Gone Tomorrow

Kick.

With a grunt, the she-wolf awoke. Her groggy green eyes were half closed with sleep, but she looked in the general direction of her enlarged stomach. Not caring, she growled at the object, as if warning it to try and kick her again. Despite that it was a part of herself, one that she could not get rid of, she would be dammed if she would continue this torture any longer.

Kick.

Her challenge was called, and with a huff, the leader of Swift River threw her head down on her paws in defeat. She knew that she would love them the moment she saw them, but right now, she wanted to strangle the little demons inside of her. Indru only had had to deal with her miserable mood changes and her growing appetite, he never had to deal with any physical injuries like she was. Clearly, next time they had puppies, she was going to insist that he became pregnant instead. That seemed like a much fairer deal in her mind. Speaking of her mate, he was missing in action currently. Head lifted off her paws and she looked around, noting with dismay that she was the last one in the den...again. The sunlight was bright at the den entrance, disrupted only by a few dangling roots that they had missed when doing den preparations. Squinting her eyes against the light, she grunted and hoisted herself to her feet. The top of her head barely scraped the ceiling, and she wondered how Indru, who was a whole foot taller than her, could stand it. Snorting, she shook her head at her mental joke and began her slow waddle out into the daylight.

Kick.

Opening her eyes fully as she emerged into the world, Corinna took another glance at her stomach and growled fruitlessly at it. She had to be approaching her due date, right? She honestly didn't know - she was a first time mother and had never witnessed a birth before. But the kicks were becoming more frequent, and her stomach was dropping lower - that had to mean something, right? Trudging forward, the pregnant leader left the confines of the pack den behind her, and waddled away towards the sound of the river. She was thirsty, and who knew when she would be able to get water next? Kick. Growling, she leaned down over the cool liquid, salmon colored tongue lapping it up greedily. She supposed she had to drink enough for her puppies too, at least that was her excuse whenever she ate and asked for more of the pack kill. Her packmates were all kind and gave it up to her, but afterwards, she always felt bad. The more pregnant she became, the less able she was to participate in the hunts, but yet she took the lion's share of the kill. Kick. "I'm sorry," she whined pathetically at the rushing water. There wasn't anything she could do about it now. Some things were simply irreversible.

Kick.

Turning around, Cori didn't even bother to growl at her stomach this time. It was going to do what it wanted to, regardless. Sometimes she wished she could just have Indru rip it out and be done with it, but she knew that wasn't the right answer. She would love her puppies, once they were tangible beings and not these mysterious kicks. Kick. Growl. Kick. Snarl. Kick. Water?

She was waddling back to the den, not intending to stray very far, when she felt her lower body suddenly become wet. Looking down between her front legs, she looked underneath her, noting with alarm that there was far more than an iota's worth of water on the ground. Where had that come from? And then she felt it, the first contraction. Pain like nothing she had ever felt ripped through her, almost forcing her to the ground. Scrambling, she half crawled her way to the entrance of the den, and breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a grunt of pain as another contraction hit her. "INDRU!!!!!!!" It was a pathetic attempt at a howl, more like a whine/scream combination. Tears beginning to collect from the pain, she lay against the back wall of the den, trying to make herself comfortable as the contractions grew stronger.

And then, something strange happened. Instinct took over. She began to push, working with the contractions of her body. A loud gasp came from her throat as she brought her first born into the world. Turning her head to look at him, she beamed. He was beautiful, despite his being blind and deaf and covered with the gunk from her stomach. Leaning forward, she licked his small and frail body, urging him towards her breast. As she did so, she cleaned off the gunk and chewed off the cord that had kept him attached to her when he was inside her womb. Laying back, she grinned satisfactorily - she had given Indru a son.

Gone Tomorrow

Corinna was far from over, she knew even as her first born suckled at her side that there were more in her womb. They were kicking her, and her contractions had only lessened, but had not stopped completely. But that did not stop her from smiling down at her oldest. He had found his way to her breast with her aid, and as far as he was concerned, there was nothing else in the world that mattered more than his mother. It would not always be that way, but for now, that was enough.

Glancing up sharply as the light from the entrance of the den was blocked, she snarled fiercely. The fur along her spine lifted, and her brow crinkled. The creature came forward, and she recognized Indru, but that did not cease her behavior. There was something about him being here that just felt instictually wrong. He could take a wrong step, and squish with ease the newborns. Or his own health had been dwindling due to his concerns with her's - what was to stop him from simply gobbling up their defenseless young. "Get out," she snapped, her teeth clicking the empty air. It was not a playful threat, and she would make good on her warning if he did not leave. But her attention was diverted, and she looked down at herself as the contractions came faster. Growling in pain, black nails scratched the floor as she pushed. Her eyes started to close, but she forced them back open, making sure that Indru retreated from the confines. For at least a while, this was to be the sanctuary of her young and herself, and all others would have to find somewhere else to stay.

A high pitched whine announced the arrival of Indru and Corinna's second child, and hurriedly the new mother leaned down and began to clean the newest arrival. Chewing through the ambilical cord, she used her muzzle to nudge her second, a daughter, to her breast. The young wolf was crying, but her little brown body found her food source and she settled down. This left her mother free to check on the safety situation. The light was still blocked, but Indru no longer posed a direct threat to her and her young, and she relaxed somewhat.

Cori relaxed, only to be alerted again to more contractions. This one came easier than the others, the high pitched whine taking what felt like seconds to fill the den. Repeating her previous actions, Cori made sure that the youngest found her breast before she laid back against the wall of the den. Her sides were heaving with exhaustion, and she knew that she was covered in sweat. Hardly a beauty to behold, but she could care less. "Two more, Indru. A girl and a boy." She called out, the menace that had previously been there gone. But she was still alert, and if he attempted to enter the den again, she would chase him out and keep him out.

Gone Tomorrow

Cori heard her name, spoken in confusion, but she couldn't bother to answer her mate. She was busy attending to the birth of their pups. More than anything, she wanted his comfort and his companionship right now, but he would only get in the way. Her fear was great of something going wrong, and while she remembered Ruiko telling her that Indru had experience with this, given his status as the eldest Tainn, he had never been the father before and could offer her no advice. Instinct had taken over any rational thought, and she did what she knew was right in her gut. And at the moment, she had done well. Her young were nestled into her breast feeding, gaining the strength they would need to survive. For the next couple of weeks as they continued to grow and develop, they would be utterly reliant on her. Green eyes looked towards the den entrance, where the light was interrupted by Indru's pacing. She didn't know the exact amount of time, but knew it would be a significant one before she was allowed to be out in that light again. But, that was the price she paid.

Looking down at the three puppies, her heart melted, filling her exhausted body with a warmth unlike anything she had ever felt before. Corinna Donata-Tainn was a mother. No more waddling around like a duck the size of a moose, but begin running around kissing injuries and saving her young from all the dangers the world had to offer. With some dismay, she thought of all of the dangers that the outside world provided, and she reacted physically to it. Tail curling around her hind leg, she sought to make a barrier with it, between her young and the outside. She could keep them here, safe and warm. And judging by the angst that was driving Indru outside, they would be well cared for.

Green eyes met his fiery orange ones as he forced his head into the den. His whine echoed loudly in the relatively quiet space, and she flinched, aware that she had turned him away at the greatest moment of the ordeal. But that had been her right, and her instinct had told her to do it. Even now, she was wary of letting him come too much closer, but she went against her judgement and whined back at him. Indicating that he could come forward, she watched him closely, the fur along her back beginning to bristle. He could come close enough to see, but it would be some time yet before he would be allowed to touch his sons and daughter.