Fallen Tree Cove Northern Downpour

 @Vespertio @Neha @Kajika @Cernan @Aleister @Nathaniel @Moonshadow Namid will not be allowing anyone besides Vesper in for the first post or two. Make sure to frequently mention the weather in your posts so that you can claim lp for both pack and an RE!

The day had been dreary at best, muggy to the point that the chubby mother could have sworn she had taken a dip in the lake with the sweat that perspired beneath her pale pelt. The thought of actually taking a dip in the lake, however, appealed greatly to Namid and thus she had risen from her preening of the birthing den to do just that. Taking the path down from the outlook where the den was formed, she paused at the edge to look up at the sky. Clouds colored in dark grey rolled and rumbled threateningly, but she was no stranger to the harsh storms that battered the mountain home they lived in. She had become adept at judging the amount of time she had before it would beat down upon them, and decided that a quick dip would do her just fine.

Stepping into the flipping tides, she waded in until she was roughly stomach deep before gently lowering herself. Her swollen belly rubbed against the soaked sand, and one of the pups gave a sharp kick to the tickling. She winced briefly then chuckled, having grown used to the active little devils’ antics. These ones had shown more movement than her previous litter, leaving her regularly with bruised and tender sides. Namid supposed it was only natural that she didn’t get a break, that if there wasn’t the awful sickness that she had had before that perhaps the kicking was the alternative. Still, as she had done before she would gladly take the beating in return for the beautiful gift they bestowed.

However, what was most unusual was the sudden, sharp pain that clenched her abdomen.

Yes, over the past week she’d started having some contractions which she saw as normal from her previous pregnancy. She’d brushed them off, biting her tongue and continuing with her business as usual. But they had been more of a dull ache, like a cramping, rather than the lance that had just perforated her stomach. Suddenly, a bright white flash lit up the world and a boom that shook her core startled her from her soaking. Mismatched gaze flew back up to the sky as wind began to pick up, pushing the waves higher and harder against her. The storm was progressing faster than she had anticipated.

Then the rain began.

It was like the entire atmosphere had opened up, a dotting of a sprinkle for what was almost a mere second, then a torrential downpour. It came in sheets, whipping at her body like biting fire ants. Her eyes stung, and she staggered onto the bank fighting against the buffeting winds. Nature was roaring. Shelter, she needed it as quickly as possible. Moving at a lope, her breathing labored, she stumbled as another pain clenched her body and she knew in that moment it was no ordinary contraction. They were coming. Namid cursed.

She lifted her muzzle and howled, praying that the crackling thunder and wind wouldn’t carry off her cry into the distance. Then, she began to make her way up the stony path to the birthing den. It was slick, covered in a waterfall of water that cascaded down the smoothly eroded surface. Perhaps her pace was too quick, too frantic, for in a second even her expert grip was lost and she was falling down onto the cold stone. Panic caused her to throw her weight sideways at the last second to avoid landing a full, heavy blow onto her stomach. Her head bounced, vision going hazy for a moment and she tasted metal in her mouth. Blood, her blood. Pulling herself unsteadily to her feet, she wobbled and stilled, breathing heavily but pushing herself forward. The contractions quickened, and she knew she was too close for comfort to the first birth.

As soon as her paws hit the pine covered floor, she was at a labored jog, loping to the den with flickering consciousness held together by her willpower. No doubt she had a concussion, she registered faintly. As the world grew bright again, she collapsed into the birthing den glad to be out of the horrible weather but worried deeply for her young. She curled in on herself, lifting her tail and peering with a whine and a wince. Her abdomen clenched, her teeth gritted, and a grunt left her jaws as she gave a snorting push. Then, out came the first. Her tongue flew out to lap at the sack, breaking its surface and cleaning the pup until it gave a squeak. Her breath released and she nudged it to her teat, sniffing and checking. A tired smile grew on her face as she realized that Neha wouldn’t be the only princess of their family anymore. My, she wondered how that would brood with her. Things were far from over, this much she knew, so the queen hunkered down for the long fight as more contractions hit.

