Hearthwood River life slips through the back door and carves you out (m)

Packmates welcome to linger outside but only @Lachesis inside the den please <3

Lilya had stayed within the confines of her den, constantly trying to get comfortable and constantly failing. The formidable silence waged against what felt like her sanity, constantly shifting to the left some, and then the right, scraping at the ground and waiting rather impatiently for the impending arrivals. She had no idea how this was supposed to go, or how long it was supposed to take, or how many pups she was going to be having to begin with. The entire thought made panic swarm in her belly. She’d been feeling aches and pains the past couple days, but she’d been told those were normal, and that the closer they grew together, the closer it would be to the time for them to leave the safe confines of her womb.

Needless to say, that advisement had been correct, and the contractions were growing close together. “Lachesis?” She called out, not in a howl but fairly loudly, hoping he was lurking in the area. She didn’t know if she had it in her to howl with how exhausted she’d been feeling the past couple days. She drew in a sharp breath, waiting anxiously for his presence at the mouth of the den. Her location wasn’t that far from the medical den either, a personal preference. She’d grown used to falling asleep to the smell of the herbs stored there.

(This post was last modified: May 05, 2017, 11:19 PM by Lilya.)

Since the birth of Kisla’s children the ghost lingered by the dens, ensuring that his tawny co-lead and her offspring were in good health. With the arrival of Hearthwood’s first litter he began to worry when the other two would be arriving, and did not want to stray too far in case either first-time mother needed him. He had restored things with the raven Baranski, assuring her that he was not angry with her for her unexpected condition and that he would always support both her and her pups.

He could not help but worry over the blue-eyed sparrow—see also: the mother of his future children—more than he should. Half of his worrying was due to the fact that she was carrying his children, while the other half was a result of her being just as anxious as he was. If not even more so. The mother of his children the previous year had passed after childbirth and Lachesis could not bear the thought of losing Lilya too. Hearthwood had already seen enough tragedy; he did not know how much more they could endure before they began to crumble.

When the sparrow called for him XIX had been inside his infirmary making sure that the bundles of herbs he had set aside for the first-time mothers were ready to go when needed. His ears twitched at her voice but he did not hesitate as he lunged for one of the bundles and scrambled out of his den. The ghost lowered himself to the ground outside her den as he shuffled forward, his chartreuse gaze widening with concern as he placed the bundle of sweet grass, lavender hyssop and alumroot on the ground before him. He did not have to ask why she had called for him—her laboured breathing and the scent that filled her den was enough for Lachesis to know that it was time. A small smile stretched across his pale features as he dared not venture further despite half of his body being inside the den and half of it outside. “You’re okay,” he cooed, his voice soft as he did not allow his gaze to waver from her tawny frame. “You can do this.” He was not sure who he was trying to convince—him or her.

stick with those who stick with you

In. Out. Just breathe. You’re going to be fine. She wasn’t sure if she was reminding herself or trying to convince herself of those instructions and silent coos as he scurried in, stopping with his rump still sticking out of the den. He also tried to calm her down a little, a soft and pained smile finding her features at his words. You can do this. Damn right she could, couldn’t she? Or maybe she couldn’t… The fear of losing them was lingering in her head, especially given the attack on her. She didn’t want to fail Lachesis or their children.

“It ‘urts.” She whimpered softly, half folded over herself as she tried to steady her breathing. Why the hell did it have to hurt so bad? Another wave swept over her like a current, demanding its way through her as she started to push against it, one small bundle starting to work its way out, her breathing growing more ragged. She was convinced she was never doing this again in that moment… no way in hell. With that, a baby girl entered the world, and Lilya felt some relief from the pain stirring in her abdomen. An instinct the woman didn’t even know she had (she’d been discovering a lot of those lately) kicked in, and Lilya slowly pulled the child towards her, licking her fur to clean her up. She wasn't done yet, and she was trying to brace herself for the next one.

It was growing closer, the day she would be bringing her pups into the world and Inna was growing more worried. She hadn't been inside the den when her mother had brought her pups into the world but it had gone well. Inna tried to check on her mother often partly to make sure Kisla knew she was there is she needed her and to give her some sense that she would be okay when it was her turn. Aside from her then only mother left to give birth was Lilya and Inna worried some for the second too.

