Dead Empress Backwater only the unlucky of us get to do it

Backdated to 1/2 in order to take place after this thread. For @Vanadis and @Clover only.

Eros' mind hadn't stopped spinning since that russet-hued boy further down the creek had declared that he'd been squeezed out of his mom's bum. So many new tangents had cropped up since as his tawny paws took him back home. Was this why there was the distinction between his and Archer's mom and the other kids' mom? It had always all felt the same to him, and he wasn't even sure it mattered, but not knowing at all wasn't working out anymore.

The closer he got to the territory's heart, the more nervous he became, pretty sure it had something to do with Seri's own thought of 'I'm kind of afraid she'll tell me she puked me up.'

He didn't want to hear 'yes Eros, I shit you and your brother out.' But Eros did want to know how he came to be in this world, and he wanted to know why every pup wasn't born into the same kind of family.

"Ma? Mama?" he called out, thankfully scenting both of them together. If his moms didn't know, then the other kid had definitely been full of it, because that meant no one knew.

(This post was last modified: Jan 14, 2022, 06:16 AM by Eros.)

Vanadis made a face as she set a mouthful of redcedar in front the medicine den, unhappy with the taste that would inevitably linger on her tongue for the rest of the day.  Though she dreaded the taste of most plants, she'd taken to collecting herbs to refill their stores. It gave her an excuse to wander outside of the borders, and was helpful to the pack, so really it was a win-win.

"Redcedar for you here." She called to Clover and turned to leave, hoping to grab another mouthful before dark, but Eros' voice touched her ears. A mild panic whispered through her stomach as she turned to face her son, concerned as to why he'd be coming to the medicine den. "Is everything okay?"

Clover poked her nose out of the den at Vanadis' voice, her face lighting up in a smile at the offering of redcedar. Oh, that was wonderful! While it wasn't common to get fungal infections in winter, being generally too cold, it was better to be safe than sorry, and she'd never turn down a little extra to fill up the medicinal stores. "Thank you!" She said as the woman turned to leave, bending down to pick up the mouthful of bark to take it inside. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the bitter tang from the oil in the bark.

She ducked back into the den just as she heard Eros' voice, but since Vanadis was right there she took her time putting the bark in its correct spot while the other woman spoke to him. He hadn't sounded concerned or in pain, but it was strange that he had come to the medicinal den in the first place. Clover peeked out again, this time stepping beyond the mouth of the den with her front paws as she looked over the boy, but didn't speak up just yet, as her words would've echoed what Vanadis had just asked him.

Eros popped into view of the two women and the infirmary, and picked up his pace, jogging the remaining distance.

"Um, yeah," he answered his mother, though the knitting of his brows hinted at his not being sure. He was disturbed - was that okay or not?

"I uh, I met another kid. Outside of home. And he uh... he said I... he said I came out of a butt."

His peach eyes looked imploringly up at his moms, hoping dearly for a quick no! He wanted to be told he grew amongst flowers or fell from the sky, something whimsical and nice instead of gross and mind-bending.

Vanadis rarely ever found herself speechless, but after Eros had finished with his query she noted her lips seemed almost glued together, like she'd spent the night eating honey and hadn't taken the time to clean it off. Peachy eyes swiveled from her son to her companion, a grimace already forming on her features. Wasn't this Viorel's job? "I.. well, no, you didn't come from a butt." Not that the real answer was going to sound any better.

Her mind instantly went to thoughts of storks and blossoming flowers, but at eight moons old he really ought to know. "Uh.. well.. when two wolves, a boy and a girl.." She made a face at Clover, half pleading for her to jump in.

She had to stifle the laugh that threatened to bubble out at the boy's strange statement, turning her face to the side to hide the upturn of her lips. He looked determinedly serious about it which only made it that much harder to keep her composure. Once she finally regained use of her facial muscles, Clover turned to look at Eros again, keeping her lips under control in a normal light expression, not wanting him to feel embarrassed.

Vanadis began to speak, but her words quickly trailed off as she turned to look at Clover with a pleading expression. Feeling confidant she stepped more out of the den after shooting her friend a knowing smile, sitting back on her haunches as she glanced from Vanadis to Eros. He was old enough to understand a more thorough version of the birds and bees, but she'd pick her words carefully.

"No, you didn't come from a butt," she said calmly, having to clear her throat to stop another laugh as she looked down at his imploring gaze. "During Spring each year, a woman and a man who like each other can become intimate with together," Clover continued, choosing her words to try and make it understandable to the boy without going too into the details. "From that intimacy the woman can become pregnant with a litter of pups which she carries in her abdomen, but not in her tummy." She felt it was important to make that distinction, and hopefully it would clear up his confusion as to why pups didn't come from a butt. "This only happens once both wolves are around two years old, so don't worry about that too much at your age." She then looked over at Vanadis with a raised eyebrow, wanting to see if the woman wanted to take over from there, or if she should continue with her explanation.

Vanadis' apprehension with the question was clear enough, even to young Eros. His ears hugged tighter against the back of his skull, wondering if this was some kind of forbidden knowledge or something. They began to lift when she gave him the no he'd been hoping for.

When two wolves, a boy and a girl... she trailed off but he was still waiting, expectantly staring up at her as though the answer would come soon. When Clover picked up the thread instead, his peach gaze shifted to her features. She appeared at lot more at ease with explaining whatever his Mama had begun to.

It was a chunk of information, that was for sure, but he felt like he was still missing some vital points. It didn't help that some words were foreign, the boy nothing like the sponges his intelligent brothers were. The bridge of his muzzle wrinkled steadily with confusion as the emotion grew, until her final sentence caused his eyes to open wide.

Don't worry about that now? Eros wasn't sure he wanted to worry about it ever! It had never before occurred to him that one day being an adult could also mean being a parent.

"B- wh-," he stuttered, scattered mind trying to overload his tongue with a multitude of simultaneous queries. His plump hindquarters dropped into the snow, indicating just how much he had on his mind.

"What's um, what's being intimate? Do only girls have abdomens?"

There were so many more, but he knew he had to give them time to answer.