Moonspear like it is

Despite the rainy recent days, she took any of her opportunities to get out of the den more greedily now. Whenever she could, she encouraged the puppies to spend time outside with her too. They were growing fast and she liked to spend their energy on more productive matters, and letting them learn a tiny piece of the mountain was often a good place to start just that. Plus, autumn was markedly upon them, and it was hard not to be impatient about getting out with her truthfully wanting to settle into a rendezvous site sooner rather than later.

In between showers, and sometime late in the afternoon, she settled several meters away from the den's doorstep with the last scraps of a rabbit at her paws -- freshly picked-over and leaving her a little dismayed with how little remained. But she accepted with a sigh, hoping soon to rally enough wolves to bring in more larger prey. She itched for the hunt proper and in full.

Nevertheless, her ears were pricked and swiveling eagerly, both forward and back while she weighed what her next move could be. She was usually not alone for very long in one way or another and until then, her sights swung upward. The clouds were vaguely darkening again already.

She felt she'd given enough time to Amekaze before visiting. Perhaps she'd given too much time. She was worried now that she'd seem rude or disinterested when the opposite was true. She'd wanted to visit the day after they were born, but had held herself off. She didn't want to intrude on a new family's bliss, nor to test her welcome. She was fairly new within the pack still and to distrust her would only be natural. Now though, she would come. And she would come bearing a gift.

The largest hare she could see when hunting had been selected and killed, and now sat firmly in her jaws. She approached the den site steadily, excited to see Amekaze after so long and hoping she might catch a glimpse of a pup or two. Spotting Amekaze sitting outside the den looking decidedly less pregnant she gave a friendly but muffled chuff. She approached slowly in case the female warned her off.

She dropped the rabbit at her feet once she felt she was an acceptable distance away. A smile bloomed on her face. "It's good to see you again, Amekaze." Though she had not directly visited the den, in the days leading up to and after the birth she had lingered relatively near in case a problem occurred. Though she'd not have been close enough to bother father or mother, she'd wanted to be near. "I was waiting to visit, didn't want to disturb you or Charon with your little ones. How are you? How are they?" She nudged the rabbit, but spared a glance to the meal Amekaze had likely just finished. "I brought a gift. Perhaps you can save it for your next meal."

Keyed into the shift of the seasons as always, somehow the knowing that this winter would be the first one for her daughter's had her already feeling extra sensitive about it. Perhaps, she justified, it was why she wanted to constantly see them progressing forward. They'd still be pretty young by the time the first true frosts came (barring surprises of an early chill, but she'd known the Teekon long enough to see its patterns) and there was a lot be done in the meantime -- but such was the perpetual feeling, and she trusted this mountain to sustain their growth, even in the deadest months.

The sound of footfalls brought her sights right out of the skies and onto the agouti female. "Pyx. Hey," Ame focused and settled simultaneously, then swished her tail across the ground. She sat up straighter and didn't hesitate the glance at the rabbit, although Pyx was quick to command her attention in the very next moment.

"Ah.. we are all well. They are growing -- active and noisy," she gestured vaguely towards the densite and was expecting one of them to not be too far from her to prove her point. "I could do with more sleep and less milk teeth in my days but that is not the worst it could be," she sighed. They were rapidly bound to grow out of it, too and at least they were a healthy, generally agreeable lot. Already they'd come a long way from the little wiggling beans they'd been. "Soon we will move them to the rendezvous site, so everyone will see more of them." Of the wolves still loyal to the Spear, they were shaping into a lot trusted well enough by her to permit this without issue. Everyone had been mindful of her privacy and never given her any unnecessary concerns, so it was time to move things forward soon for the good of the growing litter.

She smiled to hear that both the young and Amekaze were well. She noted Amekaze's glance to the rabbit and without pause lifted it and settled it closer to the alpha female. Her eyes followed Amekaze's to the den, wondering if one of the bundles would come tumbling out to meet her. She was eager to see them, excited to see them. The little interaction she'd had with pups had always been fun for her, she'd always liked pups and had always intended to one day have children.

