Pups Galore

2 weeks after the vicious battle with the Hawaii's main rival, the Shellos mob, Kapepe's two pups are ready to emerge from the depths of the burrow. The feisty male Kal'Kaua struggles up the sand "dune" confidently. But his sister Ulani is less eager. She prefers it in the quiet of the burrow, out of the blinding morning sun. The teenager Hahela gently pulls her out. Mahalo scent-marks the burrow entrance. His jealous brother Kapalo sits by himself. Ulani and Kal'Kaua slowly gain confidence in themselves. But Kapepe can't wait forever. She has to eat, and so does the rest of the mob. So she leaves her two little pups in the capable hands of Iwahine and Ke Ali. But there's one more female staying home. Its Maila, and it doesn't look good for her. She went on a secret fling with a rover from the small mob that sometimes competes with the Hawaiis, the Palaces. The rover's name is Jon Greg. He is the oldest and most experienced guy in the area. He is probably the 4th best male in breeding, after the dominant males of all three mobs. This is not the first time he has come around to a Hawaii girl. In fact, when Kapepe was just a pup, young Iwahine got evicted for having pups with him. But now she is older and not so foolish. Maila soon emerges from the burrow and looks around. She is much thinner. It seems she is going to help Iwahine and Ke Ali in the babysitting duty. Meanwhile, Kapepe has lead the Hawaiians close to Palace territory. They discover that while the Hawaiians are away, the Palaces will play. Their territory is soaked in Palace scent. And the rival mob's babysitting burrow isn't too far away. Unluckily for Kapepe, the group is still at home. Pinky Pie isn't leading them anywhere for now. But Kapepe will have none of it. She starts a war-dance, followed by the other 13 foragers. The small Palace group with only 9 members quickly grab their three week old pups and make a hasty retreat. The group then scent-marks the territory until it is thoroughly reaffirmed that this is their territory and they will have no one stealing it. Then the Hawaiians begin the serious business of foraging. Back at home, the pups Ulani and Kal'Kaua are practicing their digging skills. Maila has kept the babysitters from investigating the burrow and managed to rub off her pups' scent before they could smell it and bust her. But Ke Ali's mad and snarling face is enough to send Maila running back to her pups. He lays in the shade of the burrow. Maila is in real trouble. Kapepe will soon find them and may kill them and evict her. Ulani takes a break from the hot midday sun and goes down the burrow. Ke Ali accompanies her. He leaves babysitting the feisty pup to an experienced babysitter like Iwahine. Eventually, they pass close to Maila's chamber. But Ke Ali, after sniffing a bit, decides its best to follow after Ulani. Maila cautiously comes out of her chamber, carrying her newborn. She moves it quickly into a deeper part of the burrow. She comes back for her others. After moving them all, she arrives back up at the burrow. She thoroughly rubs off her scent before emerging. Iwahine sniffs her, but cannot detect the pups' scent. Soon, Ke Ali and Ulani arrive up also. Back at the foraging party, loyal sentry Mahalo spots danger. Its a rover. Not just any rover. Its Jon Greg. He calls the alarm, but Jon Greg stays hidden. The group surrounds Kapepe. Mahalo jumps down from his perch and scent-marks Kapepe and the area around her. The males keep a sharp lookout for Jon Greg. After a while, Gumba spots him. He and the other males rush after him and Jon Greg makes a hasty retreat. Its getting late, so Kapepe returns home. She is pleased to see that her pups are OK and the babysitters did a good job. She gives them a quick feed and goes down into the burrow after the rest of the family. No telling what will happen down there between then and now...