Secret Falls Come down, come down sweet reverence

for Zia


May 13 2015, Mid-Morning, Light Breeze 66F/19C

Koda tagged as an fyi, cause he will be shown the den she ends up finding xD 

The nice weather was holding. It had been twenty-four hours since they had claimed the broken pines as their own and in that time the only thing to fall from the sky was bird shit.

As if on cue a bird cried out from somewhere above. Iopah slowed even further, belly swaying after she'd stopped and peered up at it. She was finally beginning to grow used to the near-constant sound of woodpeckers, but the massive trees still gave her pause every time she came up to one. There were just so huge! Even on their side, the tops stretched far over her head. If she hadn't been so pregnant, she might have been tempted to make a scrambling jump over them. Inexplicably, she found herself drawn to them anyways.

Every time she stopped, whether speaking with @Silentium or being distracted by not-quite-familiar sounds, she would drift to inspect the dark shadows under the trees. Iopah wasn't a timid wolf by nature, but found herself craving the close cramped spaces under the fallen trees. The other's were busy in their tasks of searching out suitable cache locations and marking the new borders, and Iopah tried to hide her increasing distraction.

Finally, she let herself fall behind the others; not leaving, but neither bothering to catch up with them. Her path turned away from the borders and away from the foot-paths being formed. She let out a deep sigh and felt her sides brush an alder shoot with the exhale. Something inside her rolled at the brief contact. Iopah's ears folded halfway and she turned to touch her muzzle to her belly, trying to communicate with her children that she knew and to be patient. She was looking.

"Speech."

(This post was last modified: May 18, 2015, 03:07 AM by Iopah.)

Zia had gotten up early this morning. Even with a brand new home all to themselves now, the newly formed pack still had much work that needed to be done. She was particularly intent on reinforcing the borders, to send out a clear message to any wannabe thieves, that this land was now strictly off limits. Her mate Inkheart, with his sturdy body, protective instincts and experience as a guardian, was probably already on the job though. It wasn't like he was the one carrying pups. Zia had more important business to attend to. Such as locating, and if necessary, carving up a safe birthing den for her pups. She swallowed anxiously as she glanced down at her swollen silver streaked sides. This was so different...thrilling yet nerve rattling all at once. How many pups did she have in there? When would they come? Were they healthy? Would they take after her, or their father? She sighed wistfully. Only time would tell. Her thoughts went to Iopah, the fearless, headstrong woman that was now her Leader. She did not know much about her at all, but there was still some sort of vibe she gave off, that Zia liked. She had even been kind enough to allow her and Inkheart, as parents to be, to join them in building this new pack. For that, the platinum coated wolf was grateful. Had it not been for their generosity, she and Inkheart would have been hard pressed to make a living, or to find refuge in some other pack. Stepping carefully around the fallen trees, Zia could not help but let her blue eyes linger. From a distance hovering feet in the sky, or even here down on the ground, the sheer size of them was astonishing. They would make a fine playground or hiding place for the pups, once they were a bit older of course. Poking her head inside the hollowed out end of one great log, where it's gnarly roots tickled her ears, she inspected the interior critically. It was dry and spacious enough, that was for sure. What put this possible den out of the running was lack of depth and security. And most certainly, the potential for splinters. Oh no, miss Celencio would not have that at all, not with pups on board! Shuffling back to pull her head out, a flash of soft tan and ivory fur in the distance caught her eye. She grinned slightly...she knew that pelt anywhere. Iopah was out den hunting too. In this case, two heads would most definitely be better than one. With her assistance, perhaps she and Zia could locate their dens together. And with any luck, be in relatively close proximity to one another, should an emergency arise. Padding softly up to the female, paws crunching against pine needles gave away her approach. Sliding up to her right side, keeping in step, Zia chanced a delicate touch of her nose to an ear. "Any luck?" She asked simply, knowing Iopah would see what she was referring to.

Chunga-Stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: May 17, 2015, 01:35 AM by Zia.)

@Zia
Hiya fellow wolf mom! as a note the den she'll find has been described in her birthing thread

It only took that gentle touch to quiet her unborn children. Iopah lingered over her flanks a moment, listening quietly and breathing softly across the pale curves. The cream fur stirred, but the pups underneath remained peaceful. In moments like this the past lost all meaning. They were her children and they would always be worth it. She sighed wistfully and pulled her muzzle away, ducking her head to slip harmlessly under a thorn-crusted salmonberry. Despite the current quietness, she knew it wouldn't last.

Trailing the length of fallen cedar, she poked around the naturally-formed scoop where it's roots had pulled out of the earth. It was spacious and soft-floored, but much too exposed. Skin prickled at the idea of delivering in such a public den. She pulled away with a listening ear flick back to her flanks. They had been more active the past few days than ever before. It was no longer uncoordinated spinning and random kicks, but a distinct jostling for position. The search brought her to an open patch of forest. There were no fallen trees to block sight and the shrubs were too low to offer any shelter yet. She caught sight of a narrow tunnel and ambled slowly towards it. The soft rustle made her tail lift in dominance and head swerve to see the guest. Zia drifted over to her, pace matching with such ease that Iopah never had to slow or veer as she stepped closer to the tunnel. Without much thought she moved to rest her muzzle firmly on Zia's shoulder in greeting, then dropped her head to inspect the dark tunnel.