Resources by freepik.com, table by Kydnt

(This post was last modified: May 03, 2016, 02:30 AM by Namid.)

Mother nature was an unpredictable being and today proved that more so than ever. The day had started out normal enough despite the muggy temperature and the possible chance of an oncoming shower as the lakeside patriarch began his daily routine following the first rays of morning light, his paws carrying him around the boarder of his estate to repair any holes in its foundation. Only when he had nearly completed a full rotation did the weather take a major trip to hell. Crack, the sound of a snapped tree branch overhead groaned in the wake of a flash of white that seemed to blind the world before crashing just a few feet off from where Vespertio stood, a thunderous boom following suit shortly after forcing the male's russet ears to pin firmly back.

Then it was the blistering winds that picked up and tugged at the tufts of his fur this way and that like a child playing tug-o-war with their sibling, the rain starting as a gentle sprinkle at first. Vespertio had hardly a second to blink before the quiet speckling of early rain drops manifested into an outright downpour, soaking his frame to the core in mere minutes. Another round of thunder and lightning lit up the darkening sky above, golden gaze cast skyward to watch the white hot bolt streak angrily across the stormy clouds while the wind wailed and moaned around him. The storm was here and apparently the king of the lake wasn't the only one caught in its slick grip.

By a stroke of pure luck did Vespertio hear the distressed call over the howling winds, paws instantly shifting their position to begin following the direction her voice had resonated from and by his guesstimate it seemed to be near the birthing den. Fuck, where the children on their way?! The Vuesain cursed under his breath as his pace quickened tenfold, lids squinting against the sheets of rain that stung like a swarm of angry wasp attacking his skin. After what seemed like ages he finally managed to reach the birthing den, a small sigh of relief washing over him as his molten gold gaze caught sight of his wife tucked safely inside for the most part before ears pricked forward hearing the soft mewling of his newest child nursing from its mother.

Cautiously the agouti male stepped inside, careful where his paws stepped as to avoid soaking the newborn cub with the drenched strands of his fur that gave off a near constant drip. Curling up behind Namid he offered was when he picked up on the scent of blood on his wife, a small worried wine escaping his lips as his tongue went to work cleaning the remnants of the crimson liquid from the corner of her mouth. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. The rain is relentless, but you're doing wonderful, m'dear." He encouraged, adorning her forehead with an affectionate kiss before his gaze dropped down to the nursing child at her teat. Immediately the same sensation he had felt the year prior washed over him, a grin slowly breaking out across his face despite the larruping horrid weather raging just outside the entrance.

Perusing the more villatic reaches of the pack's domain, Nathaniel had been a small distance away when Namid's call fought its way through the torrential rain to reach his ears. His typically calm heart clenched with a sudden wealth of dissonant feelings as his paws dutifully turned their course back inward to the heart of the pack land. Part of him was immediately worried about the matriarch's wellbeing as the storm battered the land; another piece of him was excited, acknowledging that he had enjoyed watching @Cernan and @Neha (and @Aleister when he was around) grow up far more than had been expected to. Yet also he felt bitter, and displaced, and none of this was anyone's fault but his own.

When he arrived, he could not know of the fall Namid had taken, and so felt a sense of relief in thinking that she had made it to the birthing den safely. Vespertio was already there, however, and Nathaniel did not greet either of them. Instead, he reclined outside of the entrance at a considerate distance. His shoulders hunched against the inclement weather, the wind and the rain that pounded against his skin despite the canopy above, a scowl slowly forming over his face. Absolutely he did not want to be hear, for many reasons more than what was obvious, but as the guardian he so loved to pretend to be, he had to stand guard.

 @Kajika @Neha @Moonshadow @Cernan feel free to jump in whenever!