She didn't want to do it without a trusted mate though. Perhaps she was being traditional, but that was what she wanted. Pyx winced in sympathy about the milk teeth, but there was nothing to be done for them. It wouldn't be long before the children began to eat meat itself. "I could bring some raspberry leaves by sometime if you're very sore from the teeth. Try soaking in the river while the days are still warm on days they feel swollen, the cold should help." Sleep she could not truly help with. There were certainly herbs to aid in getting a wolf to sleep, but a mother wouldn't likely agree to being drugged up and helpless should her children get up to mischief.

"How exciting! For you and them. I look forward to meeting them." She settled her rump onto the ground and her eyes glanced towards the densite as if the mere mention would bring them tumbling forth. "I hadn't had a chance to ask Charon for their names. What did you decide to call them? Star names? Family names? We discussed it but you had many options open."

Pyx was swift to offer solutions to her complaints, which had the dark alpha nodding. While she'd resolved to tough it out best she could, since none of her issues were that dire for now, making it go by easier couldn't help. As always with notes like these, she would keep them in mind and was silently thankful for the solutions. "Trying a soak is easy enough. So far.. it is not, ah, the worst," she shrugged. "But different. Mostly just troublesome. But I will," she nodded a small, awkward laugh. She was pretty particular about the pups nursing and always had been a little on the defensive side when it came to tiny teeth hungrily on her teats. She didn't let them get too overzealous or greedy for long, mostly to preserve herself in the long run..

But, there was plenty else to address than sore nips with her feeling far more comfortable about easing the pups into the pack. She was happy to talk of them with Pyx, who she knew would soak this all up. "Ah, well.. Korei is the only one of the four with pale fur. Korei Julia in full, each a name in reference to our mothers." Charon's being Julooke, and hers Yuurei. Ame hadn't decided which of the names she may use more, and was leaving that up to the girl's growth to decide. So far they seemed interchangeable or just best together. "Then three identicals in dark.. Alya, Lyra, and Hydra. All stars, associated myths too," she gestured vaguely with her snout. "I am actually a bit surprised none of them have come looking for me. They seem.. in good spirits, as far as I can tell. Rambunctious, loud, picky, sometimes fussy... Growing so fast. It has been steady going, but I am working to get them more comfortable with a few faces around here and areas outside the den." So the offer remained for Pyx to get to know them better -- but this was fair enough warning that they could be sharp, or noisy, or shy depending on the day. "Meeting the pack and seeing their home is helping spend their energy, too," she chuffed.

She nodded as Amekaze reassured her that her problem wasn't the worst. It was always nice to have a solution to a problem before it arose, though, at least Pyx thought so. The petite red female listened intently as Amekaze began to describe her children, who were apparently sleeping or playing within the den. A soft  and approving ah escaped her as Amekaze revealed that the children names bore pieces of their grandmother's names.

All the names fell unfamiliar on her ears, the stars and the first child's. She was not familiar with the sky, nor with the family that either Charon or Amekaze had come from. Perhaps if she'd been born here she'd know more of the families. She smiled as Ame described them, laughing slightly. "They sound nice and healthy then. I don't think there was a well pup born that didn't know how to pester it's parents or packmates. I'll be sure to try to hang around a little more then, to meet them. I should make myself more familiar to them anyway, should any of them ever need one kind of herb or the other." 

"It's a struggle enough trying to feed someone reluctant, much less a child who doesn't know or trust you." She'd seen her mentor struggle fiercely with a shy pup once, and ever since had decided to make an effort to make any pups like her. Perhaps a piece of it was her own clock ticking merrily away, waiting for her chance. "I'm sure they sleep like rocks on the days they get what they consider a suitable adventure. How well can they speak now? I've not overly familiar with pups myself, I'm not sure when the babbling becomes true words."

