Hearthwood River Safe and Sound

@Lorcan Pregnancy update: Expectant mothers may see a drastic change in their diet; she might have cravings for more higher energy, protein, and mineral-rich foods or she might have a decreased appetite 

Recently Inna had noticed that she her appetite was increasing which she assumed was part of having the tiny lives growing inside of her. With Lorcans contributions as well as those of their newest member who she had yet to meet Inna didn't feel so bad about taking food from the cache. It helped her to feel more comfortable eating a little more to take care of her children. She'd promised Lorcan she would take better care of herself so it was part of keeping that promise.

It was a strange development when she’d awoken and slipped out of the fox den she'd been staying in that she didn't feel particularly hungry at all. She wondered if that was part of her pregnancy. After having so many days when she'd been so hungry to not feel very hungry at all, she was a little worried but decided to wait it out. She didn't want to bother Lachesis or Lorcan if it was just another part of her condition.

After getting a drink of water from the river Inna had returned to her den and stretched out just outside the entrance to try and get a little more rest. The night hadn’t treated her so well with her sleep being filled with nightmares of all that could go wrong with her pups. Laying there with her eyes closed she hoped sleep would come a little easier then the previous night.

(This post was last modified: Apr 14, 2017, 09:54 AM by Inna.)

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Dark lashes fluttered open as a cold shiver ran down his spine which caused his thick fur to bristle. Blinking slowly, his golden gaze took a few moments to properly focus on the lightly falling snow which floated down from the heavens. A soft grunt of irritation was pushed past his charcoal lips as he shifted to place his tail over his frost covered nose. It seemed that winter was not quite ready to leave lands of the north just yet. A sudden gust of wind caused the branches of the tree which he chosen to shelter beneath to shudder and quickly sent a small pile of snow in his direction. Oomph!

Rising rather ungracefully to his paws, Lorcan gave his coat a thorough shake to rid himself of the snow that had been unexpectedly dumped upon him before glancing around, rather embarrassed. Thankfully no one had been around to witness his misfortune. He cringed just imagining it; the grin on Inna’s face if she had seen him. Russet ears pricked up then, suddenly growing curious of the whereabouts of the dark female. He hadn’t spoken to her since they had borders encountered Aytigin at the borders, not wanting to appear too attached the raven in front of her mother and Lachesis. 

Lifting his nose to the air, the agouti male promptly set about tracking her down. A part of him was apprehensive…who would he find her with? The memory of Aytigin’s flirtatious wink flashed up in his mind and all of a sudden Lorcan found himself striding into a faster lope. He eventually came across @Inna lounging half-in half-out of a den, one which was much too small to allow her to sleep comfortably. He approached her quietly, not wanting to startle her if she happened to be asleep. Standing over her, he lowered his muzzle down to nudge at her gently.

“Is this really where you’ve been sleeping this entire time?” He murmured, his tone a little judgmental. “I felt guilty leaving you to sleep in that old coyote den at Whitestone, but it looks like that was luxury compared to what you have here...” He added, a single brow raising as he took a few steps back to eye up her cramped sleeping quarters.

(This post was last modified: Apr 14, 2017, 03:56 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Since returning from the mountain with Alek her sleep had been uneasy, she could not get the image of Kjors body out if her mind and it often came into her dreams. Now that she was going to have pups her fear that something would go wrong filtered​ into her dreams more often. After Lorcan had expressed working too hard could harm her children it has become much worse. Then there were all the scenarios of what Alek might do, she worried that with him going after Lorcan his first day her brother hadn't and wouldn't let it go. She hoped that if they ever would be found out her mother would see how much better than Kjors Lorcan was and how much he meant to her that she wouldn't let Alek do anything to him. She feared that because she had broken pack law he would be taken from her and their children. Inna didn't know what she could do to stop that from happening, she loved Hearthwood and her family but she had a family with Lorcan too and she knew that if that happened she would have to choose.

She'd been left alone since the the day with Aytigin on the borders which she hadn't minded too much, sometimes she didn't like being around anyone even Lorcan. She supposed that too was part of her pregnancy but it had given her sometime to think. She kept coming back to the man's comments to her and how nice it had felt to be called beautiful. She couldn't recall another time when a man had said such things to her and she found it to be welcome especially when she had been feeling so badly about the wolf she'd become.

