Bearclaw Valley what a sweet surprise

♫ — what i never knew i always wanted
set for the first of april

@Forrest / @Blondine, @Xan, @Poet*

bearclaw valley's matriarch had awoken with a quiet strirring sense of trepidation.  the first of her contractions had begun early in the morning and with them the raven became restless and confused — she paced in her whelping den where she and alexander had officiated their mateship, tail lashing behind her in impatience and unease.

she shivered as each contraction worked at her womb, and although the hours passed she did not call for help or seek the comfort that alexander could have provided.  the only woman she wanted was gone; blondine had bid bearclaw adieu just days before.  it settled bitterly in her chest because she did not understand, there was so much she still did not understand!  

her womb rolled again alongside another contraction, and with it her thighs became damp.  she bent her muzzle to inspect and noticed a liquid the colour of wheat that smelled of life, and suddenly she knew.  her heart hammered as she whined, her eyes growing wide.  the babies could not come now, blondine was not here!  she was the only —

ah!

she stifled a warbling cry as despair flooded the young mother.  and although she did not know it, blondine's absence would be the least of her worries.  the babies were going to come and they were going to do it now, a week early. 

*i'm not sure who would be allowed in the den right now!

The borders had called him away from the den shortly before her contractions began, lured by the need to protect; he did not doubt the security of his home, though he did wish to be the one to ensure it remained as dutifully guarded as ever. He did not know when his children would be born—from either of the women—he knew only that his wife was exceptionally large, and the sight of her alone made him feel anxious. What if something happened? What if something went wrong? He wondered, too, if those she carried might face the same storm as he had so long ago; he had but an inkling of a memory left regarding that night, of the cold and the excitement, of the world’s anger. Fending off what nerves he could, Alexander focused on the border, on his patrol, so that he might better protect those within the valley’s walls—but he couldn’t shake a nagging feeling from the back of his mind, something urging him to the place that had started it all.

The patrol lasted longer than originally planned, as the pallid king had made his way along the exterior; the rough edges of the walls had his body rubbed against them, clumps of previously loose fur left behind, signifying the claim held over the land. In the process of doing so, he’d managed to locate and kill a marten, which hung limply from his jaws as he made his return to the whelping den—but something was amiss, the cry that emitted from the darkness slackening his jaw and driving him towards the opening, meal left behind and forgotten.

Alexander nearly dove into the den, senses on high alert and teeth ready to tear into the flesh of whatever was causing her grief. Yet, as he peered in, he found his wife to be alone and his body relaxed, only to tense back up moments later as a whine fled from his throat: what’s wrong? What’s happening? He was oblivious to that which was to come, crouched down at the mouth of the den and frozen there, not knowing what he should do because he could not tell what was going on.

instinct told her to drive her boy away from the den but the exceptional fear that had welled up inside her bid him to stay.  she sought him with fear-stricken eyes, panting desperate and heavy.  her sides are heaving as she lay down on the ground, her rear facing the walls of the den.  whether or not they were ready, it was time.

heavy contractions began and short whines punctuated the early morning, and with each instinctual push a child began to emerge.  it seemed like years before she had expelled the child from her body.  immediately, she took upon removing the thin membrane from around its stiff, twisted form.

it did not cry.

her heart shattered, and her defeated form lay against the whelping den's walls as she wept tearlessly, her eyes closed.  but she had a duty — she knew this was not over.  she grabbed the pup and moved it towards the mouth of the den, then returned to the corner of the den.

Extra tag just in case you needed a window to bring Forrest in. Also assumed a thing—lemme know if you want anything changed, Tweety!

Perhaps, well within the depths of his mind, he understood what was happening, but it was not until the first child was visible that everything clicked—their children were on their way out. He felt the pace of his heart pick up, panic taking hold as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. Should he call for someone? Was he supposed to call for someone? He pulled his head back from the den’s entrance, considering his next move, then suddenly just stopped. His head returned to its previous place, gaze slicing through the darkness and focusing on the child that was pushed away—weren’t they supposed to be pulled closer? A whine threatened to spill out past his lips until he noticed that the form was motionless, soundless, and then he felt his blood run cold; that someone he’d never known could incite such a reaction, he’d never understand the reason behind it.