While it had taken her time to want to extend the offer of the pups to many others, now was high time and Pyx was perfectly suited. Ame nodded when she mentioned hanging around them a bit more. She was certainly not opposed, and didn't imagine that the girls would take great offense to her presence any once they got to know her. Aesop had surviving their greeting barrage of sharp points well enough, so maybe that at least paved the way for others and took the brunt of their assault off. "I think they would like to know you better.. They may seem a little standoffish at first to new things, but they usually warm up quick enough." Or rather, as was the litter's average. She didn't expect Lyra to be too cozy with a newcomer right away, but Korei might even have some warmth to offer. Hydra would probably be swift to provide a "no" to whatever the situation was, while Alya was sure to add her  commentary. They were a varied little bunch sometimes that still surprised her often.

"Oh they do, so I cannot complain about that," she said with a wry grin. Anything to tire them out. She liked exposing them to new things though, and wanted to do more of it the bigger they got -- and the more comfortable with them being out and about she became (it still felt strange to her at times..). In the long run, it all translated to learning. She wanted to give them all the opportunity to grow and flourish that she could provide them. "As for speech, it is still a lot of nonsense. Like noises, repeating what they hear, or their best attempts.. but more and more keywords by the day, I have noticed." she recounted. "So it is already getting easier to tell what they are going on about," this mostly meant the generally more talkative Alya and Korei, the ones most prone to going on about anything.

"They seem to learn so quick. But, I like it -- watching it happen." she shook her head softly, not really feeling the need to be too withheld about observational findings for Pyx. She'd long had the sense that they could approach matters similarly hungry for knowledge and better understanding; it was only natural to Ame to treat raising her sprogs in a similiar way too.

Amekaze's words about the pups made her smile. "Wise of them, we are all hesitant to new things at first, I think. Better to show caution than throw it to the wind and be hurt." Pyx would enjoy meeting them though, she'd always liked pups even if they were loud with sharp teeth. Without having pups she could easily understand the need to tire them. The relentless energy that came with little bodies, the way they were not yet aware of the dangers of the world. It was at once beautiful and frightening. 


She didn't truly know how developed there speech should be, so she merely nodded. "Won't be long then, I'm sure. Though I've been told that once they start talking, you'll tire of it quickly." She grinned, chuckling a little. She herself had chattered her mother's ear off, but it was mostly because she was always picked on, or left out of the games. Her mother had never seemed to mind though, and she'd been stern with Pyx's brothers on being fair. 

"I can imagine that would be the best part. Watching them learn, seeing the knowledge light up their eyes. That, and watching their personalities develop." She glanced towards the den, just thinking about it. "I've always found pregnancy to be a miraculous thing. That our bodies know without telling them how to perfectly form a being that will grow to be another entity entirely." Her eyes were bright and she shook her head.

"It seems so commonplace, until you truly think on it. Think on what your body had to do, and now you have beautiful girls where once was nothing."

She'd never anticipated any offspring of her to be anything less that scrutinizing. However, for reasons Pyx touched upon, she was not complaining if they were wary to newness in abundance. She'd be no different, presumably. Even for a whelp of limited experience, it seemed sensible to not always be gun-ho and ready to rush forward carelessly. "I could see why," she snorted softly in regard to them finding, and perfecting, their voices. "Alya, especially, has already made good to exercise her abilities already," she mentioned. But, it seemed to be starting to make more sense than it had originally, and was at least one way to tell her apart from the others when she was carrying on like no other could. "So I wonder if that could be a sign of things to come," whether or not she would be a chatty pup or not once things turned into words. Ame supposed it could be worse, and she would just have to find clever ways to direct it, if so.

And indeed, watching them learn was a favorite part for her (rivaled by having them adore and smother on Charon, probably?) and it had only begun. She still had so much to give them. Her jaw steeled at the thought, but Pyx's words softened it as she reflected carefully on her own experiences with pregnancy itself. Mixed feelings for her, truly. But fascinating. Pyx called it miraculous, and now that she was on the backend of that, she could believe it more so now that the proof existed -- lived, breathed, and captivated her with their growth and presence. Calling it anything short of troublesome near her several weeks ago at the height of her most uncomfortable would've guaranteed teeth, surely, but it hadn't been easy, and she still felt like she was recovering somewhat.. although she'd never say so.

