up

Life as a father had been a huge wakeup call for the once-vagabond. Maverick, who had at one point in his life truly believed he would spend the better part of his days rambling and roaming as a lone wolf, was now responsible for safeguarding and caring for four tiny little puppy lives. He and Venom had created something beautiful and incredible together, and though stepping into fatherhood had required a lot of patience, faith, and humility from the man, he wouldn't have traded away these days for anything else in the world. With Venom's assistance and confidence in him, Mav had found himself flourishing as a father. His mate could still no longer see, and since there was no guarantee she would ever regain her eyesight again, the dire wolf had taken it upon himself to act as both parents' eyes while learning the ropes of parenthood. So far, he had managed to keep all of them alive, which felt like a success in of itself!

Late autumn had shifted into early winter, and with it the chill of the changing seasons and light snowfalls had come early on in the colder months. Time flew by like leaves in the wind faster than he realized, and before he knew it, the four little wolf loaves Venom had given birth to had grown into proper puppies, eager and ready to play and fight and explore their world. As twilight crept its way over Boreas and darkness replaced the graying light of the winter days with night, the time had finally arrived to let loose the newest generation of Klein royalty upon the unsuspecting Ashen Empire. The royal family was still soundly asleep tucked away in the warmth of their bedchambers of the palace, Maverick sleeping just as deeply as ever, if not more so with how exhausting keeping up with a quartet of hyperactive pups was! He didn't rouse when Venom began to stir, only finally grumbling awake when he felt his Empress' slender muzzle move to brush along the side of his cheek, her tender affections pulling him from slumber in the most pleasant of ways—okay, the second most pleasant of ways. Mav could think of one better way to be woken up, but that wasn't feasible with a bundle of children still nestled between them.

"Mmrrfph... Morning, gorgeous," he mumbled with his eyes still closed, his forearm giving Venom's midsection a little loving squeeze while he held her and their pups, his larger body curled around theirs to shelter them. The familiar warm bliss of contentment was the first emotion Maverick felt upon waking up, and although it had become a daily habit for months now, he never took a single day of getting to wake up to his beloved and their family for granted. While beginning to doze off again, the sound of grumbly fighting puppies caught his attention. One teal eye slowly peeked open, spotting Rebel climbing over her brothers to get to him. Her whispered question brought a little knowing smirk to the sire's lips, and he gave a hum of amusement as he lifted his head to meet her at eye level. "Hmm, y'know, I think it might be that day... What do you think, Mom?" He turned the question to Venom, leaning in to nibble gently at her ear with a bit of a roguish grin on his face.

And speaking of rogues, out of the corner of his eye Mav spotted Rogue and Rampage gearing up for a surprise attack on their sister. "Better think fast, Bel," he said with a snicker as his boys began their ambush, letting the three wrestle it out while he and Venom woke up properly to begin preparing their pups for their first trip outside. Shifting to sit up some more, Mav spotted Renegade also looking bleary-eyed like he'd just been abruptly woken up to. The giant sire smiled and reached a large paw out to ruffle his son's forehead fluff and ears. "Have a good sleep, Ren? You ready to go outside today?"

"Venom & Maverick"