Sleepwalker Wolf

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Valery

It's been weeks and I haven't even gotten a whiff of where my mother could be. Travis has been healing well, which has helped the overprotective instincts that have been overwhelming him since we found out about the pregnancy. If I so much as walk quickly, he starts growling in his throat like I'm getting ready to go skydiving with no parachute. He's been shifting a lot and wandering back with rabbits, squirrels, and once even a raccoon.

            His parent's definitely know what's going on, though they haven't said anything, but Sandy and Walter have been watching me like hawks and giving me extra portions at every meal, further encouraging Trav to force feed me as much as my poor stomach can handle. I'm not sure why since I can't be more than seven weeks pregnant and can't need that many extra calories.

            Travis has been healing steadily healing, barely using his cane except to threaten his twin brother and when he needs to walk more than just around the house. It's good, only he's taken to following me around like a second shadow. The only way he'll go to the shed to help his father with the taxidermy business they fall back on for the cold season is if I go with and help. And by help, I mean get told to sit my "fine ass" down in a camping chair and watch or Trav threatens to duct tape me to it. Thankfully, Walter sometimes gives me things to do while I sit.

            Carry has been begging me for another sleep over, especially since the first snow is dew within the next month and soon, we won't be able to drive down to Coeur d'Alene at all. I want to, but I also know that Travis's protective instincts won't let me away for that long without him going a little insane. I've thought about inviting her out here to meet everyone but have been waiting so that I can announce the pregnancy to her as well as the family at the same time.

            Uncle Garry has called me a few times, mostly just to check on me. He hasn't seen my dad since the night he fled the bar, but says he'll tell me the moment my dad comes back. It's nice, yet strange to have family. Wonderful to hear stories about myself as a baby. Apparently, I was pretty adventurous, always getting into trouble.

            I'm desperate to find where my mother could possibly be. Soon it'll be winter, after which I'll be heavily pregnant and getting ready to care for a newborn. Finding my mother feels like the only way I can rid myself of this anxious puddle in my gut about becoming a mother myself. But there's no plausible way I'll be able to find her realistically. She disappeared twenty years ago, so any clues would be too old or long gone.

            Surprisingly, a clue comes from Carry.

            "Val, I just need to make sure you're okay. It's been weeks since I last saw you, which is longer than we've ever gone, and I'm starting to become convinced Travis has you shackled in a basement," Carry whines over the phone for the second time this week.

            From his spot on the couch with his head in my lap, Trav rolls his eyes and pouts a little bit that my best friend still doesn't like him. I run my fingers through his hair and shuffle down against the couch, so his head is positioned closer to my stomach to cheer him up. It works seeing as, as soon as he makes eye contact with it, his lips turn up into a little smile and he leans his cheek against it.

            "Carry, I'm fine. Trav is still healing, and I don't want to leave him while he's still using the cane," I explain, using the excuse I've been giving her every time she complains about not seeing me.

            "I'm sure that big ole baby could survive a night without his nursemaid, but whatever. Guess what?" Carry's voice suddenly shifts from irritable to excited in half a second.