Chapter Five

 The Sun Mob is up early and there is a flurry of activity going on. Anthousa and Eritha are both absent, yet soon would be making an appearance. The activity stops when the sounds of pups come from the burrow entrance. Anthousa and Eritha have appeared and they work together to guide all the pups. One thing is definitely clear, there are a lot of pups here. Seventeen in total and they were born in a mixed litter. Both of the mothers take an active part in caring for the pups, and they do have the support of the other family members. Even Psyche often will suckle the pups in order to give her sisters a break. If things go well and all the pups survive then Aikaterine, Alkibiades, Anais, Aspasia, Auxesia, Daphnae, Kosta, Kyra, Lykaon, Lykinos, Mikkos, Odessa, Thaletas, Thyia, Timotheos, Xenia, and Zopheras raises the Sun’s numbers to twenty-six. This would make them the biggest group in the area, although both Aphrodite and Cassiphone have been busy. 

Today’s foraging party is small as several meerkats will be needed to care for all the pups. Anthousa and Eritha can’t babysit, and neither can Psyche. Telemachus steps up as one of today’s sitters, joined by Erinna, Kleio, and Roxana. Psyche, Anthousa, Eritha, Diona, and Damalis head off and only come home around midday. While the rest of the family relaxes, the two mothers care for their brood. But then comes trouble, Damalis spots danger and the group rushes for the burrow entrance. In the chaos, two pups get left behind outside. When the group finally gets the all-clear and comes out, they are surprised to find both Aspasia and Kosta waiting for them. The bird of prey must have not seen the pups and instead caught an unlucky ground squirrel.

Psyche looks around at her family and seems to realize that this burrow was not made to support so many pups at one time. The family will have to move. It can’t be soon because the kids are too young and haven’t even gone out to forage with the adults, but once they are capable of keeping up then the group will be kissing this home goodbye.

Two months have passed and, miraculously, all seventeen pups are still alive. They have all gone out to forage for the first time and the family was able to move to a new burrow that is both bigger and not infested with fleas and ticks. 

The Sun is often distracted by the kids, so this could be a good opportunity for a roving male. Two just so happen to be visiting the Sun on this day. Eros has been living under the authority of his brother Anteros for several months and so far hasn’t gone roving since. Now he and Hermaphroditus are on the search for females and it has brought them here.

Telemachus is on guard, but much of his attention is being taken by the pups. Hermaphroditus gets a little too close and is spotted by the older male who gives chase with Lykaon and Thaletas watching with interest. In time the boys will be big enough to help protect the virtue of their mothers and other female relatives. For now, it is more fun to reenact the scene as part of a game of pretend. 

The games that the pups play are a constant source of amusement, but today Psyche isn’t paying much attention to their antics. The presence of one rover made her look up and she finds herself being stared at by Eros. Their eyes meet and something special must’ve passed between them, Psyche lowers her head and appears to have got back to foraging, but she is slowly making her way to the edge of the group. She pauses, looks around to ensure that nobody is watching her, then slips into the bushes.

Eros meets her in the middle and the pair sniff each other first, then groom. They might be fairly hidden from the rest of the group, but it is a good idea to find a place that will offer more privacy. Eros leads Psyche to a nearby bolt hole and the couple vanishes from sight. 

It is later that Psyche rejoins the group, with Eros following close behind. If he was expecting a warm welcome from Telemachus then he is sorely mistaken. The big male charges at him with the rest of the Sun, minus Psyche and the pups, behind him. Eros runs off, but he is not done yet and neither is his half-brother. 

For the next few days, both roving males try to approach the group and often they are chased away by either Telemachus or the whole family. 

But something changes one morning. Eros and Hermaphroditus have woken up earlier than before and are sitting just outside the burrow entrance when Psyche is the first to wake up. She recognizes Eros and chatters at him, but makes no alarm calls. The rest of the group emerges, with some eying the strangers while others ignore their presence in favor of sunbathing or getting started on morning chores.

Telemachus is the last to wake up and as soon as he exits the burrow, finds himself confronted by both Valentine brothers. He stares at them both, yet makes no move to try to chase them off. When Eros approaches him, Telemachus submits and allows himself to be scent-marked and hip-slammed. Eros then turns his attention to his brother and Hermaphroditus makes it clear that he is not going to back down without a fight. This “fight” is over quick and requires no blood needing to be shed. Eros has won dominance of the Sun Mob and Hermaphroditus reluctantly accepts the role of subordinate.

Psyche has had a first-row seat to the action and seems pleased with the final outcome. She grooms Eros once he has finished scent-marking and the group takes a while to let things calm down before it is time to leave.

Most of the family have gone below ground later that evening. All that is left is Diona and Hermaphroditus. The pair do not seem to be in a hurry to join everyone else in the sleeping chambers and for a while they just groom. It may all seem innocent at first, but then Hermaphroditus makes his move and you realize that this is a romantic affair that is happening under the nose of the dominant pair. Unfortunately for the couple, they have one unwanted guest in the form of little Alkibiades. He does not realize that there are some things that are not child-friendly. Diona glares at him and is forced to reject her beau long enough to escort her nephew to bed, then quickly comes back. When the pair finally join the others, Diona is coated with his scent, but there is nothing Psyche can do about it now. If Diona becomes pregnant, despite being seven months old, then Psyche will have to watch out.