Inna wasn't stupid though, the wink, words, and smile might have made her feel a little better about herself but she wasn't one to fall for such demonstrations. Especially from a wolf who knew nothing about her. The loner wasn't the wolf she wanted to hear those words from but she supposed it would be a long time if she ever heard them from the one she did want to hear them from. Sleep had finally come to the ebony Baranski which she was grateful for. She didn't know exactly how long she'd been asleep when she felt the nudge.

Her eyes had only barely opened when he started on her about...Well it took her a moment to figure out exactly what it was he was on about but she finally realized it was the den she'd been staying in. “Well yes, where did you think I was sleeping?” She really wanted to hear this answer as she pulled herself into a sitting position and he didn't stop there. Her eyes narrowed as he went on about the coyote den he'd left her in when she'd stayed in Whitestone. “The size of the…” she stopped, she wasn't going to say what she had been thinking and instead changed what she was going to say. “It’s a den Lorcan what does it matter as long as I can get the rest I need?” Really she didn't see a problem with where she had chosen to stay while things with her family remained as they were.

(This post was last modified: Apr 14, 2017, 07:00 PM by Inna.)

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Stepping back, he watched as her lashes fluttered open at the sound of his voice. Apparently she had been sleeping, though Lorcan had no idea how Inna could possibly sleep in such cramped conditions. The den looked like it had been made for someone half her size, which maybe explained why the front portion of her body was sprawled outside the front of it. As he eyed up the small chamber with disapproval, Inna retorted with a sarcastic question, to which he raised a brow at. “Somewhere…larger.” He said bluntly, white brows knitting together as if to imply the obvious.

Lorcan watched as her deep orange eyes narrowed on him, a clear signal that she was not at all impressed by his opinion. Russet ears perked up as she began to spit back a response, but stopped. His head jerked forwards and tilted to the side in interest, intrigued to know what she had been about to say to him. There was a brief moment of silence between them then as @Inna paused to change her question.

Golden eyes widened and his ears pressed back against his head awkwardly when she finally shot a question back at him. “I don’t see how.” He retorted quickly in defence. “I mean look at it, it’s tiny, and you’re only going to get bigger..” Immediately he realised how insensitive he sounded and regretted every word. Golden eyes widened as he looked across to Inna and his tail curled up apologetically between his legs. “No, wait!” He barked desperately. “I didn’t mean—” He whined, crouching down low as he quickly moved towards her to try and seek out her forgiveness, salmon pink tongue licking anxiously at his mouth as he attempted to move in to nuzzle her.

(This post was last modified: Apr 14, 2017, 07:39 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

It had been a rough night for the Ebony Baranski and then when she had finally had the chance to get some sleep she feels a nudge. That was fine, it would have been a pleasant wake up and she would have found out who had done it, perhaps he brother or Kisla wanting to tell her that they were sorry and that everything was going to be okay. No such luck of course Inna knew she would have better chances of seeing a white deer first. Instead it was Lorcan and he wasn't happy about her sleeping arrangements it seemed. “Somewhere bigger like where? The communal den is it? Or perhaps you would like to dig it out for me and tell me to sleep there?” She threw back at his comment. Seriously had he not listened to a single thing she'd been telling him, Inna shook her head in annoyance.

Inna was relieved that she she hadn't said what she'd been thinking only a moment before but it was clear that Lorcan hadn't missed it. She knew she couldn't say it, not when she didn't know how he felt about her. Inna knew what it would cause between them, that was if he picked up on it at all. No it was best to keep that comment to herself for now at least. So instead she went with a question about the den, she didn't understand really. Being on her own she had slept in much worse this den she found to be comfortable even if she couldn't stretch out in it. Really who needed to be able to do that? Nevermind how he'd found her.