Clenching and unclenching, clenching and unclenching, the cycle continued on for what seemed to be forever. Oh, how sore she would be for perhaps the next week or longer. It had surprised her the year prior how it had hurt to move after the labor, how she had hardly been able to stand but she supposed it was all natural. After all, birthing children was a very taxing ordeal and while it was all part of natural it still felt very…unnatural to her for some reason. The sound of pawsteps right outside the den made her tense, a growl rumbling from her throat and lips pulling up to reveal glistening fangs. It stilled, though, as the familiar cream muzzle of her husband poked into the entrance. A small whine for him, instead, replaced it and she lifted her chin to place a kiss against his. “Thank you, darling,” she sighed, following the trail of his gaze toward their first child. “It is a girl,” she remarked, a chuckle followed by a sharp wince escaping her. “I do wonder how Neha will feel about it.”

She wasn’t left to ponder on it long as a stronger, familiar tug came across her abdomen and she groaned, bearing down and pushing instinctively. A pressure fell across her, then came relief as another bundle came from her. Calmly reaching back to grab the newest, she paused her brows creasing. It looked…strange. Small, much smaller than even their tiny Neha had. The sack was also an off color, not the normal redish hue but instead an ominous black.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Quickly moving it to her she bit into the sack, blanching at the foul taste that came with it. Frantically she began licking at the child, rubbing its chest with her nose and prodding at its stomach trying to get anything, anything to come from it. She kept at this for what felt like an eternity, the intensity of her whines reaching a keening before tears began to prick at her eyes. No, no, no, not my baby, she cried in her mind. Her heart clenched, stricken to the point where her breath hitched. No heartbeat could be heard, and no sound came. The pup was still-born. “Oh, Ancestors, no,” she moaned, scooping what would have been their third boy to her chest and clinging for dear life. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, body shaking in grief over the life that could have been and the child she almost had. What had she done wrong? What had she done to cause this. Oh, how she would go back and change it in an instant. Oh, what had she done?

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Despite the mornings mugginess Kajika had gone about his normal routine hoping to get it all done before the weather broke. He was rather certain that it was going to rain that day by the look of the sky so it was only a matter of time. The question was just how much, that question was answered just as he was finishing up the border check that he’d been doing. He knew that he was some distance from the communal den when the first drops fell on his nose. That was his cue to head home but it was only moments later when the weather took a drastic turn for the worst. The rain began pelting him quickly soaking his coat through, thunder clashed all around him, and lighting flashed in the sky above him. Then just by a lucky chance he heard the faint distress call of his alpha.

Despite the weight of his drenched pelt he hurried toward the birthing den where he thought the call had come from. He didn’t know if the puppies were on the way or it was something else entirely but what he did know was that he should be there to support Namid as well as help to keep her safe if she was in fact having the pups. If it was something else he should be there to offer whatever help he could.

When he finally made it to the birthing den Nathaniel was outside looking rather miserable. Kajika offered a nod to the beta before he took up a position on the other side of the den. It was clear now that the pups were on the way, Kajika knew better than to enter the den at such a time. He sat back on his haunches hunches against the rain to wait for news about the pups.

(This post was last modified: Jun 09, 2016, 02:57 PM by Kajika.)

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Her injury had been healing nicely; the external wound had healed over leaving a pink fleshy scar and stood out against her midnight fur. The muscle underneath the scar however hadn’t fully healed. She could walk normal now but anything faster than that she had trouble with. Hunting small prey for the caches was out of the question so fishing had been her way to help fill them. With puppies on the way the yearling knew Namid would need as much food as possible. So with Kajika patrolling the borders the girl decided to do a bit of fishing. With spring here the ice on the lake was melted allowing easy access to the fish. The girl remembered her first lesson with Kajika the morning after she joined; showing him her technique and him showing her his in return. She was grateful to have a pack mate like him who was willing to be heuristic and also teach her the things she needed to know in order to best serve the pack.

