Chapter Text
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The jackal squad resides in a large abandoned compound they have dubbed 'Battery City'.
It consists of a small system of dens and delipidated buildings used as both housing and storage for whatever they manage to steal during raids. Located in the center of the desert outside Capitol City, it is an excellent location for the pack to remain secluded while still being close enough to several small towns dotting the area. G.U.N is aware of their existence, and the trouble they cause, but the treacherous location prevents them from being able to pinpoint the exact location of this mercenary group, or do anything to stop their frequent attacks on the surrounding population.
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The songs of crickets filled the night. Howling winds calmed to a nothing but a whisper, and the sands that had stirred in a desert storm only hours earlier had settled in the stillness of night. The clouds still shrouded any traces of the moon and stars above, only a few specs of light shown between briefly flickering gaps in the overcast sky.
One could almost believe the storm had never happened, they always stopped as quick as they started, and left an eerie stillness in their wake. The only trace left behind were the tattered remains of tarps, put up to protect a small outpost from the brunt of the bad weather, and torn to pieces by the barrage of sand the winds had kicked up.
Small groups of mobians worked diligently in the night, removing the torn cloth from their posts to be disposed of. They barked back and forth at one another, repairing the damages and sorting out any ruined equipment that had been unlucky enough to get hit by the storm. Though it was quite noisy work, the echoes of the jackal’s voices were nothing but a distant hum to their leader. He stood off to the side, and at first glance he seemed as calm as the desert that surrounded them. That was not the case.
At a closer glance, this tall male jackal’s foot tapped impatiently, his posture was tense, arms crossed, and he chewed his lip in frustration. He had been waiting for something - waiting for quite a long time - and tonight was the night. Supervising his subordinates was simply a way to pass the time until it happened.
A tap on his shoulder caused him to jump. As he turned to look at who the owner of the offending digit was, he wore a slight blush on his cheeks; his nerves were on end. A simple tap on the shoulder shouldn’t make the leader of The Jackal Squad jump so easily, he should have heard them coming.
“You’re not nervous or anything, are you boss?” A slightly shorter jackal asked, an amused lilt in her voice. Their leader was usually so calm and collected, it was only on a rare occasion that she got to make fun of him being less than confident about anything.
He gave a lighthearted scowl, turning to face her and immediately arguing back. “No! I have nothing to be worried about!” The raised pitch and quick retort made her roll her eyes, shaking her head and raising a brow in doubt. He was worried - she knew he was - so just for today she’d cut him some slack. After all, it was a special occasion.
Her smirk softened, and she placed her hands gently on his shoulders. “Good, because she’s fine, and so are your boys.” His chest visibly deflated as he sighed in relief, it took him a moment to finally catch on to the implications of that sentence. “Wait…boys? They’re…” The she-jackal nodded, tilting her head to the side towards their encampment and moving her hand to tug him along by the arm. “Yep, congratulations Phoelix. You are the proud father of two new, healthy sons. Come, see them for yourself. The elders and your brats are waiting for you.”
She only had to drag him for a moment before his stride matched and then surpassed hers. The pair quickly made their way to see the newest additions to their pack, Phoelix now tugging his companion along with an excited spring in his step.
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When they arrived at the den, several other packmates stood around the entrance with anticipation clear in their posture. A male and female stood off to the side, leaning against the wall and talking quietly with one another. The other three adults were entertaining two younger jackals, trying to explain to them what was going on in simple terms that wouldn’t confuse the children too much.
When Phoelix and his companion approached, the others greeted him with happy smiles and congratulations, patting him on the shoulder and gushing about the new pups. Both males that had been standing with the children lightly teased Phoelix about not having the stomach to stick around for the ordeal, while the female teased them for being just as bad. The children clung to their father, begging to go inside and see.
The male that had been standing off to the side approached while the others parted to let him pass, he stretched his arms out to hug Phoelix. “Congratulations, brother.” He said while the two shared a firm embrace and a few assuring pats to each other’s backs. When they parted, the jackal couldn’t help but notice the moisture welling up in his brother’s eyes, or the way his lip quivered ever so slightly. His brows furrowed in concern, arms crossing as he shook his head in disappointment.
“Thank you, Cane.“ Phoelix said, in as confident and even a tone as he could muster. “Brother…you’re the alpha, you shouldn’t cry in front of your subordinates. Its unbecoming of yo-“ Cane didn’t have time to finish scolding his brother before he received a hard smack on the back, turning to see Phoelix’s companion grinning at him.
