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

No worries @Lachesis I was waiting on you ;-)

Inna grew more anxious as the labor seemed to continue on with her ears as far forward on her head as she could get them she tried to hear what was going on inside the den. The sounds though muffled seemed to suggest that it was going okay. She watched as Ayti brought some water soaked miss like he had done for her mother when she'd had her pups. Inna shifted her position a little and inched a little closer but was still cautious about how close she got to the den.

Lorcan arrived and his presence alone helped to calm her a little but she still worried. She looked up at him placing a lick to his chin as he spoke assuring her Lachesis would take care of Lilya and not let anything happen to her. “I'm sure you are right,” she agreed offering him a small smile. Though inside she couldn't help but think about Naia and how they had lost her the previous year.

A whine escaped her as she buried her nose into the fur of Lorcans shoulder. She felt it had been too long that everything seemed to quiet. She hoped Lachesis would come out and give them some bees of what was happening inside. What if something had happened could it happen to her and her litter as well? She and Lilya were both new mothers, Inna couldn't help but grow more anxious with each moment that passed longer than she felt it should be.

(This post was last modified: May 04, 2017, 11:35 PM by Inna.)

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

 

Aytigin received a snarl from Lachesis at first, but once the alpha realized he had no ill intentions in going near the den, he calmed back down and the dark wolf was let off the hook for being so close. He wagged his tail softly before he'd gone off to his corner, ready to wait out the birth with the rest of the pack. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and even Lorcan dropped Ayti a nod before he padded off to be with Inna. The mocha-colored male reciprocated the gesture with a small smile and wave of his tail - if the agouti was willing to be friendly, then the dark wolf was more than happy to put in the effort, as well.

The agouti then lay beside Inna, and Aytigin wagged his tail a little harder. It was good to see them getting along, after what the black-furred girl had told him about their struggles. Whether Lorcan was the father of her pups or not, it was good of him to be there with her for support, and the massive wolf certainly respected that.

For a while, the mood was excellent around the clearing, and Aytigin strained his ears when he started hearing puppy noises. He gave a happy little wiggle - like a puppy himself - and lay his head on his paws. Lachesis' tail was wagging, and things were good. Until they weren't. The excited, happy mood fizzled out into a crackling, anxious one, and then a dull sadness as Lachesis' tail stopped wagging. The chocolate wolf knew all too well what that meant - had seen it happen multiple times - and yet, it still burned his eyes with sorrow. Not all was good inside that den, and though there were a couple of squeaks and whines coming from the pups already born, Aytigin had the feeling that life had not come for all of them.

Ears pressing to his head and tail tucking between his legs, Aytigin had to bite his tongue to keep from whining in the combination of worry and sorrow he was experiencing. Lilya was such a sweet wolf - she didn't deserve to have anything go wrong with the birth of her babies.

Settling down besides Inna, Lorcan did his best to offer the raven some words of comfort. A subtle smile tugged at the corners of his charcoal lips as she agreed and placed a small lick on his chin. It felt good to be more at ease around her. He hoped that it was a sign of a better relationship between them in the future. 

Glancing back across to the pale form of Lachesis, who still lingered at the entrance of Lilya’s birthing den, Lorcan’s gaze remained firmly fixed on the scene. Although he couldn’t really see anything, his russet ears did perk up at the sound of tiny whimpers as new pups were brought into the world. The agouti male remained excited as a period of silence fell around them. Lorcan waited expectantly for the cry of anything newborn, but when nothing came he began to grow anxious. 

Russet ears pressed back against his head as he remained silent, golden eyes narrowing as he strained to try and see what was going on from his position. Then the odour hit his nose and the fur along his back bristled. A whine erupted from Inna then and he felt her bury her face against the soft fur of his shoulder. Swallowing hard, Lorcan shot a worried glance across to Aytigin, as if to question if he knew what was happening before he quickly turned his head around to embrace Inna protectively. There was nothing he could do. 

He didn’t know what to say to her. He’d told her that everything would be okay, but the growing stench of death in the air made it obvious that things were not fine. A whimper vibrated in his throat and he nuzzled Inna again, trying to turn her face away from the scene. 

(This post was last modified: May 05, 2017, 07:07 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

No. This was not okay. His words did not help sooth her because she refused to believe this was normal. What this was, was her son and so she kept licking his fur like it would make a difference, curling around him protectively. He tried to distract her, talking about how beautiful they all were, but her mind was stuck lingering on that of the one child not breathing. “Yah’ve gotta do somethin’… he can’t…” She couldn’t lose any of them like that, not when they never had a chance to experience the world to begin with… he needed a chance to live.

She felt anger rising in her heart, mixing in with the despair, the panic, and the sadness that had overcome her thoughts. Rage at the Monadnock, and at Mittani specifically. She didn’t know what else could have caused this but she refused to believe that this was a normal occurrence like Lachesis said it was. She tried nudging the child, but again, there was nothing. She never expected tragedy to come with birthing a child… children were supposed to be a happy occasion and yet she felt this overwhelming sense of dread. She felt like she’d been cursed to a life of tragedy.