Standing in the shallows the ebony girl waited for a sizable fish to swim by. Her silvery eyes locked on to a good one. Come closer she willed silently but was interrupted by the sound of thunder. The fish scattered and she cursed under her breath. Next came the pelting rain that stung her eyes. It was time to head back to the den. Her plans however would be again interrupted when a call rang through the trees. It took a moment for the voice to register due to the faintness of it but as soon as the girl realized it was Namid she headed to the birthing den as fast as she could go.

Finally reaching the den she could see Nathaniel standing guard to her left and Kajika sitting on the other side of the den to her right. Both had their backs turned to her so she was unable to greet them right away. She sat to the right of the den forming yet another wall of protection for Namid. She could hear Namid’s and Vespertio’s voiced within the den. Her tail wagged in happy anticipation for new puppies but was abruptly stopped when Namid’s cried reached her. Her ears flattened against her head – something had happened. She sat patiently waiting for Neha and Cernan to arrive or for Vespertio to emerge and inform them of what was going on.

He'd seen the storm coming. Dampness was a most unpleasant feeling; and while the chubby Vuesain had been warmer than he'd wished to be for most of the day, wet was not something he desired to add to the short list of discomforts. It had been unseasonably warm; though the young boy was hardly old enough to judge that. All that he knew was that the summer of his birth was indeed returning, as the older ones had said it would. Cernan wasn't quite sure how to feel about it; spring and even the previous fall had had temperatures more to his liking. 

Before the rain had even hit, he was on his way to the pack den. The prince might have gotten there sooner, had he not been determined to snatch up the little scampering vole he'd been hunting first. It was a small victory, and an even smaller meal, but at least the youth had managed to catch something. The hairy critter had been swallowed in only a couple bites. Thunder growled off in the distance, and he hastened back toward the center of their mountain home. The air suddenly shifted from still to gusting; rushing across his body as if it too was fleeing the incoming tempest. It certainly was many degrees cooler. Good, he thought, happy now that the climate would be more to his liking. It was the pattern of weather. 

Different than other times, was the way the rain appeared. There was a drop or two, and then the sky turned into water. Cernan kicked his legs into a gallop. The den was not far; and maybe he could lessen the amount of drenched he was inevitably going to be. Darnit. This was no ordinary storm. As he left the tree-line and entered the clearing around the shelter, the air pushed and shoved at him like an insistent sibling. Even with his larger frame, he staggered a little. This was the kind of weather that killed the giants, and brought them crashing to the forest floor; leaves and all. Fear nipped at his spine and he pressed on, shuffling desperately inside his rocky home. 

For once it was empty; all the adults had to be out patrolling or hunting or something. Even Draven was not present. It felt strange to be in here, with the world screaming outside and all of his pack mates out there somewhere. He hoped that it wasn't so bad where @Neha was. She'd been gone good few weeks now, and it was the longest he'd ever gone without his silver counterpart. He hoped she was getting the medicinal training she so wanted, at least. He missed her. Mama had to be holed up in her new den, he told himself. He only hoped the rest of them were headed here... A haunting sound worked its way through the rain and into the hollow structure. Cernan's ears pricked. Bit by bit his brain deciphered the sound, and when the realization hit, so did his skull and the ceiling. That IS Ma! 

Worries condensed inside him and shot adrenaline through his legs. The lake child scrambled forward, stumbling through the entrance and back out into the downpour. At least the call had come from somewhere near the den. Oh god oh god. He broke into a sprint as lightning and thunder hollered out their rage. The ground was already wet and slick, but no amount of fumbling lessened his resolve. He had to get to her, now. There was so much terror all around him, but it was unmatched by that within. The boy squinted against the falling water, lungs heaving by the time the small gathering of wolves appeared blearily ahead. His paws and underside were sprinkled with mud both from his haste and his numerous spills, and his short, partially shed summer coat was plastered to his sides.   

