novaturient (adj.) || desiring change in one's life, behavior or situation

about the house, searching for a place that she could hide the wolf pups.

But, it was to no success as the old farm house would surely give away any hiding spot and it didn't have a stone foundation for a basement to exist. There was simply no way she could hide the pups and as she circled the house again, the six wolf pups following in confusion.

They yipped and whined at her and when she finally accepted that she had to figure something else out, she slumped into a stool at the kitchen island with a heavy sigh. The pups made noises and curled their bodies through the legs of the chair, glancing up with question.

"I'm doomed," She groaned, putting her head against the counter's surface, "I barely saved you guys and now I'm going to lose you." She felt her heart clench a little as she moved to glance down at her wolf pups. They were too innocent and she was unmistakably loving them.

Suddenly, she thought of something.

"The shed," She exclaimed, leaping from her chair. The pups scattered in horror, their tiny claws scratching the linoleum in order to get away, and they stopped in the doorway on high alert. She grinned at them, "There's a shed about a hundred yards back in the woods, its abandoned and my Dad never goes out there. Its perfect!"

She felt as though she could do a happy dance. It was strange that she had become so attached to them in so little time. It had only been three days since she found them and she simply couldn't imagine being away from them. They comforted her when her father couldn't.

"Its going to be wonderful," She said as she went over to her fridge and began pulling out some meat, the pups curiously watching her, "You guys can't destroy anything there. It will only be for a couple days and then I'll bring you back inside. We'll go check it out first thing in the morning. Are you guys hungry?"

One of the pups slightly tilted his head but it almost looked like he nodded and she laughed. She quickly made up their evening meals and when it was devoured, they retreated to her bedroom. She climbed into bed after a quick shower and she didn't even think twice about bringing the pups up with her. She snuggled down in her covers as the pups snuggled around her.

Morning came early, as she set her alarm, and the noise almost startled the pups right off her bed. She chuckled, preventing one from slipping off the edge in alarm, and then she quickly silenced the noise. She wasted no time in throwing on some clothes and heading downstairs, the pups hot on her heels.

She gave herself a few hours before it was possible for her father to arrive so she took her time to make them breakfast. She fed the pups individually until the oldest turned his nose up at the meat. She groaned.

"This is the exact same thing your brothers ate," She fed it to another pup and presented him with a fresh slice of meat. Again, he only seemed interested in what his brothers ate, as if they were getting something better than him, "Stop being so prissy. Everyone is getting the same thing."

She tried feeding him first but he wouldn't have it. He wasn't interested in what she gave him until she gave it to another, then he seemed offended. She scolded him, threatening to let him go with an empty stomach, until he finally let out a wolfish huff and took the meat. She sighed in relief and when the meat was gone, she warmed up the half gallon of milk on the stove.

She deposited even amounts of milk into six bowls and let the wolf pups devour the creamy liquid. They were definitely siblings as they shoved each other and took over another's bowl. They dipped their paws into the milk and made weak growls meant for threat but when none of them heeded each other, they just constantly fought.

She enjoyed her own meal on the counter as she watched them in amusement. It was typical animal behavior, she had learned that. She wasn't concerned when one of the bowls got tipped over because it was only seconds before one of the pups was licking the floor clean. She would only have to use a wet rag to clean up the residue.

"Alright, you guys," She said, breaking up their playfight, "Time to explore your new home before my dad pulls in. Come on." She laid all the dishes in the sink and led the pups to the backdoor. She noticed one in particular was always in front and it was the moody one. Somehow, she was learning the difference between them by their fur patterns and personalities.

She slipped on her winter clothes and opened the door. Cool air raced to greet them and occasional peaks of sunshine glittered through the forest. She gently brought one of the pups forward so she could close the door, as he was standing in the way, and then she walked down the three steps.

She paused when she only heard her own footsteps. She glanced over her shoulder to find the pups still on the little landing, glancing at each other and then down the little set up of stairs. Their tails gave slow wags of uncertainty and then one of them leaped forward with a yip. He cleared the stairs entirely and landed in the snow in a flurry of white.

