Willow Ridge The Mystery Begins

Avella's birthing thread. Everyone on the pack is welcome though she may not let anyone into the den. @Camden is welcome to post as well.

The masked woman laying the sun outside her den in the early morning hours. She had no desire to get up and move around. The fact of the matter wasnshe didn't wNtbto do much of anything. She had found the most comfortable position and she wanted to remain there. Nature had other plans for the Archer woman. It woukd be the day that she would bring new life to the pack and become a mother for the first time. The idea of it was scary for her leaving her to wish that her mother could be there with her.

When the first contractions came her eyes shot open from the nap she'd managed to fall into. The pain swept through her body. It only lasted a moment or two but it was enough for Avella to get to her feet to move into her den. She called to the rest of the pack to let them know it was time.

Laying on her side inside the den she thought she'd be able to relax at least for a few minutes but she didn't get that chance. The contractions came closer and closer together until her first pup had entered the world.

Avella brought the tiny bundle to rest between her forelegs where she set about cleaning it.

The clearer it was that Avella was close to labor, the more he felt tied to the den she resided in. It was a war within himself, staying put rather than out hunting or digging for water, but what if something happened? If he wasn't there, if he missed... Scully paced in the dry dirt, thoughts a blur within his mind.

This better not take his sister from him. They could all be stillborn, as long as she was okay- he didn't want the other way around, wouldn't even consider it. Despite the drought, Avella had to make it through this.

She'd come out to rest in the sun, and Scully had forced himself to still. He took up sentry in the shade, watching her from a distance. When she roused again, the discomfort was clear, and her brother was on his paws in an instant. While she retreated to the birthing den, he took up post at it's entrance, listening intently to what was happening with his sibling while also guarding the threshold from any gawkers.

Unless a healer was needed, any of the men would be met with bared fangs and threatening growls if they tried to draw too close. Only Nightingale and Kaeruka would be spared an aggressive display.

Hagar struggled to be everywhere at once, and it showed in the way his frame had begun to visibly weaken. Given the water was gone, he did everything that he could to supply Avella with fresh, bloody meat in hopes it would be enough to keep her and the children strong. He had heard tales of great droughts, but had never experienced one himself. It was horrific, and the stories of those who passed were stuck within his skull.

He didn't want that to be Avella, didn't want tragedy to mar this new home of theirs.

A freshly killed hare, itself clearly dehydrated, hung from his jaws as he trudged toward Avella's birthing den. His movements seemed almost robotic, as he had the energy to operate only on one thought at a time. He didn't know the time had come until Scully flashed his teeth at him, a unfamiliar glint in his steely eyes. Hagar didn't need words to understand. He set the kill down, and lay upon the scorched grass.

All he could do now was wait.

Cam had been lingering around her den the closer she got to delivering… and then the time came, the way she called to the pack to let them know that it was time. He was not far, and so he arrived quickly, settling in a respectable distance. It was… complicated. This entire thing was complicated but he was there. The Elliot was not going to run, especially not from the angel who kept crossing his mind. In his jaws was a rabbit, meant to be given to her when all was said and done.

He remembered before he left home, his mother giving birth to younger siblings… she was tired after, but with it came hunger from the strength that labor took. He had no way of knowing he was a father. Avella had told him as much though it changed nothing. It wasn’t exactly as if he had committed to only her… they’d had a tryst, and she’d flooded his mind… and he’d stay regardless of the parentage of her children.

He’d also do his duty. He couldn’t explain the way that he felt drawn to her. It was a mystery as old as time itself. He’d always been aloof to those around him, a smooth talker of many woman but none usually affected him. He placed the rabbit near the den and backed away quickly... and yet, he was not the only one to bring such a gift. Barred fangs from another caused his eyes to widen and further resulted in a speedy retreat. A safe distance would be kept as he waited for the results.

sorry baby girl but i can't tonight

The drought was clearly leaving its impact on the Ridge as Ruka slowly made her rounds along the edge of their domain, salmon tongue lolling dryly between slightly agape jaws. Ever since the day Avella was about to pop grew closer the tawny woman had noticed Scully's patrols have lessened in an attempt to be closer to his sibling's den of choosing should the need for him arise at any moment. It made sense, alas to pick up the extra work to ensure their borders remained secure for both mother and pups to be was the price Ruka was willing to pay to ease all their worries.

It was during her early morning patrol that the call finally went out. It was time.

Despite what energy the current drought had drained from the lithe woman, slender legs made haste to head towards the birthing den Avella had crawled herself into. She was one of the last to arrive, which came as no surprise since she figured she was probably the furthest out, pear green eyes surveying the scene. Scully took up sentry near the entrance of the den, teeth barred and ready to keep away anyone that wandered too close. Both Hagar and a newer member laid down a hare for the new mother before opting for a seat within a safe range of the Archer sibling's teeth.

