Silent Moon Plateau back here again

Only @Phineas would be allowed in the den, but she might let @Hypatia near if she really wants to.

May 5th, 5:10pm, Clear Skies 44F/6C

It hadn't been a pleasant day for Aponi to say the least. The morning had been marred with her increased irritability, she was angry at everything and anything. The sun was too bright, the caches were too far, nothing could please the woman. So she had stayed inside of the small stone cave she had chosen as her den, mumbling to herself in annoyance. A few hours after she had awoken her stomach had churned in a way that it hadn't since the beginning of her pregnancy. Escaping from her den and behind a nearby boulder just in time the Aquila retched up her stomach's contents, and continued to do so on and off for the rest of the day.

Then the pain had began, stabbing into her sides with enough force that Aponi couldn't help but cry out as waves upon waves of it rolled over her. Her whole silver body shook in convulsions as she tried fight through another stab at her side, black spots swimming in her eyes. Gasping for air the woman had no idea what to do, surely something had to be wrong, nothing could hurt this much if it wasn't wrong. Then it was over, a small bundle fell from her and lay on the stone by her bottom.

For a moment Aponi just stared at it, all of that for only one pup and why was it just laying there not doing anything? It was by accident that she figured out what to do, in an attempt to prod it to move the Aquila had licked her child and finding that this worked she cleaned the rest of the fur as well. Luckily for her the pup knew what to do and began squirming forward until it reached her belly and latched on. Aponi flinched at the contact, what the hell was it doing? And now what was she supposed to do with it?

He checked upon Aponi frequently -- but perhaps not as frequently as an expecting father should have. In truth, he was uncertain what to do about the situation, or even how to explain it to his three remaining children. She was growing quickly, and Aesire had already given birth to her pups not few days before. Yet something was in the air, and with a nervous hesitance, the ivory male finally lumbered to the den Aponi had settled on for herself, noting that the fresh scent of birth filtered through the air.

He pulled back for a moment, his eyes stealing to the entrance of the den as if waiting for her to emerge, unable to handle motherhood in the way Borlla had. He even expected Desdemona to have handled it better than her -- and he cringed within, wondering what it was he would find once his paws seen fit to finally move him forward once more.

So he closed the distance between them, his snout swinging in to the darkness of the den as his eyes sought out her lithe form. "Aponi?" It was a belated call to her name, given he had already intruded, and as his gaze focused, he found her upon the floor of the den, nursing what appeared to be only one pup. Somehow, with only one there, it seemed easier to handle. "Do you need anything?" He was careful with his words, though his eyes trailed over the small, honeyed form that suckled at her new mother fiercely -- could she truly be of his blood, and not another man's?

It had taken a few minutes of getting used to, but eventually the suckling feeling at her stomach didn't seem so bad, the noise was even kind of soothing. As the blue eyes stared at the pup at her side Aponi could think of only one thing, Datura. How was it that her child looked so much like the brother that she barely knew? The brother that had been so quick to abandon them on multiple occasions to fulfil his own selfish needs. It was then that the Aquila realized that she didn't even know whether the pup was a girl or a boy, perhaps she had unwittingly given birth to her brother's reincarnate. That is if the bastard had died and dared to show his soul around her.

Fumbling awkwardly Aponi used her nose to roll the honey thing over,  completely ignoring the way it wailed in protest of being flipped. Not really knowing what she was looking for she assumed it was a female, it looked much closer to her anatomy then any of the males she had met, even if it was so small it was hard to tell. Suddenly the new mother felt closer to her only born, swearing she would treat it better than her mother had treated her. While this bundle had been.... a surprise and certainly wasn't going to change her personality towards the world or slight her plans for leadership... maybe she could have both.

Suddenly with the sound of approaching paw steps Aponi nudged the girl back to her stomach, she didn't want Phineas to see it flipped on its back. Suddenly his ghostly head was inside of her den and the mother felt a twinge of protectiveness when he saw how he looked on their child. Wrapping her silver tail overtop of the girl she hedged, "No." The blue eyes were wary as she stared upon the male, he knew he thought of this child as lesser than his others, but Aponi would raise her to prove him wrong. Her daughter was an Aquila by blood, and they were second to no one.