“Oh, lighten up you big stick in the mud, let the man cry on his kid’s first birthday!” Cane scowled, turning away and growling in reply “Aliya, you shouldn’t strike your superiors.” The only reply Cane got was a slight tilt of her brows, clearly stating without words that she, in no way, considered him to be her superior. She walked away from him without a second glance, pulling Phoelix along with her towards the rest of the group.
The jackal that had been standing with Cane made her way over to him, placing a reassuring hand on his lower back and whispering “Come dear, there’s no need for hostilities today. We’re here to celebrate.”
Cane nodded silently, letting out a low growl and following the group as Phoelix stepped through the entrance of the den and the rest trailed behind him.
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While they made their way through the small corridor leading to the inside, the kids had to keep a quick pace to match their father’s large strides.
“Are we getting a baby brother, or a baby sister?” His daughter Tempest asked, eyes sparkling at the possibility of finally having another girl in the family. “What about a den? We aren’t gonna have to share ours, are we?” His son Lance prodded, scrunching his nose up at the thought of having to share such a small space with a pup. Phoelix chuckled, “Calm down you two, you’ll see them in just a moment, and until they’re a bit older they’ll stay in the den with your mother and I just like Finnian did.”
Speaking of his youngest son, Phoelix suddenly realized he hadn’t seen him. Turning to look at Aliya, he whispered “Where is Finnian?” The she-jackal chuckled softly, motioning to the room just up ahead “He’s with her, of course.” The horrified look that crossed the alpha’s face made her snort, and he slowed in his stride to walk beside her and reply in a panicked tone.
“He didn’t see anything did he?” Aliya shook her head, quickening her pace to get in front of him. “No, we managed to keep him out until it was done, but after that well…its hard to keep that kid away from his mother.”
As they arrived in the center of the den, Aliya’s point was made clear. There, curled up underneath tattered blankets against his sleeping mother’s side was Finnian, his little blue eye poking out from behind her. “He’s a mama’s boy.”
Phoelix mad a mock pouting face, placing an offended hand on his chest and puffing it up. “Oh come on, that’s not true! My little man loves me just as much as his mother, isn’t that right Finnian?” He held his arms out and knelt, beckoning his son with a wide grin on his face. “Come on buddy, come give your old man a hug!” Aliya stared at her leader making a fool of himself waiting for his son who adamantly refused to leave his mother’s side, simply nestling further against her sleeping form.
She couldn’t help herself, letting out a snort before bursting into a fit of laughter. “Ouch, looks like you’ve been rejected, sir.” She said, still cracking up from the pitiful display. Phoelix huffed, getting up from his position on the floor and circling round the bed to sit on the side Finnian was huddled on. He ruffled the small boy’s messy hair, letting out a sigh.
“Is mommy dying…?” The small jackal asked in a soft whisper, barely loud enough for his father to hear. His small hands clung to her side, curled tight in the tattered cloth covering them both and slightly trembling. Phoelix supposed he couldn’t really blame the boy, it was his first time witnessing his mother in such a delicate state.
“Her tummy got small…and I heard screaming, and she smells funny, and-“ His words sped up the more he talked, tone picking up into frantic mumbling that sounded like he was on the verge of tears until his father placed a hand gently on his shoulder to calm him. “Mommy is just sleeping, Finn, she’ll be just fine.”
“Who’s sleeping?” A raspy voice came from beside the pair, along with slight rustling as the she-jackal in question turned to look at them with groggy eyes. “Mom!” The small jackal by her side yelled with excitement, immediately shooting up from the spot he’d been laying to crawl up and hug her lightly around the neck. “You’re ok!”
“Of course I am sweetie…did you stay with me this whole time?” She asked, pulling him away so she could brush the messy bangs from his face and look at his teary discolored eyes. She got a quiet nod in return and smiled as she gently ran the pad of her thumb to wipe away the small specks of liquid pooling on his cheeks.
“You sure you’re ok love? I swear I could hear you yelling from the other side of the compound.” Phoelix teased, leaning over and pecking her on the cheek lightly, a playful smirk on his face. “Now whose fault is that, hmm? You know, when I said I wanted a bigger pack this is not what I meant. These are the last ones you hear me?” She replied, an equally playful scowl on her face. “Yes ma’am.” Phoelix retorted, giving her one last peck on the lips this time before scooting further on the bed and wrapping both arms around them.
“Eck, stop flirting, gross!” Lance yelled from across the room, sticking his tongue out and making a fake gagging motion with his hand. Tempest simply rolled her eyes and trotted over to join their parents on the opposite side of the bed. Lance got the hint, huffing and following shortly after.
