Fallen Tree Cove And I, my love, do

The pale queen you could say was feeling rather miserable that day. Her belly had swollen to the point where her graceful walk had developed into a slight wobble. Her feet had begun to swell from the extra weight put on them, and on top of that she had come to learn to expect nothing from her swiftly changing moods. She’d been particularly snappish lately, grinding out orders and half-heartedly patrolling the borders. While she was out she had also begun thinking about where she would go to have her brood and what kind of den she’d want to bring the new life that was developing in her abdomen into. The rabbit pelt would do wonderfully for the first addition to it, but she wanted it to be just right. While she still had time before she’d need to actively search for the birthing site, she was still left to plan everything out. Everything except the day, which she knew could never really be planned. Pups came when pups wanted to, and that was a certain fact.

Instead of being out doing her runs, she’d opted to stay and bask in the sunlight of a rock that she’d found overlooked much of the lake. It had quickly become her favorite spot, as she could feel the gentle spray of the water and hear the waves lap against the rocky sand. It was quiet, just like she had come to like recently. @Vespertio had been away to Oak Tree Bend in search of an alliance, one she’d had no clue was an option and hadn’t known about the journey until announced at the meeting. There was something aggravating to her about a queen not knowing the happenings in her pack until it was announced during a meeting in front of all, leaving her to the knowledge of the subordinates. Not that being a subordinate was anything other than important, for they were the ones that truly kept the land alive and thriving. She loved them all to pieces, but his absence had been exhausting on her developing body to have to keep up with orders and take upon herself his patrols as well. This had been so much that she’d neglected to eat that day, though she didn’t feel much like eating anything anyhow.

A sign hummed its way up her throat as she laid there, sprawled with her bloated belly and her head on her paws. The woman’s mismatched gaze was closed as she tried to enjoy a moment of peace.

Dawn was long gone and the spherical object of light had already risen half way across the sky by time the earthy toned man reached the last stretch of earth separating the land of the nomads from the well guarded and marked borders of his domain. The ruffled feathers of a plump pheasant tucked neatly between the grip of his canines to serve as a token of his apologies to his beloved should he happen to cross her path this day. In the back of his mind he knew he was brash for stating his departure during the meeting without giving the queen a speck of information before hand. Especially when she was carrying their unborn children in her womb while also having to carry the burdens of running a pack on her shoulders without much help in his absence. A mistake he swore he would never make again.

Quickly the freshly enriched soil melted beneath the strides of his heavy pads, muscles contracting and releasing eagerly to get himself back to where he belonged. Home and at her side. Constantly the golden pools nestled within his dark masked face surveyed the area for the slightest glimpse or sign of her whereabouts. Nothing but the scent of trails hours old and fading greeting his nostrils. No shimmer of silver fur in the rays of sunlight greeting his longing gaze. Where could she have waddled off to? Surely she couldn't have managed to make it too far with the extension of her abdomen these days. The added weight of the pups would have made it too hard to do any serious traveling. But where did she go?

Pressing on, his agouti form darted to and fro avoiding the rough barked trunks of the pine trees lining the lakeside, making his way towards the waters edge when he finally saw her laying there. Basking ever so gracefully in the warmth of the sun upon a boulder that allowed her to overlook a good portion of their kingdom. A special kind of warmth not of the sun radiated inside Vesper as he took in every ounce of her perfection. Milking the picture before him of every drop before he would disturb her to present his gift of sorts. A low woof breaks the silence as he steps forward, tail risen partially with a wag as ears pricked forward with joy of finally finding her. Hopefully she was hungry(pft who was he kidding, she's pregnant) for pheasant.

Of course, without much surprise to her, her peace was short lived. From a short ways away came the thudding of paw steps, heavy against the crushed leaves and twigs beneath large paws. A sigh filled her mouth and she grumbled, lifting her head from its comfortable perch to turn toward the approaching wolf. The familiar face of her lover appeared there, greeting her with a wagging tail, a grinning face, and a low, joyful woof. At his paws laid a large bird, a pheasant it seemed, and he seemed to be presenting it almost as a gift. She found her mouth watered at the sight having not eaten all day, but this gift wouldn’t be taken easily. He had left her and their unborn children alone to lead a pack she still was getting a feel for, taking his second with him. While she knew Anthem had needed to go with him, she also knew that, currently, Anthem was the only higher ranking wolf beneath her that she trusted.

