Drooping Willows [m] blood was our inheritance

Asha had been in labor all night and had taken residence in an old, abandoned fox den that she'd dug a bit from on her own in order to fit. She hadn't had too much help with her pregnancy - hadn't wanted it, really. She'd seen Eirian a few times, and she'd met with Eskil once. Her ears burned in shame as she remembered admitting her feelings, and how he hadn't reciprocated them as easily as she'd given. It was odd to think about, when you were curled up in pain underground and waiting for new life to expel itself from your body.

Rippling cramps danced their way across the young woman's sides as her body instinctively began to push. She'd seen women from her old pack give birth out in the middle of the open. It was bloody, messy, and did not always simply result in life. She'd seen puppies - and even mothers - die from birth, and for a half a moment, Asha wished that the whole process would kill her. She couldn't care for puppies - she could hardly care for anything at all. She didn't wish the puppies death, of course, because this was absolutely not their fault. In fact, if Asha were more in tune with these types of feelings, she'd say that she already cared for the tiny creatures within her womb.

A soft moan escaped her as something finally slipped from her, and she took a glance behind her to see a soft, gray bundle of fur. It was still - not squirming like most newborn puppies. The silver wolf licked at it and tried to prompt it to take a breath, but the infant boy was lifeless. The sight, for a moment, coaxed a primal instinct of sadness from the mother, who felt tears burn her eyes before she could stop it.

But she didn't have time to grieve - nor did she want to. Instead, she continued to push, having discovered that her job was not finished yet. This time, the process was quicker, and a silver-and-red little girl was born into the world, squealing and squirming and healthy. The mother quickly cleaned her and nudged the infant toward her stomach so that she could eat something. There was only a little emotion involved - mostly instinct. The robot allowed her body to move for her, and curled up a bit around the puppies (dead and alive), with her face angled toward the den entrance.

She'd almost drifted to sleep before realizing that the young girl was not receiving any food from her mother. And, now that she was paying attention, her teats hadn't grown as they should have. Panic settled slowly in the young mother's chest, her brows knitting together in worry. What was she to do if she couldn't feed her puppy?

Her attempt to join had gone off without a hitch and so she had been working on keeping a low profile, sinking into the ground when exiting members approached, allowing her rump to wriggle to compensate for her lack of a tail and generally worming her way amongst them as the small, harmless darling that was just looking for a family to join. The recent weather was thwarting her attempts to gather herbs but that didn't stop her from excusing herself in the search of them, maybe some might have been spared, the only shelter itself a hindrance to growth. She expected to come home empty handed but already she needed to get away from the act. If only for a few hours.

Her spine popped as she stretched, a short shake sending her unkempt fur flying in all directions. The willows were a nice enough place, she supposed, and it would seem that she wasn't alone in the assessment. The scent of birth filled the air and even from this distance she could hear the quiet cries of a hungry cub. There was a sharp stinging sensation before the scent of her milk threatened to overpower that of the stranger. "Hello?" She called, a hint of panic lacing her tone at the thought of what might make a child cry so. "Dear, where are you?" Wide silver eyes darted in a feverish fashion, a worried whine whispering from between clamped jaws. "I know plants, I can help..." She tried one last time before putting her nose and ears back to work. They couldn't be far...

(This post was last modified: May 05, 2017, 06:58 AM by Eek.)

Asha was still curled around her two puppies - one living and one not - when the scent of milk overwhelmed her senses and she let out a sharp, instinctual growl. The colorless young woman got to her feet and flattened her ears as the stranger's voice reached them. A stranger who was far too close to her puppies for her liking. Instinct was so powerful a thing. She didn't even want her puppies to begin with, and though she still could not care for them, the thought of someone else touching the infants sent a rage coursing through her system.

The silver female exited the den, body low and bristled as she braced herself for a threat. Her insides ached and twisted at the movement, and she winced with the pain, but she didn't let that deter her from seeking out the stranger with blue eyes narrowed into furious chips. She tried to straighten up, but found that she couldn't, and instead remained hunched over, her lips drawn back in a snarl and her tail tucked between her bloodied hind legs. She would do her absolute best to defend the babies inside the den against the inky-furred, small stranger.

The fur along her spine rose and she planted herself firmly between the black wolf and the den that housed her babies. "W-who the hell are you?" she rasped, voice cracking from suppressed fear and the dryness in her throat. She was still panting heavily from the exertion of delivery; it was quite obvious she was in no position to protect anyone or anything at the moment.

The monochrome woman came charging from the den and Eek melted into the ground, her rump waving a staccato beat to compensate for the missing appendage. Her low whine and the pitiful way her ears folded against her skull and her eyes widened to show the whites would non-verbally communicate just how little of a threat she was. Her voice was small and her body shook as she answered the girl, a hint of panic in her voice, "I'm nobody! I'm from the pack nearby! I just came out to look for plants for the leader! She just had a litter of her own!" Each movement of the other woman was punctuated with a flinch from Eek, if anyone else were to wander across them it wouldn't do to have any suspicion raised about her true nature.

