ludic (adj.) || full of fun and high spirits

her book long forgotten as she watched the wolf pups.

They brawled with each other in tiny growls and yips of victory. She found herself spending a lot of time in the barn with them, more so than in her house, because she felt absolutely content in their carefree spirits. Her father was in town on a date with Esther, so she obviously came out to see the pups. They were little bundles of energy that never seemed to grow tired when she was around. They reminded her of the boys she would sometimes babysit in town.

Over the past month, they had been growing exceedingly fast. Their paws doubled their previous size as their bodies grew leaner and their ears appeared too large for their heads. She simply couldn't get over how quickly they seemed to be growing up, as she thought they would grow slower like what she read in the articles online. They stopped drinking milk and they now fully devoured steaks by themselves.

She watched and noticed a certain behavior in how the pups would play. She knew that it was a dominance play and to her knowledge it was a healthy development. The oldest pup held his ground against his siblings, snapping his teeth and pinning down the ones who dared to tackle him. He was the grumpy pup that always liked to nip her when she tried to pet him, or do anything in general. As he grew, it seemed her let her touch him less and less.

She laughed as he fended off two pups and his head briefly swiveled in her direction. By the fourth week she had rescued them, they had completely lost their identical blue eyes, and she gazed mesmerized into his brown eyes until he turned his head away in annoyance. She always felt like she was staring into his soul, a very unique soul full of spirit.

"You're rather cross, aren't you?" She chuckled, and he glanced at her again, eyes hardened, then she said, "Cross." The oldest pup perked his ears at the name and she smiled, knowing that it was settled. The sibling wars continued as Cross continued to hold dominance, the Alpha figure.

A loosened board slammed against the barn from the gusty winds outside and one of the pups with green eyes jumped a few feet into the air from across the floor. He quickly skittered over to her and huddled against her in fear.

"Skeet." She mused, gently running her fingers through his fur to soothe him.

She glanced up and witnessed Cross lose his ground as the burlier pup simply plowed Cross over. She laughed aloud which caused Skeet to eye her in dismay and she looked at the larger pup in amusement, "You remind me of Thor." She smiled when he tilted his head, his hazel eyes curious, "Thane."

Two pups decided that they had enough of brawling and they broke into sprints from one side of the barn to the other. They flung hay in their wake as they skirted around their siblings, obviously chasing each other as if it was a game of tag, and she noticed how the leading pup was slimmer than his fellow brothers.

It was obvious that he loved to run as he continued to beat his competitor several times. She didn't think she ever saw him lose. Regardless, he was the only pup to keep his blue eyes and they shined like the depths of the ocean that reflected the sun. She grinned, "Lake."

When the second pup couldn't catch Lake, he gave up with with a bark of protest and she swore she saw anger suddenly infiltrating his light grey eyes. She laughed, causing his head to turn towards her, they were very responsive to her voice, "Always temperamental." She paused, pursing her lips in thought, then she said, "Ever."

Finally, she glanced towards the last pup who seemed to have no interest in his brothers antics. He stayed primarily in the corner, out of the way, and she watched as he took to chasing his tail. He circled a few times and then he suddenly arched his back and yipped in excitement, his yellowish eyes marveling.

She couldn't stop smiling, "Arch." She watched as he returned to chasing his own tail, occasionally pausing to explore a new noise that the wind caused.

She sighed and absentmindedly ran her hand through Skeet's fur. They all shared a trademark dark grey coat with varying lighter grey highlights. Some of them had darker faces while the others didn't. She was breathless at their magnificent beauty. They barely reached her knee in height yet but she had no doubt they would reach above her knee by the end of the week. She was a proud mother and she was even prouder of the names she chose.

For that moment in her life, she felt like everything was perfect. Her father was in love with Esther. The winter season was an absolute wonder with the impending spring meltdown. And she was completely happy with the wolf pups to chase away her nightmare.

They made her feel special. As if she belonged to them, like they were meant to meet. Fate or destiny, she didn't choose. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but she never really wanted to question it either. She was lucky to have found these pups in the snowstorm. In a way, they had become her saviors as they kept her sanity in tact when the darkness in her mind only wanted to destroy her.

Skeet moved from her side, bounding over to jump on Ever's back, and the two broke down in playful brawling across the floor. She smiled softly. If her heart could get any more tender, it would melt and slide right out of her chest.

✙ ✙ ✙ ✙ ✙ ✙ ✙

(Not edited)