After the meeting they had discovered that Haine, the ultra-submissive and scraggly she-wolf, had left their lands without so much as probable cause. The shifting in ranks beneath her left Primrose in second position, and her even more uncomfortable than she had been. She’d been watching over her shoulder the past few days, keeping an eye out for the wraith woman and half expecting her to ambush Namid from behind. She knew that, because she was with children, she would be in no place to fight back if a challenge ensued. Their kingdom would fall into ruins.

The pale queen stared at him for a moment, her mismatched gaze hard, before turning her sights completely from him and back toward the lake. He wouldn’t be let off quite that easy, especially not with her hormones being the way they were.

No hello. No smile. No hint that his presence was even wanted in that moment. Nothing but a hard stare that eventually drifted away from his form to return to the lapping shoreline. Crap. So much for a happy reunion. Slowly the pep that had his tail swinging died down to a standstill as the points of his ears rotated back to brush over the darker cream hairs making up a good portion of his neck. Creamy limbs creeping his slightly hunkered form forward until the pink of his tongue could grace the soft fur lining her cheek. Of course after he placed the plumped bird at her paws, nudging it with the tip of his nose closer to her. "Namid." He spoke her name in a sweeter tone that he reserved only for her. The liquid gold pools searching her disinterested features for a sign of what he could do to win back her favor. Clearly he had managed to be kicked off the good side of her today and the silvery woman was not going to let him back in so easily.

"I've brought you a gift." Stating the obvious his tail gave a subtle wag to try and spark some sort of reaction out of the lounging matriarch. A small smile of sorts appearing on the inky darkness of his lips. She couldn't stay mad at him forever could she? He was so handsome and surely he could woo his way back into her good grace. Lowering his head near her ear he gave the silver points an affectionate nibble and playful tug to coax the woman into a better mood. Hopefully he didn't end up pissing her off by poking at the already moody female.

He seemed to get the idea that she didn’t want him around, yet he made his way over anyhow. The man approached like a skittish deer, crawling forward with ears laid back and tail faintly wagging. Never would she have thought that this mighty man would be willing to crawl forward on his belly to appease anyone, but here he was doing just that. He uttered her name gently, sweetly, and in a way that made her head flutter as it always did. She shoved away the feeling in aggravation, refusing to let herself be pushed over by his woos. She had been pushed over and taken advantage of by many in her past by her meek personality, but she was changed. No longer would that happen, she would still be kind in heart but could put her foot down if needed. This was one of those times, and while she wouldn’t and couldn’t be mad at her love forever he needed to know that what he did was wrong to her. They were partners, a duo that only worked if each one kept the other informed of anything and everything. That was the relationship that would keep their pack running, their kingdom united. They had to be united.

Her gaze trailed to the bird and she scoffed, shifting her position. “How was your trip,” She inquired tartly, her tail giving a sharp movement behind her frame. In all honestly, she was a bit curious as to what had happened in his time away and if it had been successful. But it still didn’t make her any less peeved.

Another bout of rejection followed his antics at trying to sooth the angered beast inside his lover. The affectionate love bites did little if anything at all in subsiding the peeved she-wolf. Instead his ears were met with a tartly spoken sentence that completely put the man for a loop. "How was your trip?" she had spoken, a carefully enhanced undertone when the word trip was muttered. At this his ears gave a swift brush to his skull once more, rear end plopping into the softened sand and blades of grass that stuck out between pebbles with a defeated thump. So his charms would be all but useless in bringing back the merry woman today. Fine then. He may have lost the battle, but the war was still capable of being won over. Vespertio still had a lot to learn in the ways of relationships. Athena had been his first love even though the duo never made themselves an official 'item' to others. Communication was something the tawny man would need to work at. With the sudden disappearance of the ivory wolf everything was suddenly thrust upon his broadened shoulders. A complete first timer on the throne being left to do everything a pack needed to survive. Alone. Could one truly blame him for not passing on such vital information to another? Old habits died hard.

No longer did Vesper lower himself to his equal. Positioning his front limbs neatly beneath his chest to keep his frame elevated in a regal posture, the creamy fluff of his tail idle tapping against the cool earth. "Exhausting, but Anthem and I had managed to make it back in one piece." Pausing a moment he dared allowed the faintest of smiles grace his lips before disappearing back into an all serious and business mode. Lips drawn into a tight line. "The meeting went smoothly and it's safe to say we have nothing to fear from our eastern flanks." Truthfully the patriarch couldn't have felt safer in his lands knowing that there were others to call upon should he and his family be faced with danger.

With business discussed the softer side of the agouti man resurfaced as golden hued eyes scanned over the sun bathing form of his silvery woman. Disappointment at himself flashing behind their liquid irises in recognition of the wrong he had done. It was time to set things straight. "Namid.." He began again, using that same sugar laced tone reserved for his beloved only.