She was defiant -- distant, from their last conversation, and rightfully so. It was a perfect out for him.. he could have turned then, skipping off to settle in the den with his other children.. but as his eyes veered from her beautiful blue gaze to witness their sole child, he knew that despite his reservations and guilt.. he could never turn his back upon either of them. Ace and Aesire's reactions were unknown as of yet -- and they would have a bit of time before that conversation unfolded.. but he found he cared less and less what they thought. This was his pack and none of his children would want for nothing. Of that he was sure.

But Aponi was cold, and as he stood at the entrance to her den, the regal did not lower his muzzle, though his eyes did soften. "May I come in?" If she desired nothing more than to be alone, he would grant her that wish.. but if she was willing to bury her indifferent feelings of his uncertainty, then the ivory male would be content to meet his newest daughter.. one who might not be accepted by his previous brood.. and one that might not have been born of mateship, but one who bore his blood nonetheless.. and who would be loved no less.

His eyes had begun to adjust to the dark. The pup was snuggled in to the warmth of the silver she-wolf's belly, and for a stolen moment, he allowed his worry of Aponi threatening to steal the crown from his children's heads drift.. for now, he was content to be in this moment.. if she would let him.

Aponi saw the way that Phineas' eyes softened when he looked on the pup and couldn't help the jealousy that twisted in her gut. She wanted to clutch her daughter to her breast and keep her all to herself, she couldn't possibly need more than a good mother could she? Her own jealousy and spite almost caused her to turn the man away, send them from their entrance and request he not come back unless she called. Raising her muzzle ready to defy the Argyris man's request she was halted by a sudden squeaking at her side as the honey pup released her teat. The blue gaze flickered down to her sole child as she squirmed in closer to the warmth of her belly with a yawn.

Begrudgingly she murmured, "You may come in." Her daughter was more important than her own feelings of resentment towards the ghostly man, for perhaps the first time Aponi was putting someone before her.  When she had realized that she was pregnant and confronted the man she had sworn that her daughter should be given the best of everything possible and that included a father. The silver girl would never admit anything out loud but she knew from her own experience that one hands on parent would never be enough, the child would always crave the attention of the other. Mapplethorpe had done everything he could to be a good father and all Aponi had ever wanted was her mother's approval and now her father was dead and her mother gone.  Her daughter deserved more than that.

The silver she-wolf consented – and hesitating for only a second, the large man brushed lower, squeezing his way partly in to the den. He blinked, allowing his eyes to grow accustom to the light. Nestled at her side was but one pup – her fur the color of silken honey and cinnamon. A darker strip painted down her spine, and he stared at her curiously – it felt so long ago that Takis, Celandine and Evy had been that size.. nestled against Borlla. The memory hurt.

“She’s beautiful,” he spoke then, his voice hushed, despite the fact that the pups ears were not yet open and she could hear nothing. Tentatively, his nose tipped out to brush at Aponi’s cheek, his own sad attempt at trying to push past the barrier that had risen between two parents that were now thrust in the scenario before him. If she could not stand him, how was he going to help her raise his child? Or protect either of them from even his own children?

“What will you name her?” He did not believe she would give him the right to help pick a name, and so he questioned her instead, his gaze drifting back to the small bundle of fur that had suddenly come in to their lives. He had never thought to have another child.. and yet there she was – a great possibility that his blood ran through her veins. Such was easier to accept now – she was certainly a sight to see.

He would soon come to find out that Kyna was their daughters intended name, and Phineas only offered his approval, knowing that mattered little to Aponi one way or another as she continued to be angry with him. After a few more moments of quiet talk, the ivory wolf excused himself -- Aponi needed rest, and he kenw his presence was unwelcome. Settling just outside the den, the wolf kept watch over the next chapter of his life, though his chest ached at the thought of how much it had hurt his other children.

(This post was last modified: Sep 25, 2015, 01:59 PM by Phineas.)