She laughed once he shook his coat and she saw that the snow was almost deep enough that she couldn't see him. The other pups seemed to be checking to make sure he was still alive and when he gave another yip, the others responded. One after the other, they launched from the landing to fall in a heap on the snow.

Only one pup remained and she snorted as he reared on his hindlegs, as if to jump, but then hesitated and returned to four paws. He repeated the action once, twice, and on the third time he gave up his debate and jumped. Drama Queen, she thought. The pups emitted a series of noises that expressed their excitement and joy as they played in the white wonder.

She took a moment to watch them and their innocent antics before she called to them, "Come on, you geese, let's get going."

They perked their ears at her voice and it was almost like they remembered her presence as they came bounding through the snow towards her. A flurry of snowflakes were aroused in the air and she couldn't help but imagine them as little locomotives chugging through snow covered tracks.

When she was sure they would follow, she turned and walked towards the woods. She would glance back at them every couple of steps, just to make sure they were okay, and she was amused to no end at the sight. Since the snow was so deep, they resorted to following in her footprints.

The six pups were in a row, the oldest one leading, and they would leap between her footprints. As soon as one leaped to a footprint, another would take its place, and it almost looked like a line of leap frog. She laughed into the chilly air and then she decided to play with them. She took a few wide steps and paused to watch.

The leading pup stopped in his footprint and glanced up at her, his expression as if to say: what is this?

She couldn't stop laughing. He crouched down, wiggling his bum in anticipation, and then he leaped. He fell short of the next footprint by a few inches and an explosion of snow flurried around him. He quickly shook himself and marched into the next footprint. This time, he didn't even try to leap, he just plowed through the snow.

If she had to say, it appeared that he was mad. His siblings attempted the jump and most fell short except for one, who surprisingly made the distance with ease. Once the pups were gathered at her feet, she chuckled and set out with steps very close to each other.

She swore, if the oldest pup could have rolled his eyes, he was rolling them a million times over. He wasn't fooled though as he simply walked between the steps because they were so close and the others followed. Aside from the one who seemed energetic, he would jump between every footstep and it was hilarious because he looked like a jackrabbit.

After she had her fun, she walked normal steps, leading the pups to the shed. It wasn't even a five minute walk and the old wooden building came into view. She pulled open the door after kicking the snow out of the way and she was mildly surprised at the dry inside. Almost like her house, the shed was old and susceptible to creak in the breeze, but it held firm to its foundation.

The pups scattered inside the barn when she let them inside. They ran, almost tripping over their own paws, and explored every corner of the building. She could smell the faint scent of hay and she ventured inside to approve of its living space.

She knew that it was once a barn used to stall horses, cows and possibly pigs. It wasn't very large, only about five stalls, but she assumed it was prime in its hayday for protecting the animals from the elements of winter. She was pleased with the cleanliness of the place, despite the years of dust settled on the wood, and she climbed into the hay loft to discover some left over straw.

She didn't smell the unpleasant oder of musty mold so she began to kick some straw from the ledge. She watched as the straw fluttered through the air and landed on the barn floor where the pups immediately grew interested. They sniffed and yipped, then they started tearing through the straw as if it was their own personal race track. She smiled at their joy and dropped some more straw until she felt satisfied.

She climbed down and spread the straw across the barn floor. The dust danced through the air as rays of sunlight that peaked through some cracks in the barn illuminated the particles in gold. She collected a bunch of straw in one of the stalls and went back to the door to inspect her work.

It appeared to be an ideal spot to keep the pups. They had room to run and explore, plenty of straw to keep them warm, and there wasn't anything that they could destroy like in her house. She knew that pups were accustom to staying in a den by themselves while their mother hunted for long periods of time, so she didn't figure that this was half bad. She was glad that she remembered the barn from her summer exploring.

She scratched the pups behind their ears one last time. She felt content that they would be okay. If anything went wrong, she was sure her heart would tell her, and she was only a few yards away. At this point, she would do anything to keep the pups a secret from her father. She wanted to raise them just a little longer.

"Be good," She told the pups as she gently closed the barn door, "I'll be back very soon."

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