Dead Empress Backwater [M] Now you're just a page torn from the story I'm building

Trigger warning for stillbirth and mildly descriptive birthing process. Special mention to @Vayko, others are welcome to join but to keep the thread moving they might be skipped

She was familiar with the restlessness that overcame her towards the end of her pregnancy, remembering it well enough from the first time. The whole day had been spent alternating between sorting meticulously through her herbs in her new den, and pacing back and forth outside it. Clover was sure she was driving Vayko crazy, but he was ever supportive of her.

It was well after dark when she first felt the contractions, and yet she paced a bit more, counting the time between them to keep her mind occupied. Eventually the urge to go inside became stronger than her need to keep moving and she ducked inside, furiously nesting to try and, futilely, make herself comfortable.

Time passed, and the only way she managed to keep track was by keeping note of the shorter and shorter interludes between each contraction. She began to push in time with the rippling pain that spread down her sides, but unlike her first labour very little happened, and Clover felt panic begin to rise inside her. She had had an off feeling the past few days, with worry gnawing away that something bad would happened since everything had seemed to pass by so smoothly.

Clover continued to follow what her instincts urged her to do, but after a short time of still nothing happening even as the contractions continued she curled around, almost moving around in a complete circle as she tried to visually assess the situation, though on her own it was more difficult than anticipated. She was met with the unmistakable sight of a very tiny pair of hind paws, and immediately felt a wave of nausea rise up in her throat. She had not prepared for this.

Completely unaware of anything happening outside the den, Clover managed to take a deep breath, swallowing down the bile that threatened to emerge from her stomach as she reorientated herself into a slightly better position to do what she needed to. As gently as she could she grabbed the ever so small paws between her front teeth, and with a low groan as the next contraction squeezed down her sides she slowly pulled. After multiple contractions the pup finally emerged, silently and placenta-less.

A whine left Clover's throat as she began to furiously lick at the pure white maw and chest, desperately trying to breathe life into it, even as in the back of her mind she knew there was nothing that she could do. But her mind had switched from critical thinking into panic and desperation as she tried everything she could, a series of increasingly distressed whines escaping her as nothing seemed to work. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to her and Vayko.

Finally she stopped, simply staring at the still unmoving and pale form between her front paws, one which had never even taken a breath of fresh air, eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Vayko," she managed to choke out in a soft voice, feeling herself begin to tremble even as another contraction swelled. For once she didn't know what to do, and she was scared.

He had known as the days were getting closer, and spent his time being more attentive and focused on his Love as she went through her final stages of pregnancy… and he was there when her pains began, doing what he would, when he could from fetching water for her to sorting through the herbs that he had made an effort to learn about so he could help her through her labor. She choked out his name after bringing their first child into the world, the babe unmoving as his heart sank into his chest.

Everything and everyone he touched was cursed… and now he had brought it upon her.

He had to choke back his own pain, running his maw comfortingly along her cheek and neck. “There’s nothing we could have done.” He assured her softly. He truthfully did not know much about what caused stillbirths, but it was hard to believe that Clover could have done anything to make it happen. “Breathe, darling… it will be okay. I promise.” It was a promise he wasn’t entirely sure of, but he knew from the swelling in her belly still and the pain on her features that she was not done yet.

They could find the time to grieve properly after the rest of their bundles had entered the world, preferably healthy.

“You are so strong.” He would coo out softly, his eyes never leaving her, doting over her, caring for her as best as he could because he could see the fear in her eyes, and practically see it radiating off of her… and that meant he needed to be strong. And he would be, for her, because she deserved nothing less than the absolute best that he could give her.

Vayko Valle

Obviously feel free to skip if I don't reply in turn/timely manner. Oleander just wants to be close by; he is quite protective of his mother~

Spidery limbs ate up the ground. He knew his mother's due date was near and that it had been foolish of him to be so far away from her. But, these days, it was hard to stay focused on anything else when girls were in the picture... and she had been there the moment he discovered he was going to be a big brother.

The scene he came upon was a typical one, but it was new in his eyes. Vayko was already there, which had been expected, but Oleander kept his distance and held back a scowl. For all he knew, the man had been there long before him and, for that, he could not hold anything against him. It was his responsibility and duty. If he had been anywhere else, Oleander would have been infuriated beyond measure.

Whispers exchanged in Clover's new den were nothing but murmurs to the young adult's ears. He sighed, finding a place up against a tree trunk. There was nothing to do but wait, and, should his mother have use of him, he was there...

(This post was last modified: Jun 03, 2023, 01:10 AM by Oleander.)

         

OLEANDER |

Nobody gets me like you do I'm not the same, not after you

Feel free to skip Vi unless he is directly interacted with, he is just here to keep guard.

Viorel may be in a bristly mood on a constant basis these days, but he was not shirking his responsibilities. During the night he brought small game to the expectant mothers and filled the caches, violently paced the borders and angrily followed every scent out of place. It was the least he could do after they had supported all of his liiters, not that it had done any good clearly.

He had been doing just that, carrying a decent sized squirrel in his mouth back to Clover’s den when he realized he would not be the only one there attending to her. The scent of birth was heavily wafting from the den and the leader did not need to be told what that meant. Coming closer he dropped the squirrel a few feet from the entryway in case the mother was hungry after her birth before backing away.