She saw his eyes widen and ears press back at her question which she felt to be a valid one, it wasn't the den that was the reason she didn't sleep most nights. Then it was her turn for her eyes to widen and her mouth opened as he spoke about her size, was he really serious? For a long moment she stood there stunned that he could say such a thing to her. Unable to form any kind of retort she listened as he tried to recover from his horrible mistake this was the last thing she needed. Finally though she found her voice, her ears pinned against her skull, “If you didn't mean it Lorcan then it wouldn't have been there to slip out. You helped make me this big. Would you have said that to your precious Piety?” She spat at him before she moved away from him. If he wouldn't of said it to a woman he had feelings for then why would he say it to one he didn't? Especially the mother of his children. Inna moved away from him turning her back to him to hide the single tear that showed just how much his comment had hurt her.

(This post was last modified: Apr 14, 2017, 08:54 PM by Inna.)

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Russet ears perked up at the sarcastic suggestions spat back by the raven haired female and his brows creased then, sensing her annoyance. “No..” He replied quietly as she mentioned the communal den. Lorcan wasn’t stupid, he had been listening when she has explained to him how uncomfortable she felt around her family. It made sense that she should want her own space, but, of all places why here? At her second suggestion the agouti male flicked his tail in consideration. She might not have been being serious, but honestly, that didn’t sound like a half bad idea. 

Lorcan tilted his head to one side, questioning her reasons for wanting to stay cooped up inside the tiny fox den. Okay, so she might have been able to rest inside there now but what about what she grew in size due to her pregnancy, or even, what about when she would need to accommodate a growing litter of pups as well as herself? That small den she was currently in was just too impractical for the long term and she deserved better, his pups deserved better. If she had been on her own in this then he would have had no say in where she slept or raised their pups, but she wasn’t. He was here to help her and Lorcan was determined to make Inna as comfortable as possible during her pregnancy.

He had tried to explain that to her. Except, the words which flowed from his mouth didn’t quite come out in the way had imagined them to. Immediately he felt guilty and regretted what he had said. It made him sound so insensitive. Whining apologetically, the agouti male crawled towards her, his tail tucked between his legs submissively as he tried to nuzzle her and beg forgiveness. Inna’s deep orange eyes had widened into an astonished glare and her mouth had gaped open, completely speechless. “Please, no, Inna. I’m sorry—” He whined, nuzzling desperately at her face. Inna was having none of it. Her ears pinned back and Lorcan’s golden gaze dropped to ground, awaiting inevitable outburst.

“If you didn't mean it Lorcan then it wouldn't have been there to slip out—” He squirmed uncomfortably then and pressed his body flatter to the ground in apology. “—You helped make me this big—” “I know..” He whined, glancing towards her, hoping to catch her gaze. “—Would you have said that to your precious Piety?” His skin turned cold. His eyes glazed over then and Inna turned away. 

Lorcan remained frozen for a moment, his golden eyes seemingly staring out at nothing as he suddenly fell silent—and for a few long moments, silence was the only thing that transpired between the pair of wolves. Then, after Lorcan had managed to collect the pieces of his shattered heart together, he slowly began to shift up and away. A fragile sigh left his lips as he backed away from the small fox den, leaving Inna there laying half-in half-out of it as he moved to stand a few metres away, his back faced towards her. He wouldn’t let her see the frown which creased his brow, not the subtle quivering of his lips, or the tears which now threatening to spill from his downcast stare. 

No, he would have not said that to his precious @Piety—because Piety, no doubt, would have been tucked up comfortably inside the large communal den alongside Wraith.  

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2017, 08:36 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

She'd let him take his liberties, telling her she needed to rest and make sure she ate, these were all reasonable. She knew he was right but the den… That was a whole other matter. He hadn't been in Hearthwood when she had decided she was going to stay there and she knew she would eventually need a bigger den. For him to act the way he had when all he had to do was ask like he actually had some sense in his head. However at least it seemed he hadn't thought she needed to be in the communal den, “Then where Lorcan? You weren't here when I picked this place and when I did I didn't know I was pregnant. I know I'm going to need a bigger den, you don't have to tell me that.” Her tone had calmed some. The flick of his tail as she mentioned digging out a den, “What was that about?” She question tilting her head, “And don’t you dare tell me nothing.” Or she just might have to throw him in the river.