Her lover flopped to the ground beside her frame with a huff, and a bit of guilty triumph was felt through her chest. Her point seemed to be getting across to him she supposed, which was exactly what she wanted. How selfish she was being right now, she knew it. She should be being a good wife of sorts, or rather she hoped that’s what he wanted. They had yet made themselves official by words, even though she was bearing his children. It was obvious the amount of affection he carried for her, but was it enough for him to make her his own in an official title? A small bit of anxiety replaced the triumph as she wondered about the status between the man and her and about the status of their children between them. Mentally, she had to take a deep breath and push aside her worries. They were un-needed and unwanted.

Namid’s auds swiveled back to catch his voice as he spoke, noting the stale and business like tone he’d adopted. He rarely spoke to her like that, perhaps she had pushed him a bit too far. She knew it would go nowhere if they were both equally frustrated with each other. He expressed that their trip had been safe, much to her pleasure, and that it had been an apparent success. This news brought a bit of weight from her shoulders, as protection loomed over their heads now instead of vulnerability. Perhaps, once the pups were old enough that she could leave them, she could make her own way out to make some alliances of her own. She still had one man she needed to see again. Her thoughts were interrupted by the gentle, sweet voice of Vespertio. Slowly she turned her head and directed her gaze on him. Pausing for a moment she looked away, her silver tipped ears lowering a fraction before she was pulled back toward the man she dared to say loved.

Extending her head she offered a lick to his cheek, bumping her maw against his own to wiggle her silver cranium beneath his chin. “I am glad you are all right, my love,” She expressed quietly, finally giving into the urge to be closer to him. This time, she didn’t want to be close to him due to heat. No, this time she wanted to be close to him because that was where her own heart pulled.

What seemed like forever, finally the wall of ice separating the two melted down to a figurative puddle at their paws as his beloved offered a lick to his cheek before weaseling her head beneath his chin. Prompting a low affectionate growl to rumble at the base of his throat. "Of course I am alright. I had Anthem with me for protection and I can fend for myself. I'm a tough guy." He mused in response to her phrase, angling his cranium downwards to apply a lick to the center of her skull between her eye sockets. The corners of his lips helplessly turning up at the sight below him. What effect this silver woman had on the tawny man. Clearly having him wrapped securely around her paws.

Basking in the pleasantness of their in-twined pelts for a moment longer, Vespertio reluctantly pulled himself away to meet the mismatched gaze of Namid with the golden hued of his own. Voice adopting a sincere curiousness. "How are you though. The little ones aren't giving you too much discomfort are they?" He asked, dawning her crown with one more affection swipe of his tongue before glancing at the swelling of her sides. A wave of joy and pride filling his chest at the sight. A product of his handy work. "Have you been getting enough to eat?" He then tossed her another question, once more nudging the previously ignored pheasant by the silver queen closer to her. Even though he had been miles away on business not a moment went by that her and his children weren't on his mind. He wanted to make sure they were well taken care of.

If she could purr she likely would have as he gave her a small lick between her eyes. Once again she gave him an affectionate bump of her muzzle, her spirits beginning to lift from her hormonal state of which she was sure they were both grateful for. She didn't care how 'tough' he was, he was still the father of her children and her love and she would always grow weary when he went away. It was simply in her nature, especially more now that her maternal instincts were coming in full swing. She moved to snuggle up closer to him with a small thump of her wagging tail, emitting a quiet whine when he pulled away from her before regaining her composure. The queen of the lake had never acted like this toward anyone, not even her own family. He had something over her, not just the children growing in her stomach. It seemed that she was growing more affectionate for him everyday, her knight in shining armor.

"How are you though? The little ones aren't giving you too much discomfort are they?" he asked her, and she shook her head. She could obviously feel herself having gotten bigger, finding it a bit more difficult to move with the lithe grace she had possessed before her pregnancy, but other than that and her variable mood swings she hadn't had any troubles. She knew, however, that that would likely change as her cubs grew even more and took up more space in her abdomen. Things could begin to get very messy. "I am fine, they have not been acting too terribly. Though I can feel them growing like weeds, I feel as though I am getting very fat," she chuckled. It was the excuse she'd been using rather often, and she wasn't ashamed of her size growth. No, in fact she was very proud of it herself and would happily parade around her belly. Her mismatched gaze traveled over to the bird and she felt her stomach finally tell her to give in, bending her head to sink her teeth into the flesh and eat for the first time that day. "I have been trying, but my stomach seems to be even more hormonal than I am," she replied to him as she swallowed.