Sanguine Cove she carved it into her skin (m)

SHE SAYS THAT BEAUTY IS PAIN

The closer she felt she was, the more reclusive Magg had become. Anyone who might have attempted to push her boundaries wouldn't have been given many words; they would have been treated to teeth. Already she was convinced to never do this to herself again, but it wasn't even the worst part, was it?

She'd been holed up for days before that started, only coming out when her thirst became too much. Hopefully, no one would even notice. Especially @Galen. Magg writhed and strained for hours in as much silence as she could manage, even as the pain mounted. Strength or stubbornness, she was able to avoid wishing for comfort throughout it all, and finally she was given a reward for it. A tangible result for all this effort.

Magg pulled from viscera a daughter, with the tiniest of paws and the worst coordination of any living creature. She wobbled and wiggled, and for a brief moment, her mother marveled. Maybe... maybe this could be... good. Magg tucked her against her side, and was forced to give her focus to the continuing contractions and the next child they would bring.

This one felt different, though. She couldn't place it, tried not to pay it any attention, but it was impossible to do when she realized why. There was nothing endearing about the sight of what had come from her then, after its perfect sister. Malformed beyond recognition, she couldn't help but kick the corpse away from them both.

She turned her head to nose at the firstborn, caved into the need for reassurance all at once. The fall was so much farther than she could have imagined. Her beautiful little girl wasn't moving, or breathing, and she couldn't feel her heart through her small, thin chest.

"No."

Magg nudged harder, attempted to massage the pup's body, ignored the clear signs that even more children were coming. This couldn't be happening, she hadn't been distracted that long, it all now only felt like seconds.

"No. No. No, no, no no..."

Panic welled, but as the third crowned she was forced to let go. Just for a moment. Just long enough to... to clear the gore and get a glimpse. To see, clearly, that while this one, a son, moved, he would not be here long either.

The contractions continued. Magg's breaths came in rapid heaves, her mind reeling and her body railing against her and her heart shredding apart. She touched that first child again, and the memory of that brief glimmer of hopeful happiness seared her from inside out. With everything inside of her, Magg screamed until her voice bubbled and broke apart and gave out completely, and then with her next breath she screamed again. There was just as much fury in it as there was pain, and it was all she could do.

AND THERE'S BEAUTY IN EVERYTHING

The day was soon coming, Nash knew. His eldest daughter had been reclusive, avoiding them more and more the longer her pregnancy went on. Nash almost felt bad about her punishment, but he'd made the law clear and she had still defied it. Just because she was his daughter didn't mean she could avoid consequences, as much as he'd like to spare her. He and Aquene had yet to discuss the end of her punishment, but they needed to do so soon, and he had an idea... but he wouldn't make this decision on his own. Especially after having made the decision regarding her punishment unilaterally. As the leader it was his right, but he still considered his wife an equal.

He admitted to being distracted of late. The loss of his youngest daughter two days previous had the grief nearly unbearable. He had always understood Viorel's anger, but now... even more so. He found himself constantly watching the skies, hovering over Jessamy every time she went out. It was nearly too much, and he knew he would be just the same with his first grandchildren.

It was a strange thought.

He smelled it before he heard her scream, and his paws had already quickened. The father knew better than to enter the den, no matter how much he wanted to. Still he offered a quiet chuff into the darkness, a promise to stand guard and nothing more unless she should invite it. Just enough to let her know she wasn't alone. He let out a call to @Aquene - and only Aquene. A summons, but no announcement. He didn't want to draw the attention of the other pack members. Now was not the time.

With every day that passed, Leo felt increasingly useless. Border patrols only did so much, and with an abundance of aspiring guardians, it hardly mattered whether he made his daily rounds or not. Really, he was just trying to keep himself occupied, but unfortunately, the monotony of patrolling offered his mind plenty of time to spin with thoughts.

He wanted action, desperately. The Vuesain heir felt his family suffering all around him, and he ached to do something to ease their pain; Anything…! Sticking around here had done nothing to stop the recurring tragedies, had proven pointless in protecting them from danger, and still the pain marched on.

Leo had been mostly keeping his distance after Magg’s condition became known – unsure how to feel about the whole affair – but he still knew her time was coming and couldn’t help the sense of impending dread filling him at the thought. Birth was neither easy nor without danger, especially for someone so young, and Leo feared the toll it might take on his foster sister, who had already been through so much. In his mind, Magg’s pregnancy was just more suffering imposed on her by outside forces, and he longed to exert some form of revenge for it all – if not for this latest slight, then at least the one that had come before.

And so, when Magg’s pained scream rang out over the Cove, it was the final spark to ignite his roiling anger. A faint echo of her pain shot through his chest at the sound, hackles standing on end as he turned briefly towards the sound, wanting to help, but knowing he could do nothing for her; Not here, anyway! So instead, he turned towards the borders, paws moving without second thought as he headed down the mountain at breakneck speed, done with doing nothing.

”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de &
Twimperology @DA

SHE SAYS THAT BEAUTY IS PAIN

Magg hadn't heard her father over her own voice until he was howling and she could no longer go without breath. She was no longer alone, and that sent another wave of fury rolling over the length of her body. Another scream, one that grew in strength and rage as it went on. One directed squarely at that outside world beyond the mouth of her den.

Hers. That she'd toiled on to shape with her own paws, that she'd so carefully, specifically chosen, that she was meant to raise her children in. Children she hadn't even fucking wanted! Why did this hurt so much?!

Tears finally started to fall, swiftly gathering into thick rivulets down her cheeks as she sobbed. Hadn't she been punished enough by now? She could no longer ignore the fourth pup forcing its way out of her. Her spine stiffened and arced with pain, and in the next moment she felt her mother's touch upon her face. Magg could only let out a pained cry, the sound of it half-lost somewhere in her throat. She braced a paw against the den floor, claws digging into the dirt, while the air began to fill with a floral scent.

This was worse than the previous three, the child much larger, the pain more intense, and the effort needed twice as draining. Still, it didn't occur to her that it was because that poor trio had been far too small, that this was what each of them should have felt like to birth. When her fourth pup slipped free and she was able to breathe again, Magg did not move to tend to it. It was either dead or dying. Why would it be anything but?

AND THERE'S BEAUTY IN EVERYTHING