Oak Tree Bend Because I only think of me

For Spie, unseasonal warm snap.

Naira would always put her own interests first. At first she thought the spring might pass her by, @Spieden's changing scent enough to keep her occupied with thoughts of children romping around, the stories she could tell them and the lazy summer afternoons she could spend teaching them of this, and that. The topic may have been glanced over with @Triell, the what ifs, and as the days dragged out she thought that would be all that would eventuate...

Then the days warmed up.

The uncharacteristic warm snap seemed to be just what she needed to get her motor running, the familiar itch and burn bringing a broad smile to her face. She would do this, but she would do it right. "Spieden?" she called out gently, expecting to find the other woman somewhere near the den. Unlike some others she was happy to embrace her condition. To own it. 

Her head might have been held a little high (to ease the ache lower down her spine and better catch any noise with her one good ear) but her tail rested easily between her heels, a small wave signally she had no interest in challenging the pregnant leader at all. She could only hope the leader was somewhere nearby.

It was still just early enough for there to be some plausible doubt. Sure, she smelled a bit different, but the season had yet to fully pass at it was still easy enough to attribute to the usual fluctuations. In the back of her mind, somewhere in its furthest recesses, she knew she was kidding herself... But as far as she was concerned, she wasn't. She wasn't filled with thousands of little orange fish eggs, tiny eyes staring unblinkingly through each translucent case, despite what her nightmares insisted.

"Mmm?" Spieden hummed as she heard her name, scarred ears flicking as she looked up from the task she had busied herself with. The ground had softened with the warmer days, and with it some of the older bits that had been stored within the caches were starting to stink. Of course eating them was always an option... But following the bouts of puking her guts out she was much more hesitant than was typical about eating anything that wasn't so fresh. Instead she was pulling out anything overtly spoiled to be left for the crows.

Shoving a scrap of salmon skin that must have been from last fall into the growing pile of bird food, she turned away from her work. Finding Naira not far away she looked the tawny woman over, wondering if something were the matter. "What is it?" She asked bluntly, figuring that nobody ever sought her out just to chat.  If anything, the older woman looked like a million bucks, while in constrast Spieden pretty much felt like the pile of rotten meat she'd just unearthed. The Coho woman's tail hung loosely, broad shoulders slumped, obviously not getting as much sleep as she should be; she looked and felt it.

Oh dear, it seemed pregnancy didn't agree with their lady leader at all. She did well to contain the chuckle that wanted to escape from her mouth, instead barely the ghost of a smile passed her face as she moved closer to help @Spieden with her nesting. "I have some ginger stashed away if you want it. Sweetgrass works better for some but we won't see that for a few weeks yet..." She hadn't gone so far as to openly broadcast her knowledge of herbs, and it could be passed off as something as simple as prior experience - but she had spent a large portion of her time gathering and storing what she could before the snows set in, and her own personal stash had been carefully ferried within the borders with her acceptance just in case.

But she hadn't come here to toe around Spieden's pregnant state, she had come with a request regarding her own. "I'm sure its obvious by now I have... history with @Triell..." Hell she was sure even a blind wolf could see it. "I wouldn't expect you to tolerate the suggestion after last time, but were anything to happen, I would like to stay close, for his sake..." she didn't expect the pack to shelter or provide for them, she was happy to do this alone if she must. "I've done the fugitive thing before," she admitted, trying to make a joke of her request, "It doesn't suit me."

Spieden inwardly winced, did everyone know she'd been puking up a storm? Aponi had already offered her some of the plant, but some nearby sure sounded a lot more convenient. Thankfully Naira moved on, getting to the point in bringing up Triell. Sure, it had never been explicitly spelled out, but the amount of time the two spent together privately really pushed the bounds of simple "friendship".

"I'm sure you know, Sahalie and Drift aren't mine." She said, whether or not Naira had been around to meet the Stormwright woman in her brief return, Spieden couldn't remember. But it was probably clear enough that those kids weren't really hers. And as much as she loved them for the world, the path there had been a painful ordeal. In fact she could just imagine it, Triell's lover getting eaten by a cougar alone out in the wilderness and him bringing home a bundle of cubs she'd have no choice but to care for once they were in front of her.

"That said, I don't really give a shit. Stay, go, whatever floats your boat. But if you're gonna run off into the sunset just take whatever you make with you." Spieden grumbled. And what difference did it make, really? As long as nobody thought pushing out a litter made them royalty did it really matter? And when it came down to it, Triell's litter had much more a right to be here than a yellow-eyed stranger's did. Not that there were going to be any. Nope nope nope. Her nostrils fluttered as she shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought. "I'm not really into the one woman orphanage thing." 

A complacent nod was given to acknowledge the children weren't @Spiedens. She had gone with @Triell in an attempt to retrieve their mother, although all evidence pointed to a lack of desire to be found on Nayeli's part. "I was close by, before they were born, and I believe their mother vanished shortly after my acceptance." The timing was unfortunate, her ability to escape suspicion was not, besides, who other than Triell would think she might have a motive to get rid of her? Or the ability to do so? It had all wound up rather tidy for her. She had taken it as a sign.

As Spieden went on to declare these orphanage doors closed, Naira laughed, an easy sound intended to lift the woman's mood. "Oh trust me dear, I've been there before. It's harder to turn them away when its your own dragging them home." Although she had to admit none of her own had nearly so prolific as @Sahalie, her charity was never returned with anything profitable for herself or the pack that took them in. She could only hope things turned out better here than they had for her. 

"No, you don't need to worry about me running off anywhere. I'm sure Triell would catch me before I reached the borders."

Spieden nodded, the memory of Naira's entrance to the pack finally having some words to root to. Though Naira joked lightly, Spieden wasn't much in the mood for laughing with all that was going on in her internal thoughts. And truly it took quite a few bad apples to draw a chuckle from the surly woman, though her tail did swish a few beats. In what circumstances the older female had ended up in the same situation, Spieden did not know and could only imagine. 

"Sure, sure," Spieden said as Naira assured her she would be making no sudden disappearances. "Besides, it's not like I can really tell Triell he can't have pups." Its not like ther would be any otherwise, perhaps cubs would give them something for the pack to look forward to... Just as long as Spieden didn't have to be the one to take care of them again.

She appreciated that Naira had the courtesy to ask at least. Sometimes she wasn't sure if others saw her as a leader as much as a permanent substitute for the real thing. She supposed her lack of charisma didn't seem to do her any favors. "But if you need a blessing, you have it."

Crappy ending post is crappy but just so this is off the threadlog

She smiled easily when Spieden gave her blessing, head dipping low for just a moment before she realised the poor woman must still be in relative agony. "Oh I'll go get that ginger for you shall I?" she offered, realising her tone was probably disgustingly upbeat for someone in such a sorry state. She would need to find some way to make the time pass easier for the leading lady. It didn't even cross her mind that she might not know exactly what was happening, and growing within her.