Was she being childish about not staying in the communal den after what has transpired? Maybe she was and maybe she wasn't, Inna didn't really know. She had been upset the day she had decided to move to the fox den and everyday she found it harder to leave. Inna knew she was getting bigger, her sides had started to swell and soon she wouldn't be able to get into the den. The thing she liked most about it was it was quiet there, no wolves coming and going and no one that was angry with her. Inna didn't like seeing the looks of disappointment and shame even if she did deserve them. She didn't understand how Lorcan couldn't see why she would want to stay in the fox den when the communal den was just too much for her then. She was still trying to figure herself out after Alek had tore her down until she felt like a small, blind pup.

It seemed that Lorcan was on a roll because not only did he want to insult her choice in sleeping arrangements but now he had moved on to her. His attempts at trying to make up for it, his whines and nudges, the posture which he took and his apology were overshadowed but the anger that engulfed her. She was shocked beyond words that he could say something like that to her. That he could be so Insensitive to how she might be feeling about her condition, the fact that she was getting bigger and starting to walk funny and found it harder and harder to get comfortable. Then the words found her and she wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her, to let him know what he had done to her.

She let him know that the words should never had come into his mind or they wouldn't have been so easy to say. A reminder that he had been involved in making it so that she slowly grew larger every day and that she had not been alone in what was happening to her. Most importantly she pointed out that if he wouldn't say something like that to Piety why was he saying it to her. When she was done she turned from him because he didn't deserve to see the hurt that had crossed her features nor the tears streaming down her face.

Inna waited for the inevitable as he spoke words of how what he felt for Piety was different than how he felt for her. How he would defend a woman who had done what she had to him. She waited and waited as the tears continued to fall but she didn't turn to face him. When they didn't come Inna used her paw to wipe the fur of her face clean of the tears. She finally turned to find him with his back to her, had she succeeded in hurting him as he had her. Was he not going to say anything or was this the end, was he done with her finally had enough of her outbursts? She took a couple steps toward him still waiting on him to turn around and let her have it but still nothing.

“Is this what it's going to be then? We aren't going to speak?” She hadn't wanted to say anything to him and instead let him stew or brood or whatever he was going. However, she had to know what was going to happen.

(This post was last modified: Apr 15, 2017, 11:06 PM by Inna.)

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There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Russet ears pressed back against his head as Inna explained, more calmly now, how she had picked out the den long before she knew was expecting pups. She also pointed out to him that she was already aware that she would need to move out and find a bigger den eventually. Suddenly, he felt so stupid. “Okay, I’m sorry.” He responded awkwardly, his voice growing quiet as his golden eyes flicked down to one side to avoid her fiery gaze. 

For a moment he thought that their argument was over, but then Inna spotted the subtle flick of his tail and released her hormonal rage on him once more. His brow creased with a frown as he glanced back up to the raven haired female, his golden eyes narrowing at the sharp tone of her voice. “I was just thinking that maybe that isn’t a bad idea.” He replied slowly through gritted teeth as he tried to reel in his temper to prevent his voice from raising. He could build a new den for her although, with Inna’s current temper, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to do anything for her right now.

Inna’s mention of Piety had struck a chord within him. Why would she even mention that name? It was if she was deliberately trying to hurt him. Yes he had loved Piety, and maybe he still did, but the white dove was not the one at the forefront of his mind right now. He could have stuck it out, pushed his feelings to one side and served beneath the woman that he adored, but he hadn’t. Maybe if he had stayed at Whitestone, him and @Piety would have still laid beneath the stars each night and continued to remain close, in spite of their awkward relationship. But no, he had let that all go—allowed her heart be held entirely by Wraith—and he had come to Hearthwood, hoping that the empty space in his heart left by her would one day be filled with the love of his own pups.

A single tear slipped down his cheek.

He felt Inna’s presence then as she approached up from behind him and a whine left his lips at her question. Lorcan didn’t know what to do. In the past with Piety he had always left and given her space, but then how well had worked for him? More often than not she later complained that he had run away and it had seemed that no matter how angry she had been at him, his presence was still always missed. Licking the tear from his cheek, Lorcan slowly shook his head and sighed before he turned around to face the dark female. He wouldn't make same the mistake again of leaving without a word.

