Fool's Gold Chasm my golden crown of sorrows [m]

Marked M for birthing and death

I need my golden crown of sorrow, my bloody sword to swing
My empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king
But a woman is a changeling, always shifting shape
Just when you think you have it figured out
Something new begins to take
What strangе claws are these scratching at my skin
I nеver knew my killer would be coming from within
I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king
-Florence + the Machine - King

She had tucked herself away in a small den separate from the rest as she labored away. Each contraction grew stronger than the last and brought her to tears as she contemplated her life and how she had reached this point. Enera had been a blessing, a beautiful pacifistic girl who had given her so much light. She trusted the children she bore this time would be similar. She hoped for them to have that light inside of them that she treasured so much in their oldest.

A part of her knew something was wrong. The weakness that flooded her body with the birth of her first child. Licking her clean as she nestled her against her stomach. Her heart raced in her chest as the blood started to pool in an unnatural manner. With it, came the birth of her second child. Almost immediately after the eldest, a lookalike appeared and similarly, despite her weakness and the way her head started to feel lighter, she licked until cries rose unsteadily and nestled her against her stomach.

She was hemorrhaging in a way that no amount of herbs or healing expertise could possibly heal. The light etched around her vision and tears flooded her eyes as she started to see them appearing in front of her. “Adonya. Sovanya.” The names of the twins nursing from her belly slipped her lips softly, hoping someone would hear the name so they knew who her daughters were before she slowly slipped away.

The misplaced princess fell, spirit rising in her chest as she finally found the peace she had been searching for in life for so long, in death.

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

Enera had made sure she was back from her trip on the mountain before her mama expected to birth the new puppies. No matter her reservations about the new children, she would support mama and love her siblings the way she loved her age-mates. The closer their birth came, the more excited Enera grew. She was already planning all the things she would teach them, the stories she would tell on nights they couldn't sleep, tucked in against their mama's side. She would show them how to get honey but be careful of the bees. When winter came she would teach them how to slide.

Enera noticed her mama slip into the den and the girl crept to the entrance to lay down and patiently wait. She was here for whatever mama needed.

It wasn't long before the yearling heard the sounds of a pup and her ears perked up. Soon another joined the first, and her mama sighed two names. Adonya and Sovanya, Enera thought. Her sisters.

It took her a moment to realize something was wrong. There was a thick stench of blood and aside from the muffled squeaking of the newborns all was quiet. Enera crawled into the den. "Mama?" she asked tentatively. "Can I come in?"

When no answer came Enera entered anyway, glancing briefly at her sisters before looking to her mama, limp in the darkness if the den. "Mama?" she asked again, nudging her shoulder with her nose. Her voice raised a pitch. "Mama?" She wasn't breathing. "Mama?"

Enera raced to the den entrance. "Help! Somebody help!" she wailed to the sky, and without waiting for an answer she dashed back to her Mama's side, only regarding her sisters enough to ensure she didn't step on them.

She pressed her nose to her Mama's cheek before prodding her. "Wake up Mama, come on," she whined, continuing to nudge her and praying, pleading, that the sky walkers hadn't taken her, that her mama hadn't left her.

(This post was last modified: May 13, 2022, 06:12 PM by Enera.)

Here is Marrah being entirely unhelpful, but she will carry a pup back to Woya if Enera asks her.

I’m Done Putting Out The Fires You Start

Her sister-friend was much more forgiving about the new pups coming into the world than Marrah was. The dark yearling was beginning to blame them for everything that was going wrong. It felt like every bit of stability she had ever had in her life was gone now. Even the water was gone now. Auntie Woya wouldn’t be able to give most of her attention to the Maceio-Tainn children anymore, her mom was gone, her dad never around. Rhae would have new children as well to take care of.

Everything was wrong, and Marrah knew it.

Enera’s call echoed her own thoughts, but it seemed surreal to hear her normally chipper friend sound so desperate. Getting to her paws and racing to Rhae’s den, the yearling could hear the sound of whimpering, and tiny puppy wails coming from inside. But… something was wrong. The area smelled heavily of blood, and Enera had been calling for help.

When amber eyes adjusted to the dim of the den her stomach lurched and Marrah had to pull back. Staggering a few steps away she wretched until she finally purged the entire contents of her stomach. She knew the second she had seen Rhae laying limp in there that she was already gone, and the sight of Enera prodding her, begging her.

Marrah gagged again. This was worse than any nightmare she could have ever imagined.

When The Cranberry Vodkas Hit A Little Too Hard

The drought was horrific and had the entire pack on edge. All too familiar with the toll dehydration can take on a pregnant wolf, Levi had been all but obsessed with being at the ready. He could only guess that Rhaegara would go into labor first, given she had conceived before Woya. There was so much he couldn't predict though, including early or late gestations that might swap the two litters' timelines. He needed to be mindful of what was happening with his newest leader as well, and so after resting for hours outside of Rhae's den waiting for it be time, the young medic felt it had been too long since he'd shared his attention with the smaller mother-to-be.

It hadn't been long. He'd been as swift as he could, and still it was a fatal error.

Enera's cries reached his ears and he took off at a run, heart jumping up into his throat as his thin legs raced to take him back to the den. When he arrived, Marrah was vomiting and Enera's voice could be heard, a jumble of syllables that expressed deep sorrow. Leviticus grabbed his tools and forced his way into the den, slipping around the distressed child to assess her mother and newborn siblings.

She was already dead. Leviticus prodded uselessly at her chest and stomach, desperately seeking breath or pulse, any sign of life still harboring within her. It was a corpse, far too still and malleable to his touch. The infants suckling at her stomach had no idea what their birth had just wrought.