Slowly she began to inch backward, sharp eyes taking in the lack of milk scent coming from the new mother, one disgruntled child whining for its mother. Was that all there was? For a moment she considered just how easy it would be to run the young girl off, and perhaps had the weather been kinder she might have even had some plants on hand to poison her with. No, for now, the best option was to keep herself as non-threatening as possible. She didn't even glance at the den behind the girl, instead, taking in the willow trees and other landmarks that might be able to lead her back here. She wasn't interested in the long game, the child would only live so long with no milk to sustain it, and Eek never fought fair.

Although she had told him not to worry about her or her pups, Eskil was doing exactly the opposite. He did not rest easy knowing that Asha was out there somewhere in a very vulnerable state, and in the back of his mind was wondering where she was, if she was safe, whether she had given birth yet. Enoki had already delivered her litter, and he knew that the monochrome woman should be due around the same time. Knowing the pack had children now in their care put a protective edge to his usual laid-back demeanor, and the large male made sure to scope out the territory and its bounds thoroughly whenever he was not working to make sure the nursing mother was well fed. 

Eskil's easy stride brought him along the Ridge's bounds, passing over the newcomer Eek's trail just as the scent of blood and birth wafted towards him on the wind. The creamy fur along his nape bristled uneasily and his heart dropped as his mind instantly leapt to Asha. Eskil's long limbs broke into a run, finding Asha bent over just inside the entrance of a little den and Eek crouched just outside. Asha was alive at least, thank goodness, but he did not allow himself to relax just yet.

If the little black wolf had a tail he would have guessed it would be tucked between her legs with the way she was standing. But Eskil's evergreen gaze quickly swept towards Asha, searching over her to try to determine if she was alright. She was thin, not much left to her now that she was freed of the bulge around her midsection she'd sported the last time he had seen her, and bloodied from the waist down. And she was obviously quite unsettled by Eek's presence. He inadvertently pushed Eek out of the way as he quickly came forward, lapping at the side of Asha's muzzle in two little licks. "Are you alright? Are the-" He began to ask, before be noticed the faint yet bitter scent of death. Immediately his ears swept back against the side of his head. "Oh no." 

There was something wrong with the black wolf - something that set alarm bells firing off rapidly in Asha's mind as she regarded her with unease and slight hostility. The little one spoke so quickly that it was difficult for the silver woman to keep up, her blue eyes squinting as she made an attempt to make sense of the jumble of words. It didn't help that her mind was muddled and tired and terrified and hormone-crazed. But she finally deduced that the black wolf was from 'the pack nearby, which Asha attributed to mean Eskil's pack. Apparently the leader also had puppies, and apparently there were specific plants that helped with some shit or other.

The colorless girl shook her head slowly and pinned her ears to her head. "Then you... you should keep on helping your alpha," she growled lowly, fur bristling with hostility as she regarded the older woman with ice blue eyes filled with cold, protective fury. She flinched when the living infant in the den keened loudly for food, longing to return to her desperately, but was not going to dare leave the stranger alone out in front of the den. "Leave-"

Running pawsteps of something much larger than the black wolf crashed through the undergrowth and Asha backed up to press herself to the den entrance, heart hammering in her chest and underweight body shaking. Terrified but resolved to protect her pups, the silver wolf's lips pulled back into a snarl.

She could have broken out into relieved sobs when the familiar light gray form broke out into the clearing, but she refrained. Instead she just relaxed the slightest bit and, trembling, lowered her exhausted form to sit down. A soft whine escaped her, filled with multiple meanings. I'm glad you're here and I'm so tired, and I'm scared, and I don't like this stranger being here. She couldn't even begin to formulate a noise for the fact that she'd missed him, or that she was hurting, or about the pups.

The relief only lasted a moment or two, as Eskil rushed forward - too quickly - and kissed the side of her muzzle. She pulled her head back, her breathing picking up as she shied away, trying not to seem unhappy to see him. The stimulation was just too much, and she hoped desperately that he understood that.

He asked if she was okay, and then cut off his question that she'd assumed was about the pups. His expression changed into one of sympathy and sorrow, and Asha felt her eyes burn - she couldn't face what he was insinuating. "Ev-everything's fine," she whispered breathily, tears forming in her orbs and slowly rolling over down her cheeks. Her chest ballooned out a few times as she attempted to reign in her emotions, able to ignore the other woman in the clearing now that Eskil was there.

In fact, the new mother turned and slid into the den, showing that she was more-or-less comfortable with the man's presence as she curved her body around her puppies - one wriggling and crying, the other stiff and silent. She nudged them both to her stomach, and the girl latched on to feed, but only for a moment before detaching and wailing loudly for sustenance. Asha glanced up at the entrance of the den, waiting for Eskil to come look at the infants and, for a moment, pretend as though everything was perfectly fine.

Eek's exit post. I'd still like you to edit in the clarification to your post above as I pm'd you requesting.

