Kingsfall chorus

Private for @Ryder and @Caspian though @Jethro is welcome if he wants to join in on the birds and the bees chat.
Late evening, scattered clouds, 42F/6C

The days were getting longer, and this particular day had been the warmest she could remember as of late. All day the snow and ice had been melting away under the sun's rays, and the mother had been happily basking in it as much as she could. By now it was clear that her and Jethro’s children had taken and were beginning to grow within her womb. Maybe it was the hormones, or maybe it was the beginning buds of romance, but Finley couldn’t help but feel extra affectionate and content.

The only thing that plagued her mind as the sun had set down over the horizon was the conversation she would need to have with her boys. The Lennox wolf was sure the other members of the pack had figured it out by the change in her scent, but she doubted the children had. After all, why would they? Neither of them had ever been around a pregnant wolf before, and now she would need to tell them.

It was a couple of hours before she normally settled in for the night and Finley figured both of her kids would have returned from the day's adventure by now. Finding a private area within the territory she lifted her head and called for them. The mother needed to speak with Caspian and Ryder before someone else did.

Every day the snows receded. The lore seemed to spring back to life. Cas was out a little later than he probably should have been, trying to outwit a stubborn squirrel he'd been stalking all afternoon.

When he heard Finley's call, his ears perked up and he gave a shake of his pelt, marking the tree with a scratch of his claws before turning to go so he'd remember it for later. If I can corner a squirrel here it won't be able to jump to any of the tree's neighbors. One of us has to give up eventually.

Then turned and picked up the pace back to the family's favorite resting spot near the falls, suspecting that he'd just run a bit late. He'd owe mum an apology for that for sure. Still, curiosity prickled at his mind. Things had been kind of different lately in a way he couldn't understand or articulate, but could feel. Just like the land, the wolves changed with the turn of the moon, the seasons. It made him a bit nervous, remembering how mom had told him about birds chasing the moon and such.

Seeing her sitting there waiting for him seemed to confirm these thoughts, something was up. Finley looked like she wanted to talk. And she smelled, well, different. She didn't look upset with him, though, which was a relief.

Approaching, the boy rubbed his head under her chin and gave a fond whine before settling himself to sit before her. "Sorry 'm late, ma. How're you?" he gave a small wag of his tail.

(This post was last modified: Mar 31, 2023, 03:44 PM by Caspian.)

Ryder didn't much like these changes the shifting weather had seemed to bring. When he heard his mother's call, he sighed as though the weight of the world were upon his shoulders. Begrudgingly removing himself from the toppled pine he'd been scaling, he obediently went to answer. His brother was there before him, always so bright and sunny. That combined with their mom's boosted mood was hard for Ryder to be around for any extended period of time. He much preferred being alone.

Hopefully, this would be quick. He was quiet, letting his grey-blue eyes do the communicating as they rose to meet Finley's features. Whatever she'd summoned them for, he was here to listen.

Finley’s emotions were at conflict as she waited for her boys to answer her call. She was both excited by the new litter that she and Jethro had conceived, and yet suddenly felt a giddy kind of nervousness. What if they reacted poorly? What if they accused her of being a bad mother? What if they never forgave her? She had put the conversation off until she was sure that she was pregnant, but didn’t want to blind side them one day by going into labour.

Besides, they also had the - somewhat unpleasant - aspect of needing to learn where babies came from. Next year they would be old enough to have their own, a harrowing thought, and they needed to be prepared. Still, when Caspian arrived she couldn’t help but smile at her sweet boy, returning his embrace enthusiastically and giving a playful growl as she snuggled her chin into the crown of his pale head. Ryder arrived next, and as usual as of late was silent and kind of surly looking. The mother knew realistically it was probably teenage hormones, but she couldn’t help but take it a little personally.

She inhaled a deep breath, and then dove right in, matter of fact as always. ”I have something to tell you both, I’m pregnant. Jethro and I will be having a litter this year and both of you will be older brothers.” She expected this would be followed with a load of questions, and so she fell silent in wait. Still, now that the words were out she couldn’t help but wag her tail behind her a little, it really was a happy thing.

After greeting his mother, Cas waited, trying to be patient. His tail stirred happily when his brother arrived, only to still when he took in Ryder's mood. He was used to it, but still, he wasn't sure what to make of that change. So many changes lately, it was all a lot at once even if he tried to accept and adapt to it. Finley's sense of quiet anticipation didn't do much to quell his anxiety, what now?

When she did speak, he felt a bit dumb. What did Mom mean by that? They were gonna be big brothers, okay... he knew what most of the words meant but not how to react to all of the news that had come at once. He was ready to step forward, grow up, but he didn't like everything he had to leave behind to do it. Was this another new start that required leaving the old behind for good? Worry clouded his mind. But mom seemed really happy. Cas himself didn't know what to expect, what to make of the whole situation.

