Magnolia Glen lions walk with lions

She would have thought that, after that first experience, it would have been a piece of cake the second time around. Oh, was Borlla wrong. While she had an idea of the process, she had no real idea of what things would start, or how many puppies waited within her. They'd been active little scoundrels over the last few days, something she was glad for. Although the constant kicking against her ribs was something she wished would stop. It never ceased to be a very surreal experience, the feeling of things moving inside of you, constantly shifting and growing, and then begging to be freed.

The woman paced at the mouth of her birthing den, trying to alleviate the dull pain growing in her lower half. It was a warning of what was to come, that much she knew. As she paced, her lips occasionally pulled back and she bared her teeth, seething at the pain that sometimes intensified for a mere second, a flash of lightning in a storm. An angry snarl grew in her chest and she paused, taking a deep breath. No, it was fine. Of course it was. Nothing was---A sudden long-lasting wave of agony bloomed somewhere inside of her, and she doubled over, yelping in surprise more than pain. Walking wouldn't do any good now. They were coming, oh god, they were coming. Her heartbeat began to pick up as she lowered herself into her den, and it took all of her power to calm herself.

Though no expert in this, she had still done this once before, so would not let herself be overcome with anxiety. It was at this moment that she missed @Eek terribly. The medic certainly would have come in handy with these labor pains. Borlla laid out on her side, eyes squeezed shut, evening out her breaths. Her muscles twitched beneath her pelt and her lower half visibly contorted as the process began. The woman began to strain, trying to focus on the aftermath, rather than the present. Maybe if she tried very hard the pain would go away...Another contraction, then another, in quick succession, told her otherwise. A shrill whine leaked from her jaws as she pawed aggressively at the ground. Her muscles tightened and suddenly loosened as the first child was expelled. Borlla quietly realized that light had flooded the den now, and that she had been writhing in acute pain for quite some time. All for one pup. But as her muscles worked away again, she knew there would be more. For the time being, while she had a moment to breath, the woman pulled herself around to the bundle, eying the child with clearly black fur.

Her heart thumped in her chest as the little girl reminded her of Triell, the brother she had scorned. But a tiny smile grew upon her muzzle as she began to lick away the sac and mess, bringing the girl to life.

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It was an innate sense that something had changed within his lands. The ivory regal had spent the majority of his days scouting the surrounding areas for prey, and contemplating the tantalizing prospect of a pack hunt. Of course, with cubs on the way, his days were also primarily spent catching smaller, more feasible meals for his mate – primarily because the only other adult within his ranks that he trusted was @Zia. He and Borlla had not spoken much since the brief altercation, but that did not mean he would allow her to go through her pregnancy without any form of support he could grant her.

As his paws loped in the direction of the den, he heard the sharp yelp of pain – feeling his own contraction of panic as it sluiced through his chest and straight to his heart. Borlla. Any form of mistrust and hesitation he felt for his creamy mate evaporated in that very instant, and jetting forward, the long limbs of the beast thrummed the mossy grounds of his haven as he sought her out.

She had moved by the time he came to the den mouth, and as concerned eyes of fiery orange glanced sharply at the entrance, as he neared, he could smell the very familiar scent of birthing and blood. A low whine escaped him then, assuring her of his presence, though knowing she would likely not accept him within the smaller confines they had dug out for their children. Sinking down to the ground, the Leader awaited the process, a worried huff escaping him before his eyes drifted back to the clearing, guarding the den from any unwanted presence as Borlla introduced their newest to the world.

With the first little girl cleaned and nursing, Borlla let herself relax, though her lower half continued to throb, warning her of impending unpleasantness. She wallowed in the silence, but only for a moment. The whine of her mate startled the woman, and she held her breath for a moment, frowning. The same thoughts that had been bothering her for weeks threatened to rear their ugly heads again. But she could provide little reaction before being racked with pain again, a shrill whine consuming the space around her, filling her ears. This child proved somewhat more difficult than its sister, and Borlla growled quietly, finally glad when another life came into the world. The boy did not have the luxury, quite yet, of having his mother clean him, for the moment she moved to sit up, a final, rather abrupt contraction caused her to nearly roar before the final child left its mother breathless.

