Yeah, I know - the few fans I have in this little-known fandom have given up on me, right? Well, despite my hectic schedule, I do still think about Impossible Creatures, the plans I have for the stories set within this universe, and most especially I think about Wolf. So... enjoy!

The biggest cub with the lion head and body and the wolf-limbs was the most trouble - his energy never tried and he wasn't above using his size to bully the others - especially his smallest and 'opposite' brother, the meekest of the litter with the black fur. The little black male with his wolf body and lion legs was very swift, and kept away from the bully as much as he could. Wolf and his mate watched the eldest's antics, and disciplined with growls and nips where needed. The smallest's favourite playmate was his last-born sister, the wolf-tailed lion, and they raced together often. The only other female of the litter, the full-wolf, was very independent and often roamed off on her own, though when she did stay close she liked to play with her silver-streaked brother, who was otherwise very serious, watching everything. The mismatch boy startled easily and always stuck close to his parents.

Wolf loved his family dearly. He stood over them some nights when they slept, paws around each others necks, a silent guardian. On the rare times nobody was sneaking off to explore or bullying anybody else, Wolf's mate sat at his side watching the cubs play, and licked him gently on his cheek. These were the times we felt so full of love, he couldn't imagine living without his mate and children.

Still, he felt a pang of something he didn't really understand, deep in his hybrid heart. When one night he found himself on the far side of the island, he didn't realize one of his sons was tracking him until he'd almost reached his and his humans' old campsite. He could just spot the tan lion legs of his thirdborn, but his blackwolf body blended well with the shadow. He planted his forepaws on a mound of coal and looked over the camp as the cub joined him, just small enough to stand under his chest. The distinctive scents of woodsmoke, human cooking and burned bailing wire were still lingering. Wolf lifted his head, howling softly to a half-moon, then heard a second voice attempt to join in, though the second howl was patchy and even quieter than his. Wolf felt his son's questioning side press against his knee. He let his ears flatten out to the sides for a moment and recalled the touch of a human hand on his fur.
When his son whimpered softly, Wolf gave himself a little shake, licked him briskly on the head and picked him up by the scruff to carry back to their sandy den.

They gave swimming lessons early. Wolf knew the island would not support the ever-growing cubs forever. If his mate had not developed a very admirable skill at fishing, they might already be going hungry.

The black-furred male and both girls took to the water easily, though the lion-cub didn't have as much stamina to stay in the water as her full-wolf sister. The firstborn snarled and paced the shoreline until his mother briskly picked him up and deposited him in deeper water, forcing him to learn a hasty dog-paddle. She was more patient with the most nervous cub - perhaps because his gait was already odd, with one set of wolf and one lion legs, and he was reluctant until he was pursued into the water and found the support of the salt water actually made things easier for him. However, he didn't gain a great deal of confidence and only swam willingly when he was touching a shoulder to one of his parents as if in reassurance. The firstborn, at length reluctantly paddling around by himself, snorted impatiently at him and splashed water in his face when he went by. The last boy, with the silvery-streaked fur, waited until he'd carefully watched each of his siblings take the plunge, then slowly went in, step by step.

After a month of lessons and with the cubs more robust than ever, Wolf and his mate had readied the cubs for their first big trip. Instinctively, Wolf knew he could not allow his family to remain for too long on any of the small islands, depleting the food source. They swam with Wolf's mate in the lead and Wolf paddling behind, ready to help any of the pups who needed it. By the time they closed in on the next island he had his black-furred son half asleep on his back and was alternately nudging along the mismatched cub and the lion girl.
Isla Ligatio proved to have ready herds for the growing family and the calm bay created by the horseshoe shape of the land was perfect for the cub's swimming practice, but Wolf was releived they wouldn't have to move again for a while.

Speaking of food... now old enough to begin hunting, Wolf hesitantly led the six out on their first lesson. The firstborn snarled and swiped at his siblings to get the best position. The black male and the lion female sneaked away to begin a game of hide and seek in a field of tall wildflowers and a butterfly landing on the mismatch boy's head caused him to start yowling in terror. Pressing his ears flat his his head in annoyance, he stalked away from his offspring, wondering if they'd ever learn.

Standing on a cliff at the far end of the island, Wolf was soon soothed by the constant, rushing sound of the waves. He was expecting too much of his cubs. They were still just babies, without the focus that they would develop with time. Huffing out a breath, Wolf watched the sun sink into the water to the west. Another pang of sadness hit him. Many a sunset had he and his humans sat watching together on the platform of the lab. It felt wrong, somehow... Rex and Lucy ought to be here, helping raise his cubs. Maybe they had come to their senses, and would have had a cub of their own by now?

He didn't know, nor did he know how to remove the regret that wound itself into the happiness of life with his pack. Maybe that was the problem... maybe only half his pack were here.

As Wolf stepped back off his rocky lookout point, his scruff stood on end and both ears swiviled the calmness of the water around the island. He turned back, lifted his head alertly.
Strange... he'd gotten the distinct impression of being watched. But, as the waves washed onward and no danger presented itself, Wolf began to wonder if missing his humans wasn't affecting his judgement. It was just he and his mate and cubs on this island, no danger.

He loped efficiently back to his family and despite the failed hunting lesson was glad to see them when they ran towards him - the firstborn preforming his new trick of hurtling himself onto his father's shoulders, while his black-furred son and lion daughter rubbed against his forelegs, his mate whuffing a gentle welcome from where she sat grooming their other daughter, who protested with grumbling puppy-growls.

This was his family, and they needed him, no matter how much he wished he could have both halves of his heart at the same time.