Eventually a word fell from his parted jaws. "You... an' Jethro?" brows knotted thinking of the last few weeks. Did that mean there was some difference between them now compared to before? Was this a new thing? Was it because they were a pack now? He wondered about when and how, and had to wonder then about his own father, if he had one at all. His earliest memories were hazy, muddled with dreams and misrepresentations. It wasn't Jet, he was pretty sure, but he didn't know where to begin. Was it the same? Was this even the time to ask?

Eventually his gaze slid to Ryder, full of questions. Wondering if his brother had as many confusing feelings on the matter. Or if as usual, he was more certain of what to think and do. How did he manage to be like that?

(This post was last modified: Apr 12, 2023, 02:24 AM by Caspian.)

The words came, but they did not settle immediately. Instead it was like a tumble of building blocks that he then needed to sift through and piece together, no matter how plain the sentences had been. Pregnancy, litter, older brothers, this year, Jethro. The muscles beneath his face twitched, eyes narrowing subtly, almost imperceptibly. He tried not to react yet, but there was an anxious fluttering in his chest that was difficult to swallow. Ryder might have looked to Caspian to likewise gauge his sibling's thoughts, but it took too much focus just to keep a straight face in front of their mother.

His brother's question was enough, though, at least for the moment. It was his biggest curiosity at this time as well. What did Jet have to do with growing their little family?

(This post was last modified: Apr 12, 2023, 03:03 AM by Ryder.)

Well there were a lot less questions than Finley had been expecting. Really there was only one and it came from Caspian, Ryder staying silent and seemingly almost uninterested in this whole exchange. Blinking in surprise she nodded, ”Yes, me and Jethro, we are… exploring where our relationship is going.” That was as honest as she could be, something she strived to be with her children. There wasn’t much more to tell about what was going on with them.

Furrowing her brow for a second, she then launched into a very factual and straightforward description of what a woman’s heat was, that it meant she could get pregnant, how tempting that could be to a man, and well, how babies were made from there. This all felt very comfortable to explain, it was when she got to the end that she felt a little queasy, now she needed to be more personal. Sighing, she continued, ”The man I was with last year… he was only interested in being physical, and before I even knew I was pregnant he had taken off.” The words were chosen carefully, never mentioning “your father” because he wasn’t (but he was, she just didn’t know).

Looking at them, her face softened, ”But I wouldn’t change anything, because I’ve had the best year being your mom, and I love you both very much.” At least that was the whole truth.

Cas felt a flush to his cheeks as he tried to keep his eyes focused and not let the swirl of thoughts building inside him show outwardly too much. But he was sure Ry - and probably mom too - could feel some of the embarrassment and other feelings radiating from him.

He didn't know what to think of her and Jethro exploring a relationship, whatever that meant, or the idea that there was some mystery wolf out there he'd never considered before.

Who was it?

He couldn't even begin to think about that right now.

Their mom's words just seemed to confirm all of his worries. She'd had the best year being their mom, so that time was ending - or at least changing in a big way? His stomach sank. But she was so happy. He was gonna be grown up about this. He had to be. Right?

"Gonna be big brothers," he murmured more to himself than anything. Nodding, he didn't believe he'd be able to hide his feelings very well if he looked at his mom, so instead he averted his gaze.

Finley had always radiated a simple honesty to her eldest son, and it showed itself again in the soft fluttering of her eyes, the changes in her voice, the lilt of her expressions. Still he could find nothing comforting about any of the information she was sharing. 'Exploring where our relationship is going' meant nothing to an 11-month-old, but what followed next made too much sense and he found himself deeply struggling in keeping a straight face through it all. What resulted was a drawn half-grimace and an occasional twitching of strained eyes.

How he was made, what this meant she had done with the wolf he'd most looked up to, the fact that there was supposed to be a second parent in his life, the why of there not being one, the changes that were now coming... and then that claim, which should have been so heartwarming, but instead underscored exactly what he was hating most in this moment. Ryder's stomach cramped and his jaw clenched, a scowl now clear across his muzzle.

"Then why did you? Change everything?"

Caspian just seemed embarrassed by the entire exchange, and that at least the mother had been expecting. The birds and the bees discussion was never going to be comfortable, but at least they would be informed as they went about their adult lives. That even if they knew how everything happened and what it was, sometimes things didn’t work out the way that they thought it would. Like the man who had taken off last year instead of sticking around. She chose not to press her son, letting him process his emotions.

Ryder on the other hand, her brows furrowed and she had to stop herself from reprimanding him on his tone. Now was not the time to have a lesson on etiquette, and she would need to let it go. Besides, could she really blame him? Ears pressed backwards against her skull, all of her worst fears about this conversation seemed to be coming true. Maybe she was not as good of a mother as she had been striving to be.

But, they hadn’t taken off and run away, so that was something. Smoothing her expression she did her best to settle the worries, ”Everything won’t be changing, only some things.” Finley did her best to be soft, ”I will still be your mom, and I will still love both of you very much. Jethro will still be around helping to take care of you and anything you need. We’ll just have a bigger family, you’ll have siblings that look up to you.” Maybe that they could understand, that not everything is going to be bad.