Charcoal dusted ears splayed back submissively as Ruka approached closer with a low chuff, making her presence known to both pack members and the mother within the darkness of the den should she need her assistance, but settling for a shady spot under a nearby willow to recover from the exhausting jaunt over.

The first pup a girl had a dark coat that reminded her of many of the Archers in her family. Avella didn't think she should be surprised by it. Despite thinking that her pups would have paler coats. She didn't have much time. Her cleaning of the first pup was interrupted by more contractions. She clawed at the floor of the den from the pain. With each one she wasn't sure she was going to make it through but finally they stopped and a second puppy had entered the world. This one too was pulled to the place between her forelegs where she took care of making sure he was cleaned off. She smiled down at her two dark children before moving them to her stomach for their first meal.

Just as soon as she'd made sure her the first two were safe and sound she realized she wasn't done. It felt like the whole process was starting all over again. Thankfully it didn't last as long as the first two. A third puppy with a pale coat was ready to join his brother and sister. He too was quickly cleaned and placed next to his siblings.

When she was sure that three was all she was going to have she called weakly out to the wolves gathered. She'd become vaguely aware of them through out her struggle. "I'm fine and we have three new members to the pack."

Hagar was far from the only one to heed Avella's announcement, much to her brother's chagrin. He scowled at the newcomer, his sister's supposed beau whom Scully did not trust as far as he could throw him. The man's efforts to prove himself earnest had yet to sway him an inch, and when the pale coated wolf dared to draw close enough to place a hare he reacted with loud warning barks. It was the only chance he would get, despite his properly skittering away. If he tried to draw near before Scully allowed it again, he would strike.

To make this point, he waited for Camden to look his way again before pointedly mule-kicking the gifted carcass. It flew up into the air and landed yards away from them all.

Kaeruka's presence alone managed to soothe his ire. If it wouldn't have meant leaving his post at the mouth of the den, he would have approached and properly greeted the woman who as of late had been the apple of his eye. Instead, all he could do was growl a soft greeting, and then wait.

He didn't relax until he heard his sister's voice, assuring her wellbeing and announcing the end of her labor. Scully's ears jumped up and he turned to crouch down and poke his nose into the den's mouth, hoping she would allow it.

"You're good? How do you feel, do you need anything?"

(This post was last modified: Jun 09, 2022, 03:31 AM by Hagar.)

Hagar watched as the pack's newest member chose to promptly deposit his gift, mildly curious as to why he did not read and heed his superior's body language. Perhaps his home was different from the Lore, as his own had been, and he was not used to others being so aggressive. Given the time spent with the Archer sibling, he personally was not at all surprised by Scully's reaction.

He settled his chin upon his outstretched forelimbs, and waited with all the patience he could muster. The wolf did not know what prayer was, but each second was spent hoping dearly for the wellbeing of Avella and her litter.

When Scully shifted and turned his backs to them, Hagar jumped back onto his own paws. His ears pressed forward to listen as closely as he could manage, taking a few careful strides closer. From what he could tell, Scully did not seem alarmed, but he couldn't know anything for certain until he was told.

There was a sense of hostility that Camden felt unwarranted, causing caution in his eyes though he didn’t dare try to lash back. He figured it was a sibling bond because he truly did not recognize the language that had warned him off. He figured the brief deposit simply would have been enough given his quick retreat. He knew that Avella was close with her brother solely by the way she had spoken of him. He watched as the food that he had brought as an offering had been thrown yards from them. He got up patiently, selecting it, and moving back to his seat, keeping it close to once again offer when perhaps her brother got the stick out of his ass. It would take far more than that to scare him off.

He would prove it too.

He heard the voice of his Cher break through the den, announcing the birth of three new pups to the mix. Scully spoke, but Camden did not. He did not want to risk having his muzzle torn off or his throat torn out should the Archer man decide that he simply was not worthy enough for his sister. He would find time, once things settled, to speak with her. He imagined she had to be exhausted. Labor and birthing was such a tiring experience even if he had clearly never been through it at all.

sorry baby girl but i can't tonight

Body propped up against the slender trunk of a nearby willow, Ruka found relief in the shade its whisp-like branches offered while she silently observed her packmates with ears perked and tongue panting between parted jaws. It was with mild amusement the tawny woman watched the interaction between the silvered Archer and this newcomer who had clearly not dealt with the likes of Scully before. Pear green eyes watched the presented carcass go airborne, flip a bit and then come crashing down some yards away from the birthing den before Camden went to retrieve it for later. Ruka had to stifle a chuckle, but that didn't stop the corner of her inky lips from forming a small smirk.

Settling her head down upon her outstretched paws, the woman waited patiently for some form of update on how their matriarch was fairing in the hollowed den. The time ticked by and finally, an update was offered in the form of their leader's weakened voice announcing the arrival of three healthy pups to the world. At this, her tail began to thump against the earth, excited about what this meant for the pack.