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

possible TW for this post - death/loss of a child
<3

The ghost knew it was not okay. He desperately wanted—needed—to believe that it was, but with her frantic expression, sapphire pools dancing around in her skull as they searched for an explanation, he was beginning to doubt his own words. There was nothing he could say to rectify the situation, to undo what had been done to his son. No matter how many times the new mother pressed comforting licks to the smudge of fur, trying to stimulate the stillborn’s limp body, he knew it wouldn’t work. Nothing would work. The child was gone and there was nothing either parent could do. A lump formed in his throat as his body sagged against the ground, the normally calm and collected wolf feeling utterly defeated. This was something no amount of herbs could fix.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw his head back and scream at the sky, asking why this had to happen to him. To Lilya. The first-time mother did not deserve to be struck by such tragedy. She was new to this whole experience, and despite instincts kicking in when they needed to, nothing could have prepared her for this. He wanted to comfort her, to offer her soothing words and curl his lanky body against his, but XIX knew it wouldn’t work. Not now.

“I can’t,” he whispered, his chartreuse gaze fixated on the tiny body of his son. “There’s nothing I can do… I’m sorry, Val. I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked at the last words left his tongue, his chest still tight as he struggled to keep himself composed. The river king inched forward, hesitant and cautious, in order to press his forehead against her stomach, his ears twitching at the sound of the whimpering children below. Two had survived and while the third had not, there was still two. And Lachesis would love them with every fibre of his body. He would not mess up fatherhood a second time. These children—and Lilya—needed him.

Name. They could not bury their son without a name. “What is his name?” He asked in a hushed tone as he pulled himself away from the sparrow, his ears still pressed flat against his skull. It pained the father to think that he would not be shouting the name in the future, giving the boy praise or scolding him for misbehaving. But the child still needed one. He was still a Stark.

stick with those who stick with you

Inna was glad to have Lorcan next to her as they waited to find out what was going on inside the den. At first the sounds that came from it were comforting, the small puppy sounds helped in a to feel that everything was going okay for Lilya. Lorcans reassuring words also helped to calm the young Baranski's​ nerves. She wondered if she would feel as anxious for her own delivery as she was now for Lilya's. She didn't take her eyes off the den for any more clues as to what was going on. She wondered when Lachesis would come out and give them the news of the newborn pups.

Then something didn't seem right when everything became silent which caused Inna to grow more anxious. Had something gone wrong? She didn't want to take her eyes off the dem’s entrance but as the sounds coming from the den seemed more distressed she grew very worried that something had gone wrong. She touched Lorcan with her nose almost as a reassurance that he was still with her. Then the scent hit her, it was none that shouldn't be at the birth of pups. If she didn't know anything she knew that, it caused another whine to leave her. She moved to press her side against Lorcan even more glad to have him there to help her through this. The fear that her own pregnancy would end in tragedy raged within her and the thought of all she had done before Lorcan had come that put their pups in danger ran through her mind.

She didn't want to let Lorcan down she didn't want him to feel as Lachesis must be feeling. It was important for her to deliver healthy pups for the tawny healer. Her gaze rested on what she could see of Lachesis, her heart went out to the man, she wanted to comfort him but she dare not go closer after the growl Ayti had received.

(This post was last modified: May 06, 2017, 03:48 AM by Inna.)

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

 

Aytigin shared a concerned glance with Lorcan to find that they had both come to the same conclusion. He squeezed his eyes shut once more and shook his head softly, recalling a time over a third of his life ago. A time when what should have been joy and celebration turned quickly into heartwrenching sorrow and devastation. There was just something about the bond a parent had with a child, and though Ayti had never experienced the feeling himself, he had seen it in multiple relationships throughout his life. Not to mention the fact that a life lost was always a severe tragedy, but one of a newborn puppy was even more so.

It was partly why the dark wolf had never considered the idea of having puppies of his own.

He already ached for the new parents, longing with every fiber of his being to go out and wrap the two of them in a comforting abrazo. But these wolves were not the gypsies, and he got the feeling that he wasn't supposed to go anywhere near that den, even if his intentions were to help and heal.

Taking a deep breath, the man got to his paws and turned to head back out of the clearing. He didn't belong there - he couldn't help anything, and he couldn't comfort anyone. Inna had Lorcan, and Lilya had Lachesis. Then there was Aytigin - the newcomer who hadn't quite found a place within the pack yet. He was being completely useless, sitting there watching a tragedy unfurl. Perhaps he should go patrol the borders instead; make things safer for the puppies who had survived.

So, he left the area, his tail limply hanging between his legs and his tail down in empathy for the mother and father of a puppy who would never see the light of day.