However none of it would have been without any of this. The pack itself, the mountain, every wolf on it who gave her their loyalty. Charon. Even while still healing from regional famine, the damned lightning that seared through her, and with or without the extra element contributed by Lazarus (something else that always seemed to weigh on her when she thought about the whole event) -- then and there had been the time for this, it seemed. "I know, it is so.. much to think about: the just.. how is this, when I look at them and know I was responsible for making that happen.. I cannot disagree, that is miraculous to me," her ears splayed. "Maybe that was why I was in sour mood the whole time: A hell of a process, a lot of work.." she chuffed, fighting a frown at the thought of all that had gone into it. As the only other female in the pack, Pyx may have an understanding few would quite grasp but she knew she looked at it with a different perspective now that it was said and done. "And definitely not one I thought about that much before it happened." She shook her head, it was so much, so strange. Still, it was good to know she could do that.

Pyx smiled softly at Amekaze's snort. "Ah, so you have a singer among them. How lucky for you." Her words were kind but playfully teasing. "She'll probably be the first to master it, then, her voice and words." Pyx shrugged her shoulders and shook her head slightly. "I wish I knew more to tell you, but sadly my knowledge of children is limited compared to that of herbs. It must be fun, though." She said, looking to Amekaze with a soft and slightly wistful gaze. "I will enjoy it when my time comes."

It was only recently that she'd started to hear the ticking of her own biological clock. She reasoned that had to have been started from Amekaze's journey into motherhood, knowing that both parents were new. She had watched the transition, the growth of Amekaze's belly to the small squeaks she'd managed to hear outside the den. Although she hadn't met any of the young yet, it had instilled in her a fierce protectiveness...and a slight longing. Of course, children were easier said than done. She didn't have a mate, and while she likely could find someone willing to assist her in the making, she'd need permission from Charon and Amekaze if she wanted to stay in Moonspear, which she did. With little alpha mouths already to feed it did not make logical sense for her to request anything of the sort. She wouldn't jeopardize the lives of the little Princesses for her selfish desires. 

Still, the longing sat within her. She hoped to placate it for the time being by interacting with Amekaze's litter and perhaps once they had grown more she could fully think on the matter. She had never been one to consider mating simply for pups, though she knew it was done. She had always imagined the male would be her partner, if not her lover. While she had formed a crush on Judas, their friendship was still only developing. She could not say she loved him, not as anything but a friend, and the idea of having children with him brought up thoughts of his past. She felt ashamed of thinking that way, and it bothered her enough that she would simply push the thought away.

Amekaze soon began to speak of her own amazement with the situation and Pyx listened quietly, happy to see that Ame shared her feelings and feeling closer to her for it. She laughed as the dark female joked. "A lot of work indeed! I didn't think of it much myself," She agreed. "Not until you fell pregnant. And then my mind was full of trying to remember anything useful regarding herbs. Brought the concept out more to me. Made me think of it more than I ever had before."

She scoffed softly, humored. Lucky, indeed. It wouldn't surprise her to have Alya master her voice first. Time would tell, and in the meantime, she would continue to learn what worked best for her and the litter alike. "Fun? Sometimes," she laughed. "Fascinating always." They were worth it, in the end, and her patience was paying off already. Besides, once they hit their growth spurts, she might even miss them being small and less capable. But, that was a bit hard to imagine; she was all about seeing them grow strong and skillful.

The alpha could sense that there was more behind it, yet not well enough to quite put it to words. She had complicated thoughts on the matter herself. The desire to.. mother, necessarily, hadn't been precisely why she'd pursued her brood, but instead more of duty first. The rest fell into place later. She'd never necessarily yearned to nurture suckling babes; it was well outside of her interests (and made it hard to participate in some of those very hobbies as well..) and not having a suitable mate for a long time had probably helped keep it at bay. A conveniently absent estrus for her whole alphaship of the Spire had even made it easier to avoid there too. Now, flash forward a handful of moons though? With the role of empress of this mountain so intrinsically woven into her and a handsomely ambitious male next to her, it had just been the right thing to do. She'd felt it in her bones, and perhaps that was just spurred by her time ticking on itself, or maybe there was even more to it -- because nature spoke in its mysteries.