It wasn't for the same reasons since Lilha wasn't her mother but she did care about her as a packmate. It was Lachesis who made the difference here. Inna knew he cares about the second and that she was carrying his pups so despite how she felt about the woman as the leader of their pack when she had the chance to take up that mantle she felt she needed to offer her support. She also needed to know how things turned out.

She'd been moving through the territory hoping it might was some of the discomfort had been feeling when she felt something seemed off. The same scents that had come from her mother's den reached her nostrils. It was the tell tale sign that more puppies were on the way. Inna quickly made her way to where she knew the second had made her den.

When she arrived she found the den with Lachesis half on half out, the ebony Baranski hoped everything was okay. Like before she settled in a place close but too close to the den and watched what was going on. She hoped that everything was okay but left it all up to the healer and the second. She felt she would know something soon enough so just had to be patient.

(This post was last modified: May 04, 2017, 02:52 AM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

His heart thumped inside his chest as he watched the sparrow, his lips drawn tight as he watched her heaving sides, the sound of her laboured breathing bouncing off the walls of the den. He nudged the stalk of lavender forward, hoping that the scent of the flowers would help soothe her anxiety (as well as his own). As much as he wanted to clamber inside the den and curl up next to the tawny mother XIX knew that she had to do this on her own. Aside from his coaching, of course.

It hurts. His ears fell to the side as she spoke, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I know, Val,” he started in a hushed tone, his chin pressed to the top of his legs. “Just keep breathing. Keep pushing.” He paused, his brows pinched together. “It’ll be over soon.”

He hoped. For her sake.

As a tremor rocked through the sparrow’s body Lachesis waited in anticipation, his tongue falling still between his teeth. A ball of pale fur entered the world and his breath caught in his throat. From what he could see (and smell) their daughter was perfectly healthy; a relived sigh escaped him as a smile stretched across his pale maw.

Although he could smell the raven Baranski from inside the den he did not greet her—not yet. His main focus, unless Inna decided to go into labour at this very moment, was the blue-eyed sparrow and the newest Stark, curled tightly against her mother’s warm fur. There was no doubt that the raven was curious, for she was the last Hearthwood mother to give birth. Just like he was doing for Lilya, he would be there for his ebony sidekick as long as she wanted him present.

He gave the sparrow an encouraging whine, for he knew that it was not over yet. XIX wouldn’t be surprised if she hated him after this whole ordeal, for he could not imagine the amount of pain she was in. Or, if she did not hate him, she would not be interested in carrying another litter the following spring.

Not that he wanted to, or anything. Nope, definitely not.

stick with those who stick with you

-Ayti flies in-

First Kisla and now Lilya were giving birth. Ayti had been feeling anxious for days regarding the River women, as childbirth always made him overly-worried. But how could he not be, with the blood and the slime and the juice and the way not all puppies or mothers survived? It was messy, it was risky, and it was painful, and after witnessing several deliveries, Aytigin had grown to be much more respectful and admirable of women. He couldn't imagine pushing a puppy out of...

Don't think about it too hard, Ayti.

His gut twisted in sympathy as he heard Lilya call for Lachesis. To be honest, she looked like a balloon ready to pop, and Ayti had been expecting this for a couple days now. He was glad he was nearby, so that he could be among the first few to arrive at the scene. He'd come better prepared this time, and carried a massive wad of dripping wet moss in his jaws toward the den, his stance waddling and awkward so as not to drop any.

The massive man crept up and placed the object near one of his alpha's hind paws that were sticking out of the den, backing away quickly and submissively. "Sorry," he added, hoping he hadn't gotten close enough to bother either of them. But childbirth was thirsty work, and he'd be damned if he let a mother go without water. Even if he risked getting snapped at in the process.

It had only been a few days since Kisla had given birth to the first of Hearthwoods three litters. Hearing the sounds of the tiny pups wailing as they entered the world had stirred both a feeling of excitement and anxiety in the agouti male. He worried for the safety of Inna and his own litter so when the same scent that had filled the air during Kisla’s birth drifted towards his dark nose, Lorcan immediately stopped his patrol of the borders short and loped quickly towards the heart of the territory.

His heart pounded nervously against his chest as he meandered his way through the tall sequoia trees but the agouti male felt an instant wave of relief when he spotted the small gathering building up outside Lilya’s birthing den. Golden eyes first fell upon the large pale shape of Lachesis, who seemed to be partially inside the entrance of the den alongside his subordinate. Figuring that the leader had things covered, Lorcan’s attention next turned to those gathered nearby.

