Sanguine Cove we fought to keep our beautiful creation safe

going to nudge this up to very early morning but use the weather rofl
Thunderstorm With Light Rain
58.91 ° F, 14.95 ° C

Eclypse had not grown enough to understand the weather or why outside had suddenly seemed so...bleak.

What she did know was that she awoke to gentle rolls of thunder and soft patter of rain. What would have been a lullaby for most seemed to bring the girl to life in the wee hours of the morning.

Without thought or care, she climbed over her mother's side (alerting her, if not outright startling her) and began to make for the mouth of the den. The sun had not come out yet but the moon seemed so far away now. Even further when it hid behind clouds heavy with rain.

Her focus came back to the earth though, with a puddle that had formed very close to the den.

She gave no thought and simply splashed both paws into it at once.

(This post was last modified: Jul 15, 2023, 05:56 AM by Eclypse.)

Aquene had been out collecting herbs when the rain had started. She had immediately turned tail towards the herbal den to place them carefully to let them dry, the rolling thunder already bringing about a lull in her energy as it tended to. It was from there that she would head to the den to shelter, perhaps eat a small meal from the caches, and check on her daughter who seemed to grow more and more by the day.

“Ecylpse!” She would call out gently as she moved towards her, catching the tail end of her puddle. “Be careful… you could get sick!” As a mother, she would always fret about such things. The water, the rain, the slight chill in the air that came with the thunderstorms. “Why don’t we go back inside the den? I can tell you a story.” She’d attempt to bribe to encourage her daughter along.

Aquene Slayer

Eclypse had never protested once in her short life.

She had always done what her parents or grandparent had asked of her. Even her siblings! Yet perhaps she had crept upon the terrible twos (in months, mind you) suddenly and without much warning.

Mother wished for her to go back inside, but Eclypse so badly wanted to stay here with her puddle. With the thunder and the rain. She struggled to understand why her mother did not want to have fun too!

So for the first time, she uttered a word that had never crossed her lips before.

No.

Not a cry, not even a scream. It had been spoken firmly and with only a frown on her face. Her features sagged shortly after, with a hanging head and limp tail.

No! The girl would state the word firmly, and Aquene felt a pang in her heart… and yet, she needed to be firm. She had not been blind to the way the air had become thicker, smoke on the horizon… and she knew the effects it could have on her daughter should she face prolonged exposure.

And so she would raise an eyebrow. “Eclypse. In the den, now.” She would state with a firmer tone in kind, picking the girl up by the scruff to carry her inside as the worry radiated through. Rain plus smoke meant the air would be thicker, and she didn’t know that the girl’s lungs could handle it.

And so, in that moment… she would need to be the bad guy. She would need to disappoint her daughter for her safety. One day, she would understand that… at least that was what the worrywart kept telling herself would happen.

Aquene Slayer

Oh, terrible terrible twos indeed.

Her mother could (and had) physically forced Eclypse to obey, but she would be cursed if she did not get her opinion in still! So her legs kicked wildly as her body became a swinging sack of potatoes in her mother's jaws.

No! No! NO!

Her voice raised into wails now and she found herself quickly headed down to tears.

Why was mama so strict lately? Why did she not get to romp and play in the new areas she had seen before?

Her crying would raise into blubbering sounds that had her gasping for air between snotty sounds.

Her legs kicked wildly and her body swung and so Aquene kept her just barely lifted off the ground just in case she managed to free herself from her mother’s hold. She did not want her to get hurt should she fall. Aquene knew that Eclypse did not understand this yet, but it was for her own good.

Oh, the joys of parenting.

She made a mental note to talk to Nash about addressing the entire pack about the smoke, especially given how it was only thickening instead of declining.

She would set her down towards the back of the den and run her nose along her form for a moment. “Yes. Eclypse. It’s dangerous out there right now… the air is going to hurt you if you’re outside for too long.” She knew it was boring, stir crazy, but Aquene would not lose her daughter solely for the sake of her exploring. She’d have the rest of her life to explore.

Aquene Slayer

She heard the words, but she could not fully grasp them.

Even as her mother attempted to soothe her all she could do was miserably cry through snot bubbles. Limbs trembled like jello beneath her.

Although no one had explained to her how exhausting tantrums could be. Especially when, as her mother had said, the air was already bad enough. Too young still to understand all this logic.

Instead she merely crumpled up on the ground with squeaky sounds of a dying tantrum, paws drooped over her face even! Woe was the girl who wanted the world. Woe was the girl who had had the world, up until now.

Even knowing it was for her own good, Aquene hated to see her daughter fret and cry the way that she did. It hurt to see any of them in that measure of pain, even if it was superficial and simply the emotional turmoil of not yet being old enough to understand why her mother was being so strict.

She collapsed to the ground and Aquene was quick to settle down beside her, pulling her close with her limbs as she soothingly licked the top of her head in what was meant to be a comforting manner. “It’s just for a few days, Eclypse. I promise.” At least, she hoped the smoke would subside.

In truth, she worried that the fires might spread to the mountains, but it seemed so distant that it was not even in sight. She had to hope that the fires would spare the Lore, their homes… she wasn’t sure these lands could bear more tragedy than they already had.

Aquene Slayer

basically nothing more than a tiny allergy fit plsnopanic

It would be forever. Each day inside felt like a lifetime to the young girl!

Still, despite her 'anger' with her mother, she still wiggled into her when the comfort was provided. Even when she could smell that weird outside scent on her mother's fur. Both herbs and smoke making an odd concoction in the young girl's nose. Enough that for a moment she silence her crying that had seemed like it might have gone on for days.

Instead she squeaked out a sneeze and then a cough. The continued to cough softly.

Allergies did not play nice with the abundance of snot bubbles and crying she had just achieved.

Concern laced her features as the girl fidgeted and then fell silent, until there was a squeak and a cough. She was a healer, but there was not a rational thought such as ‘allergies’ in her mind. Instead, this was her daughter… and so she would fret and catastrophize what was happening with her, concerned for her health and safety all the same.

She’d shift so the girl’s chest might be exposed, running her nose up and down it to try and stir any mucus to cause it to come up rather than continue to settle in her lungs. Should she call for Nash? Perhaps some peppermint would help her? Her mind raced as the fear bubbled inside of her.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Her normally calm bedside manner was flooded with a sense of panic.

Aquene Slayer