{ exit Aytigin }

The sound of puppy whimpers was joined with the whimpering of their parents. Lorcan could only imagine the heartache that both Lilya and Lachesis must have felt and he silently pleaded that he would not have to experience the same anguish when his own pups were birthed into the world. The concerned glance made across to Aytigin was met with a similar look of despair. Lorcan wondered for a moment if he should do something, go over and offer some assistance – but what could he really do? Nothing. 

Wrapping his neck protectively around @Inna to shield her eyes from the solemn scene, he felt her touch her dark nose against him and press up close to him. Golden eyes flickered down to try and catch her bright orange eyes and his black tipped tail curled around to drape around her hind quarters in attempt to embrace her more. He didn’t know what else he could do apart from offer physical comfort, for he had no words to fix the situation. 

At the sound of the heavy sigh emitted by Aytigin, russet ears swerved around to catch the sounds of the swarthy male leaving. His heart sunk a little more then, as he once against considered what use their continued presence here really had. A part of him wanted to stay, to offer his silent support in the form of his presence, but another part of him felt that it was better to let the new parents grieve alone. Nudging Inna’s muzzle softly, he spoke quietly to her. 

“There’s nothing we can do, so if you want to go, we can..” He began, posing one half of the question to the female. “..but if you’d prefer to stay, I can stay here with you.” The choice was up to her. He would do his best to support her through this.

(This post was last modified: May 06, 2017, 07:50 AM 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

Nothing could have possibly prepared her for this of all things. It felt debilitating; a weight on her chest she couldn’t relieve and his words didn’t help. He couldn’t… there was nothing he could do. He wouldn’t even try to help their son. She wanted a reason, an explanation, and revenge for whatever had taken her son away from her before he even got the chance to see her, or hear her voice, or know his sisters. She growled when she felt his forehead press against her stomach, grief-driven emotions causing her to act without any form of rhyme or reason.

What is his name? The thought tore at her silently as her growl faded, like it was some wake-up call that even though he’d never feel the sunlight on his back or see the light of day, he was still their son… and neither of them would ever forget that. She stared at his pale fur, fur to match his eldest sister’s fur… and the name fell across the silence as she looked to Lachesis for his opinions. “Laddeus?” It was the name of a friend from the past, one who’d fallen with her family… one who'd tried to give her comfort and assurance after her sister had "run away"... and one she remembered in this moment. She wasn’t sure why, but she did…

Despite the growl that emitted from the tawny mother Lachesis did not pull away. He sought her comfort as much as she needed his. It seemed the ghost couldn’t catch a break; he was cursed when it came to both women and puppies. His fist litter had resulted in the loss of the mother—his close friend and a loved member of Hearthwood. He could not help but wonder if Atropos and Kyrios would still be here, welcoming their half-siblings, if Naia had not passed away after giving birth. Then, perhaps, his son’s mind would not have been poisoned by the alluring fables the one-eyed dragon told. The former river scout would have been a wonderful, devoted mother; she would have kept the twins on the right pace, whether it be Hearthwood or not. At least their minds (especially Ky’s) would be clear of poison.

A part of him felt guilty. For bringing this upon the blue-eyed sparrow; for plaguing her with his curse. She did not deserve this. While he was consumed by his own grief, his eyes still damp and his throat feeling as though it was filled with cotton, he could not imagine the pain she was feeling. Another whine escaped him as, for now, it was all he could manage.

As her growl faded the ghost looked at the agouti, peridots meeting pools of sapphire. Laddeus. A small smile managed to work its way onto his dark lips, barely lifting the corners of his mouth. “Laddeus Stark,” he murmured, testing the name out for himself. “It’s perfect.” As he pressed his tongue against the pale fur of his son part of him silently pleading that the gesture would bring the child back to life, but he knew this was goodbye. XIX did not want to accept Laddeus’ fate but in order to move on—in order to grieve properly—he had to.

Despite being consumed by the scents of both Lilya and his children, he could still detect the faint scents of Lorcán and Inna outside. Aytigin’s, though still present, was almost gone—a sign that the dark wolf had left. He did not mind, for he knew that the wolves that gathered outside of the den were aware of the situation. He was grateful that all three of them had made an appearance. The ghost did not expect the remaining pair to stay for much longer; he would be sure to thank them once the misfit family settled.

He turned to the two sisters at Lilya’s stomach, their whimpers growing softer as the power of milk took over, lulling the newborns to sleep. His apple-green gaze focused on the firstborn, her pale fur a tell-tale sign that she would grow to be like her father, and wear her Arctic heritage on the outside. “Lavender?” He offered, his gaze falling to the hyssop in the order before returning to the agouti. The ethos was not only going to be the place where they would lay their son to rest, alongside the former river king and the mother of his previous litter, but it was also the place where they had… sort of confessed their feelings despite still being in completely denial. 

stick with those who stick with you