The outward look of worry was painted clearly on all Eek's silver speckled features. There shouldn't be so much blood... she thought absent-mindedly without a hint of the outward concern she displayed. Her frantic whining was cut short when heavy steps approached, a wolf that smelled of the Ridge. There were still several wolf lengths between them so his movement merely cut her line of sight. It was a good thing by the time he spoke she was already moving back, the scent of death not traveling far enough to meet her nose yet. What was the one that smelled of the herbs? Silver girl... They'd only met in passing... She made her voice small and successfully spoke in a terrified stutter, "S-should I get @Ravenna?"

She would only stick around long enough for @Eskil to give her an answer before she backed away, with no real intention of finding the healer at all. Of course she would put up a front of looking for her, but really, with the snow making a slow retreat she could be anywhere and Eek wasn't exactly familiar with the area or the places that the silver wolf might frequent in her search for supplies.

Eskil stepped back as Asha flinched away. He hadn't meant to startle her, but sometimes he forgot just how much personal space she needed. He frowned slightly, his ears flattening down against the side of his head as she assured him that everything was fine. Everything didn't seem fine, she didn't seem fine. Tears clearly pooled at the corners of her eyes, and as much as he wished to reach out and wipe the dampness from her cheeks, he kept to himself. 

The little black wolf's voice murmured out behind him, and he looked over his shoulder towards her. "No," He said, shaking his head, and not sounding terribly confident in his own answer. "No, it'll be fine." He added, firmer this time. He did not want to bring Ravenna out here to split her attentions between their pack and what, to them, would simply be a lone wolf. As deeply as he cared for Asha, he couldn't ask Ravenna to split her attentions between a lone wolf and Enoki.

As he looked back, Asha had begun to make her way inside the den, seemingly allowing him entrance. He ducked his head down and crouched to his elbows, squeezing into the small space that wasn't made to comfortably accommodate a male as large as he was. He made his way down to Asha and the cubs, already hearing one squealing hungrily. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness his attention was immediately drawn to the squirming, vocal child. And then, beside her, a cub that was much too still. His heart caught in his throat, and he swallowed around a scratchy lump that formed there. Eskil laid down on the ground before them, speechless for a moment. He'd had his suspicions the moment he'd caught the telltale stench of death, but it still hadn't prepared him for seeing it with his own eyes.

"I'm so sorry Asha," He breathed. "Is there anything I can do?" He asked in vain as he looked into her eyes, feeling rather useless.

Will edit the other post later

She paid no mind to the conversation that went on between Eskil and the stranger, and instead nudged the two infants to her stomach so that they could eat. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she understood that the gray boy was never going to eat, and that the reddish girl wouldn't find nourishment from Asha's own body, but everything was confusing and painful and she couldn't make sense of it all - especially not with all of the emotions she could not possibly hope to understand. She'd convinced her mind, in a sophistry way, that everything was okay, and that all of the labor was over, and that the pups would just need time to learn to feed. Her body knew, however, that there was something horribly wrong with the situation, and it was trembling all over with the knowledge.

Eskil squeezed into the den after her, and she was thankful that he had not allowed the strange woman to find her way in, as well. The silver wolf curled herself a little tighter around the puppies at the presence of the man, but she did not growl or show any other signs of protectiveness. Just a simple, clear do not touch would suffice for the situation.

But then the larger wolf didn't fawn over the puppies - didn't coo or look excited in the slightest. Asha almost pressed him - aren't they cute? and the gray one looks like me, - but then he spoke. It was odd of him to apologize to the mother of two newborns, as it was usually a celebrated event. But then it occurred to her that he must have realized the two puppies weren't suckling like they should, and she nodded her head almost frantically. "Yes, please, I don't know why they won't eat," she pled, looking up into his evergreens for a solution.

Yes, please, she began, and Eskil leaned forward, ears pointed towards Asha ready to jump up and do whatever he could for her. If she asked him to run to the top of Mount Dire and grab her a fresh mountain goat right that second, by the powers that be, he would do it. But what she said next threw him off. Eskil's brow furrowed as she looked up at him expectantly, his brain trying to understand exactly what she was asking of him. Why wouldn't they eat?

He didn't know about the girl, but it was obvious to him that the little boy pup was... A pained expression pulled over his scarred features. He was at a loss what to do. Obviously, Asha was too. He wasn't sure if it was better to point it out, or if it was something she would have to come to accept in her own time. He had seen mother caribou circling around a dead calf for days, fiercely defending a life that no longer was, until finally leaving only by the urging of the hungry carnivores at her heels. Was Asha stuck there too? Unable to accept what had happened? He didn't know, and he didn't know if he wanted to be the one to bring it to light. Was ignoring it better, or worse?

Eskil stiffly leaned forward, carefully looking at the whining, crying girl and trying to ignore her unfortunate brother beside her. The poor child was as red as an Asurn ever was, but he roughly pushed those bitter thoughts from his mind. She wasn't suckling like a newborn babe would be expected to do. His eyes drifted towards Asha's pale belly, his ears folded as he noticed the flat expanse of fur there. "Asha, I don't think... I don't think you have anything for them." He said uncomfortably.