Bearclaw Valley and the world was consumed

she carried herself with an ease she hadn't had in the week or so since her return to the valley.  she had been dividing her time between the whelping den that she and alexander had dug together and her favored boulder and it was the latter from which she emerged today.

she pulled herself from within the dirt, stretching beneath the sunlight that filtered through the conifers and rubbed herself on the ones closest to her den.  satisfied, she probed far in the packlands, following the stream to the wide expanse of grass of the valley itself.

she hadn't really touched this land at all, and she had not expected to be this confident so soon after everything that had happened.  but this was her home, too, and she was sure that xan would protect their progeny from any danger.

deep in the valley, she lowered herself down to the partially frozen stream, lapping up some of the cool water that trickled by.

Word had gotten around that the deaf girl was back, and although she had been busy with her own affairs, Blondine wanted to make sure that she had a chance to host a proper reunion between the two of them. She was quickly learning of Reigi's distinct lack of friends within the Valley, and because Blondine thought that everyone deserved to have someone to talk to, she wanted to prioritize the time to start bonding. 

Coming upon Reigi stationed at the water, Blondine had to force herself to slow down from a few yards away. She might have gone closer had it not been for her apparent condition. While it would have been reasonable to assume that Xan had secured at least one of the Valley wolves (Reigi, in particular) during their collective estrus, the idea hadn't seemed real until it stood right in front of her. Hey, lady, she called, a smile on her maw.

this is just a one post cameo :)

Ever since their run-in and then since she had returned with that weird thing round her neck Laurel had managed to stay fairly clear of the dumb girl. She'd caught her scent trail here and there but Laurel had decided to simply steer clear of her for now. Every time she and Indra were together she wouldn't find her and every time she found her scent, she was alone and didn't want to stir up shit alone. She just wanted the girl gone, but a master plan to achieve this was yet to form, if it ever would. Some days Laurel considered just grabbing Indra and leaving, but there was a strange attachment to Xan following the days of their pairing an though she hadn't seen him yet since she could not deny that the only thing that was keeping her and her sister here, beside the scorn of winter, was often him.

As she was out for a walk that day and lost in thoughts Laurel hadn't noticed that she was treading so close to the girl she knew Xan favoured, even despite her attitude. As she neared a stream the scent suddenly hit her and Laurel stood still, hackles pricked defensively, as she looked up at the subject of her insecurities and ire which stood on the other side of the water. Blondine was there too, on the other side, at a distance away. Laurel's eyes roved from the dumb girl's face to the weird thing round her neck and then to her stomach at last... Which looked bigger than when she had last seen her. Something was different. She smelled different. She looked different.

Laurel stood frozen in time for just a few seconds, though to her it felt much longer. Then she let out a frustrated huff and turned around, away from them, started to run away. She gritted her teeth and ran until she had no more air in her lungs and her paws refused to carry her any further. Angry and sad, she knew that it was no longer a battle she could win now. It would be just like Reek and Jhala and their idiot children. It would be the same all over again. Once she had gathered some of her breath again Laurel turned round and started to run to where she and Indra usually slept, hoping to find her sister there because she needed her Indra right now.

the woman's words cause reigi to pause from her drinking, her head raising to meet the healer's gaze.  hallo, she calls back, her tail wagging excitedly behind her.

it had been a minute since she had seen anyone around other than xan; she had been so caught up in her self-imposed isolation that she hadn't bothered to catch up with her packmates since her return.  but now that the medic was in front of her, she could not help but be excited to see her.

although blondine would not close the distance between them, the sight of laurel caused reigi to ghost closer almost protectively, her body stiffening.  but then laurel was running away — good — and she uncoiled.

she cocked her head at blondine, probing for conversation with her expressive eyes.  how're you?

The tension was almost tangible, despite the distance between the two mothers. This was the first time that Blondine had been clued into Laurel's pregnancy, though she wasn't surprised; Xan's reputation was practically writing itself. With a sigh, she moved a few steps closer and plopped down onto her bottom. Hello, doll, she cooed, only then revealing a toothy grin. 

I'm so happy to see you all fat and round, Blondine complimented. With anyone else, she might not have been so forward, but she was confident that Reigi's lack of coherence would have kept her from being offended. There were a few open wounds that worried the medic; from where she sat, she could hardly get a clear view. As the conversation went on, she would have to sneak closer and further investigate.

she positively melted beneath blondine's words.  the medic had somehow worked beneath reigi's carefully built walls, and as such she was met with that queer forwardnes.

hai, reigi said, plopping unceremnoiously into the snow in front of blondine to reveal that fat stomach.  she snorted, burying her nose in the snow before turning it back up to blondine and licking at the air in front of her chin.  i'm happy to see you, it said.

It was never a shock to Blondine that Xan had fallen for Reigi. In fact, she thought that if Reigi could talk, she would have everyone swooning over her. But she didn't, and that meant that to get close to her, folks had to have patience which was an increasingly rare virtue. It was charming, her friendly display. Blondine responded by prostrating into a play position and edging closer to Reigi's side, gently nipping at her side.

As a friend, Blondine would have loved a game of tag, but as a medic, she knew better than to have Reigi join in on such shenanigans. You ready to be a momma? she asked, now standing back upright and examining the skin on Reigi's belly.

reigi desperately wanted to play, but one quick dip and a small bursting dash around blondine had already sapped most of her energy.  when the healer resumed normal position reigi begrudgingly decided that perhaps blondine was right.  

she didn't really get what blondine was saying, but she moved her leg out of the way in case the girl wanted a closer look.  soon, she hoped, the healer would be helping her deliver her babies into the world.

It was so weird, seeing those babies in there. Blondine didn't think that they were too big, 'else how would Reigi have managed carrying them? How did any pregnant mom carry 'em? Pups moved and fought, and they cried so much. Blondine wondered if Reigi could hear her pups in there whining at night, but dismissed the thought as nonsense. Those babies had all the warmth and comfort in the world. They hadn't seen or experienced cruelty yet; what would they have to cry about?

Accepting Reigi's invitation, Blondine began prodding on a with a bit more fervor, always minding her manners and her patient's response. After a moment or two, she reeled back and decided that some of those other injuries were worth looking over while she had the chance.

oh!

blondine's working reminded reigi of the sweet little wolfdog that had helped her after her first encounter with the dark man.  almost excitedly, while blondine was still a few feet away, she flopped on the ground and grabbed a mouthful of snow, placing it on her healing (itching!!!) wounds.

she repeated the action a few times, looking at blondine between each of them, before flipping over and letting the wound just rest on the snow.  soon, it would be numb and blondine could go at it without reigi's constant fussing.