Anuket

Her parent's only child, she had been left with one ultimate purpose to complete before her death.

Her mother was the child of a Chryos pack wolf and a traveller. Her father was the descendant of both past Apis pack studs, Ra and Zeus. Her ultimate purpose in life was to continue the tradition of her father, and mother a child to Khonsu.

Anuket felt conflicted. Yes, this was a grand purpose, in her opinion, even if it got weird side eyes from the other pack members. She was honoured to have an ultimate purpose to serve. She'd talked to Khonsu, he was on board.

Then again, it wasn't her ultimate purpose. It was her father's descendant's. Any child-bearing descendant of his could have had this task. Non child-bearing if they were quick. If Anuket wasn't Vali's child, the task wouldn't have been hers.

Besides, this ultimate purpose was the reason both her parents hadn't mated for true love. Both felt honour driven to continue their bloodlines, and they did it through each other. Anuket could never forget how her father would prefer to spend time with his sister, Tethys, before their deaths. How her mother would spend time with Tapio, then the Nikephoros twins.

Her indecision was tolerated by her mother. Every new heat was met with expecting looks from Bridget.

Anuket just wanted to outlive her mother. It sounded terrible, and she knew she would be shamed for it, but without the looming presence of Bridget she would be able to figure out if she wanted to carry on the legacy for herself or for her father.

If she did it, one of her descendants would have to make the same decision she had done. Could she do that? Could she force a child to continue a purpose only given to them because of their bloodline? What if it crushed them? What if her decision doomed not only the bloodline but that of an innocent child?

Couldn't she just pair a Ra descendant with a Zeus descendant, and have their child paired with a Khonsu descendant? Would that work? It's not too dissimilar to what Vali was doing to her. She wasn't a Zeus daughter having kids with Khonsu. Surely this dissolved the need for her to continue the bloodline?

But Vali and Bridget had had her for this reason. It may not be specifically her's, but it had been tasked to her. She couldn't let her parents down.

Hopefully the chosen descendants would forgive her.

***

Nest soft around her, excited yelps echoing off the walls of the cave, Anuket couldn't help but wonder if she had done the right thing.

She felt horrible that she had denied both parents a chance to see their grandchildren, and that Anubis would be the one to tell them the news.

She hoped that they would forgive her for waiting so long. But hey, at least the legacy would continue, and she had completed her purpose.

***

A healthy litter of 5. A relieved Anuket showered her pups with love, trying to push the tradition into the back of her brain, for at least a few months.