Though quite tired, she found the pain gradually subsiding as the process came to a close, leaving Borlla with three small bundles. As the dark child was already hard at work eating, she cleaned the remaining two, both white. Though the second-born, a boy, was visibly larger than the last born, a girl. She nosed them quietly towards her belly so she could lie down again. "You can come in now, if you want." Borlla said quietly, nose pointed towards the mouth of the den, honeyed eyes finding faint traces of white beyond. She was also glad to see light further beyond that. Something about the thought of her children being born at night unsettled the woman.

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It seemed eerily familiar – he had stalked outside of the den the last birthing then as well, and yet things had so drastically changed from now since the beginning of the Glen. Promise had lingered along every stone within their home, and their ranks had swelled with a loyalty he had trusted above and beyond even his own family – Inkheart, Ataneq, Lucero. And yet they were gone now.. leaving Magnolia Glen as a pack of strangers with broken memories as one of their cubs lay dead in the winter snow.

Borlla’s voice broke his reveries, and as his ears slid forward in anticipation, he paused a moment. The last time he had crept forward to witness such a thing, his son had been birthed with only three legs – a fate that likely had contributed to his swift death in the snow. While he expected this litter would be healthier, it was nearly impossible to tell.. Phineas had coaxed Borlla across the mountain, heavy with pups, and they had suffered the consequences. This year, there had been little food, and the ivory she-wolf’s health had been down.. who knew what fate had in store for them.

Slipping closer to the ground then, Phineas inched forward, his muzzle poking in through the entrance and his eyes blinking as they adjusted to the darkness that swam before him. Peering within, Borlla’s figure stood out in contrast to the dark walls.. and curled around her were three seemingly healthy pups. No words found their way to his muzzle.. instead, only a crooning growl escaped him as he made to lay down closer to the ground, staring on in silent awe.

The woman was quietly thankful that nothing hindered their children this spring. Though the winter had been harsh, three healthy puppies were nestled at her breast. They were happy, and seemed quite hungry, and that was really all Borlla could ask for. Maybe this was a sign that life would look up for them again. Everything would fall back into place. There were faces that they would never see again, of course, but that didn't mean that they would forever be stuck in a cycle of loss. The tip of her tail twitched thoughtfully as she laid her head down, tired eyes watching the mouth of the den. A silence had fallen, though she knew he was still there, and she wondered what he was thinking about.

As his own pale figure appear, inching forward in the space, she watched him. Her heart seemed to beat faster knowing that there was still tension between them, and yet she knew that he wouldn't hurt them. Of course not. Borlla lifted her head from the earth, and let out a slow sigh, a slight smile creeping up her muzzle at his sounds. There would be time to speak later. For now, the woman let herself, let all of them, enjoy the silence. As though it was some illusion of peace. Though outside lurked wolves who were practically strangers to her, in this den, everything was fine and exactly as it ought to be. Borlla embraced that and she was tempted to never let it go.

(This post was last modified: Jun 15, 2014, 02:30 PM by Borlla.)

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While he was unwilling to break the silence, his eyes drifted upward, regarding her as a slow smile crept to her features. Borlla was stunning – even when he was mad at her, she still clenched at his heart. He made no movement to come forward and inspect them anymore than he had – he would respect her space, knowing his presence alone added an age old tension to the air that surpassed their current issues.

What will we name them? The question came out as a silent rumble, loathe to disrupt the quiet and potentially distract the three babes from their current peace. They could not hear yet, but they could sense disruptions in their environment.. and for the simple fact that they did not know him yet, he could certainly be defined as that.

His muzzle rested upon his paws then, his fiery gaze seeking them out once more. Two pale ivory coats and one of black. They were beautiful, though they would continue to change constantly over the next few months. Already he wondered what they would be like – headstrong and stubborn like their mother, or silent and domineering like their father. These thoughts soon strayed as he considered names himself, eliciting a small smile as he tipped his nose in the direction of the pale girl. Celandine, after the blossoms that used to blanket the meadow of my birth pack? The suggestion was one he knew his brothers would have appreciated, despite that he was not on speaking terms with any of them.

Borlla seemed compliant to this -- and as moments passed, Takis and Evy were graced with their names as well. Fatigue would surely settle upon them though, and with a quiet sweep of his eyes, the ivory regal pushed himself away from the den, allowing his family to rest.

(This post was last modified: Aug 13, 2014, 08:42 PM by Phineas.)