Alexander, resisting the urge to move towards the lifeless lump, forced himself away from it all. He stared into the darkness no longer, taking instead to pacing back and forth just outside the whelping den before finally calling for @Forrest. He was uncertain of the older woman but, at the same time, if Blondine felt her to be an adequate stand-in, then he had to give her a chance; with how often the healer demonstrated her skills, it’d be an insult to doubt her opinion now.

It might have seemed incredibly unprofessional for Forrest to have arrived so late, but a midwife as seasoned as she knew that a mother's first cry for help wasn't always the loudest. Indeed, the laboring woman often misinterprets her body's signals and thinks of the worst case scenario before given any reason to! So, even after hearing the first few sighs and moans, Forrest stayed put, only rousing herself upon hearing Xan's pleading call.

The scene was greusome, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Forrest noticed the stillborn but didn't think anything of it; it wasn't her first. Her eyes moved quickly between the two parents, both clearly confused and desperate. Oh, aponi, can I take a look? she asked, gently pushing forward into the space with her body communicating her submission. This wouldn't be the last of the pups, Forrest was sure. The promise of life would allow them all to keep swimming through the sorrow of love.

Another one will come. This pain is only a bridge.

i wanna get this moving, i'm so sorry for the wait. <3  ugh, i'll edit tense issues in the am, it's 2 in the morn now and i need SLEE

her lip curled in a silent snarl as someone who wasn't her mate approached the densite.  her mismatched eyes were widened in shock and fear — was it the redleaf girls?  was it THE DARK MAN ?  a shiver racked her body though she could not pinpoint whether it was from her dropping temperature or her weary mind.

she calmed if only slightly once forrest arrived.  she had somehow been made to know that this woman was here to help the birthing process but it was blondine that the matriarch wanted.  begrudgingly, she accepted the elder near, but it was not long before her soft and wanting heart let go of the resentment that had no place here.

she panted heavily, reaching forward to lick at the midwife's cheeks.

---

with forrest and her mate's help, she sat through the next hour (that y'all are fine to rp out, i just wanna get all these pups born because there will be SO MENY) with brooding impatience, until finally another child escaped from her loins.  this one was breathing but it did not root towards her nipple, despite her urging.

was their brood destined for death?  the most feral and irrational part of her brain screamed that this was the doings of those who hated her most.  she flickers back in time —  

she is home.  she stands infected and quivering at the borders.  before she knows it, something is on top of her and despite her ferocious struggling he ravages her at his will.  she wishes for death, she wishes for black.

she is curled beneath her boulder, her limbs tucked beneath her as she rots.  infection seeps from the wounds that had been sporadically cared for in her absence, and she shivers against the cold wind.  a blur of red comes from the shadows, and she stares directly into the copper gaze of the subject of her ire — if she looks away, she will be hurt.

but she is destined to be hurt anyway.

— and she howled in unbridled grief for the months of torture she has experienced for it to only come to wasted efforts and hearache.

Skip me until the babies are all pushed out!

With the elder woman’s arrival, Alexander moved away to grant her access into the den, and then immediately laid down off to the side of the entrance. Another was born, this one moving, but it did not appear to move towards his wife; he wasn’t worried, he assumed the child was just tired, or perhaps had yet to realise that it was hungry (it had to be hungry, right?). He gazed into the darkness of the whelping den, eyes resting on his wife, whose howl had his ears falling flat against his skull; the pain of her song struck him down and he felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach—what was wrong? What was happening? He wanted to trust that everything would be alright, that Forrest would ensure the survival of their children and his wife both but, still, there was a seed of worry that managed to take root and grow, leaving the male grasping for something joyous to happen.

so much has happened since this thread and various players have been dropped and switched, so i'm just gonna... spit everyone out and call it done, i think.  powerplay annasiak after this post, it will be my last in the thread. <3

Beneath the physician's watch, she continued to labor.  The rest of the night passed without much fanfare — four more puppies emerged from her womb — @Nunataq, @Marten, @Yakone, and one more although none of them presently had names.  Exhausted, she ushered them to nurse at her breast and panted heavily as she drifted off into peaceful slumber.  Her work here was done.