Amekaze's ears gave a little splay. "Ah, I did not mean to spring it on you like that," she smirked, vaguely apologetic despite that. Even if she'd had to scramble together the knowledge she'd offer, knowing Pyx had it was a prize to her. For that, she'd still be grateful. "While not a decision made lightly, I had not exactly planned for it to seem so sudden. After the lightning, things.. happened quickly." She shook her head softly and rose to stand, then shake off the rest of her once she was up. The humidity still persisted, even for autumn, and her furs stuck accordingly. Ame'd never understand why the week after the strike had fallen apart so badly or why these events were linked at all, but it had been (and so close to the solstice no less), as loathe was she was to think about it very much. "Still, it all worked out. While everything went alright, it was good to know you.. did know what to do to help, in case." she nodded to press the point home with a fond look.

The red female smiled at her alpha's laugh. She was sure there were trying times to having children, equal in parts to that of the fun. Still, her view was clouded by longing, and so the frustrations Amekaze knew all too well seemed unimportant against the scope of her desire. "I can only imagine." Pyx said truthfully, casting yet another look to the den opening. Pyx could not help the smile that broke across her face as Amekaze apologized. She shook her head and laughed a little. 

"No, you owe me no explanations. I would have been scrambling no matter how prepared I was, I think. Litters are important, first litters are unpredictable and the first litter of the alpha pair?" She scoffed lightly. "Hopefully I'll scramble less for your second, hm?" Her eyes sparked with mischief, for certainly Amekaze's mind was far from a second litter.

"Things happen as they will. Charon might have even seen this litter in the stars. It's the way it was meant to happen, and work out it did." She ducked her head bashfully at the compliment though. "I do my best. You are all my family now, and I'd not want anything bad to happen if it were in my control to stop it." She'd been with Moonspear for a time now, and her loyalty was solidified. It had hardened through her relationship with Amekaze and Charon, even Floki. Judas too had played a role in her devotion for this pack. "And you're stuck with me now." She teased gently, a soft smile on her face. "Scrambling and all."

Indeed, any notion of a second litter was far too fresh for her to consider any time soon. Her plans on it never spanned that far ahead, so starting now just was not going to happen -- and instead, as always, she would be at nature's mercy and blessing alike. How her own mother bred seasonally year after year for as long as she did was beyond her, especially now that she understood it a tiny bit more than ever before. But, she nodded. "Hopefully no one has to do any scrambling if or when next time happens.." she chuffed softly. Pyx, her, or otherwise. Next time would be better.

As for the stars and Charon, it too was possible, and maybe they may reveal new truths in the months to come. In either case, Amekaze hoped for her own -- and theirs -- success.

To Pyx's words, being stuck with her and all, she snickered, and began to gather herself up to move on back to the den to check in on matters there. Still, she was thankful and happy it had worked out this way. Moonspear was lucky to have her, Ame believed. "Well, know that I have seen a lot of wolves come and go and I am glad you are one of the ones that have stuck with us -- me included," she stretched lightly. "I am not complaining," she added with a quick reach for a nudge, should Pyx have it.

"I should head back before they come looking," or Charon got tired of their little needle-teeth and general busyness. "See you soon? And thanks," she said before grabbing the rabbit and turning back up the trail towards the den, and presumably, her pups.

Pyx chuckled, nodding along with Amekaze's words. "Yes, no scrambling next time. Perhaps a litter of all boys then, hm?" Her eys flashed mischievously, for a litter of all boys would be the one way to throw an unfamiliar tone to something Amekaze now knew. The red wolf blushed beneath her fur at her alpha's kind words. She dipped her head, as she was prone to do when bashful.

"I am glad to hear that, Amekaze. I'm pleased to be among your wolves, happy to be apart of this family." She gratefully accepted the nudge, tail waving happily behind her. She returned a small nudge of her own beneath the female's chin, if Amekaze would allow. Affectionate but submissive. Pyx glanced back towards the den, smiling again. "Of course, of course. I'll be around, just send out a call if you need me. For anything medical or just for talk. You're welcome, Ame." She didn't often call the female by her nickname, knowing that Charon used it. She felt it fit the situation now, though, the gentle closeness of their conversation.