It certainly seemed deep enough and unoccupied, but.... The alpha looked around the clearing again, grimacing at the stark openness and deciding nope. She shook her head at Zia's question and started to pad further into the forest. "I'm hoping I'll just know it when I find it, but... I've never done this before." Having reached the edge of the clearing, Iopah turned to glance at her companion. Likely Zia had as many questions as she did, but there had been little chance to talk before now. "What about you?" There was a certain relief in having some time away from Koda and Silentium and their constant hovering. There was another kind of relief in not having to pretend to have all the answers with Zia.

Cobalt eyes followed Iopah's gaze to the narrow tunnel she had spotted. A possible den site, but both of the females had reason to be picky. As a first time mother to be, Zia was nervous. And knowing Inkheart, and how protective he could be, he would want the den to be as secure as possible. The silver coated wolf accepted Iopah's greeting easily, taking her time to exchange a good natured, soft rub of her nose behind her ear. Letting their scents mingle, to further assure anyone else, ally or not, that they were comrades. "No such luck either...but I won't settle until I find a den today. Then I can get everything arranged and ready." It was quite clear that she was taking the safest route by planning ahead. Zia would not be caught unprepared when the big moment finally came.  Slipping past the gold and cream woman, she grimaced slightly, feeling a rather obvious kick from the cubs in her womb. Soon though, they settled back down, or at the very least, stopped kicking so hard. "I know what you mean..." She said, slowly picking her way ahead, glancing from side to side, or underneath a fallen tree. "...this is the first time I've gone through this myself." Grunting, she awkwardly and carefully stepped over another fallen tree, taking care not to let her swollen belly collide with the splintered wood. "I've loved pups all my life...but then as I grew older...particularly this year, I wanted my own. Someone....other than myself to look after." She said softly, glancing back with a soft, perhaps somewhat sheepish smile. Zia no longer wanted to come off as selfish in the eyes of others. By having children, her life would have new purpose. She also did not want to be forgotten, when she left this world, but that, she kept to herself. Five minutes later, of searching and scrutinizing, she finally spotted a site with promise. With clusters of dense foliage almost wrapped around it, one giant tree stood proudly. But it was the gnarly roots, snaking exposed through the surface of the earth, that got her attention. Apparently the tree must have suffered some sort of damage in a terrible storm, for some of the ground between the roots had collapsed in on itself, forming a small opening. Silver tail swishing hopefully, she padded forward, sticking her snout down inside for a careful sniff. It looked abandoned, but she still needed to double check, that some other creature had not made a home out of it. "...I may have got something here." She remarked, pulling her head away for a glance back at her Leader. If Iopah wanted to check it out, and possibly claim it for herself, Zia would yield and continue her search. But she really felt no air of competitiveness around her new...friend.

Chunga-Stock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

lemme know if the description doesn't make sense, lol I'll make a stick-figure diagram

Zia and Iopah ranged though the forest, letting their paths wander and veer as they searched. It was not the close physical contact that connected the two woman, rather the conversation that flowed as they searched together. Iopah's own soft agreements were added to the soft murmur and her own apprehensions were finally voiced. Zia, she knew, would understand her fears. What if something went wrong inside her children? What if something went wrong inside her? "I wish I'd paid more attention in the past...." Sometimes Iopah felt like she was just going along with what her body wanted.

Her unborn pups were moving again. Not kicking, but moving. It was like the movement of sand in an hourglass to her subconscious. Iopah veered away from Zia, purposely avoiding any but the other pregnant woman. No others would understand their primordial search and she had no patience for any of them now. Ears pitched back as the pale alpha backed out the wide space under a fallen tree. If it felt open now, how would she feel in the midst of delivering her helpless children? Not good, her huff sounded out in answer. She sighed and lifted her head in time to catch 'got something here'. Following the voice, Iopah drifted over to stand next to the silver woman and looked upon the den with her. The tunnel wound directly through the roots of a tree and Iopah immediately thought of her old den at the base of a tree back in the thicket. She couldn't bring herself to consider a spot that reminded her so much of a home that had clearly not wanted the pups in her belly. Zia was welcome to the den if she so wanted it. Leaving the silver woman to make a tedious inspection, Iopah circled around the tree. Her dark nose was stuck under the dense brush ever few steps. She wanted to make sure this den was safe for Zia, there could be no mistakes here. It was clear and she offered an encouraging smile coming back to the front of the tree again.

Expecting Zia would stay near the den, Iopah set out again. Her body followed the dense clusters of foliage as they lead away from the first den site. It felt good to be so sheltered and hidden, that she didn't notice the thorns for several minutes. She was used to them and it was easy to avoid injury, but she did pause to study the dense foliage nearest her. Peering through the tangle, she could see there was something on the other side of it. An loud woof was given in unrestrained excitement to Zia. Iopah was used to thorns after her time in the thicket, but it took delicacy to push enough aside for the two woman to slip through. The clearing was rather small and partially edged by a fallen cedar that extended beyond the thorny perimeter. Off to the side, shadowed by the fallen cedar, was a long-abandoned fox den.

"Speech."