Silently he took guard beside Oleander, offering his son nothing more than a nod of acknowledgement. He would be here and do his duties, keep the couple in the den safe if something came up, and then he would leave when his responsibilities were done.

Asmund had been coming to visit, but the very air was different this time and he could feel in his gut that it must be because the children were finally coming. Were it any other of the women laboring now, he would have turned and left. For Clover, he snuck into the brush nearby and settled in to observe. He had little information about what was actually occurring other than new life being brought into existence, and remained unaware of all that could go wrong during such a moment. For now, he was merely curious, and felt an instinctual urge to be watchful.

Clover allowed herself a few moments of comfort from Vayko, eyes closing and pressing in closer to him as she shakily inhaled. But she couldn't let herself rest for too long. It didn't take much pushing for the next pup to emerge, relatively easy in comparison to the struggle of the first, and joy filled her chest at the squeal she heard upon tearing away the placenta. A shrill squeal, as if angered by her still desperate licking, announced the arrival of their second daughter.

With practiced ease Clover gently moved the the snow white pup to her breast beside the still body of their firstborn that she couldn't bring herself to move aside, but she had only a short amount of time to dote on her before the next contractions began. After a few more minutes of pushing their third pup arrived, and she went through the same motions to breathe life into their first son. His cries were strong as he settled in beside her breast, his coat a near perfect replica of Vayko.

More time passed before the next contractions began, but thankfully with no complications as their third daughter was brought into the world, even darker than her two siblings. It took a few tense moments of fervent licking before she let out a cry of her own, and Clover let out a shaky breath of relief.

She then leaned up against Vayko, seeking his comfort once more as she allowed herself a bit of rest, silently watching the four pups at her breast as she waited to see if there would be further contractions.

He would do all he could for her, being as much of a support as he could be both physical and emotionally. He found relief when he heard her squeal, to hear life breathed into their second like their first had been deprived of. It helped to ebb softly away at the aching that occurred in his chest. He was relieved….

Ad then another would arrive, and another, and a third, all healthy from what he could tell. She leaned against him, the contractions seeming to have faded as he gently ran a nose against her cheek. “You’ve done so well, Clo.” He offered softly to her as he licked her cheek in a comforting manner.

After some time, he would not feel her tense, nor hear of her in pain. No, it appeared that she was recovered.

“You should rest, Love…” He knew birth was hard on the body, even if he had never been through it himself. They could name the pups in a bit, she just needed to rest.

Vayko Valle

Eros wanted to be a part of this next chapter in life of the wolf he'd always viewed as a mother. That didn't make any of it easy, or even feasible, however. She'd taken Vayko as a mate despite all the ways he'd continuously failed them, perhaps the wolf the younger Valle had least wanted to see her with, and he couldn't tell if that was the only knot or if there was more but he had certainly not been clearly welcomed into this new family unit they were creating, not even by Clover herself.

Were these really his siblings? Or was he just kidding himself, like he clearly had been his bond with Archer?

He'd come to check, increasingly at a distance the more time passed, but still ensuring that his Ma was being cared for and fed. This time, others were gathered, standing watch while the vile stench of birth permeated the air. Eros frowned, considered walking away, but his heart pulled for him to stay, concerned for Clover and part of it still yearning to call these newborns brothers and sisters rather than cousins.

Eros stood at the same distance as Oli and their father, but slightly apart from them. Just as surly, he lowered onto his haunches and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited...

Oleander is inactive so skipping him

A lot of time seemed to be passing very slowly without any kind of movement from within the den. Sure, some squealing and murmuring voices, but nothing to indicate one way or another if things were going well. The air outside with the guardians was silent and tense, Eros arriving and joining them, Viorel glancing sideways and giving him a curt nod. It was good that two of his sons were here, and based off the scent in the air Asmund was not far either.

Viorel grumbled quietly to himself and settled his head on his paws, waiting for something, either from inside the den or from elsewhere. It was odd not being intimately involved in the process, and for just a minute he let himself miss Vanadis.

Vayko's words soothed her racing heart, and she let her eyes close to gather her strength. Enough time passed that she was almost certain it was over, but then the contractions began again. This time the process was much faster, and within a few minutes another white bundle was brought into the world, however her ears were met with silence as she dutifully licked the boys' face and chest. Panic once again bubbled up inside her at the prospect of a second stillborn, not knowing if she could handle yet another.

She chocked back another sob as she fervently washed her tongue over his nostrils and chest, doing everything she could to clear his airways and breathe life into his tiny body. This time she wouldn't give up, feeling a wave of determination course through her veins as she did everything she knew, until finally he let out a tiny squeak, mouth opening wide to let in his first breath of air.

Clover almost cried from relief, letting her tongue run over him a few more times to make sure he continued to breathe, before gently positioning him in between the others so he could warm up and drink some milk. Something inside her told her she was done, and so she quickly ate some of the herbs she had set aside to give her strength and help with her milk flow before settling back beside Vayko once more. She was so tired, physically and emotionally, but there was still one thing left to do.

"We should name them."