Aliya coughed, impatiently tapping her foot with a raised brow and a smile. “Dahlia, I know you’re in the middle of a touching reunion…but we’re all waiting to see the little guys.”
“Right, of course. Clara, can you bring the boys over here please?” The she-jackal asked, tilting her head off to the side where a small nook of the den lie. Another female jackal had been standing off to the side, obscuring the makeshift crib from view. She reached in and took the two small bundles, wrapped in old baby blankets, and walked them quietly over to the family waiting on the bed. Dahlia reached her arms out to take one, Phoelix taking the other while they both cradled them low against their chests so the children could see their new siblings faces.
“Everyone, these are the newest members of the family…” she started, reaching a hand to let the pup in her arms wrap its tiny paws around her finger. He cooed at her, smiling and kicking his legs excitedly while his eyes wandered around all the strangers crowding around him. “This is Jay…” She continued, motioning to the larger boy in her arms, “and that’s Pierce.” She finished, motioning then to the smaller of the two in Phoelix’s arms.
Everyone in the room was quiet for a moment, Aliya being the first to step forward and examine the pups. She smirked, looking up at Phoelix. “They both look like you…” she started, looking back down and leaning over to pinch Jay’s cheek. “You’re going to be a little troublemaker just like your papa, huh?”
A cough behind them signaled that Cane and his wife, Umber, had approached just close enough to get a good look. “I’m sure the boys will grow up to be fine men and make their father proud.” He stated, crossing his arms and nodding. “Of course they will, just like their brothers.” Umber added, “Sir, if you don’t mind, we’d better get back to the others to finish repairs from the storm.” She bowed politely, taking Cane by the hand and leading him out just as quickly as they’d come.
His brother had never been one for sentiments, but it did disappoint Phoelix slightly that he didn’t seem too concerned with the birth of his nephews.
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After Cane and his wife’s quick departure, the other packmates in the room all approached; they all got a chance to meet the newborns and give congratulations to the parents once again.
Aliya had shooed them all out, promising to let Phoelix and Dahlia have a bit of alone time with the kids while they sorted out the mess the storm had made of their compound. Clara had made a point to be the last one out, hugging Dahlia and reminding her not to strain herself too much before Aliya practically dragged her fawning friend out of the room.
Now, the only ones left in the den were Phoelix, Dahlia, and all five kids. All of them sat on the bed, laying together and watching the babies in a comfortable silence. Lance and Tempest, while happy, didn’t seem quite as excited as little Finnian. His blue and yellow eyes lit up as soon as he was allowed a glimpse of his baby brothers. Tentatively, he reached out, replacing his mother’s hand with his own and letting Jay tug on his finger gently.
The small jackal seemed to immediately take a shine to the newborns, in fact Phoelix couldn’t remember a time he’d ever smiled like that for anyone but his mother. “Would you like to hold him?” Dahlia asked softly, causing Finnian’s eyes to snap up to hers with a combination of eagerness and dread.
What if he held him the wrong way? What if he accidentally hurt him? His eyes darted down for a moment, to his brother, and back up to his mother. After contemplating, he quickly nodded his head yes, though his lips were pressed thin as he concentrated on being as gentle as possible. “It’s ok, you’re not going to hurt him. Let me show you how to hold him right.” Dahlia said, moving her arms down to hand Jay over. “Cradle your arms like this and support his head.”
Finnian did exactly as he was shown, and eventually felt the full weight of his brother resting in his arms as his mother sat back against her pillow. Jay seemed just as entranced by the experience as Finnian, because he stared up with wide golden eyes and didn’t move an inch. Eventually, it was revealed that he was, in fact, eyeing the long locks of white hair hanging down just past his brother’s shoulders.
With lightning speed, the baby had somehow managed to reach up and give the hair a hard tug. The rest of the family had expected Finnian to yelp, or get upset, but it didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. He just continued to stare, and smile while his brother fiddled with the soft strands in his tiny paws.
He held Jay a bit closer to his chest, his smile getting slightly wider while he rocked his brother. The babe’s eyes slowly slipped shut, and his hands curled down against his chest as he drifted off to sleep.
An overwhelming feeling Finnian’s young mind couldn’t quite name just yet surged over him. He was a big brother now, and he was going to get to grow big and strong with this child, and his other siblings. He was going to teach him things, and take him places, and he was determined to protect him with everything he had. Always.
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