Grizzly Hollow Oceandust

Partly cloudy ─ 72 ° F, 22 ° C. Midnight. @Rook @Cinder

The dirt on which she laid was cold and damp but did little to temper the waves of heat that washed over her. It was a pain unlike any she had ever felt before, stealing her breath and all of the strength she could muster. Darkness cloaked the world outside, but every now and then the moonlight shone down on the trunks of the cedars, and at times she would watch from her place inside she and Rook's den as the silvered leaves swayed high above. A temporary distraction, of course. She had known the time was drawing so close, had tried to prepare herself for what she knew was going to change her life forever, but...this wasn't like she imagined. Quil was terrified ─ not of what her body was undergoing as her children fought their way to the world, but of the change their births would bring. All her life she had cherished and lost and longed for her family, and now she would have one all her own. She had so much love in her heart for Rook and for the little ones that some days it felt like it could explode. In that way, there wasn't any doubt about whether or not she was capable of caring for her cubs. However, what if...what if something terrible happened to them. What if, as she would never forget for even a single day of her life, her children had to grow up without their mother and father? What if they were robbed of their happiness and their childhood, as she and Cinder and Mace and Rowan had been. The look in Cinder's eyes was still haunting, and Quil believed in her heart that it would always be. ...Even if it was the only thing she would ever do ─ even if it meant sacrificing all else ─ she would make sure that her sons and daughters knew the love of their mother and father, in a home that they would never have to grieve for. A low whine thrummed in her throat as tears welled slowly in her eyes, pooling and slipping down her cheeks as exhaustion and emotion came over her. Her sides rose and fell, strong and steady, with each breath that filled her chest. And still hours passed...And when she had no fight left in her, when she felt as through her body was broken and her work was worth nothing, a single child was born. Drawing what strength she had left, Quil found her son's tiny, perfect body, wet and warm, and drew him near. Seconds crept past and the cub's soft cries echoed through the hollow of the cave, melting her to her very core, and all at once her fears and pain fell away. All that Quil knew in that moment was joy.

(This post was last modified: May 14, 2015, 01:41 PM by Quil.)

She paced outside the den -- absolutely loathing the nervous flutter in her chest and stomach, mostly as it did not pertain to her own well-being. Cinder was perhaps the only other creature on this world that could elicit such a response from the vapid girl, and every so often she would pause mid-step, allowing one ear to stray to the den entrance as if she was awaiting any sound from within.

Rook had done this to her -- he had made her get completely fat, hormonal and now she was in pain.. all for what? Puppies? Cinder hadn't been able to comprehend why the pack's leaders had not said a word to either of them for breeding -- wolf law dictated that only the leaders bred, but it could only be assumed by the girl that one day, the awkward boy and her sister would take the helm. It seemed a strange thought to her, and she wasn't certain how she felt about taking orders from Rook.

A huff escaped her then, her amber eyes narrowing as she cast another look to the den. She would not barge in without invitation, but it was everything she could do to keep her anxious paws from dancing upon their doorstep.. especially when the smell in the air seemed to change somehow.

Cinder knew then that it had happened -- her sister had given birth, and she would be an aunt. Somehow, Quil would be a mother.. and all of the focus she had given to Cinder would be stolen away once more.

(This post was last modified: May 14, 2015, 09:06 PM by Cinder.)

like a black widow, baby

B o r d e n
oh, little lionheart

In the days following that afternoon when Quil had taken a moment to enjoy an afternoon nap with him, Borden had started to notice how much their little family had begun to change. Either he had effortlessly made himself constantly scarce amidst the old evergreens or it just seemed that the rest of the pack these days were busy. Rook, in particular, had worked himself into a frenzy. He was constantly going back and forth from the den he had built for Quil; and, when he wasn't hunting or minding the borders, he was there... sitting at the mouth of the den, just being anxious and much too curious about how his mate was doing. It was out of concern and care that the patriarch managed to draw his son away from the underground den and leave Quil to a bit of peace and quiet to rest and prepare herself for the days to come when their litter had come at last. It had come to the Leader's attention that the younger Lyall was actually not sleeping as much as he should.

During the time that Rook had been away, Borden had given him some thought as to what fatherhood was like - without the worry and the overthinking. It did little to make his son smile but, in time, Rook voiced that he understood. Beneath the faint moonlight, the Leader nudged his son's shoulder, wanting to instill as much courage and heart into the boy as he was able. But then, without warning, it came, that innate sense that made every expectant father's skin tingle and every hair stand up on edge. In an instant, Rook was racing through the trees in a sprint.

Borden did his best to follow, primarily relying on his nose to guide him in the night. In due time, he had come upon the den site where Rook and Cinder stood at the entrance to a wolf-sized hole in the ground. Inquisitive as he was, he gave a soft, warm bark to Quil's sister in greeting but he kept his distance, being much more than a stone's throw away from the pair. If his son's intuition was correct, perhaps it really was time, and while he wanted to be apart of it, as a grandfather, he wanted to grant the newly made father and aunt their space. This was moment was theirs, the first of many milestones that marked them all as true adults of Grizzly Hollow... and the young that would soon draw breath within a den very much like the one he had found for Jaysyek would be the future of their family and pack.

table by Switch

Well, what do you want from me?

I'll be here to hold your hand

rook lyall

'cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart

On the eve of his son's birth, it was with a great amount of hesitance that Rook had left the entrance of the den that evening but it was all in good reason. Yes, he had been stressed and, yes, he had been absolutely worried. Why? Apart from helping his mother, looking after his father, watching over Quil, attempting to both appease and avoid his "sister-in-law" Cinder, wondering what had happened to Titan, patrolling the borders, and scavenging anything he could for the pack to eat, Rook was also facing the unknown in the face of fatherhood. It ate away at him like the river eats away at the banks; without Bishop to ground him, he had become impulsive and wrapped up in himself (he wanted his family back, he wanted his father to be well, he wanted Titan to stay with them, he wanted everything within Grizzly Hollow to be just as he had pictured it in his head) and very much unlike the yearling who had first come into Relic Lore the year before.

Borden had just been in the middle of retelling him the story of his own birth when Rook felt it - that subtle shift in the midnight air and that instinctive pull that Quil seemed to have over him even when she was not at his side. He stood up at first, staring back towards the direction of the underground den, before succumbing to the franticness of absolutely needing to be with his beloved. Something within him was so certain that now was the hour in which their little family would come to light.

He must have been late, judging by the way Cinder was standing nearby, staring at the sloping tunnel that led into private space where only he and Quil were allowed in. Approaching with caution, he gave a courteous nod to Cinder while offering a small amicable smile. He was about to ask her something - how she was, if Quil had said anything, or something of the sort - when he heard for himself the cries of his offspring. For a temporary moment, the world grew still and stared down into the darkness of the burrow. At his back his father barked to let them know that he was nearby, but Rook only had ears for what news Quil might have for them from within.

template base formed by GINNYSAURUS.

Chances are I have a BEN WHISHAW gif for that.