Upon spotting the dark form of Inna, Lorcan did not hesitate before loping towards her, offering Aytigin a polite chuff and nod of his head in passing. Whilst the agouti male may not have been overly keen on the dark male initially, his continued presence and support offered up by him did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Settling down directly beside the last expectant mother, Lorcan nuzzled her cheek affectionately. “Don’t worry, Lachesis won’t let anything happen to her.” He assured Inna, offering her a smile in confidence before he refocused his attention back towards Lilya’s den. 

# P O R C A N

sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise

how much they need to fall back together

Lilya had been so caught up in what she was doing, that honestly, she was only aware of Lachesis’s presence. If she’d paid closer attention, she would have noticed the gathering of support outside the den… instead she was trying not to freak out too bad. The next life to enter the world, a matter of minutes after her sister, was the rap goddess herself another little girl. Lilya repeated the pattern of cleaning the child off and nosing her gently towards her stomach. She was done… right? This would be it?

No, apparently it would not be.

The sparrow felt more pain course through her, more soft whimpers emitted from her maw as her labored breathing grew a little more ragged. Come on, you’re almost there. She was trying to coax herself into finishing this. She could do this, and they already had two beautiful little girls nestled against her…perhaps the former Monadnock wolf had truly done no harm to her children when he had attacked her as he had…

With these thoughts came one last child, a process repeated… but it was different this time. Panic flared in her eyes, licking his fur as if trying to coax the child into breathing… but he wasn’t. He wasn’t breathing, and he did not stir with some measure of life as his sisters had… “Lach..?” She looked up with that panic fresh on her features, silently begging for his help. He was the healer… he’d be able to do something… right? A part of her knew it was too late… that the child had not even been born alive. But she didn’t want to believe that right now.

sorry for skipping you, @Inna <3

The river king remained silent, merely observing the blue-eyed sparrow as he gave his silent encouragement, a soft smile still pressed against his pale features. He could not imagine how difficult the process was, especially for a first time mother, and he knew no matter how many comforting words he offered her none of them would lessen the pain. Once the ordeal was finished he would praise her and dote on the mother (and their children), but for now he watched, the corners of his eyes crinkling with excitement.

The bliss was short-lived as another river wolf approached. He did not linger against the trees like the raven Baranski; instead he approached Lachesis’ tail-end, dropping something at his feet. Without hesitation the ghost scrambled out of the den, his upper lip curling to display his pearly whites. As his chartreuse gaze fell to the water-soaked bundle of moss at his paws he gave the dark wolf a soft nod to show his gratitude before returning to the den, the moss gripped tightly between his teeth. As he resumed his position the earthy scent of Lorcán followed him inside, a smile returning to his lips once more. He was pleased to see that their packmates had arrived to support the second.

Once inside he pushed the moss toward Lilya’s head, his peridots refocusing on her tawny frame as another wave shook the younger wolf. Another daughter greeted them, her pelt much darker than the first. Two daughters. Two perfect and healthy daughters. He beamed at the sparrow, his tail wagging slowly behind him (despite her not being able to see it).

However it was not over yet.

His brows narrowed softly as another bundle of fur appeared, the agouti quickly scooping up the newest addition and repeating the same process she had done with the previous two. But something was not right. It was not working. His heart thumped in his chest, his ears falling to the side as he whined softly, refusing to believe what he already knew. As his name fell off her tongue Lachesis met her sapphire pools reluctantly, a frown tugging at his lips. There was nothing he could do and the thought ripped at his heart, leaving his throat dry and his eyes damp. “It’s okay,” he murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he scooted closer, pressing comforting kisses to her forehead and her muzzle. “It’s okay,” he repeated, unsure if he was trying to convince himself or the new mother, “it happens. It’s normal.” It was not normal, though. It was his son, who would never experience the wonders of Relic Lore and grow alongside his sisters. But it had to be okay. “They are so beautiful,” he whispered, motioning to the two bundles of fur that were nestled tightly against the sparrow’s stomach. “And so is he. You did good, Val, I’m so proud of you.”

He could not help but wonder if the attack had been the cause of the stillborn. He knew that it was not uncommon, especially with new mothers, but he couldn’t stop his thoughts from growing dark. The ghost wanted to blame the mutt for the death of his son because it was better than having no explanation. It did not stop the ache that formed in his heart but it helped.

(This post was last modified: May 05, 2017, 05:32 AM by Lachesis.)

stick with those who stick with you