“Inna, I’m sorry about what I said...it came out wrong.” He said quietly, his voice cracking from the emotion that gripped at his throat. “I didn’t mean it.” He whined. “I just thought that you deserved to have somewhere better to sleep, but, you’re obviously content with what you have there, so…” His golden gaze cast down to the snow covered ground as he paws crossed over to turn away. “I’ll leave you in peace.” He murmured, moving to walk away from her back in the direction he had originally come from.

(This post was last modified: Apr 16, 2017, 12:25 PM by Lorcan.)

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

It was just a den, a place she could feel comfortable and not necessarily on the physical sense. For awhile she had felt disconnected from her family which she knew was her fault, she had broken pack law. Maybe the small den with it's tight quarters which she knew she was starting to outgrow was a form of self inflicted punishment for what she'd done. Just like the overworking that she'd done and now everyday she worried it had an effect on her puppies. Her anger had been fueled by the fact that he hadn't been there and it had happened before any of what was happening now. He could have approached her differently and yet he had chosen to be angry about it. Lorcan should have known better and she felt it showed on some level he still didn't know her. She heard his apology for snapping at her about the den and she nodded, “It’s fine, I just wished you had come at me differently about it.” She didn't want to argue about it any longer so she told him what she would have liked and it was time to move on.

Of course they didn't move very far because she had noticed the flick of his tail at the mention of digging out a den.she wanted to know what he was thinking and she let him know he had better tell her. The ebony Baranski wasn't in the mood to have him avoid the question. Thankfully he didn't deny her his thoughts this time and told her what it was that had caused his take to flick like it had. “I don't think it would be either,” she agreed because she actuator liked the idea. Though she refrained from saying it would be there's where their pups could grow up. Sometimes with him in Hearthwood it seemed like she was getting her fairy tale but the reality always came to erase the words. They were friends and Inna felt that wouldn't ever change even though they were having pups together. For her pups she was fine with that as long as they had their father she would leave it as it was.

It was a low blow and she knew it, she shouldn't have ever brought Piety up because of all she knew how bad he had been hurt. In the moment she didn't feel badly for it, he had hurt her after all but still there was no excuse in the cruelty she'd shown him. It was only after the damage had been done that she saw this, the monster that she had become had bared it's teeth at him. She had promised herself that she would protect him from her family as best she could but it seemed it was her he needed protecting from. She had expected him to be angry with her for saying such a thing and disregarding his apologies but he hadn't said anything and that worried her. How would they raise their pups if they weren't talking and it she feared that he would regret coming to Hearthwood if the ended up on bad terms.

So she had decided that one of them had to say something and get them talking again and it seemed that it would be her. When she turned she found him with his back to her so she cautiously approached him. His whine came to her ear after she had asked him her questions and then she waited to see what his response would be if any. She had messed up and if she were honest she wouldn't blame him if he left her in her fox den to figure things out on her own. That thought that maybe he would be better off if he did crossed her mind, the the monster couldn't attack him again. She didn't want that though, he was her friend and she needed him for more than the puppies, she needed him as her friend. Finally she saw his side's heave with a sigh before he turned around to face her.

He started with an apology for what he said before going on to explain what he was thinking and then he started to leave. Well she couldn't let that happen, not when this didn't feel resolved to her and she got the impressed that it wasn't for him either. “Wait” she stated in such a tone that it would get him to stop. “I accept your apology. You hurt me and I hurt you back only on think it was worse for you, I am sorry and I hope you can forgive me for that,” she said as she moved to brush her muzzle against his cheek. She did not expect him to forgive her just like she didn't expect to be forgiven for breaking pack law. That didn't mean the hope wasn't there. “Thank you Lorcan for wanting me to have something better and the truth is I used to be content here but it is getting cramped,” she told him with a nod before letting her gaze drop to her paws. “I don't want you to leave,” she whispered, “I never do.” It was hard for her to admit that because she felt it was giving him a chance to see how she truly felt about him. She didn't want him to know, not until she was sure he was over Piety, it wouldn't be fair to him.

(This post was last modified: Apr 16, 2017, 01:28 PM by Inna.)

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