No One to Hold Your Hair Back

Cognac looked forlornly at The Alpha Mother below him as sounds of retching and sobbing echoed throughout the bathroom.  His sad eyes welled with moisture as his animal heart did the best it could to comfort the small human kneeling on the ground. The night had not gone as planned.

It was only an hour earlier that the giant bear-dog had lain silently in T.A.M’s bedroom, his tail thumping excitedly as he waited obediently next to her bed.  The plan was perfect, and he knew his part perfectly.  He settled himself down as he laid his massive head between his paws, ears perked constantly for every sound that reverberated in the house.  He could hear T.A.M pacing excitedly in the place where food came from, the faint sound of  her heart beating rapidly in anticipation.  Cognac let out a small huff as the very faint smell of amonia drifted from the item he held as gingerly as if it was a chicken egg in his mouth.  This was very important to T.A.M and he would handle it with respect and dignity... even if it reeked of pee.

Cognac raised his head quickly as he heard the heavy footsteps on the porch before the doorbell rang. His tail wagged once again- not for the human coming in the doorway (for he was not a great fan of the males in the two legged species... especially this one) but for the happiness that seemed to eek from T.A.M. as she ran to the door.  Listening silently, the blue hound heard the strange lip sucking noises the the two humans participated in frequently and then the excited sing-song gibberish from T.A.M.  He wasn’t fluent in the human language, and the sound the two were making now seemed like their usual titilating that had nothing to do with him.  He knew the sounds that would call him into the room to announce the surprise, but for now, he lay his head down once more while the humans continued their chatter.

He must have dozed off for a few minutes before he realized something had gone wrong. Blinking softly with a shake of his furry mane, Cognac straightened slightly as the sounds he was hearing from the two in the other room were not correct.  They had become louder, though still excited, but not in the good way.  He heard the sharp angry voice from T.A.M that he knew when he was being naughty, but a quick bark from T.A.M’s mate came back in response.  This quickly put the Tokota on edge, and the fur on his back slowly began to rise.  He knew he was not supposed to come out until T.A.M said the word- and she had been explicit in her need for that command to be obeyed- but the angry tones flung at his Alpha was making Cognac worried and a bit angry himself. 

The words continually became louder, and Cognac rose from his relaxed position, shifting the small object in his mouth worridly as he began to pace the room. His want to leave was battling fiercely with his want to see what was happening.  It wasn’t until T.A.M’s mate shouted, “I'M NOT READY TO SETTLE DOWN, ELIZABETH!” That Cognac couldn’t stand it any more.  Slowly he stalked out of the room and down the hallway to the scene where T.A.M. was standing face to face with The Mate.  The male was menacingly taller than T.A.M. and his hands were clenched around her shoulders too tightly for Cognac’s taste.  T.A.M's face was streaked with water, which Cognac had learned previously meant the human was terribly upset. Brow furrowed, item still in mouth, the blue tokota let out a long low growl, his hackles raised to their highest as he took a slow deliberate step towards the scene.  

The two paused and looked at the tokota, The Mate’s eyes locking onto the item held between Cognac’s teeth.  He stared at both the animal and the small positive pregnancy test that hung from his lips.  There was a moment of silence before The Mate let T.A.M. go, slowly turning to her, his face contorted with anger. "... You've got to be kidding me..." he half whispered, before turning his back on both of them and storming out the door.  Cognac turned his head to face The Alpha Mother as she slowly sank to the ground as the roar of The Mate's engine faded away into the distance.  

Racking sobs broke out from T.A.M and Cognac took a step to comfort her, when she suddenly burst from her sinking position and ran haphazardly to the bathroom.  The tokota quickly followed her, his ears back as he tentatively tip toed onto the tile.  The Alpha Mother retched and retched again, as the love of the baby inside her belly tickled her insides and caused her to empty her stomach.  A soft whine escaped Cognac's lips, and he quietly stood over the woman, simply lending his strong quiet presence to help her overcome the night.