He took rushed note of those present; Nate, Moonshadow, Kajika, all just sitting there. He came to a skidding stop in the mud, golden eyes wide as the youngster searched their faces for one-second answers. Before a word could be uttered he pushed forward; padding up to the entrance and sticking his head in. He had to know everything was okay. The sound that met Cernan's cupped ears though, made the boy's heart fall through the earth. Crying. Mama was crying. His pulse sped rapidly as that desperate question pressed higher and higher in his throat. "What's going on, what's wrong?!" He begged, golden eyes wide in the darkness. Papa's scent was heavy inside, and in all likelihood his father was with her, but there was also the scent of blood. That blood would be normal to some degree during birth was a fact beyond the boy, and his voice betrayed the rising tidal-wave of panic. 

 

The proud father's thoughts were brushed aside as the voice of his wife filled his ears softly, golden gaze shifting from the suckling pup to the silvered face speckled with the sweat of her labor and the remnants of rain during her journey just trying to reach the birthing den. A daughter, another daughter had joined his growing family. At the mentioning of Neha a hushed chuckle of his own rumbled the confines of his burly chest wondering just how the formerly sole princess would take such news. Whatever thoughts ran freely across his mind, though, were short lived as another bundle freed itself from Namid's womb, the smile that naturally found its way on to his cream muzzle faltering at the sight he was met with.

It was all wrong and just that single glance was enough to solidify the agouti male's worst fears long before his wife investigated for herself. An ominous black sack lay near Namid's rump, the smell that wafted off the dark hued encasing entirely off from what he remembered during the birth of his first litter. His heart sank deeper into the pit of his stomach watching the frantic efforts of his wife prove fruitless in rousing something, anything from the pup that laid as still as stone under the caressing of her tongue. No motion, no cry to assure them it was alive and breathing. They had a stillborn. “Oh, Ancestors, no," He heard Namid moan, but the words were lost as his heart had already began to shatter into a million tiny fragments, his head lowering to nudge his nose against the lifeless form. A wine erupting from his drawn down lips transformed into a growl as the presence of another began to disturb the grieving parents, jaws snapping without a thought at empty air in warming until the blurred vision due to his own tears forming were cleared away with a few rapid blinks. "What's going on, what's wrong?!" Cernan.

Once more the growl that formerly continued to rumble against his chest faltered into a betraying whimper taking in the bulky face of his youngest son; or would have been his middle son had the child tucked against their mother's chest. It was only then that the patriarch had become aware of the presences lingering just outside the entrance, the stray gust of wind bringing forth the scents of Nathaniel, Kajika and Moonshadow. Instantly russet ears pinned firmly to the top of his skull, holding the gaze of his beloved son. What was he to say in that moment? Oh you just lost your younger brother, sorry? But then again he had a right to know, they needed to know. Casting a glance to his mate a supportive nudge was offered to her cheek before his tongue licked away the salty streams of tears, rising onto shaky limbs heavy like lead weights in his grief. "Come.." was all the male said as he gingerly manuvered toward the den's entrance, using the flatness of his head to guide Cernan back into the storm outside that now mirrored the one inside his heart. He had to inform the pack.

Time passed far too slowly, and Nathaniel's skin burned despite the icy rain falling upon it. His mind made leaps and bounds in every which direction, desperately trying to distract itself from what was happening within the den behind him. Unfortunately for the Coldheart, he couldn't lose himself completely, otherwise his being there in the first place would have been rendered useless. It was a cruel happenstance, but one he'd been willingly marching toward for a year now. For that, he deserved the torture.

Namid did not, however. She didn't deserve any grief, and when her lament crept up through the tunnel and into his ears, his heart sunk like a stone. Without thinking, the man was on his paws, body half curled around as he had half a mind to rush to her side. This would have been in every way a horrid idea, and so he exerted his self control and stiffly returned to his sentry position.

His gaze flicked forward as Kajika entered, having been too distracted to sense his coming. Moonshadow was directly behind him, and then Cernan rushed onto the scene. Once more his heart relinquished its usual place within his chest to bounce around and make him feel ill as the boy approached the den's entrance. Whatever had happened to his mother, Nathaniel wasn't sure he wanted the youth to witness it. That wasn't his place, however, and so he merely turned his head away.