mechayeh (n.) || joy; delight; a great enjoyment

to tiny shuffles of noise.

At first, she blinked through the disoriented vision of her living room ceiling, and then she groaned at how horrible her body felt. Her skin still whispered with the stinging pain of the cold and biting snow, her limbs feeling as though ice had taken home in her bones.

Overall, she was utterly exhausted and she had no clue how she had found her way home last night. She couldn't remember anything past wandering. She listened to the silence that surrounded her, a few soft cackles came from the fire she didn't remember stoking, and then she groaned as she turned her head.

She was still dressed in her winter clothes and she became aware of the pool of water she was seated in, her entire body damp. She pulled off her gloves and gingerly rubbed at her eyes, then she yawned. She was halfway through stretching when a whine that wasn't her own made her freeze.

Suddenly, she remembered what had happened last night. She had found six wolf pups and brought them home with her. She flew upright on the couch and her eyes landed on the box settled by the fire. It shuddered and whimpered again. Her eyes grew wide and she practically flew over to the box. How could she have forgotten?

Six bundles of fur were huddled inside the box, settled on top of a blanket she must have put in for them, and she was momentarily stunned. Her mind was still foggy and she sat back on her heels to fully register what she had done.

She was terrified of wolves. She asked herself on what level of fear did she decide that it was a good idea to adopt wolf pups she had stumbled across. She hadn't the slightest idea as to how to care for them and she couldn't stop thinking about what her father would think.

She wanted to tell herself she made a grave mistake, but as she gazed back into the box, a wave of peace consumed her restless mind. She sighed, watching the young innocent creatures shift over one another for the best comfortable spot, and she came to the conclusion that she didn't regret saving their lives.

They continued to move within the confines of the box until one started to whimper again. As if the others were in agreement, she was suddenly hovering over a noisy pack of hungry wolf pups. They whined and mewled, called and whimpered, seeking for their mother to care for them. She knew what she had to do.

She quickly stood and shed her winter clothes before running upstairs for her laptop. She returned to the living room and pulled the box of pups over to the couch so she could sit down. She wasted no time in delving through the internet for answers. She was surprised to find several articles on how to feed and raise wolf pups.

The pups increased their whining and she glanced down at them, "I know, little ones, I'm trying. Just hold on."

At the sound of her voice, their pointed ears perked up and they instantly fell silent. She was quiet as well, curious about their behavior. They slowly went back to calling out when she didn't speak and she indulged back into her research.

"Regurgitated meat," She mumbled as she read, then she let out a breathless chuckle, "How am I supposed to do that?" Her fingers flitted across the keyboard and then she paused when she realized how quiet the box had become again.

She glanced down to find six pairs of identical blue eyes focused on her. She felt her heart flutter and then she smiled at them. Their eyes were like the depths of the ocean, capped with sparkling curiosity, and their dark grey fur was contrasting in an air of mystery.

"You guys like hearing my voice, huh?" She asked.

She almost laughed as their heads all tilted one way, and then the other, completely in sync with each other.

"Now that's cute," She grinned, "Pretty smart pups, the lot of you."

They continued to watch her and she slid her laptop aside so that she could lean down towards the box. She gently scooped up one of the pups and brought him onto her lap. He teetered, attempting to find his footing on her legs, and she stroked the silky fur between his shoulder blades. For a moment, the pup was stiff and unsure, but then he seemed to melt into her touch, as if she was his mother. She scratched behind his tiny ears and cooed at his cute little face.

She could hardly believe that these little pups would turn into wolves as large as the one in her nightmare. She couldn't even believe she was so calm about being in possession of wolf pups. Something inside her soul kept telling her that it was okay and the voices in her head pleaded that she listen to her fear.

She had always loved wolves, admired their beauty and majestic presence. They ruled the night, howling melodies to the moon, and instilling balance to mother nature. She once wished to be like them, to wake up as one of them, and she found herself questioning why she had lost that desire; but she knew the answer.

The wolf pup was half asleep as it leaned against her stomach and she leaned down to plant a kiss on its nose. In that moment, she came to the conclusion that these pups were her responsibility and she had to take care of them because no one else would. Be it her instincts or the longing in her soul, she didn't question it.

She deposited the pup back into the box with its siblings and then she made her way to the kitchen. She couldn't regurgitate meat for them but she could cook it and cut small enough pieces for them to digest. In her quick research, she guessed that the pups were somewhere in between three and five weeks of age. She also assumed that last night had been their first night out of the den with their mother, and then the terrible snowstorm intertwined their fates.

She busied herself with sizzling steaks and scrambled eggs. She occasionally peeked in to check on the pups and they were oddly quiet, glancing up at her as if they completely trusted her. She realized that, in their eyes, she was their mother, and she was okay with that.

Upon a quick glance, she saw that no snowflakes floated by the kitchen window as they usually did and the sky remained perpetually gloomy and grey. Neither of which she minded, she was occupied with other things. She pulled out her cutting board and made quick work of the steaks until tiny strips of meat were ready to be fed.

She gathered her bowl of scrambled eggs, glass of milk, and entered the living room with the cutting board full of meat. She set everything on the coffee table and picked up a few pieces of meat with her fingers.

"Okay guys," She said, gaining their attention immediately, "This is the best I can do. I can't give you mother's milk, so if you can't eat this meat I don't know what to do."

She reached into the box and presented the pups with the meat. They sniffed at the strips and nudged her hand but none of them made a move to eat, it was as if they didn't know how to eat food for themselves. She urged them, each time their intelligent blue eyes would snap up at the sound of her voice, and finally she gently urged one of their jaws open. She settled the meat in his mouth and crossed her fingers that he would chew instead of spit it out.

To her utter surprise, the pup immediately chewed. A relief flooded through her chest and she quickly fed the other pups until one in particular refused to open his jaws.

"Oh, come on," She huffed, the pup nipped at her fingers with tiny milk teeth, "Your brothers ate so it must be pretty good. C'mon boy, stop being so moody."

The pup nipped at her once more before he actually took the meat from her fingers quicker than she could comprehend. She let out a breathless laugh and gave him another piece of meat, of which he ate by himself.

"I get it. Your the oldest one, no one has to baby you, huh?" She grinned wryly at the pup. He blinked up at her and then let out a tiny huff.

She felt completely accomplished and proud of herself when the cutting board was finally empty. The wolf pups seemed entirely content with their meal and she decided that she would try to give them something to drink later as they shuffled in the box once more and settled down for a nap. She had a hunch they would like milk more than water.

She sat back against the couch with a light sigh. Somehow, she felt incredibly happy - excited even - to having something else living around the house while her father was gone. She liked the idea of taking care of the pups. They would be welcome company, to say the least. She brought up netflix on the tv and started the next episode in her favorite show.

She didn't know what the future held. Sure, she had her concerns and doubts, but she was calmly willing to take them with every new day. Her soul told her that her decision was right and, for once, she ignored her mind. She let herself accept the fate.

Besides, she had already promised herself that she would raise the pups until they were old enough to fend for themselves and then she would let them return to the forest where they belonged. How hard could it be?

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