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

Enera knew her mama was dead, but she didn't want to - couldn't believe it. She continued prodding her and crying, oblivious to Marrah's brief arrival. Levi wasn't long in appearing, squishing around her but not asking her to leave. He too poked at Rhaegara, but not for long.

The girl looked up to him with bleary eyes, grief threatening to overwhelm her. She couldn't articulate her question; she knew the answer. There was nothing that could be done.

She looked numbly at her mama, her beautiful fur soaking in her own blood. Enera didn't care. She tucked her face into her Mama's side, breathing deep to memorize her scent, still the same under the blood-stench. She keened into her. After several long moments she kissed her face, grooming her mama one more time. "I love you mama," she whispered. "I'll take good care of Adonya and Sovanya, Mama, I promise. I won't forget you."

She sniffed and pressed her nose to Mama's neck, then wriggled backwards from the den. She stood numbly in the sun for a moment before she saw Marrah. She padded to her friend and leaned into her side, burying her face in her sister-friend's fur. She didn't know what to say; words seemed to have left her. The grief threatened to shatter her.

Her Mama was gone. What was she supposed to do now?

Caelyn tried to keep himself busy most days as he still was trying to process the future new arrivals. The yearling wasn't sure how he felt about everything and his emotions were unhealthily internalized as he didn't want to cause anymore fuss with his Aunt while she was in her condition. The less he was seen or heard, the better in his young mind. So, that he did.

The pale boy kept busy trying to find water for the pack, coming in and out of the border often as he searched. Though, his scouts always came up dry. As he was heading back into the heart of the territory, Caelyn had been traveling close to Rhae's den when he heard Enera's screams.

Wide eyed and panting, the yearling came up on the scene just as Levi was in the den with Enera and Marrah nearby. The smell of vomit reached his nostrils as he looked to see the puddle close to Mar. Quickly, Cae found his way to his sister's side, pressing himself closely to her side. No words were spoken as Caelyn didn't know what he could say as he smelled the matellic stench of blood coming from the den. With Enera's cries, Caelyn knew Rhae was no longer with them.

I’m Done Putting Out The Fires You Start

Marrah was embarrassed about her weak stomach and as soon she was finished purging she moved away. She half heartedly tried to kick a few pawfuls of dirt over her mess before giving up. There was too much happening right now to worry about what she had done. Levi was upon them, shoving his way into the den with his herbs on hand. For a moment the yearling felt a glimmer of hope, amber eyes lighting up. Levi would save her, Rhae would not be gone after all.

The small hope was crushed when Enera left the den, looking haunted. Clearly the healer had not been able to pull of the miracle that Marrah had been hoping for. It felt like everything was falling down around her, and the Maceio-Tainn teen curled around her sister-friend in an embrace. She should have been crying she thought suddenly, why wasn’t she crying? She didn’t even feel a lump in her throat she just felt horror.

Her brother was there then, and they were all curled around each other. A mixing of dark, cream, and silver fur as they held each other, trying to comfort each other against all odds. They stood there for who knows how long before Marrah whispered, ”Enera, what do we do now?” She would do what she was told, but she needed to be told what to do.

When The Cranberry Vodkas Hit A Little Too Hard

Leviticus couldn't help but stare and hope that he was wrong, that there was something he didn't know about that could bring her back to them all. Even when he knew better, Enera's crying filling his ears and refusing to allow him to slip into true denial. She spoke again to her mother, and then left, leaving Levi with the corpse and the newborns. He pinched his eyes shut, and felt sobs of his own shake his chest. What the fuck had he done?

It was too morbid, the children seemingly draining the last bit of life remaining in Rhaegara's body so obliviously. He pulled them away from her, and up against his chest. They squealed and flailed uselessly against him, but he just hugged them closer.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to them over and over again.

"I'm so, so sorry..."

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

Enera took several deep breaths. They didn't help. She needed to hold it together. Mama was gone. Crying wouldn't bring her back, and she had sisters to look after now. Still, she was paralyzed. What could she do? Her world was crashing down around her. Her chest felt tight, the breaths she'd just taken threatening to suffocate her instead.

It was Marrah's voice that broke her out of it. She looked at her friend blankly, taking far longer to process the words than it should have. When it finally got through that she was asking for directions, Enera tried to answer. Her mouth closed, then opened again. "Milk," she finally managed to say. "My sisters... Sovanya and Adonya... milk."

Her thoughts raced. They needed a mother, and needed once quickly - even the yearling knew that much. But where-

Woya. There was every change she wouldn't take the Rayvne children, but she was her best chance. "We need to take them to Woya. Will you help me?" Once she'd been answered she turned and wriggled back into the den, only to find Levi had curled the children against his chest. "Give them to me, please," she said, trying to be gentle but it mostly came out flat.

Did we want this to be the last round? If so feel free to pp Marrah silently following Enera.

I’m Done Putting Out The Fires You Start

The yearling stared back at her friend in horror as her mouth opened and closed like a fish, no words coming out. Somewhere in all of the chaos her brother had slipped away and Marrah had not even noticed. She just needed to be told what to do, she would make everything all better. She just needed to be told how to do that. She would do anything.

Or so she thought.

The horror grew when Marrah realized what her sister-friend was asking of her, to help take the murderers to suckle at her beloved aunt’s breast. She wanted to protest, but the desperation of the situation hung heavy in the air so instead she just nodded once. She would do as she was told for now, and she would retreat inside of herself to do so. Soon it would all be over.

Levi seemed hesitant to give into Enera’s request, but he agreed to let them take the children. Marrah grabbed the one that the light coloured yearling did not, and prepared herself for the journey to Auntie Woya. It wasn’t far, but it might as well have been across the globe.

When The Cranberry Vodkas Hit A Little Too Hard